Stray Cats [High-Country Shifters 2] (13 page)

Blood coated her best friends’ bodies. How they weren’t dead already she didn’t know. On a good day, he would maybe live. With this many, they didn’t stand a chance, and her heart hitched. She wanted to cover her eyes, but she feared the wolves might come after her.

Part of her wanted to run, but the other wanted to stay and clean up the death that was sure to occur. Cavon and Malik moved apart, and she spotted a fairly large wolf on the ground, his throat torn out. She prayed he might be the pack leader. If that were the case the odds just shifted to the lions’ favor, if only a little bit. Then she spotted two bigger wolves hovering in the back as if both were sending out instructions to their team.
Damn
.

Will and Gage hovered off to the side as if they were deciding what to do.
Oh, shit
. Their noble hearts would make them join the fray. “Don’t!” Her two men might be able to shift into lions, but they had absolutely no idea what that entailed. They also might own a security firm, but she bet they used guns and had never gone against a sentient animal.

They leaned back, and she screamed again. She wouldn’t survive if all four of them died. Will and Gage ignored her frantic plea and leaped into the fray. Her breath caught. Tears burned her eyes. All four men were going to die, and there wasn’t a damned thing she could do about it.

Blood spurted everywhere as Malik and Cavon led the charge against the wolves. With one of the largest wolves dead, she’d prayed the others would rush away, but one of the two big wolves in back must have been the true leader. The scrambling and clawing was so intense that she lost track of who was who. All four lions were of equal size, though if she watched carefully Sella knew which two were her friends and which two were her lovers.

Two wolves rushed behind a tree, and both of the large wolves followed. She wasn’t sure if they were escaping or planning.

Malik and Cavon had taken a terrible beating, yet they continued to swipe, claw, and bite their way through the other wolves. She moved behind a tree despite knowing she should run and never look back. If she abandoned those she cared most about, she’d be a traitor, and she’d never be able to live with herself. Roars and whimpers punctuated the air. Two more wolves cried out and stumbled down the path only to fall down, their lifeblood draining out of them.

Sella looked around for a stick or some weapon to help beat down the wolves, but the training from her brothers came back. Never attack a wolf. They would kill her in less than three seconds if they turned on her. Her hands shook, and her stomach heaved. Tears blurred her vision. The movement of the animals in the massacre slowed. Still all four lions fought. Their valiant efforts would never be forgotten. More roars and wails ensued, and she buried her head in her hands as giant sobs wracked her body. When the screeching continued, she had to peek. The bloodiest lion was down, his chest heaving, but the other three managed to keep the remaining four wolves at bay. How was it possible that four lions had managed to kill ten wolves?
Uh-oh.
The two biggest wolves returned and slowly circled. Surely her men saw what they were doing and that they were waiting to attack when the last lion stumbled.

In one giant leap, the lion who she thought was Cavon flew through the air, and with teeth bared, landed on the wolf’s back. In seconds the animal lay dying on the ground. Three wolves and three lions faced off. She would have cheered, except two of the remaining wolves were the largest ones and appeared fresh, untouched by the lions. Something didn’t seem right.

All three lions converged on the one remaining injured wolf and the fray began. Still, the other two wolves watched. The fighting wolf clamped his teeth into Cavon’s leg, but Will and Gage dug their jaws into his flank, and he stumbled. Cavon dropped to the ground, leaving only Will and Gage to fight off the two remaining wolves.

Two flashes of light appeared, and the circling wolves shifted. “Sella, it’s me.”

As soon as she recognized their childhood friend Kranor she raced toward him. “Will and Gage, stop. He’s a friend.”

Both shifted, and her heart stopped. They took one look at their wounds and dropped to their knees. Malik and Cavon knew better than to shift. It took too much energy. She didn’t know who she should go to first. She tore off her scarf and wrapped it around the worst of Will’s wounds.

“Kranor, what’s going on?”

