The Bear and the Unicorn (Supernatural Enforcers Agency Book 6) (16 page)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Sky watched with baited breath as the sabre-tooth was led out of his cage.  He was planning something, she was sure of it. 
Kick all their asses
encouraged her unicorn.  A mental note she tried to send him.

She was already feeling a heck of a lot happier about her escape chances knowing Zane had come for her –
her knight in hairy armor
.  But now she was also worrying about Zane getting hurt – what if he got hit somewhere vital?  Like… everywhere.  Every part of him is vital.  From his dark, stormy eyes, to his soft lips set in a near-permanent scowl.  To his eyebrows that were near constantly meeting in the middle because they were always drawn together in consternation, and then there was his scratchy, sexy stubble.  Not to mention everything south of the neck. 
Egad, she loved every part of him.

Okay, horny horsey – focus.  Her unicorn huffed but acquiesced.  Escape first, sexy times later.

Booker sneered at the surprisingly well-behaved sabre-tooth.  Sky had expected much more claw swipes by this point.  But no, the huge tiger was still smiling… benignly… yet also somehow evilly.

The gorilla grinned nastily.  “Enjoy the rest of your life, kitten.  Hope it’s a long one.”

The tiger winked at Sky as four extremely nervous goons led him away.  His confidence did give her hope.  Hope that some blood and guts were going to get spilled soon.  Jeez - her unicorn was becoming surprisingly aggressive.  What she wouldn’t give to sink her horn right through that damn gorilla’s chest.

Booker caught her look of hatred directed at him.  “Don’t worry, sweetheart.  Your turn soon.”

Dick
.  But he was right.  Soon it would be.

Hurry up, Zane.

*

“No entrance,” groused the large tiger shifter blocking Zane’s way.

“I need to take a leak.”

“Bathroom’s other end of the building.”

“I need to take a leak now.  I can see a sign for a bathroom behind you.”  Perhaps a leftover perk of when the place was used for hockey – plentiful bathrooms.  People had to drink lots of alcohol to enjoy hockey, so they needed to go a lot – ergo, the place was full of bathrooms.

The tiger shrugged.  “Area’s off limits to guests.”

“Either let me go down there or I piss on your shoes.”

His bear figuratively cracked his knuckles.  His girlfriend had been kidnapped, trapped in a cage and displayed like a piece of meat in a tiny bikini.  So yeah, he deserved a break for not tearing everyone he met a new one.

He’d been wandering around like an idiot for ten minutes, but everywhere he went some bozo blocked his way, or he couldn’t get past the electronic locks.  Sure he could try and break down the door, but a giant bear might draw a tiny bit of attention.

Seeing the congealing expression on the tiger’s face, Zane decided to modify his behavior ever so slightly.  “C’mon, man.  I’m here with my bitch wife, trussed up like a hog in this damn suit, and drinking fucking champagne that tastes like cold piss.  I just want to get back to her and get out of here.”

The tiger rolled his eyes, but there was a spark of camaraderie.  Perhaps he hated suits too.  Or maybe he too had a ‘bitch wife’.  “Fine, but just be quick.”  He stepped aside for Zane

“Appreciate it man.”

Zane got in the bathroom and gasped loudly.  “Holy fuck, what is that?”

He heard the tiger lumber towards the bathroom and his bear actually chuckled at the fact the tiger was falling for perhaps the second most hackneyed ploy in the history of ploys. 
The first being the sick prisoner thing in a jail cell.

As the tiger came in through the door, Zane smashed him in the face with his elbow.  The tiger reared back, and Zane charged smashing him into one of the urinals.  Blood spouting from his nose, the tiger dropped to all fours and let out a choked snarl as he started shifting.

His bear rumbled, and Zane felt adrenaline course through him.  He didn’t have time to shift, but a little bear like strength was called for.  His muscles bulged, dangerously stretching his borrowed suit, as he pulled a basin out of the wall.  Water spurted out of the pipe as he slammed it down on the half-shifted tiger.  Then he did it again, and again and then a few more times just to be sure.  The tiger let out a small, wailing meow and collapsed.

His bear roared in his head.  That was very satisfying… though that probably wasn’t a very healthy thing.  Eh, he’d figure that out later.  For now, it was time to impersonate a guard. 
Number three on the hackneyed ploy list.

Chapter Thirty

The tiger’s clothes were torn from his aborted shift.  They were also pretty bloody, but black was very forgiving to that kind of thing.  Probably why all the security guards in that place wore only black. 
That and to look cool. 
It was why Zane wore mostly black.  Okay, it was partially the blood thing too.

