Dee backed up from the wall, her hand swiping at the blood flowing down her mouth and chin.

She faced the four bears behind her.

“Did you really think we didn’t know you were coming here, canine? That it wouldn’t spread through the foxes that some She-wolf was looking for a way in, and that that information wouldn’t get back to us?”

“Thanks for the naked thing, though,” another said, grinning. “That was fun.”

The bears unleashed their much larger claws, and Dee asked, “That’s it? You’re not even going to let me offer sex for a chance to get out of here alive?”

The one who’d tossed her into the wall snorted. “Sweetie, your shoulders are bigger than mine.” The grizzly had a point. “Besides, we told your Alphas to stay away. Now the Van Holtzes need to learn a lesson.”

Dee smiled. “Oh, darlin’, I’m not a Van Holtz . . . I’m a Smith.”

The smug smiles faded, along with the bravado, and Dee scented the panic and the rage that only came from bears. Apparently the foxes hadn’t told them everything about her after all.

A long arm swung out, claws aiming for her face. Dee caught the grizzly’s wrist in both her hands and yanked the bear forward. She unleashed her fangs and bit into his forearm, tearing out flesh, muscle, and possibly some artery when she pulled away.

Roaring, the grizzly snatched his arm away from her while a black bear attacked her from behind. Dee ducked and went under the bear’s legs, grabbing the retractable baton he had in his back pocket. Not her bowie knife, but it would do in a pinch. She moved away from the black and into a polar, slamming her fist into the polar’s throat. Trachia crushed, the polar dropped to his knees, so Dee planted her foot onto his shoulder and launched herself at the black bear, using his own baton by smashing it into his head.

The last bear was in the middle of shifting when she landed and took him out at both his still-human knees. She was loving this baton!

Laughing at the wounded bears, Dee opened the door to leave—and froze, her laughter dying in her throat. Boars she could handle . . . but sows?

Dee slammed the door shut, shoved a desk in front of it, and sprinted for the vent. She never looked back.

“How could you even think it?” Blayne cried, burying her head into Bo’s chest after running into his arms. “They’re defenseless! Helpless! Abused!”

“Blayne,” Grigori begged, “please calm down.”

“I’m just like them! Are you going to do the same to me? The big green needle? Or just shoot me in the back of the head?”

“We’re not doing anything!” Chief Adams swore loudly. “I promise!”

“Swear it!” she commanded through her tears.

“I swear it,Blayne. We won’t touch the dogs.”

“Even after I leave?” She glanced back at both bears. “You’ll protect them once I’m gone?”

“Blayne—” Grigori began, but Chief Adams cut him off.

“We will. We both promise.”

Taking in a shaky, tear-filled breath, Blayne again rested her head against Bo’s chest.

“I’ll take her back to the house,” Blayne heard Bo tell his uncle.

“All right. I’ll be home in a bit.” Really big hands patted her back, almost breaking her nearly unbreakable bones. “Don’t worry, Blayne. Everything will be just fine.”

She sniffed, nodded, and let Bo take her away from the chief’s office and into the woods behind it.

After a few minutes, Blayne straightened up but took Bo’s hand as they walked for a while through the woods, snow starting to fall again. When they were about a mile outside of town, Bo asked, “Feeling better?”

She sniffed. “Yeah. Much.”

Bo stopped, lifted her hand, and pressed it to her chest. “Blayne?”

“Uh-huh?”

“Did you really expect me to buy that load of shit performance back there?”

Blayne snatched her hand back. “Shut up!”

“Oh,” he said in a high voice, “you’re going to hurt my dogs? My poor wee brutal fighting dogs? Who will love and protect the brutal fighting dogs who’ve been taking down the Ursus County deer population for the last month? Who? Who?” Bo laughed and didn’t seem able to stop. “That was the best dinner theater I’ve seen in years!”

Refusing to respond, Blayne grabbed hold of the bottom of Bo’s long-sleeve tee and wiped the tears from her eyes. Then she blew her nose in it.

When she pulled back, the look of horror on the hyper-neat hybrid’s face was worth the risk to her life she knew she was taking.

“What?” she asked innocently.

“You disgusting little—”

“I didn’t have a tissue!”

“That’s not an excuse!”

She giggled. “It is for me.”

Bo reached for her, but Blayne squealed and took off running, Bo Novikov right after her.

Okay. She knew it was wrong, but seriously . . . she was having the best time!

CHAPTER 24

Ric looked up from his desk. “What?” he asked the leopard standing there.

“We’re ready to go.”

“Good.” He pushed his chair back and walked to the door. The team he’d handpicked for this was waiting and armed to the teeth. They wouldn’t waste time with shifter etiquette since this would be full-humans they’d be dealing with.