He drugged me? Well, that explained the prick she thought she'd felt before passing out.
"Doesn't it figure you'd need to knock a woman out to get her to spend time with you."
Too late to bite her tongue. Such a smooth move. Antagonize the guy holding her prisoner.
"Still as mouthy as ever I see, something I once planned to cure you of." As he spoke, Gregory stepped into her line of sight, and she wished she could say he looked evil. That he was a loathsome bastard to look upon. He was anything but. Even now, knowing what she did about him, she couldn't deny he was a handsome devil with ebony hair that flopped boyishly over his eyes, aristocratic features, and a lanky body. Good looking with a superb physique, and yet he left her cold. Psychopathic personalities tended to be a turn-off.
"How long was I out?"
"Just over five hours. Long enough for me to get bored."
Bored and doing what? A man who was prepared to drug a woman and kidnap her might not draw the line at other atrocities. She took a quick stock of herself, wondering if he'd taken advantage of her unconsciousness. If he had, he'd not left a clue. Her clothing remained intact, and she didn't note any kind of soreness or stickiness. Still, she couldn't help but ask, "Did you do anything while I was passed out?"
The corner of his lip lifted, twisting his grin. His laughter grated on her. "As if I'd touch your tainted body. Not now after you've been with him. To think you rejected me, but I see you had no problem saying yes to that mangy tomcat. I'd not realized you were holding out for someone with more money. If I had known about your lack of morals, I would have treated you much differently."
"Different how? By leaving me alone and creeping out some other girl? You made my life such a living hell I had to move. What worse could you do?"
"I could have shut your pie hole with my cock."
"You would have needed more than that to keep me quiet. I've seen the size of your hands and feet." Once again, her mouth got her into trouble, but she couldn't help it. Despite the fear, she found a spark of fight. I'm not going to die as his subservient bitch.
The fingers that gripped her cheeks dug into her skin and bruised. "Keep talking, bitch slut. We'll see how brave you are once I'm done with you."
"Get your hands off her." Bellowing, and kind of growly, Kira still recognized Arik's voice. He'd come to rescue her.
Naked.
She closed her eyes and opened them again.
Nope, she wasn't hallucinating. Arik definitely stood at the edge of a line of shipping containers wearing nothing but skin.
Sexy, but still, she couldn't help but groan, "Couldn't you have at least brought a weapon?"
"I did," was his reply.
She frowned as she stared at his empty hands. "I don't see it. What did you bring?"
"Myself."
So much for a rescue. But at least Arik meant well as he strode toward Gregory, who was … what the hell? Why was Gregory stripping?
His shirt hit the floor, revealing a well-defined chest with a dark vee of hair arrowing down. Gregory toed off his running shoes. Hands went to his waistband, and the athletic pants were shoved down, revealing tight buttocks and corded thighs.
It took less than a minute for him to face off against Arik, stark, raving naked.
What the hell?
Perhaps the drug Gregory had given her hadn't yet worn off. She must be hallucinating. How else to explain the fact that two naked men went into a half crouch, arms extended at their sides, and fingers flexing. They watched each other warily, treading in a slow circle, preparing to fight.
Gregory dove first, a flash of pale skin rushing at Arik's bigger, tanned form. Arik sidestepped at the last moment and put out a foot. Gregory didn't fall, but he did stumble.
"I see you got my note," Gregory stated as he pivoted back to face Arik.
"How could I resist the invitation? Come to the warehouse alone or she dies. Although, for future reference, you might want to get someone to spellcheck for you. You spelled dies, come and warehouse wrong."
"No one gives a fuck about my spelling."
"You're quite right no one cares, and in even better news, after today, you won't be writing any more threatening notes."
"Do you think I care about your puny threat? I'm not afraid of you." Gregory lunged while Arik danced back.
"You should be. But then again, this sign of mental deficiency isn't your first. No one messes with my pride."
Still tethered to a chair, Kira found his choice of words odd. So this was about ego? That made no sense and didn't explain why the men battled naked.
Except they weren't men.
Eek.
Before her very disbelieving eyes, skin rippled in a way that was far from natural. Or human.
Both men dropped to their hands and knees as fur sprouted. Their faces contorted, a rictus of pain and of change. The very shape of their skulls changed. And, no, that couldn't be what she thought it was.
She didn't imagine it. That waving and wobbling thing that grew from their butts was a tail. A dark, thick tail for the black wolf and a golden whipcord tail with a tufted tip for the lion.
Impossible, and yet, unless she dreamed, then rolling around her in an explosion of fur, fangs, and violence were two wild animals.
An honest-to-god werewolf and a … What was the proper term for Arik? Werelion?
This enquiring mind didn't want to know. Some knowledge a girl could live without, but she definitely wanted to escape. If only she weren't tied to a freaking chair.
The wolf, with a snarl that showcased way too many teeth, broke free from the lion. He spun and lunged at Kira, the malevolent glint in his eyes enough to steal the scream that sat on the tip of her tongue.
Warm blood sprayed her as Arik hit him, claw-tipped paws ripping into the shaggy fur of the wolf.
Turns out I was closer to the truth than I knew when I called Gregory a dog.
Her hysterical attempt at mirth did not ease the situation. The violence continued unabated, the men in fur tumbling in a wild frenzy of slashing limbs. They couldn't control their impetuous momentum. They rolled in her direction. She couldn't move. Their thrashing frames knocked into the side of the chair and sent it teetering.
Crash. She hit the floor, and something cracked. Her head throbbed, as did the arm and shoulder she landed on, but nothing appeared broken thankfully, except for the chair. Alas, it didn't fare so well.
Which was good news for Kira.
The sudden slack in her ropes meant she could wiggle her arms out. Once they were free, it was only a matter of time before the rest of her followed. She crawled from the debris and, once cleared, went to stand …
Only to get squashed!
A heavy weight hit her in the back, sending her to the floor roughly. She cried out in pain, her chin having hit the concrete along with her knees and hands.
Would this awful nightmare never end?
"Get off me," she squeaked, her chest constricted by the weight pinning her. Struggle as she might, she couldn't dislodge the wolf sitting on her back, his moist, hot breath worrisome where it heated her nape.
Didn't wolves like to bite the throats of their prey?
Not a good thought to have given her situation. She might have peed herself if all her muscles weren't frozen.
A lion roared, at least she assumed it was a lion, that or some other giant cat had joined them in the warehouse. Given she hadn't expected either a wolf or a giant cat in the first place, it wouldn't surprise her.
The furball on her back replied with a low snarl.
"Speak English, would you," she muttered.
To her surprise, Arik did. Then again, it was probably because he'd gone human again, or so it seemed since she could see his bare feet at the edge of her visual periphery.
"Hey, dog breath, I would suggest you let her go."
Huh, would you look at that. Arik let his tongue get away from him. Of course, she might have enjoyed it more if he weren't antagonizing a wild animal with its muzzle poised over her neck.
"Get off her. You and I both know you've lost this battle."
Yeah, buddy, you lost. This time she kept the words to herself. Not because she got any smarter, but more because her mouth was so dry and her lungs so starved for air that she doubted she could manage even a squeak.
The body atop her squirmed and went from digging into her with claws to fingers.
Oh gross. He'd swapped bodies while atop her. The shapeshifting thing was way too freaky.
A hand gripping her by the hair, and Gregory hauled her to her feet.
Ouch.
She grabbed at his hand, trying to loosen it. "Watch the hair." In case she did survive, she'd prefer it to be without a scalped spot.