Chapter 245

“Over my dead body,” Asher snapped.

“That sounds like a great idea,” Joseph said, flashing his teeth. He jumped forward with the knife.

“Asher!” I gasped.

Asher jumped out of the way, snatched Joseph by the wrist, and disarmed him. The knife clattered away against the concrete sidewalk.

Joseph’s lack of sleep had made him slow and clumsy, but nowhere near docile. He snapped at Asher with elongating teeth. Asher shoved him away before he could be bitten.

In a flash, fur tore through Joseph’s skin. His jaw became a muzzle. His hands became clawed paws.

Fully shifted, he emitted a low, threatening growl. His eyes gleamed red under the moonlight.

Asher stepped between me and the wolf Joseph has become. “Stay back, Cynthia –”

“But, Asher…” I wanted to help. Joseph had terrorized us both for so long. I was so tired of living in fear. And to find out that he had hoped to kill me and my baby by stressing us to death? I was done running away.

It was time to take a stand. I would lose nothing else to this villain. Not my life, my child, my love – not even a moment’s sleep.

Asher glanced back at me with worry in his eyes. “For me. Stay back. You promised.”

I had promised I would listen to him, so even though I didn’t want to, I begrudgingly took a step back.

Joseph tracked the movement. His growling grew louder. He began to sidestep, as if trying to create an opening to pounce at me.

Asher didn’t allow it. He moved too, always staying in the way.

Eventually Joseph, in his impatience, pounced anyway.

“Asher!”

Asher shifted in a blink, becoming his beautiful and large alpha wolf. He collided with Joseph mid-air, deflecting him off course.

I immediately withdrew my phone and called the police. Yet even as I spoke with them, I kept my eyes on the fight.

Joseph usually cowered or ran at the sight of uneven odds, but he wasn’t running this time. The look in his eyes was outright feral.

He was backed into a metaphorical corner. Wanted by the police, he was living on the run. He’d lost his popularity, his education, his future. The only thing he had left was revenge.

He seemed like he was willing to die for it, so long as he took me or Asher down with him.

Asher continued to block me, keeping his large wolf body in between Joseph and me, even after Joseph made a few more lunging attacks. Almost like he was looking for a weakness in Asher’s defense.

Yet Asher was on the back foot. Protecting me meant he could only use defensive maneuvers and not attacks.

Joseph rushed forward again. Asher tackled him, pushing him down onto the concrete. But Joseph didn’t submit. Instead, he twisted and turned until he was loose enough from Asher’s grip to snap at one of Asher’s front legs.

Asher barked, a cut-off whine, as he struggled to get his leg free. Joseph’s mouth was clamped. He wasn’t letting go.

Asher bit into Joseph’s shoulder, and yelping, Joseph finally dislodged.

They rolled away from each other. Asher’s leg was bleeding. As was Joseph’s shoulder. Neither seemed willing to back down.

Joseph struck again, with claw strikes to Asher’s shoulders and jaw. Asher held his own, giving more than he got. But Joseph fought like a man possessed who couldn’t feel his own pain.

Asher shoved him away, but Joseph jumped right back. He was relentless. If this persisted, Asher would have to kill him to defend us, and we both wanted him to face justice for what he’d done, not take the coward’s way out.

I couldn’t just stand on the sidelines anymore. I reached inside of myself and tugged at my ability. It had been dormant for some time, while I lived in fear of being discovered and cast into that terrible research facility.

But I had no fear of using it now. I thought of Asher in his wolf form, and then projected a dozen copies of him, totally encircling Joseph.

Joseph startled. He backed up a step, before he realized there were more copies behind him. I made them growl.

Asher had always been my strongest projection. The duplicates I made now were perfection, barely recognizable as copies. They glowed, but with the orange light of the streetlights, it wasn’t perceptible.

The real Asher was safely behind the line of fake wolves. He glanced back at me in concern.

I understood his worry. Holding this many projections was a strain. But I was done running. I was done standing back.

Joseph would lose. And I would help bring him down.

In the circle, Joseph started to cower.

Asher saw his chance. He jumped over the illusions and landed straight on Joseph. Teeth on the scruff of Joseph’s neck, Asher pinned him onto the ground.

Joseph struggled, but it was weaker, like the fight had gone out of him. I made the wolves move in closer, and he visibly trembled in fear.

Asher and I kept him where he was until the police arrived. When the sirens came close, I dispelled my projections. I swayed on my feet, woozy from the exertion.

Asher, watching me, whined a little. He couldn’t move just yet, to check on me.

“I’m okay,” I told him.

As the police came closer, Joseph slowly shifted back into his human form. Asher released his hold but stayed close until the police had him in handcuffs. Then Asher, still in wolf form, came to my side.

Joseph looked even worse naked. He was bleeding all over from his fight with Asher. But even without the fight wounds, he was skinny enough to see his ribs. Most of his muscle had decayed.

Life on the run had not been kind to this man.

“This is your fault,” Joseph snapped at me as the police began to drag him away. “You ruined my life, Cynthia! You and that parasite inside of you!”

Asher growled.

I wrapped my arms around my waist, even as I lifted my chin in defiance. “No, Joseph. You ruined your life. And you tried to ruin mine, but I have friends and my love on my side. You never stood a chance at taking anything from me.”

“You bitch!” Joseph shouted. He was never one to lose gracefully. He cussed and screamed the whole way to the police car. When the door was slammed in his face, the evening was finally blessedly quiet again.

One of the policeman approached us, and Asher shifted back into human form.

The policeman started talking. He was telling us… something…

It was difficult to pay attention now. I was safe. I didn’t have to be strong anymore.

“Asher,” I said, hoping to give him warning.

His arms came around me, and I passed out.

When I woke up again, I was in a hospital bed, with the heart monitor beeping beside me.

Asher was beside me, leaning on the edge of the bed. He held my hand with one of his, while the other was brushing the hair back from my face.

“The baby?” I asked. My throat was dry.

“Okay,” he said. “You are too. Just exhausted.”

I glanced at his arm. It was wrapped in medical tape.

“Already healing,” he said, following my gaze. “In the morning, you won’t even know it was there.”

I would. I would never forget seeing Joseph tear into Asher’s flesh enough to make him bleed. But, for now, I could accept his words.

I nodded, and relaxed back onto the bed. Asher scratched at my scalp and I closed my eyes in pleasure. If I was a cat, I would have purred.

“I can’t believe it’s over. This feels like a dream,” I said.

“The chapter with Joseph is behind us, but the rest is far from over,” Asher said.

He leaned down and pressed his nose under my chin, as if he was scenting me. Maybe he was. Our bond thrummed with contentment.

“I love you, Cynthia. Your bravery, your strength. And when we are out of here… when I get you alone… I’m going to show you just how much.”

I swallowed thickly. The heart monitor started beeping faster.

“You see.” He smiled against the base of my throat. “Now that you know I love you with my whole heart, the next time we make love, you will feel it. And I’ll make sure it’s the best you’ve ever had.”