Phoebe glared at him for his interference. She was family. He was not! Desperate, she looked at her sister. “Please, Cassie, you have to believe me. I would never, ever harm you. I swear it on Mom’s soul.”
She’d barely finished speaking when Urian came through the door from outside. Phoebe cringed at his bad timing. Urian wasn’t known for his peacekeeping techniques. More for whenever someone was ready for nuclear fallout.
The blond with her sister gasped.
“Hurry, Phee,” he whispered. “I can’t keep this covered much longer.” Ever defiant, he met the Dark-Hunter’s gaze without flinching.
There was no missing the anger and hatred of the two men as they barely restrained their urge to go at it. It sizzled in the air and made every Daimon instinct in her body rabid.
“Why are you helping us?” the Dark-Hunter demanded.
Urian sneered at him. “Like I give a rat’s ass about you, Dark-Hunter. I’m only here to help my wife protect her sister.”
The blond woman gaped. “Urian has a heart? Who knew?”
Urian passed an equally repugnant stare toward her. “Shut up, Abadonna.”
Now it was Phoebe’s turn to gape. That bombshell was Katra? That was the Kat Urian had told her about so many times over the years? Funny how he’d forgotten a few details.
Like the fact that she was fucking stunning! And inhumanly gorgeous.
She barely suppressed her anger as a wave of jealousy flew through her. What else had he left out?
He better not know know her, or else one or both of them were going to be bald later.
But that thought scattered as he ignored the blonde and neared her and kissed her cheek. Phoebe smiled at him. “Urian’s the one who saved me when Mom died. He pulled me from the car after the bomb exploded and hid me. He tried to save Mom and Nia too but couldn’t get to them in time.”
By her sister’s face, she could tell Cassandra didn’t know what to think about that. And she couldn’t blame her. It didn’t make sense that a Daimon, let alone one related to Stryker, would help them when all their lives they had been pursued by Urian’s kind. “Why?”
“There’s no time for this,” Urian hissed. “My father isn’t a stupid man. He’ll catch on quickly when he doesn’t hear from the two dead Apollites.”
Phoebe nodded, then turned back to Cassandra. “I’m asking you to trust me, Cassie. I swear you won’t regret it.”
Cassandra exchanged frowns with the Dark-Hunter and Kat. “I think we can trust her.”
Sasquatch glanced to Urian, then to Kat. “You said they were sadistic. Any chance they’re playing with our heads?”
Urian gave a low, bitter laugh at that. “You have no idea.”
Phoebe smacked her husband in the stomach. “Behave, Uri. You’re not making this any easier.”
Scowling at her, he rubbed his stomach where she’d hit him but didn’t say anything else.
“Go for it,” Kat said. “If he’s lying, I now know how to hurt him.” Her gaze went meaningfully to Phoebe.
Urian went ramrod stiff. “Destroyer or no, you ever touch her and I will kill you, Katra.”
Sasquatch made some kind of Wookiee noise. She half-expected him to raise a rifle over his Bantha and grr at her. Okay, that was a Tusken Raider, but still … “Then we understand each other. Because if anything happens to Cassandra, Kat is the least of your problems.”
And of course his being so macho and overbearing only notched her own alpha’s testosterone levels into overdrive. So naturally Urian stepped forward intending to beat the utter crap out of him. Which was the last thing they needed. With a grimace, Phoebe caught her teddy bear and forced him back. “You said we have to hurry,” she reminded him. She made sure to swipe her finger over his nipple several times to get his attention on something other than murder and mayhem.
Lucky for the Sasquatch, it worked.
Urian’s rigid features softened as he looked down at her and nodded. Without another word, he led them toward a black airboat that was already on the ice, waiting for them.
The human male climbed on board first, followed by Kat.
Cassandra followed suit. “Is this the same boat the Canadian Mounties use for search and rescue?”
The Dark-Hunter stiffened as if the question offended him. “Same company makes both, but I’d like to think mine is a bit nicer.”
Phoebe passed a look to Urian and rolled her eyes.
He laughed silently at her.
Though to be honest as she climbed on board the boat, she had to admit that he wasn’t really lying. That boat was exceptional. Plush to the extreme, right down to the padded chairs.
“Yeah,” Chris said as he took a seat and strapped himself in. “Dudley Do-Right is us.”
Phoebe scowled as it dawned on her that Urian was still on the dock and didn’t appear to have any plans to join them. Surely, he wasn’t going to stay. Not after this … “Come with us, Uri,” she begged, reaching up to take his hand into hers. “They’ll slaughter you if they find out about this.”
The pain on Urian’s face as he stared longingly at her made her want to cry. His grip trembled as he held her hand. “I can’t, baby, you know I can’t. I have to stay and cover your tracks, but I promise I’ll be in touch as soon as I’m able.” He kissed Phoebe passionately, then kissed her hand and let her go. “Be safe.”
“You, too.”
He nodded, then removed the last bit of harness rigging. “Take care of my wife, Dark-Hunter.”
Wulf glanced at Phoebe and nodded. “Thanks, Daimon.”
Urian snorted. “Bet you never thought you’d utter those words.”
Urian raised the doors to the dock at the same time a group of Daimons broke into the boathouse.
Phoebe gasped and ran toward him. She couldn’t leave while he was in danger. Oh God no! But the weaselly little human pulled her back as the Dark-Hunter gunned the engine and flew north over the ice. Luckily, the wind was with them and they accelerated quickly.
“No. No!” Phoebe shrieked as they sped across the lake. Her heart hammered in denial as terror shredded her. “We can’t leave him.”
Though his face was sympathetic, she wasn’t fooled for a minute. Like a human or a Dark-Hunter would ever care what happened to their kind.
“We have no choice,” the human said. “I’m sorry.”
Yeah, right.
Even though her heart was broken, Phoebe didn’t cry. Urian had taught her better than that. He was a warrior, battle born and battle hardened. As his wife, she would honor his courage and show the same strength he did. So she breathed through her pain and forced herself to stand at the rear of the boat, staring desperately where he’d been, hoping to glimpse some sign of his fate.
You better be okay. I won’t forgive you if you die saving me.
Cassandra held on tightly to her seat belt. “Hey, Chris? How fast are we going?”
“Over a hundred at least. These things can move as fast as one hundred forty with the wind, but only about forty against it.”
The blonde moved to stand beside her. “He’ll be okay, Phoebe. His father wouldn’t really hurt him. Stryker may be psychotic, but he loves Urian.”
She didn’t believe that for an instant, and Kat was a fool if she did. Damn her husband for his protective ways.
And damn her for asking him to do this.
Hating herself, she glared at Cassandra, hoping that she didn’t live to regret this action. Then she turned to the Dark-Hunter. “Keep going north. We have a safe place where we can hide all of you.”
Two seconds after those words were spoken, a horrendous shriek sounded above the boat engine, winds, and cracking ice. It was followed by the distinct sound of wings flapping.
Plugging her sensitive ears, Phoebe looked up and gaped. Holy Katateros, it was a dragon!
And not just any dragon. That would be Urian’s psycho dad after them.
You better not have eaten my husband …
“Oh my…” Cassandra didn’t finish her sentence. She stood there as catatonic as Phoebe felt.
Kat threw herself over Cassandra.