The Lion’s Curvy Mate: Shifter Romance

Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Sadie stood in the main area of the warehouse, watching Declan square up against Garrett in the center of the space. They stood opposite each other, silent and staring, preparing for a fight that only one of them would walk away from.

Two groups of tough-looking men stood on either side of the warehouse. On one side was Conrad’s gang, all slick and in their tailored suits. On the other side was a group she’d never seen before. They weren’t nearly as well-dressed as Conrad’s guys, but the pistols they held were just as deadly.

Conrad strutted around the center of the makeshift ring like a proud peacock. He looked like a circus ringmaster, ready to kick off the festivities. He seemed to feed off the buzz of energy in the building, becoming more animated by the moment.

“Gentlemen,” he announced, spreading his arms grandly and flashing his shark tooth smile at his audience. “I have a special treat tonight. For your entertainment, and to see what kind of power I have at my command, I present to you a battle to the death, unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Two warriors stand before you, thirsty for blood. But these aren’t just any fighters. They are beasts in the truest sense of the word. Truly at the the top of the food chain.”

He turned to address the two men. “Time to shift. Make me proud boys.”

Declan looked at him, horrified. “You want us to shift? And expose our secret?”

Conrad leaned in. Sadie could just barely hear him. “Damn right you’re gonna shift. They have to see what my people are capable of, and the only way to do that is to shift. While I sense your hesitation, just know that if you don’t shift, my boys will gun you down where you stand.”

Conrad stepped out from between the two fighters. “Fight!” he yelled, lifting his hands.

Sadie saw Declan holding back, but Garrett didn’t seem to share the same reservations. The air seemed to shimmer around him like a heat mirage. The man disappeared. His clothes fell into a heap on the warehouse floor. In his place stood a vicious looking bear.

The bear lifted its slavering jaws and let out a mighty roar that shook the walls of the warehouse. Conrad’s men cheered. The other men looked shocked, their hard demeanors shattering in their surprise. They looked like children watching a magic show, gaping at the impossible.

The bear took a step toward Declan. He shook his head. Then he shifted. His mighty black lion shimmered into existence, almost as big as the sandy colored bear in front of him. The spectators went wild, excited about the prospect of blood.

Sadie just felt sick. It wasn’t just the toxins coursing through her, making her weak. She couldn’t bear to see the man she loved forced to fight like some kind of gladiator. She knew how weak he was in shifter form right now because of the poison. She could see the pain in his eyes.

Garrett didn’t seem to share the same weakness. Maybe it was like Conrad had said. His version of the treatment was better than the elixir she’d cobbled together.

If the way she was feeling was any indication, Sadie was amazed at how well Declan had been holding up under the influence of the poison. Her entire body ached and her limbs felt like jelly. If he felt even a fraction of what she was feeling, the man was truly stronger than she could have imagined.

But now, in his weakened state, he had to face off against a monstrous beast. And Garrett looked fresh and spry compared to her wounded lion. She said a quiet prayer to her guardian angel, begging for Declan to make it through this.

“Seraphina,” she whispered, putting every ounce of emotion into the single word.

Conrad came to stand next to her. “I told you when we first met we’d work well together. Let’s just hope your man is up to the challenge.”

She did her best to ignore him. All her attention was on Declan. He stood motionless as the bear shuffled toward him. There was something proud and regal in Declan’s demeanor, even though he was in so much pain. Even though he was staring into the jaws of death.

The men watching around them were cheering and shouting. She heard them placing bets on the winner, like this was just a game to them. None of them cared that the man she loved was out there, about to bleed. About to suffer.

Even if he won, he wouldn’t come out unscathed, both physically and mentally. Despite everything that had transpired that night, Declan still considered Garrett a friend. Killing his friend would scar him forever. It was a wound from which he might never recover.

Just then, Garrett charged, swiping a meaty paw at Declan’s head. The claws looked sharp and deadly. Eight inches of murderous rage propelled by the mighty weight of the bear. The fight looked like it would be over before it had even begun.

Declan ducked his head at the last second. The claws sliced through the air above his face, ruffling his mane but leaving him otherwise untouched. He sprang away from the bear, his movements graceful and powerful.

Garrett pressed the attack, all rage and raw power. Declan avoided the attacks, with grace and agility. They were two very different animals.

But Declan wasn’t attacking back. He dodged around the bear’s slashing blows and snapping jaws. Barely avoiding fatal blows again and again.

He looked like he was getting tired. Meanwhile, Garrett’s energy seemed to be ramping up. He moved faster than a beast his size should move.

Sadie’s heart sank. It was only a matter of time before one of the strikes hit home. If Declan refused to fight, his fate was sealed.

Declan’s breathing was ragged and his heart was pounding in his chest. It was hard to think. Hard to to do anything but avoid the onslaught of attacks.

Still, he wracked his brain for a way out of this mess. He didn’t want to fight his friend. It went against his very nature. They’d been through hell together. It couldn’t end like this.

Declan had killed before. But every life he’d ever taken had served some greater purpose. That fact made those terrible acts more bearable. He might never be able to fully forgive himself for the people he’d hurt, but at least he could live with himself.

But this was completely different.

This wasn’t a noble fight. It was a cheap display of power for the sadistic Conrad. This was murder for sport. He couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Even if he could bring himself to fight, he didn’t know if he could win. Garrett was strong. If they’d been on even footing, Declan probably could have taken him. But he was hurting. Tired. Dying.

He glanced over at Sadie, her face drawn with worry. It broke his heart to see her that way. She was such an amazing woman. It scared him how much he cared about her. But all he’d done is cause her pain and trouble since the first day they’d met.

He’d meant what he said earlier. She would have been better off if he’d never shown up at the Sanctuary. He should have let the poison do its work and drain the life from him.

