by Eva Chase
For a moment it seemed like Marco was gaining the upper hand. Then his pace started to lag. He nipped the tiger’s hind leg and barely scrambled out of the way of Julius’s smack. But the tiger kept coming, his lips curled back over his huge fangs. The jaguar stumbled, and Julius pounced. Marco tumbled under him.
A cry broke from my throat then. My hands flinched where I was gripping the rope. Aaron’s arm came around me, holding me steady as Nate held onto me too.
Marco lay, his black-furred body limp, under the tiger’s huge form. Julius raised his head with a victory roar—and the jaguar leapt up. Marco caught the tiger by the neck, sinking his teeth in deep around the most tender point of his opponent’s throat. At the same time, he kicked out at one of Julius’s legs.
All his scratches and bites and the strain of running around the arena must have weakened the tiger’s muscles. The bigger cat toppled over, Marco rolling with him. The jaguar came to rest poised on Julius’s vulnerable chest. He raked his claws over the paler fur there and yanked at the tiger’s throat.
Julius’s eyes rolled back. He heaved at the ground, but Marco held on tight, managing to keep him pinned.
My breath had stopped in my lungs. I let it out in a rush. A cheer rose up around the ring. “Marco! The alpha wins!”
Marco sank his teeth even deeper with a low growl of warning that was almost a question. The tiger’s head swayed as if he couldn’t quite find the will to keep it off the ground. Then Julius slumped down, his body sagging. The shift rippled through him. Marco sprang off as the tiger turned back into a man.
The cheers grew louder, the crowd whooping and clapping hands. A few of the waiting attendants darted into the arena to tend to the unconscious Julius’s wounds. And to their alpha. Marco listed a bit to one side, blood smearing the grass under his paws—and plenty of it was his own. He pushed off the ground and shifted back into his human form, raising his hand in victory.
The tension in me broke, relief rolling through me. I raised my voice with a cheer of my own.
Chapter 18
Nate
“How long have you been in league with the rogues?” I said, barely managing to keep the growl out of my voice.
Julius slumped silent in his chair in the small room, his neck still marked with red where Marco had bitten him yesterday night. The wounds had healed but left behind scars that wouldn’t fade for months, if not years. The tiger shifter had resisted forfeiting the challenge until he’d been on the verge of dying.
Marco, standing next to me, had scars of his own. Even after a night’s rest, his movements were still a little stiff. I’d volunteered to help him lead this interrogation after I’d seen him at breakfast. And I might have had ulterior motives as well.
Someone had sent the rogues to corrupt my kin. I wasn’t leaving here without finding out how—and who else they might have turned.
“How long?” I repeated. The other alphas and Ren stirred where they were watching behind us. Julius swiped his hand across his mouth, the chain that linked his restraining cuffs clinking. He thought a lot of himself, all big and posturing, but he had nothing on me. I loomed over him, letting him think about what it’d be like to take on an animal more his own size.
“Since we got the news that the dragon shifter had been found,” the traitor said in a reluctant voice. “Not long.”
“So you admit that you’ve conspired with them?” Marco said.
The tiger shifter inclined his head slightly.
“You gave them orders? Was it your idea to send them to attack the disparate estate?”
“I thought it would be better if you were all dead,” Julius said. “I might have given some advice about how they could manage that. I’ve been here on the estate the whole time, though.”
“You sent them after my people,” I snapped. “What did you tell them to say to my kin to persuade them to help? The rogues wouldn’t have come up with any argument strong enough on their own—I know they couldn’t.”
“Oh, it wasn’t that hard,” Julius said with a twitch of his hand on his lap. He didn’t look up at me. “Sweet talk them a little, give them the idea they’d be better off without some boss alpha running the show.”
No. It had to be more than that. The answer set my teeth on edge. But maybe it was only because I didn’t want to admit that my kin might be so easily swayed? Suddenly I was unsure of my judgment.
“You expect me to believe that’s it?” I said, letting my voice rumble louder. “Exactly what were the rogues supposed to offer my kin that would be better than what they already have?”
Julius shrugged, his head still bowed. “What makes you think they have it so good right now?”
That wasn’t an answer at all. I bristled and caught myself, taking a step back before I swung at him.
It wasn’t an answer, and it also was. My kin had been swayed. Maybe the how didn’t matter so much. They had their weaknesses, as much as I hated to admit it. But I had to admit it if I was going to address those weaknesses and help them get through whatever trouble lay ahead of us.
Because we were obviously far from done with that trouble.
“We know you had something planned with the rogues for our visit here,” Marco said. “Care to share any details or should your dragon shifter burn the truth out of you?”
Ren came up beside me, wrapping her hand around my arm. She’d felt my distress. I didn’t want to show any of my own weakness in front of our prisoner, but I did let myself quickly nuzzle her hair. The softly sweet smell of my mate steadied me.
“I just told them you were coming,” Julius said. “That it would be a good time to get involved. That’s all.”
“Well, I definitely don’t believe that,” Marco said. He glanced at Ren. “Princess?”
