“That’s where you’re wrong. You’re the one dying tonight. Like I said, we have the clubhouse surrounded. There are twelve of us, and I know there are only six of you Enforcers. Seven, if you include your mate. If you want your friends and your little bitch to live, you’ll come outside without a fight. If we go in there, we’ll kill all of you.”
His lion growled, furiously pacing through his chest. The fucker was threatening his friends and his mate, and the asshole would die for that alone.
“You won’t get close enough to set one foot inside,” he said, trying to remain calm. It felt like a losing battle, but he had to keep trying.
“Oh, do you mean because of the man you had on the roof? He won’t be any help to you. Guess that means there are only six of you, after all.”
His heart stopped. Fuck, what had he done to Dmitri? Tarun started moving to stand up and he flexed his fingers on her waist, shaking his head when she glanced back at him. They still had the element of surprise, as small as it was.
Trust me, she mouthed, easing away. He watched as she went to each shifter, whispered in their ear, and then moved to the next. One by one, their eyes shot to his, but they didn’t stop what they were doing, immediately resuming their conversations.
He was still frozen, unsure of what to do. They’d taken Dmitri out. His friend could already be dead. In fact, knowing Jerry, it was likely. Maybe he should give himself up, to spare the others.
Don’t you dare. Damara’s voice filled his head, and he glanced over to where she sat across the room, glaring at him. He hadn’t realized she’d opened her telepathy connection. You’re not giving yourself up to die. And don’t worry about Dmitri. He’s fine. Furious that they got the jump on him, but they just tied him up. He’s alive, and in no danger of dying. We can still do this, Luke. Stick to the plan to keep yourself alive.
He inhaled deeply as the other shifters in the room nodded, clearly having heard her, as well. Even the War Cats had heard, and he found himself extremely grateful for their presence. Maybe that was what Tarun’s gift hinted at. Because without those three tigers, they really would only have six able to fight.
But with them, they had nine, and most of them had powerful gifts. Winning the battle was still doable.
All he had to do was figure out which lion was Jerry. If he could take him down, it would stop the fight.
Blake nodded at him as he and Vynn moved toward the front door and Noah and Jameson moved toward the back. Inhaling deeply, he finally spoke. “I’m not going out there. Bring it on, motherfucker.”
A beat of silence echoed over the phone. “So be it. Just remember the deaths of your friends and mate are on you.”
The moment he was done speaking, both doors were kicked in. The Enforcers at the doors engaged in human form while the rest shifted, but they weren’t able to hold them off long as the lions shifted, as well.
Then chaos reigned as more lions poured through the doors, and soon everyone was fighting. He tried to stick close to Tarun in case she needed him, but she was doing amazingly well on her own, and he was distracted as two lions rushed him at once.
He threw one of them off while raking his claws down the side of the other, the whole time moving his eyes around, frantically trying to figure out which one was Jerry. If he’d ever seen him in lion form, it was years and years ago, and he couldn’t remember it.
Fuck, he didn’t know which one he was. If he could find him and force him to shift back to human, the odds were good that the other lions would stop fighting. He had to find him.
His heart stopped as another lion approached Tarun while she was already engaged, and his distraction meant a set of claws raking down his back. He shrugged it off, trying to fight through another set of lions after him so he could get to Tarun, but Liam swooped in, his white raven bright in the room, ripping his beak and claws into the lion’s back, distracting him from Tarun.
Fuck, that had been way too close. He looked around again for Jerry, making sure he touched his eyes on all of his friends. They were battling with all their might, and he watched as Blake fixed his gaze on a lion stalking Damara. The lion roared, his body arching before falling to the floor, writhing in pain as Blake used his gift.
But then Blake was engaged, and once his concentration broke, the lion got up and started fighting again. Blake’s gift was powerful, but the pain he caused was a mental thing, not physical. As soon as he wasn’t using his gift, the pain vanished, although weakness lingered for a few moments after.
