Figure of Speech

The man shook his head, his expression softening. “Unreal,” he muttered. “Look. You’ve won, and you’re willing to let me go. I owe you one.” His shoulders straightened and regret flashed across his face. “I didn’t come here alone.”

Jim froze. “What?”

“You pegged me right. I’m a merc. And I wasn’t alone tonight. My partner’s already inside.”

Jim raced through the back door and into his house. He hadn’t scented a damn thing other than the Wolf, so that had to mean…

That had to mean the man’s partner was a Fox, just like Chloe. And like Chloe, he or she would be able to mask their scent.

He raced into the house, the sounds of crashing furniture alerting him to where Chloe probably was. And from the sound of it, she was in the dining room, where his brother’s bedroom was set up.

Spencer and Chloe were both in danger, and if he knew his mate, she was defending him with every breath in her tiny, battered body.

Jim shifted and raced toward the sounds, praying he made it in time to save her.

Chapter Nineteen

The sounds of snapping and snarling woke Chloe from a sound sleep. Something was wrong, desperately wrong. She checked for George, praying that he’d gotten hold of something and was simply playing.

George was hiding under the bed, shaking like a leaf.

Shit.

She reached over to the side of the bed where Jim usually slept, only to find the sheets cold.

She darted out of bed, ripping her pajamas off. Her Fox was growling, eager for the shift. Her mate was out there fighting, and it wanted to go to his aid. Jim had never had to fight in his Wolf form before. He’d be at a huge disadvantage against his opponent.

Chloe, on the other hand, had grown up sparring with both Foxes and Grizzlies and knew a few dirty tricks taught to her by her overprotective cousins. She wasn’t above using each and every one of them to protect Jim.

She shifted, losing all sense of the color red. She darted out the bedroom door and down the stairs, determined to find where Jim was. His scent was strong, so following it was simple.

Of course, the Fox standing in the dining room, hovering over a terrified Spencer, had her freezing in her tracks.

Double shit. Jim might be brand new to shifting, but at least he could. Spencer was helpless against the Fox. Hell, he couldn’t even run away. If he tried to get to his chair the Fox could have his throat within seconds.

She knew what her mate would want, despite what her Fox demanded. Chloe had to save Spencer.

Chloe crouched, her ears back, her tail down. She snarled and hissed as she slunk toward the Fox who’d invaded her den, making her intentions clear.

She wanted him the fuck out of her home.

Before she could stop it she began gekkering, the stuttering cry of a Fox who was about to do battle, whether for real or for play. Chloe meant business, however, so she added in some warning barks, trying to get the outsider away from Spencer.

The Fox was frozen, staring at Chloe with an open jaw. Slowly, it lifted its paws off Spencer’s bed, descending to the floor where Chloe waited.

She didn’t want to give him a chance to use Spencer against her. She attacked, swiping at the Fox, hoping to knock him over so she could get her jaws on his neck. If she could get him to submit, the fight would be over.

But whatever had caused the other Fox to hesitate disappeared as Chloe attacked. It, too, crouched low and Chloe’s swing went over his head. She leapt at him, kicking and scratching, forcing him to back farther away from Spencer’s bed.

“Holy shit.”

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Spencer edging toward his wheelchair. What he thought he was going to do she had no idea, and no time to deliberate. The other Fox came back at her, making its own gekkering sounds. They danced around each other, watching, taking turns darting in and out of each other’s range. The high-pitched yipping echoed through the room as Chloe tried to get a hold of the other Fox.

The Fox lunged at Chloe, forcing her back into a chair. The chair toppled over, nearly trapping Chloe. She darted between the legs and came at the Fox’s hindquarters, drawing first blood.

The Fox yipped and jumped at Chloe, forcing her onto her back. She kicked at his vulnerable stomach with her hind legs, digging deep and forcing him to arch his back to minimize the damage. She tucked her chin down and bit the Fox’s bottom jaw, keeping him from getting hold of her throat and ending the fight.

She managed to kick him off. Hopping to her feet, she began circling the other Fox, looking for a weak point or an opening she could use to bring him down.

Instead, it was the Fox who found Chloe’s weak point. He began attacking Chloe’s left side, going for her weak paw. She tried to compensate, but the pain in her right paw when she tried to put more weight on it made her quickly rethink that strategy.

Instead, Chloe chose to go with a different tactic, one that she hoped would prove effective.

Super Bear had powers outside the norm for a Bear. With luck, the same thing would apply to a tiny, damaged white Fox.

Chloe dodged under Spencer’s bed and used the ability of her species to cloak her scent.

Almost holding her breath, she peered from under the comforter to find the Fox had frozen in place. He lifted his muzzle, scenting the air, but was apparently unable to find her. He turned in place, whining slightly, obviously confused by her sudden disappearance.

Chloe sniffed discreetly, surprised to find that her scent was completely gone from the room. She wasn’t entirely sure she was happy about that, but for now it was going to work to her advantage.

Slowly, stealthily, she made her way out from under the bed, using the furniture to cover her movements. She stalked the enemy Fox, keeping her eyes on it. She waited patiently as it sniffed Spencer’s bed, smiling internally as Spencer quietly wheeled his way out of danger.

Good. With luck Spencer would get to a phone and call for help while she and Jim dealt with the shifters.

Her distraction almost cost her. The Fox was far closer to Chloe than she’d expected when she looked around for him again. While a Fox could mask their scent, sight would still reveal them. Chloe silently pulled back behind a piece of furniture, hiding herself from the Fox as it stalked across the floor. Once its back was to her she hopped up onto the back of the chair, prepared to fly at her enemy.

The Fox stared right back at her, and snarled.

Chloe leapt, tackling the Fox to the ground. She managed to get over him, clamping his throat between her teeth hard enough to draw blood but not hard enough to kill. She growled, forcing the other Fox to surrender. She would kill him if he gave her no other choice.