Shadow Mated(42)

Wait… wait…

Screams ripped along the wind, starting nearest the marker, animal at first and then changing to human, as the curse began to spread. Werecats all around twisted and contorted, fighting the change that was forced upon them with a gruesome result. Bones rattled and joint came unhinged. Eyes went bloody from strain as they fought hard to maintain their form, to no avail.

Felix whipped his head around, confused. With a swipe of his claws to Bailey’s face, he shifted in one quick blink, bringing his jaguar forward with an angry howl. And as soon as she was clear of him, Gash sprung, landing on his brother and rolling with him to the ground, ripping and tearing whatever flesh he could find.

Destroy him. Nothing threatens mate. Not even blood.

But it was a short fight because in a matter of minutes, Felix transformed to human again and Gash’s claws were slicing skin instead of fur. Not that it would keep him from tearing his brother up as he deserved.

“Gash! Wait. Stop!” The voice belonged to Doc, and was sharp enough to make him stop killing Felix. Doc was naked, crouching over Bailey’s tiger. “She needs you. Now.”

Gash released Felix and he scrambled away, leaving a trail of red.

Bailey lay on the ground, bleeding heavily from her neck and face where Felix had clawed her. Her tiger rumbled a pain-filled snarl as Gash loped over, lowering himself to the ground to lick her wounds and push his bond at her.

Heal, mate. You’re safe now.

The clearing was growing quiet, and was more human now than animal.

Bailey whimpered, flinching as Gash continued to clean her wounds. Ducking a nip of her teeth when the healing increased her pain, he growled a warning, giving the mating bond everything he had. And when in the next heartbeat, a purr rippled from her throat, Gash knew she was going to be okay.

Good mate.

He shifted, letting his body return to a man’s, and reached out his hand for her. Bailey’s body changed, and carefully she stood to her feet, letting him pull her close against his chest. The remnants of battle stained her skin. Raw, recently healed flesh discolored her face and neck, but it would heal with time.

Gash pressed her body against his, shielding the vital area where a tiny life grew inside her. As he brought his hands around her back and let one move up to cradle her head, relief replaced the adrenaline coursing through his veins. The witches’ curse had come through. No one was ever taking his Bailey or his young from him. No one ever.

Ever.

He’d make the Ouachitas safe for them always. If he had to promise the witches a fucking kidney in exchange for staying, he would. And the bears… Thames’s chapel was getting moved to the top of the list. And if Theron wanted anymore music shit, he could have it.

Gash turned his head to see Felix stumbling to his feet, wounds gaping and refusing to heal. Eyes wide, he stared down at his own body like it was a foreign object.

He should kill him. It was the smart thing to do. He should break his neck so he could never threaten Bailey again.

A snarl rumbled Gash’s chest, impossible to contain.

But the witches’ fate was worse than any death. Felix and the other Alley Cats were permanently disabled. Shifters trapped in very human bodies. Animals unable to ever run free again. Unable to use their power to hurt others anymore.

“May I have your attention?” Adira’s voice rang through the silence that had fallen over the clearing. The cloaking spell was gone and all three witches were clearly visible, their long dresses flapping in the wind as they stood beneath the fading funnel that dipped from the sky.

“What have you done to us?” Felix hissed, his voice shaking from the absence of his animal’s usual snarl.

“It’s a #binding curse. Your animals are not gone, however, they are trapped within, never to be released again. You have abused your power for too long and now it has been taken from you. You shall live…” Her eyes fell to the dead panther who had attacked Thames. “Except for this one. You shall live, but it will be as a human. With the weaknesses of a human, and...” She tilted her head. “And with the strengths of a human.”

“Are you insane, woman?” One of the Alley Cats spoke up. He held his hand to his stomach, and Gash could see him trembling from feet away. “What strengths does a human have? Without our animals, we’re nothing.”

“There are many,” Adira answered simply. “You only have to seek them out and accept them. This is your way now. Let this be a lesson learned, that you may never again abuse the power you possess. Let it be a lesson to us all,” she said more quietly.

Felix straightened his shoulders, his voice going deadly. “Whatever you’ve done, undo it.”