Free Bear's Heart: BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance (Bear Heat Book 5) by Natalie Kristen

time.
    Killing her wouldn't prolong
her pain.
    But killing her brother
would.
    They had protected her,
guarded her round the clocking, thinking she was the target.
    But the real target was Luke.
    “No!” she
screamed as the gun went off.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE

    Dylan was out of his car and
running hard for Luke. When he dropped Luke off, he had seen the man
with the newspaper. The man's face was hidden under his cap so only
the tips of his wispy white hair could be seen. His shoulders were
hunched but the way he moved told Dylan that the man wasn't old.
    Instead of driving off to the
car park, Dylan pulled his car to a stop just behind a tree. Just
when he opened his car door silently, he saw the man raise his
newspaper at Luke. In a heartbeat, Dylan was off like an arrow,
flying straight for the shooter.
    He leaped on the man just as
he fired. The shot went wild, and Luke spun round, miraculously
still keeping all the pizza boxes balanced.
    Dylan rolled on the ground
and pinned the man down. The man tried to turn the gun on Dylan but
Dylan knocked the gun out of his hand and smashed his fist into the
man's jaw.
    The man's head lolled and he
went limp. Luke ran up and yanked the man's cap away.
    “He doesn't look
anything like Rickson Moore,” Luke said, staring at the man in
disbelief. “He looked like a harmless old man. I didn't pay
any attention to him. Shit!”
    “I made the same
mistake when I was a rookie,” Dylan answered, still holding the
man down. “Appearances are deceptive, and I was deceived good
and proper.” Dylan glared at the man's wrinkled face and
muttered, “He really is a master of disguise. Almost fooled
me.”
    The man seemed to have lost
consciousness, and Dylan loosened his grip for a second to tap at his
watch.
    A second was all it took.
    Rickson's eyes flew open and
there was a flash of silver.
    Dylan roared with pain and
staggered back. There was a deep wound in his abdomen.
    Rickson had scrambled up, and
he was holding a dripping dagger in his hand.
    Dylan pressed his hand to his
wound but the wound wasn't healing. He had been stabbed with a pure
silver blade, and the blood wouldn't stop flowing.
    Rickson crouched and smiled
as he stared at Dylan's bubbling, pouring wound. There was a
vicious, demented glint of triumph in his eyes as he lunged towards
Dylan, his dagger raised high.
    Luke rushed forward, his
claws out, but Dylan pushed him away. Dylan raised his arm to block
the blow, but the searing pain threw him off balance. He couldn't
see quite so clearly and his reflexes were slower than usual.
    The blade sliced across his
forearm and face, and Dylan fell back. Rickson kept charging and
attacking like a deranged animal, that sinister smile frozen on his
face.
    When Dylan stumbled, Rickson
bared his teeth in a victorious smile and plunged his dagger down.
Luke barreled forward to protect Dylan.
    The silver blade was arcing
towards Luke's chest, towards his heart.
    Dylan gave a warning cry, but
even as his blood pumped out of him, he knew that Luke wouldn't be
able to heed his warning in time. He knew how Luke fought, and Luke
hadn't learned to fight dirty. Not yet.
    Dylan used all his strength
to throw himself forward. His blood was gushing out of his abdomen
and he could feel the wound widening and tearing. But he could still
move quickly. He had to. If it was the last thing he did, he would
save Luke's life.
    Dylan felt the silver burn
his skin, his flesh, his muscles as it plunged straight into his
chest.
    He almost passed out from the
agony, but he forced himself to finish the fight. Lashing out, his
hand caught Rickson's wrist, and he roared to Luke, “Now!”
    His strength was rapidly
fading but Dylan refused to let go. He held Rickson firmly so Luke
could make the kill.
    Luke had been Rickson's
target. Luke's death would torment and break Jade. The bastard had
wanted to destroy Luke and Jade Keller, the two people who had
Dylan's heart.
    He loved them. He realized
it