Finally, he shifted.
Grey instantly shifted too, and faced off against the smallish black bear that was Matt. He was no more than 250 pounds at most, Grey judged.
Grey’s snow leopard form wasn’t quite a
s big, but he wasn’t worried. When shifted, he could take down animals up to four times his own size. Snow leopards weren’t the biggest of the big cats, but they were the most powerful for their size, compact and dangerous.
Taking his time, he prowled around Matt, forcing the bear to turn so as to keep him in sight.
As he’d expected, Matt got bored of this after only a few minutes and charged him, growling. Grey leapt easily aside and then, as Matt was wheeling around, pounced.
He got in a good solid bite to Matt’s shoulder and retreated, waiting.
It was clear that Matt didn’t know how to handle himself in a real fight. He’d probably never spent any time in the wilderness, dealing with actual dangerous animals. He’d probably just postured with other shifters in the area. Grey had seen fights like that, with young idiots swiping at each other for fun.
Grey intended to show him the difference between fighting like boys and fighting like men.
Matt seemed surprised that Grey had actually managed to hurt him. He growled again and advanced, coming up on his hind legs when he got in close.
It was a move meant to intimidate, and it was stupid. Grey went for his exposed underbelly with vicious precision, and Matt howled in pain, retreating.
“Don’t kill him!” Alethia’s voice rang out behind him.
Grey backed up a few paces, glancing back at Alethia in acknowledgment. He didn’t intend to kill Matt. Just teach him a lesson.
A hard lesson.
Matt was angry now, which made him even sloppier. He roared and charged Grey, but he wasn’t far enough away to get any momentum. Grey met this charge head-on and dug his claws into Matt’s forelegs before they could reach him, dodging the snapping mouth and sinking his own teeth into fur-covered flesh.
Matt recoiled from the pain, now bleeding in several places. He’d reared back on his hind legs again. This time Grey used his powerful hind legs to fuel a driving leap forward, knocking Matt onto his back.
Grey closed his teeth around Matt’s throat and waited.
A long minute passed. Grey tightened his jaw.
Finally, Matt’s form shivered underneath him as he shifted back to human.
Grey released his throat and backed up a few paces, waiting to make sure Matt wasn’t faking him out before he shifted himself.
Paul was standing off to the side with his mouth open.
“As the lady said,” Grey told Matt and Paul. “Consequences.”
Paul went silently over to help Matt to his feet. Matt was bleeding in several places, but was well enough to angrily shake off Paul’s helping hands and haul himself to his feet on his own.
“This isn’t over,” Matt snarled as limped toward his truck.
There was a shiver of movement in the corner of Grey’s eye, and he turned to see Alethia.
But not the human Alethia. She stood on all fours in her snow leopard form, her teeth bared.
“Whoa!” Matt stumbled backward.
Paul was staring. “Ali!” He turned to Grey. “Did you do that to her?”
“No,” Grey said coldly. “I did that for her.”
Alethia snarled. Matt and Paul both jumped.