Scent Of A Mate: League Of Gallize Shifters Page 9

  Power tingled at the tips of her fingers, ready to do her bidding. She could disable this shifter, but the others were too far away for a blast of power to work on them. All she’d succeed in doing would be to expose that she was far more valuable than just an irritation to punish.

  Working to buy time, she said, “You caught me. What do you want?”

  “I have what I want.” He laughed, opening his arms wide. “I get to hand you over to the boss for one hell of a bonus. Your little reign of terror has come to an end.”

  Someone banged on the doors at the end of the barn facing the house.

  Carver yelled, “That our guys?”

  “Yep.”

  “Let ’em in.”

  One door swung wide, backdropped by the dusty light of encroaching darkness. Clouds had rolled in today, which would stifle the moonlight.

  Two jackal shifters dragged in Adrian, who looked like hell. Blood dripped from his stomach where he had his hands clasped over a hole. If that wasn’t healing, he must have been shot with titanium.

  Another shifter guided Vic forward with the handle of a sword shoved into Vic’s back. Eighteen inches of the wide blade tip protruded from his stomach.

  Did the Pagan Nomads know they’d captured Gallize shifters? Probably not. That meant they would torture them for information before killing the men.

  Both were pale from blood loss and titanium poisoning. Every minute that metal stayed inside their bodies slowly killed them. The sour smell of tainted blood reached her.

  Scarlett couldn’t believe this mess. They were screwed.

  Chica demanded, Change now!

  Did her cougar really believe they could defeat these odds?

  A deafening roar exploded into the barn as Gan burst through the opening in his Siberian tiger form. He came in as a striped tornado, claws and fangs lashing at everything in his way.

  She’d never been so happy to see that monster tiger.

  He slapped the shifter Carver had left by the door. That guy hit so hard his head cracked open.

  High-pitched howling erupted as the three jackals left shifted.

  Scarlett ripped her vest free and unleashed Chica, who could be far deadlier faster rather than wasting time trying to reach the gun.

  Titanium might not kill.

  Chica would.

  Carver had whipped back around, his animal’s mad eyes glowing yellow. He’d changed to a light brown jackal, but she had a step on him.

  Chica screamed with fury and tore into Carver’s jackal.

  Gan’s tiger slashed bodies and hammered anything in his path. Jackal howling and cries shook the air.

  Scarlett’s cougar fought with relentless determination to finish off this jackal, but Carver’s animal had training. He attacked, spun to the side, and attacked again. Scarlett felt the bite of sharp claws across Chica’s shoulder.

  But Chica could be wily. She dodged one attack, rolling, then coming to her feet to leap on the jackal’s back.

  She spun her paws like a shredding machine as the jackal jumped around, trying to dump her.

  Two more jackals dove into the fray. That had to be the pair from the other end of the building.

  One clawed her back and the other locked her hind leg in his jaws. Chica’s legs were getting mangled, but they were still trying not to kill her.

  Scarlett wouldn’t return the favor.

  Her magic thrashed inside her, urging her to tap it, just once. Stop suffering and help her cat.

  Chica shouted, Need magic.

  Scarlett’s resolve faltered then she stopped. No.

  If the Pagan Nomads could capture her, so could a greater danger who wanted her magic.

  But her cat was getting bludgeoned. She reached for her magic, sick at the risk she had to take, then ...

  A giant shadow crossed overhead then a huge body crashed down behind her.

  Fangs released her cougar’s legs.

  Jackals slung around howled in pain.

  Chica doubled down on tearing through the neck of Carver’s jackal. He shoved up hard, trying to dislodge the cougar killing him, but Chica opened and closed her jaws again in a split second.

  With a firmer grip and fury driving her strength, she yanked her head back and forth. She might not have the jaws of a tiger, but she had the heart of a lion. Chica tore through muscle and crushed bone. When the jackal’s head fell loose and hit the floor, the headless body collapsed.

  Chica heaved one breath after another. She pushed up.

  Her back legs functioned, but her body trembled from the damage until she turned to search behind her.

  Scarlett watched through Chica’s eyes as the last jackal died.

