Sherrilyn Kenyon - Bad Moon Rising

They were loud. Obnoxious. Smelly and always looking for trouble.

Yet there was something about this one that was compelling. And the fact that he thought of his sister…

At least he had a heart. That alone put him miles ahead of the others of his kind.

As she left them again, she couldn’t resist looking back. Now he was smacking at Fury while Vane was separating them like a parent with two young sons.

Aimee shook her head.

That right there was why she didn’t care for wolves. Something about canines, they were always nipping and sniping at each other and anyone dumb enough to come near them.

As she headed for the kitchen to hand her orders over, a boisterous group coming down the stairs made her pause. She cursed inwardly at the sight.

Jackals. Two females and four males. They must have teleported into the top floor that was reserved for that sort of activity-it was an area shielded from humans so that they’d never suspect what Sanctuary really was. To them it was just a club.

To Were-Hunters, it was neutral ground where none could be harmed.

And if there was anything she hated more than wolves, it was those canine cousins-the jackals. If being a jackal wasn’t bad enough already, these were also Arcadian Sentinels and by the look of them they were on the hunt for someone.

Sighing heavily, she glanced back at the Katagaria wolves, wondering how they’d react to the Arcadian jackal presence.

The last thing they needed was for a vicious fight to break out between a clan of Sentinels and a pack of Strati, especially Strati with young to protect. That made them even edgier and more violent than normal.

She started back to the bar, but her path was cut off as one of the jackals teleported in front of her. He raked her with a sneer of disgust.

Aimee narrowed her gaze on him. “You can’t use your magick in here. There are too many humans to see it.”

He smirked. “I don’t take orders from animals. Now tell me where Constantine is or we’re going to tear this bar down.”

Aimee refused to be bullied by anyone. “We are protected by the laws of the Omegrion, which you’re obligated to follow. All are welcome, even your putrid selves, and none can be removed by force.”

He grabbed her arm. “Fetch Constantine, or I’ll make boots out of your hide, bear.”

Aimee twisted her arm out of his grip. “Don’t touch me, or I’ll mount your jewels to the wall over your head.”

The jackals surrounded her. “We don’t have time for this. He’s here. We can smell it.”

Aimee raked him with a sneer of her own. “You need to get your head out of your sphincter and stop smelling your own underwear ’cause the only jackals here, buddy, are you .”

“Is there a problem?” For once she was grateful to hear Dev’s deep growl.

Aimee looked past the leader’s shoulder to see Dev with Colt, Remi, and Wren. Papa was making his way toward them too. “Yes. And I think it’s time for our friends here to find an exit.”

Dev reached for the leader who spun on him so fast, she barely saw him move. With one fluid move, he had Dev flat on his back on the floor. Dev reached up and froze as the jackal held a Taser at the ready.

It wasn’t the pain of a possible hit that gave them pause. One jolt and they’d lose control of their human forms for hours. For that matter, any hit of electricity would have them flashing from human to animal and back again.

Something that was hard to explain to human clientele who tended to get a little wigged-out whenever they saw it.

Aimee looked around at the number of humans in the room. They needed to dispel this as peacefully as possible.

And quick.

The leader looked past her and gave a subtle nod.

All of a sudden, the man behind her grabbed her hard and held a knife to her throat.

The leader’s gaze glittered like ice. “Now take us to Constantine or I’ll have your head.”

Aimee passed a scared look to Dev who knew what she did.

They couldn’t give them what they didn’t have.

This was about to get bloody and she was going to be the one they drew first blood on.

“Stay out of it, Fang,” Vane said under his breath.

His anger snapping, Fang narrowed his eyes on the Sentinels surrounding Aimee. “It’s a threatened female.”

“She’s not one of ours and we need the bears on our side. You break Omegrion sanctuary laws and they’ll refuse to help us. Ever. They’ll refuse to help Anya .”

Fang heard those words and he was willing to abide by them. His sister was the most important thing…

Until he saw the knife.

Vane cursed as he saw it too. Anya or not, it wasn’t in their nature to let that go and since the bears seemed to be in over their furry little heads…

Vane’s hazel gaze locked with Fang’s. “I have the asshole in front, you take the one with the woman.”

Fury lowered his head in agreement to their suicide run. “We’ve got your backs.”

Vane inclined his head before they teleported to the fight.

A imee considered the consequences of head-butting the jackal holding her. But he kept the knife tight to her throat, preventing it. She’d cut her own jugular if she even tried. She looked at her brothers and father, all of whom were standing back, too afraid to move for fear of causing her harm.

Tears of frustration welled in her eyes. She couldn’t stand being helpless. The bear in her wanted to taste jackal blood regardless of what it cost her. Even death. But the human side of her knew better.

It wasn’t worth the chance.

The jackal grabbed her by the hair and pressed the knife even closer. “Tell us where Constantine is. Now! Or else her blood flows like the mighty Niagara.”

Papa opened his mouth, but before he could speak something snatched the knife away from her throat.

Aimee cursed as her head was snapped back and her hair wrenched. Unbalanced, she fell to the floor and landed on her stomach. Sounds exploded all around her as the jackals were quickly and painfully brought down by the wolves. Rubbing her throat where the knife had been, she looked to the jackal who’d been holding her.

Fang had him on the ground, slamming his head repeatedly against the floor as hard as he could. It was as if he were possessed by something that demanded he kill the jackal with his bare hands.

Blood covered both of them.

“Fang!” Vane shouted, pulling him away. “He’s out of it.”

Growling, Fang rose only to kick the jackal in the ribs. “Cowardly bastard. Pull a knife on a woman.” He started back for his victim, but Vane caught him.

“Enough!”

Fang shrugged his brother off before he turned to her with a look so anguished and tormented that it stole her breath. What demon had its spurs sunk deep into his soul? Something tragic lay behind that kind of pain.

It had to.

He turned for the jackal.

Vane spread his arms out to capture him. “He’s down. Let it go.”

Growling in true wolf fashion, Fang pushed past his brother. “I’ll wait outside.”

Before Vane could catch him, he got one last kick on the jackal’s head on his way to the door.

Fury laughed at Fang’s action as he twisted the arm of the jackal he held. “I really should break you in two. It might not brighten your day, but it would definitely make mine.”

Vane shook his head at Fang’s actions and Fury’s words. Turning to Papa, he made his way slowly toward them. “Sorry we broke the covenant.” He held money out to Dev. “We’ll leave and never come back.”

Papa pushed the money back toward Vane. “You don’t have to leave. It was my daughter you saved. Thank you for what you did. So long as we have shelter, you have shelter.” That was the highest honor a Were-Hunter could bestow on another. It was their oldest saying and only offered to another species as a show of eternal friendship.