Savage Craving - Cecilia Lane Page 0,7
of her.”
Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
Lilah backed away from the deadly predators eyeing her like their next meal. Every cell in her body screamed to run as fast as she could. The primal part of her brain didn’t care which direction; they’d catch her no matter how fast her legs pumped. The small sliver that wanted to live forced her to look everywhere for a hint of escape.
Gunfire cracked over her head. Someone inside the SUV cursed, then flung himself out the other door to return fire.
The lions snarled and lunged for her, but she spun away. She kicked off her heels and ran along the perimeter wall in the opposite direction of the SUV. Behind her, snarls turned to shouts and a peeling of wheels, all while more shots pitted the wall and ground in her wake.
Above, the guard who’d taken the shot, slumped over the edge of the tower.
Lilah barreled around a corner and nearly sobbed when she spotted another SUV zooming in her direction with the SEA logo blazoned over the hood. The vehicle slammed to a stop and agents poured out the doors, weapons drawn.
She slid to the ground, not caring if it tore the skin of her knees, and shoved her hands high in the air. “Human!” she shouted. “I’m human! Don’t shoot!”
Chapter 3
Seth prodded at the bruises that colored his chest purple and black. Most others would have started healing in the damn parking lot last night, but that was one of the unwelcome side effects of his little quirk. He healed faster than humans but still looked like ground beef when lined up against true shifters. He’d be sore for days to come.
And what then? Go back to wrangling cows and pretend he hadn’t been jumped? Pack up and move on to wherever the wind took him? Neither option felt good. Only one seemed right. He’d made a promise to keep his trouble contained. Zeke and the others might leave him alone, or they could turn their attention on the entire Crowley pride. He couldn’t stand by while others suffered because of him.
Seth braced his hands against the sink and let his head hang. Maybe it was time to admit defeat. He wasn’t a shifter. He didn’t have an animal under his skin. Hell, he couldn’t even heal properly after taking a beating. He was, effectively, human.
No more enclaves. No more fighting on the circuit. He needed to move into the center of a city and forget the sounds and smells of nature. He needed to leave his brother behind.
Anything else was like a moth trying to survive multiple encounters with flames.
The sound of a fist pounding against his door pulled Seth out of his thoughts. He stood still for one full round, silently daring the disturbance on the other side to try again. Maybe if he ignored it long enough, he’d be left alone.
No such luck. The knocking continued.
With a grimace, he hauled his shirt over his head and made his way out of the bathroom. A handful of steps carried him across his former tack room turned studio to yank open his door.
He scowled at the man on the other side. “What are you doing here?”
Dash eyed him up and down. “Your face is fucked,” he drawled. “Maybe you do need a buddy system out on the town.”
Seth jerked away from the finger coming for his bruised face. His entire body shouted with complaint at the sudden movement. “Still better looking than you,” he grumbled.
His brother hooted with laughter and slammed a hand against his shoulder. “Someone had to inherit all the talent.”
“We both know it wasn’t you.”
Dash’s chuckle cut short as he caught something behind Seth. He edged to the side and peered into the room. Seth, too late, tried to block him, but the damage was done. His duffle bag rested on his bed. Innocuous, by itself, but the clean laundry in a messy pile gave him away.
The man’s eyebrows shot together. “Uh, going somewhere?”
Seth let himself be shoved aside, then slowly closed the door behind them. He’d hoped to get away with a short and sweet note, but fate apparently intended otherwise. “You were right all along,” he said blithely. “Ranch work doesn’t suit me.”
“Bullshit.” Dash whirled around. “This is because of those fuckers last night, ain’t it?”
“I gave Trent my word—”
“So you’re going to let some little fuckweasels run you out of town? Screw that. We’ll haul out tonight and show them they can’t fuck with us. It’ll