“I can.” Liam came to a halt in front of Fergus.

He saw Fergus’s pupils change to slits, his nostrils widen, his body emanate fear. He was not far shy of wetting himself. He tried to cover it by puffing out his chest with false bravado. “You can’t touch me. I’m your clan leader.”

“You are weak.” Liam’s voice was completely flat.

“I outrank you,” Fergus said abruptly. “It’s me first, then Dylan, then you. You can’t beat me.”

“Liam fought Dylan and won,” Kim said. “Last night.”

“What?” Sean stared.

Fergus’s face whitened until it was almost green. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, girl. No one can best Dylan. Only me.”

Kim went on. “You’ve been out of the loop. Liam defeated his dad. Liam isn’t happy about it, but he did.”

“Shit,” Sean whispered.

“That doesn’t matter,” Fergus tried. “I am still clan leader.”

“You are nothing.” Liam sounded strange, even to himself. “I have no ties to anyone outside my family. Michael would be easiest to kill. But I think it’s more important to kill you.”

“Crap.” Sean braved Liam’s wrath to grab Kim and pull her well out of the way of Liam and Fergus.

Liam fought the urge to take Kim back and rake his claws across Sean’s face. He forced himself to let Sean go; Sean was protecting Liam’s mate from the enemy. Fergus would use Kim to distract Liam, and Sean was right to get her out of the way. Liam’s bloodlust still wanted him to throw Sean down for touching her, the need burning through him.

Deep down, his love for Sean, his brother, boiled up, wanting his attention. It showed him visions of himself and Sean and Kenny, playing together as cubs, wrestling until they fell asleep in a pile in exhaustion. When they were older, talking about the world and speculating on females and what it would be like to be with one. Celebrating when Kenny took a mate, and again when Sinead became pregnant. Sean and Liam holding each other the day Kenny had died, weeping profusely.

Memories of love, frustration, joy, and family were being erased by the adrenaline, the need to fight. Fergus wanted to do this to all Shifters everywhere. He’d destroy them.

Liam fixed on Fergus again. He toed off his boots and peeled away his T-shirt. Fergus watched with a sneer, then smiled and began yanking off his own clothes.

Fergus attacked while Liam was still shifting. Liam rolled out of the way, his limbs crackling and stretching, muscles moving into new positions. Fergus leapt again, and this time, Liam spun out of reach and came to his feet as his wild Fae-cat.

Liam couldn’t stop his roar. It came from deep within, the beast finally free. It proclaimed that this place was his, not only the warehouse or Shiftertown, but everything for miles: the city, Hill Country, as far as Liam could roam. He was clan leader, and Fergus was nothing. As it should be.

The roar shook the building. Beams shifted, and loose bricks and plaster rained to the floor. Michael started screaming, his screams becoming yowls as he shifted into Feline form. Sean dragged Kim outside, straight into a pouring rain.

Liam closed his mouth, shook out his body, and leapt on the terrified Fergus.

Chapter Twenty-two

“Can you get him free?” Kim yelled at Sean, over the frenzy of violence inside the warehouse.

“If he’ll hold still.” Sean grabbed the chain that had been linked to the wall. Michael continued to snarl and thrash, the manacle cutting into his paw.

“Michael.” Kim knelt next to him and reached for him but got scratched for her pains. “Michael, sweetie. It’s all right.”

Michael knew damn well it wasn’t all right. Inside, two enormous wildcats fought for dominance, and they wouldn’t stop until one was dead. Their snarls sounded over the thunder that boomed through the alley. The building heaved when the two battling Shifters smashed into a wall.

If Fergus wins, he’ll kill the rest of us. Or maybe Fergus would keep Kim alive to be his sex toy, which was not something she wanted to think about. Still less did she want to think about Liam losing, dying, Sean having to send him to dust.

Sean yanked the chain, hook and all, from the wall. Michael yowled, then took off down the alley, the chain dragging behind him.

“He’ll run home,” Sean said. “You go too, Kim.”

“I’m not leaving Liam.”

“Kim, damn it, I don’t know what’s going to happen in there.”

“Why don’t you go? Round up Dylan and everybody to come and stop Fergus.”

“With Liam like that? Too dangerous.”

“At least you’d be safe. Fergus won’t let you live, and Liam keeps thinking you want me for yourself for some reason. He might kill you in his frenzy.”

“Oh, and you’ll be safe from him, will you? I’m staying, Kim. I’m the Guardian.”

He meant he’d have to dispatch the loser with his magic sword, sending his soul into the next world. From Sean’s grim look, he feared it would be Liam.

“Then I’m staying too,” Kim said. Inside, the two Shifters fought like crazy, foam and blood flying. “I love him.”

“Fine then. We’ll die together.”

Sean marched back into the warehouse. The rain changed to a pelting of pea-sized hail, bouncing on the alley floor.

“Perfect,” Kim muttered.

The hail came down so fast it piled on the pavement before it could melt. Kim ducked into the shelter of the building, afraid and angry.