Series: Shifter Ops Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 65371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
My brother would be proud.
Hannibal sways on his feet, shuddering. But he’s still upright. How many rounds does that hunting shotgun have? Three? Five? I get the feeling Van De Butt would wait until his prey was wounded by his men before stepping in to deliver the final, killing shot.
Julia will be defenseless.
I roar and race towards Hannibal, but he’s already headed for Julia. She stares him down, bracing the shotgun for what might be the final shot.
Boom! Hannibal staggers. She got him in the chest with what might be silver shot. Will that be enough to stop him?
I speed towards them. The world slows, blurring. Julia steadies the shotgun and aims for Hannibal’s head. The gun recoils with the blast, but the bullet whines past Hannibal’s horns. Missed.
Hannibal bellows and rushes Julia like an enraged bull. Her gun blasts off again. Hannibal’s head twitches like he’s been bit by a bug, but the bullet only grazed him. He keeps coming.
And she’s out of shot. She’s frozen, holding the gun like a club.
Beep beep! The SUV flies up out of nowhere and smashes into Hannibal. The front of it crumples, but Hannibal falls and stays down long enough for the SUV to reverse and head to pick up Julia. She jumps in the passenger seat.
I knew those secret evasive driving lessons I gave Geo would come in handy. I’ll ask forgiveness later.
If I survive this fight.
Hannibal jerks upwards and lopes after the SUV.
I’m about to give chase, dog his heels, see if i can stop him, when the back of the SUV flies open. Buddy the skunk sticks his butt out of the trunk and raises his tail.
My wolf rolls and sticks its nose in the earth just in time. The stench blasts over the lawn.
Hannibal goes down, bellowing. His horns rake the earth as he buries his head to escape the smell.
The SUV rolls towards the forest. Buddy bought them some time, but Hannibal isn’t down yet. As soon as he can, he’ll be after them.
It’s up to me to stop him.
I heave myself towards him, snorting and gagging on the reeking air. The wind picks up, and I lean into it, flying to Hannibal and knocking him to the ground. I pivot and race back, tearing at his arms, tiring him out. He’s so much bigger, but I’m a wolf. And this is my family. No one touches them and lives.
I dart in, worrying him again and again. His fists find my still-healing back, but I roll away, escaping the force of the blow. I come round again, and he lowers his horns, goring me. I dance back, bleeding from gouges in my sides.
Hannibal surges to his feet, and I see an opportunity. The silver bullets did their damage. Black rot spreads across his chest, radiating from the pits of the gunshot wounds. If I’m lucky, the ruined skin will be enough to give my teeth purchase.
It’s now or never. I run towards him, leaping at the last minute. My canines find the wasted skin, and I clamp my jaw down. The silver burns my gums and tongue and still I bite, driving my teeth deep.
Hannibal rains his fists onto my back. My spine snaps under the force. Pain blasts through me.
And still I hold on.
He smashes my shoulders and drags me back. I push but my back legs don’t work. I grip my jaw tighter. Flesh tears from Hannibal’s chest. I toss my head, spitting it, and clamp down again.
I have to protect my family.
Hannibal wrenches away, and I fall spent. But my bite did its work. His guts spill out, and he bows forward, holding them in. With a final roar, he rushes away.
I try to lift my head, but it barely moves. My whole body is a mass of fire. Blood soaks the ground around me.
“Channing.” Lilac and lavender embrace me. Am I dreaming?
No. Julia’s here, dropping to her knees beside me. “Ay, Dios.”
Darkness rises, claiming me. But I wrench my head around, so she’s the last thing I see.
Chapter Thirteen
Julia
I kneel on the grass beside Channing, hovering my hands over the bloodstained fur. I don’t know where to touch him. Hannibal scored wounds up and down his sides. And broke as many bones as he could before he ran off.
The ground under my knees is wet and black.
“You can’t die,” I snarl, holding back a sob. “You just came back.”
“Mom,” Geo cries. He’s trying to pilot the smashed SUV towards us, but it’s too late. The mansion doors bang open and a stream of security guards come rushing out. I can only watch as they round the SUVs and head for us, guns out.
A brutal wind blows. A helicopter descends and hovers over us, its clacking blades loud enough to deafen. If it belongs to van den Berg, this is the end.