September Moon (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #8)

Briggs’s gaze traveled over Arys, and he frowned ever so slightly. I was willing to bet that he’d thought Arys was still out of town. His plan had been to take me out while we were apart. Sneaky bastard.

“Well now, Agent Briggs, you appear a little surprised to see me,” Arys said, picking up on what I’d just realized. “You weren’t by chance thinking about killing my wolf while I was away, were you? That kind of behavior seems beneath you. Doesn’t it?”

Briggs and Arys shared a moment. Whatever passed between them, it wasn’t good.

“What are we waiting for?” Agent Hunter interjected with a rude sneer in my direction. “Let’s take this bitch out.”

“You never learn, do you, Hunter?” I tsked and shook my head at his pathetic attempt to be a tough guy. “I guess I’ll have to break your other arm. But I doubt I’ll stop there. I made you a promise, remember?”

During a scuffle with the FPA, Kale had broken the man’s arm. It clearly hadn’t taught him a damn thing about keeping his mouth shut or knowing when to back down. The last time I saw Hunter I had promised him that he would die at my hand, and he would love it.

“Is there something I should know about you two?” Briggs shot a dark glare at Hunter who pressed his lips together in a refusal to speak.

“What’s to know?” I dared to saunter closer, stopping only when every agent had leveled their gun at me. “Hunter here threw me in with Kale after you guys drove him crazy. He almost got me killed. Oh, and he wants your job. But I’m guessing you already knew that. Better watch your back, Briggs. Your guys don’t know how to be a team.”

Briggs’s gaze narrowed. He chose to ignore my remark, but I was sure he’d have a word with Hunter later, if they left here alive.

“Come with us, O’Brien. You leave peacefully, and we can avoid a showdown in the parking lot. I’ll make sure you’re treated in a humane, fair way.”

I gaped at him as if he’d just spoken in tongues. “Are you fucking kidding me? A humane way? I’m not a dog going off to the pound, you self-righteous piece of shit. If you want me, you’ll have to take me the hard way.”

Hunter cocked his weapon. Several others followed suit. Briggs held up a hand, and they waited for his order.

“Stopping Shya has been our mission for a very long time. I can’t let a chance like this pass me by. Stopping him should be your top priority too.” His tone was smooth and steady, but there was a pleading glint in his eyes.

That should have been reassuring I suppose. Ultimately, I knew that Briggs didn’t really want to kill me. In a city where many people did, it was refreshing, and even somewhat flattering.

“It is. You just refuse to see that. Things have to happen, Briggs. Someone will kill me, but it won’t be you.” I couldn’t help the glance I shot Arys. I saw Briggs notice. Could his clever mind put it together?

For just a moment it appeared as if Briggs might give me the benefit of the doubt. His studious stare moved between Arys and me. Hunter shuffled his feet impatiently and received an unspoken rebuke from his superior. I smiled.

“I want to trust you on this. I do,” Briggs said. “Unfortunately, I don’t. You make your decisions based on what’s best for your people, and I do the same. I ask you one last time, please come with us. I’d prefer to keep this from being a public event.”

Damn. So he wanted to really do this. “You know I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Briggs gave a slight nod. A shot went off. It didn’t come from the agents before us though. It came from above. A sniper on the roof of the grocery store across the street took his shot. It never hit. Willow held the bullet in his hand before anyone realized he’d intercepted it. His great silver wings were flared wide behind him, and he hummed with power.

Before anyone could react, he threw the bullet with supernatural speed. It lodged in Agent Hunter’s thigh, and he fell to the ground with a shout.

All hell broke loose. The Feds fired their weapons, launching both wooden and regular bullets at us. Arys grabbed my hand and threw an energy wall up in front of us. The bullets bounced off as if hitting a brick wall.

The sudden surge of power streaming through me was overwhelming. Arys drew on our bond to hold the wall against the onslaught. It nearly drove me to my knees. Instinctively I reached out metaphysically for Jenner. He was our blood and, being mine as he was, my power drew on him.

Willow rushed the agents. Bullets bounced off him as if he were stone. Some of them dropped their guns and actually fled. Those that remained found themselves staring into the angry gaze of a very pissed off fallen angel.

With a snap of his fingers, Willow jammed their weapons. A flick of his wrist and several of them dropped, holding their heads as an unseen force tore pained cries from them.

“Shall I keep going?” Willow approached Briggs slowly, like a cat sneaking up on a mouse.