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the thud of racing paws, he heard the snap of her bone break.
     
    But that didn’t slow down his Ava. She staggered to her feet, lifted her weapon, and swept the area.
     
    The scent of blood filled his nose. So fresh. The beast liked that smell, wanted more.
     
    Wanted the throat of the man who’d set this battle into motion.
     
    The wolves had been pulled away. The men on the south side of his property had been attacked. Shot with silver. Left to die. He’d gone to their aid…
     
    Even as Ava now went to the aid of her fallen men. Same lure. Same trick.
     
    The guards he’d left for Ava had all been shot. He passed their bodies. Saw that they lived, but were fighting the silver in their blood. The deputies must have taken them out as they rushed onto the property.
Bastards.
     
    Ava crouched over a moaning human. She put her hands on the deputy’s chest, and he saw the blood thicken beneath her fingertips.
     
    Julian pushed himself to run faster.
Get to her. Get. To. Her.
     
    The young deputy rose from behind a patrol car. He was smiling, and he had a gun pointed right at the back of Ava’s head.
     
    Julia howled a warning.
     
    She spun around, with her gun up.
     
    Gunfire thundered. A fast, hard crack that stopped his world.
     
    Because a circle of red bloomed on Ava’s chest. She staggered back. Ken rushed toward her and grabbed her before she could hit the ground.
     
    Then Ken made the last mistake of his life. He put his gun to Ava’s temple.
     

Chapter Six
     
    The bullet had torn through her chest. Ava couldn’t seem to suck in a full breath, and her whole body trembled.
     
    “Tell your men to stand down!” Ken shouted now as he shoved a gun into her temple. “Or I will blow her brains out.”
     
    Her chest hurt. No, more than hurt. It seemed like it was on fire, and as soon as she could get control of that pain and force some strength into her limbs, she’d kill the bastard.
     
    “If you…” Okay, talking was
very
hard. “If you…kill me…won’t get…what you…want…”
     
    The wolves had closed in. At least half a dozen of them. They weren’t attacking. The pack stood behind Julian. Julian—the big, black wolf with a body poised to lunge forward.
     
    Ken’s gun jabbed harder against her. “You don’t know a damn thing about what I want,” Ken snapped.
     
    She did. “The…bite…” That’s what it was all about. He’d set up the scene. Made the humans doubt the supernaturals. Eliminated the threats against him. Used the other deputies. Used her. All so he could get—
     
    “I want to make a trade,” Ken said as he pulled her closer to his body. She’d dropped her gun when the bullet hit her. The only weapon she had was her hands, but she’d sure do as much damage as she could against the guy. “You want her so much, Alpha, will you trade yourself for her?”
     
    “No,” Ava managed. Talking was getting even harder, but at least her chest had stopped hurting. Not fire anymore. Ice.
     
    “Because I’m not an idiot,” Ken said, grunting. “I did my research. Talked to that reporter.
Made
the vampires tell me all they knew. Only the alpha can transform a human. Only you can give me what I want.”
     
    Power. Strength. Near immortality.
     
    Same story she’d heard before. Same story, different soon-to-be dead guy.
     
    But…but Julian was shifting before her. Brutal, quick, and—
     
    “Let her go.” Naked, strong, he stood before them. Only he hadn’t shifted completely. His claws were still out. Razor sharp. Ready to slice and kill. “Let her go, or I’ll cut your head off before you can even get the breath to scream.”
     
    Oh, that was good. Reminded her why she’d gone with him that first night. He’d been tall, strong, and she’d taken one look at him and realized—
     
    The kind of man who never fears. A man who fights. Who wins.
     
    A guy strong enough to face the dark with her.
     
    “No!” Ken’s shout. “You’re gonna