IAN PACED AROUND THE CLEARING, UNABLE TO STAY STILL. All Alex could recall of the glimpse of his phone in the vision was the date, so they were flying blind when it came to what time the War Cats would show up. So they sent the mates and Shelby off early this morning, before the dawn, and then came here.
The plan was for Jax and Seth to shift and be ready to go at a moment’s notice once the tribe got here. Ian was remaining human so he could talk to the tigers, and Alex had to keep his human skin as well, for as long as possible. His dragon was massive, and they didn’t want to risk him being seen by humans unless absolutely necessary.
Checking his phone, he saw that it was nearly noon. They’d been here for hours, and could be here for still more. But he didn’t think he could handle that. He was going batshit crazy already, and he needed something to happen now, to get this over with, for good or for bad.
He missed Holly and Shelby. It hadn’t been that long since he saw them last, really, but under the circumstances, it felt like weeks, and the ache in his gut intensified as he thought of them. Every happiness, every soul searing joy, everything he could have imagined, was right in front of him, begging him to reach out and grab it. And he longed to, was already making strides to do just that, but with this hanging over their heads, he couldn’t fully realize that dream. Could never relax and enjoy it, knowing the fucking War Cats could end it at any moment.
If Kian would just answer the fucking phone, they could maybe put a stop to this. But he was still MIA. And yeah, Ian was worried about his friend, he really was. But right this moment, standing in this clearing waiting on the tigers, he was more pissed off than anything. This wouldn’t be happening at all if Kian would just answer his damn phone.
Stiffening as he heard movement in the woods behind him, he exchanged wary glances with Alex. According to his vision, the tribe would be coming from the forest leading to the mountains, not from the woods between them and Eagle Creek. Alex’s visions weren’t absolute—things could change if someone changed their minds. But coming from that direction made no sense.
Unless the tribe went to Eagle Creek first. Blood icing in his veins, Ian felt himself sway on his feet. They could have gone to get to their mates, to Holly and Shelby. Reminding himself that they left town this morning, he breathed deeply, trying to calm his racing heart as their small band of fighters turned to face the woods.
The footsteps came closer, and he braced himself. Jaw dropping as the first man cleared the tree line, he watched as first Chase MacKeltar and his brother Ty walked out, followed by their sister’s mate, Garret. And close behind them came the Montgomerys, shifters he only really knew in passing. Jake and Jared, twin brothers, and their sister’s mate, Sam. And… was that Jared’s mate, Adara, walking behind him?
Speechless, he watched as they came to a stop in the clearing, looking around them with keen eyes, all on alert.
“What the hell are y’all doing here?” he asked Chase, finally finding his voice. “I told you to take everyone and get the hell out of town.”
“And you really thought I was going to listen?” Chase replied with an easy grin that couldn’t mask the tension in his eyes. “We sent our mates out of town, but what kind of men, what kind of shifters, would we be if we ran when we could help?”
“This isn’t your fight,” he told him. Looking around, he raised his voice as he repeated it. “This isn’t y’all’s fight.”
“It is,” Ty told him steadily. “You’re one of us. And we all protect our own.”
Stunned, Ian stared at them, unsure of what to say. He’d thought Ty merely tolerated him, especially since he disapproved of the fights, and the rest couldn’t care less. And here they were, declaring that he was one of them?
“Some of us don’t know you well, myself included,” Jared said, the scar on his cheek gleaming in the late October sunlight. “That’s our own fault for not finding the time. But we know enough about you to know the kind of man, the kind of leader, you are. You’d be the first one to step up if the situation was reversed. Your fighters would, too. And there’s not a shifter in this clearing who doesn’t know that.”
“Besides, no one comes to our town and threatens our people,” Sam said. “Eagle Creek is ours to protect. And we’ll let nothing stand in the way of that.”
“The eagles agree as well,” Garret said with a nod to the sky.
Craning his head, his mouth dropped open as he saw the eagles flying high in the clearing. One, two, three—continuing to count, he realized there were seven eagles circling them. Glancing over, he looked to Jax, taking in his stunned expression. This clearly wasn’t something the eagle shifter set up. His kind were doing this on their own.
