“He wants to pay back his debt to you. He didn’t help you when you were kids, and he wants the chance now.”
What? She didn’t stop, though adrenaline pumped through her body. “He’s the one who got me out of that basement. Drew owes me nothing.”
When she reached the bottom floor, Jane shoved open the stairwell door and raced outside. The sky was cloudy. Too dark. And there, just a few feet away, with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes on her…
There was her brother.
“Drew?” Jane stared at him, absolutely lost. For a moment, she was a child again, huddled with her brother as they waited for police to arrive at their house. Her hand had gripped his so tightly. He’d been her whole world.
“Mary Jane.” He smiled at her and looked so freaking happy to see her.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Jane whispered. “I’m working a case.”
Drew took a step toward her. “You look good.”
You shouldn’t be here.
“I-I know, Mary Jane,” Drew said, his words stammering. “About the vampires. About the werewolves. About everything.”
Her gaze swung to Aidan. “What did you do?”
“I know,” Drew said doggedly. “And I’m not scared.”
Liar. She could practically smell his fear. Her desperate stare flew back to her brother.
“We can stop them, Mary Jane,” Drew said. “We can stop them all…”
And that was when she knew that things were very, very bad.
I stayed away from Drew for a reason. He stopped being the man I knew…he was fanatical. I thought I was making him worse, that by leaving he’d get better, that it was me…
But maybe it had been him. All along…
Drew reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun.
“What in the hell is happening?” Aidan snarled. “He was under my control.”
“No, I wasn’t.” Drew’s chin lifted. “And I won’t let my sister be, either. She’d never choose a monster. Never. I won’t let you do this to her!”
He fired the gun, blasting it right at Aidan.
Jane didn’t think. Didn’t even pause. She just threw her body in front of his.
The bullet slammed into her chest. She heard Aidan scream. She heard Drew scream.
Blood soaked her shirt and pain tore her world apart.
In the next instant, Jane was on the ground, gasping, trying to take in a breath but something was wrong with her lungs. Aidan’s hands grabbed her. He held her tight. “Jane! Jane!”
Her gaze slid to Drew. He was going to shoot again. “No,” Jane whispered because she couldn’t protect Aidan. Not now. She was too weak. And he was too focused on her to protect himself.
The thunder of the gun came once more. In the distance, she heard someone screaming. The kids on campus? Panicking because there was an active shooter. Run. Everyone needs to run.
Aidan jerked and she knew the bullet had hit him, but he didn’t let her go. He rose with her in his arms.
“Leave my sister alone!” Drew roared.
Aidan took a step away from him.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Three shots. One had burned across her arm before it sank into Aidan’s chest. Aidan stared down at her. She wanted to speak but a rough whistle was the only sound coming from her lips.
I can’t breathe. I can’t get any air.
“Love…you…” Aidan whispered.
And then he fell. Her strong, big, bad, fierce wolf fell, and she tumbled from his arms. Jane barely felt the impact when she slammed into the concrete. Her body rolled down the few steps there and when she stopped, she was staring up at her brother.
He still had the gun in his hands. “Don’t worry, Mary Jane. I’ll make sure he stays down.”
A shadow moved behind Drew. Fast. One that hadn’t been there before. It just—appeared.
Stop him. She couldn’t say the words. She tried. Tried so hard.
Stop. Him! Stop my brother!
And then the shadow took shape. Vincent stood behind her brother. His hand lifted and he grabbed her brother. His fangs flashed as he ripped into Drew’s throat. Drew fired but the bullet seemed to go wild.
It didn’t hit Aidan.
My werewolf guards. They have to be somewhere close on campus. Aidan had been making sure she had extra security since the last attack. The guards were there—they would come running soon.
She just had to hold on a bit longer.
But she felt so cold.
“This is how it ends,” Vincent’s voice wasn’t smug. Not happy. Just flat. He was standing over her now. “Are you ready?”
Ready to die? No. No, she wasn’t. Jane’s hands flew out to grab the steps around her, and she tried to haul her body toward Aidan. If she got his blood, everything would be all right. She’d be strong again. She’d dig the bullets out of his body—they had to be silver because she’d seen the smoke coming from him when he’d first been hit—and he’d be okay, too. They’d both make it.
They’d live to fight and love another day.
She pulled her body a few desperate inches.
“No, Jane.” Vincent crouched in front of her. Now his voice was sad. “That isn’t your end.”