FUCK ME—WE need weapons. We’re seriously outnumbered and need an advantage. I’m bleeding like a motherfucker from my side, and they just keep on coming—like fucking lemmings. I grab a guy heading straight for Jared and make quick work of him. He was so focused on Jared, he didn’t see me coming. I’m about to turn for another when I see Devon’s mother. What the fuck? I saw her die. I watched her kill herself.
The noise is unreal, and my ears are ringing. I blink, and there’s another kitsune attacking me. Before long we’ll be swamped. We can only fight for so long. I’m in the middle of the courtyard, and we’re trying like fuck to keep a line and not let anyone pass and get to the house. But it’s becoming harder and harder every second. I hear gunfire, and I think for sure this is it because we didn’t have time to grab weapons. The bastard about to attack me is running full throttle with his teeth bared when another shot rings out, and he drops to the floor, a hole in his forehead. Fuck me. I don’t have time to see where it’s coming from but it’s friendly fire, so I’m not complaining. A kitsune in its animal form comes tearing at me, and all I see is teeth. Thinking fucking fast, I lift my foot and roundhouse the fucker. Someone jumps on my back and has me in a chokehold. Motherfucker. I go to my knees, gasping, trying like hell to get a breath in, and then, all of a sudden, I’m released. The weight of him is gone from my back. Howard. Thank fuck. We don’t have time for thank yous and handshakes—we just get right back in there.
I see a flash of long dark hair, and it stops me in my tracks. Jesus Christ. Devon is hauling ass through us all, wielding a gun, taking shots and doing a fucking good job too.
I take a hit to the jaw, and it dazes me, but I swing for the bastard who landed it. Looking to my right, I see Devon heading towards Jared, who is also neck deep in shit. I try to get that way, but before I manage it, three crowd me in.
‘So this is fun!’ I grin. As the first comes at me, I block his fist with my arm and take a kick to the stomach from another. Now that shit’s not going to fly. I need to think fast and get the fuck over to Jared. With the wind knocked out of me, I hesitate just a second too long, and I take a huge hit to the nose. But I’m not an easy knockout. Takes a lot of brute force to take me down. I’m just thankful they don’t have weapons. I hear more shots ring out and see more go down, including one of the fuckers in my little party. I look to the right and see Jared, two guns in hand, and Devon right behind him. His face is pure hatred. Devon is taking down just as many as he is. I get another sucker punch to the gut while I’m still trying to catch my breath. But again Jared takes aim and one, right after the other, falls to the ground. He stands in front of me, guns raised, while I get up and take a couple of weapons from Devon.
‘The woman… she was here. I saw her,’ I shout to Jared over the noise. We’re shooting like we’re in the wild fucking west. But it’s a hell of a lot easier than having blows raining down on me. I get a kitsune, in its fox form, snapping its jaws at me while it leaps through the air. I fire and hit its shoulder, but it isn’t deterred and continues its attack. I fire again, but before I can take the bastard out, it grips my arm in its jaw. Fuck.
Jared grunts next to me and I realise he is also under a fuck load of pressure fighting them in animal form. I’m not sure what the fuck they are because this isn’t what I imagined them to look like. They are fucking huge and have teeth like razors. In honesty, it shocks the fuck out of me. We don’t normally see them this way. My arm is torn up, and I’m still bleeding from my side. I reload, courtesy of Devon, and fire off more rounds, taking out four more.
We seem to be dealing with more in animal form than human now. But that at least means we can’t get mixed up about who is who.
I move forward, making sure we have a secure circle, and we can see all sides. Jared won’t be happy about Devon being here, I know because I wouldn’t be, but right now she’s a fucking godsend. I’m sure, when this is over—if we all make it out, that he’ll go fucking mental.
I’m firing round after round when I see Maiya on the ground. Everything sort of moves in slow motion. Jared must see her at the same time because he yells for me to go. I’m running in to save her, but every kitsune approaching her is shot dead. Maiya is braced on the floor, and she has a gun in each hand, her knees apart, and she is hitting the kitsunes like targets as though she does this every day and is a practised shot. I spot Brody and his little fucking sister at his side. What is it with these fucking women? I’m not going to leave Maiya’s side though. I spot Howard in the fray. He looks like he's taken the world on, but he’s still standing. I pull Maiya up and move us, taking out one after another, shot by shot. They aren’t slowing, and I’m worried we’ll run out of bullets before we can finish this.
‘Stay behind me,’ I shout, but Maiya doesn’t listen, taking aim and firing at another. Dead. Fucking exceptional shot. But I don’t have time to celebrate that because I see the woman, and I’m torn. Do I go after her and take Maiya further into the fight? No. Keep her safe.
