Wounded(51)

Liam gave him a nod but said nothing. Coyote let out a howl, his head thrown back. “Always the same, stoic and not much for fun. Good thing you’ll be dead soon.”

A threat was not something his wolf took lightly. Without thinking, he leapt at Coyote, pinning him to the floor. Coyote didn’t seem bothered by it, though, he just winked up at him as he was slammed into the wooden floor. “Ah, see, there it is, your lack of humor shining through like a ray of sunshine.” He reached up and patted Liam’s cheek affectionately. Liam fought not to bite the smaller man’s fingers.

“Stop poking at him,” Bear said. “He has information we need.”

“Like how Eagle died? That Harpy was too busy sobbing to get much information out of her,” Hawk said, his voice cutting and sharp.

Liam got off Coyote, but didn’t offer him a hand to help him up. “Eve was very attached to Eagle. He was her mentor.”

Hawk shrugged. “Doesn’t matter who he was to her. He was a guardian first. What killed him?”

The three guardians looked at him and he nodded. “You don’t want to wait for your shamans?”

“No. Tell us,” Bear said, his voice growing deeper, as though he were close to changing forms.

Even with Bear being on edge, Liam hesitated. How did he explain everything that happened in a condensed form?

“Say what you must say, Wolf,” Hawk snapped.

“Tears in the veil can be closed with guardian blood. That’s what killed Eagle. A group of demons came through, kidnapped some of our people, and used Eagle’s blood to close the tear in the veil behind them so they couldn’t be followed.”

Coyote snorted. “You’re shitting us.” Interesting. Coyote spoke in a much more modern way than Bear or Hawk, who both spoke in a more formal, old school style.

“I saw his body. I believe he was killed with the same copper knife that nearly ended my life.” Liam folded his arms, suddenly wondering where the hell that knife was. It was not the kind of weapon they needed floating about. “He was cut, badly, and bled out.”

“Guardian’s can’t be killed by mere cuts,” Hawk said, circling around. “But they can be killed by other guardians. How do we know you aren’t the dark Wolf?”

Now that was a new one. He chose not to ask what the dark Wolf was. He could guess. “Why would I kill Eagle? What purpose would that serve?”

Hawk shrugged and Liam could see he wasn’t much better than Coyote when it came to poking at things he shouldn’t. “Just pointing out the obvious. You showed up; Eagle gets killed. Not a coincidence in your favor, my friend.”

He had to fight not to roll his eyes. “I came to warn you there is a good chance the demons will come after you with a weapon, or weapons, that can kill you and you want to play games? Not to mention there is at least one coven of black witches, and if they get a hold of you, they have spells that will bind you, and they could force you to carry a demon. And your blood and mine can be used to hide the evidence of tears in the veil. You really want to point fingers at me right now? Maybe instead we should be working together to stop this before it gets any worse.”

Silence flowed through the room, the tension between the four guardians high. Even so, Liam never saw it coming. Couldn’t have guessed what was about to happen.

Hawk and Bear launched at him at the same time, shifting mid-air, the red glimmer he caught in their silver eyes meaning only one thing.

They’d already been possessed.

Oh, hell no.

So much for his theory that Rylee was the one at the center of all things chaotic.

He hit the ground and scrambled away, Coyote on the floor with him. “Run!”

They bolted for the front door, nearly ripping the hinges off as they blasted through.

“What the hell?” Coyote barked out as they bolted into the front yard. Hawk and Bear weren’t right behind them, though.

Louisa.

“They’ll kill her,” Liam said and let the change take him. Coyote didn’t need any prompting, just shifted beside him.

The pack crept forward and Liam flicked his head for them to stay back. They would be slaughtered if they got in a fight with the guardians.

A piercing scream from inside shot through the air like a gun going off. Coyote followed him as he ran toward the house, his mind racing. Two guardians, both possessed. But they could be killed and now had to be, there was no choice.

His nose saved him as he skidded through the doorway and he flattened himself to the floor as Bear swiped a paw over top of his head. Liam rolled, then sprung to his feet, paws scrambling as Coyote dodged toward Bear, snapping teeth at the larger guardian’s legs. Blood flowed and Bear roared. Coyote let out a yipping laugh and Liam took the distraction to scent the air. Hawk was still here, but it was Louisa he worried about.