She sat down.
"Coyotes. God darnrnit Megan. We warned you. Didn't we warn you?"
Lance's fury slammed through the air around her, but this time, it didn't touch her, didn't assault her mind. Instead, that aura of calm stability reached out from Braden and wrapped around her.
She looked at Braden. He moved slowly from the doorframe, careful to avoid the blood as he stooped next to the man she had shot and lifted a lip cautiously.
"Coyote," he agreed.
Braden did likewise to the other before jerking his cell phone from his belt and pressing a button quickly.
"We have two more. Area Four B, Megan Field's residence. Get your ass out here."
Megan turned to Lance in numb confusion.
"Are you going to call this in?"
He stared back at her, his expression livid.
"Hell no!" he snapped. "They can have this one too. We don't need news of this hitting the streets in town." He wiped his hands over his face before staring at her worriedly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she sighed before lifting her eyes to stare at the dog. He was whimpering at the doorway, having lain down, watching her with miserable brown eyes. He didn't move.
"Mo-Jo, come here."
He didn't attempt to move, only whined miserably.
"Oh no." She struggled to rise to her feet as Braden turned to the animal. "Don't touch him, he'll take your face off," she warned the Breed as he moved to check the animal. "Lance, call Dad. The Coyote had a knife."
Evidently the assailant had managed to land a blow after all.
"Are you crazy?'Lance stiffened in rejection. "We'll take care of him. If Uncle David sees this, Megan, he'll jerk you off the force so fast it will make both our heads spin."
"You're just afraid he'll hit you," she sniped.
"You keep thinking that." He grunted in frustration.
She shot him a furious look as she jerked the phone from the wall and knelt beside Mo-Jo. She punched speed dial.
"Meg. Dad and Granddad are on their way. Are you okay?' Her mother's voice was frantic as Megan inspected the deep slice along Mo-Jo's underbelly.
Her mother, bless her heart, had always known when her children were in trouble even if her empathic abilities weren't as strong as her daughter's.
"Fine, Mom. Jo is just hurt." She rose, jerking a dish towel from the counter to apply pressure to the wound.
Leaning close to the animal, she cradled his head as the decrease in adrenaline began to leave her weak.
"He'll be fine until they get here."
"You're sure?" Her mother wasn't fooled. She had been waiting on Meg's call, proof that her father and grandfather left the house at a dead run.
Her grandfather would have known something was wrong as well. He said the winds spoke to him of her. She shook her head at the thought. Empathy ran on her grandmother's side. She had never been certain what ran on her grandfather's, but Megan knew it was just as powerful as the talents she possessed, if not more so.
"I'm sure, Mom. I love you but I have to go now."
She disconnected the phone before staring up at Braden.
He was watching her with concern, and she realized she was definitely going to be stuck with him. Lance would not let this little event pass without having a stroke, or at the least without calling the whole damned family in.