Avenger's Heat (17 page)

“Use . . . all your energy on him. Not me.” Paige's voice was a little stronger now and Brianna could feel the life force pulsing stronger around the female, but she couldn't stop what she was doing. As a pregnant shifter, the female was much weaker than normal.

“Keep your eyes closed and take deep breaths. An ambulance is on its way.” Or she hoped it was.

When the screaming siren tore down the street, Brianna finally let out a breath of relief. Help was here.

Moments later four men in police uniforms and three in paramedics' uniforms spilled out of vehicles. She also saw a fire truck out of the corner of her eye, but kept her energy focused on the downed couple.

As the three paramedics knelt down next to them, she started firing information at them. “The female is a feline shifter and has been stabbed with that knife.” She nodded her head to the jagged hunting-style knife lying in the driveway. “She's two months pregnant and incredibly weak. She can still heal at faster than normal rates, but her pregnancy is draining her energy. The male has been shot multiple times and he's also a feline shifter. If you get the bullets out of him, he should heal quickly.”

The paramedics nodded briskly, the action telling her this wasn't the first time they'd dealt with paranormal beings.

Though she didn't want to move away, she knew the humans had a job to do. She stood while they took over and started talking in a medical language she didn't understand. She hadn't taken one step away before two men in black police uniforms were right in front of her. They were both at least half a foot taller than she was and their expressions were wary. Probably because whoever had called the cops had told them what she'd done. Either that or they'd seen the green glow coming from her healing energy when they'd walked up. It was different from the energy when she was in battle mode, but probably no less freaky to humans.

As the man on her left opened his mouth, a man behind them shouted, “Harmon, Cardenas, stand down. She's my witness.” He raced up the driveway.

The two officers shot each other an almost relieved look and immediately strode away as a gorgeous man with mocha skin and bright green eyes stopped in front of her. His suit was rumpled and his tie had been loosened. He held out a hand and though his expression was stressed, she could tell it wasn't directed at her. “Are you Brianna?”

Surprised, she nodded and shook his extended hand. “How did you know that?”

“Angus Campbell keeps me and a few of my superiors informed about what goes on in the supernatural community. Gave me a bunch of addresses that were being watched by his pack and when I heard a call come through that there was an incident at one of them, I called him. He told me who I should talk to. I'm Detective McCarty but you can call me Colt.” His brief smile was genuine.

She was grateful to be speaking with someone who wasn't completely clueless about the situation. Fishing her buzzing phone out of her pocket, she looked at the caller ID. She had ten missed calls. Some from Angus and the others from Angelo. The Alpha had probably called Angelo when he couldn't get through to her. “Would you mind if I sent a quick text before we speak?” She didn't want Angelo to worry.

He nodded though she could tell he didn't want to say yes. After letting Angelo know she was okay, she tucked her phone back into her pocket and faced the detective.

As he fired questions at her, she answered all the ones she could. There was no need to lie to the police, especially since she knew there had been witnesses. Someone had called the cops, after all. Either way, the police wouldn't find the masked men before the shifter community would so it didn't matter what she told them. Once caught, the men behind this would face shifter justice and it would be swift, brutal, and final.

•   •   •

Erin would have preferred to work with her own pack, but when she went back to LaPomeret's house she wasn't going without backup. Unless she made a sneak attack in the middle of the day, invading a completely unknown territory was just plain stupid. And Angus's warriors were more than willing to back her up.

The Alpha had been beyond livid about Noah being scratched. Because in truth, that's all the attack had been. Something told Erin that Angus just wanted an excuse to kill LaPomeret. Whenever anyone said that guy's name it was followed with a curse.

As she started to pace the foyer of Angus's home, Noah put a hand on her shoulder to still her. They were waiting for two more warriors to finish gearing up with extra weapons. For the most part shifters didn't need them, but with this vampire they all wanted to be prepared.

Even if she knew in her gut that LaPomeret would be gone by the time they got back to his home, she still had to follow up. There might be a lead or something that could point her to where the missing shifters were being stashed.

At this point she wanted the females safe and home with their families. While she'd love nothing more than to bring their kidnappers to justice and stop them from doing this ever again, she desperately wanted to save these women. Being pregnant was stressful enough but to be used as blood donors for some sickos, to be ripped away from their mates and in some cases, their children—it made Erin see red.

“Let's wait outside with the others.” Erin nodded toward the front door and Noah opened it.

They stepped out together to be met with six warrior shifters. Four males and two females. Plus Angus. Including the two she could hear barreling down the stairs at the moment, and her and Noah—that made eleven. She wished it was more, but right now Angus's pack was already stretched thin. And a handful of them were watching the homes of pregnant feline shifters. There was no way she'd ask him to call those guards off.

Angus ended his phone call when he saw them. “There was a possible sighting of the two shifters who are taking the women.”

As Erin listened to him relay what two masked men had done and how Brianna had nearly stopped them, Erin wanted to rip something apart. If only she'd been there. They would finally have been within her grasp.

Clenching her fists, she glanced at Noah, then Angus. She hated making this decision, but if she didn't follow up on this possible lead it would be unforgivably stupid. “I need to see if I can pick up a scent. Can you—”

Angus nodded, cutting her off. “We're more than capable of ripping LaPomeret's house apart. If we find anything useful, I'll call you.”

“Noah, you should go with your father. I can track alone.” She looked him square in the eyes as she said it. She knew he'd fight her, but as far as hunting skills went, they were evenly paired in tracking. “You can help them more than me.”

Noah snorted. “No fucking way.” Then he palmed her car keys and strode down the driveway toward
her
car. She watched as he slid into the driver's seat like he owned it. Gritting her teeth, she looked back at Angus. “Thank you for helping with this. Keep me informed of what you find and I'll do the same.”

