My tunnel vision snapped back to full situational awareness, just as the first grizzly passed me in his lumbering version of a full sprint. I pushed myself to stand and roared my defiant challenge to the clouds and stars above as the rest of my hunting party charged past.
Heartbeats later, Alpha Steve charged past me on his mount, shouting at the top of his lungs, “Dammit, people… we need them alive!”
The lead grizzly jumped onto the porch just as another man came through the door and skidded to a stop. The grizzly—whether Earl or Paul—reared up on his hind legs and put his whole shoulder into an ursine haymaker that sent the man flying back through the doorway. I heard the crash of his landing even as far as away as I was, and it did not sound even remotely pleasant. The grizzly roared his triumph and dropped back to his paws.
“Earl!” Lyssa’s voice cracked like a whip in the cooling night air, and the massive grizzly froze mid-step. “No bears in the house! You’re too damn big. One of you go around back; one of you stay on the front porch. Wolves, split up; surround the place and watch for runners. Gabrielle and Buddy, clear the house. Wyatt, stay there and grab anyone who slips by us. Deputies, follow Gabrielle and Buddy to assist with clearing the house.”
I was about to leave my first prey of the evening to his pathetic, broken whimpers, but at Lyssa’s instruction, I laid down on him once more, eliciting another groan or four. A horse clop-clopped past me at a steady walk while I watched the evening’s festivities unfold, and I saw Cindy had intercepted her daughter and pulled Bonnie up to sit behind her. Bonnie stared at me as they passed, her expression blending awe, unsettled nerves, and a dash of fear.
A commotion off to my left revealed four wolves chasing a guy hauling tail away from the back of the house. If he was dumb enough to turn my way and managed to outrun his lupine pursuers, I’d intervene. But no. He wasn’t that good… or that lucky. Two wolves brought him down, one in a flying leap that hit him between his shoulder blades and the second in a well-timed bite that severed his Achilles tendon. Either would’ve accomplished the goal, but both combined guaranteed whoever it was would not be escaping anytime soon.
Minutes later, I heard Deputy Mike shout, “First floor clear, suspect contained!”
Right on its heels, Deputy Sam echoed, “Second floor clear, suspect contained!”
“All clear!” Alpha Steve replied in his own shout before lowering his voice to a normal volume. “Bring everyone to the front yard.”
Another scream off to my left drew my attention, and I chuffed my amusement at the sight of one of the wolves dragging the runner around front by simple expedient of sinking his—or her—teeth into the runner’s wrist. The poor sod’s screams and protests seemed fit to raise the dead five counties over, but I found myself unmoved by his plight. If he didn’t want to be subdued, he should not have run.
Deputy Mike brought a muscled guy in shifter-grade handcuffs through the front door. The guy filled the night with his own profanity and heated invectives, many of them directed toward Cindy and her sisters. I was prepared to let the idiot shout himself hoarse, but he made the mistake of calling out Lyssa by name.
Nope! Lyssa was mine.
I pushed myself up to stand and charged off toward the cluster of people and animals surrounding the fool whose life expectancy lost decades every second he kept layering derogatory slurs upon Lyssa. Whether by conscious awareness or some kind of shifter-only sixth sense, the crowd between me and the blathering idiot parted.
I slowed to a steady walk as I neared the crowd and timed my shift so that one step in human form put me in the perfect position to drive an uppercut with all my weight and inertia behind it into his abdomen somewhere between his stomach and diaphragm. His speech ended in an eruption of air and a mist of bile, and he collapsed to his knees and spewed vomit onto the grass. He possessed sufficient awareness—or perhaps wisdom—to miss everyone’s feet. I grasped a handful of hair and yanked his head back, making eye contact as I kept my right fist available if needed.
“If you desire even the slightest hope of seeing your next birthday, you will cease your disrespectful prattle and apologize to everyone for inflicting it upon them… especially Lyssa.”
