Silver-Tipped Justice(15)
The three large European Eagle owls circled above, their sharp talons gleaming in the morning light. Kontra became aware of the acrid stench of fear coming from Tim, who cowered beneath his bulk. He couldn’t do anything to reassure his mate in animal form, especially with three flying shifters attempting to dive bomb them and slice up his back. Good thing his fur and hide was so thick.
Sam dropped to a knee next to them and called, “Just stay there, Tim. Kontra will keep you safe. We’ll take care of these troublemakers.”
One of the owl shifters took that opportunity to dive toward Kontra, trying to swoop under him and strike Tim. Payson, in hyena form, leaped forward and snatched the shifter out of mid-air in his jaws. Feathers muffled his happy yips as he landed on all fours and shook his head violently. On one vicious shake, Payson released his prize and it went flying into the woods, crashing into the underbrush.
Kontra swatted a second owl, managing to clip its wing, while the third struck at his back, sinking his talons deep, trying to make him move from his position guarding his mate. He shook his shoulders, knocking the bird loose just as Adam leaped over his back. The loosened bird dodged, slipping under a roaring Adam and back into the air to join the other owl.
From out of nowhere, a third owl appeared. Screeching loudly, aggressively, he reached his claws toward the larger of the two shifters. It slammed into the shifter, trying to rend and tear with its talons. In a clash of claws and feathers, the two owls tumbled to the ground.
The shifter from the car recovered first, and it took—unsteadily—to the air. After a squawk to the other still-flying owl, the pair soared away. Once they’d disappeared, Adam slowly prowled to the just stirring owl that had come to their defense.
Kontra watched as the shifter shivered and shuddered. His feathers disappeared, his beak smoothed out, and his body grew. Seconds later, a lean man with sandy brown hair lay on the ground eying the white tiger in front of him.
Tim rose to his knees beneath Kontra, who adjusted his weight, giving his mate room to move.
“Dad?”
His mate’s whispered word sent a shock through Kontra’s system.
“Tim,” the man whispered. “I’ve finally found you!”
Chapter Six
Lying half under a massive grizzly bear, rescued by a group of strange shifters, Tim didn’t think his day could get any weirder. He was grateful, make no mistake of that. There was just no way he could ever have expected to be saved from his ex-flock’s alpha and his minions by people he didn’t know, as well as find out his father had been looking for him all in one day.
It was a good thing he’d recognized the slender redhead as the man who’d been with Kontra at the bar, otherwise Tim wasn’t sure he’d have had the courage to jump from the proverbial frying pan and into the fire. The bear, Kontra, he realized, now that he was close enough to smell him, was fucking huge, not to mention piss-your-pants scary when doing anything that showed off his long, sharp teeth!
To Tim’s relief, Kontra stepped back and allowed him to get to his feet. When he took a step toward his father, Kontra butted him with his head, forcing him in the other direction. Tim took that as a sign to stay put.
Instead, he called, “Dad? You’ve been looking for me?” He couldn’t mask his disbelief.
On his right, someone appeared holding clothes and Kontra’s body shuddered next to him. Tim ignored it, waiting for Luc’s response.
“Yes, son, I’ve been looking for you,” Luc responded, his gaze flicking between the white tiger sitting on the ground five feet from him, eying him speculatively and Tim. “Beta Jean told me you ran away because some pack members were harassing you about being gay.” His voice turned thick with emotions. “I always thought, if I could find you and tell you that kind of thing didn’t matter to me, you’d come home.”
“That’s not what happened,” Tim whispered.
When Kontra put his leather jacket-clad arm around him, Tim pressed against the big man’s side and took the comfort he offered.
“I realize that now,” Luc said sadly. “I overheard Alpha Pierre on the phone yesterday giving the order to kidnap you. I realized that…he’d been lying all this time.” Luc’s tone entreated Tim to believe him, as did the hope filling his father’s hazel eyes.
“I think it’d be best if we finished this discussion elsewhere,” Kontra’s deep voice cut into their conversation. “Adam, shift and dress,” he ordered the white tiger. He turned his attention to Luc and said, “I assume you’re Tim’s father. I’m Kontra, his mate,” Kontra declared.