His muscles coiled with tension, ready to spring. “Three”—he counted the Lycan in wolf form whom he recognized as Jean-Baptiste, another of his former clan mates—“against one, doesn’t seem fair. For you guys I mean.” He quickly assessed the shadows around them, figuring out how to hop from one to another so he could deliver the most damage. Did Alphonse forget how his powers worked? He was an idiot, choosing this place to confront Delacroix.
“Not so fast, mon ami.” Alphonse gestured with a nod. “Wait until you see who we got.”
From afar, he could see a large figure approaching them whom he recognized as Thibault Fontenot, a huge and mean sonofabitch who carried out Broussard’s dirty work. He was dragging someone along, a female, from the silhouette.
Oh no. Mika. His chest tightened. They had her!
His wolf let out an angry, guttural sound and raked its claws against his skin. He forced it to remain calm. “If you’ve hurt her—”
“Get your filthy hands off me, you motherfucker!”
What?
While the voice was familiar, it was not Mika.
“I swear, I’m going to rip your balls off and make you eat them,” Lizzie screamed as Thibault hauled her forward. “What—Delacroix?” Her eyes went wide. “What’s going on?”
The relief he felt that it wasn’t Mika they’d snatched was short-lived. In fact, a part of him almost wished it was Mika, because his mate was not only trained in combat, but was also invulnerable to any harm. Lizzie, on the other hand, was neither, and while she was a Lycan, any of his former clan mates could rip her to shreds before she could even shift.
“Let her go.” He focused his gaze at Alphonse. “Remy wants me? Fine, I’ll come with you. But she has nothing to do with … us.”
“Gone soft for a bit of trim, have you?” Alphonse laughed. “I always thought you were a tough one, Delacroix. You even survived a goddamn bullet to the chest.”
His jaw hardened. So, Remy had sent the assassin for him? What the fuck was going on? “If you hurt her—”
“What will you do?”
He whipped around, and saw the wolf that had led him here had transformed back into its human form. Jean-Baptiste cracked his neck. “Does the carpet match the drapes?” He asked as he leered at Lizzie. “Mm-mmm, I’ve got an envie for some strawberry pie.”
Lizzie let out an outraged roar, but Thibault restrained her and placed a large hand over the lower half of her face. Her eyes filled with hate as she struggled against the giant, though to no avail as he kept his hold tight.
“I’ll do whatever you want,” Delacroix said. “I won’t fight … just let her go.” He knew what his former clan mates were capable of and wouldn’t put it past them to hurt Lizzie. And that sick bastard Jean-Baptiste had a well-earned reputation for hurting women; he even bragged about it.
“Oh, you will, Delacroix,” Alphonse sneered. “You’ll do anything we want. Don’t even try your little trick, because the moment you disappear, Thibault will snap her pretty neck.”
“Take me away then,” he said. “Restrain me. Lock me up. Do what you want.”
“You bet we—”
A bright, burning light streaking between them followed by a large explosion made Alphonse jerk back in surprise.
Jacob!
As another fireball streaked across the air, Delacroix knew he only had seconds to react, and he stepped back, melted into the shadow, then reappeared behind Alphonse to grab his arms and toss him clear across the street. He hit the side of a brick building with a large crash.
Glancing around, he saw Jacob was taking on Thibault, his flaming hands waving the giant away. Lizzie was on the ground, struggling to get to her feet when a wolf—Jean-Baptiste, who had shifted again—lunged at her, raking its claws down her back. She let out a blood-curdling scream.
“Lizzie!” He was about to run to her when another Lycan stepped into his path. Zeline’s she-wolf snapped its gigantic jaws at him, daring him to come.
Fuck. He hadn’t shifted yet, as it would take time and leave him vulnerable, and Zeline would surely take advantage of such an opening. His best chance of survival would be to run into the shadows and get away. But Jean-Baptiste had Lizzie pinned down on the ground, so that wasn’t an option.
Before he could act, a large, dark blur whizzed in front of him, knocking the female away. Two wolves rolled on the ground in a tangle of teeth, claws, and fur. The scent of lavender and spice wafted into his nose as he realized who the other wolf was, and his own wolf urged him to help their mate.
No, we have to trust her. Though his chest tightened, he knew Mika could hold out against Zeline. It was Lizzie he had to worry about, so he charged toward her. Jean-Baptiste was still on top of her, so he used his momentum to knock him away, then grabbed Lizzie and pulled her into the shadows. He carried her as far away as he could, emerging in the parking lot across the street, and lay her gently against the side of a parked van. “Stay still, Lizzie,” he said. “You’ll be fine.”
Her face was pale, but she managed a nod and raised her hand, gesturing to her smart watch. “Called. Jacob,” she stuttered. “And backup.”
“Good girl.” He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. “I’ll be right back, ma chouchoutte.”
He retraced his steps through the shadows, and back under the bridge. To his relief, more New York Lycans had arrived, and he saw Arch hauling a once again human Jean-Baptiste to his feet and taking him toward one of the GI vans. Meanwhile, Cliff and Jacob had Thibault restrained with special reinforced handcuffs. But where was—
“Marc!”
The sound of Mika’s voice made him want to weep with relief. Turning around, he saw her running toward him, wrapped up in a coat that was several sizes too
