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Chapter Twenty-Nine

Shaking with the need to murder the man who’d dared touch his mate, Niko took great satisfaction in the low, grunted sound of pain. Muffled and short-lived, it was the only reaction the hunter could give when Niko hit the pressure point that made him collapse.

Easily fisting a hand in the hunter’s clothing to keep him vertical, Niko made the maneuver look as though he was supporting a drunken friend. Anyone glancing at them now wouldn’t look twice.

It took great restraint not to eviscerate the man. The fact that Jade had secretly palmed a dagger—and the hunter hadn’t even noticed—made him equal parts proud and irate. Proud because she would’ve handled it herself, and irate because she shouldn’t have to.

He’d arrived at the club ten minutes ago, but hadn’t approached. Like Jade, Niko had noticed the hunters in the corner booth and wanted to keep an eye on them. The one he’d dubbed Ponytail had moved under the radar and gotten close to Jade too swiftly for him to interfere.

Her lilac eyes widened as she caught sight of him. The impact of what she was wearing hit him with the force of a two-by-four. He blinked. A vision, every square inch of skin that was exposed called to him on a primal level, enticing his incisors and making him hungry with need.

Then he remembered the unconscious human in his grip and the other bunch of lowlifes watching from the table.

Niko smiled, valiantly attempting to be casual and inconspicuous. Inside, he was coiled tight with fury. “Let me just take out the trash, dove.”

He threw the hunter to the ground with an aggressive snarl. They were away in a darkened corner, out of sight for most humans in the club, and the two immortals who were currently busy on the dance floor.

Both of them were in the dark as to Niko’s entrance. He’d shielded his presence when he’d entered the building, and they’d have no way of knowing he was Sagani.

“There are three more hunters in the corner booth,” Jade whispered.

“I know,” he replied. “They’ve finally realized their fourth member is missing. We should go.”

“I would’ve chosen less glamorous shoes if I’d known we would be fleeing hunters,” she muttered.

When he glanced at her high heels, he unintentionally got an eyeful of her outfit again. Jade looked utterly delectable, a sin in immortal form. If he didn’t know better, he’d have said she was dressing up for someone—clearly not him.

He tried to fight off the short-lived stab of jealousy. He’d have better chances against Roman on his prime’s best day.

“I have to get Lark and Quinn,” she said, gesturing to the throng of people in the middle of the room. Despite his reservations about following her into the mix, Niko wouldn’t leave her side.

Slowly, they edged into the writhing crush of dancers.

As the bass deepened and the space around him shrunk, so too did his boldness.

With every step further into the crowd, his panic grew.

People pressed against him, jostling him into a tighter and tighter space.

Terror raked him over the coals, fisting a hand around his throat and squeezing the sanity from his mind.

Niko was terrified.

When he shut his eyes, desperate to recenter himself, all he could see was darkness holding him captive—and the blink of light as his mother hunted him. Her voice, calling out for him. His father’s blood, congealing only yards away.

He realized too late that Jade experienced a mirror of his emotions through their connection in the labyrinth. What he sensed in her wasn’t pity or disgust, it was compassion.

“Niko,” she whispered softly, knowing he’d hear her above the ruckus around them. “You’re safe. I’m here.”

The bond sang between them, but neither Jade—nor Niko—could take joy in it. She slid her fingers through his, squeezing once then letting her grip go soft. A reminder he wasn’t alone.

Jade knew .

From her research, she must’ve discovered that as a child, he’d crammed himself in a cabinet to escape his psychotic mother, pressed into a tight space barely able to contain him. He’d still smelled of his father’s blood, holding himself motionless while his mother hunted him.

Since then, he’d dealt with the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and a continual terror of confined spaces and claustrophobia. While he’d never spoken of it to her, somehow, it helped his soul to know that his mate wasn’t going to judge him for it.

Another squeeze, and Niko’s lungs finally started working again.

When they reached the two immortals Jade had arrived with, Niko let his shield drop a level. Two sets of eyes instantly locked with his.

Almost instantly, he knew that the man was a bear shifter.

Even among the wolves and the lions, bears were revered for their strength and ferocity.

Most animal shifters were of the canine or feline variety, with fewer in avian categories.

Foxes and Hyenas made the list, too, but bears were few and far between.

