Levi (19 page)

His opponent snarled and swatted at him, catching the tender tip of his nose. Lyndon yelped, unable to keep the sound in. The twinge of pain and embarrassment powered him forward when the cougar retreated. Lyndon dug in his back claws and pushed off. He tackled the shifter, knocking him on his back. His side was raked with sharp claws and spots danced before his eyes. Lyndon did his best to ignore it, shoving his head down, finding the vulnerable arch of his foe’s neck—only to have him shift into human form.

“Please,” the man rasped, his hands shaking against Lyndon’s sides. “I only came after you because our father made me.”

He should have suspected, Lyndon thought, but no, he’d left like his father had told him to and assumed as long as he stayed out of south Texas…

“It’s in his will, when he dies only the surviving heir gets everything.”

Lyndon stumbled off the man, stunned by his father’s depravity—and his half-brother’s. The man didn’t have to go along with this sick shit. Lyndon watched his…brother…pant, saw his chest heaving. Blood streamed from a dozen wounds, and Lyndon knew he wasn’t in much better shape. What sympathy he felt was squashed by the memory of his brother’s gloating threat to kill Oscar, Drake and Orion. Lyndon remembered the scent of blood—not his, not this man who shared his blood but wasn’t family, could never be when he’d so willingly and gleefully hunted Lyndon.

He didn’t make a sound when he straddled the gasping form on the ground. Lyndon locked his gaze to the man’s then bared his teeth in a silent growl. Then he tipped his head and, sore nose or not, used it to smack the underside of his would-be killer’s chin. The man arched his neck and grabbed at him, but Lyndon ignored him and opened his mouth. He didn’t bite too deeply, his teeth barely digging into the skin. Lyndon growled, letting his anger and pain flow into the sound. His threat was clear, real—he’d rip the man’s throat out without hesitation. And later, he’d mourn and live with the regret, but no one other than him needed to know about it.
But Levi would know.

Lyndon didn’t want to expose his lover to that kind of pain, even if it was secondary, coming from Lyndon. He couldn’t let this man beneath him know it, not if he wanted this to end without death. He needed to think Lyndon would kill him without regret if Lyndon had any hope at all of making him back down and submit. Lyndon clenched his jaw enough to sink the tips of his teeth in a little more. The taste of his own sibling’s blood sickened him, and he had to lock his muscles in place to keep from heaving.

Beneath him, his brother was utterly still, barely daring to breathe. His fear singed Lyndon’s sinuses and didn’t bring him the slightest pleasure. When his prey had been still for a full minute, showing his submission, Lyndon released him and backed away slowly, not wanting to appear weak or eager to get away from what he’d just done.

He wanted to look for Oscar and the other two brothers, wanted to make sure Levi and Cheryl were okay, but he didn’t dare take his eyes off the downed man. Lyndon growled a soft warning when his half-brother pushed himself up to a sitting position.

“My name is Albert,” he said as he tried to get his legs underneath him. Since there was a wound running down from his buttocks to his thigh on the right side, Lyndon doubted Albert could stand. “It’s supposed to make it harder to kill someone, isn’t it? Knowing their name?”

Lyndon didn’t think it could get any harder than it already was. The very idea of having to kill anyone was repulsive, but killing a brother he might have—had their father not been such a cruel bastard—been close to, like Levi and his brothers were? It hurt, a physical pain that he felt in his bones.

Albert gave up on standing and began scooting backwards. Lyndon hoped he was just trying to put a little more space between them.

“You know, there are more than just me. I’m not the only cub our father actually raised.”

Albert’s words were like metal spikes piercing Lyndon to his soul. Would he have to fight more siblings, maybe even kill them? All for a fucking empire founded on oil and hatred? His father wasn’t the biggest name in the oil industry in south Texas, but he damned sure was wealthy and renowned.

“There’s probably a few more bastards, like you,” Albert continued, still moving away. “Father wasn’t particularly faithful. Guess he wanted to spread his seed and make sure he had one suitable successor. If there are, I’ll have to kill them first, of course.”

