“We’ve been plagued by troubles lately,” he said slowly, searching for the right words. “Someone is intentionally attacking us. The roof of our barn caved in, the beams sawed nearly in half. Some of the food was poisoned. And yesterday, an arrow was shot from the woods. Kian walked over to examine the arrow and then he left. He didn’t tell us where he was going or why he was leaving so abruptly. And we haven’t heard anything from him since.”
Karis narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, no doubt combing that sentence for untruths. He’d find none, but Ian still waited tensely. Some shifters were very sensitive and could tell when the truth being told wasn’t a full truth, could tell when things were being left unsaid. Like now.
“I can hear that’s the truth,” Karis said slowly with a nod. Reluctantly looking around at the Eagle Creek shifters, he continued stiffly. “It’s clear to me that our information was wrong, and this person will be punished accordingly. I am… sorry to have bothered you with this.”
Ian almost smiled as he watched Karis. The tiger looked like he was sucking on a lemon, and the apology was clearly painful for him. Ian nodded his head, opening his mouth to speak but pausing when Vynn began talking, voice laced with venom and fury.
“I know somehow you are lying to us. Our prince has abandoned us for too long, and I know you had something to do with it. You might have cheated death today, but you will not be so lucky next time. Because we will be back. And we will be reclaiming our kin when we do. That brat of Farrah’s never should have been allowed to leave the tribe, and she will be back serving us, as is right. Maybe we’ll even take your new whore with us. Deformed she may be, but we can never have too many servants.”
Rage burned through Ian’s body at Vynn’s words, and he didn’t think, didn’t hesitate. He just let his tiger burst out of his body, paws hitting the ground and immediately sprinting toward the tiger shifter, his vision coated in red. Vynn shifted just before Ian reached him, and they clashed together with an audible thud.
Ian was vaguely aware of Karis and Jared both ordering the other shifters not to engage, but his mind was on tearing the tiger he was fighting to shreds. He didn’t think, didn’t try to control his tiger’s instincts or talk him down. He just let him do what he did best, and right now, what he did best was ending the shifter who’d dared speak about his mate and daughter like that.
Raking his claws down Vynn’s face, he lunged for his neck, but Vynn spun away in the nick of time, just out of reach. The other tiger swatted at Ian, his claws digging deep into his side, but Ian didn’t even feel it, his rage and focus absolute. Landing his own blow across Vynn’s cheek, he watched in satisfaction as blood welled up. His claws had struck true, then.
Vynn was momentarily distracted, so Ian used it to his advantage. Leaping into action, he closed in, fitting his jaws around Vynn’s neck. Normally he would never think of ending a life unless it was absolutely necessary, but right at this moment, his mind was blank except for rage, and all he knew was he had the kill position, and without really thinking it over, he started to close his powerful jaws.
“Stop this! Change back, now!”
The voice cracked across the clearing like lightning, zinging through Ian’s body. A burst of pain washed over him, and his tiger hissed then whimpered in pain as he was forced back into Ian’s body against his will. Panting, Ian knelt on the ground, head pounding, fighting the urge to pass out. He was managing it better than Vynn, he noticed, feeling a twinge of amusement despite everything. The tiger was stark naked, passed out completely, claw marks on his cheek dripping blood.
Taking a deep breath, the pain and disorientation fading enough to wonder what in the hell just happened, he was just getting his bearings when the voice that ordered him to stop fighting spoke up again.
“I’m assuming this belongs to you? To the War Cats, I mean. I have a feeling if I gave her to the Rocky River shifters, she’d meet the same fate Vynn almost did.”
Luke, one of the lions from the new shifter crew that showed up a few weeks ago, was the one speaking. And then Ian saw the hissing, spitting female in his arms, and equal parts disbelief and rage washed over his skin.
What in the ever loving fuck was Farrah doing here in Eagle Creek? So close to Shelby? Ian shot to his feet, hissing.
Luke had been right. If she was given over to the Rocky River fighters, to Ian, nothing could have stopped him from ripping her throat out.
IAN CAUGHT THE SHIRT JAX THREW AT HIM WITH A NOD of thanks and quickly pulled it on. Clothes didn’t magically shift with a person, and Ian shredded his when he lost control and attacked Vynn.
Who was still passed out, he noticed in amusement.
Amusement instantly fading, he glared at first Farrah and then Luke. “What the hell is going on here? Why are you here, and what do you have to do with any of this? And what the hell did you do to me?”
“We’re shifter enforcers, my crew and I. And we’ve been following the drama around here. We caught this one edging close to the confrontation, and we figured she’d escalate things, so we caught her.”
We? Looking around, Ian noticed for the first time that all the new shifters were there. Blake, Liam, Dmitri, Damara, and Noah. And Luke, of course. Unable to believe he hadn’t noticed them, he asked, “And what you did to me?”
“My shifter gift. I can force changes.”
Fuck, what a gift. That had to be handy as an enforcer. And then what Luke was, what his crew were, sunk in. Enforcers. Shit. They were shifter law, and they had the authority to put rotten shifters down. And he’d just tried to kill another shifter in front of them.
“I can tell what you’re thinking, Ian. And we’re not going to put you down for going after Vynn. You were provoked. Although you would have killed him if you weren’t stopped, and that would have been unacceptable. The only thing that’s saving you today is that we know that was out of character for you. But we won’t be as lenient if there’s a next time.”
Nodding, Ian opened his mouth to speak and paused when a crashing noise sounded from the woods behind him. Zane burst through the tree line, leaning over with his hands on his knees as he panted. Seth scowled and started toward him, but stopped when he noticed Dmitri stepping forward with a sharp look and a glare. Moments later, Kian followed him out into the clearing, focused only on Zane.
“Why did you keep running? You knew I was following you, and I gave you a direct order to stop, though why I’m surprised you disobeyed, I’ll never know—” cutting himself off abruptly, he looked up and noticed the full clearing. Looking at his tigers in disbelief, he barked out, “What the hell is going on here? Why are you here?”
“So you are alive,” Karis said in relief. “We were told you were being held here against your will and we came to retrieve you.”
“What, you were going to fight my friends? On what basis?” Kian barked.
“We were told you were in trouble,” Karis replied with a glare directed at Zane.
Shaking his head, Kian said, “Zane, what has gotten into you? You try to kill Ian and me, and then you call the tigers in to do your dirty work for you when you don’t succeed? You are not the noble tiger I once thought you were.”