Thankfully he still had a black t-shirt under the awful dress shirt Juliet insisted he wore.  He took great pleasure in ripping the wig off and snapping the fake glasses

He donned the goon’s bulletproof vest, a utility belt that would make Batman green with envy and took the tiger’s security badge.  There were so many security guys running around that he hoped they wouldn’t all know each other, and he would just pass unnoticed as another stone-faced idiot.

The tiger had a real gun and a tranq gun, which Zane also took.  He left the tiger passed out on the bathroom floor.  Water was still trickling out of the broken sink, but it would probably be a while before anyone noticed, and Zane really didn’t plan on hanging around for much longer.  He wanted to get Sky and get out.

Zane strode through the corridors like he belonged and everyone assumed he did.  Some other security goons nodded at him, but they didn’t say anything – didn’t ask him who he was, or what he was doing.  It was like having an all access pass.

He found his way to an upper level and came out into the main arena.  Zane let out a low whistle.  The place sure didn’t look like a hockey rink anymore.  Where once there would have been row after row of hard, durable seats for patrons to sit, watch and yell at the match, there were now plush seats with privacy walls around them.  It looked like a really fancy first class airplane, except… there were tons of them, all circling the main floor where the rink used to be.  They were all equipped with small tablets, presumably so everyone could watch the action on them too if they wanted, and Zane guessed they would use them to do the bidding.  He squinted – each booth looked like it had a bottle of champagne and chocolate truffles.  His bear’s stomach rumbled, but the animal stoically ignored it. 
No time for that now.

The former rink looked more like a platform and reminded Zane of an MMA fighting ring.  Zane guessed that was where they were going to bring out the unlucky shifters about to be auctioned off.  Surrounding it were high wire fences, and outside the fences, there were already a bunch of black-clad mercenaries lolling around waiting for the event to start.  Measures in case any of the shifters about to be sold decided to take a leap into the crowd.  Zane couldn’t deny he’d probably try that if it were him. 
And it won’t be Sky
growled his bear.  No, he wouldn’t let it get that far.

Zane stiffened as a silken voice sounded over the speakers.

“If everyone would like to take their seats, the event will be starting in five minutes.  Happy bidding everyone.”

Zane looked up and around.  There had to be a control room somewhere.  Somewhere he could shut this damn freakshow down. 
And quickly
urged his bear.

*

“Did you hear that sweetheart?” cooed Christian, still stroking Juliet’s hair.

She felt her strength returning, and her fangs dropped, eager to sink into any part of his body she could get her dainty hands on.  Part of her wanted to do it to his dick –
inflict maximum pain
– but she had a horrible feeling he’d actually enjoy that and would consider it somehow intimate. 
Wanker
.

He pulled out his ringing cell phone.  “Uh huh.  Yes, the sabre-tooth first.  Let’s get rid of him as soon as we can.  No, I won’t be coming down.  I have my hands full here.”

Just as Juliet was about to swipe at him, the horrific pain started again, coursing through her body like a tidal wave and making every part of her want to flee in opposite directions.  It made her feel like she was tearing apart.  Almost as painful as when she became a vampire. 
Almost
– nothing could quite compare to that.

She snarled in between pants when it finally stopped.

Christian chuckled.  “Aww, you’re so adorable when you have murderous fury in your eyes.”

“I bet you’d look good with my fist in
your
eye.”

He laughed heartily before kissing her, right on her freaking mouth!  Thankfully, it didn’t last long.  Pulling away from her, he was licking his offending lips at her taste.

Keep going dickweed, she thought miserably.  You can’t keep me down forever. 
Hopefully
.

Chapter Thirty-One

The control room was helpfully labeled as Control Room.  Sometimes life was like a Scooby Doo cartoon.

Huh, this was actually going to be easier than he thought. 
A lucky break
groused his bear –
finally
.

Zane affected nonchalance as he walked into the room.  He passed an elephant shifter on his way out who grunted and nodded at him.  So he grunted and nodded back. 
It was almost too easy
thought his bear smugly.

Almost.

The control room had a couple of male humans in there –
geeks
sniffed his beast dismissively.  They appeared to be the ‘crew’ - working the lights and the online bidding system.  There was a long-legged female snake shifter, with dark smoky looks and a bow shaped mouth.  She was in front of a microphone and casting irritated looks at the only other shifter in the room – a huge male jaguar.  He was oblivious to the annoyance of the snake and currently pawing at a small, bespectacled human woman, blushing furiously but squeaking in delight.

