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Tobias
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“WHY DIDN’T YOU KILL me when you had the chance?” Tobias asked as they stepped out of Drakki Diamonds.
Anything she said would provide him with fuel against her because she had admitted to hesitating. Tobias had no doubt any other mark would’ve had the bullet between his eyes and she’d have been exiting the scene before his family realized what hit him.
“I don’t know,” she admitted, surprising him with her honesty. “There was something about you that—”
Out of nowhere, her foot connected with his and she shoved against his back at the same time. The unexpected combination put him on his knees. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him backward, into the doorway of the store. The bell jingled as they halfway re-entered. For a flash of a second he thought she planned to kill him despite the blood oath, until the bullet pinged the glass door above him where his head had just been. Shards of glass rained down on him and he threw up a hand to protect his face.
“Call Dom,” she yelled to Chadwick as another bullet spewed wood from the door frame beside his head. “Get inside.”
She yanked on his collar again and he lifted his knees up and rolled backward inside.
“Fucker can’t shoot for shit,” she said, disgust in her voice.
“Good.” Tobias leaned his back against the wall. The first ping that hit the glass above his head had him grabbing her arm and yanking her onto his lap.
Why wasn’t she getting down out of the range of fire?
Smiling, she rubbed her nose against his, but the way her eyes glittered, he knew she loved the spinetingling thrill of the moment. “If I had a gun I’d have fucking killed him already. You got one handy?”
That was a lie, he’d felt the gun at her spine earlier when they’d been in the backroom.
“I need him alive.” Godsdamn his dick was hard thanks to her excitement.
She tsked him. “Is that a yes or no?”
“No. I don’t conceal carry when my dragon is a weapon.” Ashe groaned at that, and he said, “I felt the gun lodged in your waistband.”
Asherah grinned. “Whatever my boss wants, he gets.”
“What does—” Before he could finish his sentence, she launched to her feet and slammed into the shattered door frame. Bullets pinged through the glass, whizzing above his head. He could hear Chadwick screaming for help. He hoped the kid yelled into a phone and not just to the universe.
Tobias pushed up to his knees and looked through the decimated window. Ashe zigzagged across the street screaming at people to ‘get down’ and ‘take cover’. He glanced up to the roofline of Seraphine’s Disguise across the street, the direction from where the shots came from. A masked man peeled off another round of ammunition. All of which Ashe managed to somehow avoid. Impressed by her skill, it wasn’t until she disappeared through Seraphine’s door that he realized he should be helping her instead of watching.
If something happened to her, he’d never forgive himself.
Fuck that. Forgiveness would be the least of his worries. Just because they weren’t mated didn’t mean she wasn’t the world to him. In a short time, she’d become more important to him than his twin. And just a few minutes ago she’d confirmed what he’d already suspected when she admitted to feeling something toward him. The universe had sent him his mate in the form of a grim reaper and he couldn’t be happier that she could protect herself.
Yeah, the universe has always had a fucked up sense of humor.
“Chadwick, I’m going after Ashe.” He gripped the handle of the door and looked over his shoulder. “Get Dom and Keg here ASAP.”
A thumbs up came from the other side of the jewelry counter. His glass counters were shattered, shards and fine jewelry littered the floor.
The fucker!
The current shooter was the fourth person who’d come after him. Not counting the two goons stalking Vic that Ashe had taken care of. Whoever wanted Tobias killed grew desperate. The would-be killer vanished from the rooftop before Tobias shoved open the door and chased after Ashe. If the fucker was smart, he’d be getting the hell out of Black Hollow because he’d seen Ashe in action and she didn’t fuck around.
“Seraphine,” he yelled as he ran through her shop, “make sure everyone on the street is okay.”
Tobias slammed against the stairwell door at the back of Seraphine’s Disguise. He skidded on his feet to turn right and ran up the stairs. He reached the roof in time to see Ashe drop over the edge. His heart plummeted, and he charged after her. Once he reached the edge of the roof, he lunged into the air, shifting as he jumped, wings snapping in the wind and catching him from falling.
Ashe landed on her feet like a godsdamn cat and sprinted after the man, gaining on him. Thanks to his wings, Tobias reached him first. He dove straight down, and she looked up once his shadow fell across her. Rocking to the right, his wing hit the man in the back and he fell face-first, sliding across gravel and dirt before he stopped. The man rolled to his back and fired several shots at Tobias. He cartwheeled out of the bullets’ trajectory, one of them nipping the edge of a wing.
As he circled back, banking toward the man he got a perfect view of Ashe kicking the gun out of his hand. She leapt onto his stomach and punched him a couple of times. Her actions spoke of rage, while he feared more for her safety.
Ashe patted the guy down as Tobias landed and shifted back to man. Clothes gone from shifting, she waggled her eyebrows at him. When she discovered the knife and derringer strapped to his ankles, her lurid expression turned into a glower.
