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  Malachi roared at the lions, and they all froze. Hart took the opportunity to get closer. His father turned to him with a snarl and leapt.

  This time, Hart countered the move by rising up on his back legs. He caught his father between his front legs and crashed them both to the ground. With his much heavier weight, the fight didn’t last long. Although Malachi snarled and tried to get a bite hold, Hart had the upper hand.

  He dug his claws into his father’s exposed side. Malachi roared and tried to counter. The movement revealed his soft throat, and Hart clamped it between his teeth.

  Malachi struggled for a moment before he stilled. Hart remained in position, his father’s lion form pinned beneath him.

  The room grew strangely quiet. The lions weren’t sure what they were witnessing. But they all knew their alpha had just been defeated.

  Malachi began to shift back.

  Hart loosened his hold enough that he wouldn’t crush his father’s throat. When he was completely shifted, Hart began his own transformation. He readied himself to maintain his hold on his father, but it wasn’t necessary.

  Malachi lay half-frozen in shock. When Hart reached up and wrapped his hand around his father’s throat, the defeated alpha turned his gaze to his son.

  “Do not ever threaten my mate. Do what you want to me. But Dayton? He’s off-limits.”

  Hart squeezed again and rose to his feet. He gathered up his clothes while keeping a close watch on the shifters at the door. His sister had moved to provide some interference, and none of them were willing to cross her, even in her human form. With a brief nod of thanks in her direction, Hart left. He had a mate to get back to.

  Chapter Nine

  DAYTON CONCENTRATED on cooking. Light the charcoal. Let it heat. Mix the burgers. Get them on the grill. Slice vegetables. Flip burgers. Set the table.

  He handled each task methodically. When the burgers were ready, he covered them in foil and sat them on the table. He added toppings and chips. Still no Hart.

  With a grumble, Dayton opened the freezer and took out the tub of frozen cookie dough he’d bought from one of the kids in the neighborhood. He always got suckered into buying things for those fund-raisers. The cookie dough wasn’t bad, though.

  He dug out his cookie sheets and preheated the oven. Dropped the dough on the pans and loaded them into the oven. Set the timer. Waited.

  Finally, he heard a car pull into his driveway. He ran outside, expecting to see Hart. Instead Rick climbed out of his battered jeep.

  Dayton couldn’t read his expression, but it wasn’t a good one. His knees went weak. Rick came across the yard and reached out his hand. He placed it on Dayton’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

  Oh God.

  Dayton sank to the ground. Then he noticed a shirt land at his side. He looked up. Rick was taking off his clothes. “What are you doing?”

  “Taking care of a problem.” Rick smiled.

  “What?”

  Rick shook his head and continued stripping. When he began the shift, Dayton jerked into action. He ran inside and slammed the door. Not that it would be much protection against a lion, but it was all he had. He grabbed the cordless phone and tried to think of a place to hide.

  Nothing came to mind. He dialed Hart’s number, but he didn’t get an answer. He tried Tawny next. Nothing.

  A loud crash came from his living room. Fuck. He was out of time. He ran though the kitchen and out the back door. He took a moment to drag the hot grill over, hoping that Rick would burst through the back door like he had the front. He ran around the side and jerked open the door to the jeep.

  His car keys were in the living room, but maybe Rick had left his in the ignition. No such luck.

  Another crash and roars of pain. The grill had done the trick. Dayton climbed into the back and huddled down low. Again, no real protection. Rick would be able to smell him.

  Predator and prey. Dayton had never mistaken which one he was.

  A shadow crossed him as the jeep rocked. He looked up to see Rick’s dark-brown mane and his snarling face. Lions couldn’t open doors. Not that he knew of. And if Rick shifted again, maybe it would buy him enough time to run.

  His phone rang and startled him. He didn’t realize he’d stuffed it into the pocket of his shorts. And why hadn’t he called 9-1-1? Because then he’d have to explain the lion. But explaining the lion versus being dead? He saw Hart’s number displayed and answered.

