Oath Sworn - K.N. Banet Page 0,79
came from. They had said Fenris was crazy, but I hadn’t figured he was ‘attack on sight’ kind of crazy.
I got the door open before he reached me. I dodged his grab and tried to slam the door in his face. There was a problem, though. He was too old and too far gone into the partial shift and animal craze for me to be very effective against him. He pushed the door into me and sent me into the far wall, which cracked as my back slammed into it.
It knocked the air from my lungs, leaving me gasping for air, but other than a bruise, I didn’t think it would cause too much of a problem. Nothing felt broken.
I scrambled to stand up as I realized he was closing the distance again. He reached out for me, and before I could stop him from grabbing me, a blurred grey-blue shape took him out of my line of sight.
“Oh shit, Jacky!” Chrissy. “Fuck. We had no idea Fenris was back from his mission. Sorry.”
“Who?” I pointed to the blurry, furred object wrestling Fenris to the ground, biting painfully into his shoulders, arms, and legs.
“Heath. He’s got a quicker shift than most of us,” she answered.
I looked up to her, frowning. “How much faster?” I asked.
“About five minutes,” she informed me, holding a hand out. “You think you can stand?”
“Yeah.” I grabbed the offered hand, grateful for it. “How did he know…” I nodded to the wolf still putting the feral old one in his place. Fenris was snarling and trying to protect anything vital, but from the rage in his eyes, Heath still had some work to do if he wanted Fenris to leave me alone.
“We were about to go out on a hunt. Heath shifted first, to guide some of the slower ones through easier. We heard Fenris across the damn warehouse. He wasn’t exactly quiet. Heath and I came running. Teagan, Laurent, and Sheila will be here any minute.” She gave me an embarrassed look. “One of us was supposed to stay with you at all times while Heath was dealing with the other wolves.”
“It’s fine,” I said, flexing and rotating my shoulder. “Nothing’s broken.”
“Good. That’s good.”
A yelp and whimper suddenly replaced the snarls and growls.
“I cede, Alpha!” Fenris called out. “I cede! She’s yours!”
I looked back to the fight, not ready for what I saw. Heath’s jaws were dripping with blood and Fenris’ left leg was so mangled I wasn’t sure it could ever heal. I watched the painful beginning of Heath’s shift back into his human form as Teagan, Laurent, and Sheila ran up. Teagan continued to move, heading for the two further down the hallway. He bowed low to his Alpha, who looked like a freak mashup of man and wolf, then kneeled to tend to Fenris.
“Will Fenris be okay?” I asked softly.
“Yeah. Old wolves like him and Teagan have seen worse damage. He’ll be out of commission for a few months, but it’s really his fault. He should have submitted faster instead of trying to tumble with Heath,” Laurent answered. “Idiot. We need strong wolves right now, and he’s gone and done that to himself.”
What the hell have I gotten myself into? They don’t even have an ounce of sympathy. Even I do, after he definitely tried to kill me. I wrapped my arms around myself, shaking a little. Not from fear. It had been a sudden rush of adrenaline I hadn’t been expecting, and now I needed to come down from it. “Why can’t I catch a damn break?”
“You’re a werecat. What do you mean?” Chrissy was frowning at me now, obviously confused by my state.
“I own a bar!” I growled. “I don’t fight wars or kill werewolves all the time! The only reason I’ve been doing it recently is because of Carey, and once she’s safe, I’m fucking getting out of this business.” I turned back to the Alpha. “Heath, you better hope this doesn’t happen once everything is said and done. When Carey is safe, I’m fucking done with you wolves.”
I stomped back into the office, breathing hard. A few minutes later, the door opened and slammed shut again. I was already back in my chair, slumped and tired. As Heath came into view, I sighed. “Well. That was interesting.” I tried for a weak smile, but it refused to come.
“I’m sorry. It was the very thing I was trying to avoid. You’re not hurt, right? Chrissy—”
“I’m fine,” I interrupted. “I’m