Hesmirked.
“I don’t need anyone to rescue me, asshole. Now get out of my way.” I tried to shoulder my way past him, but he blockedme.
I shoved my elbow into his jaw, but he anticipated my move because he bent backward and swiped at my arm. A burn erupted over my skin. The bastard had clawedme!
“Gosh, dueling you’s going to be so fun,” heslurred.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flurry of movement. Cole seized Justin’s two buddies by the neck and clapped their heads together, and then Matt was jumping another largeguy.
A hand dragged me back. Not ahand.
August yanked on the tether to get me out of the way, then stepped in front of me. “You just never learn,” he growled right before delivering a mean right hook to Justin’s ear that had the hateful Creek swaying alittle.
Unfortunately, it didn’t make him stumble orfall.
“Fucking mutt.” Justin’s lips flapped, and spittle hit August’sforehead.
I drew my bleeding armcloser.
“What did you just call me?” August asked in a deadlywhisper.
Lucas shoved past August, rubbing his palms together. “Justin, my man, I’ve been meaning to pay you a visit for some timenow.”
Justin rubbed his temple. “That reminds me . . . Taryn’s no longer wrapped around my cock. But she’s going around the Creeks. If you get my drift.” He tossed Lucas a wink that made him pounce, but the shifter fell into a crouch, managing to get out of the way. When he lurched up, he headbutted Lucas in thechin.
I gasped at the sound of cracking. Lucas seemed stunned for a second, but then he narrowed his eyes and barreled into Justin so hard he backed him into the door of Tracy’s and right out into the street. I stood frozen for a second, but then I moved, heading out onto the street afterthem.
August hooked his finger into one of my beltloops and held me back. “Lucas can handle him,sweetheart.”
“But—”
“But nothing. You stay away from that asshole.” He pulled me to the side, along the windowed façade and then farther down the sidewalk, but then he stopped walking and cinched my wrist, slowly tugging it away from my leather top. As he took in my wounds, his eyes flashed with bloodlust. “He didthis?”
As he started to turn, I grabbed a handful of his T-shirt. “Don’tbother.”
He listened to me—even though it seemed to take everything in him to doso.
A car alarm made us both look back at the scene unfolding outside Tracy’s. Lucas had tossed Justin onto the hood of a car, cracking the windshield. A police siren layered itself over the sound of the wrecked car. Matt and Cole gripped Lucas’s shoulders and peeled him off Justin, and then they shoved Lucas down the street in the opposite direction from where I stood withAugust.
“We have to go. The cops in Boulder are all dirty,” Augusthissed.
I remembered someone telling me they worked for Aidan Michaels. Did they know what he was? Would they still be loyal to him if theyknew?
August gripped my fingers hard, as though afraid they’d slip out of his hold, and towed me down the road just as police strobe lights painted the pavement and the gathered crowd blue. Even though my arm hurt and my legs felt like a solid bruise, I lengthened my strides to match August’s. In minutes, we’d reached myapartment.
I dug through my bag for my key, but my fingers shook from a mixture of adrenaline and fear. My bag toppled, and everything inside spilled onto thesidewalk.
August crouched to retrieve my things. When he noticed how hard I trembled, he stood and cupped my jaw. “Sweetheart, it’s okay. You’re okay. Everything’sokay.”
That miserable phrase again.All those words ever did was herald chaos into mylife.
Sensing I wasn’t reassured, he wrapped one hand around the base of my neck and pulled me to him. I let out a dismal whimper, because nothing wasokay.
“I couldn’t even . . . I didn’t even manage—” My voice caught on a sob. “How am I supposed to . . . block Justin in fur when I can’t even . . . do that inskin?”
“Seconds don’t usuallyfight.”
“He said . . . he said”—I pulled in a shuddering breath—“that dueling me . . . would be fun.” I’d always suspected Justin was planning on doing more than standing guard over his new Alpha, but the realization that my suspicions might become true felt like salt in myveins.