  Gan’s tiger held down the body of a still-fighting jackal with one huge paw, opened his wide jaws, and bit the head off. He flung it aside like a child’s ball.

  Tiger eyes glazed with murderous intent swung toward them.

  Oh, shit. No humanity in those crazed eyes.

  Chica purred in happiness. Tiger come back.

  Her cougar took a step toward him. No, Chica. He’s dangerous.

  Tiger good, her cat argued.

  Blood dripped from his jaws. Hair tufted across his massive back. He had to be twice the size of her cougar.

  His jaws opened and he roared, an awful sound, warning of impending deaths.

  Dammit. Scarlett said, Chica, drop down and show him your throat.

  No. Never. Chica hissed at his actions.

  Scarlett had always been proud of her cougar’s refusal to bow to any other animal, but showing submission right now might be their only hope of survival.

  Gan had no control over that tiger.

  Chica took another step, which put them within the tiger’s reach. Stop, Scarlett pleaded.

  Too late. The tiger snarled and swiped a paw at her cougar.

  Chica jerked back, but not before a sharp claw sliced her face.

  Scarlett screamed curses Gan’s tiger couldn’t hear. She had to stop him somehow.

  Chica wasted no time in retaliating.

  Her cat snarled, arched her back, and dove at the tiger.

  Chapter 11

  Stuck inside the beast, Gan kept yelling at his tiger telepathically, but the monster ignored him. That is Scarlett, fucking moron. Stop hurting her!

  Kill cougar.

  Do it and I swear I will cut my head off when I shift back to human just to kill you.

  The tiger stopped short as if unsure if Gan could do what he claimed.

  That hesitation allowed Scarlett’s provoked cougar to dive at him and slam a paw with all claws out across his nose.

  Ouch. Her claws had cut open his tiger’s face.

  Gan had no way to stop this craziness.

  The cougar hissed and spun, bowing up to really attack this time. The swipe at his nose must have been a warning only.

  Scarlett’s cougar had no fear of his tiger that towered over her. He begged his tiger, Do not kill Scarlett. She is cougar.

  All of a sudden, her cougar dropped to the ground and started changing into Scarlett.

  Confused, Gan’s tiger backed up.

  Good thing because Gan didn’t believe he could stop his tiger from attacking Scarlett while she shifted.

  The animal had fought Gan over leaving the farm.

  To be honest, Gan fought himself over leaving. It felt wrong no matter how insulted he’d been.

  When he saw jackal shifters taking Vic and Adrian into the barn, he knew Scarlett had to be in trouble.

  Shifting could get him shipped to Wyoming immediately, but he didn’t care. He would not let jackals harm Scarlett. Vic and Adrian wouldn’t have survived waiting on Gan to figure out how to contact the Guardian.

  Now that Scarlett had startled his tiger into stopping, Gan dragged up all the energy he could find and forced the change. His tiger fought him, making the change miserably slow, but finally gave in when the struggle clearly hurt the animal just as much.

  Scarlett
lay panting on the floor.

  Falling to his knees next to her, he lifted her up, sick over the wound on her cheek. Crazy tiger. “I am sorry.”

  She grabbed his arm and pushed him away. “What the fuck?”

  He must be just as insane as his tiger, because hearing her yell at him calmed his worries. She would be okay. “Tiger is stupid. Does not understand who is friend and who is enemy.”

  “Are you kidding me?”

  He gave her a frown. “Why would I make joke?”

  She stopped seething and looked hard at him. “You’re serious.”

  “Yes.” Much like the tiger when the animal was in blood lust, his human body had no control this close to Scarlett without clothes. He’d envisioned her this way, but he lacked imagination because the real woman was so much hotter.

  She asked, “Are you hurt anywhere?”

  “I am good.” Yes, he hurt everywhere, but with his animal calming down he could feel the wounds healing.

  “That was a lie.” She started searching his body, which had plenty of blood on it, but mostly from jackals. Her gaze drifted down his chest ... and farther.

  Her mouth opened in an O.