“What the hell, Wyatt?” Alpha Steve exploded. “He’s in custody. You don’t hit people in custody.”
I lifted my eyes to meet his gaze for several moments, and I sensed more than one of my people stepping back to make room. I hauled the object of our disagreement to his feet, pulling out more than a few tufts of hair in the process to the accompaniment of pained shouts. I spun him around to put his back to me and wrapped my hands around the handcuffs at the mechanism’s housings and the chain link that connected to them.
I need to snap this chain. I don’t care what it takes, I sent to the part of me that had not been human since the cougar attack.
I felt a swell of power fill my body, and I knew my eyes shifted to full Smilodon. My shoulders tensed and arms tightened, as I clenched my jaw the muscles around my eyes tightened. For several heartbeats, the night was silent as a tomb. Not even crickets chirped or frogs croaked within earshot. With no warning whatsoever, a sharp PING! split the night, and the center link in the chain that secured the handcuffs snapped and flew into the darkness.
I maintained eye contact with Alpha Steve the entire time, and every facet of my psyche cheered when he looked away first, his entire demeanor radiating shock and fear. His deputies went whiter than bleached flour in the blink of an eye.
“There,” I growled. “Problem solved. Now, back off.”
I spun the man back around to face me, and my left hand wrapped around his throat. I met his eyes as I spoke, my voice calm and unemotional, “I still haven’t heard an apology, prey.”
His heart erupted into overdrive as the smell of urine and feces assaulted our senses. “Please, don’t kill me.”
“That remains to be seen, prey,” I countered. “I will consider your plea after your compliance.”
His eyes scanned the crowd with frantic abandon. I don’t know who he sought, and he whimpered for a moment then near-shouted in a pleading tone, “I am so sorry. It wasn’t respectful or kind for me to say those things, especially about Lyssa and her family. The Westridge family always treated me well, and I repaid that very poorly. Please, please, forgive me.”
“Acceptable, prey,” I remarked, then pointed at the ground. “Now, sit and stay. If you run, you’ll only die tired.”
His knees touched grass within a finger-snap. He bowed his head and crossed his hands in his lap, still sporting the bracelets from the shifter handcuffs I ruined.
I returned my attention to Alpha Steve, asking, “What’s next?”
Alpha Steve just stared at me. His mouth wasn’t quite agape, but it was clear to me he still worked to process what had just transpired. When he found his voice at last, he chose his words poorly, “What the hell was that?”
A growl escaped my lips before I realized it, and I felt my eyes shift back to full Smilodon as the non-human portion of me took greater precedence. I felt the swelling pressure within my chest just before my cat bathed the area in pure, unadulterated alpha dominance. The two prisoners who hadn’t voided themselves yet did so as they collapsed to the ground, terror dominating their expressions. The members of my hunting party in human form dropped to their knees, even if doing so required a dismount. The shifters in animal form bowed as best they could. Even the horses stepped back and did the weird kneeling that horses do.
“Overall, I am more than happy to let you chart our course in this,” I said to Alpha Steve, my voice far closer to the growly voice I often heard in my head, “but no one will interfere when I correct disrespect to my people… especially disrespect to one of my ladies. I do not care in the least that you are Alpha, Sheriff, or her uncle. Do you understand?”
Alpha Steve jerked an assenting nod as he spat a rushed, “Yes, Alpha Primogenitor.”
“Good. Now, what’s next?”
“We should process the scene,” Alpha Steve answered, his speech becoming more normal the longer he spoke. “Even if this case doesn’t go to court—whether human or shifter—we should collect any pertinent evidence.”
I nodded once, whether in agreement or permission I couldn’t say. “Very good. Let’s get started on that.”
Everyone stood. Those in human form tied off their mounts, but honestly, I highly doubted the horses would wander if they didn’t rear and flee at my burst of dominance. But I suppose it made them feel better. Alpha Steve and his deputies retrieved evidence bags and nitrile gloves from their packs. Deputy Sam retrieved a small camera as well. And the three set off to collect anything in the house they deemed ‘evidence.’
