Mid-shift, when he was most vulnerable, that was when the bullet hit. It came hurtling toward him and thudded into his chest. One hit. Then another.
Silver. He could feel the hot scorching inside of his flesh.
Another thud. A lancing pain hit his knee and Tanner fell.
The shift kept burning through him, but it had slowed now, thanks to that silver. The one firing on him knew exactly what he was doing. He knows all my weaknesses.
Tanner’s hands slammed onto the ground. He still had his claws out, but they were no good against bullets. Tanner tilted back his head and saw Marna rushing toward him. Her mouth was open and she was screaming—
“Stop!”
A tremble seemed to shake the ground beneath him. He blinked, then looked up again.
A bullet had frozen in the air. A bullet that was just inches from his forehead. As he stared, the bullet dropped to the ground.
Marna reached him, but she didn’t help him up. She positioned her body in front of his. Her hand lifted. Pointed to a nearby rooftop. “I see you.” Her voice was darker. Far harder than he’d ever heard before. And from her hand, a blast of fire erupted, rushing right up to that building.
A scream sounded.
She’d made a hit. Good for her.
Tanner used his claws and dug the bullets out of his body. He ignored the pain. What did it matter? He needed to get Marna and Cody out of that alley. Needed to sew up his brother before Cody bled to death right there.
And Marna—Marna was walking away from him. Stalking toward that now burning building. An empty warehouse, its roof blazed in the night and lit the sky. Firefighters would be called to the blaze. There was no freaking missing the way that fire was churning. Before the rescue squad arrived, they’d have to be long gone.
“No more,” Marna said as her steps quickened, and, at her back, he could see those strange, shadowy wings once more as they stretched out behind her.
He tossed the bloody bullets to the ground. Pushed to his feet. She wasn’t going in alone—
“T-Tan . . . ner . . .”
His brother’s voice. So weak. He glanced back. Cody’s face was ashen. The scent of blood was so thick around him. Blood and . . . flowers.
Death angel.
“Stay the hell away from my brother!” Dammit. He spun back around, torn. “Marna!”
She didn’t stop. She was almost at the blazing building now.
“Marna!” If he left Cody, Tanner knew that his brother was dead. The angel of death would take him. And if he didn’t go after Marna . . .
What would happen to her?
He had to choose. He couldn’t save both. There wasn’t a way. He couldn’t—
I can sure as shit try. He grabbed Cody. Slung him over his shoulder. Tried to rush after Marna, but his wounds slowed him down. Can never heal fast enough from silver. Never—
Marna disappeared into the smoke. She’d gone into that damn inferno. He tried to move faster. He yelled her name again.
And the windows of the building exploded out as the flames flared even higher.
Marna was beautiful by firelight. He watched her through the flames, loving the way they licked around her form. She’d pushed out with her power and blocked the fire from touching her body.
Could fire ever hurt something so beautiful?
Her eyes were black now, and they burned with a dark fury. She couldn’t come up to him. The ceiling would collapse on her before she ever got there. So he could sit back, watch, and wait.
The fire wouldn’t hurt him, either. His scream had just been to lure her closer to him. To make her see . . .
She couldn’t count on the shifter. When the chips were down, he wouldn’t choose her. He’d choose his brother, even when it looked like his brother was nothing more than a killer.
For the shifter, blood was all that mattered.
Marna needed to see, he was more than that. He’d done everything for her. Would keep doing everything.
“I want you at my side,” the words slipped from him.
Her head jerked up. She could hear him over the flames. Good.
She tried to step toward him—toward the stairs—but a chunk of burning ceiling fell down and crashed near her feet. He’d planned this blaze so well. He’d gotten very good at controlling the fire. From the outside, it had looked as if a giant explosion had rocked the building, sending glass and debris flying. The cops, when they finally came, would think a detonation of some sort had gone off.
They’d never realize the blaze had been the result of a supernatural just playing with some fire. Oh, how he did enjoy the burn.
“Who are you?” she shouted.