A Mate For Christmas

Chapter 13

Evie screamed. She could not help it. The rogue lunged forward, knife raised, and pure terror flooded through her.

One of her guards slammed into the rogue from the side, tackling him away from Evie. They crashed into a table, wood splintering under their weight. The guard shifted into wolf form mid fight, jaws snapping.

But two more rogues had climbed over the balcony railing. The second guard shifted to fight them, leaving Evie alone and unprotected.

Run, her brain screamed. Run now.

Evie bolted through the door into the hallway. Behind her, she heard snarling and the sound of fighting. She did not look back.

The hallway was empty. Everyone was outside fighting. Evie ran toward the stairs, her bare feet slapping against the marble floor. She had to get to the safe room. Had to get to safety.

Footsteps pounded behind her. Heavy and fast.

Evie glanced back and saw one of the rogues chasing her. He was still in human form, grinning like this was a game.

"Do not run, little Luna," he called out. "It will only make this more fun."

Evie ran faster. She reached the stairs and started down, taking them two at a time. Her foot slipped on the smooth marble, and she stumbled, catching herself on the railing.

The rogue was right behind her now. He grabbed her arm, yanking her backward.

"Got you," he said.

Something inside Evie snapped. All the fear, all the anger, all the frustration from the past two days exploded out of her. She spun around and punched the rogue in the face as hard as she could.

Pain exploded in her knuckles, but the rogue stumbled back, surprised. Evie did not give him time to recover. She remembered Victoria's training. Go for the weak points.

She kicked him between the legs. The rogue howled and doubled over. Evie shoved him as hard as she could. He tumbled backward down the stairs, landing in a heap at the bottom.

Evie ran. Her hand throbbed and her legs shook, but she kept going. She could hear the rogue getting up behind her, cursing.

She reached the main floor and turned down a hall toward where she thought the safe room was. But she was lost. The house was too big, too confusing.

Behind her, footsteps echoed. The rogue was coming.

Evie tried door after door. They were all locked.

Finally, one opened. She slipped inside and closed it quietly behind her. It was a library, dark except for moonlight streaming through tall windows. Shelves lined every wall.

Evie pressed her back against the door, trying to catch her breath. Her heart hammered so loud she thought the rogue would hear it.

Footsteps passed by the door. It stopped, then came back.

The doorknob turned.

Evie looked around frantically. There was nowhere to hide. No other exit. She grabbed the only weapon she could find, a heavy brass bookend from a nearby shelf.

The door opened slowly. The rogue stepped inside, his face bloody from where she had punched him.

"That was stupid, little Luna," he said, closing the door behind him. "Now I am going to make you hurt."

"Stay back," Evie warned, holding up the bookend with shaking hands.

The rogue laughed. "What are you going to do with that? Throw it at me?"

"If I have to," Evie said.

He moved toward her. Evie threw the bookend. It hit him in the shoulder, barely slowing him down. He grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall.

Evie could not breathe. His hand squeezed tighter, cutting off her air. Black spots danced in her vision.

"Raphael sends his regards," the rogue hissed in her ear. "He says to tell you that you will be dead long before the council hearing."

Evie clawed at his hand, desperate. She could not get free. Could not breathe. She was almost choking to death

Then suddenly the pressure was gone. The rogue was ripped away from her and thrown across the room. He crashed through a bookshelf, books flying everywhere.

Gideon stood there in human form, his eyes blazing gold. He was covered in blood, his clothes torn. But the rage on his face was terrifying.

"You touched her," Gideon said, his voice barely human. "You hurt what is mine."

The rogue scrambled to his feet. "I was just following orders."

"I do not care," Gideon said.

He moved so fast Evie barely saw it. One moment he was standing by the door. The next he had the rogue pinned against the wall, his hand around the man's throat just like the rogue had done to Evie.

"Please," the rogue gasped. "I surrender. I surrender!"

"Too late," Gideon said.

There was a sickening c***k. The rogue went limp. Gideon dropped the body and turned to Evie.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his hands running over her arms, her face, checking for injuries.

Evie's throat ached where the rogue had choked her. Her knuckles were bleeding from punching him earlier. But she shook her head. "I am okay."

Gideon pulled her into his arms, holding her so tight she could barely breathe. But this time it felt safe, not terrifying.

"I felt your fear through the bond," Gideon said against her hair. "I have never been so terrified in my life. When I saw him choking you, I wanted to tear him apart slowly."

"You killed him," Evie whispered.

"I did," Gideon said. "And I would do it again. He threatened you. Hurt you. That is unforgivable."

Jayden appeared in the doorway, back in human form and wearing torn pants. "Alpha, the rogues are retreating. We captured five alive for questioning. The rest are dead or fled."

"Good," Gideon said. "Put the prisoners in the cells. I want to know who sent them and what Raphael is planning."

"Already done," Jayden said. He looked at Evie. "You fought back. The guard told me you punched a rogue and kicked him down the stairs."