Grayson’s mouth moved to Ryan’s jaw, trailing kisses along the line of it. “Then I’ll make you ready.”
“That sounds ominous.” Ryan’s laugh came out shaky. “Also hot. Mostly hot. Why is everything you say hot?”
Grayson didn’t answer. He simply nuzzled Ryan, pleased in ways he couldn’t even name.
Chapter Ten
The next night arrived too quickly. Grayson had spent the day coordinating with his team, setting up positions around the clinic. Bayne, Dr. Sullivan’s wolf mate, took the north side, hidden in the trees that bordered the parking lot. Reese positioned himself near the back entrance, his massive frame concealed in the shadows behind the dumpsters. Malik and Colton waited inside the clinic itself, hidden in exam rooms with the lights off.
Ryan had gone to work that morning despite his protests. Grayson had watched him leave the house, the bite mark visible above the collar of his scrubs. His mate had tried to cover it with concealer, but the bruise was too dark, too obvious. Dr. Sullivan had noticed immediately, his eyebrows rising before he’d turned away with a knowing smile. Janet had been less subtle, cornering Ryan in the break room to demand details that Ryan had deflected with increasingly frantic jokes.
Grayson crouched on the roof of the building across from the clinic, his body low against the tiles. The position gave him a clear view of all entrances, all approaches. The night air was cool against his skin, carrying scents from the nearby restaurants and the faint musk of the hyenas he knew were coming.
They would make their move tonight. Grayson had known it the moment the sun set and the streets emptied. Hyenas preferred darkness, preferred the cover it provided for their crimes. They would come for the dogs, for their property, and they would expect minimal resistance.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. A text from Reese. Movement on the west side. Three shapes. Hyena scent confirmed.
Grayson’s fingers moved across the screen. Hold position. Let them get close.
The minutes stretched out. Grayson’s senses expanded outward, tracking the approaching threats. The hyenas moved cautiously, keeping to the shadows. Their scent grew stronger, that distinctive musk that made his lion snarl with aggression. They thought they were being clever. Thought they were undetected.
Glass shattered somewhere below. The sound of the clinic's back window breaking echoed across the parking lot. Grayson heard laughter, that distinctive high-pitched sound that hyenas made. They were enjoying this. Thought this would be easy.
Grayson launched himself off the roof. The fall should have broken bones, should have left him injured. Instead, he shifted mid-air, his body transforming in the space between heartbeats. Human became lion, and he landed on four paws in the parking lot. The impact was silent despite his weight.
The hyenas had climbed through the broken window. Grayson could hear them inside the clinic, their claws clicking against the tile floor. Voices carried through the broken window, human voices discussing which dogs to take first. They hadn’t realized the danger they were in.
Reese emerged from behind the dumpsters. His shift happened as he moved, polar bear replacing human in an instant. The bear’s roar split the night air, loud enough to rattle windows. The voices inside the clinic cut off abruptly.
“What the hell was that?” one of the hyenas said. The fear in his voice was obvious now.
Grayson padded toward the broken window. The others were converging too, moving into position. Bayne appeared from the trees, shifted in his wolf form. The clinic was surrounded now, every exit covered.
The hyenas came pouring out through the window. Three of them, all shifting as they moved. Human became hyena in the same fluid transformation Grayson had used. They were smaller than the other shifters, built for speed and cunning rather than strength. Their spotted coats seemed to absorb the streetlight, making them harder to track.
The lead hyena saw Grayson and skidded to a stop. His laughter had turned to snarls, his lips pulled back to reveal teeth designed for scavenging. “You’re protecting dogs? We own those animals. They’re our property.”
Grayson didn’t respond. The time for talking had passed. He launched himself forward, closing the distance in two bounds. The hyena tried to dodge, but Grayson was faster. His jaws closed around the hyena's throat, crushing down. The cartilage gave way with a sound like breaking branches. Blood flooded Grayson’s mouth, hot and copper-tasting.
The hyena's body went slack. Grayson released him and let the corpse fall to the pavement. The other two hyenas had scattered, running in opposite directions. Reese caught one before it made it ten feet. The polar bear’s massive paw came down on the hyena's back, driving it into the ground. Bones snapped audibly. The hyena's screams cut off when Reese's jaws closed around its skull.
The third hyena made it to the fence before Bayne brought it down. The wolf pinned the hyena against the chain-link, his weight crushing the smaller animal. The hyena's struggles weakened then stopped. Bayne held the position for several more seconds, making sure the threat was eliminated.
Silence settled over the parking lot. Grayson shifted back to human, his body making the transition in a heartbeat. The cooling night air hit his bare skin. He’d left his clothes on the roof, too focused on the threat to plan for after. The bodies of the hyenas lay scattered across the pavement, dark shapes in the streetlight.
Reese shifted back too, his massive frame reducing to human proportions. “That’s three down. How many more in the pack?”
“Unknown.” Grayson moved toward the clinic's broken window. Glass crunched under his bare feet, but he ignored the small cuts. They would heal before he made it inside. “But this was their main enforcement unit. The ones they sent to do the dirty work.”
Bayne remained in his wolf form, standing guard over the bodies. Grayson climbed through the broken window, careful to avoid the larger shards of glass. The clinic's interior was dark except for the emergency lighting near the exits. Malik and Colton emerged from the exam rooms, both still human.
“The dogs?” Grayson asked.
“Safe.” Malik moved toward the kennels in the back. “They’re scared from the noise but unharmed.”
Grayson followed him. The kennel area smelled like antiseptic and dog food and fear. The pit bull was pressed against the back of her cage, her body low. The mastiff stood in front of her food bowl, hackles raised. The male with the milky eye was the only one who seemed calm, watching Grayson approach with his one good eye.
“It’s over,” Grayson said quietly. The dogs couldn’t understand his words, but his tone seemed to settle them. The pit bull’s tail gave a tentative wag. “You’re safe now.”