After a few minutes of everything going well, I stepped back from my prey and shifted back to Smilodon. It wasn’t fun standing barefoot on grass damp with dew and naked as the day I was born with a cool breeze blowing toward the creek or river or whatever it was Earl said was nearby. As soon as the shift completed, the smell radiating off my prey became even more objectionable, so I backed off a dozen paces or so. The added distance didn’t really help all that much, but the patch of wildflowers at my front paws helped me ignore the stench.
* * *
I wasn’t sure how long we waited until Alpha Steve declared the evidence gathering complete. I fought the urge to growl that they took as long as they had, but I wasn’t an officer. If they needed all the time they took, it wasn’t my place to gainsay them.
But we discovered another problem. Transporting the prisoners. I personally favored some Old West justice; just tie one end of a rope around their torsos just under their armpits, and they could walk or drag as it suited them. Sadly, it was a major achievement if my first prey of the evening took a breath without bone shards shredding his heart or lungs. Walking—let alone traversing the distance back to Cindy’s horse ranch—was a bridge too far. Then, there was the idiot runner with the severed Achilles tendon. If a blade or something similar had severed it, the guy would be well on his way to walking again… or soon would be at any rate. But that was not the case. A shifter delivered the injury with his or her teeth. Shifter healing would ensure he walked again without impairment, but he’d heal human slow. Which meant he wasn’t walking anytime soon, either.
In the end, we rigged individual litters for the two who couldn’t walk, pulled by the horses the deputies rode. I fought the urge to grin and scare our prisoners even more when Cindy and Lyssa looped ropes around their chests and secured the opposite ends to the saddle horns of the other two horses. My cowed prey made no move to divest himself of the rope, despite his hands enjoying relative freedom, but I was happy when Lyssa told half the wolves to take up a rear guard and watch for escape attempts.
Once we had everything gathered and everyone ready to move, we set out for the ranch at a fast walking pace for humans.
* * *
The hues of imminent sunrise colored the eastern horizon as we arrived back at Cindy’s ranch. I felt a swell of pride at the successful hunt and retrieval of Lyssa’s niece, but crushing fatigue soon overshadowed it. I paused at the backyard’s gate for a huge yawn, and I’m sure the display of my teeth in all their sharpness sent fresh ripples of terror through our prisoners.
Speaking of whom…
I shifted back to human and walked over to the prisoners gathered. Their exhaustion was even more apparent than mine. I made eye contact with each in turn as I said, “Listen up. I’m too tired to care what happens to the lot of you right now, but if you’re not where they put you when I wake up, not even the deepest cave in the most remote mountain range on the other side of the world will be sufficient to hide you from me. Do you understand?”
All of them jerked choppy nods and whimpered, “Yes.”
“Good.” I turned and shifted back to Smilodon as I crossed the backyard to an oak tree whose shade looked rather comfortable. As I reached the trunk, I padded around in a circle before laying down, and I was asleep before my head touched my paws.
23
A chirping chorus pulled me from my well-deserved rest, and as the insipid, unrelenting songbirds pushed me ever onward toward consciousness, I considered climbing the tree to discuss my dislike of their poor timing in as direct a fashion as I could manage. Then, I processed that a warm weight pressed against me, and I forced my eyes open.
I was surrounded. To my left, a jaguar pressed herself against me. To my right, a lioness. Karleen must’ve lost the coin toss, because a dire wolf snuggled against my rear, sleeping peacefully with her head turned away from the jaguar’s tail. Love and warm regard swelled within me at the sight, and I fought the urge to express my feelings toward them and ruin their sleep with licks that led to kisses and cuddles.
A great yawn stole my focus. Well, I suppose I could look on the birds’ song as a lullaby. Might as well try, at least…
* * *
When I woke next, my ladies were gone, and the afternoon sun warmed me to the point of discomfort. Pleasant scents of food beckoned me toward the house, and I pushed myself to my feet. Then, I did a full-body stretch to work out the kinks, even fully extending the claws of each foot.
