“Who the heck was stupid enough to shift to feline with the hunters around?Did you see anything?”Sienna moved closer so he could hear her easily.
The war raging in his mind and body righted itself even more, enough for him to think.
“Hurry!Cut it off, dammit!”a second man roared.
“They haven’t caught anyone yet.We have to help,” Sienna said urgently.
Liam grasped her hand, using her strength to support his shaky limbs.Once confident of his balance, he released his grip.“I’ll shift and distract them.If half of them chase me, we’ll increase his chances of escape.”
“No!You don’t look well, and I can tell your head is hurting again.You’re rubbing your temple.”
“It’s better after I shift.Here, take my clothes.You go with Jago, and I’ll catch up with you.Don’t let them see you.”
Sienna hesitated, her beautiful face full of conflict.She didn’t want to leave him, but saw the wisdom of his suggestion.
“Make sure they don’t capture you because it will displease me.”Her fierce words and matching expression surprised him.But it shouldn’t have, given she haunted his thoughts so often.Aware of the passing time, he jerked off his boots and stripped.He thrust his garments at her and let his shift take him.
The pain in his head decreased, and his breathing became easier.After scenting the air, he slipped into the shadows, ready to help whichever shifter had run headlong into danger.
He glanced back once to ensure Sienna had gone, relaxing when he couldn’t see her.Keeping to the shadows, he slipped forward, senses alert for the hunters’ positions and the unlucky feline.If he were them, he’d have dart guns.He’d need to take care and remove them one by one.They’d seen three men, and hopefully no one else had arrived to bolster their numbers.
Liam crept closer to a man shouting orders into a radio.“Shoot it with the dart gun.”
“Got him!”another voice shouted.
Crap, he had to move fast.Once they got their hands on one, a rescue would be difficult.What the hell had the feline been thinking?
He sprang at the speaker, catching him off guard.The wiry hunter hit the ground hard, shouting in astonishment as his glasses flew into the undergrowth.Liam shifted and, with a silent apology, struck.The blow dropped him instantly.Liam shifted again, feeling better than he had all day.His transformation eased his suffering—at least for now.On the move once more, he skulked through the shadows, stalking his next target.
He took out the hunter before the third man spotted him.For a long moment, they locked gazes.The man lifted his dart gun but fired wildly in shock or excitement—Liam wasn’t sure which.Liam didn’t hesitate because speed was of the essence.They’d downed the shifter but hadn’t contained him yet.He retreated, circling to come in at a different angle and scoop up their prize.
Liam took a risk and shifted.He scooped up the darted animal and silently withdrew, hoping the panicked hunter wouldn’t see him again.
The reek of alcohol filled his nostrils.A shifter could drink a large quantity of alcohol and not feel the effects, but perhaps booze explained this debacle.Liam angled toward the neighbor’s property since it was closer, and the leopard he’d hauled over his shoulder was damn heavy.
A soft rustle to his right sent Liam rigid with alarm.
“Over here,” a quiet voice said.
It was Jamie.
“Ma sent me to follow him to ensure he didn’t do anything dumb.”
Liam wondered what qualified asdumb,considering this idiot had made life difficult for every shifter in the village.The hunters had seen him in his leopard form, and now they wouldn’t stop until they captured one.With the billionaire’s money behind them, Liam figured they had time on their side.
“Which way?”Liam asked.
“There’s a nearby cave,” Jamie whispered.“Dad goes there whenever he and Ma fight.”
“Show me.”
Jamie cocked his head, listening before setting off at a brisk pace.Liam followed, and to his relief, gradually, the kerfuffle faded.He relaxed until Jamie froze.
Liam heard it too—a hunter talking on a phone or radio, attempting to contact his colleagues.He set the shifter down in the shadows, and he and Jamie squeezed back into the darkness as the man moved closer.Thereweremore hunters now.
“We’ve seen one,” a male voice squawked on the radio.
“On our way,” the bulky hunter shouted, heading in their direction.Excitement radiated from him as he hastened his pace, jogging past and vanishing into the night.
