Stolen and Forgiven (Branded Packs #1)(68)

He could take the guard, but there was no way to approach without being seen.

And then, he’d caught sight of the silver ductwork that crisscrossed the open beams. It was his only hope of sneaking up on the guard before he could alert others.

Moving with painful slowness to ensure that the thin metal didn’t pop or creak beneath his weight, Soren finally reached the end of the room. His jaws hurt from clenching his teeth, and his nose was clogged with dust, but his heart was filled with hope.

Already, he caught the rich scent of Cora.

It helped to ease the animal inside of him that was nearly feral with the need to destroy the enemies who’d stolen his mate.

Coming to a halt, he stretched out on his stomach and peered through the vent. He froze. Shit. The last thing he’d expected was for the guard to glance up.

He hadn’t made a sound. Had he?

And no human was sensitive enough to smell his approach.

So what the f*ck was the guy looking at?

Releasing his claws, he prepared to slice through the metal and drop down on top of the man. But he was abruptly halted as he caught the scent of another guard rapidly approaching.

Shit.

He would have to wait.

“Sinclair,” a male voice snapped.

The guard took a step forward, his face twisted into a scowl.

“What the hell is going on?”

A low growl rumbled in Soren’s chest as a man moved to stand directly in front of the guard. He didn’t recognize the large, barrel-chested man with the buzzed head, but his scent was familiar.

The bastard had been in the compound where Cora had been taken.

His wolf struggled to break free as Soren fiercely forced himself to cling to sanity. He didn’t know how many other guards might be nearby. Getting shot wasn’t going to help Cora.

“An intruder has breached our defenses,” the older man told the guard.

The guard grimaced, his face twisting with disgust. “Shifter?”

“Who else would break in? The f*cking Easter Bunny?”

The guard’s hands fisted at the mocking reprimand, but he was obviously too smart to share his annoyance.

“Where is the animal?”

The larger man shook his head, his beefy features hard with anger.

“He managed to destroy the locks before he headed down here.”

Well, at least he’d managed to do one thing right.

Soren had known the switches unlocked the doors, but he hadn’t been certain that smashing the box would actually keep them disabled.

Which would make it easier to get out. Just as soon as he could get his hands on Cora.

“I haven’t seen him,” the first guard assured his companion.

“No one has.” The leader nodded his head toward the distant door. “I want you to join Clark in searching the building. He may have doubled back in an effort to throw us off his trail.”

The guard hesitated as if he were caught off guard by the order.

“What about the cat?” he said. “This might be a diversion to rescue her.”

“I’ll stand guard.”

“But-”

“That wasn’t a suggestion,” the older man snapped, moving forward until he was nose to nose with the guard. “Go.”

Muttering beneath his breath, the guard headed across the long room and out the door. Soren once again prepared to attack, but instead of taking Sinclair’s place in front of the cell, the man moved to stand in the center of the room.

Dammit.

There was no way to reach him now. Soren would just have to take the risk.

Using his razor sharp claws, he ripped through the metal duct, making a hole large enough to drop through. Instinctively, he crouched low as his feet hit the hard ground.

That was the only thing that saved him from a nasty injury as two bullets flew over his head.

Rising to his feet, he remained poised to dodge as the man kept the pistol pointed in his direction.

“Stay where you are and put your hands in the air,” the man commanded, reaching to grab the walkie-talkie that was clipped to his belt. “Sinclair, I’ve got him in the basement.”

Soren thought he heard Cora call his name, but his concentration was focused on the man who was aiming the pistol at his heart.

“Do you think you can kill me before I rip out your throat?” he asked, taking a small step forward.

He would have only minutes before the other guard returned.

The older man pasted a sneer on his face, although it didn’t entirely disguise his fear.

“Don’t be an idiot. There’s no way you can get out of here alive.”

Soren prowled forward. “You always underestimate us. That’s what is eventually going to be the downfall of the SAU,” he taunted.

The man stumbled back, clearly uncertain whether he could shoot before Soren could tear off his head.

“I have guards surrounding the building…”

His words broke off in a small shriek as Soren abruptly shifted into his wolf and lunged forward.

There was the deafening sound of a gun being fired, followed by sharp pain as a bullet grazed the side of his muzzle and lodged in his shoulder. Soren, however, didn’t hesitate. He could already hear the sound of footsteps clomping down the stairs.

It was now or never.

With a last leap, he pounced on the man, his fangs clamping down on his fleshy throat. His prey fell backward, landing flat on the ground with Soren standing on his chest.