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Something hissed in the tree to my left. Out of nowhere, a black object collided with Flare, pushing him off the branch. The tangled mess thumped on the ground below, and the silvery panther let out a groan. Atop of him stood a third—and smaller—panther, who bit Flare’s neck. Screeching, Flare flung the smaller panther off. Back on their feet, they stalked circles around each other. Clashing again, they wrestled, scratching, biting, locked in a vicious brawl.
Then I recognized the lighter markings on the fur of the small panther’s right arm. The two markings were shaped like a cat’s paw prints.
Flare, the more powerful and dominant panther, leaped on top of Phantom.
“Phantom!” I shrieked.
The smaller cat wriggled to get free as Flare tore a wound in Phantom’s neck.
“No, Flare,” Shadow said, climbing to his feet, wincing and cradling his injured arm to his chest.
Ignoring the searing pain in my leg, I inched along the branch to get down. By the time my feet hit the soil, blood oozed from Phantom’s wound, and he limped backward. That didn’t stop Flare, and he set in for the kill.
“No!” I yelled, kicking him in the hind leg.
Savage growls berated me as Flare twisted to face me. His glistening teeth were on full display, ready to tear my throat out. Quick steps brought him closer to me. My heart jammed in my throat. The panther leaped on my chest, pushing me to the ground. Scorching pain flooded my head and neck. Unable to breathe, I scratched at his face, earning a few bites to my wrist. With my knees, I jabbed him in the ribcage. He howled but kept going, tearing my flesh. Terror slashed at my insides as I flailed beneath his heavy weight.
“You don’t have to do this, Flare.” Shadow seized Flare around his waist with his good arm, dragging him off me. “Kill her, and the last of your humanity dies with you.”
Only raw, animalistic emotion showed behind Flare’s eyes as he scratched at Shadow to set him loose. There was nothing left of his humanity. He was dead inside like I’d been when I’d been rescued from my prison.
“Don’t do this, Flare,” Shadow begged. “We’ll find another way to get the collars off.”
Bleeding and aching, I scrambled to my feet.
“Get away,” Shadow ordered me.
I hastened a few hundred yards away.
Hooves clomped in the distance.
All three of the panthers’ heads snapped toward the sound.
Help was coming. The dwarves.Thank the sea god!
Something sharp whizzed past my nose, striking Flare in the neck. His body stiffened, and his eyes rolled back in his head. Shadow dropped him, and Flare thumped onto the ground.
Four horses carrying dwarves burst into the clearing by the river. Teeny’s steed snorted. Hunter’s bent his neck to eat some grass by the banks. Axe’s ride seemed to have a mind of his own, wandering over for a drink, despite the dwarf yelling at the animal to stop. Rake’s horse stopped right in front of Shadow.
“What are you doing, running off like that?” Teeny scolded me as he tucked away his blowpipe and disengaged from his saddle.
Phantom stumbled and rolled onto his side, bleeding profusely from several wounds on his neck, sides, and behind. His animal form fell away with a few cracks and snaps of reconfiguring skin and bone.
Shadow didn’t fare much better, collapsing to his knees, supporting his bruised and mangled arm. I estimated Poseidon had done some serious damage and had likely smashed it.
“Phantom! Shadow!” I screamed, falling to my knees in between them, putting my hands over one deep, nasty cut on the younger panther’s neck in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding.
Shudders chased through Phantom, and he clutched his stomach, curling into a fetal position.
Shadow’s hair spiked, and he growled, pulling back from me. What was wrong with him? I wanted to thank him for not killing me.
“What happened here?” Teeny asked.
He and the other three dwarves began to tend to Shadow.
“Hunters,” Phantom managed to say.
Although he’d calmed down a bit, Shadow shot the younger shifter a glare, and then turned his hard stare in my direction.