I watch as Devon’s mother approaches Jared. And again it’s like watching a scene in slow motion unfold, and there is nothing I can do to stop it. ‘JARED!’ I shout. But he doesn’t hear me. Fuck! I grab Maiya’s hand and drag her along with me, but I’m not fast enough. As he reloads his gun, the bitch sticks a knife in his back. He doesn’t go down, but he stumbles enough for her to take another stab at him. A shot whizzes past my head, and just as she is going to take another blow, she drops the knife and screams out in pain. Jared gets her by the throat and puts a gun to her head. There are kitsunes everywhere. Jared says something in her ear and her face changes. The fact we’ve caught her is enough for the kitsunes to start retreating. We’ll have to regroup and revisit these fuckers on our terms. We’re all standing in the compound, looking like we’ve just fallen out of the First World War. I’m beat, and I’m grateful for the reprieve, but it’s a fucking mess.
Howard walks through the kitsune bodies putting a bullet in their heads. No comebacks, no mistakes. I can finally breathe. I take Maiya in my arms and cuddle the fuck out of her. If I don’t, I’ll go ballistic at her. Her breathing is ragged, and I hold her close until it evens out.
‘You okay?’ I ask her.
Tears swim in her eyes as she nods. ‘I thought you were going to die,’ she says, sobbing.
‘Shhhhhhh, sweetheart. I’m okay. Come on, let’s sort this shit out and get you inside.’ She nods, and we head over to Jared. Zoe is there with a medical kit already and is patching him up. Howard is still firing off shots into bodies, making sure. On the floor, at Jared and Devon’s feet, is the bitch herself.
‘I watched you eat a bullet!’ She just grins. She sends fucking chills down my spine. Devon has a gun trained on her, and stepping beside me, Maiya also takes aim. Jared gets stitched up, and we can finally take a minute.
‘Where the fuck is your pack?’ Howard yells at Brody. But he is busted up just as bad as the rest of us and so is his sister. They fought just as hard. Brody falls to his arse and brings his knees up like he’s exhausted.
‘Fuck if I know?’ he answers. Howard marches over like it’s his fault. His sister is having none of it though, and just like the first time they met she goes toe-to-toe with him, a knife at his balls. It’s a fucking picture.
‘Willow, stop it for fuck sake,’ Brody tells her on a sigh. She steps back, and Howard visibly relaxes. We start a fire and all the fuckers left in the courtyard go on it. It fucking stinks, but it’s the quickest and most effective way of body disposal.
***
The fact that the American pack are nowhere to be seen is laying heavy on me. I don’t yet understand it, but what Brody had said about Max is front and centre in my mind. With clean up sorted and guard duty given orders, I take Maiya upstairs to clean up. When we get through the door, she leaps at me, wrapping her arms around me, and kissing the fuck out of me. I can barely get us into the bathroom. I kiss her back, pushing her up against the wall, giving me better control.
I open the shower door without breaking the kiss and walk us in. It’s small, but it’s big enough. Turning the water on to hot, I devour her mouth, and she starts to remove her wet clothes. I do the same, but our lips don’t part until she struggles with her jeans. They may as well be painted on, they’re so fucking tight, add water to the mix, and it’s a fucking pain in the ass.
Now fully naked, my dick is at attention. He doesn’t give a flying fuck that we’re covered in blood and brain matter. He wants in. I lift her in my arms, holding onto her ass, and I push her up against the tiles. I move my hand between us, and I find that little hotspot I’ve been seeking. I slip a finger inside gently so she isn’t shocked. Nearly being killed and seeing my girl out on a battlefield does something to me. I’m desperate to be inside her. Maiya doesn’t seem opposed to the idea, so I’m going in. I line myself up, and as soon as the head is encased in her wet warm pussy, I feel relief. Everything that just went down should have sent her screaming to the hills, but I’ve never seen anyone so determined to shoot and kill. She was amazing. Her head goes back as I enter her fully. She moans low, and it sends a shiver of excitement through me.
‘This isn’t going to be slow. You okay with that?’ She doesn’t speak, just nods and looks at me through lidded eyes, a small smile on her face. Fucking beautiful. And mine.
‘Fuck, sweetheart. I’m not gonna last.’ I’m thrusting in and out like I’m in a race and on the last hundred-meter sprint.
‘Feels so good,’ she moans against my neck, and then I feel her clench around my dick, and that’s it. As she screams out her orgasm, I go over with her, thrusting only a few more times. I feel exhausted, but we needed this. And honestly, I could fuck her all day long, tired or not. I let her slide down my body and watch as she runs her hands over her hair. Her eyes are closed against the water, and she looks gorgeous. I step forward and put my hands where hers are.
‘Let me do that for you,’ I tell her, making her smile. I take her hair and run some shampoo through it, and get my fingers into her scalp. She moans a little, and it makes me chuckle.