Alpha’s Secret: A Bear Shifter Romance (Bad Boy Alphas Book 10)
Alpha’s Secret: Chapter 5

Grizz

On the ride, Jordy is quiet.

I keep thinking about what she said. She laid it all out for me. Fates, this kit needs someone to protect her. The first guy to come along and treat her decent and she spills her guts to him. As if I’m her soulmate. Her one true love. I’ve seen enough to know that shit doesn’t exist. I might want to fuck her, my bear might want to keep her, but that’s just biology. She makes love something noble. She has a whole manifesto. Love is something to live and die for, something to believe in.

The only thing I believe in is revenge. Revenge: that’s what I live and die for. The only reason I met her in the first place is this job for Frangelico. A job I took because he can give me what I want.

I gotta find more leads. More proof that the reason the vampires are taking shifters is to use them as sweetbloods. Nail down the location of the shifter slavers Jordy mentioned. If there’s a black market for shifters operating in Frangelico’s territory, we need to shut it down.

Then I can continue on my original hunt.

The only wild card is Jordy. There’s no way I’m sending her back to Augustine, but I can’t keep her. Snatching her was just part of the job. If I’m not careful, she’ll become a distraction.

In my line of work, distractions will get a bear killed.

Jordy’s just a clue to the mystery. She’s nothing but a means to an end. As much as my bear wants her to be more, it’s not safe for her, or fair to me.

Bottom line: I can’t get involved. No more fantasizing about keeping her forever. I’m going to use her to complete my mission. If she lets me in, I’ll take a taste, but I’ll make it clear it means nothing.

She thinks love is forever—she’s wrong. Everything ends. And when the time comes, I’ll be ready to say goodbye.

Now I just need to harden myself to the disappointed look on her face. It kills my bear when she hurts. I can’t think too hard about that.

She makes a small noise when I park in front of the surplus store.

“Stop number one. Get you some clothes.”

I hop out and scan the street as I head around to open her door. She exits more slowly, probably because she’s wearing a shirt and too-big boots and nothing else. She doesn’t have panties on under my shirt. Better forget that fact, or I’ll get too hard to walk.

“Come on, Kit.” I steer her towards the women’s clothes. Her big eyes blink up at me. Her little nipples show through the thick flannel of her shirt dress.

I grit my teeth. Think of baseball. Baseball…nice and boring. Jordy in a jersey and nothing else, kissing the ball, handling the bat… No!

“What do you want me to wear?” she asks, oblivious. Her scent rises, thick and sweet. Her body responding to me. On some level, she’s not so oblivious.

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Do you want certain outfits? For any special events?”

“Not going to attend any fancy balls, Kit. You just need clothes. Stuff for going around town. Clothes to keep you warm and cover you. Nothing to draw attention. Shoes too.”

A nod, and she disappears. Slowly the cart fills with shirts and shorts, a pair of canvas shoes, a light sweater.

I catch her arm as she comes by again. “Grab some dresses.”

“What type?” she asks. She looks up at me, so sweet and trusting. If only she knew what I want to do to her.

“Fuck if I know. Dresses. I like these.” I turn her away from me, towards a rack of floral, flouncy outfits.

She fingers them. “They’re pretty.”

I grab a few, including the ones she touched longingly.

Blushing, she swaps them out. “I’m not an extra small.”

“You’re extra small to me.”

She flushes. “I’ll need to try them on.”

“Go ahead. I’ll wait. You got everything you need?”

“I think so.” She bites her lip as I sift through the tank tops and shorts she picked out.

Before she can leave to try on the dresses, I stop her. “Panties too. Did you forget?”

“No,” she flushes. “I don’t usually wear them.”

I growl. “Out here you wear them. In the house you can go bare.”

“Is that an order?” she asks. I’m about to pull her into a dressing room and bend her over when I realize she’s teasing.

Growling, I stomp off, pushing the cart so no one can see my raging hard on. She takes a moment to change, so I’ve barely got myself under control before she finds me.

“Is this okay?” she calls. She’s in a little dress, a floral thing with straps that leave her arms bare. It hugs her body, showing off her slight curves. She looks sweet and wholesome and innocent, and I’m just a big old grumpy bear.

“Yes. Good. Get a few of those. And some sweaters.” It still gets cold at night.

“Do you want me to wear it today?”