A screech sounded against his sensitive ears, and he glanced over to find one of the tigers limping from the blow of one lion as another stalked him. Tarun saw and interceded, but it was another close call.
Shit. Maybe the fight had been a bad idea.
He fought off another lion, deciding that he was done trying to play nice. He’d been trying to hurt but not kill. They were fighting because Jerry was a power hungry, insane fucker. He was fairly sure it wasn’t because they truly wanted to.
But Luke’s people were getting hurt, and he couldn’t—wouldn’t—stand for that. He’d personally take the life of every enemy lion in that room before he let his friends get hurt.
Another lion rushed him and Luke didn’t play around that time. He went straight for his neck and bit down until the lion crumpled to the floor. The moment he did, Luke turned for another and did the same thing.
It was when he finished with him that he saw who he thought was Jerry. He was flanked on either side by a lion, his face scarred and his blue eyes cold as he stalked Luke. He saw Tarun spot him at the same time, and she must have realized who he was, too, because she took off, murder in her eyes.
Fuck. She didn’t know Luke had a plan. Heart in his throat, he watched as one of the lions rushed her and engaged. She was winning, but the other lion with Jerry was looking between her and Luke, like he wasn’t sure who he was supposed to go after. If he chose Tarun…
There were battles raging all around him and more lions trying to make their way to him. He was more vulnerable in human form, but his gift was more effective in that form, so he had to take a chance, even though the odds weren’t good for him.
Pushing the shift made it hurt worse, the pain agonizing, but he ignored it and pushed even harder. The moment he was standing in human form, he focused on Jerry.
“Jerry, shift back, now!”
With a roar of agony, Jerry shifted, whimpering on the floor from the pain of the forced shift. Luke immediately walked toward him, watching as the lions slowed in confusion. Most of them gave up their fights completely, and he knew he’d been right—as long as Jerry wasn’t fighting, they wouldn’t either.
But one of the lions clearly didn’t get that the war was over, and he rushed toward Luke, fury in his eyes. As he leapt through the air, Luke tried to shift back, but he knew he wasn’t going to have enough time.
The lion slammed into him, knocking him to the ground, and his head slammed into the hardwood floor. Pain exploded throughout his skull, and Luke’s last thought as his vision went black was directed to Damara, who he knew could still hear him.
Tell Tarun I love her.
Tarun stared at Luke’s still body, tears streaming down her face. “What the hell were you thinking, you idiot? You never should have shifted in there.”
He couldn’t reply, of course. He probably couldn’t even hear her. He’d been unconscious for over an hour, long enough to scare the living shit out of her. The steady rise and fall of his chest had reassured her at first, but the fact was, he should have woken up long ago. And the steady breathing, while amazing because it meant he was still alive, was beginning to feel like it was taunting her.
Probably one of the stupidest things to feel, but her thoughts and emotions were scattered in a thousand different directions, and her heart felt like it had been decimated. She didn’t even know which way was up anymore.
Why hadn’t he woken? There must have been some serious damage done to his skull when
he fell. Shifter healing was fast, and it was powerful.
He should have woken up. It seemed like the only thought she could hold for any length of time. He should have fucking woken up already.
“His gift is more powerful in human form.”
Tarun turned as she heard Noah’s voice, watching as he came in the bedroom. He walked over to the bed and gazed at Luke before looking at her, clearly trying to hide the worry in his eyes as he answered the question she’d directed at her mate.
“Still. We had it under control. He should have waited, or at least tried to use it in animal form first.”
Her voice shook as fresh tears stung her eyes, and she quickly turned away, wrapping her arms around her waist as she walked to the window.
“None of us would want to admit it, because we fancy ourselves unbeatable, but we were struggling some. If the War Cats hadn’t been there, there’s a good chance we would have lost quickly. And who knows, maybe Luke tried to use his gift in animal form first. We won’t know until he wakes up. And he will wake up, Tarun.”
