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“Loud, smelly—” I smack him as he laughs, kissing my head. “Incredible. We’ll have the family we always dreamed of as kids, and we’ll raise them better than we were. We’ll protect them from the world like no one ever protected us,” he whispers. “I promise, my love, we are going to be so happy, you won’t know what to do with yourself.”

Who knew that even in hell, there could be paradise?

“That isn’t good,” someone mutters, dragging me from the dream. I wake up hot, sweaty, needy, and annoyed at the memory. Reaching up, I brush my tears away. My only saving grace is that the van is dark and they pay me no attention. Shaking it off as well as I can, I lean forward to see what they are talking about. We are stopped in the middle of the road, and before us is a creature, staring down at the car.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I refocus on said creature. “Is that a minotaur?”

“Scourge,” Torrin mutters. “We were brood mates.”

“Someone really wants you bad,” I scoff. “Okay then, friend or foe?”

“Foe, definitely.”

“How do you kill a minotaur?” I ask.

“Like we’ll tell you that,” Kitt snaps. Jeez, touchy much?

“Fine, then I’ll let you deal with it.” I settle back just as the creature lowers its head and charges with a bellow. Grabbing hold of my new friend, I clutch him tightly as we are flung across the road. The van teeters on two wheels before slamming back down. My head snaps forward, connecting with the seat, and I groan at the pain in my nose and forehead. It’s quiet for a moment as I sit back, rubbing my aching head. I can’t die, but it still fucking hurts.

Just then, another roar shakes the earth.

Can’t I catch a fucking break?

CHAPTER

THIRTEEN

Rubbing the ache in my head, I gape as Kitt climbs from the van, swiftly followed by the others.

“I’m not being left here as bait,” I grumble as I climb over the seats and slink out behind them where they circle the bull. Steam blows from its huge snout as it turns its head to keep them in view. They are obviously communicating silently and don’t seem to want my help, so I hang back. Despite being unkillable, I don’t have a death wish, and I’m not fighting a minotaur unless I really have to.

They work together seamlessly, herding the creature where they want it until it charges, only for the others to dart in and attack. Emrys uses his guns, Raiden shoots electricity and uses his teeth, and Bram uses his hands, but he’s bigger than I’ve ever seen, swelling until he’s triple his normal size. Kitt simply smashes into the minotaur, his skin hardened. Torrin’s horns grow, as does he, until he’s bigger than the minotaur and covered in a thin layer of fur. His roar shakes the earth as he lowers his head and locks horns with the beast.

Petting my new friend, I watch them draw blood and listen to pained yells from the creature, but it still does not go down.

It’s fast and big, though, and it manages to fling Raiden away, who whines and limps, one of his paws hurt.

Torrin roars at the sound and charges the attacker before it can move, throwing his whole body weight into his opponent. Surprisingly, the minotaur flies through the air, twisting and roaring before hitting the van. It crumples under his weight and lists to the side as the minotaur lies panting in its metal structure.

“That was smart,” I drawl, watching the minotaur yank itself from the lump of metal that was once our mode of transport. Turning to Torrin, I raise my eyebrow. “Any other smart ideas?”

He lunges towards me, and before I can even think of changing, he whirls me around. He isn’t trying to kill me, though. No, he jerks, his face twisted in agony as he roars into my face. When I glance down, I see the attacking minotaur’s horns gouging Torrin’s insides. With a bellow of its own, the minotaur wrenches Torrin up into the air, away from me, and throws him across the road. He lands in a heap on his side, blood pooling beneath him, and my eyes widen in shock as I stare at him.

He saved me. That fucking idiot.

It looks like I’m fighting a minotaur after all. I point my finger at the gleeful half beast, half man as he bucks his head in victory, warm breath blowing from his snout.

“Only I get to kill them,” I growl then sprint towards him.

He roars, heading my way, but I drop to the road and slide through his legs, using my momentum to leap to my feet behind him, and before the bull can turn, I change my arm. Fire crawls along it, and I shove my fist into the creature’s chest. It burns through organs and bones and sticks out the other side. For a moment, we are suspended like that before I yank my arm free, and the bull drops to the ground, dead with a singed hole in the middle of his chest.

My eyes jerk up when there’s a noise. They are all watching me with mirrored shock.

“Yes, I know how to kill a minotaur.” I shrug, ignoring their incredulous expressions. They come closer, ensuring it’s dead, but I focus on Torrin. This screaming pain burns annoyingly in my chest. The others don’t seem worried, but that doesn’t mean anything. I hate myself as I hurry his way. I hate even more this clenching feeling in my gut.

Is that guilt or worry?

Fucking mate bond.