Yes. I want you to wear it while I drive us back to my den, your head in my lap. I’ll carry you to my bed, rip the dress off and fuck you until you cum.

“Not today,” I manage to growl. “Got shit to do. Something practical.”

“Okay, Grizz.” She skips off.

I hide behind a display of jackets and adjust my jeans. Dress shopping with Jordy—not happening again. I’m turning into a fucking pervert. There’s an easy solution: get her home, tie her to my bed.

But that’s not why I took her. I’ve got a job to do.

I pay for everything and stop her from carrying the bags. I was raised to treat women like ladies. I open the doors and I carry the bags. Jordy is obviously uncomfortable with me doing things for her. She bites her lip but obeys.

I escort her out with my hand on her back. In a pair of overall shorts and t-shirt, she looks like a tomboy sent out to play at recess. Fresh-faced and young. She shouldn’t be around me.

We stop at a drugstore next. I park the truck and point to the doors. “Girly shit. Get it.”

“What?”

“Kit, I’m on a job. You got intel I might need. Until I figure out what I need, you’re with me.

She pales. “But my master—”

“Forget him. You’re with me.”

“When it’s over, will you send me back?”

“Cross that bridge when we come to it,” I say, even though I have no intention of sending Jordy back to the likes of Augustine. Ever. Augustine will be pissed, but he doesn’t have to know how she escaped. And after a while, he will forget about her and I can find her a new master. I’ll screen doms for her myself if I have to. Maybe Trey knows a good wolf who would accept a sub, even if she’s a fox.

But as I think of handing Jordy off, my bear growls. Jordy shrinks smaller in her chair.

“Out,” I tell her. “Grab anything you need. Hairbrush…girly shit. I don’t know what you need.”

She gnaws her lip again.

“Stop that,” I growl and she does, straightening to attention. Fuck, now I’m giving her orders.

I tear out of the truck and let her out, slamming the doors a little harder than necessary. “Come on.” I prowl into the drugstore and grab a shopping basket, handing it to her.

She looks lost.

“Go, get what you need. Just for a week or so.”

She faces the store. “I don’t know what I need.”

I stare into her wide eyes and realize I’m asking her to think of herself. But if she thinks I’m going to pick her shampoo out for her, she’s got another think coming. “While you’re with me, I want you to look good. Not makeup, but take care of yourself. If I find out you went without because you didn’t want me to have to buy it, I’ll go buy twelve of them for you.” I dip my head closer, making sure the cashier can’t over hear us. “And then I’ll punish you.”

Her pupils dilate, like that excites her, but she nods and scrambles down an aisle. I follow, grabbing a handful of chapstick and throwing them into her basket.

I shake my head. For someone who hates the dom/sub power games, I sure like getting my way.

“Sir?” she asks. She’s poised at the entrance to the brightly lit makeup aisle. Cardboard cutouts with celebrities’ painted faces greet me at every turn. Fucking clown house.

“No make up—” I start to say when she whispers,

“Just some foundation. To cover up the scar.”

Shit. Can’t say no to that.

“All right. Cover up, or whatever. And…” I glance at the painted faces with disgust. “Whatever else you want. But nothing too crazy.”

“Thank you,” she skips up to me and kisses my cheek.

“Don’t mention it,” I mumble, and turn away, stomping down another aisle. I saw some things I want for her.

A few minutes later, the cashier’s ringing everything up while Jordy crouches nearby, fingering a candy bar longingly.

I grab the candy bar and add it to the pile then jerk my head to the junk food aisle. “Go get us some snacks.”

“What do you like?”

“Meat.”

I send her off with a gentle pat on her butt. While she’s gone, I pull out the stuff I found for her, and get the cashier to ring it up and hide it in a bag before she returns. A little surprise.

Back in the car, I toss the bags onto the back seat and roll into traffic.

“Get what you need, Kit?”

She nods.

She’s happy, I can tell. Her cheeks are flushed, and she’s braiding and re-braiding her hair, using the hair shit I just bought her. She finally settles on two auburn pigtails.

I stop at a fastfood joint and order twenty burgers. Jordy’s eyes go round when I hand her the bags.

“Um, Grizz? I’m not really hungry. Breakfast was really big.” She looks guilty.

“Not for us, babe.” I roll up to a stoplight and put my hand on her knee, giving her my full attention. “You get hungry later, I’ll get you whatever you like. This is for someone else.”

