But it was still dark. Hearing the sound of something scraping, Demitri frowned, trying to figure out what it was.
He kept still, listening intently. Finally, it hit him. Someone was tampering with one of the locks. Someone was trying to break in!
It took some maneuvering, but Demitri managed to slide out of Kiernan’s embrace and out of bed. Demitri crept down the stairs and followed the sound to the back door.
Keeping close to the floor, he crept to the door and inhaled deeply.
Mother and Father! And a couple of their friends?
Demitri spun around and sprinted on silent feet back through the kitchen and up the stairs. He grabbed his phone off the nightstand and dialed. “Please pick up, please pick up,” he muttered.
“Aye?” Declan answered groggily.
Unable to think up any reason for his parents to be trying to break in, Demitri hoped he wouldn’t get in trouble with his alpha and started talking, “This is Demitri. I’m so sorry to wake you, Alpha, but my parents and a couple of their friends are at the back door trying to break in.”
“What? Are ye at Frankie’s?” he asked, sounding much more alert.
“No,” he admitted. “I’m at Kiernan’s.”
“Babe? Who you talking to?”
Demitri froze and looked at his mate, who was levered up on one elbow and blinking at him blearily.
“Tell him ye’re talking to the police,” Declan instructed, his acute shifter hearing obviously having allowed him to overhear Kiernan’s words. “Tell him someone is breaking into the house. Then find a safe room to lock yerself into.
We’re on our way.”
“Thanks,” Demitri said, his heart in his throat almost making it difficult to speak. He hung up the phone and turned toward his mate.
“Demitri?” Kiernan sat up. “What is it?”
A crash from downstairs caused Demitri to jump and rush around the bed toward Kiernan.
“What the devil?” Kiernan snapped, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.
“I’ve already called the police. Come on,” Demitri urged, grabbing his arm.
“What?” Kiernan glanced toward the stairs, his expression hardening when the sound of a door opening reached them. “Son on a—”
“Please, come with me,” Demitri pleaded. “Those are my parents. I don’t want them to hurt you.” He grabbed Kiernan’s arm and tugged. “Please,” he pleaded.
For a second, Demitri didn’t think Kiernan would come, but then he nodded. “Come on, babe,” Kiernan murmured.
“Let’s get you someplace safe.”
Kiernan followed Demitri into the massive walk-in closet.
He wedged a baseball bat under the doorknob for good measure. For several seconds, they didn’t hear anything.
Then his father’s voice drifted through the door. “Demitri, come out now and no one has to get hurt.”
Demitri bit his lip, praying help would arrive soon. If it had just been his parents, he wouldn’t mind taking them on.
His mother wasn’t a dominant wolf, which explained why she let her husband call the shots. But there were at least two others with them, and he didn’t want to risk his mate.
“You know you can’t hide from your mother, Demitri. If I have to track you down, I’m going to be very angry!”
The more words were spoken, the louder they became, telling Demitri they were now upstairs.
“The bathroom’s clear,” said another male. From the voice, Demitri guessed that it was his father’s friend, Michael.
A nose appeared, sniffing along the bottom of the door.
“Oh god,” Demitri murmured. His mother was tracking him?
“In the closet, Rachel?” Cooper asked. “Good, girl.”
Demitri held back a snarl. How dare his father treat his mother like a damn dog! The doorknob turned, but the bat lodged under the handle kept them from being able to push the door open.
As every second passed, Demitri hoped to hear Declan or even the howling of wolves. But there was nothing.
Realizing the door wasn’t going to hold against the intruder’s onslaught, Demitri turned around in Kiernan’s arms. He peered up at his lover and whispered, “I love you.
No matter what happens, please know that. And I’d never hurt you, no matter what.”
Kiernan frowned. “Just relax. The police will be here any minute,” he stated, faithfully believing Demitri’s words.
“I can’t let anything happen to you,” Demitri said, reaching up and touching Kiernan’s creased brow. Standing on his toes, he pressed a quick kiss to his lips then pulled away. Demitri gave his lover one more beseeching look, before initiating his shift.
Over the last month and a half, Frankie had helped Demitri become more comfortable with his wolf. He’d managed to speed up his transition quite a bit. What used to take a good minute, he could now complete in half that time.
His body contorted, bones snapped, and muscles popped.
Thick silver and blond fur sprouted and his tail grew.
The splinter of wood as the door gave way almost drowned out the gasp of his lover. Demitri knew there was no way he could reassure his lover at this point, so as soon as a wide enough gap appeared, he launched through the opening and attacked Michael’s leering expression.
Snarling, Demitri slammed into the man. He missed sinking his teeth into Michael’s arm by less than an inch, only managing to snag the guy’s coat. When Michael swung his arm, the fabric tore, sending Demitri careening sideways into the bed frame.
He rose on his front paws and shook his head. Michael lifted a gun and pointed it at Demitri. Before he could get the shot off, a golf club came down on Michael’s arm. The guy dropped the gun and screamed, cradling the possibly broken arm against his chest. Kiernan lifted the club again, but before he could swing it at Cooper, the next closest man, Rachel leaped at him. Demitri lunged, intercepting her and they went down in a tangle of fur, teeth, and claws, snarling and snapping.
Pain stabbed into Demitri’s shoulder. He glanced down and spotted a feathered end.
Tranq darts!
The guy who’d shot him, Brett if Demitri remembered correctly, swung