Tightening her lips, she shook her head, wanting to yell and rage, to demand how the hell he could possibly know that. But she didn’t want to take her anger and hurt out on him, so she didn’t reply to his statement, and changed the subject. “How’s Dmitri?”
“He’s better. Just really fucking pissed that he was taken out before he could warn us.” He looked at Luke’s prone form one more time before turning away. He began walking back to the door, stopping briefly next to her and quickly squeezing her hand. “I just came to get an update. Don’t go giving up on him too easily, Tarun. He’s young, strong, and he just found his mate. He’s not going to let anything take him away from you—not even himself.”
She tried to force a smile as she nodded, sure the only thing she managed was a grimace. He left the room and she wrapped her arms around her waist again, like she could hold herself together if she just kept her grip tight enough.
“He’s right, you know. I wouldn’t.”
Gasping at the sound of Luke’s weak voice behind her, she spun around and rushed to the bed, her heart leaping into her throat. “You fucking idiot!”
He started to laugh and then stopped, lifting his hand to touch his fingertips gently to his head. “That must have been some hit I took.”
“It was,” she replied, her voice softer as she perched next to him on the edge of the bed. Her throat ached with the need to yell at him, but his head clearly still hurt, and she didn’t want to cause him more pain. “You’ve been out for an hour.”
“Shit. The fall had to have done some damage, then. Now, why exactly am I an idiot? No, wait, what was it? Oh, that’s right. A fucking idiot.”
Narrowing her eyes, she glared at him. “It wasn’t just a fall. You were attacked while you were in human form, which brings me to the reason why you’re an idiot. For shifting to human in the middle of a shifter battle where most of the people in the freakin’ room were trying to kill you.”
“I knew if I made Jerry shift back, there was a good chance the battle would end. My gift is more powerful in human form.”
“Okay, sure, but did you at least try to use it in animal form first?”
She could tell by the look on his face that he didn’t before he ever spoke. “No.”
“That’s what I thought.”
His light blue eyes narrowed on her. “Did forcing his shift end the battle?”
“Yes,” she answered reluctantly.
“That’s what I thought.”
She glared at him as he repeated her words back to her, but felt her anger dissipate as he started to sit up. “What are you doing? Don’t move.”
“I want to hold you. Besides, I’m a grown man. I don’t need to lie around in bed when I feel fine.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I forgot, you’re a big, bad, macho man. Stop moving! If you want to hold me, I’ll lay down with you.”
Before he could protest, she eased down beside him, gently laying her head on his chest. His arms wrapped around her and she felt tears press against her eyelids again. She tried to sniff them back, not wanting him to know she was crying, but of course he noticed.
“Tarun, baby, what’s wrong?”
“You can really ask me that?”
He froze, and when he spoke, his voice was alarmed. “Shit, did you get hurt in the battle, too? Fuck, I should have realized. Where at? How bad?”
“No, I’m fine. I had some claw marks, but they’re long healed. I was just worried about you. You were out for so long, and I didn’t know if you’d ever wake up. I thought I was losing you.”
He exhaled, his breath ruffling her hair. “I’m sorry I worried you so much, but I promise, I’m okay. Like Noah said, there’s no way in hell I’d go anywhere now that I’ve finally found you.”
Easing up on her elbow, she gazed into his eyes before kissing him softly. “I love you, Luke.”
“I love you too, baby. So much.”
“You’d better not ever scare me like that again.”
“I’ll do my best. Don’t look like that. I’m an Enforcer, remember? We’re some of the best, but I can’t promise I’ll never get hurt again. But I can promise I’ll try not to, and that I’m okay right now. I really am.”
Heart easing as the knowledge that he really was okay sank in, she laid back down. It was still fairly early in the evening, but exhaustion was hitting her hard. She guessed maybe that was normal after a battle like that, followed by so much worry.
She was going to have to work on her endurance so she could get used to it. Fighting, that was. Not the worry. She never wanted to feel that again.
