Tiberius emerged from the water unseen, re-energized and seething. Now that he knew Quintus and his mate were away from immediate danger, he would see to the dark bird once and for all.

The sea creatures were putting on a magnificent display. He would reward them with plenty of chum later for their hard work.

After swimming back up to the dock, he rose from the water. The freighter was swaying with the momentum of the angry waves, waves he had created with his command of the sea. They continued to crash against the side with great force, a constant barrage of twenty-foot swells, cresting just below the ship’s deck and holding the attention of those left to guard the ship. Tiberius was able to board and slip behind a cargo box without being spotted.

From what he could see, there were five men standing on the deck of the ship, watching the diversion. Was one of them the dark bird?

Keeping to the shadows of the large containers, Tiberius sidled his way up closer to the men. One stood away from the others. He would be the first to fall.

When one of the dolphins jumped out of the water to do a flip, Tiberius reached out and snatched the straggler, pulling him back into the shadows.

“Are you Black Eagle?” he hissed down at the man who was struggling to breathe as Tiberius squeezed his windpipe.

The man shook his head, even as he attempted to free himself.

Tiberius couldn’t take the chance that the man’s kicking and thrashing would attract the attention of the others, so he quietly snapped his neck then dropped the body over the side of the ship.

Peering around the cargo box once more, he saw that the other four hadn’t noticed their companion had gone missing. That was to his favor. What was not in his favor was the fact that he had run out of cover. There were no more boxes large enough to conceal a stealthy advance. He would have to step out into the open to take on his next combatant. That would make it four against one.

Suddenly, a soft hand touched his arm from behind. He knew immediately it was his mate.

“Now it’s two against four,” she spoke through their mental bond.

Pride swept through him. His mate was a warrior at heart, and a fine female to have at his side. They were going to have a long, healthy matehood.

“Please be careful,” he implored.

“I’ll be fine,” she insisted, infusing her silent words with assurance. “And ditto. I’m going to duck behind this box and come out on the other side. Dibs on the two goons on the far end closest to the ship’s door. You go after the two closest to us. Agreed?”

Tiberius nodded. They needed to move quickly, knowing the men’s attention would not be held much longer by the distraction.

Holding up her hand, Ryan counted to three then took off.

Even as he stepped out to lunge at his next target, he heard the soft pop of the silencer on her gun and, from the corner of his eye, saw a body fall.

Tiberius engaged the man closest to him in hand-to-hand combat, striking several blows to his enemy’s head before the man struck a powerful blow to his midsection.

To his right, he heard two more soft pops. He hoped that Ryan had managed to take out her second target without incident.

The first man went down hard, but Tiberius’s second target had managed to circle around behind him and land a hard kick to his back.

Tiberius roared and whipped around to dispatch the other, only to find Ryan standing behind his second target with her gun pointed at the henchman’s head. However, the man being held at gunpoint was the one smiling.

Ryan’s face drained of color as she lifted her other arm and pointed her weapon toward him.

The reason became clear a moment later when Tiberius felt the cold muzzle of a gun pressed against the back of his head.

From behind him, a deep, scratchy voice said, “Ah, we meet again, Detective Winslet.” The man chuckled. “Heard from Jason lately?”

Ryan’s face went blank, but Tiberius could feel her shame welling up from within. “Fuck you, Nez.”

“Drop the gun, Detective,” the man growled, “or I’ll splatter your boyfriend’s brains all over the deck here.”

Tiberius seethed. Not because his life was in danger, but because this man had hurt his mate. Tiberius could see the rage and hate on her face, yet she failed to pull the trigger.

He reached through their bond and into her thoughts. That was where he discovered her fear. She was hesitating for his sake, out of concern for him.

“Is he the dark bird?” Tiberius thought to his mate.

“Yes,” she thought back solemnly.

“Dispatch him.”

“No! He’s using you as a shield.”

“Do it. Shoot your weapon, Ryan Winslet, and end this once and for all.”

She shook her head. “I’m not going to shoot you.”

“Don’t tell me no, bitch!” the dark bird seethed, no doubt thinking she was shaking her head at him. “You think I’m kidding? I’ll waste this fucker right now. Then I’m going to let my men use every hole you’ve got before I put you on the next boat outta here. Now put down your fucking gun.”

Tiberius could hear his mate’s sharp intake of breath at the threat, and he could feel her anger along their mental bond. It matched his own. His only regret was that he would be unable to dispatch the horrible death the dark bird deserved.

“Do it now, Ryan Winslet. Shoot him through me.”

“No! Are you insane?”

“Look at me, Ryan,” Tiberius spoke softly into her mind. “Look at my arm.”

Her eyes flicked to where he had been shot, widening when she realized the wound was almost completely healed. “How?”

“I will explain everything later, but right now, you need to end this. Do it!”

“You better be right about this, Tiberius, or I’m going to shoot you again on purpose.”

He smiled. “You cannot get rid of me that easily, little mate.”

As Ryan inhaled, he felt her calm. Her eyes met his briefly, then dipped to his shoulder. A heartbeat later, she squeezed the trigger and he felt the sharp sting of the bullet passing through his flesh and into the man behind him.

As a surprising level of pain seared through his body, Tiberius lunged to the side. Two more shots rang out in quick succession.

He looked back at his mate, only to find her standing over the body of the henchman she had been holding hostage. She was glorious in her warrior stance, with a gun in each hand and her body primed and braced for battle.

As he looked down to see the dark bird once known as Black Eagle on the ground, with a hole in his chest and another between the eyes, he knew this battle was over.

They had won. Now it was time to reward his aquatic helpers then jump into the sea to heal.