The large jaguar sniffed and looked up, glaring at Zane.

“Fuck you doing here?” he growled.

The small woman straightened her glasses and carefully extricated herself from the jaguar’s beefy arms.

“Boss sent me,” rumbled Zane.  He nodded at the two geeks.  “Watch over them two.”

The humans’ eyes widened and the trickle of fear they previously had exploded.

The jaguar didn’t look like he was going to believe it but the small woman tapped his arm.  “We’re starting soon; I have to be prepared.”

“You mean
I
have to be prepared,” drawled the snake shifter.  “
I’m
doing all the work.”  She glowered at the human woman but simpered at the jaguar.

The jaguar narrowed his eyes, but it was the human female who responded.  “I wrote the script, all you have to do is read it.”

The snake flicked her long black hair.  “Anyone can write a script.  It takes real talent to read it out over a microphone.”

Zane frowned, but he wasn’t going to jump in the middle of this argument.

“Shut it, Sasha,” said the jaguar lowly.  He softened his tone for the human.  “Get to work, babe.”  He patted her ass and propelled her to a seat next to the pouting Sasha.

Zane, aware of the jaguar’s distrusting eyes on his back, wandered over to the windows.  They were at the top of the arena, overlooking the cage and all the seats around it. 
Overlooking the action
.  Everyone appeared to be seated and waiting for the start.  The goons placed around the cage were standing to attention, and there were now two more inside the cage, both appeared to be holding tasers.

“Okay,” piped up one of the male humans in a quivering voice.  “Dim the lights and we are ready to go.”

Sasha cleared her throat and started by welcoming everyone to the auction and going through the instructions on how to bid.  Her deep, throaty voice was sensual and sexy and grating on Zane’s nerves.

He’d found the control room – how come he couldn’t smash it?  His bear was almost pouting.  But honestly, Zane was a little curious to see what was about to happen. 
Then he could smash
.

“And now, our first item for sale this evening is a rarity.”  Spotlights highlighted the cage.  “A species extinct for ten thousand…”

“Eleven thousand,” hissed the mousy human.

Sasha ignored her and continued talking.  “We have a male sabre-tooth tiger.”

Zane watched as the floor to the cage opened up and a lift brought the huge sabre-tooth tiger to the floor.

“Weighing in at three hundred pounds and with a height of six feet and ten inches, the male is thought to be in his mid-thirties and in excellent health.  Shifted he measures almost two meters in length and weighs nearly eight hundred pounds.  A rare male from a species that should no longer exist.  Another creature like this won’t come along again in our lifetimes.”

“And cue the shift,” murmured one of the geeks.

Zane watched in surprise as the two mercenaries in the cage motioned to the tiger.  The huge male cocked his head to one side and surprisingly, did actually shift into his beast.  Zane was expecting some kind of resistance.  But no, the male just smiled and did as he was told.  The shift fluidly overtook his body and where there was a gruff looking man there was an enormous beast of a creature.  Even Zane was impressed by the sight of him.  His enormous teeth looked like they could cut you while just looking at them.  His huge body was more muscled than a regular tiger, with strong haunches and a massive chest.  His fur was mottled dark and golden brown.  He wasn’t beautiful in the same way a tiger was, but he had a fierce kind of primal beauty.  And there was no shortage of people who were interested in bidding on him.  For what, Zane didn’t want to think.  Although he pitied whoever thought they could turn this fierce beast into a sex slave.

The tiger walked around the cage, actually playing up to the crowd like some really weird supermodel. 
Humph.  Cats.

Sasha chuckled into the microphone.  “Who wouldn’t want to take this kitty cat home?  Don’t wait for the next ice age to get one of these beasts, bid on him today.”

And they did.  The bidding started at one million and quickly climbed to ten million.

Fuck, who had the money to spend that much on owning another living being?!  The bidding continued to grow more heated until Sasha finally announced the end with an amount of money that almost made Zane woozy.  An amount Zane could only dream of –
wildly
dream of.

The bidders politely clapped, and Zane glanced over to see the geeks sending a message to the winning bidder.  He looked out the window and scanned the crowd to see one of the bidders was indeed leaving already.  Apparently, she now had what she came for.

He watched as the sabre-tooth shifted back to human again, a cold smile on his face.  Zane had an idea.