Austin heard a man reply, but he couldn’t discern what he was saying. Just ahead, he spied a tree large enough to conceal his frame, so he pressed his left shoulder against the bark and peered around, focusing on the small crowd up ahead. The quieter his breathing became, the better he could hear them.
“I’m warning you, let her go,” April said, fury edging her voice. “You know what a Mage is capable of doing to a Shifter.”
“Is that so?” a man replied. “I think you’re forgetting what I’m capable of doing, so don’t threaten me again.”
“Just cut her,” another man said, his voice sharp. “These aren’t damsels in distress. These bitches took out four of our men, so leaving them alive is a liability. Nobody wants a pregnant bitch, a little girl, or a fucking Mage for their pack.”
“Speak for yourself on the little girl,” one of them piped in.
Austin narrowed his eyes and counted three men, and by the sound of it, seven had tried to capture them. To the left, one man held a blade to Melody’s throat, but she didn’t show any fear. She looked like a girl who was working out a plan, and that made Austin simultaneously proud and nervous. These weren’t helpless women.
April and Lexi stood to the right, facing Melody and her captor. April’s fingers were splayed as she closely watched the two men who were standing behind them, spread apart.
Austin perked up when he heard Reno’s dove call in the distance. It also caught April’s attention as she discreetly flicked her eyes toward the woods before straightening her back, a cocksure smile on her face.
Lexi played mediator. “Let her go, and we’ll work something out. She’s just a kid.”
“Who killed our alpha with an arrow,” he reminded her.
“Lucky shot?” Melody said, pure smartass.
April continued turning in a circle, watching the men closely. She was also looking into the woods, and when she faced Austin, he poked his head out long enough for her to spot his location.
She took a few steps to the left, giving Austin a clear shot at one of the men.
Austin placed his gun against the side of the tree and locked onto his target. Attempting to shoot the guy holding Melody was out of the question—not unless that knife came away from her throat. He knew which man Reno would have his gun on because Reno would strategize his target based on which man was a clearer shot for Austin.
That just left the man with the knife, and it was as if Lexi was reading Austin’s mind.
She inched toward the man and spoke calmly. “I’m pregnant. I can’t run anywhere, and I’m in no condition to fight. My feet are swollen, my back hurts, and I haven’t eaten in two days. Take the bow from Melody, and she won’t be a threat.”
“I’m supposed to trust you?”
She put her hands on her hips. “She’ll do what she’s told because I’m the alpha female in the pack, and whatever I say is the golden rule.”
Damn if Austin didn’t want to kiss that woman.
The man lowered the knife a few inches. “Are you mated with the Packmaster, or are you just the alpha bitch in the pack?”
Austin’s target rubbed his face, but Austin couldn’t make out his expression in the dim light. “Jesus Christ, if she’s the alpha’s bitch, then that means she’s the one Judas wants alive. Let’s use her to draw out the Packmaster before turning her in; we’ll kill two birds with one stone.”
Lexi looked over her shoulder at the man. “Don’t call me a bitch, you little weasel.”
Melody dramatically tossed her bow to the ground and kicked it away. Her assailant lowered his knife and then yanked off her knit hat, tossing it on the ground. Melody’s disheveled hair fell about her face, concealing her expression.
The man still had a grip on Melody’s shoulder, but he raised his hand with the blade and gestured toward Lexi. “You’re coming with us, and I don’t want a struggle.”
Faster than a heartbeat, Melody reached into her quiver and pulled out an arrow, gripping it firmly and impaling the man’s leg with the pointy tip.
He roared, loosening his grip enough that she wriggled free. Austin fired his gun, and his target spun halfway around and fell to the ground. At almost the same moment, another gun fired from the opposite side, and the second man went down.
April flashed at the injured man as he wielded his knife. A blast of energy propelled him backward, slamming him against the trunk of a tree. He slumped over, the arrow still lodged in his thigh.
Without missing a beat, Austin put his gun in the holster and rushed toward them.
“Are there more?” he yelled out.
“It’s clear!” Lexi yelled back.
The first thing he did was check his target to make sure it was a clean shot. Reno didn’t need to check; he ran right to April and lifted her into his arms.
“I’m still charged,” she complained, holding her hands away as he kissed her neck.
Austin scanned the woods while trying to catch his breath. “Did any escape?”
Lexi pulled Melody against her side and kissed the top of her head. “No. Only seven moved in on us, so it was just the three left.”
“Only seven?” Austin asked in disbelief.