Hard Mated (Shifters Unbound #3.5)(30)
Author: Jennifer Ashley

“Next fight,” Spike said, turning away.

He had one advantage. Gavan still thought Spike was stupid. In the end, that would be Gavan’s biggest mistake.

*** *** ***

Spike fought and won two more bouts quickly. Those would keep Gavan appeased, make him think Spike was doing what he wanted. Spike also knew that Gavan had lined up easy fights at first. Didn’t want to tire his champion too quickly.

The first real bout came when Spike stepped into the ring, tossing his towel back to Ellison, and found himself facing Dylan Morrissey.

The crowd quieted. Dylan and Spike had never fought each other before. Though Dylan had stepped down from being Shiftertown leader, he was still one of the most powerful Shifters around, and everyone knew it. Spike was the best fighter in South Texas, and everyone knew that too.

How Gavan had swung getting Dylan into the ring against him, Spike didn’t know. But if Dylan went down under Spike, that would send a signal to Shiftertown that the Morrisseys could lose strength.

Out of the corner of his eye, Spike saw Connor Morrissey approach Myka. Gavan shot Connor a suspicious look then moved his focus back to the ring. Connor was a cub still, with no official place in the hierarchy as yet, which meant, in most people’s opinions, he was no threat.

The crowd of Shifters and humans swarmed the ring, this the only bout going on right now. A fight between Spike and Dylan would be too intense to miss.

A wall of Shifter bodies enclosed the ring, and through that wall, Spike saw Connor tug Myka out of the way.

“Fight!” one of the refs called, then he and the other refs backed away in a hurry.

Spike slowly circled Dylan. In spite of being one of the oldest males around, Dylan was in fantastic shape, his body honed and tight. Being one of the oldest males meant he was also one of the strongest—weak males didn’t make it to the beginning of their third century.

Spike tried to dredge up his anger at Liam for spying on Myka, for not trusting him. That anger would put his heart in the fight against Liam’s father. But nothing overcame Spike’s gnawing, crazed worry for Jordan. He needed to finish this and find his son.

Dylan attacked, still in human form. The two male bodies met with a beat of flesh to flesh, Dylan’s hands digging into Spike’s shoulders at the same time Spike dug into Dylan’s.

The Shifters erupted into a roar of approval. The bets would be coming thick and fast, equally on Spike as on Dylan.

Dylan jerked Spike close, a weak move, but it put Dylan’s lips next to Spike’s ear. “Play it out,” Dylan said.

The man backed off before Spike could respond, but he understood. Something was happening outside the ring, and Spike and Dylan needed to distract Gavan long enough for whatever it was to happen.

A spark jumped on Dylan’s Collar. Only one. An answering bite dug into Spike’s neck from his own Collar, and the prick of pain woke up the beast.

Spike launched himself at Dylan, shifting to his half-Shifter state on the way. Dylan’s body elongated until he was half lion, half man, with a roar to go with it.

Bodies met again, teeth and claws digging, Dylan’s incredible strength pressing Spike across the ring. Spike’s Collar arced, electricity snapping into him, as he fought to remain inside the cinder blocks.

Dylan was holding back a little, Spike could tell, even through all the roaring and growling. Even with that, the animal inside Spike suddenly knew: I can best him.

He let out a long, warning snarl, and the jaguar took over.

*** *** ***

“What the hell are you doing?” Myka asked in a half-panted whisper as Connor ran with her into the darkness. “If Gavan realizes I’ve gone, he’ll call Nate and tell him to hurt Jordan.”

Connor kept a hard grip on Myka’s hand and pulled her to a small white pickup that waited in the deepest shadows. “Sean’s in there, slap up against Gavan, and he’ll break Gavan’s wrist if he makes a move. Glory’s in there too. She might eat him.” Connor grinned, opened the passenger door of the pickup, checked out that it was safe inside, and then half shoved Myka onto the seat.

“If Sean’s on Gavan, isn’t it over?” Myka asked as Connor jumped into the driver’s side of the truck and cranked the ignition. “Tackle Gavan and make him tell you where he hid Jordan.”

“Uncle Liam doesn’t want to do that until we know the cub and Spike’s grandmother are safe.” Connor put the truck in gear and eased it down the dirt road to the bottom of the hill. “Who knows what instructions Gavan gave Nate? Like if Gavan hasn’t checked in by a certain time, do something to Jordan. Or Ella. We can’t risk what Nate might do on his own either.” Connor growled as he swung the truck from dirt road to highway. “I’ve never trusted Nate. He once held me down so Fergus could beat on me. Nate was just enforcing Shifter law—I wouldn’t shut up when Fergus the great leader told me to—but I kind of hold a grudge.”

“How are we going to know how to find Jordan?”

“Uncle Liam is working on that,” Connor said. “Liam wants you to come with us, because Jordan likes you. You can help keep him calm.”

“Poor kid.” Myka hung on as Connor wove through traffic at high speed. “He lost his mom, just found his dad, and now he’s caught in all this.”

“I know. That’s why we need you. To keep him calm so he doesn’t hurt himself.”

Myka wasn’t as optimistic that she could, but at the same time, she was glad Connor had snagged her to go along. She wanted Jordan to be all right, and the heat of her fury made her want to back Nate and Gavan into a corner and tell him what she thought.

Connor drove them to Shiftertown. Liam waited on the front porch of Spike’s house, with Ronan sitting on the porch swing, a bandage across his middle, his face pale in the darkness. His mate, Elizabeth, shared the swing with him, the worry and love on her face plain to see.

“You okay?” Myka asked Ronan as she ran up to the porch.

“I’ve had worse,” Ronan said. “Trust me.” He gave Elizabeth’s hand a pat. “Haven’t I, Lizzie-girl?”

“Yeah, because you’re an idiot.” Elizabeth put her head on his shoulder, moonlight catching on the bright red streaks in her hair.

“Why didn’t any of the neighbors stop Nate running off with them?” Myka demanded. She’d already learned that, in Shiftertown, everyone came outside the minute anything the least bit exciting went down.