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“You okay?”
“Yeah, this feels weird. Going out there like nothing’s happened. Not telling my brother, my dad, our friends. And then this call coming in the second we clocked in this morning?” Dex worried his bottom lip with his teeth. His heart was pounding. “I don’t know, Sloane. It feels… off. Something’s off. I can feel it.”
“Let’s get this done with, and then we can talk to your dad, okay? Just be safe. I think it’s time.” He brought their heads together, and Dex let out a steady breath. With a quick kiss, Sloane began to shift.
At his feet, Dex kept Sloane’s Postshift Trauma Care kit. At one point Dex thought he’d never get used to all the weight of his equipment. At times it had slowed him down, but these days he barely noticed it. He’d
been getting lighter on his feet, faster. Feeling healthier and stronger. He’d put it down to all the training he’d been doing and Sloane’s influence. Not that Dex had stopped eating his tasty unhealthy snacks, but he certainly ate less of them. It was hard to ignore Sloane’s sexy sweet talk about wanting Dex to be with him as long as possible. These days, Dex chose healthier options when he could, providing what he was eating didn’t taste like cardboard or grass. He was definitely more aware of what he ate. He refused to compromise on the gummy bears and Cheesy Doodles, but everything else was fair game. Now that he knew what had been happening inside him, it was likely his change in metabolism was linked. His increase in appetite. The ability to pack away more food than should be possible for a Human. His body burning through the calories…. All Therian traits.
Sloane’s screams turned into roars until he was finally done with his shifting, his ears twitching before he let out a fierce yawn, revealing lethal fangs. Would Dex end up shifting? He didn’t think that was possible, but the impossible seemed to be happening quite often lately. Sloane stretched his long Felid body, his butt in the air as he flexed his toes, extending his claws. Dex scratched Sloane’s butt, chuckling when Sloane pushed his butt up against his hand.
“You hussy,” Dex teased.
Sloane let out a huff before he padded out from behind the privacy screen so Ash could shift. Dex followed him and took a seat on the bench. Sloane thumped his tail against the floor as he waited impatiently to be let out. Felids hated being confined. As soon as Ash shifted, Letty opened the truck’s doors. Two Felids in the back of the truck made things crowded enough without Hobbs’s big tiger butt taking up what space remained. So Letty, Ash, Sloane, and Dex hopped out of the truck to wait for the rest of their teammates. In the distance Dex heard a cacophony of Felid roars and wolf Therian howls. Once the rest of their team joined them, Dex crouched down in front of Sloane and bumped their heads together.
“You be safe.”
Sloane huffed and pushed his wet kitty nose against Dex’s, making him smile. He knew what was coming, so he just scrunched up his nose and took it like a man. Sloane’s sandpapery tongue licked Dex’s cheek. At least he didn’t lick him in the ear again.
Close by, Seb was in his Therian form, along with Taylor and several of their Defense agents. Sloane roared, and everyone took off after the dozen or so young Therians using the streets of New York as their personal playground. It happened more often than people realized. It had even become a secret form of initiation in some frat houses. Run through the city in your Therian form and avoid getting caught by the THIRDS. Destructive Delta had the highest track record for rounding up pledges and scaring the shit out of them so there were no repeat performances. Dex had a sneaky suspicion his Therian teammates enjoyed putting the fear into the students a little too much. Ash certainly did.
Dex readied his tranq rifle in case anyone decided to get unruly. It rarely happened, but occasionally a frat boy wanted to show off or act the tough guy. If the claws came out, their ass would get tranqed. The area was mostly residential, which meant rows of houses and parked cars. There was nowhere for the kids to hide or escape to. Dex followed Sloane, keeping just enough distance between him and his partner so as not to endanger himself if Sloane engaged with one of their perps. Not long ago Dex had to push himself to keep up with Sloane when he was in his Therian form. Now he could do it without getting out of breath. Letty kept asking him to share his secret, but he didn’t have one. He couldn’t explain it, other than his change in training and eating habits. Now he knew better.
Sloane and the rest of Destructive Delta’s Therian agents rounded the corner of E Fourteenth Street and First Avenue, while Seb and his agents headed down the Fourteenth Street Loop to cut them off. The students weren’t stupid. They darted into Stuy Town, the many apartment buildings and dense greenery offering plenty of hiding spots. The chase was thrilling, and Dex’s heart raced. The wind in his face, the almost weightlessness, his quarry up ahead. It was exhilarating.
