Trusted Bond

us or hear us. But the second
    the others put their hands on me, though, I forgot about their safety.
    The kitchen table was cleared and I was slammed down onto it face-
    first, my arms stretched out, held tight. Strangers held my wrists firmly as
    Abbot shoved his groin against my tailbone, his hands on my belt buckle,
    fumbling to get it off. I had originally thought there were only three men,
    but now, clearly, I realized my error. There were four.
    I had no choice. Like liquid I shifted through their fingers, my body
    transforming in the blink of an eye from man to panther. Gasps filled the
    room as I rolled to the floor, tangled in my jeans and shirt, freeing myself
    in seconds, happy that I had been barefoot. I had missed when Abbot‘s
    reverence became obsession, but he had apparently missed my speed. I
    was so much faster than he thought, as evidenced by the fact that I was
    across the huge kitchen before any of them could track me with their eyes.
    ―Reah,‖ Abbot breathed out even as he began tearing at his clothes in
    a frenzy to get them off, to shift to his panther form.
    ―Let‘s go,‖ one of the other men yelled at him as another bolted
    toward the back door.
    It was my speed. It was scary to watch anything change that fast.
    ―Abbot!‖
    But he was in the midst of his shift from man to animal.
    ―You said he wanted it! You never said he would fight you!‖ the
    stranger in my kitchen shouted as he abandoned his friend, fleeing fast,
    disappearing out the back door into the night.
    ―Jin, where are… you….‖
    10

    Mary Calmes

    Yuri‘s appearance in the kitchen stole my choice to flee and left me
    no option but to run to him, to shield him from the attack he would never
    have seen coming.
    Even though I was twice the distance from Yuri that the other cat
    was, I made it before Abbot could and slammed him down under me to the
    floor, preventing Abbot from burying teeth and claws in the chest of my
    sheseru. But in my hubris at my own speed, I missed his. When he twisted
    back and buried his fangs in my side, it felt as though I had been punched
    and stabbed at the exact same time.
    Heat spread through my side, and because I was momentarily dazed,
    the headbutt that followed knocked me back to the floor. Razor-sharp
    claws tore at my side, and I realized that the spray of blood was mine. I
    heard Yuri‘s roar of fury, saw his clothes rain down on me, torn from his
    body so he could shift.
    I was in the middle of their fight, and having lost blood, I was not as
    strong or fast as I was normally. My body was torn and ripped, tossed
    between two powerful panthers like a toy, trampled again and again,
    crushed and mauled before I was finally able to get my bearings enough to
    bolt free of the lethal tangle.
    Looking at the two of them, watching how savage their attacks on
    each other were, I realized that they would fight to the death unless I
    parted them. I meant to bolt forward, but strong hands on the nape of my
    neck kept me from moving.
    ―Wait,‖ Crane said from above me, my best friend‘s voice hard as he
    knelt down beside me. ―You‘re bleeding,‖ he cautioned me. ―I think
    you‘re really hurt. Shift back so I can see.‖
    But there was no time.
    ―Let him go, you idiot, before Yuri kills Abbot.‖
    Crane rose beside me in one fluid motion as Markel, another panther,
    and his rival for the affection of Logan‘s sister Delphine, appeared on my
    right.
    ―Jin‘s the only one fast enough to get between them without getting
    hurt.‖
    ―He‘s already hurt!‖ Crane roared back at him. ―And I don‘t give a
    shit if Abbot dies. He‘s dead anyway.‖
    Trusted Bond

    11

    ―What the fuck are you talking about?‖ Markel yelled, shoving
    Crane hard so his hands were torn from me. ―We‘re responsible for his
    safety while he‘s here. You think his semel‘s just going to accept that he
    was hurt in Logan‘s house? Use your head!‖
    Crane flew at Markel without answering, and both men went down
    in a tangle of arms and legs. When they both sprang to their feet seconds
    later, tearing at their clothes, I shifted back and screamed for them to stop
    and help me. Or I tried to—what came out was a strangled version of my
    voice. I had to grab for the counter to keep from dropping to my knees.
    Turning my head, I saw Crane and Markel fly at each other in their
    panther forms, meeting in a frenzy of bloodlust, claws, and teeth, both in a
    murderous rage. It had started out