Ren looked up at me as if asking my permission. As if she needed to. I could stand back for a moment. It might be better if I did. Instead of pushing for the answers I wanted, I needed to listen.
She’d gotten through to Orion. Maybe there was something redeemable in this wretched feline shifter too.
* * *
Ren
I came to stand directly in front of Julius. He kept his head low as if he thought he could worm his way out of telling the truth that way. Hadn’t he heard the stories about my powers?
I wasn’t going full dragon on him yet, though. He’d given me a strange vibe all through his questioning. I wanted to get a better sense of it.
“Look at me,” I said. When he didn’t move, I repeated the words with a hint of fire creeping into my voice. “Look at me.”
The tiger shifter startled, his head jerking out. He blinked as his gaze met mine. His light brown eyes looked oddly hazy. There was no reason for him to be spaced out. He’d been complying enough so far that Marco hadn’t had him drugged. If he tried to shift, the chains that bound him would hold his tiger form even more tightly.
“Tell me exactly where you met with the rogues,” I said. “If it’s been different places, start from the first time.”
“I—I’ve only talked to them in person once,” he said. “Out beyond the glade. The other times, I had people speak for me.”
I frowned. My senses told me he was telling the truth. But at the same time his whole demeanor, the vagueness of his answers, unsettled me.
“You could show us the spot?”
“I’m not sure I remember exactly where it was,” he said. That seemed to be the truth too.
I ran my tongue over my teeth. “Who spoke for you the other times?”
“No one here. It was their idea. I couldn’t tell you their names.”
“We can make you tell us,” Marco broke in. “And believe me, I’ll very much enjoy watching you taken over by those flames.”
I made a motion with my hand, and he stopped, his forehead furrowing. But Julius still gave every appearance that he was being truthful. My violet fire couldn’t provoke more out of him than that.
If I got any clear answers, the mo
st important questions were about what waited ahead, not what had already happened.
“Do the rogues plan to attack the feline estate?”
“I don’t know,” Julius said honestly. His lips curled slightly. I couldn’t tell if he was on the verge of smiling or grimacing. A prickle ran down my back.
“Do they have anything planned for when we leave the estate?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you know about what the rogues are planning to do next?”
The tiger shifter’s head sagged back down. He let out a rough sigh. “I don’t know anything about what they have planned next. As far as I’m concerned, they do a great job figuring out how to mess with you themselves.”
“And what do you think they’d have done if you had managed to beat me?” Marco asked. “They’re against the whole system of alphas. Did you really think they’d bow down to you after you’d become what they hate about the shifter kin?”
“I don’t care,” Julius said. “I just wanted you gone.”
“Why?” Aaron asked from the back of the room. “What were you hoping to gain?”
Julius hesitated. Something about that question seemed to have thrown him off. His fingers curled over his knees. “Respect,” he said. “Power. A better position than I have now.”
All true. I bit my lip. Nothing he was telling us was any use, no matter how honest he was being.
I tipped my head toward the door. The alphas filed out, Marco lingering to shoot one last glare at his rival. I followed them. Marco closed the door behind us.
“Are we taking him outside so you can work your dragon magic on him?” West asked in his usual gruff voice.
I shook my head. “It wouldn’t do any good. He’s not lying to us. He’s not being very clear, and there’s something strange about the way he’s answering, but the things he says he doesn’t know... He really doesn’t know them. Unless he’s somehow strong enough to confuse my impressions when not even the four of you can manage that.”
Marco smiled crookedly. “That hardly seems likely.”
“It doesn’t,” I agreed. “But where do we go from there? He’s admitted to working with the rogues, even if he doesn’t seem to be half as involved as Orion thought. He seemed sure there was a feline calling a lot of the shots.”
“Orion wasn’t really in a position to give you many details,” West pointed out.
“I don’t like the idea of that one walking free,” Nate said, jabbing his thumb toward the door. “If you simply banish him like a regular failed challenger, of course he’ll go straight to the rogues. And who knows what plans he’ll make with them then? He knows your estate; he knows your people. He’ll tell them everything.”
“There are other considerations,” Aaron said.
“Like what?” the bear shifter demanded.
“Like how much I want to tell my kin about Julius’s involvement with the rogues,” Marco put in. “If I imprison him instead of banishing him, I’ll have to explain it somehow. And they might not even believe it. For all they know, I’m making up an excuse after the fact to justify tormenting him further. Which won’t exactly do wonders for morale around here.”
Shit. I hadn’t thought of that. I crossed my arms over my chest. “So what’s our best option?”
Marco sighed. “I don’t know. I can keep him confined a little longer without too many questions, but I’ll need to make some kind of official move soon. Now would be an excellent time for my feline cleverness to kick in.”
“We’ll all think on it,” Aaron said.
Unlike on Nate’s estate, the holding cells on Marco’s weren’t in a basement but a separate building off to the side of the main mansion. When we stepped out, Kylie and Alice were waiting for us.
Kylie bounded to my side, but her face still looked a bit drawn. She’d been quieter since the challenge fight yesterday. That was part of the reason I’d wanted her to stay out here while we did the questioning.
“So what did you find out?” she asked, her gaze flicking back toward the building we’d left.