She spit on the blade and stabbed the fucker in the shoulder with his own knife. The irony of having his weapon used against him wasn’t lost on Tobias.
The guy screamed but froze when she placed the barrel of the gun below his chin. “I’m going to fucking kill you when this is over.”
Good thing the would-be assassin was a panther shifter or the knife sticking out of his shoulder could’ve killed him if he bled out. “I need him alive, Asherah.”
“I’ve got answers covered, baby dragon.” She tucked the gun in the waistband of her pants. That was at least the second pistol she’d taken off someone today. Ashe yanked the blade from the guy’s shoulder and blood spurted everywhere. He groaned as Ashe demanded, “What’s your name?”
“Greg Minx.”
“Who hired you?”
“All I know is his hashtag. King of Kings 1331.”
Ashe looked up at Tobias. “Same fucker who hired me.”
Tobias was stunned by the guy’s swift replies. “He could be lying.”
“I mixed my siren spit with his blood.” At his blank stare, she explained, “Works like Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth.”
Neat trick. A talent he doubted most knew about. “What’s King of Kings 1331’s real name?”
When the man fought against responding, she pushed her thumb into his shoulder wound. The guy screamed in pain and she said, “Answer his questions as quick as you would mine.”
“Don’t know!” he yelled, squirming on the ground beneath her. “Stop.”
“Pussy,” she snarled. “What does the fucker look like?”
“I don’t know.” He whimpered like a child. “Some blonde woman came back when I searched the name.”
Ashe pushed off him, toeing the guy’s dick and controlling him with the move. Tobias winced at her tactics.
“Cut the tricks, asshole.” She turned her foot and the guy squealed. “A guy hired me by that name.”
A lie because she’d said she didn’t know the sex of the person who hired her. That or she’d been lying to him.
The guy’s hands went up in surrender and he blubbered like an infant. “I swear! It was a blonde woman.”
Damn, his mate was a hard ass and thanks to that show of sadism he was hard all over again.
She looked at Tobias and grinned when she spotted his erection. “I think someone is playing games with us.”
He loved that she said, ‘us’ instead of ‘you’. To him that meant she was neck deep in this shit with him just like a mate should be. “I want to take him home and get in touch with this King of Kings motherfucker.”
Home.
Godsdamn, he was even more excited she called his estate her home. Had she really tried to kill him just a few days ago? “You always this big of a badass?”
“Depends. Do you like it or am I frightening you?”
He grinned and pointed toward his crotch. His hard-on should be answer enough.
Her gaze dropped to his dick, her eyes darkening while she licked her lips.
Eyes shifting back to his, she maintained the gun pointed at her captive when she said, “Tonight, we’re fucking.”
Tobias chuckled. He couldn’t wait, but they had to get on the same page first. Like she needed to know she was his mate and accept that before he made love to her.
The guy asked, “Who the fuck are you?”
Tobias assumed the guy meant her, so he said, “Your worst nightmare and my dream come true.”
He sounded like a love smitten puppy and he gave two fucks that that made him sound weak. He’d waited a lifetime to find his mate.
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WITH A GUN IN EACH of her hands, Tobias made no effort to take them away from her. She acted as his avenging angel and he enjoyed watching her in action. Got him riled up in the right way and he couldn’t wait to get his mouth and hands on her. After he opened the back door to Seraphine’s store, she shoved the gun against the back of Greg’s shoulder to hurry him through the door.
Tobias grinned at her bullying tactics. Shouldn’t be an attractive trait but who was he to judge when he ruled a diamond empire.
“Seraphine,” she yelled when they entered the dressmaker’s store, “do you know this piece of shit?”
The brunette, older woman hustled ass over to them. She peered between him, Ashe and Greg, her gaze touching on the guns before whipping back to Tobias. “Was he the one shooting at you?”
“Yup.” She touched the tip of the gun to the back of his head. “And he’s going to regret it.”
“Any civilians hurt?” Tobias asked.
“No, everyone is fine. They’re just shook up. Hold on.” Seraphine rushed across the store and came back with a set of red, fluffy lined handcuffs and leather pants. “These might help.”
“If he runs I’ll shoot him in the head.” Ashe rubbed the gun along his neck. “Take the cuffs and put them on, asshole.”
Greg’s hands trembled as he reached for the restraints. Tobias took the pants from Seraphine and decided his mate got off on terrifying the man. What’d it say about Tobias that her intimidation heated his blood?
“Make them tight or I’ll cut off your ear.” To back up that promise, Ashe shoved one gun into her waistband and whipped out his former blade to taunt him by dragging the tip along his ear. Greg flinched away and a moment later the clicking of the handcuffs locking into place sounded in the silence.
