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Bain snorted. "Wake up, asshole."
The rider's lids flickered and his eyes opened a crack. "Motherfucker," he said.
I wasn't sure who that was aimed at, Bain, his situation, or himself. Maybe all three.
"Who are you working for?" Bain asked.
The rider groaned.
"We can get you help," Bain said. "Or we can leave you to die. The choice is yours. All you need to do is tell me who hired you."
That seemed like a reasonable request to me.
"Fuck you," the rider said.
Evidently he didn't agree.
"We can leave you to die and go through your belongings." Bain lowered himself to sit on the ground beside the rider and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked like he was prepared to wait for as long as it took.
The rider gurgled with laughter. "You won't find anything."
"We already have." I slipped off the bike and took wary steps closer. I didn't take my eyes off him, but I addressed Bain and Knox. "He smells like the trail that led over the wall."
"Tiger shifter, hmmm?" Bain mused. He poked the rider's shoulder with a fingertip. "What's with all the pissed off pussy?"
I choked back a laugh. Nothing about this was funny. I probably killed the rider whose bike exploded. This guy was very likely to die in front of my eyes.
"You wolves think too much of yourselves," the rider growled. His wild eyes fixed on me. "Traitor."
I blinked. "Huh?" I moved closer and crouched down. "What are you talking about? Am I really part tiger?"
The rider gave me a scornful look and pressed his lips together.
"C'mon, dude," I said. "If I'm a tiger and tigers have a problem with wolves, then don't you think I deserve to know? I mean, I wouldn't want to consort with the enemy." Sleep with them, yes; consort, no. Okay, I would consort with them too.
The rider turned his face toward me. "I don't know what you are, but you aren't like them."
Yeah, no shit, buddy.
"How?" I asked. He seemed to know a lot about me. "And why do you want me dead?"
"Not dead." He gurgled, clearly struggling to breathe.
"Can we get him an ambulance or something?" I asked.
"It's too late." Knox leaned to rest a hand lightly on my shoulder. "There was never going to be time to get help."
"But—" I exhaled out my nose in frustration. "If you didn't want me dead, why were you shooting at me?"
The rider gurgled again, then fell still, blank eyes staring at me.
"Fuck," I said under my breath. I rose, shrugged off Knox's hand, and stomped a few steps away. I figured the guy would die without telling me anything useful, but he left me with more questions than answers. I wonder if he did that on purpose, just to screw with me. That seems like the kind of thing a bad guy would do. Hades, if I really want to fuck with my enemy, that would be how I would do it.
Okay, I have a small vindictive streak. So sue me.
"Viva, are you okay?" Knox must have followed me.
I took a moment, then turned around. "Why is it that I'm an outcast wherever I go? The witches think I'm a freak. The shifters think I'm a traitor." I waved an arm roughly in the direction of the rider. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to have done. I just want to live my life. Y'know?"
