Page 73 of Bad Blood Wolf

Chapter 27

“Holy fuck!”

Bastian backed away from the cage door, terror on his face. The metal twisted under their claws and fangs, the door crumpling and tearing.

Shots rang out and bullets tore through the cage, ricocheting off the mesh with metallic clangs.

One hit Brody’s shoulder, but it didn’t slow him down.

Decker and the guard slung their assault rifles into position. Decker was barking into his radio. “Security team! We have a situation!”

To the scientists he yelled, “Get the fucking trank guns!”

The guard took aim and let off another round of bullets. Jasmin felt one hit her flank with a punch, but she barely registered the pain. Brody took another bullet.

They almost had the door off. Decker raced around to get a direct shot. He raised his rifle.

From across the room, Adele screamed, “No!”

Her restraints slithered away from her body and she rose off the gurney, a terrible, twisted look on her face. She raised her arms toward Decker, her fingers curved into claws. “Leave my son alone!”

Long, bloody gouges appeared on his arms, his legs, his face, slicing clothes and skin, pouring blood.

Decker screamed, the gun clattering from his hands to land on the floor. The scientists lunged at Adele, but she turned on them and raked her fingers through the air, tearing gouges in their faces.

The other guard was backing towards the door, yelling into his radio. “Mayday! Mayday! All hell’s breaking loose…”

With one more heave, Jasmin and Brody tore the gate off the cage. Decker had struggled to his knees, and now he started shooting. Jasmin pounced on him, knocking away his weapon, while Brody headed for the retreating guard.

But is wasn’t enough.

The barn doors opened and more men in black swarmed inside. Adele was backed against the medical equipment, still fighting, but her face was white as a sheet and her arms were trembling.

She couldn’t keep this up for long. And even Monster Wolf and Monster Kitty couldn’t take on this many men with guns.

They fought their way to each other, shoulder to shoulder, side by side like they always should have been. Brody took another bullet, one meant for Jasmin, and she could see him starting to weaken.

But hell, they were going to take as many of these bastards with them as they could. And if there was any afterlife for shifters, they’d be together there.

And then there was an explosion overhead, as a fiery blast took out a section of the barn roof. At the same moment, an impossibly huge grizzly bear burst through the side of the barn, roaring. Tank was followed by Lissa in black bear form, her face contorted in fury.

Flynn appeared in the doorway, grenade launcher still in his hands. Sloan and Xander smashed through the other entrances, wearing combat armor and bristling with weapons.

The cavalry had arrived.

The battle turned to chaos. Tank’s bear was in Protector mode, twice his usual size and flickering with the blue light of his magical bond with the crew. He seemed impervious to bullets, slapping men in black out of his way like flies.

Sloan, the sniper, was taking shots at exposed enemy soldiers, while Xander had abandoned his gear and gone panther.

The soldiers were battle-hardened and put up a strong resistance, some of them shifting. Jasmin was locked in battle with a tiger, and she could feel herself weakening as blood seeped from her wounds.

From the corner of her eye, she could see Bastian edging toward one of the holes in the wall, arm around Adele’s neck, dragging her along. She appeared to be unconscious.

Through the power of their newly forged bond, Jasmin sent a warning. Bastian has Adele! Stop him!

Brody gave one last shake of his massive head and tossed aside a black wolf. He bounded for Bastian, ignoring the gun he held in his free hand.

He gave a great leap, and took him to the ground.

Bastian Changed to wolf—a massive, heavily-muscled brown and white creature. He rolled over and let Brody’s momentum throw him free.

Brody scrambled to his feet and charged again. Jasmin dodged a pair of men in black and lost sight of him.

A shock wave of power shot through the room from overhead, sending everyone tumbling. At first Jasmin thought it was another grenade. Then she looked up.

Descending through the blasted ceiling was a creature she’d never seen before. It was like a winged horse, jet-black, but with a massive snakelike neck and a dragon’s head. On its back was a tall man with long, platinum blond hair pulled back and braided. Tristan? How the hell had he gotten here?

The black creature opened its mouth, and Jasmin heard a faint, bell-like tone, like a musical ringing in her ears. Their enemies fell to their knees or curled up in a fetal position, hands over their ears as if trying to shut out a horrible sound. One by one they went limp.

The barn fell silent, except for the panting of the Bad Blood Crew and the snarls of Monster Wolf, who had his teeth buried in the thick neck of Bastian’s wolf.

Flynn strode over and looked down at him.

“Brody,” he commanded. “Stand down.”