Page 93 of Brandon’s Mate

Red light pulsed from the artifact as the two fought. The crew poured all their power into Brandon, but they couldn’t break free.

And then three misty gray panthers with bright yellow-green eyes appeared out of the smoke, as if they were made from it. One by one, they leaped into the circle of fire. Blue energy arced from them into Brandon, and they lit up like beacons.

Brandon’s fallen crew had come to fight.

A fourth ghost panther went to stand at Brandon’s shoulder, glowing with blue fire. The circle expanded to encompass their allies—Callie, Jason, even the polar bear.

For a moment, everything hung in the balance.

Then the combined energy of the crew bond surged out of Brandon and into the artifact holding them prisoner.

It detonated in an explosion of crimson fire, knocking them all to the ground. The entire battlefield went silent.

Chapter 42

Brandon rose to his feet, human once more. All around him, combatants staggered to their feet. The crows had all been grounded, and most of them had been turned human by the surge of energy.

Raines and Caleb didn’t move. Brandon could see by their twisted bodies that they were both dead. The artifact had disintegrated in the explosion, taking Raines’ hand with it.

Brandon turned away, surveying what was left of the battlefield in the glow of the burning building. His crew and allies gathered around him; with his new alpha senses, he could feel them all. Monster Wolf was at his shoulder—no longer a monster, but the bravest, most badass part of his mate.

Colt and Remy flanked them—two identical snow leopards, fierce and loyal. And the ghost crew, all his lost panthers, outlined in blue fire.

He could even feel the avian energy life that was Jason’s crow, kneeling by the unconscious Callie, and the cold raging fire of the polar bear.

And beyond them, Raines’ panther crew. Angry, shattered, defiant—devastated by the loss of their leader. He could rule them all—he had the strength.

If he wanted to be like Raines.

But beneath their anger and defiance, he felt the blood lust and darkness and broken souls. Fuck it all, he felt sorry for them. They’d never had a chance.

They can be ours. We can make them submit, said his panther.

But then he heard Kitty’s voice in his mind. You can’t save everyone.

Even Flynn had only been able to save a few lost shifters. The ones who wanted to be saved.

We are alpha, his panther insisted.

Yes, buddy, we sure as fuck are. And that means making the hard decisions.

He couldn’t fix this. Left on their own, one of the other panthers might step up. Whoever it was might lead them in a better direction—or further down into darkness. But that was their choice, not his.

He looked out over the remnants of the panther and crow armies. Using the last of the bonding energy to project his voice, he said, “Take your dead and go.”

In twos and threes they gathered up the fallen, and drove away in the army trucks. The crows melted into the forest.

For a long minute there was silence, with only the sounds of the fire crackling through the night. Then Brandon heard the cracking of bones as everyone Changed back to human form.

Brandon turned and caught Kitty up in his arms, holding her close. “You were awesome,” she whispered. “Alpha.”

He stroked her hair. Monster Wolf had healed her wounds, but some of her hair had caught the flames, and sheared off the long curls.

He felt a surge of gratitude that it hadn’t been any worse.

Colt and Remy, human again, bowed their heads slightly in submission to Brandon’s new status. One after the other Brandon clasped their arms and pulled them into bro hugs.

His brothers. His crew.