"Get your eyes off that damned light." Braden snarled. "Use your gut. Let it tell you when to shoot. Those laser guides are for sissies."
She licked her dry lips nervously, took a deep breath and watched the assailant as he ran. She lifted the weapon a bit higher than the sight called for, letting her senses explode, reaching out to the weapon as her Navajo grandfather had taught her to rather than depending on the sights as her training had.
She fired the first shot, cursing silently as the bullet bounced away harmlessly just above her target's head.
Quickly adjusting, she fired again, twice in rapid succession, and watched with a sense of satisfaction as the sniper shooting at her fell.
"Get ready." The Raider turned, slammed to a stop, and Braden exploded from the vehicle to secure him.
"Darnmit, that was dirty pool." Megan raced out behind him. "I took him down, I get to cuff him."
A roar exploded from Braden's throat as he struggled with the assailant, who was growling with feral intensity. She stood back in shock, horrified as she watched the curved fangs flash at the side of the assailant's mouth a second before they sank into Braden's shoulder.
Braden's fist slammed into the side of his head, a furious roar leaving his chest as wicked, long canines were revealed by the animalistic snarl his lips.
They were both Breeds.
Suddenly, the man who had been her co-conspirator in adventure was a primal, unknown threat. Discounting the fact that Braden seemed to know Lance, she couldn't be certain that even her cousin knew the man she faced now.
Shock transfixed her as she backed away, eyes wide, weapon raised. Braden's fist landed in the undefended underbelly of the shooter, taking his breath before Braden landed another hard blow to the face and then delivered an incapacitating strike to the vulnerable neck.
It was powerful enough to knock the other man unconscious. Powerful enough to send a pulse of terror pounding through her as she flipped her mic down. She reactivated he receiver at her ear as she leveled her weapon on Braden. He was powerful enough that the next blow he was drawing back for might very well kill the only thing alive capable of telling her what had happened here.
"Step away from him," she ordered, raising her voice above the animalistic growl rumbling from his chest. It would have been sexy if it didn't sound so damned dangerous. "Now."
She couldn't afford to trust him. She couldn't sense Braden, couldn't read him as she could others. And suddenly, she wasn't so certain that he wasn't the enemy as well.
"Megan? Megan? Is that you? Thank God!" Lance was screaming in her ear. "We're headed your way in a private chopper, ETA five minutes. What's your situation?"
She ignored his frantic questions.
"I thought you liked to live dangerously?" The canines flashed again as a growl rumbled from Braden's chest and he began to walk toward her.
Megan fired at his feet, causing him to come to a dead stop as he stared back at her in surprise. His brow lifted mockingly.
"I wouldn't come any closer if I were you," she warned him firmly.
He flipped his rnic down.
"Lance, your girl doesn't want to believe I'm one of the 1 good guys. Reassure her, huh?"
Braden was laughing. The son of a bitch was staring at her and laughing. No anger, no rage, no desire for retaliation against her. "Sometime before she puts a hole in my toe." She aimed higher. "Or somewhere more important."
She felt his amusement. It eased around her like a caress as she breathed in deeply, forcing herself to release the edge of calm she had allowed herself to tap into. His calm.
"Do you two think this is fun and games time?" Lance was screaming as the sound of the chopper coming in from the distance could be heard.
"Megan, if you shoot him, I'm going to tan your hide for sure. You'll never get out of booking. Do you hear me? Pull back, dammit."
She kept her gun leveled on him. Fine, Lance trusted him, but did her cousin know who and what they were dealing with here?
"The situation here is contained," she reported. "But I think I'll play it a bit safe and keep Puss in Boots in my sights until you get here."
Braden's eyes narrowed at the nickname as silence filled the receiver, confirming her suspicion that he was indeed a Lion Breed. Coyote fangs held a hard curve; the Lion Breeds' were straighter. He might not be the enemy, but he wasn't exactly safe either.
Lance groaned a second later. "Megan, sweetheart, you are digging yourself into a hole you won't be able to pull yourself out of here."
If the way Cat-boy was looking at her was any indication, she already had. Anger swirled in the golden depths of his eyes as he flipped the mic up and crossed his arms over his impressively broad chest.
She didn't feel the anger though. It wasn't whipping at her head, shredding her nerves. It was contained within him. Damn, she really could have grown to like him. Maybe.
"You do like to live dangerously then." The rough timbre of his voice sent a chill up her spine. "Next time, I'll let you tangle with the Coyotes and I'll find a nice place to sit and watch."
"Yeah, you do that." She refused to let the gun waver so much as an inch.
She could feel the tension in the air, despite his apparent casual stance. He was waiting on an opening, watching her for a weakness. And she could feel it, feel his readiness consuming her, pounding through her blood.
It was exciting rather than painful. Exhilarating when it should have been terrifying.