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I just shot someone. No. Two someones. Oh, My Gods. Ohmygods, Oh My Fucking Gods. What have I done? Are they dead? Of course, they’re dead, I shot one between the eyes and one in the temple. People don’t survive that shit.
The vehicle jerked to stop, yanking Jazz from his downward spiral into an abyss from which he’d might never have recovered. Then his mate was telling him to do whatever it took to protect himself and that he loved him. Before Jazz could even ask what in the hell that meant, Wilder shifted into his enormous grizzly as he leapt from the SUV.
The sound of pinging rang in his ears, reminding him of the reality course Hudson had set up. There were many wooden targets, but also a lot of steel, aluminum, and even glass, to get people used to the sounds bullets made as it hit something other than wood.
His eyes widened as it dawned on Jazz what that pinging meant. Someone was shooting at him. Well, the SUV, since if they’d hit him, he would definitely know it. Right? At that point Jazz was sure he was in too much shock to know.
A roar of outrage bellowed from his left. Wilder.
All panic and terror left Jazz as he searched for his mate. He might have had a momentary freak out considering it was his first time in this kind of situation, but no way was he going to lose it when his mate needed him.
A half dozen pings, that were way too close to hitting him in Jazz’s opinion, sounded just behind him and to the right. Crouching low, he peaked between his seat and the window. There were three men converging on his location. One was offering cover fire for the other two to approach.
Thankfully, the one shooting sucked. Praising his mate for not actually turning off the car Jazz lowered the window as the guy fired, making sure to remain low. When it was down, he glanced out once more. Spotting the two dashing across an open area, Jazz took aim.
Three shots and they both toppled to the ground. The first one he’d hit right between the eyes, just as Wilder had taught him. His mate had warned him, there was always a chance the perpetrator was wearing a bullet proof vest, so it was best, especially with Jazz’s excellent aim, to go for the head shot.
The second guy had been ready and dove, causing Jazz to miss the first time. Not giving up, he’d followed the man’s trajectory and his bullet went into his neck. The blood that poured from the wound was enough to let Jazz know he wasn’t getting up again.
Now for the shooter. The chicken had ducked down behind his own truck for cover, but that was fine with Jazz. He scrambled to the other side of SUV and climbed out the driver’s side.
But more pings against the door stopped him. Ducking down, he glanced out from under the doorframe to find six guys, two in animal form, one was a wolf, the other a Siberian tiger. It would take more than his Glock to take the tiger down. The other four men were watching both the fight between Wilder’s grizzly and the other two animals, and keeping an eye on Jazz to be sure he didn’t interfere.
But Jazz’s sole focus was on one of the four men, who stood watching the fight in glee as the tiger swiped his claws along Wilder’s side. Jazz knew it would take far more than that to cause his mate true injury with his thick coat of fur. But it was equally obvious, his mate’s energy was waning.
As concerned as he was about his mate, Jazz continued to stare at the man he knew, cackling at the sight of those two animals doing their best to take Wilder down.
“Father,” he cried out, sure he had to be wrong.
Two men, who appeared to be protecting Jazz’s father shot at Jazz. But they weren’t any better than the guy still hiding behind his truck.
He pressed his body down onto the ground. Aiming, he fired two shots in rapid succession. Direct hits. Jazz refused to think of how many he’d killed that day. All that mattered was saving his mate.
A yelp followed by a loud crack had Jazz glancing in Wilder’s direction. The wolf slid halfway down a tree and landed on the ground in an awkward heap. Hoping he was dead, Jazz pointed his gun at the man next to his father.
He prayed that look of surprise on the man’s features wouldn’t stay with him for the rest of his life as Jazz’s bullet slammed into his temple. There had been too much death, and for what? Jazz had no idea why his father was even there.
Standing, he went around to the back of the SUV and pulled out a rifle that he knew could take down that Siberian tiger. As he took aim, his father said, “Uh, uh, uh. No interfering.” A gun was pointed right at Jazz.
Considering how bad everyone’s aim had been, Jazz was fairly sure his father wouldn’t be able to hit him, but was he willing to take that chance? “What are you doing here, father?”