  “Hey, babe. I’m on my way.”

  “Hart, hurry!”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s Rick. He’s here.”

  Hart screamed his rage, and the jeep began to rock more violently. Dayton realized Rick must have overheard who he was talking to. Damn shifter hearing. What did he think? That Dayton would leave the protection of the vehicle? He might be a human, but he wasn’t an idiot.

  Rick howled his frustration and his head disappeared. Dayton scrambled up to see where he’d gone. He’d begun the shift back.

  Dayton dove out the opposite side door and took off running for the house. But where to go? He had nowhere to hide that a lion couldn’t find him and get through whatever protection he could provide.

  “Dayton!”

  Hart’s voice came through the phone, and Dayton turned in a circle. He had nowhere to go. “Hart, God. He’s going to kill me.”

  “I’m almost there. Two minutes. Hide, babe. Hide.”

  The crawl space. It might give him two minutes. Dayton ran for the hall closet and closed the door behind him quietly. He pulled the little rope and the floor came away.

  He dropped down into the space beneath his house, darkness closing in around him. Cobwebs stuck to his face, and something… smelled. Dayton reached back up and pulled the cover back over the opening before scurrying on his hands and knees toward the outer wall.

  It wouldn’t stall Rick for long, but maybe just long enough.

  He could hear Rick above him, his footsteps loud compared to the silence beneath the house.

  “I don’t have much time, Dayton. I don’t want your boyfriend to get here before I take care of you.”

  Dayton fought to slow his breathing and kept as still as possible.

  Rick searched the house above him. “Dammit. Where the hell are you?”

  The closet door opened. Dayton froze, prepared to crawl through whatever he had to but not moving until that moment arrived.

  A blaring horn from outside distracted Rick.

  “Fuck.”

  Yeah, Dayton thought. You’re fucked. But not in the good way.

  Hart screamed for Rick, and Dayton heard him back away from the closet. His footsteps took him farther away. Dayton didn’t want to risk getting trapped inside, so he turned to the side and sought out the little spot under the house where he could climb out.

  More cobwebs covered him, and Dayton swatted at his hair. He shivered but kept moving. The little strips of light coming through the cracks where the opening sat were a beacon. He pointed himself in that direction and ignored everything else. His hand landed on something—hopefully just a random branch that had somehow gotten under the house—and his arm slipped, wrenching his shoulder again.

  Dayton gasped in pain and cradled his throbbing arm against his chest as he continued to hobble toward the exit. Please, God, let Hart be okay.

  He heard a roar. Didn’t know which one of them it was. He thought Rick, but he’d never heard Hart make such a sound in anger so had no idea if he sounded the same.

  Dayton cautiously pulled the door open and crawled through. He looked down at himself and quickly brushed a spider from the front of his shirt.

  The roars had gotten louder. Two distinct ones now. Dayton snuck through the back door and into the front room. He peered out the window and saw Hart’s huge liger in battle with Rick’s golden lion.

  Hart outsized Rick, but Rick was fast and fought dirty. Dayton could see blood dripping from Hart’s shoulder, but Rick had several wounds of his own.
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  Dayton didn’t know what to do. He didn’t think Hart would lose, but he had nothing to protect himself with if he did. He fished the phone out of his pocket and dialed Malachi.

  This time, he got an answer.

  “Dayton?”

  Malachi’s tone took Dayton aback. He’d never heard the alpha sound so… defeated.

  “Malachi, I need help.” He whispered the words, hoping not to draw the attention of the shifters outside fighting.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Rick showed up. He tried to kill me. He’s fighting with Hart, but I don’t know what to do. What if….”

  “I’m on my way, Dayton. Hart won’t lose. You can count on that.”

  “I… I don’t know what to do.”

  “I know, son. This is pride business. I’m in the car now.”

  Dayton heard the engine start and the screech of tires. “Don’t get hurt. I just… I didn’t know who else to call.”

  “You did the right thing.”

  A horrible roar sounded from outside. Dayton thought he’d throw up. “Oh God.”

