Page 39 of The Reluctant Mate (Shifters of the Three Rivers #5)

Chapter thirty-nine

Derek

D arla was already out the door, barking orders into her own phone.

I tossed Sofia her clothes while yanking my shirt over my head. A thunderous crash echoed from downstairs, the door shuddering in its frame.

“Sofia.” I held my hand out as she skimmed into her jeans. She looked up at me, her eyes wide and fearful.

Before she could take my hand, I pivoted, shielding her body with mine as the door burst open and Lucian strode in.

His gaze swept the room in a single, razor-sharp assessment. “We’re under attack. You two need to go.” His voice remained ice-cold, not a hint of panic. Good to know he could handle pressure.

“They’re here for us,” explained Sofia.

Lucian dismissed this with a flick of his wrist. “I know who they are and what they want. We’ll hold them off.”

I hesitated, torn between getting Sofia to safety and wanting to rip apart anyone who thought they could attack my mate.

Lucian’s eyes locked on mine. “I’ll take care of them. Your job is to look after her.”

Sofia’s hand slipped into mine, warm and certain.

Another explosion rocked the building, closer this time. I felt Sofia flinch against me, and my wolf surged forward, hackles raised. The sounds of battle spilled up the stairway as one of Lucian’s bouncers staggered through the doorway, clutching his temple. Blood painted half his face crimson.

“Boss!” the man choked out.

Darla materialized behind him, her sharp features tight with fury. She ignored the bouncer, zeroing in on Lucian. “I need to get you to a secure location.”

“And miss all the fun?” Lucian replied coolly. “Not a chance.”

“For fuck’s sake, Lucian! Why can’t you be the easy brother to guard? You got any idea how sick I am of this shit?” Darla’s eyes swept over Sofia and landed on me. “You still here?”

“No,” I said, already moving, pulling Sofia after me, her hand still in mine. We sprinted down the stairs, walls vibrating faintly with each new sound of impact from outside.

“When we get out of this,” I ordered, glancing back at her, “you’re going to tell me exactly what Stone is.”

Her fiery eyes narrowed on the edge of a challenge I could almost taste. Good. I wanted her angry, not scared.

“Focus on getting us out, Shaw.”

Right .

At the bottom of the stairs, I signaled Sofia to hang back. I cracked open the door, nostrils flaring.

The stairwell door opened onto a dance club floor. In the dim emergency lighting, I could make out a figure heading toward us, rifle ready.

I struck before he could react, my hand clamping over his mouth as I dragged him back up the steps. A quick, precise twist, and he crumpled silently to the floor.

“This way,” Sofia whispered, tugging my hand as I lifted her over the body. “Through the dance floor—there’s an exit at the far left wall.”

We ran across the dance floor as more soldiers swept in from the right.

“Stay behind me,” I breathed, then launched forward.

The first soldier spotted us, his rifle snapping up. Too slow. I clamped down on the barrel, wrenching it sideways while driving my palm into his throat. He dropped without a sound.

Another flash of movement—Sofia ducking as a soldier lunged. Her instincts were sharp, her foot lashing out to shatter his kneecap. As he fell, I grabbed his vest and slammed him against a column hard enough to crack plaster.

The next two went down before they could raise their weapons—a throat strike for one, an arm lock and a head slam for the other. The fifth managed a wild shot before my elbow connected with his temple. Six and seven came together. I dropped low, sweeping one’s legs while using the other’s tactical vest to hurl him into a nearby table.

Gunfire erupted from across the club. Bullets shattered the mirrored wall panels, sending shards cascading onto the dance floor. Shouts and screams pierced through the silence.

Sofia cursed, grabbing my wrist. “Exit’s blocked!”

I scanned the room. More soldiers piled in, fanning out in a disciplined formation, cutting off every direct route.

“Back through the fight club!” I ordered, already maneuvering us toward the western archway.

We sprinted down the hallway as another round of gunfire burst behind us. I yanked Sofia against a pillar, shielding us both with my body as bullets ricocheted off the concrete walls.

“Go!” I shoved her ahead, turning just in time to intercept another soldier vaulting over the club railing above. He landed in a low roll, fluid as hell. I met him mid-motion, driving my knee into his ribs and twisting his rifle free while my elbow cracked into his nose. Blood spattered the floor. Another soldier reached for his radio, but Sofia snagged a liquor bottle from a nearby ledge and smashed it against his skull.

She grinned breathlessly at me. “Not just a pretty face, Shaw.”

I grabbed her hand, dragging her through the maze of hallways toward the fight club entrance.

Almost there.

Then, from the far end of the corridor, another wave of soldiers surged forward. No more than ten feet between us.

Shit.

Men. Dozens of them. Streaming into the room in steady, measured movements. Their tactical uniforms were darker than the shadows they emerged from, their weapons gleaming with lethal promise. They swarmed forward, spreading into a formation that boxed us into the center of the room.

I heard Sofia’s sharp inhale, felt the edge of her panic through the bond. She pressed against my side. I adjusted instantly, moving to shield her.

“Stay close.”

The first man stepped forward, his rifle raised.

Lucian strode onto the aerial balcony, his figure bathed in the dim light.

“Welcome to my club, gentlemen. Unfortunately, we are closed, so I’m going to have to insist you leave.”

Half the guns snapped up to target him.

“No? Oh, well.” A ripple moved beneath his skin.

Sofia stiffened beside me. “Oh, boy…”

What the hell?

“Er, there was something I meant to tell you—” Sofia’s whisper died in her throat as her eyes widened.

The nearest soldier fired at him. The bullet never landed. Before it could hit, Lucian Shifted .

His limbs lengthened. Scales—fuck off, steel-colored scales—erupted across his body in a metallic wave, muscles stretching as massive wings unfurled from his back, cracking the air with raw power. The moment his talons scraped the metal rail, flames spewed from his maw, curling through the air in a violent inferno.

Pure, unrestrained destruction.

The soldiers scrambled back, but it was too late. Lucian’s fire slammed into them, incinerating the front line before they could so much as scream. The heat seared against my skin even from across the room.

Fucking. Hell.

“We need to go. Now!” I grabbed Sofia’s arm, pulling her through the chaos, dodging flaming debris as Lucian tore through the room from above.

Gunshots rang out, but they were drowned by the roar of the fire. Smoke filled the air, cutting visibility to almost nothing.

Somewhere above, the dragon unleashed another roar, the sound shaking the walls and my bones alike.

We dove through the nearest exit just as a section of ceiling collapsed. Sofia stumbled, but I caught her, holding her tight until we broke free into the cool morning air.

We didn’t stop until we were clear of the building, our breaths ragged and mingling with the city’s faint hum. Sofia stood beside me, hand pressed to her chest, her wide eyes staring back at the inferno Lucian had made of his sanctuary.

I turned to her and raised an eyebrow. “A dragon, Sofia? A fuck-off dragon?”