Dante leapt onto the man’s back, and the three of them went sprawling.
Shit. Had he hurt Liz? “Liz, get the gun. It’s—”
He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence before Couch’s bodyguard rolled on top of him and pounded his face.
Liz crawled away, and Dante grabbed the man’s neck. He twisted his head, wrapped a leg around the man, and rolled him over. He got off two well-aimed punches to the man’s jaw, bloodying him pretty badly before his arm lost its strength and he collapsed.
“Dante!” Liz shouted.
Couch limped into the kitchen.
Fuck. He couldn’t move.
The sound of a gunshot reverberated in the room and Dante’s heart nearly stopped.
#
Liz’s hands shook as she watched Couch’s eyes widen. The stench of gunpowder filled her nostrils. She’d shot the bastard, yet there was no sense of remorse—nothing but adrenaline filling her veins. Her heart slammed against her chest, not believing she’d pulled the trigger.
“You fucking bitch.” He dropped to his knees.
Vomit threatened to rise into her mouth, and she stepped back. Only then did the scuffle a few feet away get her attention and register on her brain.
Dante’s eye was swollen shut and blood dripped down his arm. Oh, my God. He’s been shot. Shot with a bullet that would send poison through his body.
Shattering glass sounded from the living room, but her legs wouldn’t move. Trax was with Couch’s man. Dante seemed to need her help more, only she didn’t know how. One second Dante was on top and the next the other guy was above him.
Her vision blurred. She blinked to keep focused. Arms turned dark and bones cracked. Two legs disappeared and then two arms. The head of a wolf formed until a whole wolf surfaced. Just as quickly, Dante swirled and transformed, but the first wolf attacked the collection of limbs and fur.
She aimed the gun at the mass of fur, but her hands were shaking too hard to shoot. Besides, she might hit Dante.
Couch grunted and moved toward him.
Damn. She hadn’t killed him. She slid the pistol part of the gun back to cock it and held her arms steady.
“Don’t move or I’ll shoot you through your fucking heart.” Only then did she remember the button that would turn on the red laser. When Couch looked down at his chest and spotted the dot, he sank back onto his heels and the expression on his face sent satisfaction straight to her heart.
Beside her, the sound of flesh ripping almost made her heart stop. As much as she wanted to watch Dante do battle, she refused to take her attention off Couch.
Trax came through the doorway and hope shot through her. In a flash, he had Couch tied up. Relieved, she reeled around. When she looked at the two wolves, one had his throat torn out. The other wolf sat panting.
Her stomach flipped.
“Dante?”
He didn’t answer. Her heart sank. Even if he couldn’t talk, Dante would find a way to acknowledge her.
“Yes, it’s Dante.”
Once more, a blurry mass of fur spun. Two legs appeared along with arms. In seconds, Dante was standing in front of her. He glanced between the man on the ground, Couch, and then her. “Are you okay, sugar?”
“Yes.” Tears of joy streamed down her face. “I am now.” She rushed to him and threw her arms around him, careful not to make his injury worse.
How had she ever thought these men didn’t love her? Trax stepped around Couch. She stepped away from Dante and let Trax pull her into an embrace. His lip was bloody, and he had a few scratches, but otherwise he looked unscathed. His warm comfort was everything she ever wanted in a man.
“Anyone home?”
Trax leaned back. “In here.”
“I see we’re a little late.” Two men who looked familiar strode in. Liz faced Trax for an answer.
“These men are two other members of the Pack.”
“Ah, the good guys.” She smiled.
“Babe, you have no idea. I’ll tell you all about it later.” He turned to his two friends. “You think you can take care of these jerks for us while I take Liz home?”
“Sure,” Kurt said.
Dante held his wounded arm.
She searched his body to see if he’d been seriously wounded anywhere else. “Are you going to be okay?” The poison would already be racing through his body.
“It stings, but we’ll call Deland to deal with the poison.”
“I’m going with you.” She didn’t want to be away from her men for a moment more. “Let me change and throw a few things in a case, okay? I want to make sure you two get your just reward for saving my life.”
Trax sidled up to her. “Oh, babe, you have no idea how long I’ve waited for you to say that.”