CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
RUX
Rux’s heart jumped in his chest as he saw more shadowy figures advancing from behind the shed. He couldn’t see exactly how many there were, only that there were more goons arriving to back up their buddies.
Griffin was around somewhere. He was sure of it. By now, he’d be hiding behind his toughs, but Rux knew he’d come out for a final standoff.
I’ll have to save some of my energy for that.
As he watched the reinforcements come in, Rux knew that he would have no chance of saving energy for anything. If he was going to defeat these guys and protect Dana, he would have to give his all.
That’s what Griffin’s counting on. Then I’ll be easy meat.
He scowled as fury rose in him. He could feel Dana just behind him, her heart and lungs fluttering like a rabbit’s.
“It’s okay,” he whispered. “I got this. Everything’s under control.”
She relaxed slightly, and he cursed himself, just a little. The words were automatic, intended to reassure her, but it was total bullshit. He had no idea what he was going to do.
He saw three guys move toward the front of the line. He took a few steps forward, glancing back over his shoulder to check that Dana was behind him.
She stood between a couple of scrubby pine trees, and, even though he knew they wouldn’t give much cover, at least they couldn’t be surrounded.
He launched himself forward, springing toward the man in the center. As he flew through the air, he shifted. The full weight of his panther shape smashed into the man’s chest.
His sharp claws tore out the other guy’s throat before they could hit the ground, and Rux leaped for the guy on the right.
This one saw him coming and shifted before Rux could hit him.
He was a massive, solidly built tiger, and when Rux smashed into him, he almost bounced off. He found his feet quickly, but just as he squared up, the other one, a lightning-fast cheetah, jumped him from behind.
Rux was aware of a few other guards stopping nearby, almost forming a ring. They wouldn’t jump in until they had to, and they were so confident they didn’t even bother trying to grab Dana.
A quick glance told him that she was still crouched behind the trees, watching with wide eyes. She knew there was no point in running. These guys would catch her in fewer than two seconds flat.
Rux growled, throwing himself to the ground. The other two pressed him down into the dirt, trying to crush him. He gathered his muscles and sprang, throwing them off. As he lifted above them, he looked down on the tiger and the cheetah.
Now what, smart guy?
As he came down out of his jump, he threw himself into the surrounding ring of tough guys, breaking their line until they all fell against each other. He was able to twist away to avoid the tiger and the cheetah and ravaged a couple of goons with his claws.
As another tried to run, he sprang and dug his sharp teeth into the guy’s leg. He didn’t press his advantage. Instead, he let go of him to attack another one.
If I injure them one by one, at least I’ll slow them down.
The tiger and cheetah were trying to attack, but the fight had become chaos. There were at least eight guards, and now six of them were falling over each other in a messy pile. Rux could feel anxiety creeping up on him, but he refused to let it win.
He had brought down three of the guards with minor wounds. The tiger and cheetah were dancing and leaping around what had once been a well-ordered circle, looking for an opening. The remainder of the guys were beginning to get organized again.
If I could just catch a small break … I need to be in two places at once just for five seconds!
Under his fury and power, there was an undercurrent of fear. He didn’t know where Dennis was or what kind of shape he was in. They probably wanted him alive, with Griffin figuring that he'd have the situation under control again as long as they took care of Rux and Dana.
Rux faced off as the guys formed a line with the cheetah and lion in the center. The couple of guys he’d taken down wriggled on the ground as they tried to deal with their injuries. He knew it wouldn’t take long for them to get back up.
His claws tightened on the sand beneath him. Tension streaked through his body, and a roar came rumbling out of his chest like nothing he’d ever heard before.
Pure power, rage, and a threat emanated from him. The line of guys in front of him shifted one by one, all of them cats of some description.