“Behind you,” Sammy blurted as the lone guard stepped into the light.
It proved unnecessary.
The man took one look at Dominic, went pale, and backed straight through the shattered doorway without so much as glancing at his employer.
Dominic let him flee, his full attention on Henri.
But it was too late.
The vampire moved with frightening speed, slipping behind Sammy in a blur. Bony fingers clamped around his throat while dagger-sharp claws bit into the skin beneath his jaw.
Sammy froze as cold pressed tight against his spine.
“Careful now.” Henri’s voice brushed against his ear.
A savage growl rolled from Dominic’s chest as magic rippled over the wolf’s massive body like heat over asphalt. Fur receded in dark waves. Bones compressed with sharp cracks. Shoulders narrowed, and his spine shortened as the towering beast folded inward on himself.
In the span of a breath, Dominic stepped forward from the unraveling shape of the wolf—naked, blood-spattered, and furious. He looked far more dangerous as a man.
Henri’s grip tightened, and Sammy winced as his claws pricked deeper.
“Don’t kill him,”Sammy shoved frantically through their bond, already guessing his mate’s intentions.
They needed names, both of victims and of every monster tied to the vampire. For that, at least for now, they needed Henri alive.
Dominic’s gaze flicked to him, understanding beneath the anger. Sammy could practically see his control sharpen to a razor’s edge.
Then he smiled.
He lifted his hand slowly, methodically, as if intentionally drawing attention to it. Two fingers extended, wrist turning in a small, almost absent motion—like screwing a bulb into a socket.
The crack rang through the chamber like a gunshot as Henri’s head jerked sharply to the side. His grip went slack, then vanished, sending Sammy staggering forward as the vampire’s body folded to the floor behind him.
Dominic flashed across the room, catching him around the waist and dragging him off his feet. Arms like steel bands surrounded him in comfort and protection, and despite the crushing embrace, Sammy breathed deeply for the first time since arriving at the mansion.
“Are you okay?” The wolf sounded none too steady himself.
Instincts and conditioning pushed him to agree, but he answered with something reassuring yet truthful instead. “I’m not hurt.”
Lowering him back to the floor, Dominic adjusted his grip—one hand on Sammy’s hip, the other cradling his cheek—and slanted their mouths together. The kiss was neither gentle nor careful. He didn’t coax or tease.
He branded him, possessed him, claiming his mouth with heat and urgency.
“I love you,” Dominic growled a moment later. “But if you ever—”
“Me?” Sammy gasped, lips stinging and lungs burning as he panted for breath.
His mate palmed the back of his neck and pulled him close again, a sigh brushing across Sammy’s ear. “Let’s get out of here.”
He pulled back with a frown. “You are very naked.”
Unconcerned, Dominic shrugged. “If I recall, you didn’t exactly mind when—”
“Dom!” Face burning, Sammy reached out and smacked his hand against the wolf’s bare chest. “Don’t flirt with me right now.”
His mate smirked, but a moment later, a pair of black leathers and a cotton tee covered his body. “Better?”
Sammy nodded, his ears still stinging with heat. “What about Henri?”