The words shattered in Lyndon’s mind because they were so incomprehensible. The realisation sunk in then; Albert wouldn’t stop. He didn’t even sound the least bit remorseful. Lyndon couldn’t just let him go, knowing he might have siblings out there with targets on the backs of their necks. Yet he couldn’t quite bring himself to leap, to tear into Albert’s neck and put an end to this nightmare.

“You don’t like that, do you? But it’s the way it is. Just be glad you weren’t raised by our father.” Albert’s bitter laugh carried so much pain Lyndon started trying to think of alternatives to killing him.

Then Albert grinned and he pulled something from behind his back. The moonlight glinted off metal. Albert aimed the gun at him, and Lyndon was afraid he’d made a fatal mistake.

Chapter Twenty-Two

He couldn’t stand it anymore. Yes, Lyndon had pretty much told Levi to stay and wait like a good little wife… Well, he wasn’t doing that. Once he’d pulled the freaking dart thingie from his mom’s shoulder and seen she would be okay, the need to get to Lyndon was all but irresistible.

At least, he hoped his mom would be okay. After about five minutes, Cheryl had groaned and her eyelids had fluttered open before dropping closed again. But her breathing was steady, deep, her heartbeat strong. Levi really thought his mom would be fine.

Lyndon, however… Levi could hear the snarling, the yowls of pain, some Lyndon’s, some not. He absolutely couldn’t stay here, but if he left and something happened to his dad, Levi didn’t think he could live with himself.

“Go. Go on.”

Levi startled at hearing his mom’s voice. He’d been looking at the front door, thinking about what he should do. He’d got his mom inside, and Lyndon was out there. Oscar… Oscar, Orion and Drake might be hurt, lying bloody and in pain somewhere. Or worse, they might be dead.

He turned to Chery; and touched her slightly lined face. Then he pressed a hand over her heart. “Are you sure, Mom? I don’t know if leaving you—”

“I’m fine,” his mom grumbled, shoving herself up on her elbows. She seemed steady although beads of sweat sprouted on her forehead. “Nothing is hurting inside, or numb, like I was poisoned. Just felt a sting then not much else. Like I passed out. Go on and find your brothers, and make sure Lyndon isn’t hurt. I’ll be along as soon as I can.”

Levi started to leave then a thought chilled him to the core. “Mom, what about Dad?”

He hadn’t ever seen his mom move so fast. Levi turned away quickly as Cheryl started pulling off her clothes. He barely made it to the front door in time to open it. He’d been afraid his mom was going to try to go through the damn thing instead. Levi did hesitate on the porch, torn between concern for his parents and for his brothers and Lyndon.

Then he felt it, Lyndon’s fear, his sorrow, his certainty that he had failed. And Levi ran, not bothering to shift. He didn’t have the time to spare. Stones and sticks bruised and gouged his feet but the pain was negligible in comparison to his fear for Lyndon Lyndon had headed downwind, so Levi couldn’t scent as much as he’d have been able to otherwise, but he did smell blood the closer he got to where Lyndon was. When he realised some of it was his brothers’ blood, Levi bit his tongue to hold back the anguished roar building inside him.

And when he came close enough to see the fucker pointing a gun at Lyndon, heard the hammer being pulled back, he had never felt so useless. His shout died on his tongue as he realised he might startle the man into firing the gun. Levi wondered why they hadn’t heard him coming, but the two seemed so locked into whatever was happening between them, which might have been his answer. He crept forward quietly, listening intently as the armed man spoke.

“Now, obviously you aren’t the superior son. You’re weak, unable to do what needs to be done. I thought I might be too, at first, but the thrill of playing around, of tormenting you—don’t all cats like to toy with their prey? It was addictive. If you hadn’t decided to stay here and ruin my fun, I might have let you live a little longer.”

The man tapped his chin while he hummed. “Now, do I want to kill the man, or the cougar? Why don’t you shift back and forth and I’ll just shoot whenever I get the urge? We’ll see which one I get—although, I am killing both, but still.” He laughed while never taking his attention off Lyndon. “Better get started or else I’ll go back and put a bullet in every one of those idiots’ heads. Then I’ll kill the guy you’ve been fucking, after I fuck him, of course. Think he’ll scream for me like he did for you? I heard it all the way out in the woods.”

