Shaw (Alpha Geek #6) - Milly Taiden Page 0,55

Poppy hadn’t wanted anyone to be hurt, but Shaw knew her cousins wouldn’t have the same philosophy.

With some difficulty, he spotted Carl’s panther and focused on him. Carson was locked in a battle with Poppy, and the pair seemed to be equally matched. If he could lure one brother away, maybe the other would react poorly and make a mistake in his fighting technique.

Shaw lunged for Carl, and he hit him square in the torso. Panther and tiger went tumbling, sliding painfully onto the hard, jagged pavement. Carl swiped a massive paw at him and hit him in the head. It hurt, and he snarled as he threw himself at his opponent once again. Shaw knew he was a better fighter in close contact. They were locked in with their limbs, paws and jaws snapping, swiping furiously. Blow after blow landed.

Shaw was definitely getting a handle on Carl.

He didn’t see or sense the other animal that crept upon him. It was a panther, but not Carson. The beast dug its sharp fangs into his side, and Shaw reared back. The two panthers were joined by a third, and he was pinned down onto the ground as they pummeled him.

It wasn’t a great feeling on his ego. Especially not when he realized he was losing. Off in the distance, he heard Poppy roaring. He would recognize her animal’s sound anywhere. He kicked back against one of his assailants, but the blow opened him up to another attack by Carl. The damn idiot took a chunk out of his side.

Shaw felt fury buried deep inside of him. He was insulted, actually insulted, that cats were getting the better of him.

He was surprised by the sheer aggression, the pure hatred he felt for the felines that were attacking him. Shaw roared, but the sound wasn’t quite right.

It had been more of a howl.

Confused, but still bolstered by the repulsive thought that cats could get the best of him, he launched himself at Carl. He saw the fear and bewilderment in the other animal’s eyes.

Good, a voice that was not his tiger, said inside of his mind.

It was only when Shaw looked down to the paw pinning down Carl, that he saw that his fur was no longer the pure white of his tiger, but rather a deep shining onyx tone. The paw was different, elongated with claws that were fearsome.

Wolf.

He knew it down to the marrow of his bones.

It made him laugh to realize that he had two animals. Now that urge to howl all the time made sense. He felt the wolf’s vibrancy all but shaking his soul.

With a powerful swipe, he knocked Carl back down. It was with so much strength that the panther passed out. He turned onto his other attackers and began a quick and methodic attack.

Though he had never trained in his wolf form, the animal was a hunter. An animal used to guerilla tactics, not a fighting style that the panthers could anticipate. They had never seen his manner of attack; he was sure of it. It took very little time to incapacitate both.

He ran back to the fray to see that Nick, the lion, backed by his pride, and Poppy, the beautiful panther, had also fared well in their fights. As if in agreement, the shifters took their human forms once again.

It was only then that Agent Lewis left the safe house. He clicked his fingers, and a small army of agents dressed in riot gear were on the panthers. The animals were tranquilized and tied up while they waited for transports that would take them to a particular prison. The kind that could accommodate shifters.

“Well, that was a job well done,” Agent Lewis said. “Even if I would have done so with much more finesse had I been able to execute my plan.”

“What’s going to happen to my cousins? To my uncle?” Poppy asked.

“Your uncle was apprehended earlier. You were right. He turned on his sons before our people could even finish explaining the deal he could cut. He’s still facing ten to twenty years, but that’s nothing compared to what the brothers are facing. Seventy is the max total of years they can be tried for, and believe me when I say, we are throwing the book at them.”

“And they still can’t hire their fancy lawyers, can they?” Shaw asked.

“No, they cannot,” Lewis confirmed. “You saw to that. Expect a call from my superiors. They might be interested in your…” he paused but only