Shifter Wars (36 page)

“I was right, that mouth of yours is going to get you killed one of these days.”

I jumped at the voice as Marie materialized in front of me. “He’s going to kill me anyway. I refuse to cower to the SOB.”

“Take a couple more deep breaths, and then get your butt off that chair.” She floated over to me. “You need to get it together and figure a way to get out of here.”

“Any suggestions?”

“There’s a guard in the hallway and several in the main living area of the house. I would say your best bet is to incapacitate the guard in the hall and make a run for it.”

I stood and paced the room. “I need a weapon.”

“Attagirl!”

Chapter 45

A thud sounded from outside the door, and I motioned for Marie to disappear. The guards were moving. I had been listening to sounds in the hall for a while so I’d be ready to act when opportunity struck. I grabbed the toilet tank lid—the only weapon I had been able to find—and stood to the side of the door to allow for some swinging room. My only shot was to try and escape and get word to Griffin and the others so he didn’t have a showdown with his crazy-ass brother.

The door cracked open, and a head poked through. I let the porcelain fly as a familiar voice whispered my name. I jerked my arms to the left, barely missing Jason’s head.

He flinched. “Jesus, Kyle, you almost took me out!”

“Damnit, that was close! I didn’t know you were you.”

He looked me up and down, and I did the same. He was carrying a tranq gun.

“Are you okay? Can you run?”

“Hell, yeah. I take it the tracking device worked. Where is everybody else?”

“Jean Luc, Will, and Talia are outside dealing with the guards and creating a diversion.”

“Where’s Griffin?”

“He’s looking for Chambers.”

“We have to find him.”

“Nope. No side trips. I’m getting you out of here. Once Griffin knows you’re safe, he’s going to take out Chambers.”

“Jason, listen to me. Chambers is actually Griffin’s brother, William. We have to tell him.”

“Shit. Let’s move before someone wonders why the guard outside your door decided to take a nap.”

We hurried down the hall toward the back of the house. A voice called out behind us. Jason swung around and fired, hitting one shifter in the chest with a dart, but another fired at Jason, and the bullet hit his shoulder, dropping him to his knees. I screamed and dove for his gun, but a pair of rough hands jerked me back against an iron chest.

Another guard yanked Jason to his feet, and we were steered toward the back of the house, into a large, enclosed courtyard. William stood in the center and watched our approach. The guard holding Jason pushed him to his knees in front of the asshole.

William’s nostrils flared slightly. “So you’re the whelp.”

Jason shot him a puzzled look. “What are you talking about?”

“Priceless! He doesn’t know, does he?”

“Know what?”

“Tell him, Kyle, or I will.”

I looked at Jason. Blood ran down his arm, and I knew what I was about to say would hurt more than the bullet in his shoulder. “You’re part shifter. Trina and Griffin smelled it on you. Griffin is trying to track your lineage.”

“That’s not possible.”

William chuckled. “I’m afraid it is. Your blood definitely has shifter in it. There’s no mistake.”

Jason’s face flashed numerous emotions, but the one directed at me was betrayal.

I couldn’t deal with it now. I turned to William. “Give yourself up. There’s no running now.”

“I agree. Which is why we’re going to wait for my brother to find us. My guards will keep the vamps out front busy, so we should have time for some fun.”

A voice bellowed from somewhere within the house. “Chambers!”

The shifters guarding the door stepped back and allowed Griffin to stalk into the courtyard. They then closed ranks behind him. William didn’t turn around to face Griffin.

Griffin looked at me and Jason for a split second before turning to the man in front of him. “Let them go. This is between the two of us.”

William spoke as he began to turn. “I’m afraid not, brother.”

Griffin froze. Shock flashed on his face before he quickly tamped down his emotions. “William, but you’re—”

“Dead? No, sorry to disappoint you.”

“What are you doing?” Griffin demanded.

“Taking back what’s mine. You’re not fit to lead.”

Griffin growled, and sparks flashed in his eyes. “I’m not fit to lead? You killed our father to gain the throne.”

William surged forward. “That’s a lie!”

Holy shit.
I looked from Griffin to William and knew without a doubt Griffin was telling the truth. The shifter guards also looked warily between the brothers.

“And how are you going to explain your resurrection, William?”

He shrugged. “I’ll simply tell the pack I’ve been running for my life from you. Your attempt to murder me was unsuccessful, and I’ve been biding time, raising the money and resources to overthrow your leadership. After I show them evidence of what you’ve done to the pack, stealing money and working with the poachers, they’ll understand why I had to fake my death.”

“Why try to kill your own son? What would it accomplish?”

“You raised Tim. He is no son of mine.”

“And Trina? What about her?” Griffin pushed.

I interrupted them. “He wasn’t trying to kill Trina, he was trying to kidnap her.”

William’s eyes widened in surprise. “Trina is young and has not been misled about me yet. She will be my successor.” He jerked his head toward Jason. “Grab the whelp and take him to the car. He’ll be useful later.”

Two guards carried a struggling Jason away.

“Bring me the girl.”

Griffin surged forward but two guards grabbed him. William unbuttoned my jacket, and another guard yanked it off me. Luckily, I was wearing a tank top underneath. William wrapped his arm around me, placing his hand across my stomach and I couldn’t stop the tremor that ran through me.

“I’ve been thinking for a long time about how to destroy you, brother, and I’ve finally come up with the perfect solution.”

His hand lengthened and claws appeared. Griffin tried to wrench away from the guards but they stopped him again.

I held my breath as William lifted his claws and ran one down my neck. The sharp pain made me gasp, but it was over quickly. It wasn’t a deep cut, but warmth ran down my neck, and blood stained my tank.

“She smells sweet, doesn’t she, Seamus?”

“Don’t hurt her!”