Okay. I was rested… well, mostly… and I was awake and on my feet. Time to investigate those wonderful smells.
My nose led me to an extra-large doorway with no doors that opened into a large dining room. I saw Cindy, Bonnie, Megan, my ladies, and most of my hunting party gathered around the table. They all possessed plates filled to varying degrees from the wondrous cornucopia that dominated the center of the massive table along its entire length. I don’t know whether it was the savage growl my stomach produced or I wasn’t as silent as I thought, but everyone at the table froze and looked my way, many of them holding forks or spoons midway to their mouths.
I took a step closer to the table and inhaled more of the lovely food smells. Lyssa shook her head and snapped her fingers as she pointed behind me.
“Nope,” she said. “You’re taking a shower first, just like the rest of us. Besides, none of us want fur in our food.”
I backed up a couple steps and sat on my haunches before I gave Lyssa my best attempt at sad kitty eyes. I must’ve needed practice, because she just shook her head again and pushed back from the table.
“Don’t try that with me,” Lyssa said as she stood. “You know I’m right. Come on; I’ll show you where the shower is. If you’re nice, I’ll even lay out your freshly laundered clothes, too.”
Lyssa led me through the house as I padded along at her side until we arrived at a guest room. She pointed to a door to my right as she moved a set of clothes from the dresser to the foot of the bed.
“You can have food once you’ve showered and dressed. Don’t worry; we’ll save your share.”
I trudged to the doorway and peeked inside. The room was a well-appointed guest bathroom. It only had a shower—no tub—but otherwise, the facilities were at least on par with the Alpha’s house back home. Fair enough. I touched the part of my mind that stayed human no matter my form and willed the shift. Almost faster than one could blink, my human self stood in the bedroom. I turned to say something to Lyssa, but she was already gone. I guess I failed to impress in a contest with hot food after a raid the night before.
I snorted a laugh as I went to the shower and turned on the hot water. I wouldn’t hang around with me either, if I had the option of food right now.
* * *
My hair was still damp to the touch when I returned to the dining room. I didn’t have a stopwatch, but I think I may have set a record for the world’s fastest but most complete shower… or challenged the record at the very least. At my entrance, Cindy gestured to the sole available seat, which just happened to occupy the head of the table.
By the time I touched the seat, a large plate heaped with food sat in front of me. My stomach protested my neglect once more, and I tucked into the food with a will. The plate was half empty before I realized someone was
speaking to me.
“Huh?” I asked as I looked up, forcing myself to take the time to chew and swallow and not chase another fork full.
Karleen and Gabrielle both chuckled at my lack of focus while I ate, but they shouldn’t have been surprised. They’d seen this side of me before.
“I said that I didn’t have the words to thank you,” Cindy answered. “You’ll never know what your help—everyone’s help—means to me.”
I nodded as a half-smile curled one side of my mouth. “You’re welcome. I doubt any of us would’ve slept well, if we knew we could help and didn’t. Besides, I’m a firm believer in the old saying that all evil needs to triumph is the inaction of good. I won’t say that I’m good or your ex is evil, but his actions certainly were. Say… has he behaved himself?”
Cindy snorted her own laugh. “Oh, yes. They’re all pliant as mice under the supervision of owls. Rory and a couple of the hands hosed them off shortly after we returned and put them in the barn. They each have their own stall, as we have a few vacancies at the moment. They haven’t even squeaked and were very polite when the hands took them food.”
“Good. I’m glad I don’t have to repeat the lesson.”
“Alpha Steve asked for me to inquire how you wanted to handle them before he and his deputies left,” Cindy continued.
I blinked my surprise. “Me? Why? He’s technically your Alpha, right?”
Cindy and Bonnie both bobbed a nod.
Roc Page 19
