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“You think so?” she asked.
Ree looked at Duke and then back to Mercy. “Yeah. When Duke and I are together, I can almost feel his emotions like they’re my own. There’s a...kind of feral quality to them. He feels things differently than I do because of his cat. When we’re apart, I can still touch his emotions, they’re just fainter.”
“That actually makes me feel worse.”
“How so?”
“Because I feel worried. If I’m feeling only a fraction of what Barron’s feeling, then he’s really, really concerned.”
“We’ll be there soon,” Ree said. “I’m sure everything is fine.”
When her sister turned back around to face the windshield, Mercy looked at the phone, silently demanding that Barron return her calls. She didn’t want to think the worst, but until she saw him and touched him, she wouldn’t be able to feel at peace.
I’m coming for you, Barron, she thought.
* * *
Barron spun on his heels and let out a snarl as he faced outward, claws bursting from his fingertips and fangs descending.
Five males entered the hall, led by Lenn. Jake and his bandmates were behind him. Barron had known Lenn and Jake his whole life. He’d gone to school with them, hunted with them, drank at the bar with them. But these males weren’t coming to chat about the weather. There was something decidedly wicked in their eyes, and it wasn’t just because they were golden from their lions.
Straightening slightly from his defensive pose, he kept his cat close to the surface. “Hey, guys. The door seems to be locked, so I’m going to go out the front.”
He took a few steps away from the door, but the three band members spread out and fully blocked the hallway. Lenn had his arms folded, and Jake’s hands were loose at his sides, his dark claws a stark contrast against the light-colored jeans.
“You’re not going anywhere until we talk,” Jake said.
“So talk.” Barron relaxed his stance but kept an eye on the males.
“You need to get rid of the humans,” Lenn said.
“No, I don’t. Our laws have changed and now I don’t have to leave the pride to keep my mate with me.”
“You can stay,” Lenn said. “But the two humans need to disappear on their own, or we’ll make them disappear.”
Barron’s phone buzzed in his back pocket, and he resisted the urge to check it. Mercy was supposed to be asleep, but there was something niggling his subconscious that made him think it might be her. Could she feel his wariness through their connection?
“That’s not happening,” Barron said. “Mercy is my heart-match and she’s wearing my mark. She’s not going anywhere, period. And you can go fuck off if you think Duke will allow you to force his mate out. The laws have changed – roll with the times or get the hell out of the way. Speaking of that, get the hell out of my way, or I’ll move you myself.”
“You can try,” Liam taunted from behind Lenn and Jake. “You’re outnumbered.”
“What’s the end play, here?” Barron asked. “You going to try to beat me up so I’ll tell Mercy to take a hike and take Ree with her?”
Lenn’s fingers curled, the claws shining in the overhead light. “After we finish with you, we’ll take a message to her ourselves. She’ll take off on her own two feet or we’ll make her.”
Everything within Barron went profoundly quiet for a heartbeat. He couldn’t believe there were males willing to harm innocents in the name of keeping the pride purely lion. He was dumbfounded.
And pissed as hell.
No one threatened his mate.
With a furious roar, Barron barreled into the males, taking Lenn to the tile floor. The male was clearly leading the charge against Mercy and Ree, and he had to be dealt with. Slamming his elbow into the male’s cheek, he heard a satisfying thud as Lenn’s head smacked against the floor and he went limp. The other males piled on top of them, fists slamming into Barron’s body at every angle, claws shredding fabric and skin, beasts roaring. He managed to arch away from Lenn, taking Jake with him, hefting the male over his head so he fell to the floor a few feet away. Jake scrambled back as Jimmy grabbed Barron’s arms. Jimmy twisted Barron’s arms behind his back and held him for Jake, who advanced with a snarl.
Barron slammed his head into Jimmy’s nose with a sickening crack, and the male released his hold on him. Barron ducked and Jake’s fist went past him, and he used his momentum to send Jake tumbling to the floor again. Another fist came out of nowhere, and Barron groaned as his head kicked back and pain exploded in his eye. He staggered, swinging wildly in the hopes of keeping the males at bay, but he was soon overpowered, one arm cranked behind his back and his knees slamming into the floor.
Hard fingers gripped his chin and lifted his face. Barron could only see out of one eye, dizziness making his vision blurry, but he saw George grinning around a mouthful of sharp teeth, his eyes golden and full of menace.
“We’ll be sure to let the female know how you failed to protect her. It’ll be fun to make her beg for her life. When we’re done with her, she won’t want to see you or any other lion again, you can be sure of that.”
