Shaw (Alpha Geek #6) - Milly Taiden Page 0,49

than the other two panthers. Size didn’t exactly matter, but it would make it that much easier to ram them into the ground like the vile creatures they were.

Shaw knew Curtis was the biggest of the three brothers, and he hated to know that his mate was battling him alone, but he had his hands full, so to speak. He pinned Carl down onto the packed dirt and bit the panther’s neck. It wasn’t a damaging blow, but he knew that there were tranquilizer guns in the car. He just had to get to them. Nick had given them the weapons, knowing that they needed the trio alive to face criminal charges, but also because no one really wanted to kill Poppy’s family. No matter how bad they were.

Carl leaped away from him, shaking his head, roaring in pain. Carson was right there to take his brother’s place. He swiped at Shaw’s head with a massive paw, and he wasn’t fast enough to completely dodge it. Shaw had to take a few steps back to regain his composure. He made a run at Carson, and the panther and the tiger met in the air, paws and jaws thrown about in every direction. The smell of blood filled the air, and Shaw didn’t know if it was his or his opponent’s. All he knew was that it wasn’t Poppy’s, and that was all that mattered to him.

As he wrestled with Carson, Carl jumped onto his back. The bite the panther delivered was painful, and Shaw tried to kick himself free. Being a tiger in a panther lockdown was not a good spot. Desperate to incapacitate at least one of his opponents, he spread his claws wide and swiped at Carson’s belly. The sharp claws met with the furry flesh and tore into it with speed and violence. The shifter fell back, whimpering. It was a bad wound, but Shaw had no time to congratulate himself on a job well done. Carl was still pounding him with all of his strength. Using a maneuver Poppy had showed him, he flipped Carl off his back, sending the panther sprawling.

It was then he saw Poppy pinned down by the throat. Curtis wasn’t going to kill her, was he? He had been pretty clear that he needed her.

Shaw made a split-second decision and slid to the car. He shifted his left front paw into a hand, another nifty trick taught by Poppy, and grabbed for one of the tranquilizer guns that were stashed in his vehicle. He aimed right for Curtis’s neck and fired two shots.

Both tranquilizer pellets met with the target. Curtis was confused, looking up at him with huge panther eyes before passing out. Shaw wasted no time, grabbing the second gun and firing two shots at Carson. Carl was injured, and it would take very little to deal with him.

Shaw chucked the gun away and completed his shift. He spun through the air, landing on Carl. He closed his sharp fangs around one of the panther’s paws and bit down hard. He didn’t necessarily want to break the skin, but when he heard the bone crunch, he knew he had completed the task. It would be hard for Carl to attack him with one broken paw.

Or at least, that’s what Shaw hoped.

With the trio down for the count, Shaw made his way to Poppy. She had a large gash on her head, her breathing was shallow. Shaw knew that shifters healed faster, but he couldn’t just stay there and let the Cain brothers come to. He couldn’t fight off all three. Not alone. There was no way of knowing how far Nick’s crew was. He took on his human form and dialed Nick’s number.

“What’s happened?” Nick shouted into the phone.

Shaw gave him a brief rundown. “Curtis is out with two tranquilizer darts. I want to stuff him in the trunk and bring him in. I have a feeling he’s the ringleader, and the other two will be a little bit lost without him.”

“Good call. I’m going to text you an address. Meet us there.”

He hung up and raced to Curtis. He wrapped rope around the shifter’s legs and arms before hogtying the male panther. Shaw sent out a silent thanks to his grandfather for teaching him that trick. He knew it wouldn’t keep Curtis debilitated for long once he came around, but it was better than nothing.

With careful hands, Shaw took the panther, that Poppy still was, and picked her up. He