Let the Rain Come Down [The Moonlight Breed 6] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) by Gabrielle Evans (read a book TXT) 📗

illuminating the darkness as the vehicle sped parallel to the mountains, traveling toward the main road that would eventually lead them to the highway. If they were allowed to make it that far, Demitrius might never see his mate again.

How the hell were any of them supposed to catch a moving car? Not even if he was able to shift into his cat would he have had enough speed to reach the SUV before it arrived at the paved road and was able to accelerate.

That didn’t stop him from trying, though. Pumping his legs as fast as they would carry him, Demitrius sprinted along the fence line, his heart pounding frantically with fear, anger, and adrenaline. As the distance between him and the car lights grew, the prospect of rescuing Oscar before he disappeared began to diminish, but he wouldn’t give up.

Like a beacon of hope, three sets of headlights crested a hill in the distance, driving straight toward Demitrius and their retreating enemies. The SUV was too large, too top-heavy, to attempt the evasive move the driver tried next, sending the vehicle airborne before crashing back to earth and rolling several times.

With his heart lodged in his throat, Demitrius wouldn’t have been able to shout if he wanted to, not even if his vocal chords weren’t paralyzed with dread. “Oscar! Oscar, answer me! Talk to me. Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

He received no response, but he could feel Oscar’s terror. Sickening pain lanced through his head, blinding him momentarily before it passed. His shoulder felt like it was on fire, as though something had stabbed him, and he could swear his right leg was broken, though he was still running on it.

“Oscar! Damn it, talk to me, baby. Talk to me. Oscar!” Over and over he pushed his thoughts to his mate, desperate for an answer.

“Demitrius?” Even through their telepathic link, Oscar’s speech sounded slurred and disoriented. “What happened? Gods, my head hurts.”

Men surrounded the overturned vehicle, prying the doors open and dragging men out one by one. Demitrius made his way through the multitudes, pushing, shoving, and growling. “Move. Let me through. My mate is in there!”

The SUV hissed, and steam poured out from under the hood. One of the wheels still spun in the air, but the metal was so mangled, Demitrius didn’t see how anyone could have survived the crash.

“Demitrius?”

Though hoarse and quiet, Oscar’s voice was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard. Dirty, bleeding, and battered, he was still beautiful as he reached one hand out to Demitrius from where he was held in Devlin Murphy’s arms. Demitrius had no idea how he would ever begin to repay the shifters. There wasn’t enough gold in the world to replace what they’d given him back.

“Thank you,” he whispered roughly when Devlin gently transferred Oscar to him. Cradling his mate, he swallowed past the lump in his throat and squeezed his eyes closed, fighting desperately to dispel the moisture that gathered there.

“Give him blood,” Xander suggested. “He’ll heal faster.”

Oscar’s button nose wrinkled. “Eww. No thank you. I’m already healing. It’s just a sprained knee and a few cuts. I’m fine. Really.”

“You scared the hell out of me, sweet baby. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Leaning his head against Demitrius’s shoulder, Oscar closed his eyes and sighed. “When I said I would pay you back for the football thing…this is so not what I meant.”

* * * *

“This is Alpha Blaise Taylor of the Cloud Peak Pack, and his mate, Cole Cunningham.” Stavion introduced the wolves, but Demitrius couldn’t care less who they were. He was more interested in finding out how the bastards who’d hurt his mate had gotten into Haven in the first place.

“I’m here to help,” Blaise said, stepping forward and offering his hand. “I have two mates of my own, so I can understand that you’re fucking pissed.”

That was an understatement of the highest magnitude. Still, he shook the shifter’s hand and offered his name. Then he turned to Stavion and fisted his hands at his sides. “How the fuck did they get in?”

A dark look settled over the leader’s face, and he took up a similar pose with his hands fisted near his thighs. “They came in with the refugees a couple of weeks ago from that group we found in the mountains. We rescue so many, Dee. No one could have known.”

Rationally, Demitrius knew it was true. When it came to Oscar, it was hard to be rational, however. The guy was absolutely never leaving his sight again. Even now, Oscar was just down the hall in the library, surrounded by not only his friends, but eight Enforcers. Overkill, maybe, but Demitrius wasn’t taking any chances.

“Something has to change. We need better security.”

“I agree,” Stavion said solemnly. “We’ve already installed heat and motion sensors along the fences. We have Enforcers patrolling the perimeter at regular intervals. What else can we do?”

“More Enforcers. Electric fences. Quarantine the captives coming in until you can assess them.” Demitrius ticked his list off on his fingers as he delivered the advice. “There are not nearly enough security personnel for the number of residents living here. This can’t happen again, Stavion.”

The vampire bobbed his head a couple of times before he spoke. “Okay. Congratulations, Demitrius. You are now the new head of security.” He waved a hand toward their visitors. “Blaise is here to talk about lending us some of the Enforcers from his pack. You can talk to him about the changes you want made around here.”

“We’re not a large pack,” Blaise’s mate, Cole, said as he rose from the sofa and shuffled forward.

Demitrius had to give the guy credit. Though the smallest person in the room, he held himself with an air of authority and didn’t appear intimidated by Demitrius’s size or appearance. “You can’t loan us Enforcers if it endangers your own pack.”

“We’re growing by the day, same as Haven. Probably sixty percent of our pack are Enforcers or could be with a