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guy?”
    “You don’t need to worry yourself about him. Let’s get you inside, and we’ll take care of those wounds.”
    Jacy scooped her into the cradle of his arms, hesitating for a moment as he held his woman for the first time. A sense of pride washed over him, and he bit back a smile. He needed to clean her wounds and give Coal a hand.
    As he stepped through the back door, a pained yelp filled the diner. He stilled. Shyla looked up at him, worry etched into her face. The heavy thudding of her heart sped up as her breaths ceased. All signs of concern and anxiety he detected in her he felt himself.
    Glass crunched under weight. Commotion erupted, whispered talk and questions.
    Jacy shook out of his paralysis and rushed into the dining room. The place had been destroyed in a matter of minutes. Tables and chairs were strewn everywhere. Two fan blades hung by splinters from the fixtures in the ceiling. Another of the large storefront windows had been shattered. Blood stained the walls, the floors, and the glass.
    Brethren of local packs converged to the center of the room.
    “Bro, you okay?” Jacy asked. He received a bemoaned grunt in response. “ Hey, man. Don’t fuck with me. I got Shyla. She’s okay.”
    He was met by silence.
    Len burst out of a side door with a blanket.
    “Move out, people. Show’s over. Get moving, folks,” he instructed, shoving his way into the crowd. Several curious onlookers backed away, eyes shooting toward Jacy and Shyla.
    He edged forward, trying to turn Shyla away in case…
    In case what? Coal lay dead on the floor?
    “Fuck,” he spat. Shyla twisted in his arms until she clamored to her feet. She rushed forward, pushing the remaining patrons aside, Jacy right behind her.
    The blanket spread over Coal’s naked body, covering him from the chest down. It didn’t shield anyone from the viciously torn skin on his shoulder and arm. Blood smeared over his bare skin and the floor beneath him.
    Shyla dropped to her knees at his side. Jacy lowered to his haunches and tried to speak with Coal again.
    “Hey, bro. Don’t you go messing with our woman’s heart now. She needs you here. Where’s Rian? Did you kill the bastard? ’Cause I’ll do it myself for mauling you.”
    Coal’s thickly lashed eyes fluttered. Whether Jacy’s threat or Shyla’s caress against his cheek stirred him back to consciousness remained to be seen.
    Coal lived and needed immediate care.
    “I’ll help you get him to the car,” Len said. Jacy nodded, guiding Shyla away from Coal. She made one feeble attempt to defy him but decided to stand down as Jacy hoisted his friend by the shoulders and Len grabbed his legs. Coal growled, pain twisting his features.
    “Sh–Shoulder, you ass ,” he hissed. Jacy snickered humorlessly.
    “Just a warning if you decided to slip off into blackness.” Jacy shuffled backward, leading Coal’s massive body onto the sidewalk. He cast a concerned glance toward Shyla. Although he and Coal understood the significance of their birthrights, the tears shimmering in her eyes still caught him off guard. She followed behind Len to keep out of the way with her folded hands pressed to her mouth.
    “He’ll be fine. You’ve got a strong boy on your hands,” Jacy assured, readjusting his grip on Coal as they approached the Benz. They’d parked outside Len’s place with the intention of eating breakfast before window shopping. Good thing, because he didn’t want to haul his naked buddy through the streets of town looking like this. “Sugar, I have a spare set of keys in my pocket. Grab them and open the door for us.”
    Shyla nodded, coming up to his side. She didn’t hesitate to dig her hand into the pocket of his jeans. He held his breath as she rummaged around loose change and his wallet, barely brushing his hip but reigniting his hunger for her within a moment’s time. He sighed inwardly. Once they cared for Coal’s wounds and settled him in for rest, Jacy planned to follow