She’s silent. Content to let me take her wherever I need to go. I head to the Fight Club and try to ignore how great it feels to have a willing woman riding shotgun.

We stop at a light and I look over. She’s leaning her head against the window, the reflection showing a lightly freckled face and faraway gaze. Her expression is thoughtful, but a smile isn’t far away. It hits me then, she’s content with me.

I shouldn’t encourage it. I really shouldn’t. But I can’t help it. When it comes to her, I just can’t help myself.

“Here.” I reach behind me and pull out another bag from the pile on the backseat. “I almost forgot. I grabbed these while you were in getting dresses.” I hand her a pack of colored pencils and an adult coloring book. Her eyes go wide but she takes them before the light turns green and I hit the gas.

“Saw you doodling on my stuff.” I keep my eyes on the road.

“I’m sorry—”

“Don’t apologize. It looked really good. I figured you’d like to do it, if you’re grabbing pieces of trash to doodle on.”

“I do.” She holds the book and pencils to her like an award for best submissive in Club Toxic. Like it’s a treasure.

“Well, now you don’t have to use trash. I’ll get you a sketch pad, too, if you want.”

Her face lights up. She practically bounces in her seat, so sweet and beautiful my chest tightens.

“Thank you, thank you,” she breathes and before I can stop her, she leans in to give me a peck on my scarred cheek. My cock perks up and I’m a second away from letting her know how she can show her gratitude when she pulls away and looks up at me adoringly. Fates, just the expression on her face is enough to get me off. No good. I gotta shut this down.

“It doesn’t mean anything.” I announce and she pulls back, still glowing.

“I know,” she says, but she’s lying. But, when it all comes down to it, so am I.

Jordy

Grizz glares at the road, growling when a dark blue Jetta gets too close to our truck. The Jetta driver glances up and turns white, immediately throwing on the brakes. The dark blue car drops behind us and Grizz’s body rumbles as his bear claims victory. Any other shifter, I’d be cowering in my seat, but I sit up straight, watching Grizz scare off human drivers, feeling totally contented. My fox perks her head up, studying our captor with rapt attention. She’s enamored with him. Totally.

For a second he softened. He tried to hide it, but I felt it. His walls came down. He’s trying hard to keep his walls high and not to get involved with me, but he already is. He took me out of the cage, he helped me. He says I’m his captive, but I’m sitting free, surrounded by stuff he bought me. Actions speak louder than words. Augustine said he’d provide and protect me. But Grizz actually does it. Better than Augustine, if I’m allowed to think that.

I should hate being Grizz’s captive and want to get back to my master, but I don’t. If this was a loan, I’d have to crawl back to my master and beg him to forgive me, to punish me for being disloyal. But this isn’t a loan. Grizz saw me, he wanted me, he took me. He might deny it, but it’s the truth. It’s dangerous, for both of us. But most of all for me. I’m the one who will live with the consequences, but in the moment, here with Grizz, I can’t think of the pain coming down the road. The longer I’m with Grizz, the less my master, my training, my future matters.

As soon as we pull into the industrial area, Grizz changes. His face hardens, his eyes locking on a nondescript warehouse on one side of a long chain link fence. A few cars are parked close to it, but he parks far away.

“What is this place?”

“No man’s land. Not shifter, not vampire. They both claim it, though. But everyone knows what happens here is off the radar. Doesn’t count. No retaliation allowed.”

My eyes trail back to the building. “Retaliation for what?”

“You’ll see. Here”—he shrugs out of his jacket— “Put this on.” He continues as I scramble to obey, “When you’re here, you’re my property.”

The statement sends zings straight to my things, and he notices it. “Not like that. I’m not collaring you.”

I put my hand to my neck. The vampire’s scar is a clear enough mark of ownership. Grizz thinks so too, his face turns dark. “You don’t belong to him.” His hand surrounds my neck, a living collar. His fingers are rough against my skin. His face dips to mine and he growls. “He mistreated you, and I stepped in. Shoulda done it sooner. Would’ve, if I’d known. Now you’re in my care. That means when we’re here, stay close, stay quiet, follow my lead. You understand?”

“Yeah. Like high protocol.”

His brow wrinkles. “Not sure what that means, Kit.”