He nodded, then started barking orders to his people while she jogged to her car. Getting in, she slammed the door a second before Noah tore out of the driveway.

“You know where you're going?”

“No, but I'm sure you'll give me the address,” he said smoothly, as if he had no idea how pissed she was.

She rattled off the address and barely managed to keep the lid on her temper. The rage rolling off her right now was a combination of a whole mess of shit including his blatant show of disrespect for her in front of the Alpha of New Orleans. Didn't matter that it was his father, she was so angry she wanted to punch him.

After a solid minute of driving she forced her jaw to work. “I can't believe you did that in front of your father and all those other warriors. If you'd tried that shit with Jayce he would have flattened you.”

“I don't want to protect Jayce so that's a nonissue,” he snarled.

She let out a brief scream of rage. Her inner wolf howled so badly right now. All she wanted to do was be set free and kick someone's ass. Namely the annoying shifter right next to her. “You put me in a bad position and made me look as if I have no authority. It's hard enough being the enforcer. Add to that I'm also a female . . . damn it, Noah. You embarrassed me.”

He swallowed hard, but didn't respond. As they pulled up to a stoplight, he looked at her and she glared back. His dark eyes were filled with something she'd never seen before. Shame. “I'm sorry, Erin,” he said so softly she could barely hear him. “Right now I'm . . . confused about us. My wolf is going insane wanting to know why I can't claim or protect you all the time. The need to mate with you is making me crazy. I should have let you track alone and I know that. I have no doubt about how capable you are. Part of me is afraid that if I let you out of my sight I'll lose that chance to claim you. And that thought is worth all your anger. I'd rather be fighting with you and have you pissed at me than have something happen to you and know I could have been there to protect you.”

Well, damn. Noah had just taken all the steam out of her rage. How could she stay angry at him when he was doing what came naturally? Her wolf wanted him too. With a vengeance that was hard to deny. If the roles had been reversed she'd have done the same thing. She didn't know what to say though.

A horn blasted behind them and Noah turned back to the road. She could see flashing red and blue lights a street over and guessed they were close to the sight of the attack. They turned down the street and despite her residual anger, she reached out and squeezed his forearm. “I shouldn't have said you embarrassed me. Everyone there knows why you did what you did.” Because he was a male crazed by the mating need. This was about as close as she could get to letting him off the hook at the moment. And only because his words had been so freaking heartfelt and out of character. Damn him for that.

Noah parked along the curb, barely squeezing her car in between a Volkswagen Beetle and an extended-cab F-150. When she got out she grimaced at the bullet holes in the body of her car. It was a miracle they hadn't hit her tires. Soon enough she'd get her baby fixed, but for now it didn't top her priorities. Without looking at Noah, she got out and scanned for Brianna.

The fae warrior was talking to a man in a suit behind a line of yellow tape. As she and Noah hurried down the sidewalk she spotted a worried-looking Angelo hauling ass along the same sidewalk but on the other side of the crime scene. A man in uniform tried to stop him, but as soon as Brianna said something, the guy in the suit let him through.

Erin breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this was the detective Angus was friendly with. Would make her job a lot easier. Not that she planned to stick around for very long. Just enough to pick up a scent trail. If they'd even left one behind. Shifters could mask their scents various ways, though most didn't. But most weren't psychopaths who kidnapped and abused their own kind either. She didn't smell anything yet, but there were a lot of people around and she hadn't acclimated enough to sift through everything.

Brianna saw them as they reached the yellow tape. Men and women in uniform were milling around and before a woman wearing a black, standard-looking police uniform could tell them to stop, the man with Brianna shouted to let them through also.

Hell yeah, agency cooperation. Ducking under, she and Noah nodded at Angelo who had slung his arm around Brianna's shoulders and was holding her tight. Erin held out her hand to the man in the suit. “I'm Erin Flynn. Enforcer for the North American Council of lupine shifters. I'm sure you know why I'm in town since you've been in contact with Angus.”

He nodded once, the handsome man's full lips quirking up. “I do indeed. It's nice to meet you. I'm Detective McCarty.”

Erin quickly shook his hand. “I need to clear the crime scene and entire front yard so I can attempt to pick up the scent of the perpetrators.” And she wasn't asking.

The detective nodded and started shouting orders at everyone to move.

She glanced at Noah to find her sexy wolf watching her without a flicker of emotion in his gaze. She hated that she was likely the reason for that. He was trying to keep his wolf on lockdown. What happened between them last night had probably only exacerbated his need. God knew it had for her. She was agitated, sexually frustrated, and her own wolf wanted to know what the hell was wrong with her for denying him. Too bad her human side knew better.

As soon as the area was free of humans, Erin made her way across the driveway, but jerked to a halt as she reached where the concrete met the grassy lawn. Shifter blood was on the ground below her, the scent strong, but that wasn't what made her blood run cold.

She could scent two males she'd never wanted to scent again. Never wanted to see again either, unless she was shoving blades through their black hearts. For just a second the other day when she and Noah had been leaving the Full Moon Bar she'd thought she scented them but had convinced herself she was crazy. This case had been making her insane so she'd chalked it up to frayed nerves. Now she knew she was wrong. She scented
them
clearly.

Chris and Malcolm Tyson. Chris, her former lover, the male who'd tried to murder her and left her for dead. His psychopathic brother had taken part in trying to kill her and was just as evil. Their strong scents nearly overwhelmed her now, making her take an involuntary step back as if just the smell of them could taint her.

It had taken her almost an entire year to get back on her feet, to admit what she'd lost, to admit she was still a warrior at heart and could survive anything. But now she felt like that wounded shifter again as she struggled to drag in a breath. It was as if her lungs refused to expand, making it difficult for her to breathe. Chris and Malcolm were
here
, in New Orleans. And were likely behind the kidnappings and murder.