“Anna Claire!” the sheriff yelled from theother side of the door. “Are you in there?”
“Ada!” Rex hollered. “Open the door. It’sokay.”
Anna Claire knew the sheriff was on theirside despite her mate’s opinion of the male. Tapping Tessa on theshoulder, she waited for the female to lower the gun and reachedfor the metal bar across the door.
“Keep that shotgun handy.” Anna Clairemumbled as she unlocked the first deadbolt.
The sheriff’s eyes were as wide as saucers,but there was no color to them; only a ghostly white. Behind him,Gaia stood with her eyes swirling. “Gaia?”
“Where are the other males?” Sheriff Lynchgrowled.
“They’re hunting the last two,” Rex repliedand walked over to his mate, leaning down to kiss his cub’s tinyhead to keep the male from being upset. He settled down once hisfather placed his large hand on his back and began rubbing himsoftly.
“I have to find them,” Sheriff Lynch began,cutting off Rex when he started to protest. “This is now my fight.I’ve had another vision.”
A round of curses lit up the room, and AnnaClaire felt fear race up her spine at the thought of what the angelhad seen. “What have you seen?”
“I must go,” the sheriff hedged. There wassomething he wasn’t telling them, and Anna Claire knew it. Shecould scent it on him, and the smell burned her nose.
“We are okay here,” Rex promised. “The houseis secured, and we have guns.” He nodded toward Tessa’s weapon.
“I’ll be back,” the sheriff said, but hiseyes fell on Gaia. “Stay here and don’t leave. Once we find theseassholes, I pray that it’ll be over for this area.”
“Stay safe,” Rex said as he and the sheriffturned for the door.
“We have to help all of them,” Ada gasped,but waved her hands in the air to stop the males from leaving. “Wethink we found who the hacker is.”
“It’s going to have to wait,” he replied,walking away from the door. He stopped halfway up the hallway andcalled out over his shoulder. “Gaia, get inside and lock the doorwith the females. I’ll get the information from you later…afterthis is all over.”
“But…” Anna Claire called out, but it wastoo late. The sheriff disappeared into nothingness.
“Lock the door and let’s wait it out,” Tessasuggested, using her foot to close the reinforced door to AnnaClaire’s quarters.
Tessa picked up her shotgun and took a seaton the couch; her eyes trained on the door. All the females werepartially shifted, using their heightened senses to listen andscent for trouble before it came to their door.
“I need to check on Ransom, but I don’t wantto call the healer’s phone,” Anna Claire fretted.
“He could still be in surgery,” Ada remindedher.
“All we can do is wait,” Tessa growled. Theyall knew they had to stay safe for their cubs, but it was killingAnna Claire not knowing what was going on outside their home.
Chapter 14
Gunnar’s beast kept his nose to the groundas he tracked the two human males through their land. He was outfor blood, and nothing was going to stop him from killing them.They’d crossed a line. That line gave him the right to end theirlives.
At that point, he didn’t care if it was doneon his land or in the public square. Ransom was fighting for hislife because of a bullet that had to have come too close to hisheart. Shifters were great healers when injured, but they couldn’theal from a shot to the heart or head.
His mate was hiding, most likely in fear, intheir quarters with the other females of his clan. The cubs were assafe as possible, but if there were more humans coming for them intwo days, he didn’t know if their home could hold off anattack.
Drake growled as they reached a road pastthe back of their property. The scent of the males was easy totrack to the next spot of land. The sounds of the river reached hisears, but it didn’t cover the sound of the two humans runningthrough the brush.
They darted across the road and over afelled tree. Gunnar’s beast pushed at his human mind, wanting tolet his true nature lead, but he fought the animal. It was justDrake and Gunnar on the hunt. Luca and Rex had stayed back todispose of the bodies, and they didn’t know how much ammunition thetwo remaining humans had on them. If they weren’t careful, Drakeand Gunnar could end up like Ransom and no one would know where tofind them.
His only hope was the sheriff and his damnvisions. If that angel had seen something, he would surely come forthem, wouldn’t he? The Morgans never relied on anyone butthemselves, but this was something where they might actually needassistance. Yet again, outside forces had disrupted their way oflife, and Gunnar felt the anxiety of it all.
Drake and Gunnar ducked when a shotgunblasted from up ahead. They’d obviously been seen, but they werebears. It wasn’t like they could hide all that well with theirsizes. The only thing they had going for them was how quiet theycould move and how vicious they were when threatened.
Gunnar dropped to his belly and forced theshift, ducking for cover when he came back to his human self. Hisbrother’s bear belly-crawled next to him, and they hid behind aclump of vines. Luckily, they were approaching summer and theforest was green and thick, giving them a chance to hide until theymade a plan.
“They’re a hundred yards upriver,” Gunnarwhispered so quietly only a shifter could hear his words. “I’mgoing around to head them off. Slow them down, but keep them ontheir toes. We don’t want them to think we gave up on finding themjust yet.”
Drake’s bear huffed his approval andnarrowed his eyes in the humans’ direction. They both knew theyneeded to eradicate the threat, because if they returned to theclan before Drake or Gunnar arrived, their mates and cubs could