“It means you want me to behave a certain way, and if I don’t, there’ll be consequences. High alert for both of us.”

His fingers gentle, stroke my scar. “High alert is right. In my den, it’s safer, we don’t need protocols. Here, one false move could be dangerous. I wouldn’t bring you here, but didn’t want to leave you alone. So stick with me, I’ll get you through. Got it?”

“Got it. Grizz—” I catch his hand. “I know you told me not to run. It’s nothing personal. I’m bound to Augustine. I…owe him.”

“You owe him nothing. Not that I can see.” Now he strokes my cheek and I find it hard to breathe. “It’s okay. It’s the way you’re wired, I’m getting that. I’m going to work on it, though. Maybe if you owe me more than him, you’ll forget him, yeah?”

I nod, swallowing on a dry throat. I like the sound of that. Way, way too much. He’s declared at every turn that this is just a job for him. I can’t lean on him more than I have to.

He gets out and heads around to my door again. It feels like he’s serving me and I don’t like it. I’ve been trained to serve, not to be serviced.

But when I open my door ahead of him, he growls. “You wait for me, Kit.”

Okay, right. Follow his lead.

He holds out his hand, I take it and wait while he grabs the fast food bags and drops them into the bed of the truck. We head across the parking lot, attached at the hand. Biting my lip, I race to keep up, taking two strides to his one. The place smells like shifters, all sorts. My fox isn’t scared though, walking in Grizz’s shadow.

As we wait a white Camaro rolls up with a dark-haired guy and a second, better dressed one with silver hair. By his young face he’s prematurely grey. The dark-haired guy has a cigarette sticking out of his mouth, unlit. He looks a little like James Dean. I don’t realize I’m staring at him until he winks at me. Flushing, I look at the ground.

“Well, well,” the black haired guy puts out his hands as if he’s going to hug us. His accented English is mocking. “The prodigal son returns.”

“Declan.” Grizz nods to the black haired guy. “Parker.” The grey headed dude nods back and Grizz plants his boots in the pavement. “Where the fuck is my bike?”

Declan cocks his head. “It’s coming. Any minute now. Ya ready for your fight? You know the wolves are mad at ya? Gonna try to set ya up.” Irish, I realize as he keeps talking. He has an Irish accent.

“Not here to talk about the fight,” Grizz grumbles.

Grumpy Grizz, I tag him silently. I have the feeling that most people know Grumpy Grizz. I’m the only one who sees his other side. That makes me smile, deep down, but I don’t let it show. Not to these strangers. I can’t glare at them, like Grizz, but I blank my face. I’m pretty good at not showing what I’m feeling. Augustine got mad when I expressed too many emotions.

“I want my bike and then I got a proposition.”

“A proposition? I haven’t been propositioned in a parking lot since—”

“Shut up, Dec.” The grey haired guy, Parker, elbows him. “Grizz, the bike’s coming. In fact”—he turns to the entrance—“here it is.”

Sure enough, a guy riding a big ole Harley roars up to us.

“Who’s that ridin’?” Grizz growls. His body’s all hard. I angle close to him and he puts a hand on my back. Soothing me without taking his eyes off his bike.

“That’s Laurie,” Declan says. “No worries. He’s our boy.”

“Why the fuck is he riding my bike?”

“Ya told us to pick it up. He’s the only one who could handle that monster.” Declan rolls his eyes like it’s obvious.

The tall, skinny guy rolls the bike near us and puts the kickstand down, staggering a little under the bike’s weight. He wobbles as he gets off and Grizz gets tense like he’s going to run and catch his bike before it crashes to the pavement. I put my hand on his back to soothe him as the ungainly rider manages to extricate himself from Grizz’s bike and walk away with the Harley upright.

“He got it here safe and sound,” Parker says smoothly. He’s got a lighter out and is flicking it on and off.

“Besides,” Declan adds, speaking around the unlit cigarette. “He has his own helmet.”

The thin guy named Laurie heads our way, he removes his glasses, pulls off the helmet and replaces the glasses. His hair sticks out everywhere. I swallow a giggle. These guys are like the Three Stooges, only they’re all skinny. And shifters. But strange shifters—I can’t tell what species they are, and each one is different.

“Here.” Grizz tosses something to Parker, who catches it without looking. “Take the truck, clean it up and ditch it. Plates in the back. Wipe the prints.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Declan mutters. “We know the drill. Weren’t born yesterday.”

