Page 22

Chapter Twenty

M alik grabbed his wife and put his body between hers and the hybrid rushing at them from the master bedroom. He took a fighting stance and waited for the hybrid to reach him before striking out with full force. That one went down and another dove in through the window. He made sure Brooke was still behind him .

He smelled another hybrid coming, this one from the direction of the stairs. He went low and then came up with his claws extended. Malik snarled as he ripped out a hybrid’s throat. The one on the floor sprang up and he spun around, slicing open the thing’s face and neck. The hybrid dropped instantly .

When he turned to go for Brooke, he found her delivering a series of wicked kicks to a hybrid in the hallway. She then punched the hybrid in the face, knocking him down the steps in the process. When she looked over her shoulder at him, it was with the face of a warrior. A woman who wouldn’t back down .

A fierce mate .

“Bethany,” she said, her breathing heavy .

Malik ran past Brooke, grabbing her hand in the process. They took the stairs quickly. What used to be the front door was totally engulfed in flames. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he bent and tore out the throat of the hybrid Brooke had kicked the crap out of. He helped Brooke over the body, keeping her away from the flames, and then looked up to see Armand there. A man he’d not seen in at least a decade, since Armand had left the Crimson Ops division of PSI and moved over to the Shadow Agent side of things .

Armand had a hybrid lifted off the ground with one hand. He glanced at Malik and nodded .

Brooke slowed. “Armand, where is Bethany ?”

Armand tipped his head in the direction of the kitchen area. “He’s taking her out the back .”

Auberi came through the front window, looking as if he’d been in one hell of a fight .

Malik made a move to head to the kitchen when another explosion came from that direction. He spun and used his body to protect Brooke. Something cut into his back but he ignored the bite of pain as thoughts of Bethany being injured hit him. Instinctually, he turned and raced in the direction the explosion had come from. The area filled quickly with smoke .

Bethany screamed and he followed the sound of her cries, unable to see clearly with all the smoke. Malik shut off, his lion pushing up, helping to guide him through the black smoke. Bethany screamed again, her cries sounding farther away. Flames rolled at him, nearly hitting him. He bent and tried to see through the thick smoke .

“Gram!” he yelled, coughing as he inhaled a large amount of smoke .

No response .

He didn’t care if he burned alive, he wasn’t about to leave his child. With a roar, he ran headfirst into the burning kitchen, ignoring the bite of the flames. He tripped over something massive on the floor. As he hit the floor, he twisted and realized the mass was Gram .

He wasn’t moving and no heartbeat could be heard .

Armand appeared. “I’ve got him. Go after the little one! Auberi is with Brooke .”

Malik pushed to his feet and ran deeper into the burning room to find the back end of the house was missing. He jumped over the flames and landed in the backyard. It took his senses a moment to work properly from all the smoke. The second they did, he heard a child’s cries and shot off, running full force in the direction they were coming from .

He more than cleared a six-foot privacy fence in one jump, landing in someone’s backyard before repeating the steps three times. When he landed again, he looked up to find two hybrids running. One was trying to keep hold of Bethany, who was scratching at the man’s face and neck, her eyes glowing amber .

Malik charged the men and snapped the neck of one, before corralling the other who held Bethany. “Give her to me,” he said, his lion so close to the surface that his voice was deep .

The man knew he was screwed. He backed up a bit, putting a clawed hand up to Bethany’s face. “Stay back or I kill the kid. I don’t care how much the bosses want her .”

“My daddy is gonna teach you a lesson about being mean,” said Bethany, looking over at Malik and smiling wide. “Let your mean out, Daddy .”

The man gasped, staring from Malik to Bethany. “You’re her father ?”

“Unhand my daughter or I will rip you to shreds,” he said, pacing back and forth, never taking his eyes from the man. His beast wanted to be let out to sink its teeth into the man’s neck .

The guy gulped, sweat beading on his brow. “S-Stay back .”

Snarling, Bethany lifted her hand and raked her nails down the man’s face so deeply that she drew blood. She then bit him—hard. The man dropped her and she landed on her feet and did a back tuck, rolling away and covering her head and face so she couldn’t see what was happening. “Do it now, Daddy !”

Malik charged the man and when he was done with him, the man was dead. Malik twisted around to find Bethany still tucked in a tiny ball. He covered the distance to her quickly and scooped her up in his arms, holding her close. He covered her small face in kisses .

She kept her hands over her eyes as Malik ran with her, going over the fences again. He held his daughter to him as if she were precious cargo .

Because she was .

He cleared another fence and when he landed, it was in a side street. Tires squealed as headlights lit the area. He held his daughter to him .

The SUV peeled to a stop. Duke rushed out of the driver’s side. “Tut! They have Brooke and Auberi is hurt pretty bad .”

Bethany uncovered her eyes and stared up at Malik. “Daddy, they have Mommy ?”

Malik didn’t want to put his daughter down but he had to get to his mate. He locked gazes with Duke. “I need you to get her back to headquarters. Can you do that ?”

“Of course,” said Duke .

Corbin rushed out from a side yard, his eyes wide. “You have the child !”

Duke reached for Bethany but she clung to Malik .

She kissed his cheek. “You let your mean out big time, Daddy. Get Mommy back .”

“I will, princess,” he said, handing her to Duke. “Go with Duke. Listen to him .”

Duke took Bethany into his arms .

Malik grabbed Corbin’s arm. “Go with him. Protect my daughter .”

Corbin nodded. “Yes, of course .”

Striker came up and over the fence with Edee in his arms. He landed and bent, trying to hold on to a very pissed-off redhead .

She grabbed his beard and yanked .

He cringed. “She- devil !”

“Go back! They have Brooke!” she said, jerking free from Striker and standing .

“Aunt Edee!” yelled Bethany, halting the redhead before she inflicted more pain on Striker .

Edee spun around and yanked open the back door of the SUV, hugging Bethany to her .

Malik looked at her. “Go with them. We’ll get Brooke .”

Edee nodded .

Striker threw his hands in the air. “Sure, listen to him !”

Malik turned and ran down the side street, heading in the direction of the burning house. He hoped to catch Brooke’s scent and track her. He made it to the main street and Garth sped up in one of the enemy’s vehicles. “Get in! You’ll never get to her in time on foot .”

“Auberi?” he asked .

“Rurik has him. He’s getting him to PSI .”

He listened and before he even had the door closed, Garth had the pedal to the floor. The Viking zipped around the abandoned vehicles and drove over a number of bad guys. He turned down another street and floored it again. Garth maneuvered around a car that was turning right .

Suddenly, he slammed on the brakes just as Brooke ran out into the center of the street, bleeding heavily, the bottom of her short nightgown torn .

Garth managed to avoid hitting her as Malik jumped out and ran to Brooke, catching her and holding her against his body .

She was bleeding but he didn’t know where the blood was coming from .

He felt around and nearly threw up when he realized she’d been clawed multiple times. She collapsed in his arms and he swept her up, loading her into the SUV. He moved onto the backseat next to her, as he tried to stop the bleeding .

Garth wasted no time as he sped away from the area, glancing back in the rearview mirror. “ Malik ?”

“Drive!”