His father lips twisted into an ugly scowl. “Don’t you ever call me that,” he shouted. “You are not my son.”
“What?” Jazz was only half listening as his focus remained on his mate, who, if he wasn’t mistaken, was starting to turn the tide against the tiger. That allowed Jazz to face his father as the words he’d just spoken sank in. “What do you mean I’m not your son?”
“Your whore of a mother cheated on me, that’s what. But I got the last laugh. Not only did I make sure she got what was coming to her, I stole you from that asshole who sired you.” There was an eerie light in his father’s... er... Xeno Blythe’s eyes. It gave Jazz pause, for he truly feared the man crazy.
Did it make him selfish to pray he was telling the truth? For years, Jazz had wished this man hadn’t been his father. To have it be accurate would be like a dream come true. The question was, could he trust Xeno when his whole life the man had hated him?
“But you said I killed my mother,” Jazz pointed out as he kept a close eye on Wilder still battling it out with the Siberian tiger. He was relieved to see the tiger was bleeding profusely and starting to lose steam.
“You did kill her,” Xeno spat out. “It was bad enough that she’d left me when I was away on a trip, but to find out she’d gotten pregnant was an insult I couldn’t allow. But that stupid mate of hers had kept her protected day and night. The only chance I had to teach her a lesson had been in the hospital, after she’d given birth.”
Jazz’s heart sank. As insane as the story sounded, he knew, deep in his heart, it was true. He may not have been the one to kill her, but it was because of him that she’d died.
“And now you’ll get to feel what it’s like to lose the one you planned to live your life with.” Xeno’s glee filled eyes reverted back to the animals locked in battle. Jazz wasn’t sure if it was because he was looney toons that he’d didn’t realize Wilder was not only winning, but playing with the tiger in order to draw Xeno into revealing more.
But Jazz had heard enough. His heart ached knowing this man had not only killed his mother, but took him from his father. Jazz’s life could have been so different.
Anger surged through him as he dropped the rifle and grabbed one of the six throwing knives he had strapped to his body. Not allowing himself to think too hard, he let it fly.
Wilder must have seen the move, for he raised one strong front paw and crushed the tiger’s head beneath his massive strength. Xeno cried out but Jazz wasn’t sure if it was because he’d felt the sharp blade of the knife as it drove into the side of his throat, or because, at that exact moment he’d watched his plan to kill Jazz’s mate disintegrate before his eyes.
In seconds Wilder shifted into this human form and wrapped his arms around Jazz. When Jazz’s body started to shake and he feared he’d be unable to hold himself up, Wilder picked him up and cradled him against his chest.
Before the sob that was deep within his chest could be released, they heard a gun cock. Their gazes went to the man who’d been hiding behind the truck after Jazz had killed his cohorts.
Neither of them could access a weapon fast enough to avoid being shot at. Sure, the guy’s aim sucked, but anyone could get lucky.
“Don’t mo...” he hadn’t finished when a gunshot rang out from behind them.
“Sorry it took so long but someone had blocked the road with a tree,” one of Yosi’s guards said as he leaned his hands down onto his knees while he sucked in much needed oxygen.
“Yeah,” another said. “Our only option was to grab our gear and run.”
Just then the third guard ran around the bend. Clearly, he must have realized everything was fine, for he dropped to the ground, rolled onto his back and between breaths, said, “Fucking... Yosi... was... right... we... let... ourselves... go.”
If it wasn’t for what Jazz had just learned, he would have found the situation funny, but right now, all he wanted was to crawl into bed with his mate holding him. Looking up into Wilder’s hazel eyes, he asked, “Will you please take me home?”
Wilder leaned down and placed a sweet, gentle kiss to his lips. “Anything for you, my mate.”
Just hearing those words, that Wilder said to him pretty much daily, had some of the broken pieces of his heart stitching back together. What happened to him, and his parents, was horrible. But if it meant going through it all again to end up with Wilder, Jazz would.
He would go to hell and back to be with his mate.