  “What, Dayton? What happened?”

  “He’s… he’s dead.”

  Chapter Ten

  TWO WEEKS had passed since the deadly fight in Dayton’s front yard. He huddled on his couch, cradling his arm against his body. After the adrenaline crash, the agony in his injured arm had returned. Another trip to the doctor confirmed he’d strained the muscles again. Who knew a rotator cuff could hurt so badly?

  He rearranged the ice pack he had balanced on his shoulder and tried to focus on the evening ahead. The boys from Velcro Roses would be here within the next hour for a combined music/history lesson. They’d wheedled his number out of Hart’s assistant.

  His timer went off, announcing his fifteen minutes of ice time was up. With a happy sigh, Dayton took the pack from his shoulder and headed for the kitchen.

  He’d bought three big bags of pizza rolls, a couple bags of chips, some cookies, and several different kinds of soda for the impromptu party. A junk food extravaganza that would hopefully fuel a few teenagers into paying attention. Then he’d done his research and found a couple dozen songs he could download from an online store.

  With the music loaded onto his player, he was as ready for the get-together as he could be.

  If only he could get his spirit improved, maybe he could actually look forward to the evening.

  The dark cloud that had hovered over him for the last few weeks threatened to break. He caught his breath and pushed his hand against his chest. He’d had that fluttery scared feeling every single day. Usually multiple times.

  Malachi had arrived in time to clean up the mess. And mess it had been. Dayton never wanted to see so much blood again. The horror of it would stick with him for the rest of his life. The graphic nightmares every night seemed proof of that.

  And Hart. Covered in blood.

  Dayton rubbed his aching chest and tried to force the memory out of his mind. He heard a car in the driveway and flipped the oven on to preheat. The pizza bites only took a few minutes, so he’d waited to start them until the band arrived.

  The guys knocked on his door. Dayton pasted on a smile and let them in. Kyle reached to slap him on the shoulder in greeting, so Dayton jumped out of the way.

  “Sorry, man. Wounded teacher here.”

  “Dude, what happened?”

  “Basketball with teenagers. Bad idea.” It was only a small lie, but Dayton didn’t want to explain that he’d wrenched his already sprained shoulder while crawling under his house while a liger and a lion fought outside.

  They laughed and came inside.

  “Where you want us, Teach?” Darren looked around the small house and grinned.

  “Well, I suppose we’ll hang out in the living room. Let me go throw some food in the oven, and we’ll get started.”

  “Sweet.”

  Dayton dumped the pizza rolls on a couple of cookie sheets and put them in the oven. He set the timer as a reminder and returned to the living room. Kyle, Brady, and Darren sprawled on his sofa. He grinned and queued up the music.

  “First lesson, boys. ‘American Pie’.”

  Brady snickered. “This one time….”

  Kyle and Darren cackled.

  Dayton smirked. “That joke will live forever.” They quieted after a minute, so Dayton hit Play, and the music began to drift through the room. It was another one of those classics that everyone seemed to know the words to. When the chorus started, the guys began to sing along. They harmonized naturally, their young voices in perfect pitch with each other.

  By the time the song ended, the pizza rolls were ready. The band members followed Dayton into the kitchen and began munching on chips as he put the steaming pizza rolls into a large bowl. He’d just sat them on the table when another knock sounded at his front door.

  “Let these cool or you’ll burn your tongues.”

  “Sure, Teach.”

  Dayton opened the door, and Tawny stood on the other side. Her scowling face and hands on hips let Dayton know it wasn’t going to be a friendly visit.

  “Hey.”

  “Don’t be all ‘Hey’ to me, mister. You are in trouble. Big trouble. And whose car is that?”

  “I have company, Tawny.”

  She growled and pushed her way inside. Tawny stormed back to the kitchen and froze in the doorway.

  “That’s… that’s… holy shit.”

  “Tawny, meet Kyle, Brady, and Darren. Guys, this is my best friend, Tawny.”

