Jack was readying himself for another jab whenhewas sideswiped.
It was the very last thing he was expecting. He had known his sister wouldn’t have come to Half Moon Key alone, but he had forgotten that her people were still out there, roaming the town while the sheriff’s deputies rounded them up.
He barely had time to get back onto his legs before he saw he was flanked by two lions. He had been out of the family fold for too long, and he didn’t recognize the lions or their scent. For all he knew, they were new to the pride, and he had never met them. There would be no lingering loyalty to his father in this fight.
There would only be spilled blood between enemies.
Outnumbered three-to-one, Jack no longer liked his odds, but he quickly saw Sage was sitting out of the fight. She sat back on her haunches, watching as her two lions circled him. Jack couldn’t let them get the upper hand, so he lunged, making sure to get one of the lions in the face. His claw met with one of the other animal’s eyes and the sensitive orb was rendered useless under the attack.
Half-blinded, the lion retreated with a howl. Blood ran down the gold fur, and though Jack felt terrible for maiming another living thing, he also had to be realistic: this was a life-or-death situation. If he didn’t land hits and blows that actually made a difference, they would kill him before he ever had the chance to tell Nora she was his true mate, that he loved her, and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life raising children and grandchildren with her.
That was why he hadn’t wanted to start the fight in the cabin. That was his home with Nora, or it was soon to be, and he didn’t want it to be tainted by Sage’s violence.
The last male lion standing swiped at Jack, and though a few blows landed, Jack was the superior fighter. He landed deep hits, and the scent of blood was pungent on the sandy shore.
Jack’s side was bleeding, and one of his front paws was definitely dislocated, but he didn’t stop, letting his opponent’s fur fly with his own claws and jaws.
The other lion’s fur was matted over with blood and sand. The creature limped backward, head inclined, a sign he gave up.
He wouldn’t fight to the death, not for Sage.
His sister roared her displeasure and ran toward Jack, but he was ready for her. He hit her hard, and the lioness twirled through the air before crashing into one of the trees on the bank of the lake. The tree trunk cracked with a splintering echo, and Sage didn’t move.
“Look, man, Sage is nuts, okay?” the surrendering lion whimpered. “I don’t mean you any harm.”
Jack assessed the kid, for a kid he was, or almost. He couldn’t be older than twenty-one.
“If you promise me to lead a good life and never hurt anyone else again, I will let you go, but if I ever hear that you are back working with Sage, I will kill you. Do you understand me?”
The young man nodded and ran off into the woods as nude as he was the day he was born.
The other lion also retreated to the woods, but Jack figured the man was going to stay shifted until his eye healed. There was no way of knowing if the shifter’s healing powers would return his sight, but Jack didn’t have much time to think about it.
Sage took on her human form, laughing hysterically. “This isn’t over.”
“Yes, Sage. It’s over. I could kill you. In fact, I’m not entirely sure I don’t want to do just that right now. If you’re dead, I never have to look over my shoulder ever again. And don’t say that your people will come for me. Youhaveno people, Sage. That’s what happens when you rule with fear and violence. It gives you no loyalty. I hope you understand that now.”
“Fuck you, Jack. I hate you. I always have. Always Dad’s favorite, even if you were weak. He was so proud of you. The writer.” She scoffed, shaking her head. “And there I was, doing everything he did. But did he notice? Not one fucking bit.”
“That wasn’t a reason to kill him.”
“It was enough for me,” she spat back.
“Oh, now that’s convenient,” a voice called out from the woods.
A nude sheriff Cohen made his way over to them. “I was just running through the woods. Ran into two lions. Looks like you have everything under control here.”
Jack nodded. “Her men abandoned her.”
Cohen sighed. “That’s what happens when you don’t treat your people like family.” The sheriff continued to walk toward them, and much to Jack’s surprise, he didn’t stop until he grabbed Sage, pinning her hands behind her back. “You’re under arrest for the murder of your father.” He proceeded to read her rights, but Sage was too wild with anger to listen.
“You can’t do this,” she repeated.
“Sure, I can. You just confessed to a murder in front of a respected sheriff and your brother. And now that this is done, I’m sure I can convince the local police to look into your friend’s murder, Jack. There will be justice for Zak.”
“What? No!” Sage continued to rave like the lunatic she was.
When one of the deputies showed up with handcuffs and clothing, her maddened shouting only intensified, but Jack couldn’t muster any sympathy.