  Having her stare down there at him made his dick even harder. He couldn’t stand, much less walk around this way, but he didn’t know how to fix this.

  Then he had the best idea. “I knew you like me.”

  That snatched her gaze back to his face. Embarrassment brightened her cheeks. She scowled. “Don’t kid yourself.”

  But her face argued with her words.

  Seeing blood drizzle down her cheek disgusted him at his inability to control his beast. He touched the soft skin around the wound, glad to see it healing. “Stupid tiger. Want to kill him.”

  “That’s not a winning proposition for a shifter,” she quipped in a dry tone. Releasing a hard sigh, she wiped the blood from her cheek. The cut had almost closed. “Don’t worry, Gan. I’ll survive. Besides, you’re bleeding, too.”

  He reached up and wiped the blood from two deep gouges across his nose and cheek. “Cougar not nice.”

  “Nope,” Scarlett agreed. “She will beat down any person or shifter who harms us. You should heal without scarring. How are Vic and Adrian?”

  “Wait here. I check.”

  “Okay. I’ll get with the women.”

  After stepping over body parts that had shifted from jackals back to humans, Gan’s body thankfully lost all desire for sex. He found Vic on his knees leaning forward. Vic had an arm extended to the floor, preventing the tip of the sword from touching the ground.

  That had to be painful.

  Adrian lay on his back, gripping his chest and making painful sounds.

  Gan knelt next to Vic. “I pull sword out?”

  Nodding, Vic wheezed, “Do it.”

  Jumping up, Gan put a foot on Vic’s back, gripped the handle. He did his best to pull the long blade straight out. He didn’t want to cause Vic any more pain than necessary.

  But a sound came out of Vic that turned Gan’s stomach. He helped the shifter lay over on his side, then went to Adrian.

  Staring down at the wolf shifter, Gan asked, “How do I help you?”

  Between pants, Adrian said, “Find a knife. Scarlett’s vest should have one. Dig the bullet out.” He choked out another breath and blood oozed from his mouth. “Then I’ll change and heal.”

  Gan turned to look for Scarlett’s vest.

  She walked up to him, wearing the vest that covered her upper body and ripped pants tied around her waist shielding her lower half. She carried a blanket draped over one arm. In her other hand, she held a knife she flicked open.

  With a glance at Adrian, she told Gan, “I’ll cut the fragments out unless you have experience with removing bullets.”

  He gave her a half smile. “Not me. I am here only to observe.”

  Adrian muttered a curse.

  Her green eyes twinkled. “Touché, tiger.”

  Gan had no idea what two shays were, but liked making her smile.

  Dropping down, she ripped Adrian’s shirt open and used a scrap of that material to wipe blood away from the wound. While Scarlett handled that, Gan went back to Vic who had managed to sit upright. The clenched jaws said he’d paid a price for that move.

  Vic had lost his vest somewhere and now shucked his shirt. He tried to push his pants off, but winced every time he leaned forward. Face drenched in sweat, eyes weary from pain, he looked up at Gan. “I need to shift and start healing. The blade left no titanium inside me the way bullet fragments have in Adrian. If I shift, I’ll heal faster. Once she clears enough out of Adrian, he’ll survive until one of our medics can wash out the poison.” Taking a breath, Vic glanced at his pants and explained. “Need clothes after I shift.”

  “I understand.” Gan stepped around to Vic’s feet to first pull off his boots, then yank his socks and pants off. Then he stepped back.

  Vic shifted slowly, bones making horrible sounds as they broke and rearranged. His boxer shorts shredded as he turned into a giant red fox.

  That looked nothing like any fox Gan had seen before.

  What was Vic’s animal?

  The entry and exit points of his wound repositioned, but also began healing over. Vic’s animal moved slowly, panting hard after the effort of shifting.

  A long howl echoed through the building.

  Gan turned to find Adrian’s crazy wolf climbing to his feet and swaying. He snarled and drool slid from his mouth when he exposed his fangs.

  Moving quickly, Gan lifted Scarlett up and put her aside then stood between her and the wolf.

  That only increased the wolf’s guttural snarls.