“It’s a long story. Jude and I aren’t part of this pack. We were about to go through the alignment point when this local pack appeared. We pretended to be part of the group as we didn’t want them to follow us into Anterra. Can we talk later?” He nodded to Malik and Cavon. “We need to get them to Anterra and help them while we still can.”

“What about these two men? They belong here.”

“They may not make it back to the hospital. Let’s bring them with us.”

She expected Gage to say they didn’t want to go, but he was smart enough to realize that he wasn’t going anywhere with Will’s injury. He nodded.

The alignment point was farther down the path. “Are we going to leave all the wolves here?”

Kranor nodded. “I don’t know what else to do. The forest animals will have a feast.”

He was right. What was done was done. “Let’s go.”

“I’m Jude, by the way.” The shifter she didn’t recognize held up a hand. “Long story for another time.”

She had no idea what was up, but she trusted Kranor. She’d heard he distanced himself from the other wolves, and over the years Taryn had mentioned seeing him, which didn’t surprise her. Kranor always had appeared more comfortable with the lions than with the wolves.

Kranor tried to pick up Malik but nearly dropped him. Although Kranor was close to seven feet tall, he took a few steps and had to set down Malik. “He’s too heavy. I’m sorry.”

Sella rushed over to Malik. Shifting was dangerous, but he had to if he was going to live. “Malik, you have to shift. We can’t lift you.”

He growled, as if he needed her to step back. She cleared the path and both he and Cavon returned to their human form. Maybe it was for the better that it was too dark for her to see the full extent of their injuries. Thank goodness Kranor could help find the alignment point. Malik and Cavon were too weak. Jude and Kranor rushed in and helped Cavon and Malik down the path, while she and Gage wrapped an arm around Will’s waist.

When they got near the point, Kranor had to shift back into his wolf form to find the exact spot. They were to follow him. Since Will was better off than Cavon, Jude practically carried Malik, while Gage helped Cavon. They all followed Kranor. The sudden increase in temperature convinced her that they’d arrived in Anterra.

She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to signal her brothers for help. While they couldn’t understand words, her mental screaming would surely bring them out. Cavon looked back over his shoulder and grunted. While she couldn’t read his mind, his groan implied he’d just spoken to Taryn and that her brothers would soon arrive to help.

Kranor shifted back to human form and replaced Gage in helping Cavon, allowing Gage to return to help his brother. Even with Gage carrying the majority of the weight, Will’s arm over her shoulder was getting heavy. She inhaled the rich air, but even at night the heat was getting to her, especially since she was dressed in heavy clothing. A sharp pain stabbed her eye, and her stomach tumbled. Crossing the reality lines seemed to be taking a worse and worse toll on her body this time. When she glanced over at Gage, he was wiping his forehead, which caused the light he was holding to flash in her face. She averted her gaze.

“Help will come soon.”

Kranor stopped. “Let’s rest.”

That was the best idea she’d heard yet. Since the heat was so stifling, she couldn’t wait to at least unbutton her jacket. She used to love the warm weather and detest the cold, but after adjusting to the winter conditions, she rather liked the cold.

The crickets chirped, and leaves crunched from small forest animals going about their nightly business. Gage clicked off the light, and they waited in silence. Malik had curled up in a ball, and Cavon sat with his head between his legs. She couldn’t do much now about Gage’s injuries, but when she checked Will’s arm the bleeding seemed to have stopped.

“You might be experiencing some additional discomfort in your head and stomach, but that’s due to crossing through to Anterra. Shifters usually recover in a few hours.” Gage and Will might need longer, but she saw no reason to tell them that. They were probably in enough pain already.

In the dark it was too difficult to tell their location, but she prayed they weren’t in wolf territory. These men couldn’t fight even one more animal. Maybe having Kranor and his friend Jude with them would keep the other wolves away at least for a while. Hopefully, their scent would mask the smell of blood in the air.