Wondering what Seraphine thought of Ashe’s brutality, he glanced at her to discover the older woman eyeing him instead of watching Ashe.
“There’s Dom.” Tobias nodded toward the white Range Rover that pulled up curbside of Seraphine’s building.
Dom hopped out of the driver seat and Hitchcock out of the passenger, both heading toward Drakki Diamonds. Tobias stepped out of Serapine’s store and yelled for them. His twin and cousin turned and ran to him.
“You okay, brother?” Hitchcock looked him up and down checking for injuries.
“Did you do this Asherah?” A vein pulsed in Dom’s forehead.
“She saved my ass.” Tobias would detail her heroism later. “She works for us now.”
“Are you stupid?” Dom got in his face. “She’s just waiting to take the killing shot.”
“Really, cupcake?” Ashe drawled from behind Tobias. “I made a blood oath with Tobias. And if I hadn’t,” she shoved Greg toward Dom, “the motherfucker that hired me, also hired this ineffective asshole.” Dom caught the guy by his arm. “No one encroaches on my job after I’m fucking hired to do it.”
Hitchcock gaped at her, as if he couldn’t believe what she said. “Your pride is hurt because they hired a backup?”
“This fuck-up,” she smacked Greg on the back of the head, “was plan B if I didn’t succeed. Wouldn’t your pride be offended?”
“Blood oath or no blood oath, doesn’t mean we can trust her, Tobias.” Dom dragged Greg to the back of the SUV.
“A blood oath means I damn sure can.” Tobias laced their fingers together drawing her to his side.
Tobias’s cousin popped the trunk and threw the guy in the back, locking the vehicle with his key fob. With any other car they might’ve been worried the assassin would escape, but a window separated the trunk from the two front rows, much like a limo or taxi and he couldn’t climb through to gain freedom. This wasn’t their first rodeo.
Dom wasn’t finished arguing with him. “She reneged on her deal with this King of Kings dude, so what’s stopping her from reneging on yours?”
At that Ashe rolled her eyes and sighed. “Blood oath, buttercup,” she drawled. “I can’t breach that no matter how much I regret it.”
“What the hell happened here, Tobias?” A friend of his, Adam, asked. Adam owned For Citizens, an online magazine. Silver DeTourney, a human new to town and mated to local fashion designer and mummy Cade Osiris, stood next to Adam. Silver worked with Adam at the magazine and he picked up spent bullet casings as he surveyed the area.
“Whoa... Whoa... Whoa! Back off, cowboy.” Ashe put herself between Tobias and Adam. The visible silver scars on Adam’s face and arms didn’t deter Tobias’s woman from protecting him. “I don’t know who you are. Keep your distance.”
Apparently, she takes her job super serious.
“Someone tried to kill Tobias,” Dom answered Adam’s question.
“You sure they weren’t aiming at the ankle biter?” Adam stared at Ashe.
“Aren’t you funny. Back up.” She went toe-to-toe with the first monster ever created by Frankenstein and shoved him back with a hand on his chest. Most folks shied away from Adam, but not Tobias’s mate. Nope, if possible her balls got bigger. Christ on a cracker, could she get any hotter? No way his dick could get any harder.
“He’s a good friend, Ashe. He wouldn’t hurt me.” Tobias used a hand to tug her a few steps out of Adam’s reach. He hoped the physical connection with him would calm her some, as well. “Adam, this is Ashe. Ashe, this is Adam. She’s my... bodyguard.”
Adam’s eyebrows shot upward. “Since when do you need a female bodyguard?”
“Since a hit was placed on his life.” Ashe failed to mention she had been sent to kill him.
Tobias kept up the conversation like neither of them glowered at one another. “Ashe, Adam owns For Citizens. It’s an online magazine and he’s instrumental in controlling the paranormal spin on Black Hollow.”
“Black Hollow can’t afford this type of publicity, Adam.” Silver eyed the damage to Tobias’s store.
“On that we agree.” Ashe nudged Tobias toward the SUV. “Get in the car, Tobias.” She continued to glare at Adam like he posed a threat. “You,” she said to Adam, “call the Mayor and whatever you have around here that serves as law enforcement and tell them to contact me immediately. We’ll be at Tobias’s mansion.”
“It’s an estate and it’s owned by the Drakki family.” Ashe and Adam both ignored Tobias’s statement.
“I’m not your secretary,” Adam drawled, and Silver stood, giving Ashe a onceover.
When Tobias glanced around he noticed the significant number of residents standing about and all of them wearing some form of shocked expression. Few outsiders talked to Adam like she did.
“You’re his friend, aren’t you?” She herded Tobias toward the SUV, opening the back door for him to enter as she glanced about. “Make the call, Adam who is friends with Tobias Drakki and who owns For Citizens.”