Page 47 of Colton’s Mate

Both the animals were bleeding from cuts and slashes. At one point the leopard leaped up and wrapped its paws around the owl, bearing it to the ground. It folded its wings and rolled with it, slashing at the leopard with its hooked beak.

The leopard let go and the owl fluttered away, shrieking.

Stop it! You’re killing each other, and him!

But Brandon couldn’t seem to get a grip on their minds. Maybe he should get into the fight? Or would that make it worse?

Suddenly, the grave-like mound of earth moved. Fingers reached out, scrabbling at the earth.

Remy was in there. He was trying to get out.

Suddenly Nick appeared—as solid as Brandon. He was a spirit—this was his place. He attacked the earth mound with his paws, trying to dig Remy out.

Brandon went panther and helped him. They tore at the earth and grass and vines, ripping them apart. Remy struggled to the surface, dark with earth, taking great gasps of air.

Brandon grabbed Remy’s forearm and pulled him free. Remy’s hand locked around Brandon’s wrist, and he climbed to his feet.

The animals were still fighting. Still bleeding.

Brandon called on his alpha power once more, Remy’s will blending with his. STOP THAT RIGHT NOW! This time, he could feel the command in his voice. The two animals flew apart, the leopard hitting the ground and rolling over and over, the owl backwinging furiously to get control of his flight.

And then Brandon was being pulled away, back, back, back, until he was once more in the forest in Wild Blood territory, sitting in a sun-dappled clearing, his hand on Remy’s back. Human Remy.

Sasquatch was gone, and Nick sat in the sun, ghostly once more, his translucent tail wrapped neatly around his paws.

Brandon sat back, relief rushing through him. He kept his hand on Remy, knowing somehow that it was important for his animals to feel that touch. Especially from the alpha. It would steady and settle them—as long as Brandon wasn’t freaking out too. He tried not to.

They both just sat there, breathing. Finally Remy said in a raspy voice. “That. Completely. Sucked.”

“Yeah.” Brandon tried to laugh. Epic fail. “It wasn’t that much fun from over here, either.”

He let Remy sit for another moment, and then asked, “What the hell happened? Were you trying to turn leopard?”

Remy shook his head. “I was just flying. Back from Callie’s.” Brandon nodded. “My leopard was kind of agitated, I guess? And he suddenly tried to manifest, and, you know—in the sky with no wings? Bad.”

No shit.

“So, I fought him while I looked for a place to land. And then my talons hit the ground and…” He shook his head. “I don’t really remember what happened after that, except it was a hot mess all up in here.” He pointed to his skull.

Brandon nodded. And in the spirit world, apparently. He still didn’t know what to make of that. Or that Sasquatch had, apparently, sent Brandon there. “This ever happen before?”

He waited to see if Remy would lie. His ability to lead this crew depended on them being honest with him, but Colt and Remy had always been in a world of their own, in some ways. They answered only to each other.

That had to stop.

Finally Remy admitted wearily, “Not like this.”

“Then like how?”

“I have trouble controlling the leopard. And Colt has trouble controlling the owl. They don’t work with us the way our natural animals do. Maybe because we didn’t grow up with them?”

“I guess we’re beyond the point of saying ‘Just don’t access them’?”

“Apparently.”

“Fuck. Me.”

“No thanks,” Remy said. “Not that you’re not cute as hell, but Kitty would kill me in my sleep.”