Ranger’s deep, explosive growl cutting through the yard like a warning siren. Emily’s blood iced. The cup clattered from her grip as she sprinted for the door, heart pounding so violently she could barely breathe. When she burst outside, the scene hit her like a punch: Lily on the ground, pushed several feet from where she’d been standing.
Ranger, not beside her, but over her — no, past her — locked in a violent struggle with something in the grass. Emily didn’t see the blur he lunged at. She didn’t see the threat he chased. She only saw Lily, crying and shaken, and Ranger’s massive body thrashing yards away. “Oh my God—Ranger!” Emily’s voice cracked with terror and betrayal.