But he hadn’t, and now she was in this mess as deeply as he was. Even now, he would let Garrett kill him if it meant helping her, but his death would serve no purpose. She wouldn’t be better off. Sadie would be stuck working for this psycho bastard and she would be all alone.

He couldn’t let that happen. And that meant he couldn’t lose this fight.

Garrett came at him with another barrage of attacks. Declan danced away, just out of range. But just barely.

If only he could talk to Garrett. Get him to stop this madness. Together, they could fight their way out of this mess. But they couldn’t talk in shifter form. Declan would have to shift back.

But he didn’t dare. Not when Garrett kept pressing the attack. Declan was much more agile in his cat form. In his human form, he’d be ripped to shreds in seconds. He had to be smart. Had to think of a strategy to get in close so he could talk to his friend.

First, he had to put Garrett on the defensive.

Declan lunged at Garrett, using every ounce of speed to slip through Garrett’s claws. He swiped at the bear’s head like a cat batting at a ball of string. Only this cat had paws the size of dinner plates. He kept his claws retracted, but the blunt force from his blows was enough to make the bear pause and fall back.

Garret c****d his head sideways to look at Declan. Declan prayed his friend had understood his silent message. By not using his claws, he was telling his friend he didn’t want to kill him.

He couldn’t tell if Garrett understood. It wasn’t easy to gauge the facial expression of a bear. They weren’t the most emotive of animals. Still, he thought he could sense the wheels turning in his friends head, like he was trying to understand.

That was a start.

Declan bounded towards the bear. Garrett swiped his claw out, but Declan dodged and made it behind his friend. He pounced at the bear’s exposed back, shifting back to human form in midair. He wrapped his arms around the bear’s neck and held on for dear life.

Garrett reared up on his back legs. For a brief moment, Declan wondered just how absurd the scene looked. A naked man clutching onto a floundering bear in a warehouse surrounded by cheering men. It was like something out of a bad fever dream. He would have laughed if he wasn’t fighting for his life.

Declan struggled to get his mouth close to Garrett’s ears. He needed the bear to hear him over the clamor of the crowd.

“Garrett, I’m not gonna fight you, man. There has to be another way.” The bear’s head shook in dissent, but his jerking motions stilled, no longer trying to throw Declan off his back. “No, keep pretending you’re fighting me. So we can talk.”

Garrett renewed his struggling, moving so violently he flung Declan around like a rag doll.

“Too much,” Declan said through gritted teeth.

Garrett calmed down a bit, still putting on a show without almost snapping Declan’s neck in the process.

“Okay, better. We can make it out of this if we work together. If we team up like old times, we can take out these guys and get away.”

Garrett growled, obviously not sold on the idea.

“Look, neither one of us has to die here. Even if one of us wins, we’ll still be slaves to this asshole. That’s not a life. But if we work together, we can escape.”

Garrett made a grunting noise. Declan couldn’t tell if his friend was agreeing or not.

“So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to get off your back and I’m going to talk to Conrad.” The bear growled. “I know he won’t listen. It’s just a diversion. While I distract him, you get in close to us. Then when I give the signal we both attack him. Cut off the head of the snake and the body dies. It’s our only chance.”

Garrett didn’t respond. Declan just hoped that deep down, his friend was the same man he’d known all these years. He’d been a good man. A just man. If he was wrong, he wouldn’t live long enough to regret his mistake.

Sadie watched Declan slip off the bear’s back and approach her direction. Garrett stood stock still on his hind legs, watching the naked man intently. But he didn’t move in for a killing blow, much to her surprise.

“This is over, Conrad,” Declan called out, moving closer to the criminal boss. “You’ve had your show. No one has to die.”

The men scattered around the warehouse booed and hissed, angry that their fun had been interrupted. They reminded Sadie of rowdy school children instead of hardened criminals.

Conrad faked a yawn. “Boring. We’ve been over this. One of you will die or both of you will. It’s that simple.”

“You’re a smart guy, Conrad. Does it really make sense to lose one or both of your strongest assets just to put on a show? That’s just bad business.”

Declan kept edging closer as he talked. Sadie wondered if he was going to make some kind of move. She’d seen him talking to Garrett while he was on his back. Maybe they had a plan.

If so, she desperately wished she knew what it was. She wanted to help. To do something other than stand there like a lump on a log. But there was no way to communicate with Declan. She was just going to have to improvise.

Conrad sighed theatrically. “You still don’t understand. Typical. All brawn, no brains. This isn’t just a show. It’s a test. And you’re failing. You’re also annoying me.” Conrad looked past Declan toward Garrett. “It seems Declan has given up. End this for me, Garrett.”

The bear took a few steps forward, getting into striking distance of Declan. But then he stopped.

Conrad rolled his eyes. “Ugh, not you, too.” He pulled the little black case out from his coat pocket, produced the syringe filled with blue liquid, and held it up for Garrett to see. “Remember what you’re fighting for, boy. Finish this and claim your prize.”

The bear stared at the syringe intently. Sadie couldn’t make heads or tails of what he was thinking. Had he finally seen reason and turned against his slave master? Or was he still loyal to the man who held his leash?

Sadie didn’t want to wait to find out. She had to do something. Make some kind of move that would tilt the scales in her and Declan’s favor.

That’s when she had a really bad idea.

There was no time to think. No time to second guess. She had to move.

Sadie slammed her body sideways, tumbling into Conrad and knocking him off balance. He flailed about, and she snatched the antidote from his grasp.

Time seemed to slow down. She heard shouting and she felt a hand reach out behind her and grab at her shirt. But she was already moving, focused on the man she loved.

She closed the distance between them, raising the syringe over her head like a dagger about to strike. Then she plunged the needle into Declan’s arm and injected him.

Then the world around her exploded in gunfire.