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Noble came to his feet, his eyes narrowing as he found Haley crawling into the kitchen. Somehow, she had managed to jerk her gown on and was finding safety. Good. If she could just get out of the house. Just get to safety.
Hazel eyes narrowed on him as the man crouched beside the body of his dead mate. He screamed again, rage and anger, insanity burning inside him as a knife cleared the sheath at his thigh and he jumped for Noble again.
The fiery slash against his thigh had Noble cursing, but not pausing. His fist cracked into the trainer's shoulder, his arm blocking the knife as he pulled back quickly.
He jerked Haley's robe from the floor, twisted it, and used it to deflect the blade as he fought for an opening in the man's defenses.
Alaiya's trainer had been one of the best the council had, he remembered that. Mark English was a former black ops agent before the Council recruited him. He was well trained and had a taste for blood.
"You killed her." Mark jumped back, glaring at Noble.
"She would have killed my mate," Noble snarled back at him. "Get a grip, English. You'll die tonight, too."
English rushed him. At the last second, Noble knocked the knife from his grip, twisted his arm, and threw him into the wall.
A hard kick to his stomach had Noble flying back, then the sound of an explosion had him freezing.
He saw the shock on the other man's face, the hole in his chest, blood splattering the walls around him as he slowly sank to the floor.
Noble swung around, expecting to see Mordecai, perhaps even Shiloh.
Instead, he saw his mate. Her gray eyes were wide, her face white. She held the short rifle in her hands and stared at the body of the trainer she had killed without pity, then turned back to Noble.
Noble looked back at English, then back to his mate. Son of a bitch. She was holding that gun like a pro.
"My daddy is a former soldier," she reminded him.
Noble nodded. Hell, he had to be in shock. "He taught me to shoot first, worry about the fallout later. If you're falling out, then at least you're alive."
She was shaking.
Noble moved to her and took the gun. "I could have taken him."
She frowned and looked at the gashes on his waist, thigh, his arms. "Yeah, no doubt." She breathed out roughly. "But he was making you bleed. I didn't like that. He was going to cut something important." She stared down in disbelief. "God, Noble, you really need to get some jeans on. I don't want all those female breeds that I know will be here soon seeing you like that."
He looked down, his lips twisting in amusement. He was still more than semiaroused. Mating heat could be a wicked bitch.
He moved back to the couch and grabbed his jeans before jerking them on. Just in time to hear the kitchen door crash in and all those breeds she was talking about pouring into the house.
He jerked her robe up. Some of his blood was on it, and wrapped her in it as she leaned against him.
Jonas didn't bother asking questions. He stared at Alaiya, then at English, and Noble saw the heaviness in his expression.
"I should have known it was her," he finally said, sighing. "She managed to slip away from me. Stayed just out of range. But I should have known."
And Noble knew he should have suspected. They had all known she was lying about having mated a breed the month before when she arrived at Sanctuary. They had known she had influenced several of the tests that indicated she had mated a breed.
"She was good." Noble exhaled as he held Haley closer, his nerves still taut, still amazed by the sheer courage his mate possessed.
"Yes . . ."
"Don't you tell me I can't come in here!" A booming voice filled the house as Haley jerked in Noble's arms. "Son, you want to get out of my way before we jerk your head off your shoulders and rip your guts out your throat."
"Oh God. It's Daddy."
Noble stared down at her, then into the kitchen. Flaming-haired, gray eyes dark in anger, and followed by two more just like him, it appeared the McQuires had finally made it back to Buffalo Gap. All six-foot-five or better, powerful, red-haired, with blazing eyes and furious expressions. The three warriors stood glaring at him as his arms tightened around her.
Haley turned in his arms and faced her father as he shoved his way past the breeds filling the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway, stared at the carnage, then at his daughter.