A knock came on the door and she looked over to see Blake sticking his head in. Relief was stark on his features when he saw that Luke was awake.
“Thank God you’re awake,” he said, moving into the room. “You had all of us worried.”
“Yeah, I’m fine. What’s up? Noah was just in here checking on me from the last little bit I heard. I figured he would have told y’all I was still out.”
“He did, but I just finished getting the pride locked up and wanted to check on you myself.”
Luke let go of her and sat up, ignoring her protest. “What happened after I was knocked out?”
Tarun scowled. “Do we have to do this now? You had a serious injury, Luke—”
He faced her on the bed, his eyes intense as he searched her gaze. “Tarun, I promise that I’m okay. Listen to my voice and you’ll hear the truth. I’m fine. A little tired, but that’s expected after a battle. I don’t hurt at all. My head was a little tender when I woke, but even that’s faded.”
Frowning, she picked through every statement, every nuance in his voice and words, but he was right. There was nothing but honesty in his voice. “Fine,” she replied grudgingly, waving a hand between them. “Talk away.”
Luke smiled, nearly drowning in love for the woman sitting in front of him. She was one hell of a firecracker, and he knew she’d always keep him on his toes. Life with her would never be boring.
Even after she knew he was telling the truth when he said he was fine, she was still letting him know just how upset she was that he wasn’t following her instructions. Her hazel eyes were narrowed and she had her arms crossed, her fingers tapping against her arm.
His mate was one hell of a woman.
She knows how close you came to death, his lion said, sounding tired. It was all I could do to repair the damage to your skull. If you were human, you would have died a few minutes after your head hit the floor.
Shiiiiit. I didn’t realize it was so bad.
Why do you think it took so long for you to wake up? It took that long for me to heal you.
In that light, Tarun’s reaction didn’t seem extreme at all. Leaning in, he kissed her passionately, and when he pulled back, he could tell he surprised her.
Clearing his throat, he turned back to Blake. “Okay, so talk to me.”
“Damara tol
d me about your thought. How you figured most of the lions were there because Jerry ordered it, not because they wanted to be, and if he wasn’t fighting, they wouldn’t, either. You were right. All but one of them stopped fighting the moment you forced his shift.”
“What happened to the one who attacked after that?”
Blake nodded toward Tarun, a smile on his face. “Ask your mate.”
Tarun shrugged as he looked at her. “He deserved to die. He attacked you even when it was clear the battle was over.”
His eyebrows shot up as he stared at her. “You killed him?”
“Like I said, he deserved it.”
“She was something else,” Blake said, clear admiration in his voice. “He wasn’t going down easy, and he went at her hard. But she made it look effortless. The fight was over in about a minute, two tops.”
Luke whistled low. “Damn. I wish I’d seen that.”
“She definitely has a place with the Enforcers if she wants one. I interrogated the rest of them—there were only eight left. You killed two, Tarun killed one, and Noah got another. There was only one other who was firmly on Jerry’s side. And he knew what Jerry had done to your family—the others didn’t know. He’ll be locked up in one of the prisons. I thought I’d leave the fate of the others to you.”
Anger surged up inside him and his lips tightened as he thought of what was done to his family. “And Jerry?”
“Alive for now, but he’ll die. Evil like that has to. Prison would just give him the chance to spread his venom. Tarun volunteered to do the honors, but we stopped her. Your mate is bloodthirsty,” Blake said with a smile. “But we thought one death on her conscience was more than enough. Who takes him out is up to you, Luke. It’s your right to choose, and your right to be the one who does it, if you want to.”
He didn’t hesitate. “I’ll do it.”
Blake nodded. “I figured you’d say that. And the others?”
“Let them go home. They shouldn’t be punished because they were forced to fight.”
“What about you? Are you going to go home? Claim your birthright, now that the threat to you is over?”
Control (Blood & Bone Enforcers MC Book 1) Page 19