  “Do not touch her,” Gan warned, unsure if his words would get through to Adrian now that he was not human. “If you do, I will turn my tiger loose on you.”

  Adrian’s wolf snapped up at Gan, who didn’t even flinch, then the animal turned away. He walked gingerly over to the doorway and sat down to lick his wound.

  Scarlett stepped up beside Gan, sounding amused. “Did you really think he would attack me?”

  “No, but I did not want to take risk. His wolf is sick in head. Not good.”

  Humor vanished. “You mean the Guardian sent me out here with an out-of-control wolf?”

  “Yes. And tiger. Both crazy, but wolf can behave if reminded not to be stupid,” Gan said, then turned to find her staring at him and not happy.

  He felt the need to remind her, “Tiger save everyone.”

  She blinked, catching herself. “Yes, you did. Thank you for showing up and keeping us alive ...” Her voice trailed off and her gaze drifted away.

  Why had she stopped talking when she had more to say?

  Gan leaned in to ask her to finish, but she changed the topic. “Vic is a maned wolf?”

  Following her line of sight to the tall animal with a deep red coat and black legs, he asked, “Does mane mean fox and wolf?”

  “Maned,” she corrected, emphasizing the d on the end. “It’s not a wolf, or a fox, actually. A maned wolf is a specific species all its own,” she explained. “They’re native to South America. Pretty rare.”

  So many shifters. Gan shook his head. “What now?”

  Adrian said, “We need to call headquarters.”

  The wolf had shifted back to human form. Adrian pushed to his feet, his skin pale and hair slick with sweat. He walked over and dragged his jeans on, zipping them. “The jackals tore up our comm gear and crushed our phones.”

  “Not mine,” Scarlett said with a hint of smugness. She peeled off a layer of her vest that exposed a mobile phone, another knife, and some odd things Gan couldn’t identify hidden inside.

  Adrian asked, “Where’d you get that vest?”

  “I had it made.” She lifted the phone to eye level, punched numbers.

  Gan could hear both sides of the conversation, another benefit of being a shifter. She gave someone at Gallize headquarters a quick explanation of what happened, plu
s a description of Vic and Adrian’s wounds. Before ending the call, she gave directions on how to locate all of them.

  Shoving the phone back into her vest, she announced, “Since you two are no longer critical, your people are coming by land instead of air so they can transport the captives, too. Should be here in less than thirty minutes.”

  “I heard that. The captives are here?” Vic asked from the side. He’d shifted back to human form and managed to wrangle his pants on as well.

  “Yes. Their mouths are taped shut and they’re wrapped in blankets to prevent noise. I started unwrapping them. That’s where I got Adrian’s blanket.”

  “Thanks for that and getting the pieces of titanium out,” Adrian called out.

  She nodded to him. “You’re welcome. I need to check on the women. Why don’t you both just sit tight and allow your bodies to heal as much as you can while I get the captives calm enough to be freed.”

  When she walked away, Gan followed.

  She waved a hand at him. “Thanks, Gan, but I don’t need any help.”

  “I will observe.”

  He smiled at hearing her muttered, “Dammit.”

  When he reached the stall filled with the female shifters piled on the ground, they all eyed him like a son of the devil.

  Gan backed up a step.

  Scarlett stood there a moment as if contemplating something then turned to him and whispered, “I need a favor.”

  “What favor?” He kept his voice soft, curious to find out what was going on.

  “I need to free one of these women and let her go without anyone seeing her escape.” She studied him hard, clearly waiting to see how he would react.

  Gan cast a look at the women again, wondering which one Scarlett wanted to keep secret. He asked, “Why is one special?”

  “I can’t explain right now, but I owe her.”

  He studied Scarlett’s face for a clue to the importance of this woman, but she revealed nothing. He pointed out, “Guardian will take care of all women we rescue.”

  Rubbing her forehead, she said, “Not this one.”

  “Why?”

  Shaking her head and grumbling to herself, Scarlett stopped pecking at the problem and told him, “She’s a wanted criminal.” After making that statement, she crossed her arms and waited.