Claimed by Her Panthers (19 page)

Everyone followed suit.

As members of the Mount View
faction, it was an unwritten rule that everyone followed their lead.

When they crept through the tree
line, they saw that, as predicted, it opened to vacant lots filled with mounds
of rubbish on either side. Two factory buildings sat further in front of them
to the right, one in front of the other, and there was an open landfill to the
left. They made their way to the entry on the side that they knew from a previous
scout had only four guards. A few of them could easily take care of the guards.
They couldn’t tell if there were any electronics attached, had no idea if there
were cameras or alarms, and they were essentially going in blind.

No alarms went off when they got
inside. The passage they were in was overgrown with vines and other leafage. It
was obvious that it wasn’t used, so Stephan hoped they weren’t in for any
surprises.

Making their way down a passage, he
realized he had thought too soon when the group came to a stop and were
suddenly ambushed from both directions.

“Fuck,” he shouted.

Not hesitating, Stephan shifted, his
clothes tearing and bones cracking. Moments later his paws hit the ground, a
growl rumbling from deep inside.

Tilting his head, he saw that Owen
had changed, too, his panther snarling and ready to fit. Nudging the other
man’s shoulder to let him know he was ready to find their mate, Stephan
launched forward and into the fray.

All out war had ensued in the time
it had taken them to shift. Dodging blasts from warlocks and claws from
animals, Stephan fought his way through the crowd until he found himself beside
Owen again and a badly wounded
Draken
. Skin pale, the
stark red that matted the Vampire’s hair stood out. His shirt had been shredded
already, and Stephan could smell the copper tang of blood.

He watched in satisfaction as
Draken
grabbed hold of the Siren and threw her to the
ground, the bitch obviously having been unable to flee the warehouse in time.
Draken
stood over the prone woman, his claws unsheathed,
eyes blood red with his need for vengeance.

“What did you want with my mate?”

The Siren cackled. “You really think
I’ll tell you? I’m already dead, by you or by them. Either way, I’m not feeling
inclined to be helpful.”

Stephan snapped and growled at her.

“Oh, give me a break, pussy cat.
Nothing you could do would be worse than what they would have in store for me,
were I to betray them.”

“Who are they?”
Draken
demanded.

The Siren seemed to consider for a
moment, before grinning. “You know, I just can’t quite seem to remember.”

“Pity for you,” the Vampire snarled,
swinging out and tearing into the Siren’s flesh.

The woman let out a blood-curdling
scream to rival a banshee’s, finally coming to an abrupt halt when
Draken
took a final swipe.

Just as
Draken
delivered the final blow, another blast suddenly shot out just nipping
Stephan’s tail, and he hissed, turning to face the Warlock who had thrown it.
He realized his mistake, however, when sharp claws sliced through his skin,
piercing the flesh. The Wizard had just been a distraction, keeping him focused
so another could attack. He let out a howl as he fell but found
himself
unable to move. More blows came, his panther’s body
screaming out in raw agony. When he slumped to the ground, unable to fight, the
claws disappeared. Out the corner of his eye he saw the Troll who had swiped at
him saunter off, no doubt on the prowl for his next target.

Using everything he had, Stephan
tried to stand on all fours again. He needed to save Angelica.

Blood dripped down his face, and his
stomach clenched as he felt more dampness on his back. His legs began to shake,
and soon they were too weak to support him, his panther form falling back to
the ground. He could do nothing but watch helplessly as the enemy continued
their attack, many of their own men falling. Searching frantically for his
mate, for Owen as well, Stephan wanted to cry out in despair when he couldn’t
find them, though all he could manage was a snarl.

Christ. Let them be okay.

****

Owen swiped another paw out,
relishing the shriek that came from the enemy as he took the Warlock down. He
had never seen himself as particularly bloodthirsty before, but these bastards
were the same people who had kidnapped his mate. No one was safe.

The warehouse had suddenly become a
battle zone. The doors had been taken down, and Demons, Warlocks, and even
Trolls filled the area. They had never faced an attack of this magnitude
before. Since when did they work together?

A Demon shot out of nowhere and
tried to attack him. The sly bastard would have succeeded, too, had not a lion,
even larger than Owen, suddenly appeared. The lion took the Demon down swiftly,
his teeth clamping around the disgusting bastard’s neck. The Demon hissed and
jerked, but eventually ceased moving. When the unknown lion lifted his head,
Owen recognized his jade eyes.
Raziel
.
The lion tipped his head, and Owen followed his line of
sight to where the girls were with a frantic Joel, who appeared to be trying to
release
Jenika
from her chains.

Angelica.

Raziel
nodded at Owen before taking off towards the girls.
Trailing after his new accomplice, they were closing in on Angelica and
Jenika
when they were pinned in by a group of paranormals.
Fighting back-to-back with the lion again, Owen had a moment where he thought
they were in real trouble. However, those preparing to attack them were taken
down swiftly, one by one. Blinking in shock, Owen cast his gaze around, trying
to work out who or what had come to their aid when his eyes landed on
Draken
. The Vampire gave them a wicked grin before tilting
his head in the girls’ direction.

Owen shivered. Thank God the guy was
on their side.

Desperate to get to his mate, Owen
let out a vicious snarl, ducking and weaving through the crowd. Something suddenly
seared his flank, and Owen rolled to the side. A heavy weight landed on top of
him, and he snapped at the figure.

“Easy
there, little kitty.
I
promise, this will only hurt a bit, but it’ll be a lot nicer than what we have in
store for most of them.”