“You mentioned another bit of business?” Parker asks.

“Yeah.” Grizz still has his eyes on the bike. He dips his head, whispers, “Get the burgers,” to me and gives me a push. I’ll have to walk away from Grizz, back to the truck. Part of me wants to stick close to him.

Grizz looks down and sees this.

“You’ll be okay,” he murmurs. “I’ve got you.”

Grizz

Reluctantly, Jordy turns and trots to the truck. I keep my eyes on her as I tell Declan, Parker and Laurie, “I need info.”

“Who’s that?” Parker asks after a cursory glance. He’s smart enough not to gawk at Jordy while I’m present.

Declan isn’t so circumspect. “She looks like Anne of Green Gables.”

“How would you know?” Parker asks.

“I saw the movie.” The Irishman shrugs. “It was on cable.”

“You’re a dork.” Parker shakes his head.

“Feck ya. It’s a classic.”

“Guys,” I interject before they start fighting. Fucking weirdo shifters. But they have ears everywhere. And I need them. “Focus. I’ve got a job for you, and I’ll pay.”

Jordy returns with the giant white bags.

“Thank you, baby,” I say and she glows.

I hold up the bag of burgers.

“Jackpot,” Declan whoops. Laurie reaches for the bag and I hold it out of range. “First, we discuss terms.”

“You can’t buy us with burgers,” Parker says.

I hand over the burgers to Laurie, who retreats behind his two friends. “There’s payment in it too. Couple grand. Maybe more, if I get what I want.”

“And what’s that?”

“Vampires are grabbing shifters, using them for food. I want to know who’s supplying them, and why.”

“Is that all?” Declan scoffs. “Why not ask for the moon?”

“Frangelico know about this?” Parker asks, his eyes narrowing.

“Frangelico sanctioned my search. I’m digging into the vampires. I need help. Everything and anything you know about the slavers.”

“You want us to talk to the shifters,” Parker says. He catches on quick. “And you know none of them will talk to you. Not after you sided with the vampires.”

“I didn’t side with the vampires—”

“The hell ya didnae,” Declan snaps, his accent coming out thick.

“You need more than our help talking to shifters. If you’re gonna be poking around here, you need amnesty. Time to go to Garrett and grovel,” Parker says.

My answer is a growl.

“Come on, Grizz,” Declan says. “You walked into wolf territory and pissed them off. They hate that. And even a big strong grizzly can’t take on a whole wolf pack. Even if you do have vampire friends.”

“Vampires aren’t my friends.”

“Just your employer,” Parker points out.

“So I work with Frangelico,” I shrug. “So what? I’m a fighter. I’m allowed to moonlight.”

Parker shakes his head. “War is coming. You gotta pick a side. Wolves or vampires.”

“Neither.”

“Waste of a good fighter.” Parker shakes his head.

“Look, I don’t have time for this.”

“Yeah, you’re too busy doing the vampire king’s bidding,” Declan mutters.

I glare at him. I’m going to have to spill more than I want to. “I want to stop the deaths.”

“The druggie deaths? The humans?” Parker asks.

“I think the vampires are involved in those as well as the shifter snatching.”

“We know they are.” Declan crosses his arms over his chest. “So what?”

“So something’s up. Frangelico wants them stopped.”

“He’s gonna send you after his own people?”

“He already has. They’re breaking the rules. Leaving out dead bodies. Kidnapping and keeping shifters for some reason. I’m gonna find out, if you help me, I’ll find out faster. And we’ll stop them.”

“You think the shifter snatching and the humans’ deaths are related?” Parker asks. “Why?”

I shrug. “Just got a feeling. I think the vamps were addicted to human sweetbloods and now they’re switching to shifters. I wanna know why. Humans are easier prey. Why switch to shifters?”

“Who knows why vampires do anything?” Declan shakes his head.

Parker flicks his lighter thoughtfully. “Maybe shifter blood’s more potent.” His gaze focuses on Jordy. “Is this one of the shifter sweetbloods?”

I snarl and move in front of Jordy, blocking Parker and Declan’s view of her. “Leave her out of this.”

The two misfit shifters exchange glances, but say nothing. I don’t like it. Motioning to Jordy, I pull her in front of me, presenting her to the guys.

