Page 58 of The Bodyguard and the Alpha (Witch Twins #2)

Bastien

“How much longer?” My knee bounced with the need to move, to fight. My mate was in danger and I was too fucking far away.

“One minute.” Still a minute. Sixty seconds. Objectively a short amount of time, but too much could happen in a minute. Fuck, fuck, fuck. My claws shredded the leather of the seat beneath me.

“How is she?” Luc’s voice pierced my rising panic.

Testing the bond, I breathed a little easier. “She is in less pain, but she’s tense. Something’s going to happen.”

“Thirty seconds,” said the pilot as he started the chopper’s descent.

Leaning forwards, I looked out the window. We were about to land in the middle of Maximilian’s front lawn.

Tension thrummed through the bond.

I couldn’t wait any longer.

In one smooth move, I ripped off my seatbelt, reached forwards to pull open the door, and threw myself out of the chopper.

The landing jarred my ankles, but then I was up and moving, running at my full speed, the world beginning to blur around me. Ahead of me, I could see a room with large plate glass windows. In my mind, the presence of my mate glowed like a sun in the room.

There you are, baby.

Behind me, I heard Luc cursing as he followed me.

Then her pain rippled down the bond. The sharp crack of gunshots reached my ears.

No, no, no.

Two more seconds. That was all I needed. But she was moving towards the window. She was too close. And it was too late for me to do more than angle my final leap.

Get down ! I sent the command down the bond with all the force I had in me.

I hit the window at maximum speed. Shards flew outwards like blades, slicing into the unsuspecting humans in the room.

My senses were fully extended. Screams. The coppery scent of blood. Like a slow-motion scene in an action movie, a man with the Humans First logo on his uniform futilely tried to block my way. Idiotic. Brave, but idiotic.

One sweep of my arm sent him flying across the room. His colleague, less brave, scooted backwards, reaching for a gun on the ground.

Good luck with that dickhead.

Nostrils flaring, mouth open so that my scent glands could better process the scents in the room, I stalked forwards.

Towards my mate, who was on the floor curled into a ball.

Shards of glass glinted on her back, sparkling like diamonds.

My heart was beating so hard in my chest it felt as though it was ready to burst out of my rib cage. I couldn’t see any blood. Was she hurt?

Gunshots tickled my back. No more annoying to me in my true form than mosquito bites. Eyes locked on my mate, I sorted through the layers of scent in the room, the multiple perfumes of fresh blood.

None of it was hers.

My knees nearly sagged in relief.

Behind me, I recognised Luc’s steps. “Can’t let you have all the fun,” he said.

“Sorry, dude. It’s not your turn yet. Protect my little Pixie for me.”

I wanted to get her out of here, but first I had to take out the trash. I couldn’t have a stray bullet hurting her.

I heard him move away. I knew that he would protect Electra with his life. While he was my head of security, and he’d be willing to do the clean-up, it was my mate who had been threatened. He knew that I would want to deal with this personally.

I turned my attention to the remaining people in the room.

Four men in the uniform of Humans First. The man I’d thrown across the room was slumped in a heap, apparently unconscious.

The one who’d shot at me had already emptied his magazine and he stared at me, eyes wild.

Anyone would think he’d never seen an ogre before.

Their two buddies held their sidearms in front of their bodies, ready to shoot, but their arms shook.

I catalogued four women in Council uniform.

Better trained, their weapons were drawn but they weren’t about to lose their shit.

Finally, one civilian in an ill-fitting suit, no gun, trying to crawl to the window.

“The Council Order has been rescinded. You have five seconds to stand down or I’ll rip off your heads for endangering my mate.

” They didn’t need to know that it wasn’t true.

I wouldn’t rip off their heads. Not unless they presented a direct threat to my mate.

I was a civilised monster now and there were rules to be followed.

“One.”

“Fuck,” muttered one of the women. “I knew there was something fishy about this mission.” She holstered her weapon and the other women followed her action.

“Two.” I fixed my gaze on the two men.

“Who are you?” asked one of them. About thirty, his body showing too much flab around his belly, he’d once been fit but let himself go. Second rate.

I smiled, making sure to show lots of teeth. And my fangs. “Three. I’m the President of the Council and your worst fucking nightmare if you don’t stand down now.”

The tightening of his jaw was my only warning before he began to shoot. Fuck. His shots were wild. One of those bullets could hit my Pixie.

In two steps I was on him, and he screamed as I bent his wrist backwards, the snap of bone breaking audible.

As his weapon clattered to the floor, I turned to watch as his buddy decided to use the distraction to try to take off through the door.

Unluckily for him, one of the women tripped him on his way past and he lost his balance, crashing into the wall.

She disarmed him efficiently and I nodded my thanks.

A sudden scuffle behind me sent my heart into my throat. Electra! What had I missed?