The woman he assumed was Lark was harder to identify. Though he would’ve said feline like Jade, there was something about her that made him uncertain.

Neither of them looked surprised to see him, or held any confusion about who he was. There was a trace of concern in their features when they looked back at his mate.

“Jade?”

“Three hunters are closing in,” Jade informed them. “They’re out for blood.”

Niko’s attention was already on the humans creeping toward them. “We need to leave.”

Squeezing Jade’s fingers, he gestured toward the darkest part of the room with a bare tilt of his head. None of them missed it.

“I’ll use my air magic,” came Lark’s voice. “If we can find an unoccupied corner, I can make us invisible long enough for one of you to phase us home.”

Niko nodded. “Good. There’s one hunter on my six and one at my eleven. The third is moving to block the exit.”

On that note, all four immortals began moving stealthily toward the closest dark corner. Niko led, tugging Jade along behind him. Lark and Quinn trailed them.

Pushing his claustrophobia down, Niko’s attention speared through the crowds in an attempt to keep all three hunters in sight. The one at the exit hadn’t moved. Both of the others had hungry looks on their faces as they trod closer.

Absently, Niko engaged a barrier to ensure that an errant bullet wouldn’t hit them. When they were finally under cover of an uncrowded corner, Lark’s abilities warped the air around them, effectively making them disappear.

Just as the hunters reached them, the looks on their faces full of confusion and bewilderment, Niko phased all four of them into Jade’s dark apartment.

Lights flipped on almost immediately. The other Sagani male clearly moved around his mate’s apartment with familiarity.

Quinn .

The one who bought Jade gifts. The first person she’d called when Niko was unconscious. The man Jade referred to as one of her closest friends, the one she’d trusted for centuries.

Feelings warred inside him. Though the primitive part of his brain urged him to stake a claim over Jade, the rational side of him knew it’d do no good. She’d already made up her mind, and the outcome didn’t look good.

Jade spoke into the stiff silence. “Quinn, Lark, this is Niko. Niko, meet Quinn and Lark.”

The bear shifter immediately offered a greeting, and Niko gripped his forearm in a typical warrior’s salutation.

“You saved my life.” Admitting it hurt. “I’m in your debt.”

Quinn shook his head, surprising him. “No debt is owed. Any friend of Jade’s is a friend of mine, and any mender worth their salt would’ve done the same.”

“Either way, I appreciate your assistance.”

Lark, with her pale green eyes flashing, flung herself into Niko’s arms and squeezed as though her life depended on it.

Shocked at her enthusiasm, he froze until a snow leopard’s baleful yowl forced her to release him.

Lark retreated from Niko’s space as she got an eyeful of Jade’s bared teeth and the snow leopard’s darkened gaze.

“Pleasure making your acquaintance, Nikolas Church. I look forward to getting to know you.” Her eyes were full of mirth at her friends’ obvious jealousy, but the words seemed heartfelt.

“Can we discuss what happened tonight before either of you manage to kill my—” Jade’s words abruptly cut off, then she recovered, “Before either of you kill Niko?”

“How long have the hunters been watching you?” Niko asked.

“I’m unsure—it could have been all night,” Jade admitted. “Quinn, did you notice them before?”

Quinn shook his head but said nothing. They all chewed on what could’ve happened tonight if the hunters had managed to succeed in their mission.

“Why didn’t they attack us?” asked Lark.

“They did,” Niko interjected. “One hunter attempted to walk Jade out of the club.”

Confusion twisted Quinn’s features, the bear shifter’s hazel eyes turning an earthy shade of tan. “They tried to abduct you?”

When she nodded, Quinn’s anger spiked. “This is my fault. I should’ve been paying more attention.”

“Those exemplary dance moves require your full concentration,” Jade joked. “Keeping an eye out for hunters would’ve been impossible.”

Quinn grimaced bashfully, and both women chuckled. As Lark linked her arm through Quinn’s and gave him a squeeze, Jade shrugged off the apology. This close, Niko couldn’t miss the easy camaraderie between them. It made him feel like the outsider looking in.

“Why did you three decide to go out when there are hunters about?” he asked.

“We went out because I wanted to go out. I needed to get out of my head.” Jade raised her chin, her stare a challenge. “Forget about the mate who wants me to reject our bond.”