“This is Kit,” I say. I don’t want to use her real name and put her at risk. “She’s under my protection.”

“You claiming her?” Declan asks. Jordy sucks in a breath. Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the (F)indNƟvᴇl.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“As far as you or any other shifter is concerned, yes. When she’s here, she’s with me. When she’s not, forget she exists. Understand?”

They both mumble that they understand, but they don’t look happy.

“You know something you’re not telling us,” Parker accuses.

“Maybe. Maybe not. Help me, get me intel, and I’ll bring you in.” I rest my hands on Jordy’s shoulders. “You can refuse to help me. But there’s more at stake than our pride.”

Declan swears.

“All right, Grizz,” Parker says. “We’ve got nothing, so nothing to lose. We’ll help you. Finish this errand with the truck and poke around to figure out what we can about the shifter slavers. But watch your back. You go poking around Tucson, Garrett’s pack is not gonna like it.”

“I’ll handle the wolves. Hell, I’ll go talk to them right now.” I wave a hand at the warehouse at the end of the lot.

“I wouldn’t.” Declan pulls the cigarette out of his mouth and pretends to blow out smoke. The whole smoking an unlit cigarette is fucking bizarre, but when you work with these three, weird is what you get. “You’re persona non gratin right now.”

“Persona non grata,” Laurie corrects softly from his spot beside the car.

“What?”

“Non grata,” Parker says. “You said gratin. Gratin is a cheese sauce.”

“I’m hungry, all right.” Declan throws up his hands. “Jaysus.”

I clear my throat. “As I was saying, the wolves will take me back. I tell them I want to stop human deaths and shifter snatchings that bring our community law enforcement heat, and they’ll welcome me with open arms.”

“Go on then, make nice.” Declan jerks his chin towards the shifter Fight Club building. “I want tae see it.” He hops up on the hood of the Camaro, tagging a greasy bag and pulling out a burger. “Dinner an’ a show.”

“You gonna eat with that cigarette in your mouth?” Parker snipes at him and Declan raises his eyebrows.

“So what if I am? What’s it tae ya?”

They settle into their habitual bickering.

“All right,” I mutter. As entertaining as the Declan-Parker-Laurie freak show is, I’m not gonna stick around to watch it. It’s too long and got no intermission. In fact, it never ends.

I start walking towards the Fight Club building, ushering Jordy with me.

“Keep close, Kit,” I tell her, my hand clamped on the back of her neck. It feels right to hold her. “Follow my lead.”

She doesn’t answer but her body moves and responds to mine, taking cues from me, molding to what I need her to be. Alert, attentive. Completely in tune. Fates, she’s fucking perfect.

She stays one step behind me as I stride to the Fight Club door. I used to work here until the Tucson wolf pack found out that I work for the vampires. I didn’t mean anything by it. Frangelico just offered me a better deal—a chance at actually completing my mission.

I slow as I approach the Fight Club door. It’s new and sturdy looking. The last time I saw it, it had yellow tape over it. Someone’s cleaned up the place since I’ve been here, but it feels familiar. My bear thinks of this place as home. Even if the wolves think I betrayed them, I belong here.

Jordy stays one step behind me as I approach, glancing right and left. A bunch of punk bikers have their rides parked alongside the chain link fence. They’re talking and chilling before the bar opens. Cat shifters, from the smell of them. Even if I couldn’t smell them, the way they fuss with their colored leather jackets and run combs through their hair constantly would tip me off that they’re a bunch of pussies. They don’t even ride real bikes, just crotch rockets, which probably makes them cheetahs. Cheetahs live for speed.

They barely glance my way as Jordy and I hit the Fight Club doorstep. Before I can grab the handle, the door opens and a giant shifter looms in front of me. Bright green eyes hit mine. This guy is big, and his animal is bigger—and ready to blow. Direct eye contact with a brawler bear like me is a straight up challenge. Red cape to a bull, gauntlet thrown.

“Hey.” I stand my ground but don’t offer offense. “Is Jared or Trey in?”

“Nope. Who the hell are you?”

“Someone who wants to talk to a wolf.”

“No wolves in here.” His feral eyes flick up and down, sizing me up. “At least, not for the likes of you.”

Insults, great. “You got a beef with me? Bring it.” My bear could use a fight.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a flash of auburn hair. Jordy. Fuck, I don’t want her involved in this.

