Page 38 of Savage Thirst

I twist, hard, yanking him forward on instinct and slamming my knee into his gut. He folds with a yelp. I follow up with a solid kick to the ribs that sends him sprawling.

Second guy lunges sloppily. I duck, pivot, and ram my elbow into his nose.

A wetcrack.

He stumbles back, clutching his face, blood gushing between his fingers.

"You bitch!" snarls the third one, red-eyed and twitchy. "You some kinda freak?"

He's seeing something. Maybe it's my strength. Maybe it's the faint glow in my eyes when I'm fired up. Or maybe it's just the acid talking. Doesn't matter.

He reaches under his jacket and pulls a gun.

Shit.

My heart spikes. I can take on drunk assholes. I can't stop a bullet.

The barrel flashes up. A gunshot echoes.

Kayden

The second those dirtbags start prowling toward her, I'm ready to move. But then she throws the first guy like he weighs nothing, and I stop myself.

She's not just fast. She's trained.

The way she moves—precise, fluid, no wasted effort—is a damn work of art. Watching her break that loser's nose? Almost erotic.

But then genius number three pulls a gun, and my smirk dies.

The second I see the glint of metal, I'm already on the move, blurred speed, full focus. The gunshot punches through the air like a hammer to the skull.

I get between her and the barrel just in time.

The impact slams into my shoulder. Bone cracks. I stumble one step back.

Just one.

I lift my head. My fangs drop. The gunman's eyes go wide.

Oh, yeah. You just met the devil. And now I'm sending you to hell.

I lunge. Sink my fangs into his throat.

One violentsnap.

Blood erupts hot across my lips. The second guy is still standing, frozen stupid. I rip into him, too, no mercy, no pause.

The one with the busted nose bolts.

I let him get five steps. Then I grab him by the hair, yank him back, and twist. His neck cracks like dry wood.

The fourth one, the one she floored earlier, is crawling away, whimpering, trying to scream but choking on fear.

I stroll over and put a boot to his chest. "What? I just wanted to talk," I say sweetly, then slam my foot down on his neck.

Crunch.

Humans. So easy to break.