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Gabriel went for the two men in a full-out sprint. He knew guns well enough to know that a rifle’s aim wasn’t always true. It was the handgun or shotgun he had to worry about most, especially at close range.
He shifted midair just as the two men noticed him. His clothing tore from his body, becoming confetti, and he took advantage of their fright. He managed to slash one in a single swoop, then throttled the other in the head with his tail.
They both went down to kiss the earth. Gabriel wasted no time in taking them out of this plane of existence, crushing their vocal cords with a visceral crunch.
He then took one of the rifles in his teeth and threw it over his head toward the oak where Lily stood. It landed in a pile of leaves, and she quickly picked it up, just as he had intended.
Gabriel turned back to the rest of his foes, brandishing sidearms and shotguns. He fled as one went off, a dazzling firestorm that sent a shockwave through the ground below. He was running in the opposite direction from where Lily was standing, wanting to keep her free from any potential injury, whether physical or mental.
One of the men was faster than Gabriel had anticipated. He didn't focus on shooting him, so he gained on the tiger in record time. Gabriel came to a river and made the mistake of turning around.
The man who was chasing him held the shotgun pointed at him, panting from the dash through the wooded area. The second man, the one who rang out continuous shots, caught up with them, then pointed his sidearm at the alpha.
“Stupid cat …” the panting one muttered.
In a fraction of a moment, Gabriel weighed his options. He could go for the one with the shotgun, as that was the weapon that would cause the most damage. Shifters were fast healers, but that didn't mean they were capable of surviving having a hole blown through them. If he was fast enough, he could still avoid the man who had the worst aim and an even worse choice of weaponry.
But his considerations didn’t matter. A faint sound rang through the forest. Brain split from bone as a bullet blasted through the first man's skull. He fell to the ground like a rag doll while the second man stood frozen in terror. Two more bullets sang through the air. The first grazed over the flesh, but the second sunk into the spine with a violent popping sound.
His death was far more graphic. Blood siphoned through his spine in gushes and spurts as he fell forward, crawling and pleading for Gabriel’s aid. Gabriel did the most humane thing he thought possible and twisted his neck like a champagne bottle. It clicked, and it was lights out.
Gabriel looked up to see Lily with the rifle raised under her armpit and her eye pressed against the scope. Her hands shook as she lowered the weapon, looking heroic.
Gabriel shifted back and took the gun from her, then held her close to his chest. She was trembling as he rubbed her back, hoping the rhythmic beat of his heart would calm her.
“It’s okay, you’re okay,” he whispered.
"I am worried about you,” she said in a scratchy voice. “I’m scared for you, Gabriel.”
The day had been demolished through the lens of death. He stood there with her until her body stopped shaking.
FIFTEEN
LILY
Lily had used a rifle with a scope before, but it had been ages. But she certainly had never killed anyone. Standing there in the forest, she had made a twofer.
She had been impressed initially, driven by fear and anticipatory grief for the only man she had ever loved. The mating bond had started something fresh inside her. Though she wasn’t a shifter, she knew it had certainly done something.
This change made her pick up the gun, slip the barrel against her shoulder, and narrow her glare into the scope. She’d watched TV and movies, after all, and had known enough about the weapon she was holding to make an indelible mark on her enemies.
She knew the power, and she knew the violence. It wouldn't have been something she considered when she was her past self. She would have panicked, and that would have meant her lover's demise.
But Lily didn't panic. She exhaled whatever oxygen was left in her lungs and held her breath, aiming true. She thought of nothing else but Gabriel, saving his life and taking him home to raise the baby growing inside her.
What was even more shocking to Lily wasn't the violence she had committed. It was the ruthlessness that had settled inside her like a cat warming up to a roaring fire. She thought she would be more disturbed by what she had done, but the truth was that she wasn’t at all. All that mattered was that Gabriel was safe and their child would grow up with a father.
When he shifted back into human form and enveloped her in his arms, she started shaking. She had never been so close to losing someone in her life. Her body ached from the trauma, the draining of the adrenaline depleting her essential resources.
“I am worried about you,” she said against Gabriel’s chest, her exhaustion leaving her unable to suppress her concerns. “I’m scared.”
He held her for a while. Then, they returned to retrieve the piece of the relic. Lily still found herself weak and tired, irked by the limitations of her human form.
“I will dig fast,” Gabriel said, sitting on all fours, naked. “Then we will get out of here.”
Lily kept watch while Gabriel’s human hands shifted into meaty and strong tiger claws. The yellowish-orange shade was incredible, as well as the rate at which he plowed through the soil. In a matter of seconds, he located the second piece of the relic, a rusted iron handle. They knew it was what they were looking for because it began to glow the second Gabriel laid his fingers on it.
He returned to his full human shape, put on clothes from the backpack Lily had been wearing, and held the handle in his fist.