“Ready when you are.” The guy folds his arms over his chest and the light in his eyes flares. Lots of muscle mass and a barely contained animal. Not sure what species, but he smells dangerous.

“Or you could just let me pass.”

“Got orders. No bears allowed. In fact, the wolves said if you showed and The Bastard wanted a fight, I could take you down.”

“The Bastard? Is that what you call your animal?” I shake my head in mock pity. Behind my back, I wave Jordy away. She paces back slowly, not drawing attention to herself. Good girl. “I’m a fighter and I got a booking tomorrow,” I tell the bouncer. “You gonna stop me from walking in then? Got a right to be here.”

He shakes his head and I get a whiff of his scent. Something fruity—bananas?

“Gorilla,” I murmur and the green eyes narrow. “All right, monkey boy, you take dictation?”

“What?”

“Can you read and write? I’m gonna leave a message.”

“Fuck off.”

“You don’t want to know the message?”

The gorilla starts to pull away to shut the door. Before he can, I punch him in the face.

He recovers in a split second and comes roaring after me. I dance backward.

“You want more of this? Sign up to face me in the cage. Animal to animal.”

“They told me about you,” he spits. “You’re in league with the leeches. You fight for them.”

“I fight for whoever pays me.”

“Species traitor.”

Fuck this. “You wanna go, banana eater? Let’s go.” He’s big, but not the brightest bulb in the box. It’ll be easy.

The gorilla stops in his tracks. I can practically read the moment he has an idea.

“Hey,” he shouts to the cat shifters. “Didn’t one of your females get bitten last week?”

Fuck.

The head cheetah, a guy with a face full of piercings and a black mohawk lopes forward. He’s lean but not scrawny. “Not one of ours. We protect our own.”

“She was a cat, though.” Another pipes up. “A rare one. Lynx or something.”

“Yeah. And a vampire bit her.” The gorilla says.

“Yeah? So?” The cat’s hackles are up. If he was in animal form his hair would be on end. Pissed.

“So this guy works with vampires.” The gorilla points at me. I growl at him and he shows his teeth. Not blunt like a normal gorilla. Sharp like the predator he is.

“Asshole,” I mutter as the cat shifters head from their bikes towards me.

“Not so brave when the odds are against you,” the gorilla scoffs.

“Fifteen to one isn’t a fair fight,” I mutter and back up until I reach Jordy. “Kit, you get ready to run.”

“Grizz,” she grips me. The cheetah pack spreads out, starting to flank me. I can’t let them circle until Jordy’s outta here.

I reach into the jacket she’s wearing, pull out my flask, unscrew the top and take a swig.

“Now. Head for the Camaro.” I give her a push. Declan, Laurie and Parker are still a half a parking lot away, watching us. They’d have my back but they’re smaller than most shifters. Their animals are messed up, broken. Not exactly fighting material. Still, I know they’ll protect Jordy.

I turn back to the lead cheetah and growl loud enough to set him back a step. “You know I can take you?”

“Not all of us.” His eyes are lit. Fuck, I’m surrounded by crazy shifters. “You the grizzly?”

I straighten. “I’m a grizzly. One of them. We’re apex predators. Not exactly endangered species. At least, not like cheetahs.” I show my teeth.

“That’s funny. There’s a bunch of us and only one of you. Now who’s the endangered species?”

One of the cheetahs breaks off from the pack and heads for Jordy. Fuck. No.

“Leave her alone,” I snarl just as the cat blocks my Kit’s path.

“You with him?” He bends down, getting in her face. “You with the grizzly?”

She looks at me, eyes wide.

“You smell like him.” He grabs her and she squawks.

Aw, hell no.

“Get your hands off her.” I head towards the guy tugging at Jordy. She’s fighting, trying to free herself.

The pack closes in. I grab the first body in front of me and haul it out of the way. It goes flying, three more take its place. With a roar I push forward.

They push me back, but I got a secret weapon. I raise my flask and drain it. Power hits my cells. Before my vision turns black, I call my bear.

Jordy

A rushing sound like the wind and brown fur bursts from Grizz’s skin. His animal explodes out of him, shredding his clothes. Cheetahs go flying as giant bear paws hit the pavement, sending a mini earthquake rippling through the parking lot. The black top cracks.

