Wicked Bite (Realm Enforcers #5)(7)

"Friends of yours?" he asked.

"No." Just as she said the word, the door burst open. "Run!" she screamed.





Chapter 3

Bear rolled over Nessa, tucking her into his chest and dropping to the ground. "Stay. Cover your head when I shift." He moved into a crouch.

She gasped and curled, slapping her hands over her ears and shutting her eyes.

He leaped over the crappy sofa, shifting in midair and sending out a wave of power strong enough to cause concussions. The air vibrated and shimmered behind him. Excruciating pain flared through his head, blurring his vision for a second as he turned back into a bear. His eyesight cleared just as he reached the door and crashed into two men, throwing them both out into the pounding rain. Animalistic rage consumed him, along with the smell of Irish roses.

The first guy flashed fire down his arms and burned Bear's right paw. Agony burst through him. Bear snarled and struck out, slicing his razor-sharp claws through the witch's neck. The witch fought hard, struggling, flaring more fire down his arms. Flames burned into Bear's chest, and he roared. Fury raked him, so he dug through cartilage and bone to reach the mud beneath his enemy-severing the head from the body. He batted the head toward the forest.



       
         
       
        

He turned for the other threat, rain matting his pelt. His hindquarters went numb. Where was the other guy?

"Bear?" Nessa whispered from the porch.

Ah, shit. He spun to see the other witch, a tall blond man dressed in black combat gear, holding a knife to her throat. She'd gone pale, and her eyes glowed a frightened blue in her classically beautiful face.

"Shift back to human," the man ordered.

Bear growled. His shredded jeans had sunk into the mud. Sucking deep, he rose on his injured hind legs and forced his unwilling body to change shape again. The air popped around him, and even he could smell his pain on the wind. His arms changed first, and all the fur receded. Then his face broke and reshaped with loud cracks.

Tears filled Nessa's eyes. Even the guy holding her swallowed, his lip twisting. "Whoa," the guy muttered.

Bear forced his legs to turn back to human form, each broken bone an agonizing snap. Finally, he stood in the rain, buckass naked, his hair falling into his face. He smoothed it back. "Who are you?"

The guy shook his head. "What is wrong with you?"

Bear edged toward them, trying to concentrate on the threat and not on Nessa's fear. "We don't have that kind of time."

"I don't have a problem with you," the guy said. "Let us leave, and then you can just deal with whatever you have going on."

"Why?" Bear wiped rain off his face, even as it poured harder from the sky. While he had no intention of mating a witch, ever, he didn't like trespassers. Nessa was on his land, on his property . . . and nobody took from him. "Why do you want her?"

Nessa struggled, and the guy pressed the knife into her neck, causing a small cut. She stilled.

Her blood scented the air, and everything in Bear settled. He stopped feeling the pain in his arms and chest. His legs held fast. "Not gonna ask you again."

"Lark Redmond," the guy said. "My name."

"The bounty hunter?" Bear took another step forward, each movement spiking pain up his calves. He'd heard about the guy but they'd never met.

"That's me." Redmond smiled, full of confidence. Since he'd been collecting bounties for two centuries, the confidence was probably earned.

Why was a bounty hunter after Nessa? When Bear had gone under for the summer, he'd made sure the Coven Nine Council was back in working order, complete with the protection of Enforcers and the Guard-all of whom worked in Ireland. It was necessary for his sister's sake. None of this was making sense, and an odd ringing set up throughout his head to pound in his ears. "I'm wondering why you're holding my guest, and I'm really not liking it. I've already taken one head today and wouldn't mind taking another." 

"Your guest? That's rich," Redmond scoffed. "You can barely stand." He held out his free hand, and a ball of lightning-blue fire morphed into a weapon. "I can smell your burned flesh from here. Do you really want to do this?"

"I asked you a question," Bear said evenly, his senses finally tuning in to the area. His clubhouse, garage, and shop were only half a mile away, and there should be shifters ready and able to help fight. They should've already caught wind of the witches. But as he reached out, he couldn't sense anybody. Damn it. "Why Nessa?"