She grinned, leaning forward to kiss him softly on the lips.
“I like the sound of that,” she said.
“Me, too,” he answered.
“Why are you all dressed?” she asked. He sighed.
“I have to take off. Something came up. I shouldn’t be too long.”
“Is it work?” Olivia asked, sitting up and stretching. Henry hesitated. He didn’t want to lie, but he didn’t want to worry her either. Especially when there was nothing to worry about. He’d mop up Philodendron without any trouble and be back before she could even miss him.
Then we’ll have that nice dinner I planned before the asshole called to ruin my day.
Olivia reached out and touched his cheek, shaking her head.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me. I didn’t mean to pry.”
He took her hand and squeezed it.
“No, you didn’t pry. It’s just not that big of a deal. Like I said, I won’t take long.”
“Okay,” she said, getting up. “I guess I’ll find my clothes.”
“Good luck,” he said, chuckling. “I had trouble finding mine!”
He left her giggling at his poor joke and hurried out to the street. He got into his car and pulled out into the traffic with savage intent. He wanted this over and done with. The sooner he tied up all the loose ends, the sooner he could enjoy his time with Olivia.
The industrial district was creepy enough, but the section of abandoned warehouses gave off the same kind of atmosphere as a graveyard. As he approached, Henry scented the air but could sense nothing amiss.
Except that there were definitely shifters nearby. More than one. He didn’t mind … he’d expected Philodendron to bring friends.
Of course, the worthless creep would never fight me on his own.
He strode straight into the warehouse, not bothering to approach with caution. He even did a little spin as he entered, spreading out his arms.
“You want me? Come and fucking get me!” he roared. His voice echoed around the big, empty space, bouncing back from the bare, cold concrete to boom into the dark corners and hallways.
For a few seconds, nothing happened. He could smell shifters, but he couldn’t hear or see anything.
“Philodendron,” he muttered. “I’m tired of waiting for you!”
Behind him, he heard the soft whisper of paws hitting the concrete. He barely turned in time to catch the tiger that was jumping at him. It must have approached with incredible stealth for him to miss it.
Henry threw up his arms, catching the weight of the big cat as it leapt. It opened its jaws, ready to sink its teeth into his forearms, but before they could hit the floor, he shifted, throwing off the other cat with ease.
They began to circle each other. The tiger was almost as big as he was, powerfully built and strong. It definitely wasn’t Philodendron, but Henry couldn’t worry about that now. He knew his nemesis would be around here somewhere and all he had to do was save enough strength for that final blow.
The tiger hissed and switched its tail. He coiled his body, ready to strike.
Something huge and heavy dropped on him from above. It had razor-sharp claws that dug into his coat, drawing blood. He let the weight push him down, rolling and coming up with his claws out. The massive eagle swooped on him once more, clawing at his head as it winged away.
The tiger crashed into him, rolling them both across the ground. As he fought the tiger, the eagle flew back to hover over their heads, diving on him to tear at his head and tail. Henry was getting tired, and he knew if he didn’t do something soon, they could beat him before he even found out where Philodendron was.
He increased his efforts, swiping at the tiger and leaping on his back legs to tear at the sky and strike the eagle. Just as he felt the fight turning to his favor, there was an earsplitting roar behind him.
Is that what I think it is?
He spun around, seeing a huge black bear standing behind him. Before he could react, it swept a massive paw at him, and Henry flew through the air, hitting the wall hard enough to make cracks in the concrete.