Page 50 of Fangs for the Memories (Budapest Bites #1)

I don’t know what this creature is, but he can’t possibly be a male. And the chances of him being alive much longer after he hit my mate are slim to none.

He turns on me with a snarl but only sees my chest before I grab him around his throat and lift.

“Grace?”

I want to get to her, but he is in the way. So, I fling him across the small store and drop to my knees in front of her.

Her cheek is flaming and she is cupping her hand over it.

“Ferenc…what are you doing here?”

“I came for you, kedves.”

“I thought…” Her eyes are filled with tears. They brim over and run down her face. “I thought you didn’t want me.”

She’s in my arms before I even have to think about it.

“Never,” I growl. “You are mine. You will always be mine.”

“Ferenc!” Her eyes widen, and I turn to see the male running at me with what looks like a metal pole. I grab hold of it before he reaches me and jerk it to one side, sending him on yet another arc through the air. This time he hits the front window which shatters.

“Kedves.” I gently tuck her hair behind her ear and trace a thumb as gently as I can over her swollen cheek.

“I have something to tell you,” she says. “Something important.”

“You told me you needed me. That was important enough,” I tell her.

“Something else,” she says.

“Step away from the woman and hold your hands up,” a voice calls out from behind me.

“Fuck,” Grace says under her breath, “he’s called the police.”

“Sir, step away from the woman.”

I sigh deeply, brush my lips over Grace’s, and then extend my hands out to the side, slowly turning to face the ridiculous human police force, all bright yellow and black, like hornets, only without the sting.

“Please,” Grace says, “he was protecting me. From him.” She points to where the other male lies on the ground.

The gaggle of police don’t look convinced. They have sticks raised and one of them holds a taser.

Tasers don’t do more to me than tickle, but I still don’t fancy being hit with one.

“We’ll see about that, madam. If you can keep your distance while we take this one into custody.”

I glare at them. The male isn’t dead. His foul heart still beats, although not because I want it to.

“No, you can’t,” Grace pleads.

“Grace.” I turn to face her. “Don’t worry. I’ll sort everything out.”

Which is when the taser is fired at me and all hell breaks loose as I try to shield Grace from any further damage and get her out of the confined space where I don’t trust the humans not to lash out first and ask questions later.

It turns out to be a mistake on my part because what’s waiting outside is quite a lot more humans, some of whom have weapons.

“On the ground!” someone yells.

“ Kóstolgatsz ?” I roar, my temper entirely ragged.

“Get on the ground or we will shoot!”

Fucking humans and their guns. I push Grace behind a car and advance on them.

“Do it!” I snarl. “See how long it takes me to deal with all of you.”

And if I’d factored in the sniper, then I’d probably have managed to get all the weapons from all the humans.

Except the bullet searing through my shoulder is something else entirely.

The last thing I see is Grace looking down at me, her long, beautiful hair swept forward, her bright eyes filled with pain.

She calls my name, but I can’t hear her.

The bullet had silver in it, that’s all I know. And it’s the only thing which can stop an alpha werewolf. Which means someone knew I was coming.

My last waking thought before unconsciousness takes me is for my Grace. She isn’t safe and I failed her.