“I’m not the one who’s going to hurt her. You’re going to kill her.”

“You might as well kill me now. I won’t touch her.”

“Oh, I agree. Your boring, self-righteous, human side won’t hurt her. But your out-of-control animal side? That’s something else.”

I watched in horror as a shifter stepped forward with a syringe. Griffin struggled, but the guards holding him were too strong. They jammed the syringe into his arm. His eyes immediately changed, amber streaks racing through the green, and he doubled-over, his skin fluttering like a jellyfish. His fingers lengthened into claws.

He rammed into his captors, throwing one to the ground and digging his claws into his neck. He lifted his face to mine and hissed.

“Run, Kyle!”

I tore through the back gate. I was dead, and Griffin was the one who was going to kill me. Hell, I didn’t even know what type of animal he turned into. But from his scared voice and deadly claws, I was pretty sure it wouldn’t be a bunny rabbit.

I choked back a harsh laugh. I really was Fate’s bitch. I couldn’t catch a break.

A growl echoed behind me, and I tripped over a small cactus, landing hard on the ground. I was fast becoming one of those bimbos in a horror movie. I jumped back up, not stopping to check for injuries. Running and half crawling up a sand bank, I came to the top and realized I had nowhere to go. Metal fencing circled the property. I turned back and looked down the slope.

Sitting at the bottom was the biggest lion I had ever seen. I held my breath and gazed into his amber eyes. He cocked his head and blinked at me.

Chapter 46

My stomach bottomed out, and hysteria squeezed my brain like a vise. How was I going to get away from Griffin? He was terrifying and awesome, and he stared up at me as if he could read my mind. He lifted his head, his mane ruffling in the breeze while he sniffed the air. I ran my shaking hand up the side of my neck and swiped at the blood, which must have marked me as a Friskies treat for lions.

After a moment, he stood and paced back and forth at the bottom of the hill. My heart thumped as I flashed back to my childhood. One day I had watched a cat in my neighborhood mousing. The cat had played with his prey, letting it think it could escape, but would then pounce on it again and again.

I wasn’t going to die quickly.

When I didn’t come down the hill, Griffin rumbled in his chest and moved toward me. I stood still for a second, confused. He wasn’t acting like a crazed animal. Maybe the drug wasn’t working?

The thought evaporated the moment Griffin bared his teeth. I backed up, turned, and ran in the other direction toward the house. Before I was able to reach the gate, a guard blocked my path, and I slammed into his chest and screamed.

A roar sounded so loud behind me that I covered my ears. I turned and almost swallowed my tongue as Griffin leapt toward us. I flung myself to the side at the last second, and the shifter guard took the brunt of the hit. Griffin swiped at the guard, who screamed as claws ripped through his arm.

A voice yelled from the gate. “Kill her, damn it!”

William rushed toward us, transforming as he moved, clothes tearing, arms and legs extending as he morphed into a jaguar. I turned to run, stumbling over my own feet and landing on my butt. I threw my arms over my head when the jaguar leapt through the air. Before he could reach me, Griffin decided to play and met him in midair. They crashed together with a sickening thud.

Cat screams erupted, and I scrambled back, trying to get out of the way. The two cats rolled across the ground, their fur littering the air. When they finally broke apart, they circled each other in a feline display, trying to gauge the other’s weakness. In a flash, Griffin clawed at William, gouging his ear. The jaguar hissed and backed off.

William went on the offensive, his paw snapping out and ripping into Griffin’s side. Griffin bellowed in pain, and my breathing halted. I was watching a very gory show on
Animal Planet
, I thought hysterically, and I wasn’t alone. The other shifter guards had come out to watch the fight.

I ran up to the closest one. Trying to form words as I gulped for air, I choked out, “Stop them… They’re killing each other!”

He looked at me like I was an idiot. “No, this needs to happen.”

I was so sick of this king of the mountain shit. I lunged for his gun, and he punched me. I cried out and dropped to the ground, the gun skidding out of reach. Blood flooded my mouth, and I spit it out onto the ground. Great. Adding more of my blood scent to the pandemonium had not been part of my plan.

A large shadow fell over me, and my throat closed. I swallowed a whimper and looked up, although what I wanted to do was fold into the fetal position. I was face-to-face with Griffin. His whiskers almost tickled my face. He opened his mouth, and saliva dripped from his sharp teeth.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Trying not to make any sudden moves, I scanned the ground for the gun. If I winged him, maybe I could slow him down enough to get away.

I wondered why William wasn’t attacking, until I saw him pacing in the background. He was waiting for Griffin to end this by ending me. Catching sight of the gun to my right, I edged toward it and wrapped my fingers around the metal grip.

Griffin tossed his head and growled.

He raised his paw to strike. I raised the gun and pointed it at him.

“Griffin, please don’t make me do this!” I cried. At the sound of his name, he stopped. “It’s Kyle. You know me. Don’t let William win!”

He growled again, and I couldn’t breathe. My finger rested on the trigger as I had a stare-down with a 500-pound lion. William snarled behind him, and I tensed, the gun slipping slightly in my sweaty palm.
Please don’t make me shoot you!

I lowered my hand. I couldn’t shoot him. I searched his eyes…and they seemed to recognize me.
Please don’t let it be wishful thinking.
After a few more angst-ridden seconds, he dropped his paw, and I let out a ragged sigh.

My relief was short-lived. William took advantage of Griffin’s distraction and leapt toward him. I screamed in warning. They slammed together and tumbled to the ground. I watched in horror as William bit Griffin’s shoulder. Griffin roared. Before I could fire off a shot at William, Griffin flipped him over and sank his jaws into his neck.

William lay on the ground, twitching. Blood spurted from his neck and pooled on the ground. After a couple seconds, he stopped moving. I swallowed hard and turned away as he changed back into his lifeless human form.