The Huntsman racked a shell into a shotgun. Liam had no illusions about how much damage that would do. The kidnapper shot once, blasting away part of the panel in the back of the kneehole. Luckily, Liam was crouched behind the drawers, but they would only hold the hunter off for so long.
He shot again, deafeningly close. The buckshot sent up a hail of splinters as it tore into the drawers.
Liam had nowhere to run. Nothing else in the room was heavy enough to keep the Huntsman from just tossing it out of the way. In a few more shots, the desk would be damaged enough that it would either fall apart or would be easy to move. He could try dodging around the room again, but that would cost him far more energy than it required from his adversary, who only had to wait for Liam to tire.
Liam cowered behind the desk, knowing that time had run out. One more shot, maybe two, and it would be over. Kelson had finally won, but his revenge bit deeper than just taking Liam’s life. Dying now meant never seeing Russ again, never exploring their connection, or discovering what it truly meant to be fated mates.
Liam didn’t want to leave Russ, and he wondered how his lover would cope with losing Liam after he had already buried Anthony. Liam strained to sense anything from Russ through their bond, but whether it was the newness of the connection or some dark magic of the Huntsman’s, he remained utterly alone.
The Huntsman racked his gun once more. Liam braced for the end.
I love you, Russ. I’m so sorry we didn’t get to be together. Remember me.
10
Russ
Russ kept pace with the bear and the beagle, following the male fox on a race up the trail and then off into the forest. He heard the others not far behind, and pitied the three deputies who brought up the rear, still in human form so they could handle phones and weapons.
The beagle kept her nose to the ground, clearly following Liam’s scent. Far behind them, the deputies had the tracking app open, so if Liam’s hare-brained idea of taking a key-finder with him actually worked, they would be able to pick up on it once they got within range. Armel wore an earpiece specially designed for shifters so his deputies could communicate with him, in case the tracker got a fix on Liam’s position.
Russ concentrated on his connection to Liam. He was certain that after they made love, he had caught glimpses of Liam’s feelings, along with an uncanny sense of his lover’s proximity and mood. If they’d both been merely human, Russ might have shrugged it off as the intensity of new love. But being shifters changed everything. He’d heard stories about fated mates like he’d heard the legend of the Huntsman, paying scant attention to either. Now it seemed fate intended to prove that some legends were real.
Suddenly, the fox stopped and swung its head to indicate they should continue. Whatever lay before them scared their guide too much for him to go on.
Russ whined, lowering his head in a bow of thanks. He wondered if foxes were close enough to canines to have the same “root language” of gestures. The fox nodded, then padded off and disappeared into the forest.
Russ stood close enough to the sheriff to hear the message through his earpiece.
“We’ve got a lock on the tracker. One hundred feet, straight ahead.”
Liam and I haven’t even run together in our fur. Haven’t seen each other’s animals up close. Haven’t done so much. Please, anyone up there who’s listening, bring him back to me.
The beagle made it clear that she had picked up the trail. Russ and Armel started running again, pulling farther ahead of the others.
A shotgun blast echoed through the forest, frightening a flock of birds from the trees.
Russ and the sheriff exchanged a look and picked up speed. Russ wanted to howl his rage, but he choked back the sound in case they still had a chance of surprising the Huntsman.
Another blast sounded. Russ felt his heart in his throat. If the Huntsman was still shooting, that meant Liam must still be alive, but he worried Liam’s luck would run out soon.
Just as they came within the last few feet of a tumbledown cabin, a third shot rang out.
Sheriff Armel barreled into the door at full bear speed, taking it right off its hinges. Russ leaped through the opening seconds later,