mate.”
“Over my dead body.” Rye raised his blaster. “Willa, down!”
Oh crap.
Chapter Four
Fear threatened to paralyze him as his tiny mate threw herself in front of him.
What was she doing? Did she not realize the danger she placed herself in?
“Do not fire!” he roared.
Rye tilted his blaster at the last moment, his shot going wild.
Darac roared, fear fuelling his fury. His vision blurred and his breath heaved in and out of his chest as he fought for control. Grabbing his mate, he swung her around behind the crates.
Kill.
Must kill.
Threat to mate.
Kill.
He leapt out, grabbing Rye and flinging him through the air. To his credit, the other man didn’t drop his blaster as he flew back, landing in a pile of crates.
Something stung his arm. He swung around, lunging for Zuma.
Destroy .
“Darac, no!” Willa screamed.
Darac paused, holding the smaller male in the air, his hands around Zuma’s throat.
“I can’t get a clear hit!” A voice called out.
Kill. Destroy .
“Darac, put my brother down. You’re killing him.” Willa grabbed his arm and immediately, he could think more clearly.
He stared down at Zuma. His face was pale, almost lifeless. He dropped him. The male slumped to the floor. He coughed, struggling to take a decent breath.
“Zuma!” Willa tried to take a step towards the fallen male, but Darac held her back.
“Let me go! You could have killed him!”
The distress in her voice ate at him, filling him with guilt. What had he done?
“I was angry.” He bit the words out through a clenched jaw.
“No kidding.”
“Let my sister go,” the male’s voice was low. Deadly.
Darac looked up into Rye’s face. He had a gash on his arm from where Darac had thrown him into the crates. He could see death written on the other man’s face.
“Rye, calm down,” Willa cried out. He could feel her shaking.
“He just tried to choke Zuma to death and you want me to calm down?” Rye asked in disbelief.
Darac snarled at the other male. He had no right to use that tone on his mate.
Could he take them all? Without Willa to worry about, yes, probably. But she was unpredictable. He couldn’t trust her to take orders, and she obviously had no sense of self-preservation.
“Damn it, will the two of you stop it! Darac, what the hell were you doing? You can’t attack my family. You could have killed Zuma.”
“He nearly shot you.” He nodded at Rye.
“He was aiming at you.”
“You could have been killed.”
“Wait, you’re upset because Rye could have hit me? I got in the way. If it was anyone’s fault it was mine.”
Darac turned to scowl at her. “You should have stayed where I put you.”
“Woof woof, not a dog. Hate to tell you this, but I don’t live to obey you.”
“You will when it comes to safety.”
Her eyes flared with fury but he would not back down.
“The two of you are fighting like an old married couple,” Zuma said hoarsely.
“Zuma, are you all right?” Willa tugged at Darac’s hold on her. “Let me go to him.”
“Not until I am certain you are safe.” And he wasn’t sure he could keep his sanity without her touch right at the moment.
“She’s not the one who is at risk here, warrior,” Rye told him.
Willa stared back and forth between her brother and Darac. “Rye, it was my fault he just went psycho.” She cleared her throat. “Seems to be that when he feels I’m threatened he loses his shit. Rather like a two-year-old having a tantrum.” She glared up at him.
Zuma snorted. “A three-hundred-pound toddler who tosses people around like candy bars.”
“He’s calm now, aren’t you, Darac?”
He took a deep breath. Then another. Calm wasn’t the word he would use. But he had control.
For the moment.
“As long as you do not place yourself in danger again. Why did you jump in front of me like that?” He turned her to face him, shaking her gently. He could never hurt his mate. He was born to protect her. And yet
“Over my dead body.” Rye raised his blaster. “Willa, down!”
Oh crap.
Chapter Four
Fear threatened to paralyze him as his tiny mate threw herself in front of him.
What was she doing? Did she not realize the danger she placed herself in?
“Do not fire!” he roared.
Rye tilted his blaster at the last moment, his shot going wild.
Darac roared, fear fuelling his fury. His vision blurred and his breath heaved in and out of his chest as he fought for control. Grabbing his mate, he swung her around behind the crates.
Kill.
Must kill.
Threat to mate.
Kill.
He leapt out, grabbing Rye and flinging him through the air. To his credit, the other man didn’t drop his blaster as he flew back, landing in a pile of crates.
Something stung his arm. He swung around, lunging for Zuma.
Destroy .
“Darac, no!” Willa screamed.
Darac paused, holding the smaller male in the air, his hands around Zuma’s throat.
“I can’t get a clear hit!” A voice called out.
Kill. Destroy .
“Darac, put my brother down. You’re killing him.” Willa grabbed his arm and immediately, he could think more clearly.
He stared down at Zuma. His face was pale, almost lifeless. He dropped him. The male slumped to the floor. He coughed, struggling to take a decent breath.
“Zuma!” Willa tried to take a step towards the fallen male, but Darac held her back.
“Let me go! You could have killed him!”
The distress in her voice ate at him, filling him with guilt. What had he done?
“I was angry.” He bit the words out through a clenched jaw.
“No kidding.”
“Let my sister go,” the male’s voice was low. Deadly.
Darac looked up into Rye’s face. He had a gash on his arm from where Darac had thrown him into the crates. He could see death written on the other man’s face.
“Rye, calm down,” Willa cried out. He could feel her shaking.
“He just tried to choke Zuma to death and you want me to calm down?” Rye asked in disbelief.
Darac snarled at the other male. He had no right to use that tone on his mate.
Could he take them all? Without Willa to worry about, yes, probably. But she was unpredictable. He couldn’t trust her to take orders, and she obviously had no sense of self-preservation.
“Damn it, will the two of you stop it! Darac, what the hell were you doing? You can’t attack my family. You could have killed Zuma.”
“He nearly shot you.” He nodded at Rye.
“He was aiming at you.”
“You could have been killed.”
“Wait, you’re upset because Rye could have hit me? I got in the way. If it was anyone’s fault it was mine.”
Darac turned to scowl at her. “You should have stayed where I put you.”
“Woof woof, not a dog. Hate to tell you this, but I don’t live to obey you.”
“You will when it comes to safety.”
Her eyes flared with fury but he would not back down.
“The two of you are fighting like an old married couple,” Zuma said hoarsely.
“Zuma, are you all right?” Willa tugged at Darac’s hold on her. “Let me go to him.”
“Not until I am certain you are safe.” And he wasn’t sure he could keep his sanity without her touch right at the moment.
“She’s not the one who is at risk here, warrior,” Rye told him.
Willa stared back and forth between her brother and Darac. “Rye, it was my fault he just went psycho.” She cleared her throat. “Seems to be that when he feels I’m threatened he loses his shit. Rather like a two-year-old having a tantrum.” She glared up at him.
Zuma snorted. “A three-hundred-pound toddler who tosses people around like candy bars.”
“He’s calm now, aren’t you, Darac?”
He took a deep breath. Then another. Calm wasn’t the word he would use. But he had control.
For the moment.
“As long as you do not place yourself in danger again. Why did you jump in front of me like that?” He turned her to face him, shaking her gently. He could never hurt his mate. He was born to protect her. And yet
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