“Not much,” I said. “We still have no idea whether the rogues are going to attack us here, and if they are, how.”
“Was he really helping them?”
“It seems like it. He admitted to it.”
Kylie cocked her head. “What happens to him now, then?”
I spread my hands. “From what the guys have told me, usually a failed challenger would be banished. His kin mark would be stricken, and they’d mark him on the forehead where anyone could see to show his new status.” I gestured to my own forehead. “Any kin who saw him anywhere near kin territory would have license to kill him. And...”
My voice faltered when I noticed Kylie’s expression. Her face had taken on a slightly sickly cast that clashed pretty awfully with her pink pixie cut. She glanced at me in my sudden silence and smiled, but her mouth wobbled.
Here I was talking about people getting killed like it was nothing. No wonder she was feeling ill.
“Are you okay?” I asked. “If you need anything...”
Kylie laughed awkwardly. “No, no. I think I’ve just had enough shifter brutality for a few days. I didn’t sleep that well last night. Maybe I’ll take a nap.”
“I can see you back to your room,” Alice offered. I was about to jump in and say I would, but I caught myself. Maybe it was me Kylie needed some distance from as well as the rest.
I looked around with a knot in my gut. My mates had ambled toward the mansion too. Marco had fallen a little behind the others, his expression uncharacteristically solemn. He didn’t look worn down exactly, but his usual sly energy had dulled.
The challenge yesterday had clearly taken more out of him than he liked to admit.
I caught up with him, slipping my arm around his elbow. He brightened when he looked at me. “Hello, princess.”
I tipped my head against his shoulder. Suddenly all I wanted to do was wrap myself up in his warmth. Revel in the fact that he was still here, living and breathing, not lying broken under that tiger shifter’s paws.
“I feel like we both need a little more recovery time after last night,” I said. “Is there somewhere on the estate we can at least pretend to relax? Maybe that’s what you need to get those cleverness juices flowing.”
The corner of Marco’s mouth quirked up. “Actually, I know just the place.”
Chapter 19
Ren
With all the commotion yesterday, I hadn’t gotten the chance to explore much of the house yet. When Marco opened the door into the vast greenhouse I’d only seen from outside, my breath caught.
“Wow.” I stepped onto the stone path that wove into the thick tropical underbrush. Overhead, trees jutted limbs in an arching canopy. Artificial cliffs had been carved out of rock here and there along the walls, offering climbing ledges at various levels. The air was warm and humid but not stifling. A floral perfume drifted around me.
“It’s like your jungle gym back at the New York house, only ten times bigger,” I said.
“That’s the idea.” Marco took my hand, and we headed together down the path. “The climate might be warmer here in Florida, but the winters are still cooler than many of us prefer. And this gives us space to exercise our feline natures without any worries about being observed. A wolf or a bear can get away with running around in the woods without too much caution. A jaguar or a lion? That’d draw some attention if any humans spotted us.”
No kidding. “I don’t suppose there’s a really big one of these out at the dragon shifter estate?” I said. “Because if a big cat is noticeable...”
Marco chuckled. “Your home base is in an isolated enough spot that you can fly near there without any problems. The dragon shifters have accumulated a lot of property in the surrounding area to keep humans at a distance.”
The temperature hadn’t felt too warm when we’d first stepped in, but a sheen of sweat was forming on my skin now. I rubbed my arms. “Too bad y
ou can’t turn the temperature down if you need to.”
“There are other ways to cool off,” Marco said slyly. “Shedding clothes is always my favorite.”
I shot him a mock glower. He grinned back, looking more like his usual self. At least that part of my plan was working.
“Actually,” he said with a tug of my hand, “I think I have just the thing to convince you...”
We ducked through a passage formed by an arching bush and came out on the edge of a manufactured pond. Water burbled into it from a spout at one end. The walls and base were painted brown to look like soil and the vegetation grew right up to the edges, but the water was crystal clear. And it looked delightfully inviting.
“Hmm,” I said. “You make a compelling case.”
“I’m going in even if you’re not,” Marco replied, still grinning. He stripped off his shirt in a single movement and undid his pants. Damn. The casual air with which shifter guys got naked was starting to seem normal to me, but it was still fucking hot. In the best possible way.
And I was still hot, in a not-so-great way, standing here in my clothes. It wasn’t as if Marco hadn’t seen me naked a dozen times already.
I yanked off the cotton dress I’d managed to find among the fancier offerings in my wardrobes. Marco made an approving sound and leapt into the pool. A little of the spray dappled my skin as I wriggled out of my panties. The droplets felt so beautifully cool that I didn’t stop to test the water. I just plunged right in after him.
The pond was deep enough that my head went under before my feet touched the bottom. I pushed myself back to the surface, reveling in the rush of the water against my skin. I’d never actually gone skinny-dipping before. Now I was thinking I’d need to make a habit of it.
I flipped my wet hair back from my face. Marco beamed at me, his own hair shining like black ink.
“There are ledges along the banks,” he said. “If you get tired of treading water.”
“I think my legs can handle a little treading.”
