Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(121)

Burnett’s affection.

As soon as the door closed, Perry moved forward. He opened the door a bit so he could make a quick escape as soon as he knew the agent had made

his entrance. He shifted into an extra-large silver wolf. Burnett had made him tell everyone what he’d be shifting into, to prevent anyone

from confusing him with any of the other shifters. He sat on the seat on his haunches, waiting, ready to run like the wind.

It happened so fast. The sound of glass breaking as the agents tossed in the gas bombs. The call for Jax to come out and surrender. The

fireworks of guns exploding. The sound of doors being ripped off hinges and windows shattering as the agents made entry.

Perry leapt out of the van, his front paws hitting the ground with force. Before he even got to the fence he could smell the smoke bombs.

He heard screams. “Agent down! Agent down!”

More gunfire exploded, loud pops sounded all around the house.

Growling, thinking of Burnett, he took a flying leap over the seven-foot fence. The front door was ajar, he darted inside, knowing Burnett’s

orders had been to enter the front.

The drapes were all pulled. Darkness and smoke from the grenades hung heavy in the house. He ducked his head lower to breathe clearer air, and

kept going.

One agent heard him and swung his gun around. Perry saw the vamp’s finger twitch on the trigger, then relax.

More gunfire exploded in the back of the house. The agent and he ran at the same time. A female agent, a witch, lay on the wood floor, pain in

her eyes, blood oozing from her shoulder.

A low growl built in Perry’s chest. While the vampire agent knelt to check on his fellow agent, Perry shot into the next room. He heard

breathing—tight, nervous breathing. His powerful gift of scent put the guy on the other side of the door.

Right then footsteps sounded behind him. Perry looked back. Burnett stepped into the doorway. And that’s when the perp in the bathroom shot

out, and bullets started spraying.

Perry dove in front of the man who’d been his mentor, friend, and brother. But as Perry took his own bullet in the side, he saw Burnett hit

the ground.

*

Miranda sat silent in the backseat. Chase pulled up at Dr. Whitman’s office, Tension rode shotgun in the car. Miranda wanted to tell her

friends she was sorry, but they’d know she was hiding something for sure.

Walking into the office, she smelled animals. Dr. Whitman was one of the best doctors in the supernatural community. But by all appearances, he

was a vet in the human world, where he also had a thriving practice. Supposedly, Dr. Whitman tried to never schedule a supernatural case when

his human clients showed up with their pets. To prove her point, there were two half shape-shifer-half-warlocks flipping through dog magazines

in the waiting room.

“You must be new,” Della asked the man at the counter.

“Yup,” the sandy haired half-warlock half-vampire said. He looked at Miranda. “You must be our patient? Let me show you to the room.”

“Aren’t they first?” Miranda pointed back at the two guys.

“They didn’t have an appointment,” the man said.

Miranda felt a bit bad, but started following him back. Chase moved with her.

The employee frowned at Chase. “Sorry, we just let the patients go in the back.”

Miranda spoke up. “It wasn’t like that—” Della cleared her throat. And somehow that scratchy sound seemed to mean something.

That’s when all hell broke loose.

Chase pulled out a gun, but before he got off one shot, popping sounds started firing off.

Voices started yelling from the back room.

Chase gave Miranda a forceful push, landing her behind the counter. Not willing to cower, she popped back up. The first thing she saw was Chase

going down. Face down. Then Kylie dropped.

“No!” Miranda screamed.





Chapter Thirty-five

Della, in full vamp mode, kicked ass. She had one guy down. The attackers were now unarmed, but still coming at her hard. Then they morphed

into lions.

The downed half-vamp got up and aimed his gun at Della. Miranda shot across the counter and tackled him. He jumped back up. “Come with us and

no one else has to die.”

Fear shot bolts inside Miranda’s heart. Were Chase and Kylie…?

Della kicked one lion in his nose. He backed off and roared. She shot a glance back at Miranda. “Get your tattoo mojo on!”

Miranda didn’t know how, but then she felt it, her skin tingling. The half-vampire came at her. Miranda caught him by his upper arm and tossed

him at one of the lions charging at Della.

Suddenly angrier than she was scared, Miranda dove right into the mix of things. The lions stopped when they saw her covered in tattoos. It

gave Miranda and Della just enough time to grab the lions by their manes and throw them hard across the room.

Della dove for the gun Chase had dropped and shot all three of the attackers.

Miranda dropped to her knees beside Kylie. Hands trembling, Miranda touched the chameleon’s neck praying she’d find a pulse. Before she even

felt it, she saw Kylie’s chest move, drawing in precious air. “She’s breathing,” Miranda said.