It didn’t take long to round up the college kids. Cael and three other cheetah Therian agents ran circles around the Felid and wolf Therians, tripping them up while the tiger and jaguar Therian agents scared them shitless. Most of them, when faced with Sloane or Seb, threw themselves onto their bellies or their backs in submission. No one wanted to mess with a jaguar Therian’s bone-crushing jaws or a tiger Therian’s razor-sharp claws. Ash did what he did best, plowed through the other Felids like a bowling ball knocking over pins. Dex thought it was hilarious. The smaller Therians darted out of the way or sprang into the air like someone had set their tails on fire.
Theta Destructive and Beta Ambush herded the college kids toward Theta Destructive’s truck on the Fourteenth Street Loop, and Sloane trotted over to Dex so he could rub his head against Dex’s leg. Dex gave him a scratch behind the ears.
“Good work, partner.” It always felt good when they got a job done without incident or having to resort to force. They were nearing the end of Stuyvesant Walk when Sloane roared and took off. What the hell? Dex readied himself when Taylor rounded the corner at full speed, his ears flattened back against his head and his fangs bare. Shit. Was someone chasing him? Dex was about to call it in when Taylor launched himself at Sloane, swiping at his neck with his claws.
“Taylor!”
Dex lifted his tranq rifle and aimed, but he was afraid of hitting Sloane. The two fierce Felid Therians thrashed and rolled on the ground as they clawed and snapped their jaws at each other.
“Taylor, what the fuck are you doing!”
Dex’s shouts went ignored as Taylor came at Sloane with everything he had. Despite being a leopard Therian and smaller than Sloane, he was still fast and powerful. Both Felid Therians sported nasty gashes, the ground beneath their paws sprinkled with droplets of blood. Oh God, Taylor had lost his fucking mind!
Chapter 11
HE HAD to do something.
Dex went to tap his earpiece when Taylor darted away from Sloane and leaped at Dex. Before he could shoot Taylor, he was on the ground with Taylor standing over him, one clawed paw close to Dex’s neck. He sniffed at Dex, rubbing his muzzle against Dex’s hair. Dex wasn’t stupid. It might be Taylor, but his feral half was calling the shots here, and if Dex wasn’t careful, he’d be dead.
Sloane hissed and circled them. He bared his fangs at Taylor, his ears flattened against his head. Sloane was clearly afraid Taylor would hurt Dex. It was the only thing keeping him from pouncing. Slowly, Dex edged his gloved hand toward his rifle, but Taylor hissed at him. With his attention on Dex, Sloane attacked. The noise was deafening, both apex predators roaring, hissing, and battling fiercely. Taylor aimed for Sloane’s throat with his claws, and Sloane tried to warn Taylor away by hissing and baring his fangs. If he got those jaws around Taylor’s head….
Dex scrambled to his feet and tried to run when Taylor’s claws tore through his pant leg. Dex winced and cried out for help, knowing his Felid teammates would hear him. Dex rolled and kicked at Taylor, his boot striking him in the face. Taylor’s claws were good and snagged on Dex’s pant leg, making it impossible for Dex to pull away. Taylor tried to drag him closer, and in the distance, his friends roared.
“Hurry!”
Dex tried to tear at his clothes as Taylor used his free paw to fend off Sloane, both of them twisting and hopping. Fuck, they were practically fighting on him. They’d either end up crushing him or clawing him if he didn’t get the hell away from them. Remembering his knife, he grabbed it from his thigh rig. He reached down to cut through his pants at the very moment Sloane swiped at Taylor, his claws tearing through Dex’s sleeve and his skin. Dex cried out in pain, his knife hitting the ground when he let go to throw his hand over his bloodied arm. Sloane’s wail reached their Therian friends, and Dex sucked in a sharp breath as he grabbed the knife again and sliced at his pants, freeing himself. He rolled onto his stomach and used his good arm to drag himself away. Ash, Seb, and Hobbs launched themsel
ves at Taylor.
Dex’s arm stung like hell, and the blood plastered his uniform sleeve to him. He was losing blood, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. If he could survive torture, he could survive this. What a clusterfuck. He reached for his com, then stopped. If he told their sarge, Sparks would end up hearing about it, and who the hell knew what she’d do? Dex had been afraid Taylor would challenge Sloane, but a part of him thought the guy would never actually go through with it. Taylor was scared of Sloane. Always had been. A furry head bumped gently against Dex’s, the chirps making him smile.
“Hey, Chirpy.”
