“And the funniest part?” Becky tilted her head, even though her heart was pounding so hard she could feel it in her throat. “You did all this for nothing. I told you already, I’m not pregnant.”
Darius moved so fast she barely had time to flinch. He grabbed the pregnancy test off the table and slammed it against her chest hard enough to knock the breath out of her. “Then prove it,” he snarled, his face inches from hers. “Take the fucking test.”
Becky glared at him, her fingers tightening around the strap of her bag.
Darius’s eyes cut to the bored vampire against the wall. “Take her to the bathroom and watch her take it. If she tries anything, break something. But don’t damage what belongs to me.”
The vampire pushed off the wall with a lazy grin and grabbed Becky’s arm. She let him pull her up, her bag clasped tightly in her hand. Let them believe she was scared enough to obey.
She wasn’t scared. She was petrified, but this was her chance. Glancing back, she saw Darius storm out of the room. She had gotten to the asshole. Good. That had been the plan. Knowing Frankie was safe, her survival instincts had kicked into high gear.
She was shoved into a small bathroom, and as she turned, her eyes flicked past the asshole blocking the doorway to the back door just beyond him. Looking back up at him, she frowned, clutching her bag tighter. If he watched her, there was no way she could get to her gun and blow his damn balls off. She had never shot anyone before, never dreamed she’d be in the position to even consider shooting someone, and yet, she would do it in a heartbeat to save her life and the life of her unborn child.
“I can’t do this while you’re watching me,” she said, then frowned when he just stood there staring at her. With a sigh, she opened the pregnancy test and dropped the package on thefloor. Setting her bag on the sink, she looked back at the vampire watching her. “At least turn around. Seriously, where am I going to go? There’s no window. Leave the door open, I don’t care. Just please turn around so I can get this done.”
The vampire rolled his eyes, then took a few steps back before turning around. He stood with his arms crossed, his back to her. Vomit rose in her throat at what she was about to do. With shaking hands, she quietly reached into her bag, her fingers hitting the cold metal of the gun. Her eyes never left his back. She didn’t blink as she pulled it free. Dropping the test to the floor, she slowly brought the gun up and aimed.
“Are you finished yet?” he grouched, shifting his stance.
Becky couldn’t answer. Her mouth was so dry it felt like her tongue had swollen three sizes too big. The click of the trigger echoed in the silence of the bathroom. His shoulders stiffened, and he slowly turned his head to look at her over his shoulder.
“I don’t want to shoot you, but I fucking will,” Becky managed, her voice shaking despite how hard she tried to control it. “Let me walk out of here, and you’ll live. And yes, my gun is loaded with silver bullets.”
Becky took a slow, deep breath, her eyes locked on him as Sloan’s voice slid through her head.
‘If it’s you or them, watch their movements. Shoot before they strike. Keep your focus just above the shoulders.’
Her hands shook, but the gun stayed aimed. She didn’t look at his face. Didn’t look at the door. Didn’t think about what pulling the trigger would do to her later. She watched his shoulders. The moment one of them twitched, she fired.
The shot exploded through the tiny bathroom. The vampire dropped like dead weight, his body convulsing as the silver tore through him. Becky didn’t wait to see if he stayed down. She jumped over him and ran for the door.
She yanked the back door open and ran into the yard, the wind slamming into her as thunder cracked overhead. Rain hit her face, mixing with the tears she didn’t have time to wipe away. Her shoes slipped in the wet grass, but she kept going, clutching the gun in one hand as she headed for the line of trees.
Yells ripped through the night behind her. Becky looked back, her heart pounding as shadows moved near the house.
“There!” someone shouted. “Heading toward the trees!”
She turned back and pushed herself harder. Just a few more steps and she could lose herself in the thick trees surrounding the property. A sob broke from her throat as she heard footsteps pounding behind her.
Just as she hit the tree line, she slammed into something solid, hard enough to knock the air from her lungs. A scream tore from her throat as strong arms closed around her.
She had failed.
CHAPTER 29
The Guardians tore through the demons, cutting a path for the Warriors. They were doing a fucking amazing job because Sloan hadn’t seen a single demon yet. As he ran, he glanced at Daniel. Either the demons felt the Demon Slayer’s presence and scattered, or the Guardians were wiping them out before they reached the Warriors. Either way, Sloan didn’t give a fuck. All he wanted was Becky.
The building came into view through the trees, lightning flashing all around them as rain poured down hard. Thunder cracked overhead just as what sounded like a gunshot echoed through the night.
Sloan’s blood turned to ice.
Before anyone could say a word, the back door flew open and Becky came running out, slipping in the wet grass as she headed straight for the tree line, a gun clutched in one hand. Men rushed from the shadows behind her, shouting, searching, closing in, but Sloan was already moving faster. The world around him narrowed to one thing and one thing only.
His mate.
Becky looked back, fear on her face as she pushed herself harder toward the trees. Sloan saw the exact second she turned forward again, but it was too late. She slammed into him hard, her scream ripping through the storm as his arms closed around her.
For one second, the rage inside Sloan went silent.
