The two of them sat across from each other on the bench seats, never breaking eye contact. The door slammed shut, and their captors climbed into the seats in the front.
The engine roared to life, and the van abruptly pulled away, causing them to sway in their seats, but Ray and Augusta’s eye contact never wavered.
“I love you,” Ray said finally. His warm gaze melted her heart even in a situation as serious as being in the back of a van. This was likely their last few moments together, and she didn’t want to mess it up.
She took a moment to process his words until she realized that after everything they had gone through together, she truly trusted him. She had fought so hard to convince herself she couldn’t when it was right there all along.
Why hadn’t I figured that out sooner before we were both about to die?
“I love you, too, Ray,” she responded. Butterflies filled her stomach when his eyes lit up. She had finally said it. Ray slid into the seat next to her so he could speak to her without the men up front hearing their conversation.
“You know what?” he began. “There’s no damn way I will allow this. I will not find my perfect woman and die. Thanks to you, I finally know what it feels like to hope for the future, and it feels good. I’m not letting that go. I’m ready to be the man for you, the man you need me to be.” He took her hand, and his eyes shot forward to the men driving, ensuring they hadn’t heard him.
Augusta understood he was ready to be the man for her. The one she needed him to be. She had finally opened herself to allow him to step up, and she was so grateful he had. There had to be a way out of that van, and they needed more time together. It couldn’t be the end of them just yet.
He winked at her and slid away, back into his seat. He seemed to be giving them enough space so he wouldn’t hurt her. She watched as he shifted into his beautiful other self to protect her.
How can someone like me deserve someone like him?
His paws flew over the rear seats toward the driver and grabbed his chest, throwing his head back against the seat. Ray sank his teeth into the side of the man’s neck as the man in the passenger seat lunged at him.
Augusta didn’t know what to do to help him. Ray was too big and took up too much space for her to squeeze up there and offer any assistance. She had no choice but to sit there. She hoped he was healed enough to defeat them both.
The man in the passenger seat flew back in the seat next to her as Ray ripped him out of his seat belt. She screamed at the sight of his fatal wounds. She would never get used to that.
She felt the van veer off the road, sending them flying into the air as it rolled. She hit her head hard on the roof of the van as it flipped and rolled. She couldn’t tell quite how often she had been tossed around, but it was a dangerous amount.
Between rolls, she noticed that Ray had somehow ended up in the driver’s seat on top of the man he had bitten, hitting the horn every time his large body came crashing down onto it with every roll.
Until it came to an abrupt stop, resting on its roof.
Chapter25
Ray
Ray knew the moment the van spun out of control. He was thrown against the wall, the breath blasted from his body. Little Stevie, Malone, and the other guy smashed into him, all of them crushed under the force of the van leaving the road.
Where is Augusta?
He felt the panic rising in him, even as he was tossed around in the shaking vehicle. For a few seconds, nothing was real, as up turned into down, and the world literally went sideways. Ray felt like he was inside a washing machine, being tossed into high orbit like the infamous left sock.
There was a horrible crunching sound and the shattering of glass. It tinkled around him like crystal rain, blown back from the force of the impact. He sprang to his feet, looking toward the back of the van where he had last seen Augusta.
To his relief, she was sitting up, holding on to one of the benches as she tried to rise. She was covered in small wounds and bruises, but it seemed she’d be okay.
Ray tried to get to her, but his tail was grabbed by very powerful hands. He yowled in pain as his backside was yanked, and he was dragged from the van, even though his claws left deep tears in the metal as he tried to hang on.
He roared in fury and pain as he was swung in a big circle by his tail and hurled through the air. He hit a nearby tree with a thud and crashed to the ground, narrowly avoiding breaking every bone in his body. Groaning, he got up, looking for the motherfucker that had just pitched him ten feet as easily as if he were a wet sheet.
At the back of the van, a huge black bear stood on its hind legs, its nose in the air as it roared, baring its teeth.
Malone?
Behind it, there was a sinewy shape he couldn’t quite make out. He guessed that it was Little Stevie and that both of them were shifters. The ground around the van was littered with bodies and splattered with blood, so he had to assume everyone else was dead.
Augusta is still in the van.
He prayed that Matchstick Malone and Little Stevie didn’t realize it or that maybe they thought she was dead. Ray prayed that she would keep her head down and out of the way.