Right now all she wanted was for Will and Gage to be okay. Once Malik and Kranor shifted into their lion form they’d be fine, too.

The ground shook. The pounding of a lot of paws jerked her attention to the oncoming group. Her brothers must have come with reinforcements. A wall of light filled the forest, and about ten men appeared. She jumped up. She recognized two of the men as physicians. Cavon must not have told the truth to Taryn about the extent of Malik’s and his injuries because she didn’t see an ambulance.

Taryn rushed over to her. “Are you all right?” His gaze landed on Will and Gage.

“I’m fine.” The need to explain poured out. “Don’t jump to conclusions. I found these two shifters in Spirit.”

“What the hell were
you
doing in Spirit? Mom said you were with Madra in the mountains.” His breath was too ragged, and she could sense the rage building.

“This isn’t the time,
younger
brother.” He hated when she pulled the age card. “These men need help.”

His nostrils flared, but he nodded and shooed her away as he took her place helping Will. Kellum was speaking with Kranor, and she wanted to thank him for his help, but she knew Gage and Will would be overwhelmed with everything that was happening, so she stayed by their side.

Taryn led them toward his house.

“What about Cavon and Malik?”

“Their injuries are severe. Kellum has called for an ambulance.”

“Good.” While there were few vehicles in Anterra, sometimes they were necessary, such as now. Malik was losing blood fast and didn’t need to be walking to the hospital. She quirked a brow. “Malik is agreeing?”

Fighters never admitted their injuries were severe. “No, but he can’t fight off eight other men.”

“Good point.”

She touched Will’s arm. “Aren’t you hot?”

“I’ll live.”

The act of removing his jacket might cause more harm, so she didn’t make a fuss. She took off her jacket, however, and slung it over her arm. Feeling helpless, she trailed behind. When they got to the tree house, all four wouldn’t fit on the platform, so she let the men go up first.

A moment later she followed. As soon as she stepped into the house, Lara rushed up to her. “What’s going on?”

She waited until Taryn brought the men into the bathroom before telling Lara the whole story. Sella assumed that Taryn would have them change into lions once they were in the large bath. She prayed he had a gentle touch. Both of her men must be feeling not only physically bad but would be in a panic over so many new things.

“I need to rest a minute.”

“Of course.” Lara pulled her to the sofa. “Let me get you something to drink.”

More importantly, she needed to get out of these clothes. Blood was smeared everywhere. “Can I borrow a skirt?”

Lara smiled. “One Anterran outfit coming right up.”

She knew her sister-in-law would understand how uncomfortable warm clothes were, especially ones that were soiled. Lara returned with a long skirt and small top. Lara still hadn’t acclimated to walking around topless like the rest of the Anterran women, and since Sella respected Lara’s house rules, she would wear a top when in her presence.

Lara came back with the new clothes, and Sella quickly changed before either of her brothers returned. Feeling more refreshed, she dropped onto the sofa. “I’ll take that offer of a drink now.”

Her sister-in-law poured a cold glass of water and sat opposite her. “Spill.”

She wasn’t sure where to begin. “Everything went according to plan with Amy. She’s wonderful, by the way.”

“I know.”

“She was thrilled about your pregnancy. I wish I could have spoken more to her, but Cavon and Malik took up most of her time.”

Lara’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding me. You let Amy meet them?”

“Yes. They were with me, so it made sense to make the introduction. When I told her that Malik and Cavon were shifters, she barely blinked.”

Lara leaned back. “So she did believe my story after all.”

“Apparently. Anyway, when we went into the office to tell her all about you, both men did most of the talking. They’re smitten, as you would say.”

“Maybe we need to hatch a plan to get her to Anterra. Maybe she’d be the one person who could tame Malik.”

Her friend was a hothead and not a team player. Not even his own brother had been able to convince Malik to conform. “As for Amy, she’s thriving in Spirit. The High-Country Inn was incredibly crowded, and she seemed to love being there.”