her a not-amused look, and she flashed me one right back.
Before either of us could respond, a howl filled the air.
Then another.
And another.
Wolves the size of cars entered the park and were circling us in a second flat. Six of them, to be exact.
“Shit,” I muttered, getting to my feet.
I turned my back on Nathalie, facing the very real threat. They snarled in my direction, massive jaws snapping in a pretty clear impersonation of what would happen to my skull if I made a wrong move.
“These friends of yours?” Nathalie asked from behind me.
“I’m not sure . . .”
The pack of six stopped, paused, and then the one directly in front of me shifted.
A naked man, well over six feet tall and built of muscle, towered over me.
I squinted past the sun in my eyes that backlit him. He had a strong brow, and straining muscles. “Recognize me?” he said, all arrogance.
It clicked.
“The alpha from the bar,” I said.
He grinned. It wasn’t nice. “Bingo.”
I took a step back, and he took one forward. “You shot me in the head. Scrambled my brains. If it weren’t for my omega mate that ran, I wouldn’t know who I was looking for.”
I took another step, and a hand brushed against my side—then locked around my other pistol. Nathalie stepped into me from behind and put the gun to my head. Cool metal pressed into my temple.
My heartbeat kicked up a notch, but I wasn’t scared.
“Back off,” she said to the alpha. “She’s mine.”
He looked over my shoulder and narrowed his eyes, then threw his head back and laughed. “You?” he said. “Take it from me, little girl, you were never going to get her there, anyway. She didn’t make a name for herself by being easily caught. I didn’t know who I tangled with a week ago, but your boss burned you. I can see why you were so confident before, but now . . . we’ll be collecting that bounty.”
“How’d you find me?” I asked.
He held up his arm. Something was jutting out of it. I squinted.
“Vampire tooth,” he said. “From the bar. Got yourself bitten and then tossed it aside. Had just enough blood that I got a witch to do me a tracking spell. Turns out you’re not popular amongst their kind. She didn’t even charge me.”
“Fucking supes,” I growled.
“Back at you, hunter.”
My heart kicked up another notch as the wolves closed in.
There were six of them, five of which were in their wolf form. Assuming I could even fire off all six shots, there wasn’t enough time. One or both of us would be dead by the end of the encounter, and the whole reason Nathalie was taking me was so I wouldn’t be injured. I didn’t know if the hit on me said dead or alive, but either way had consequences, especially if I let these blokes do it.
Judging by the malicious grin on the alpha’s face, I’d be beat within a half inch of my life. Until I went demon on their ass. At which point my secret would be blown, and this entire plan would go up in flames.
“I said, back off,” Nathalie snapped. The metal barrel pressed harder into my temple. “Come any closer and I’ll shoot. He’s only paying one mil if she’s brought in alive.”
She didn’t know that. While Anders said a million, he never stated if the boss wanted me hot or cold. She was bluffing through her damn teeth.
I tried not to let it show on my face as I watched the alpha squeeze his fists.
“You shoot, and we’re both out the money,” he said, not correcting her.
That meant . . . double shit. If the order was to have me brought in hot, that was not good.
“I’m willing to take that over giving it to you,” she said, her voice strong and sure.
“He’s still willing to pay a quarter mil if I bring her in dead. I could just kill you both.” He shrugged. The fact that he dropped the amount so much for dead versus alive had me worried.
Lucifer was a vindictive asshole.
A cold laugh made my spine snap straight.
It was coming from Nathalie.
“I’m a Le Fay. What makes you think you’d win this fight, pup?” she said, sounding utterly fearless, even if her own heartbeat was drowning out my own.
I had to give it to her. Girl had balls.
The alpha twisted his lips, seeming to consider it. Her words were good, but were they good enough? Probably depended