Page 20 of The Hunter's Heart
“Right.” Lucian leveled a long look at Antonio. “I think it’s time to get you home.”
Since the male would undoubtedly try to screw up Lucian’s plans, he knocked him out with a single blow to the face. Then he inhaled and let out a growl. It was tempting to kill him right there, but he needed Antonio alive, at least for now.
Hauling the male over his shoulder, Lucian closed the trunk and walked away into the darkness, heading toward the house on the hill. His father stayed in step next to him, and they moved swiftly. When they were a hundred feet from the security fence that surrounded the house, floodlights illuminated them, bringing Lucian and his father to a halt.
Lucian said loudly, “Dario’s expecting me.”
There was a long pause and then a male voice said, “Is Antonio alive?”
Lucian dumped the male onto the ground and he groaned.
Lucian palmed his blade and whispered to his father. “Make sure to kill this fucker when I’m inside.”
“My pleasure,” his father said.
Lucian swiftly cut through the tattoos on his arms, breaking the magical barrier. With each cut, Lucian felt his berserker become stronger.
The gate creaked as gears began to pull it open, and Lucian rolled his neck and readied himself for the coming battle. He had no idea what would happen when he gave into the beast within, but as long as Mia was safe, he didn’t really care.
It wasn’t Dario who came through the gate, but two of the cousins. He knew that Dario was most likely watching through a camera feed.
“Dario’s supposed to have my mate. Where is she?” Lucian demanded, stepping in front of Antonio and meeting the two males.
“We’re here to get the boss. Dario will be out for you later,” one of them said.
Lucian hummed. “No. That wasn’t the deal.”
The larger of the two males stepped up to Lucian and poked him in the chest. “I don’t care what your deal was. We don’t answer to you. Step aside or I’ll move you myself.”
Lucian smiled, and let go of the hold he had on the monster inside. Everything happened to him at once. His body bulked, his bones cracking and reforming as he grew at least two feet. His hair grew longer, and coarse fur sprouted on his shoulders and down his arms. His pants split as his thighs widened, his boots popping apart as his feet, which now looked like paws, clawed the ground.
His teeth had sharpened and lengthened, and his fingers were now tipped with black claws. The males, too stunned by the rapid change to move, were easy to kill. Lucian grabbed them by their throats and twisted his wrists until their necks cracked and their bodies went limp. Tossing them to the side, he let out a loud howl. It was a challenge and a warning. He would find his mate and he would kill any and all who had harmed her. There was no safe place for them anymore.
His father let out a howl behind him, and Lucian glanced over his shoulder to see him smash his clawed fist through Antonio’s chest. His father’s skin had turned dark like smoke, and the fur that covered his arms and chest was black. He looked more like a beast than a man, and Lucian knew he looked the same. But he wasn’t afraid of his father. Embracing the berserker made him realize that the only monsters in this place were the ravens.
Charging forward with his father at his side, they broke through the gate as it closed. His father took out the security guards as Lucian moved to the main house. Anyone who came near him, he killed. His sole focus was on finding Mia. As a hunter, he’d seen schematics of the house and the lab underneath, but he knew he couldn’t get to the lab without someone taking him down.
Which meant he needed to find Dario.
He heard a rifle cock and he glanced up, seeing a male in all-black point the barrel at him. Lucian ducked, ramming his shoulder against the front door as the bullet zipped by him. He heard shouting from the other side, and knew that Dario was most likely being moved to a safe room.
Backing up, Lucian cracked his neck and bellowed out a war cry, slamming against the door. It flew open with a bang, and Lucian lunged to the right as bullets began to fly. He caught the leg of a male and threw him into the line of guards who were taking aim at Lucian. They fell over like bowling pins, and Lucian didn’t stick around to see how long it took them to get up.
He lifted his nose and inhaled, sorting through the scents and finding Dario and his mother, Dahlia. He’d met them both and knew their scents from memory. His beast was happy to help him find the people who’d harmed Mia. He raced up a circular set of stairs, knocking guards out of his path. He heard guns fire, but the bullets didn’t seem able to penetrate his skin. Stopping at the top of the stairs, he listened intently. Down the hall he heard soft whispers, and knew he’d found them.
The door broke apart with one kick. A raven fired a gun at Lucian, but the bullet bounced off his shoulder and thudded to the floor. Dario and his mother were in the corner. Sweat covered Dario’s face, and he was clutching a knife.
Lucian grabbed the gun the guard held and broke it, then smashed his hand into the male’s face, shoving his nose into his brain and killing him instantly. There were other males, but they dropped their guns and raced past Lucian. They didn’t get far; their screams of pain echoed from down below, where his father waited.
“Where is my mate?”
“You killed my brother, you psycho!” Dario said. “She’s dead. She’s fucking dead!”
Lucian didn’t believe the male, but his beast did. The part of him that had been in control was suddenly gone, and he was thrown into full-blown blood lust. One moment he was staring at Dario and Dahlia, and the next he was holding Dario’s heart in his hand, the organ beating twice before stopping. He wasn’t even aware he’d moved at all. Dahlia screamed.
“I’ll take you to her! Please! I promise she’s alive!”
Lucian felt an arm around his throat and recognized it as his father. He allowed himself to be pulled away from the cowering female. “Take us to her. Now,” his father demanded.