Eve saw the smashed window on the old building that slumped near the corner. Anyone could have smashed that window, though. A vagrant, someone wanting some shelter from the night.
A werewolf.
“He’s inside.” Cain had tilted his head to the right.
She’d been wondering just how good the guy’s hearing was. Now she knew. They were at least twenty yards away from that building.
“Sounds like he’s tearing the place apart.”
Eve sucked in a breath and they headed for the rundown building. Cain knocked the rest of the window’s glass out of the way and climbed through the opening first. Then he reached for her, holding her carefully to make sure she didn’t get cut.
And he thinks he’s a monster?
She heard the sounds of destruction as soon as her feet touched down inside the building. A crash. The shattering of glass. A wolf’s howl.
She spun around, and through the darkness, she saw his eyes. Far too bright. Trace’s eyes had never been that shade of green. Not while he’d been in human form. But as a wolf, his eyes had always glowed with power.
Part of her—a very big part—expected him to charge through the darkness and attack her. Cain must have expected that, too, because he positioned his body in front of her.
But Trace didn’t attack. Instead, she heard the scrape of claws over metal, and Trace growled out, “Help . . . me . . .”
Tears stung her eyes. He’d finally spoken again. The words had been hoarse, rusty, but he’d spoken. Trace was coming back to her. Slowly, but he was fighting. “We’ll help you,” she promised as she stepped around Cain.
He tensed.
Eve made no move to approach Trace. She knew better than to charge at a wounded animal, and that was exactly what Trace was. “Do you know me?”
“Eve . . .”
Good. “Then you know I’d never hurt you. We’re family.”
Silence. Then more of that horrible scraping. She didn’t flinch, but goose bumps rose on her arms. “Trust me, Trace. Cain and I can help you.” They’d find a way to help him. They wouldn’t give up.
He came from the shadows. Too big. Too strong. Muscled. A man’s body but a beast’s eyes and claws and fangs. His steps were so slow. Tortured. “Help me . . .” he said again.
“I will, Trace,” Eve promised at once as Cain remained silent. “I will—”
“Kill me,” Trace’s words cut through hers.
She could only shake her head. No, that was the last thing she’d ever do.
“Or I’ll kill . . . you . . .” he rasped.
“The hell you will.” Cain was talking. “You better dig f**king deep inside, wolf. Get your control. Because you aren’t hurting her.”
Trace’s shoulders shook as he sucked in heaving gulps of air, but then he tensed. His gaze flew behind them to that broken window. He leaped forward.
Cain was turning then, too. Whirling around to face the threat they both had sensed.
When Eve turned, she saw Detective Roberts coming inside. His gaze found hers, then flew to the werewolf coming at him. He lifted his gun to fire.
“No!” Eve screamed.
He emptied his gun in Trace. Kept firing until Cain grabbed him and yanked the weapon away from the cop.
Trace had fallen to the ground. Eve rushed to his side. His eyes were open and the smell around him—
Silver bullets.
Not just normal silver. Some sort of liquid silver that was leaking out of Trace. Where had the cop gotten bullets like that?
Cain had hurried back to Trace’s side. Jaw locking, he glanced up at Eve. She knew he thought Trace was dead.
Because I think he is, too.
Gut twisting, she whirled back to confront the detective.
“I’m sorry,” he told her, shoulders slumping, “but I didn’t have a choice.”
She didn’t think he was just talking about Trace.
“The bullets won’t kill him. They’ll just keep the werewolf immobile until all the silver drains out of him.” The detective’s hand reached under his coat, and Eve wasn’t surprised to see him produce a second weapon.
Or to find that weapon aimed at her.
“Bad mistake,” Cain told him.
Roberts frowned and shot a glance his way. “Let me guess . . . Subject Thirteen?”
Cain flashed a vicious smile. “The last man who called me that wound up with a stake in his heart.”
“Yeah, and his old man’s real pissed about that.”
Cain tensed and his gaze flickered to the broken window. Eve frowned. A few moments later, she heard the thud of approaching footsteps.