Page 55 of Virtually Guarded

Laurits slammed on the brakes alongside the curb. Before we came to a stop, I shoved my door open and leapt out of the car to run to my mate. Gregory, growling, lunged in front of me.

Growling. He was closer to shifting than Ren, but the danger of being seen was just as great.

“Gregory, move.” I tried to keep my voice even, but it was all too close to a growl. My mate was injured, and I would kill anyone who caused him more damage.

“Police are on their way,” one of the bystanders called. “Ambulance too.”

“We’re security.” Laurits was out of the SUV. I didn’t bother turning to look at him. He could handle the humans. My role was to rescue my mate.

So would locking a feral werewolf on the verge of shifting forms in a jail cell.

We need the Anax, I said, hoping Laurits would hear me. As the current head of the guards in Seth’s absence, he should have had a bond to me and the other guards, but I wasn’t sure of its extent.

If Laurits answered, I missed it as Gregory suddenly launched himself at me. He was smaller and couldn’t move me far, but he caught me off guard. I lost my footing and stumbled back as sirens wailed.

This was about to become one hell of a shit show. If human first responders got involved, there might be no way to hide what we truly were. Fur showed on Gregory’s arms as he reached to grab me by the throat. If police took him, he might shift in their cell. Or worse, in their car.

If Ren was hospitalized, tests would reveal the changes that occurred in a body shared by the souls of a human and a wolf.

“He killed me!” Gregory’s voice was so close to that of an animal that I barely made out the words. “I’ll kill him!”

I didn’t bother asking what he was talking about. He was too close to wolf for a conversation, and I was too invested in getting Ren the hell out of there before first responders arrived. I faked a dodge around Gregory, and when he spun to block me, I rushed the other way. Past him to drop to my knees beside my mate, whose blood stained the wall above his head as well as behind him. More blood spattered the concrete sidewalk. Malkin must have slammed Ren’s head into the wall. Multiple times, judging from the blood.

“Ren.” I cradled his cheek with my palm. “I’m here, Ren. You’ll be okay.” I didn’t know if I was reassuring him or trying to convince myself.

Behind me, another car squealed to a stop, and vehicle doors slammed. The voices of Laurits and the other guards reached my ears, but I didn’t process what they said. All of my attention was focused on Ren. On stroking his mind with mine, speaking softly both out loud and through the bond. His eyes were closed. His breaths were shallow. He was alive, but even a werewolf could only heal from so much.

Gregory snarled loudly. The sound gave way to a shriek of pain, a noise far more human than I would have expected. “Throw him in the back of the larger SUV,” Laurits ordered.

“The police are almost here,” an unfamiliar voice insisted. “Let them handle it!”

“We are law enforcement.” A deep, accented voice. Mandeep. “Move along now. We have this under control.”

The sirens grew so loud I wanted to scream and then abruptly cut off. Blue lights flashed against the bricks. More doors slammed. More voices added to the chaos.

All of you, hear me. The Anax’s voice filled my mind as I gently caressed Ren’s undamaged cheek. Do not engage with the humans beyond what you can help. Get Ren and Gregory out of there. I’m on the way. City Pack’s Peacekeeper and trackers will help. Go.

I didn’t know if any of the others responded. Ren whimpered, and nothing else mattered. He was alive, still in human form, and I had to keep him that way. “I’m here,” I murmured. “I’m here.” Open your eyes if you can. Please.

Hurts.

Holy fuck, a word. Pain, but at least it was a word! I started to gather him into my arms but stopped. The civilian humans had now been joined by human authorities, and I couldn’t do anything that would attract too much attention.

The growling had stopped, at least, and an engine roared into life and grew quieter. Now I looked around.

A crowd of people stood on the corner nearby, eyes wide, whispering and mumbling to each other. Three uniformed police officers stood face to face with Laurits and Mandeep. Davion and Yovanny were nowhere to be seen; they must have taken Gregory. Presumably they would bring him back to the house to be dealt with.

“We need to know what happened,” one of the officers said. “We received reports of an assault.” He glanced toward Ren and me. I narrowed my eyes, and he quickly looked away. “The guy over there?”

“The victim,” Laurits said. “We have the perpetrator contained. He’s being transported.”

“To where?” another officer, a woman, asked.

“Someplace he won’t escape from again,” Laurits said grimly. “The injured man is one of ours. We need to get him back to our base. Our doctor will take care of him.”

Two of the three officers opened their mouths. Laurits turned his back on them and hurried to me. “Bring him to the car, Xavier. Mandeep called Doctor Gumendo. He’s on the way.”

I stood and gently lifted Ren. My stomach churned at the sight of all of the blood in his hair, down his back, on the bricks and concrete, and I swallowed hard and forced myself not to look at the back of his head. He was still breathing, but that was his only sound as I carried him, escorted by Laurits, to the SUV.