Page 17 of The Bodyguard and the Alpha (Witch Twins #2)

Electra

I was momentarily frozen, mouth agape. Bastien had shifted. Into an eight-foot… monster. Silver grey skin. Abs for days. Thighs like tree-trunks. He was HOT.

Wait. Focus . I shook my head, pulling myself out of the shock. This was not the time to drool over the creature my boss had become.

This was my chance, and I wasn’t going to waste it. Stick-guy hadn’t undone my chain, but I was never going to get a better opportunity. He was still staring, jaw slack, as Bastien hauled on the chains, pulling the men towards him as if they were puppets.

Then Stick-guy reacted. As if it was happening in slow-motion, I watched as he began to turn away from me, ready to run forward and use his shock-stick.

In my mind I could see how it would go. He would step forward on his right leg.

He would run forward, his right arm outstretched, the stun stick thrust forward into Bastien’s side.

Not today dude.

I jumped, spinning, kicking out my leg as my body hurtled through the air toward my target.

I had practised this in the gym a thousand times against Shifter opponents who were always bigger and stronger than me, so taking this guy down was easy.

Muscle memory was a beautiful thing. My foot connected with the back of his head, and he dropped like a stone.

That’s how you do it ladies and gentlemen.

Landing next to his unconscious form, I knelt beside him. Reaching one hand out to the chain that still connected me to the wall I hefted its weight in one palm. Working behind my back made this harder than normal, but I wrapped the chain around his neck. Then I tugged.

I was so intent on my task that it took me a few moments to register that the only sounds in the cell were my grunts of effort and a low steady growl emanating from Bastien. Pausing my efforts, I looked up. And up. And up.

Past the enormous thighs. Past the enormous cock that bulged out of his boxers, visible through his ruined pants.

Gulp. My eyes skittered past, onto the eight-pack of his abdomen, the arms decorated by manacles with broken chains, then up to broad shoulders and chest. He’d tossed his ruined shirt aside, baring acres of silvery skin. I resisted the urge to lick my lips.

My gaze travelled all the way up to his face. Large fangs protruding past his upper lip. Flared nostrils in a hawk-like nose. And eyes bluer than the Mediterranean. Eyes with no humanity in them at all.

“Bastien?”

His head tilted to one side, dark brows drawing down, like he was listening, but not understanding. The low rumble continued in his chest. I peered past his bulk to see two bodies slumped on the floor near the open door. “What do you reckon we get out of this joint before someone raises the alarm?”

Slowly, Bastien nodded.

Carefully, I stood, letting him see what I was doing.

I didn’t believe he was going to hurt me, but he was still growling, and I didn’t know what it meant.

I let out a slow breath when he didn’t react.

So far so good. I stepped away from the body at my feet.

But I couldn’t go far. My manacles were still attached to the wall.

Stick-guy chose that moment to let out a groan. Damn. I hadn’t pulled his chain tight enough. In my defence, it wasn’t easy to do with my hands manacled behind my back.

Bastien moved . I inhaled in shock. He was so fast his large body blurred, scooping Stick-guy up off the floor in one fluid move and throwing him against the wall.

The chain I’d wrapped around his neck snapped and the rumble in Bastien’s chest morphed into a vicious snarl.

He stalked forward, intent on the man slumped on the ground.

I didn’t feel sorry for the guy. He’d taken us prisoner, enjoyed hurting us and threatened me with rape. But I’d heard his head crack against the wall. He was no threat to us anymore. And we needed to get out of here.

My heart hammering, I took a chance. Slipping in between Bastien and his target, I gave Bastien my back.

If I hadn’t read the situation right, I was in a lot of trouble.

But Bastien had shown me no aggression. His Alpha side might be in the driver’s seat right now, but his anger was all directed at the man who’d threatened me.

So I was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to hurt me.

Still, my voice came out wobbly when I wiggled my hands. “Can you help me with these?”

The growl stopped. My skin prickled with the knowledge that a lethal predator was behind me.

Everything in my training screamed at me that I’d made a mistake.

Hot breath ruffled my hair. I forced my muscles to stay relaxed.

I held my hands loosely, palms open. I dropped my head.

My body language screamed ‘I’m not a threat. ’

Large hands landed on my shoulders, and I startled, heat sizzling through me.

My teeth bit through my lip as I held in my instincts to fight.

The hands moved down my arms, lightly touching, leaving trails of fire in their wake.

Why did his touch feel so good? My heart thundered in my chest. Then, pressure on my wrists, pulling my arms together. And … snap. My arms fell to my sides.

I turned in place, the smile on my face faltering when I came up against a hard wall of muscle.

Ohgods. He was right there. All those muscles.

Close enough to lick. No. What the fuck was I thinking?

My teeth gouged my lower lip again. I needed to get my fucking head back in the game.

Blood welled and the pain helped clear the fog of lust that was clouding my brain, confusing my body.

Until the Beast lowered his head towards mine, his eyes trapping my gaze.

And his black tongue swiped at my lip, lapping up the drops of blood.

A wave of heat travelled over my body and I swayed on my feet.

I wanted to lean into him. To have those strong arms wrapped around me.

Protecting me. Keeping me safe. It was making my head spin. He was making my head spin.

We’d jumped right past normal and we were now in the realm of fantasy.

Bastien had finally shifted. We’d been in dangerous situations before and he’d always remained in his human form.

He’d always been sensible about letting his security team do their job.

He let me do my job. I didn’t have the rule book for this situation.

I liked rules. Rules made things clear. Our jobs had clear rules. I had no manual for what to do now.

So, in the absence of guidelines, I retreated to the safety of what I knew. The protocols I’d always followed. I was the bodyguard, not him. It was my job to keep him alive. Sure, things were going to be a little different now that he’d shifted, but I could adapt.

Bastien made a hungry noise in his throat and leaned forward. It broke the trance he’d put me into. I stepped back.

He followed me.

I needed to get control of the situation. Now. This was the President. And he was my boss. We had to get out of here. And I needed my magic.

“Stop,” I said, holding up my hand, the manacle dangling like an ugly oversized bracelet.

Bastien scowled. “Mr President, we need to move. Anyone else here will have heard the noise—” I was momentarily distracted as Beast smirked at me, one corner of his mouth ticking up in a half smile.

I held up my hands, the spelled manacles still encircling my wrists “—and I still don’t have my magic so we need to get outta here before reinforcements arrive. ”

Bastien made no move to leave. Instead, he reached for one of my hands.

He tried to fit a finger between my wrist and the metal of the manacle.

It was tight. My skin had been rubbed raw by the metal, and his action forced the metal tighter against the already damaged surface.

I pulled in a sharp breath. He stopped instantly.

“Do it,” I urged. “Rip the damned thing off me.”

He looked down at my wrist, at his finger.

He had only managed to get it under the manacle as far as the first knuckle and already the metal was cutting into my skin.

Slowly, he moved his finger. Pulling it out from under the manacle.

No. Dammit. I needed these cuffs off. I shoved my hand in his face. “I don’t care if it hurts. Do it.”

But the big jerk just shook his head at me.

Carefully, slowly, he took the hand that I’d thrust into his face, his big hand dwarfing mine, and pulled it down to his side.

Then, still holding my hand, he turned towards the door that led to freedom.

I sighed. I wanted the cuffs off, but he was right.

If he couldn’t pull the cuffs off, it would take time to free my hands.

Time we didn’t have. If we could just get out of here before any more Humans First guards showed up, we’d be good.