Page 11 of Crow Me A River

Misty frowned. Well, shit. She’d been expecting something a little more badass than that.

“I don’t think, Crow.” Vin’s smirk disappeared. “I know.”

“Yes,” Misty whispered excitedly, then accidentally sucked in a mouthful of water.

Coughing, she struggled to keep herself above the surface. Vin’s gaze shot toward her, his frown deepening before he looked back at Griffin.

“Either walk away or fly. I don’t give a shit which.” Vin started toward them. “Or stop running your mouth so I can kick all your asses and get her out of that water.”

Misty stared at him as he walked toward six Crow Shifters with more confidence than she’d ever seen on anyone. He was a big man, tall and packed with muscle. His untamed black hair hung to his shoulders, the darkness of it blending into the night. But it was his eyes that caught her attention. The deep chocolate brown she remembered from the bar was gone, replaced by a brilliant gold that reflected the moonlight. There was something animalistic in them now, something dangerous that hadn’t been there before.

She briefly wondered what kind of Shifter he was. She had no clue, but whatever lived inside Vin definitely wasn’t afraid of six pissed-off Crows. And damn, he was handsome. Her gaze drifted down his body before slowly making its way back up to his full lips. For one crazy second, she wondered how they would feel against hers.

Misty shivered.

She tried telling herself it was from the cold water or the night air touching her wet shoulders and face, but she knew better. It was him. This man she barely knew was standing up for her against six Crows, something no one in her life had ever done. And damn if it didn’t feel good.

“What? Are you some kind of hero?” Griffin snorted before glancing toward Misty. “Mister, she ain’t worth the beating you’re about to get. Her own brother sold her to our Alpha.”

“Stepbrother,” Misty growled, but no one paid her any attention. She would never claim Tucker as her blood.

“I’m no hero,” Vin said, his gaze finding Misty for a brief second before turning back to the Crows. “But disrespecting a female in any way is something I don’t tolerate. Only boys do that.”

The smirk disappeared from Griffin’s face, and Misty knew Vin had finally found the one thing guaranteed to piss him off. Questioning Griffin’s authority was bad enough, but questioning his manhood in front of the Crows who followed him was something he would never let slide.

With a curse, Griffin rushed him, and the other Crows followed his lead. Misty could barely keep track of Vin as fists started flying. For such a big man, he moved with a speed that shocked the hell out of her, and there was nothing wild or out of control about the way he fought. He seemed to know where every one of them was, even when they came at him from different directions. Griffin ended up on his ass, another Crow doubled over holding his stomach, and two more crashed into each other after Vin used one of them to take out the other.

“Holy shit,” Misty whispered, bobbing up and down to see better.

One of the Crows finally managed to land a hard punch across Vin’s jaw, snapping his head to the side. Misty sucked in a breath as Vin slowly turned his head back around. His golden eyes seemed to glow brighter as he worked his jaw, then looked at the Crow who’d hit him.

“Oh, you fucked up now,” Misty whispered.

Vin smiled, and apparently the Crow realized the same thing because the confidence disappeared from his face right before Vin hit him hard enough to send him sprawling.

“Damn.” Misty whispered impressed.

Griffin pushed himself off the ground, blood running from his lip as he looked around at the other Crows. None of them appeared nearly as eager to keep fighting as they had a few minutes ago.

Vin stood in the middle of them, breathing a little heavier but otherwise looking like he could do this shit all night. “We done?”

Griffin glared at him, but for once the asshole seemed smart enough to know when he’d lost. “This isn’t over.”

“Yeah, it is.” Vin wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his thumb. “Unless you want another lesson.”

Griffin’s face tightened, but he didn’t take the bait. He motioned toward the others before they started backing away.

“And Crow,” Vin called after him.

Griffin stopped without turning around to face Vin.

Vin’s eyes went to Misty’s clothes before returning to Griffin. “Next time you see a female alone and vulnerable, keep fucking flying.”

Griffin’s head turned slightly toward Misty, but Vin immediately took one step in his direction.

That was all it took. Griffin turned quickly and walked away.

Misty continued to tread water as she watched Vin keep a close eye on Griffin and his crew until they shifted and disappeared over the tree line. Only then did his attention turn back to her. His intense gaze locked with hers, and she noticed his eyes had returned to their normal dark chocolate color, which was kind of a shame.