Owen growled, bucking the figure
off. Seeing
Draken
close in on the Demon that had
attacked, Owen spun around and headed for the girls. The moment he was within
reaching distance, Owen shifted back to human form, careless of the fact that
he was naked.

“Owen,” Angelica cried as she flung
herself at him.

Damn, he had never been happier than
this very moment.

“
Shhh
,
it’s okay. I’m here,” he crooned, rocking his hysterical mate back and forth.

“I k-knew,” she hiccupped. “I knew
you’d come. I’m so sorry.
So sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m here now.”

Angelica lifted her head, tears
staining her beautiful face. “Where is Stephan?”

Owen peered through the crowd,
noticing things had died down. He spotted Stephan, hunched over in panther form
only meters away from them. “Hang on, sweetheart. I’ll get him to shift and
heal, then bring him over to you. Stay with
Draken
.”
And those were three words he never thought he’d mutter.

Fighting still carried on around
them, but it was pointless. The major threat had been taken care of, and now it
was just cleaning up the mess.

A snarl erupted through the room,
and he turned quickly to see
Jenika
throw herself in
harm’s way to protect a fallen
Draken
.
Shit
. She received a rake of claws along
her side for her efforts before the lion,
Raziel
,
lashed out, practically gutting the Demon who had attacked. Panic fluttered in Owen’s
chest until he saw Angelica right behind him, having moved with him instead of
staying behind. Grabbing her hand, Owen raced to Stephan’s side.

“Hey, buddy, need a hand?” he
teased, crouching down by his best friend’s side and trying to hide his concern
of Stephan’s injuries. “
Gonna
need you to shift back,
Stephan. It’ll help jump-start your healing.”

Looking into his friend’s eyes, Owen
could tell that was easier said than done for the man. The damage he had taken was
severe.

Angelica’s small hand came to rest
on his shoulder.

“Why isn’t he shifting?” Her voice
wavered at the end.

“I thought I told you to stay with
Draken
?”

Angelica sat down next to him,
raising a brow. “What can I say? I’ve never been very good at listening.”

He grunted. That was sure as hell
the truth.

“And it’s a good thing, too.
Draken
doesn’t look too good himself,” she added. “Owen?”

“Stephan’s having trouble,” he
sighed.

Angelica bit down on her lip, before
shuffling forward. Leaning over Stephan’s form, she whispered, “Stephan, you
need to shift. I know it’s hard, but you have to. Owen and I, we need you. And
you see … our baby needs you, too.”

He opened his mouth to say something
when Stephan began to shift. It was slow at first and looked extremely painful.
By the time he was done, Stephan was panting from exertion.

“N-now that’s a-
an
i
-incentive,” he chuckled breathlessly.

Angelica’s smile was radiant. “I
thought it might be.”

Owen cupped the back of Angelica’s
neck, bringing her in for a light kiss, his other hand checking her over for
any injuries. He had already had to rein in his panther when he had seen the
mark on her cheek. The bruise was already coming out, and would be worse
tomorrow. He hoped their mating would heal it quickly.

A disturbance off to their left had
Owen frowning. A seething
Draken
stood toe to toe
with a furious yet cocky looking
Raziel
as
Jenika
stood just to the side of them. The Vampire’s eyes
had already turned blood red as he all but spat at the lion.

“Mine,”
Raziel
snarled, reaching for a stunned
Jenika
and pulling her flush against his body.

“Say
what?” the woman said breathlessly.

“Get
your hands off of my mate,”
Draken
demanded, claws
once again extending.

“Fuck
off,
arsehole
. She’s mine.”

Owen
gaped at the scene before him. No fucking way!

“What
the hell is going on?”
Jenika
jerked herself out of
Raziel’s
hold but refused to go to
Draken
.
“First fang-boy claims I’m his mate, now you do. So who is it, boy, and when in
all this do I get a fucking say?”

“Oh
no,” Angelica whispered from beside him.
“
Jenika
,
hun
.
I think that they both are.”

Jenika
scrunched up
her nose. “Both are what?”

Owen
found it comical when the woman’s eyes suddenly widened, her head shaking in denial.
“Oh no.
No way. Not happening.”

“I
don’t know what the fuck this dude’s deal is, honey, but you are my mate,”
Raziel
said with a nod in
Draken’s
direction. “My name is
Raziel
, and I would love to
get to know you.”

He
could have sworn he saw
Jenika
almost take a step in
the lion’s direction, before shaking herself out of whatever trance she had
been in.

“I
don’t care who you think you are,”
Draken
snarled.
“But you aren’t getting anywhere near my mate.”

“Damn,”
Stephan whispered from where he lay.

“Are
you okay?” Angelica asked, concerned.

“Yeah.”
Stephan
chuckled, instantly groaning when it made him move. “Just thinking that payback
is a bitch.”

It
took Owen all of a second to work out what his friends meant, and then he burst
into laughter. Oh yeah, by the looks of things,
Draken
was about to get his just deserts.

****

Stephan
held back his laughter as Angelica once again fluffed his pillows and
straightened his sheets as he lay back in the bed. They had all been
transported here after things had been contained at the warehouse. It was some
sort of infirmary the Treaty members here on the Gold Coast had set up, and Stephan
had to admit it was well equipped. He swore the bed he was in had been made
with clouds.

Absently
he wondered if he could press to have a king sized one made for home. With the
guilt that clung to his mate, he suspected so.
Though he and
Owen had no intention of playing out that guilt.
Angelica had acted rashly,
but she had been scared, lost, and hormonal. All of which they were to blame
for themselves as well.