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Siofra would not lose the men she loved. Furious that Rory’s boss had not been the rescue she’d hoped for, she shouted, “Rory and Baatar can’t survive this.”
Rory’s boss looked to her. “The one in human form is Baatar?”
“Yes.”
“What is his entire name?”
Was he serious? Would that make a difference? “Gan Baatar.” Then she corrected it and said, “Ganbattar, all one word. Do something. They’re going to die!”
“No, they aren’t.” The eagle shifter put his hand down on the titanium bar and power sizzled at his touch.
She said, “What are you doing?”
“Opening a small hole in the magic.”
“How is that going to help?”
“Watch.” He raised his voice and the power in it expanded, shaking the trees and raising chill bumps on her arms. “Ganbaatar, I am your Guardian. By the power granted me by Vercane, the Gallizenae druidess of the Gallize, I command your tiger to come forth now and show itself.”
Siofra felt sick.
Everyone was insane.
But as she frantically searched for Baatar and found him, Baatar shoved away from the Sumatran tiger.
Her brother’s body arched backward in a painful way. He fell on the ground. His fisted hands unfolded and claws extended. He yelled in pain as bones broke and muscle reconfigured.
She stared. He was shifting?
The Sumatran tiger roared over and over, then dropped its head and went for Baatar.
Siofra screamed, “Baatarrrr!”
~*~*~
Rory’s telepathic plea for Gallize aid had been answered.
The Guardian had found them. He’d heard the Guardian’s order and felt the eagle shifter’s power rush into the hole, but had ignored everything except the lion he’d been battling. His jaguar’s body had been beaten and slashed, with no healing.
Then he heard Siofra’s scream just as Ferrell rallied to land a vicious slash across the lion’s face, sending the beast backing up.
Ferrell jerked around as the Sumatran tiger leaped at Baatar, who was in the middle of a shift.
What the fuck?
But Ferrell didn’t hesitate to lunge across Baatar, taking the hit from the tiger that sent the jaguar rolling over and over.
Pushing to stand on wobbly legs, Rory realized this would be the last moment with his jaguar and he was slammed with deep remorse for losing this animal.
He regretted having never embraced his jaguar and accepted life as a shifter, because his animal stood here prepared to die to protect their mate and her brother. Ferrell did this, even knowing Rory had been willing to give up their lives.
But Rory had changed his mind and wanted a life with Siofra.
He’d clearly changed it too late and would now loose Ferrell as well as Siofra.
How wrong could he have been? He hadn’t chosen to be a shifter, but other people didn’t choose their lives, either. Many had the good sense to not waste time wishing things had been different.
He would not die without letting Ferrell know the one thing Rory had owed his jaguar their entire life.
He whispered to his jaguar, Let’s make this last stand together as one. I am sorry for all the years I looked toward death, waiting for the mating curse to show up. I was wrong. If I had a chance to do it again, I would show you how important you are to me and how very glad I feel right this minute to be a shifter. To be one with you. You are better than I ever deserved and while I may not deserve Siofra as a mate, you sure as hell did. Let’s kick some ass and save her brother.
A strange energy rushed through Rory unlike any he’d ever felt, but he had no time to think on it as the lion came for him.
Ferrell moved fast, getting between Baatar who still labored with the change and the two beasts after blood.
His jaguar fought with renewed energy, but his hind legs were badly damaged. Blood ran through his eyes from barely escaping the lion jaws, and his chest had been sliced open by the tiger.
Rory’s jaguar tried to stand his ground, fighting both the tiger and lion until the lion stepped back and circled around, allowing his jaguar to expend the last of his strength to battle the tiger. Ferrell held his own, then slashed the Sumatran’s throat once, twice, then ripped it apart.
The tiger collapsed.
One down.
But the damn lion had been in here the least amount of time and had wisely conserved his energy for the final attack. Rising in the air with huge lion paws slashing, he roared like the king of the jungle he was, but Rory’s jaguar still had fight in him.
Dropping to all fours, the lion seemed to grin, taking one step forward at a time, enjoying the hunt.
Ferrell showed no fear, but he was being pushed back to where Baatar’s straining body made painful sounds.
Rory still recalled his first time shifting. The Guardian had him in a quiet place where he talked Rory through the shift.
For Baatar to change the first time without knowing he was even a shifter would be bad enough. Doing it while fighting in a cage and crazed from holding that animal in so long? Rory couldn’t imagine the pain Baatar suffered.
Ferrell stumbled and Rory couldn’t see through his jaguar’s eyes. Ferrell blinked, but blood loss had his jaguar fighting to remain lucid.
Wide jaws opened, coming at his jaguar.