The cheetah holding me pauses, watching his friends rip their jackets off and shift. I bite him hard, and he snarls, gripping my throat and raising me above his head. I kick him in the crotch. He drops me and I twist away. Sucking air through my bruised neck, choking a little, I scuttle away from him as fast as I can. He doesn’t follow.

All around, greasy bikers fall to their knees and contort, their cats emerging. They’re bigger than any natural cheetah, with teeth like sabertooth tigers. They leap on Grizz.

“No,” I shout when someone clutches my arm. I fight wildly and another hand clamps on my other arm.

“Lass, it’s all right, it’s us.” Declan tugs me towards the Camaro. “We’re on your side.”

“No, I can’t leave him.” I try to dig my feet into the pavement.

“You’re not. We just gotta get you safe.”

Behind us, the grizzly bellows as cat after cat leaps on him while a huge gorilla hangs from the chain link fence, laughing.

“We gotta help him!”

“Not our fight, lass.” Declan tugs me the final few feet to the bike and pushes me down. “Stay here.”

I gnaw my lip, wishing I was stronger, faster, more dominant. So far Grizz has swatted most of the cats away. It’s crazy. The bear’s completely outnumbered…and he’s winning.

“Never seen anything like it,” Declan whispers beside me as Grizz whips around, smashing an attacking cheetah to the ground. Another move, too fast to track, and more cheetahs lay out on the blacktop, moaning. Grizz throws cats like they’re hollow. And—

“He’s moving so fast he blurs,” Parker says.

The gorilla roars in frustration. More cheetahs fall.

“Uh oh,” Declan murmurs and my heart seizes. Five cheetahs crouch behind Grizz, waiting to jump him. Two more run at the bear, who easily deflects them. But he takes a step back, right into the trap.

“No,” I moan. Five cats jump Grizz at once. One gets on his back, claws dug in, head rearing back for a killing bite.

“They’re killing him!” I shriek. “Do something.”

“Feckin’ hell,” Declan mutters and shouts to Parker. “Wrap this up.”

The grey-haired shifter is on top of the Camaro. “Cops are coming!” he hollers. The brawling animals don’t notice.

A whistle pierces the air. The cats scream and I cover my ears, wishing Declan warned me he was going to whistle.

Parker repeats, “Cops are coming.”

“Cops,” one of the bikers takes up the cry. He lets out a scream and his buddies stop mauling Grizz.

“Cops!” Declan whoops. “Every animal for himself!”

The cheetahs turn tail and run.

Grizz picks himself up. His fur is red in patches and he’s limping. But he’s still alive.

The gorilla roars and leaps from his perch, landing a few feet away from Grizz.

“He’s not gonna let Grizz leave without a fight,” Parker says. “Don’t got time for this. Cops are coming.”

“Feck, did you actually call them?” Declan gasps.

“I did,” Laurie says from the passenger seat of the Camaro.

The Irishman swears and grabs me. “Call him,” he orders.

“What?” I gape.

“Call him,” Declan repeats, and hands me something. A helmet—the one Laurie was wearing. “Call Grizz. Now!”

“Grizz,” I scream. The big bear is pacing back and forth, waiting for the gorilla to charge. “Grizz the cops are coming! You gotta come! Come back to me.”

Grizz turns and starts to shrink. The gorilla pounces, but at the last second, Grizz whirls. A blur and the gorilla’s down on the ground, shrinking back into a human body.

“Come on,” Declan shouts as sirens rise around us. “Now!”

The bear races towards us. Fur recedes from bloodied skin, and then it’s just Grizz running up to me and the bike.

“You’re naked, man, here,” Declan hands him a pair of sweatpants. I pull off the leather jacket and wince as Grizz shrugs that on over his bloody torso. He shoves his feet into the Timberlands and swings a big leg over his bike.

“Hop on,” he orders and my skin crackles with his dominance. Helmet secure on my head, I climb on behind Grizz and grab his jacket.

“Arms around me,” he says, and growls when I hesitate. I don’t want to hurt him but when I put my arms tentatively around his middle, he tugs me snug to his back.

“Tight, Kit,” he orders and kicks the bike off. The engine blasts to life and we zoom away, following the white Camaro in a twisting, turning escape route out of the warehouse district.

We turn onto the main road a second before a firetruck screams past, flashing red and flying towards the Fight Club as we make our getaway in the opposite direction.

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