Sin & Salvation (Demigod of San Francisco #3)(51)

“Who’re you?” he asked.

He theoretically knew who was in charge.

“It doesn’t matter who I am,” I answered, stopping out of striking range. “You’re in my way.”

His gaze slid over me and his eyebrows pulled down into a V. One of his hands closed into a fist, and the humorous violence in his eyes turned to unbridled hostility. Whatever the mark was showing him, he no longer thought the situation was funny.

“I’ll say it one more time.” I sucked power from the Line. “Move.”

He bristled and his chin raised ever so slightly. The same fire I felt in my middle filled his gaze. He bunched, about to strike.

I whipped a line of spirit through his middle, snapping it against his spirit box. His eyes widened and his face went slack, stopping him cold. Pushing my advantage, I snapped his spirit box again, harder this time, and took a step into his space.

He staggered backward, clutching at his chest. Magic seeped out of him like he was a pierced balloon. He clearly couldn’t get his bearings in line to change. It wouldn’t have mattered if he had.

I increased the ferocity of my attack, battering his soul casing. He let out a high-pitched squeal before stumbling to the side. His knees buckled, as though he would kneel, but as soon as they touched down, he was up again.

I braced for his lunge, wrapping magic around his spirit box in preparation to squeeze. Instead, he spun—eyes wild, face drained of color—and sprinted toward the parking lot.

I felt Zorn’s soul drag across the hood of a car and zip after him, faster than a person should be.

“Oh shit,” I said, looking after the shifter darting manically between and around cars. It seemed he was aiming for the street. “Zorn must be in his gas form. That is a trip. I can’t see him, but I know his exact location.”

Mordecai’s arm slipped into mine. He didn’t say a word.

I heaved out a sigh as adrenaline shook my limbs. I’d barely gotten started and it was already over. I hadn’t even needed to hurt him.

“He scared me shitless,” Mordecai said with a trembling release of breath. “Excuse my French.”

“That’s not French, and it’s all in your head. Remember when Thane turned? That scared me shitless. You just jumped right in.”

“He didn’t feel the same. He didn’t…” He huffed. “It’s hard to explain.”

“We’re good, bud.” I patted Mordecai’s hand and picked up the pace, leading him toward the home store. “If you can face down a class-five Berserker, you can do almost anything. A class-four wolf with fancy watches and stupid shoes shouldn’t even register.”

He was quiet as we reached the store.

When the doors slid open and a smile spread across my face, he said, “Lexi, even if Demigod Kieran does try to control you, you won’t need any of our help. You’ll handle him all on your own. He won’t be a match for you.”

Bless him, Mordecai was entirely naive when it came to the hierarchy of magic, but it was a nice sentiment, so I patted his hand, then pushed him away. If that shifter had known who Mordecai was, he wouldn’t get a chance to tell his buddies. Mordecai was safe, and I had shopping to do.





21





Kieran





“Sir, we have a problem.”

Kieran tore his gaze away from an email he could’ve never expected and that could change the tide and glanced at his office door. His assistant sat out front, within hearing distance. He picked up the telephone receiver of his office phone, silencing the speakerphone. “I’ll call you back.”

In a flash, he closed the office door and grabbed his cell. His office didn’t have any foreign surveillance, but he wasn’t sure about his phone lines. Couldn’t be too careful.

He tapped Jack’s name, surprised it wasn’t Zorn who’d called. A quick internal check-in assured him Alexis was doing well, if a little frustrated. She wasn’t under attack, and neither was Mordecai. At the moment, anyway. Something had happened about ten minutes ago that had almost alarmed him enough to dial Zorn’s number. If it hadn’t subsided quickly, he would’ve risked blowing their cover with a ringing cell.

“Sir,” Jack said by way of answer.

“What is it?”

“Two of Will Green’s shifters were hanging around the shopping complex. The first, low-level and fairly useless, followed Lexi and Mordecai into a shop at the end. He essentially flushed them out. A more powerful wolf was waiting for them. He knew who Mordecai was, but he clearly had no idea who or what Lexi was. She had to force him to acknowledge her presence as pack leader before she dealt with him.”

Kieran leaned his elbow against the desk and directed his gaze out the window, not seeing the glistening ocean beyond. “What’s the status?”

“Bria picked up the low-level member. He’s restrained in the back of her stolen car. He doesn’t know any particulars, which isn’t uncommon for someone of his status in the pack, but he was given a picture of Mordecai, and told to call the higher-level wolf if he saw him.”

“And the other?”

“Alexis scared him beyond rational thought. He couldn’t even shift—he just took off running in human form. Zorn grabbed him, but he couldn’t calm him down. The shifter changed, got stuck halfway through, and snuffed it.”