Laurann Dohner - Justice

The person still waited to attack and she kept her attention on him. She knew Justice was still alive when he roared out again. The fight seemed over and she could only pray he’d won.

There was movement at the edge of the window. A hand gripped the frame and a large shape filled the space in the blink of an eye. It crouched on the windowsill. The male sniffed and his head seemed to turn to stare directly at her. The menacing shadowy shape didn’t appear human or Species. It looked scary as hell and large. Jessie squeezed the trigger on both guns, fired repeatedly and the shadow fell backward after she nailed it with four bullets.

She held her ground, waited to make sure he didn’t rise up to attack again but he didn’t. Seconds ticked by and the sound of another fight filled her ears. Furniture crashed at the front of the house, animalistic snarls and fists hitting flesh tormented her.

She lifted up, stepped over the tub and risked rushing to the window to make sure she’d taken out the threat who’d come after her.

She peered outside, made out the shape of a male and he wasn’t moving. She pushed the window closed, locked it with her thumb and ran toward the bedroom.

Anyone trying to come through the bathroom window would have to break it to get inside and it would warn her. The need to find and help Justice drove her fear back and made her reckless as she flipped on lights, more worried about being blind in the dark than giving away her location.

Glass broke down the hall as she lunged in that direction, only pausing to flip on a switch to light her way to the living room. The sight that greeted her was shocking and horrifying. A big male lay sprawled on his back, his shirt torn away over his ribs and his skin was torn open. She fought the urge to be sick as she visually examined the dead body. Blood was all over the place—sprayed on the walls and pooled in the carpet. The man on the floor wore black, his face was smeared with black face paint and he had a black cap on his head to hide his hair.

It wasn’t Justice so she moved forward. She had to step over the body, her bare foot sank into warm wetness and she knew it was blood. She kept going though. The sound of the fight still raged nearby. She kept her guns trained and ready to fire at anyone who came at her until she reached the large, open, dark area of the living room.

She hit the light switch with her elbow to turn on the lights and gaped at the destroyed room. The couch was knocked over, the glass coffee table shattered, a bookshelf was sprawled facedown to spread a mess of books five feet to her left but what held her attention was the two fighting males who sprang apart in the center of it.

Justice wore boxers, blood smeared over his body and he looked fierce as he snarled at the black-clad male. He didn’t spare her a glance as he circled his opponent but she couldn’t stop staring at the deep scratches on his back, arms and the damage to one cheek where he’d been struck hard enough to show the forming bruise.

The other man bled heavily from his face—his nose broken, his lip split and one cheekbone damaged. His black outfit hid any other injuries but one arm appeared wet, probably blood, and some skin near his side showed where the material had torn.

“Get back, Jessie,” Justice gruffly ordered. “I heard gunshots. Are you harmed?”

Jessie caught movement from the corner of her eye and twisted her head in time to see another attacker rush from the kitchen. She didn’t think, just saw the black clothing, the black, paint-smeared face and aimed the guns. He moved faster than a human but her bullets didn’t miss. He shrieked loudly, a high-pitched wail of pain and dropped to the floor to land on what used to be the coffee table. He didn’t move.

“I’m fine. I’ve got your back, honey. Do you want me to shoot the bastard near you?” Jessie’s voice shook but her hands didn’t.

“Stay out of this and there’s two more.”

“There’s only one besides that asshole you’re fighting. I killed someone who tried to come in through the bathroom. That’s who you heard me shooting at. I don’t miss.”

Justice growled and Jessie knew he was pissed but she’d deal with his anger later.

She shoved the gun in her left hand between her thighs, using the wall to keep her balance and dropped the clip out of the gun in her right hand. She dug out a fresh clip from her vest and popped it in. She grabbed the gun from between her thighs.

“You have your human fight for you?” the man who’d attacked Justice spat. “You are too weak to lead us.”

“Who are you?” Justice snarled. “I don’t even know you and you dare come after my mate?”

Justice tensed and a roar tore from his throat as he sprang for the other male. He pushed up from a quick crouch and sailed into the air. He had to have strong legs to do that. Seeing it stunned Jessie but she had to admire the beauty of the move. He flew about five feet until his body slammed into the other man.

They went down together in a roll and growls tore from their throats. They fought like animals, slashed with their clawed fingers and bit. Justice used his legs too. He managed to wrap one of them around the other male’s thigh and jerked hard. The guy under Justice howled in agony, having his leg bent at the awkward position.

They rolled again until Justice ended up under the male but he pushed hard enough to throw his attacker into a wall. The black-clad figure hit it hard enough to damage plaster. Justice jackknifed his body and ended up in a crouch. He threw his body at the man who was trying to separate himself from the drywall.

They went through the wall and Jessie gaped at the big hole they’d created. She hated to leave the safety of the hallway but she couldn’t see Justice anymore. There was an archway to the other room she had never been in. Her house didn’t have the same floor plan. She ran for the archway.

It was a home office almost as large as the living room. Justice and the Species were separated, on their feet circling each other, each searching for a weakness. Jessie inched into the room and put her back to the wall. She didn’t want someone to creep up behind her but she couldn’t go farther into the room. A huge glass slider revealed darkness outside. Someone could come at her that way and it was too risky to get too close.

“We will never be led by a lover of humans,” the other man barked. “You shame us.”

Justice snarled. “You’re from testing facility five, aren’t you? You stupid bastard.

We built everything when we were freed so we could rescue you. You betray your own kind because of your hatred for humans? Did you not hear what I said to you? Did you not understand what our people have accomplished? We have found peace here.”

Testing facility five ? Jessie’s mouth fell open. That was the one in Colorado she’d helped raid. She stared at the man still circling with Justice and knew his guess had to be correct. The intruder was one of the males she’d help free.

“I am the best and I will win,” the man growled. “I will lead our people when your body is cold and I will snap the neck of your human female. I will show our people that is how to deal with humans. Death to them all for they have done.”

Justice roared and attacked. He didn’t seem to notice when the male grabbed for something behind his back but Jessie did. As Justice reached him, a knife flashed. She tried to yell out a warning but it was too late. Jessie screamed as the male threw Justice away from him. The man she loved hit the floor on his back, groaning and grabbed for his bleeding body.

“Hey!” Jessie yelled, pure rage flowing through her.

The man turned and growled.

“Lead this, fuckhead.” She shot him in the face and emptied the clip into his body after he hit the carpet.