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“Imma take a guess and say Galbraith ain’t the loop-guru unless he cut off his own fuckin’ leg.”
“No, it’s not him.” Poking the top of the leg, where the claws had cut through the thigh, I separated the sliced leather from the flesh. The cut was almost surgically sharp. There hadn’t been any hacking or grinding, just one savage slice. “Whatever we’re dealing with is real strong, Zee.”
Zee’s tail thrashed. He looked around the bar. “Where’s the rest of the pack?”
“Duke mentioned they’re on a ride-out. Whoever is doing this knew Galbraith and Kate would be alone.”
“Yeah, but who? It’s not Duke, he was with us.”
“Was he, though?” I looked up from my crouched position. “We didn’t come into the bar. We spoke to him outside. He could have done this, seen us coming, and held us up.” Getting to my feet, my heart began to pound. “He’s the only other person around, Zee. He eats tiny animals, and he’s mean.”
“I dunno . . . It doesn’t feel right. I’m good at reading people, and sure, he’s a bunny-eating asshole, but slicing off his alpha’s leg doesn’t seem like his style.” Zee began to pace, heels taping the floorboards.
“Zee, you don’t trust the local postman because he’s too happy, but you think Duke wouldn’t murder?”
“It’s fuckin’ valid.” His tail flicked. “Nobody is that happy. He’s a paper-obsessed psycho.”
“Duke is the only one left. It has to be him.” The beta was playing us. He didn’t want us snooping around his territory, but couldn’t go directly against Galbraith. He maybe even wanted Galbraith out of the way, his rule upended to make it look as though Galbraith could no longer protect his pack. Either way, he was dangerous. “Oh no. I just sent Victor after him, alone.”
I dashed for the door—but didn’t make it.
The liquid form of something not quite wolf and not human either dropped from the ceiling. Twice my size, it spread part-shifted, muscular arms tipped with four deadly claws on each spindly hand, and roared through a mouth full of viciously long teeth.
“Or . . .” Zee squeaked. “Just a thought . . . It’s that!”
CHAPTER 13
The loup-garou rushed me, claws out, like a monstrous freight train of muscle and meanness. I braced, expecting the worst and prepared to take it, just so long as it didn’t get to Zee.
Purple sparks rained. Zee’s wings exploded in front of me, blocking my view, and then a bone-crunching smack sounded. “And fuckin’ stay down you weird-ass giant bug thing.”
Zee had swatted it.
A scream erupted—the sound like nothing I’d heard or felt before. Physical dissonance sliced through my body and bones. Clamping my hands over my ears, I dropped, trying to muffle the horrible noise. Zee rocked. His wings flapped. I saw sparks fly, but the scream splintered my sight too, until the world became a blur.
It cut off. I shook the fuzz from my head and blinked, sharpening my focus.
The loup-garou held Zee off the floor by his neck, while the creature’s other claw-tipped hand rested against Zee’s exposed midriff, over his arrow tattoo, ready to slice him in half.
Zee kicked uselessly, and his wings flapped, but the beast had him. He couldn’t focus enough to translocate or he would have already.
“Easy . . .” I spread my hands, showing the loup-garou I was unarmed. It didn’t need to know I was more lethal without weapons. “We’re just here to find the truth. Talk to us . . . tell us what’s happening . . . we’ll listen.”
Zee’s choking sounds triggered my rage. This creature had a few more seconds, then it was going to wish it had never met us.
Victor was out there somewhere, and as we’d now established, the creature staring at me and threatening to cut half my heart in half was not Duke, because Duke was out there too. Any moment now, they’d barge back in. A dragon, demon, vampire, and werewolf force would be enough to make any beast hesitate.
A wet gurgling sound came from the creature’s lips . . . Laughter?
That couldn’t be good.
“I don’t want to be the asshole here,” I warned. “But if you continue to hurt him, I will destroy you. I think you know I can, right? We’re pretty similar, you and me . . .”
The bubbling laughter cut off and the creature’s gaze fixed on me. I saw something more in the creature’s eyes too.
I . . . knew them?
With a howling screech, the loup-garou flung Zee across the bar. He struck the wall behind the counter, shattering bottles, and dropped into a mass of broken glass. I vaulted over the bar and dropped behind it, wincing at the countless cuts all over Zee’s bare arms and face.