  Brady jumped to his feet. “Well, hello, Tawny.”

  “You’re… but… how….” She turned to Dayton. “Why is Velcro Roses in your kitchen eating your food?”

  “He’s our tutor.” Kyle spoke around a stuffed mouth. He winced when the hot cheese scalded his tongue.

  “I told you to wait. Those things can burn your taste buds off.” Dayton shook his head and turned back to his best friend.

  Tawny leaned against the wall. “You’re their what?”

  “Hey, Teach, can I get a soda?”

  “Sure, Darren. Glasses to the right of the fridge. And I’m tutoring them. Sort of.”

  She nodded. “Those pizza rolls smell good.”

  Brady patted the empty seat next to him. “Come on. We’ll share.”

  “I’m a huge fan.” She settled in the chair beside Brady, and he scooped some pizza rolls onto her plate.

  “Really?” He grinned and winked. “Want us to serenade you?”

  Tawny popped a chip in her mouth and didn’t answer.

  Dayton rolled his eyes. “Quit teasing her, Brady.”

  “Who’s teasing?”

  With a quick cuff to the back of Brady’s head, Dayton filled a plate and sat down at the table. A few minutes of feasting later, they went back to the living room. Tawny livened up the music conversation, and the tension between her and Dayton lessened.

  By the time the guys were ready to head back to Atlanta, Dayton had braced himself for the onslaught Tawny would unleash on him.

  The door had barely closed before she spun around to face him. “Why the hell didn’t you call me?”

  “And say what exactly? ‘Oh yeah, I just watched your brother eat your boyfriend’?”

  She frowned and pulled him into a hug. “I can’t believe Rick tried to kill you.”

  “Yeah, well, me either.”

  “He thought with you out of the way, Hart would go back to Atlanta, and he could take over the pride.”

  Dayton shrugged.

  “I wish you would talk to me,” she whispered.

  Dayton pulled back and searched her eyes. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Hart did what he had to do. I understand that.”

  “How, Tawn? How can you understand that?”

  She ran her fingers through his hair. “Rick tried to kill my brother’s mate. I’d have done the same thing.”

  Dayton twisted away and went into the kitchen. He began to
clean up the mess, dumping the cold and soggy pizza rolls in the trash.

  Tawny grabbed his arm. “Dayton, come on. Talk to me.”

  “I still don’t know what to say.”

  “Start with why you aren’t speaking to any of us.”

  “It’s not… I’m not….” Dayton stopped and collapsed into one of the kitchen chairs. “I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

  “Go on.” She gripped his hand in hers and knelt beside him.

  “With Hart, everything was so, I don’t know, romantic. I know what he is, the other side of him, the animal side.”

  “Yes.”

  “But I never saw any of you do anything like that before.”

  “Oh, honey. We would never have let you see anything like that under normal circumstances. But you need to understand that it’s not just the ability to shift that makes us different. There are different rules that we live by.”

  Dayton laid his free arm on the table and plonked his head down on it. “I know that now.”

  “You knew that before, you just didn’t process it.”

  “There was so much blood. I swear I almost pissed my pants.”

  “Hell, I probably would have if I’d been here. Being scared doesn’t mean you don’t fit in, if that’s what is going on in that thick head of yours.”

  Dayton shrugged a reply and flinched. “Damn shoulder.”

  Tawny went over to his freezer and grabbed one of the ice packs. She laid it over his shoulder and pulled a chair over next to him.

  “Hart doesn’t know you’re hurt again.”

  “I know.”

  “It’s probably a good thing. He’d be over here instead of dealing with the mess at the pride.”

  Dayton rolled his head to the side. “Is he in trouble for killing Rick?”

  “Uh, no. He’s not in trouble. He’s the new alpha.”

  Dayton sat up so fast the ice pack hit the floor with a thud. “What?”

  “I thought you knew. He fought our father over what Dad did to you. He won. Which means he’s taking over the pride.”

  Dayton blinked. Then he thumped his head back down on the table. “Seriously?”