“Release her!” I roared.
I stepped in, grabbed his wrist, and twisted hard. He hissed in pain and jerked away, but the first man recovered and lunged at me. I sidestepped, letting his momentum carry him into the side of the vehicle. With a swift kick, I knocked the leg out from under him and pushed him down to one knee. He hit the ground hard, cursing under his breath.
“Leave now,” I told him. “This is your last warning.”
I would’ve loved to show these geniuses just how outmatched they were, but I wasn’t supposed to draw attention to myself. No one should know I was here. They’d link it back to Desmon, and he wanted to keep things under wraps for now.
“It’s one of those fucking monsters!” exclaimed the woman still in the SUV. “I’m calling backup.”
Backup. Great. Just what I needed.
The two men exchanged glances as I placed my body between them and my target. “Don’t,” I warned. “You don’t want to do this.”
They didn’t listen. They never did.
The first one rushed me, thinking speed would make up for stupidity. I met him halfway, slamming into him with enough force to knock him off balance. He staggered, boots scraping across the pavement. He hit the SUV door with a grunt.
The second guy came in from my blind side. A smarter tactic, but still utterly useless. These guys were common grunts. Did they think they could win against someone like me?
I was hyperaware of the woman’s eyes on me as I spun, catching my attacker’s arm before he could land the hit. He yelled when he realized he couldn’t pull free. I tightened my grip just enough to make the point clear.
I turned to the woman I’d been hunting. “We could’ve avoided all of this if you’d just listened to me.”
The asshole tried to knee me, but I saw it coming. I blocked it before throwing him at the nearest brick wall. The other guy was suddenly in my face, swinging his fists wildly. I ducked under it and used my shoulder to knock him off his feet. These guys just wouldn’t give up, and it was getting annoying. They must be getting paid well.
There was a squeal of brakes as another vehicle approached. The van’s doors burst open, and more boots hit the ground. Okay, no more Mr. Nice Guy. The next few minutes were a whirlwind of action. Punches were thrown, kicks blocked, and bodies slammed into anything and everything. They fought dirty, but it was a joke how weak these humans were. The real challenge was keeping them down without any fatalities.
Soon, the only two left standing were the drivers, a man and a woman. I didn’t bother with them and instead turned to the woman I just rescued. Except she wasn’t there. Fuck. She’d snuck off while we were fighting. I didn’t have the tracking abilities of a wolf or bear shifter, but she couldn’t have gone far.
Ignoring the men groaning on the ground, I took off after her. I followed her around a nearby building, then back to the lot in front of the coffee shop where she’d left her damaged vehicle. The vehicle was gone, leaving the glass on the ground.
I got into my own vehicle. Knowing there would be plenty of people after her, I’d taken one of Redrock Protective Service’s armored SUVs for the trip. If only I could get her to trust me. Her fear of me had been palpable, and I understood why, especiallywith everyone else chasing her. She probably thought I was just another asshole after the egg, and technically, I was. Except I was the right asshole.
I eventually found her vehicle parked around the back of a motel, half-hidden behind an overflowing dumpster. Smart placement. Anyone driving by wouldn’t see it unless they were really looking for it.
The scent of blood was fresh and strong, and impossible to ignore. She’d cut herself while cleaning glass from the front seat. The scent had the monster in me demanding we find her now and care for her wounds. I forced myself to ignore it.
It couldn’t have been that bad of an injury, since she’d done a good job at cleaning the glass and had even duct-taped the smashed passenger side window up neatly. There was a plastic bag inside the car with the logo of the hardware store just down the street. How had I missed her visit to the store? She’d definitely been busy.
The motel was old and in need of repair, with long strips of peeling paint and a sagging roof that had seen better days. The neon sign out front glowed weakly and buzzed as the wordVACANCYblinked on and off. The walls were stained from years of rain and neglect, and the siding, which was probably never a true white to begin with, was now a patchwork of gray and brown. Rust streaked down from the metal fixtures, and the windows were covered with mismatched curtains that didn’t quite close all the way.
A single security camera sat underneath a blinking light at the corner of the building. That was easy to take care of. I grabbedsome dirt from the side of the road, and staying out of sight of the camera, I formed it into a ball and tossed it at the lens.
The mudball hit its mark, dead center. I grinned. I still had it.
I hurried, looking through every single window I could. Most of them had curtains drawn, but there was enough of a crack for me to see inside. It took a few tries, but eventually my eyes landed on a bed with a backpack in the middle. The bag was unzipped, and there inside was the egg.
The woman was nowhere to be seen, but I did hear water running. The bathroom door was closed, with light seeping from the bottom, so perhaps she was taking a shower.
A door at the front of the building opened, and the annoyed grumble of the motel manager filled the air as he complained about teenagers and their stupid pranks going for the cameras again. Thinking fast, I picked up a stone and tossed it at one of the cars on the opposite end of the lot. The stone hit its mark, and the alarm went off.
“What now? I bet it’s those kids!” The motel manager turned to investigate the noise.
I could try to pick the lock, but I doubted I had enough time, so I did the next best thing. I gripped the knob and turned. I felt resistance immediately, but I kept turning, using sheer strength to break the lock. There was the sound of metal grinding and then a crack before the doorknob turned. The measly chain did nothing to slow me down. It snapped almost immediately, and I was inside.
The first thing that caught my attention was the smell of blood. It was strong here. I located the source; there were several bloody towels on the dresser.
I wanted to storm into the bathroom and demand she show me her injuries, but she’d probably scream and make a big fuss and possibly even slip in the shower and make things worse, so I forced myself to check on the egg instead. It felt warm and seemed to pulse against my palm just like she’d described it. It shimmered in that iridescent way dragon and wyvern scales did and had the telltale texture.
