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“But—” Harrison started to argue.
“Just fucking go. The longer you’re here, the more danger you are putting us in.”
Oh, that was evil, but Hale knew the second the words were out of the Water Weaver’s mouth, they had pushed just the right button to get Harrison to do exactly what he wanted.
With a frustrated snarl, Harrison ran onto Main Street with the book clenched in one fist and the keys in the other. Hale remained right on his heels, the wind ready at his fingertips to shove aside anyone who came near the man.
The world was beginning to dim as dark clouds rolled across the sky with a low rumble of thunder in the distance. Hale wanted to smirk as the darkness fit his mood. No one was getting near Harrison. He was going to get safely to the cars and he was going to drive away, with or without Hale. Whatever it took.
A group of three men ran toward them and Hale pivoted sharply on his right foot, sweeping his hands out in front of him as if grabbing handfuls of the wind to shove right at them. They halted sharply, leaning into it with all their body weight as they tried to fight the brutal current. Their feet slid loudly across the battered and worn asphalt as they were finally pushed away. One after another lost their balance and tumbled backward as though they were being tossed across a field.
“Watch out!” Harrison shouted. A heartbeat later, a large body plowed into him from the side, knocking him to the ground. They rolled together as something else launched over them. It was only the familiar scent of Harrison, his cologne and shampoo drifting past his nose that had Hale relaxing in his arms.
When they rolled to a stop, Hale withdrew his gun and aimed it at the pestilent a few feet away. He pulled the trigger three times, burying bullets in the creature with fingers curled like black claws, ready to rip them apart. The pestilent dropped to the ground with a sickening thud and Hale flinched.
“You okay?”
Hale looked up to find Harrison on top of him, his long body pressing him into the street so that bits of dirt and gravel were digging into his back. He was suddenly in no great hurry to move. Yeah, this was uncomfortable and the pestilents were probably only a few feet away from attacking them yet again, but he could keep Harrison’s heart pounding against his and his weight just felt right.
“Uh, yeah. I’m good. Nice save.”
“You too.”
It was the worst time, but Hale grinned. Some of the ice had melted from Harrison’s eyes, and there was an unexpected softness to his mouth that he didn’t think he’d ever seen before. God, Harrison was a sexy fucker.
“We need to move,” Harrison reminded him and shoved back to his feet.
Hale nearly sighed. Yep, really bad time to figure out exactly how sexy that man was. He took Harrison’s extended hand and allowed him to pull him up. They turned toward the cars again only to find that at least two dozen humans and pestilents now crowded them and were getting closer. There was no way they were getting through that. At least not without killing everyone.
Glancing around, Hale spotted an opening between two buildings on the other side of the street along with what looked like some vacant stores. “We can hide in there.”
“We can’t leave them to fight on their own,” Harrison argued.
Hale tightened his grip on Harrison’s hand, prepared to drag the man along if he had to. “If we stay here, they are worried about you and the spell, which puts them in danger of being distracted. If you’re safe, they concentrate on the fight.”
Harrison gave the tiniest nod and they ran, darting down the empty alley before anyone noticed them. At least that was Hale’s hope. They ran away from the fight, trying one door after another until they finally hit an unlocked one.
They went inside and slammed the door shut behind them. Harrison flicked on the overhead light to reveal what appeared to be the storeroom of the general store. Shelves and boxes surrounded them, the smell of cardboard strong.
Hale scanned Harrison, searching for any hint of injury or wound. When he found nothing, relief swept through him, leaving him almost light-headed. So, maybe he wasn’t thinking all that clearly when he grabbed the front of Harrison’s shirt, pulled him in tight, and kissed him hard enough to curl his toes.
Chapter
Twelve
Harrison froze as Hale’s lips slammed into his. The man had slid his hands up either side of his face, holding him prisoner. The world fell away except for Hale’s soft lips, his warm hands, and the firm press of his body. For several rapid heartbeats, Harrison couldn’t move, couldn’t even react as those lips moved across his in an insistent caress that was sending molten fire down through his veins.