Overwhelmed, his throat tightened with emotion. Fuck. This was the absolute last thing he’d expected to happen. He’d gone into this this morning thinking it would be only him and three others against an army, and now they had a small army of their own. Hope started welling up inside him, and then he caught a glimpse of Adara peeking out from behind Jared, and worry washed over him again. He hadn’t wanted any of the women here, shifters or not.
Clearing his throat, he asked Jared, “Why did you bring your mate? Shouldn’t she have left with the others?”
Smirking, Jared replied, “You obviously don’t know what she is.” Glancing at his mate, he said, “Looks like we’re keeping the secret well.”
Adara smiled at Ian’s look of confusion. “I’m a dragon shifter.”
His eyebrows rose. He hadn’t known that. He’d thought Cammie and Alex were the only dragons around.
“We figured two dragons were better than one, right?” Jake said, eyes twinkling.
Hell yes, they were. And now that kernel of hope inside him grew bigger until he began thinking they actually had a shot at walking away from this.
“Thank you,” Ian said, voice gravelly. “Thank you all so much for being here. This means the world to me, to all of us at Rocky River.”
Jared opened his mouth to reply and then paused, all of them turning their heads as the sound of footsteps hit their ears. This time it was coming from the direction of the mountains, and the shifters in the clearing turned as one to face the coming threat.
Body humming with energy, Ian crossed his arms and forced his tiger back down. His cat wanted out in the worst way. Normally relaxed and easy going, the animal was hissing and spitting, clawing Ian’s chest in an attempt to break free.
The War Cats walked into the clearing, two in human form and the rest in animal form. Quickly counting, he saw twelve tigers, not counting the two still in their human form. Technically, the shifters of Eagle Creek outnumbered the tribe, but the War Cats didn’t come by their name lightly. Fierce warriors, they were renowned in the shifter world, known for their prowess in battle. They would be hard to beat.
But the Eagle Creek shifters had something the War Cats didn’t. Two dragon shifters. They could beat them if they needed to use the dragons, but it would be a risk to the whole of the shifter world if Alex and Adara let their animals free here.
Looking for Zane, Ian frowned as he realized he wasn’t one of the humans. That meant he was probably in shifter form, but Ian found that strange, since Zane was likely the reason they were here.
“How good of you to meet us,” one of the men said with a smirk. “Makes this easier. And you even brought friends. If you don’t mind all of the Eagle Creek shifters being wiped out in one go, then I guess we don’t mind doing it. It would rid the shifter world of the weak links here, at any rate.”
“Vynn,” the other said sharply. “We’re not here to antagonize. Besides, we don’t play with our food first. We just feast,” he said with a cold smile.
What the fuck. Ian saw his shifters exchange uneasy glances from the corner of his eye, but he didn’t take his gaze from the tigers. “Why are you here?”
“Do not play dumb,” Vynn replied. “Karis, let’s end this and do what we came to do. They’re too stupid to live.”
Ignoring him, Karis said, “No one has to get hurt here, tiger. Just give us our prince, and we will leave with but a warning.”
“What are you talking about?” Ian asked, frown turning puzzled. “Kian isn’t a prisoner here. He’s free to leave whenever he wants.”
“Lies,” Vynn spat. “We know differently, and you do yourself no favors lying to us.”
“He has not been heard from in days, and is not answering his phone,” Karis said calmly, though his light blue eyes were turning white with his animal as he spoke. “If he is not a prisoner, where is he? Kian is no fool, nor is he a coward. He would be here if he were able.”
“I know you hear the truth in my voice right now,” Ian replied, keeping his voice even. “Kian is not, nor has he ever been, a prisoner here. He was upset yesterday and took off. None of us have been able to get ahold of him, either. I’m not sure where you got your information, but it’s false.”
Vynn hissed, but Karis put up a hand, waiting for silence. “And why was our prince upset?”
Hesitating, Ian watched warily as the tigers in the front row moved restlessly. Karis seemed calm, but Ian knew that could change the second he told them what was going on. And Vynn was clearly looking for any excuse to start a war. One wrong word, and battle would break out. But he couldn’t lie to them. They’d hear it, so the truth it was. He’d just have to pray his words wouldn’t launch the war.
“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.