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"Half an hour, at least."
Not close enough to help us, then. "Give us directions and a place to meet. We'll get there when we can."
Rhoan was swearing in the background.
"There's a town called Leura about nine kilometers away from Bullaburra." Jack hesitated, and I could hear my brother muttering instructions. "According to the com-unit, there's a cabin resort there called Blue Haven. Rhoan's booking us a cabin. We'll be there in twenty."
"We'll be there when we can."
I hung up and met Kade's intense gaze. "We have to leave."
"That thing will track us."
"Not if we stop it."
He raised an eyebrow. "You mean kill it?"
He didn't seem to fazed about it, but then, maybe horse-shifters had an entirely different set of sensibilities to wolves and other shifters. After all, the male of the breed collected and kept a herd. Maybe they saw killing as a necessary part of protecting that herd.
"I mean stop it. Any way we can."
He nodded. "There's twine in the drawer to your right. I'll get a knife, just in case it does come down to killing."
I got the rope and the rolling pin that happened to be in the same drawer, and he got the knife. The scrape of nail came again, this time near the kitchen window.
Kade moved to my side, and leaned close, his lips brushing my ear as he said, "How do you want to play this?"
"You hold it kinetically, and I'll bop it over the head and tie it up."
"Where?"
I pointed to the window. He nodded and moved away. I took up my position, and raised an eyebrow in question. He nodded again.
I said, "Hey," as loud as I could, and that's all it took. The window exploded inward, the deadly shards of glass flying through the air as a mass of hair and snarls leapt into the room Kade froze it in midair, and I hit it across the head with the rolling pin, knocking it out. Then I grabbed the twine and tied all four legs together as well as its snout.
"Okay, you can let it - "
The rest of my words were cut off as a second mass of hair and teeth and claws leapt through the smashed window. It hit me chest-on, knocking me down and back I slid across the glass-covered floor, hissing in pain as I thrust out my hands, grabbing the thing by the throat and barely keeping the snarling, snapping teeth away from my face.
As suddenly as it had hit, it was torn away. There was a crash, then chair parts flew. I scrambled to my feet, saw the flash of metal in Kade's hand a second before he buried the blade in the creature's side.
The creature made an odd coughing sort of sound, and was still. Kade swung around and came to me.
"You all right?"
He didn't wait for my reply, but turned me around and studied my back Pain flared as he lifted the shirt and began to pluck shards of glass out of my back.
"We have to get moving," I said, twitching under his touch.
"Two more pieces to go." He plucked them out, then added, "I doubt whether we'll get out of here without being seen."
"Our only chance might be to run for the trees and edge our way around the town."
"Once we're a safe distance away from this house, how about we steal a car?"
I turned. "I thought you were a respectable builder?"
"Now, yes. As a youth?" He grinned, velvet eyes twinkling mischievously. "Let's just say that stallions tend to be wilder than most teenagers. I've done things that would make your hair curl." He caught several strands of my hair and tugged on them lightly. "Which would actually look quite pretty."