Lyndon shifted then, from cougar to man. “Albert, please—”

Don’t beg, don’t fucking beg for anything from that bastard!
Levi willed Lyndon to hear him, but Lyndon stopped anyway when Albert raised the gun slightly and pulled the trigger. The bullet sent bark flying out, bits of wooden shrapnel pelting Lyndon and tearing at his skin.

“Shut the fuck up, bro. If you’re not entertaining me, what the fuck use are you?”

Levi looked at Albert and gasped just as Lyndon cursed. Although Albert had shorter hair, he looked like Lyndon’s carbon copy. How had he missed the resemblance? It was one thing to know Lyndon’s stalker was a sibling, but to see how much they looked alike made it almost impossible for Levi to shift and kill the man.

Yet when he swung his head back around and watched Lyndon shift from cougar to man then back again, when he heard Albert’s laughter, Levi knew he had no other choice. He could only hope his shift would go unnoticed. He rarely got through it without mewling because it fucking hurt.

There was a snap of a twig, then a subtle change in the direction of the wind. Levi hesitated for a second then panic ramped on top of the fear already clawing at him.
Oscar!
He wasn’t dead! No, he was in shifted form, and he was stalking his prey.

Levi saw the pale blue eyes in the foliage. In the instant their gazes caught, he knew without a doubt what his brother was going to do. Before he could think of an alternative or so much as gesture for him to wait, Oscar slunk away. He moved in behind Albert a good six yards. And as much as Levi didn’t want to have to kill Lyndon’s brother, he didn’t want Lyndon killed, either. He was afraid it could happen when Oscar pounced—which he was going to do, because he was stealthily creeping towards Albert. Oscar, low to the ground, silent as a thought, was a deadly, beautiful sight. One Lyndon, his vision blocked by Albert’s body, couldn’t see. He wouldn’t know when to duck.

Which meant it was up to Levi, then. Maybe that was why Oscar had made sure to get his attention. The bare sound of the twig snapping had gone unnoticed by the other two men, but not by Levi.

Levi glanced at Oscar, thought he saw something in his eyes confirming his suspicions, but it could have been his own wishful thinking. Oscar was closer now, almost within distance for a quick, deadly attack.

I should have shifted.
There was no time for it now. Levi checked Oscar’s position, gave a small nod, then he leapt, throwing himself between Lyndon and Albert. The sound of the gunfire caused him to stiffen, his arms tightening around Lyndon as they hit the ground.

Lyndon’s gasp was eradicated by the whizz of a bullet shooting past Levi’s ear. It was so close his skin felt scorched, but he didn’t have a second to think on that before a shrill scream split the air.

“Levi.” Lyndon moaned his name, relief and pain making his voice thick. Levi rolled to his other side, not wanting Lyndon to see Oscar’s attack on Albert. As soon as he had them rolled, though, Levi saw it, or what was left of the attack. Oscar hadn’t played around, making the kill quick. Oscar’s white coat was splattered with more blood than the leopard’s rosettes and Albert’s neck was—Levi closed his eyes and held onto Lyndon.

Lyndon was so still in Levi’s arms, didn’t try to see what was happening. Those two things combined with the wave of sorrow rolling off Lyndon told Levi his lover knew about or had maybe even seen Oscar’s attack. Albert was already dead by the time Lyndon had seen him one last time.

Levi held Lyndon, murmuring comforting words as Lyndon trembled and Oscar shifted. Minutes later, a soft touch on his arm startled Levi into opening his eyes. Oscar knelt behind Lyndon, looking miserable and proud at the same time. His eyes begged for something from Levi, and Levi didn’t hesitate to give it to him. Even though it was the last thing he felt like doing, Levi smiled and didn’t have to fake it, not when he was so relieved Lyndon and Oscar were alive. But, “Where’s Drake and Orion?”