Oath Sworn - K.N. Banet Page 0,48

stomping on a foot, feeling the steel toe of the werewolf’s boot bend and crush the toes underneath. I held her with one hand, and fired with the other, hitting another wolf in the shoulder. I spun around, bringing her with me, and fired at a wolf bringing his sidearm out as fast as he could. I was faster than them, stronger than them.

They can’t have her. She’s mine.

A gun went off and this time, it wasn’t mine. I yelped as pain lanced my thigh.

“Incapacitate her!” someone yelled. I fired blindly at the next wolf I saw. I knew I hit him from the scream, but I don’t know where. Next to me, Carey huddled close and finally, I saw a gap as I turned again. Brin was there, wide-eyed. I knew he couldn’t —shouldn’t—get involved. He couldn’t leave his wife and sons at risk if the wolves decided to kill him. A human woman and three half-fae wouldn’t have it easy in the world if he was gone, and if he pissed off the wolves, they might kill his family too.

But that didn’t change that I did trust him just a little bit and to me, Carey was the most important thing in the world. I shoved Carey at him and into his arms. He lifted her, backing away. His sons pushed off a couple of wolves trying for her. I lost track after that as something hit my face and sent me to the pavement. I was dazed for a second, but I didn’t let the wolf kick the gun from my hand. I shot his foot instead. I had no idea how many bullets I had, but if I had to use every one of them, I was going to.

Another gunshot hit my back and sent me to my chest, knocking the air out of me. I pushed up, standing slowly as another bullet tore into my shoulder. That one didn’t knock me down, but a fourth gunshot to the stomach did, sending me back to my knees.

All I could hear was screaming at that point, the fighting fading into the background. I looked down, shocked at the blood pouring out of my abdomen. I was an EMT—at least I once was. I knew what it meant. Being a werecat, I knew the bullets were all silver.

There was a very strong chance I was going to die.

I didn’t let it stop me from standing up again. I pushed into the wolf closest to me and took him to the ground. I was weak, much weaker than normal and I was barely able to hit him before I was yanked off and thrown a few feet away. When I landed, my head smacked the asphalt. My vision went blurry.

No.

I heard Carey screaming. I heard others yelling and another gunshot. For a second, I thought they had shot me, but they hadn’t. I was just in that much pain already.

My vision went dark to the tell-tale sound of trucks driving off.

11

Chapter Eleven

“You have to get up, feline.”

I didn’t want to. Everything hurt. I felt weak and sluggish. I didn’t want to get up. Where was I, anyway? Why wasn’t I at home in my bar? Who was talking to me? It wasn’t Hasan. It wasn’t even Joey, the damn human.

“Jacky, please. I did all I could to get the silver out of your system, but I can’t force you to rise.”

Silver? Why had there been silver in my system? I didn’t get into trouble that normally had silver involved. I didn’t get into trouble. I actively avoided any sort of anything, really.

“They shot me and my son, Eamon. Nothing fatal. Just some warnings that they were willing to kill us if we didn’t hand over Carey. I’m sorry, but I had my wife to think about and my boys. I’m sorry.”

Carey…

I took a sharp breath, my eyes flying open. The breath made my chest tighten and hurt beyond imagining. It took me a few moments to be able to breathe again, whimpering a little as I tried.

Carey.

“There you are. You had my wife and I worried. You were dead for a little while, cat.” My eyes found the man talking. Brin, the fae owner of the motel. He had a human wife and two…no, three half-fae sons. “Rian showed up after making sure the one in the gas station was well and truly dead. He also called the fae Kings and told them what happened. This is considered private