Savage Urges (The Phoenix Pack, #5)(58)

She’d once asked him if she mattered to him—not as his mate, but as Makenna. At the time, he hadn’t properly understood the distinction she was trying to make. Now he knew. It was one thing to panic because your mate was in danger and a whole other thing to panic because that person was so important that losing them would f*cking destroy you.

“Yes,” hissed Jeff. “I stabbed her. The sound the knife made as it sliced through her skin was—”

As Ryan’s claws sliced out, his eyes glowing with anticipation, Makenna burst out, “Ryan, no! He’s lying. He wants you to hurt him.”

“I’ll give him what he wants.” With absolute f*cking pleasure.

“Ryan, look at him. I mean really look at him. He’s smiling. He’s a freak who believes in ‘his cause’ that all shifters are evil and can’t be allowed to live. He will happily die right here at your hands if it means it supports his argument that we’re violent and dangerous. Don’t give him what he wants. This is about more than just me, Ryan. More than about you. It’s about our kind.”

Maybe so, but that didn’t matter to Ryan right then. The consequences didn’t matter. Only she did. Only that she was hurt and could have been taken from him. Adrenalin and rage were pumping through his system, feeding his need for vengeance. The scent of her blood, the sight of the net, and the thought that he could have been too late—all those things were taunting him. He could hear pounding in his ears, his muscles were so tight they hurt, and his jaw ached from clenching his teeth so hard.

“She’s right, Ryan.” Dominic exhaled a disappointed sigh. “We can’t kill him yet.”

“I say we give him to Ally’s friend.” Roni was talking about Ally’s foster brother, Cain, who was a member of The Movement.

“Good idea,” said Trick. “Jeff here is a leader. He’ll know a lot of important things, a lot of names.”

Ryan was supposed to care about names and information? He glared at Trick. “He. Hurt Her.”

“Yes,” said Jaime. “Which is why she needs you right now.”

Makenna did need him right then, which should have pissed her off but didn’t. She was fast heading for an adrenalin crash. She needed Ryan to be as solid and steady as he normally was. But he didn’t look inclined to calm down. That worried her. She’d never before seen him without his infamous control.

“He won’t get away with what he’s done,” Dante assured Ryan. “He’ll get all the pain he deserves. Just not here and now.”

Yeah? That wasn’t good enough for Ryan. He wanted to kill this f*cker, wanted to see and smell his blood. Wanted to be the cause of his pain and fear and misery.

“He’s just a pawn anyway,” Tao pointed out.

Jeff frowned. “What do you mean, pawn?”

Tao gave him a cruel smile. “I mean that there’s a very good chance that the person who sold you Makenna’s name did it because they wanted you to kill her. And that that person was a shifter. If I’m right, it wasn’t God’s work you were doing today. It was the work of the very thing you loathe.”

Makenna wouldn’t put it past Remy to sic extremists on her.

“Trick, go get the SUV,” Dante said before taking slow steps toward Ryan, as if conscious that trying to take Jeff away could prompt Ryan to pounce on the human. “Ryan, I know it’s hard, but you have to step back.”

No, Ryan didn’t have to do that at all. It would be so easy to end the pitiful human’s life. So effortless. All it would take was one claw to slice open Jeff’s jugular. Just one single swipe, and he would be dead. But that was too quick. Almost merciful, really.

“Ryan,” drawled Dante.

He could stab his claws right into the bastard’s stomach, could slit him from groin to sternum. All the while, Ryan would watch the excruciating agony flash in Jeff’s eyes. It would be so very satisfying. His wolf agreed, reminding him that his pack mates wouldn’t be fast enough to stop him.

“Ryan,” Dante repeated.

Or Ryan could do what his wolf wanted most: shift into his animal form, rip out the bastard’s throat, and toss it at his friends. His wolf could then claw open his belly and—

“Ryan.”

That soft voice penetrated his daze. He looked into his mate’s cognac-brown eyes. “He hurt you. I recognize that knife.” He’d seen wasp knives before. “I know what it can do. He would have killed you.”

“But he didn’t. I’m here. I’m safe.”

“They would have killed you.” She couldn’t have fought off a mass attack.

“But you got here in time.”

Barely. A minute later, and she could have been dead. His wolf growled, lashing out with his claws.

“You saved me.” She smiled weakly. “And now I’d really like to hand this * over to Dante and just get out of here. I could do with a hug too.”

If he weren’t looking right into her eyes, Ryan would have thought she was just trying to distract him. But he could see the sincerity there—along with exhaustion and worry. She didn’t need his anger right now.

Sensing Ryan’s capitulation, Dante snatched Jeff from Makenna. The human flailed, struggling to get free. It was a fruitless attempt. Tao moved to Jeff and whispered something in his ear. Ryan had no idea what the Head Enforcer said, but Jeff stilled and blanched.