Lowlander Silverback (Gray Back Bears #5)(40)

Fiona clenched her fists and crossed her arms. Her eyes blazed the color of snow, contrasting eerily with the darkness around her. “Bring her out.”

The back door of her sedan opened, and a man emerged, dragging a shorter woman by the arm.

“Kong!” The woman screamed past a swollen, bloody lip. “Don’t you dare give into them!”

Something powerful blasted through the air an instant before Kong lifted his arms into the air. His skin ripped apart, bones breaking as an enormous gorilla exploded from his skin. He slammed his closed fists onto the ground and shook the earth beneath her feet so hard Layla stumbled backward.

The man shoved the woman, Kong’s mother, to the ground and gripped the back of her hair. A pained sound wrenched from her throat.

Beaston stepped forward beside Layla. “We sure do appreciate you bringing the mother of the Kong so we don’t have to track her down.”

“You’ll watch her die,” Fiona spat out. “Stupid silverback. You’ve just killed all of your little friends. Do you think I give a shit that you’re surrounded by a handful of grizzlies right now? You’re outnumbered a hundred to one!”

Layla panted in horror as she watched Kong’s towering form pace in front of the Gray Backs, eyes on his mom. His massive shoulders flexed with each step he took, and his ebony lips pulled back to expose three inch long canines. He was bigger than the other gorillas by a head at least.

“Oooh, look at those pretty markings,” Willa said as she approached Kong slowly. She jerked her chin. “Look at that gray back. You want to hear something terrifying about the Gray Backs?” Willa asked Fiona through a smile.

A long, prehistoric roar bellowed through the trees and shook the mountains. Birds flew from the evergreen canopy in droves, and the gorillas behind Fiona jumped, screamed, and stumbled backward.

Willa quirked her head. “Gray Backs fall under the protection of the last immortal dragon.” She lifted her voice higher above the rising discord of the screaming, frantic gorillas behind Fiona. “As almost alpha of the Gray Backs—”

Creed sighed and corrected, “Second of the Gray Backs—”

“I claim Kong and his chosen family group as honorary members of this crew. So unless you want to be burned into crispy gorilla bacon and devoured by a grumpy dragon, I think you should release Momma Kong and kindly f*ck off.”

Fiona had the good sense to at least look nervous as she yelled, “Kill them all,” behind her at the panicking gorillas.

Fiona’s army shook the trees but didn’t advance any closer.

“Perhaps you didn’t understand her,” Creed drawled out. “So I’ll explain it like this. The Ashe Crew and the Boarlanders are charging through the woods right now, boxing you in. You have maybe two minutes before they’re on you, and then the entirety of your f*cked up shifter species will be dead. Dead, Fiona. All for a man who doesn’t want you. He isn’t Kong of the Lowlanders anymore. He’s Kong of the Gray Backs.”

The gorillas behind Fiona were melting back into the forest as Fiona screamed at them to, “Hold your ground!”

Now the woods echoed with the roaring of the bears.

“One minute,” Creed said blandly. “What’ll it be?”

An enormous figure flew overhead, blocking out the moon and bending trees under the powerful beat of its wings.

Beaston shook his head sympathetically beside Layla. “Mad dragon. Had to stitch our Kong back together. He’s going to eat you. Chomp.”

“Shut up,” Fiona said, looking at the sky.

“Chomp,” Beaston said again through a feral smile.

“I said shut up!”

The man who held Kong’s mother released her and ran for the car.

“Run, little monkey,” Beaston said.

“Never!” Fiona shrieked as her car backed away behind her. “You’re mine! Mine! Do you hear me? I’ll never rest until you are broken beneath me!”

Kong beat his chest and roared.

Kong’s mother was running toward them at a dead sprint as Fiona’s car sped away. Layla rushed forward and grabbed her hand. “Run,” Layla urged Kong’s mother. Panicked, she said, “Don’t stop.” Something awful was about to happen. Her instincts screamed to escape the clearing.

The Gray Backs were retreating with them now, too, sprinting toward the trailers as the breeze that had been a whisper moments before kicked up to gale-force. The sky went dark above them.

Terror clogged Layla’s throat as something massive wrapped around her waist. Kong crushed Layla and his mother against his chest as they skidded to a stop on the dusty gravel road. Behind his massive shoulders, the night sky lit up with burning fire. So hot. Hard to breath. Tears streamed down Layla’s face as she clutched the thick fur on Kong’s arm.

A moment dragged on and on, and then suddenly, it was done.

The heat lifted, and the night was doused in darkness once again. All that was left of Fiona was a long streak of charred grass and billowing smoke.

A few feet away, Beaston hovered over Aviana, shielding her with his body. He dragged his inhuman gaze over the scorched earth and whispered, “Chomp.”





Chapter Sixteen


“Barney, you’re cut off,” Layla said, taking his empty glass away to clean it.