Echoes of Fire (The Mercury Pack #4)(100)
There wasn’t room for excitement, though. She couldn’t even allow herself to feel a little optimism. Although Archer’s numbers were down, there were still far too many bears. Of course, if Vinnie had brought his own allies along, the sides might be more evenly matched. Whatever the case, no one was getting out of this without at least some fractured bones and ugly lacerations. Some might even die, including her own pack members, and that thought made Madisyn’s stomach twist painfully.
The only comfort she had right then was that Gwen would be watching closely. Since they couldn’t afford to waste bullets, and they were in for a hard battle, Gwen had decided it made more sense to let the fight play out and only shoot if it looked as if one of the pack members might be in a truly fatal situation.
“You’ll have a sporting chance if you agree to my deal,” Archer said to Madisyn. “And let’s not forget that the cougar here will die instantly if you don’t. So what will it be?”
Charity crossed her arms. “Ticktock, kitty. I sure hope you keep up that stubborn behavior. Your little cat faced me, but I’d like to see how well she does against my inner animal.”
Which confirmed Madisyn’s suspicions. And going by the smirks on the faces of Leanna and Cady, they did indeed intend to join in.
Vinnie’s son, Tate, very subtly caught Madisyn’s eye and nodded. They were ready. Great, but she wouldn’t be making any moves until Archer’s claws were no longer pointed at Dawn’s throat.
“Fine,” Madisyn clipped, glaring at Archer. “I’ll tell you where Daisy is.”
The Alpha gave her a gentle, almost fatherly, smile. “Good decision. You kind of need that sporting chance I was talking about before.” His smile faded, and his expression hardened. “Where is she?”
“New Zealand,” Madisyn lied.
“And where in New Zealand?”
“Queenstown. She’s staying with my parents’ old pride. But it would be dumb to go there—they like Daisy. They’ll fight to keep her.”
“They’ll lose.” Satisfaction glimmered in Archer’s eyes, and he dropped Dawn. “That wasn’t so hard, was it, Madisyn?”
“Wait,” said Ink, holding up a hand. “You’re lying. Vinnie said your parents were born in his pride.”
Sensing the pallas cats were ready to make their move, Madisyn knew the fight was about to begin. “Vinnie says a lot of things. I’d say he’s very good at bullshitting people.”
Archer tensed as five Mercury wolves slowly padded out of the trees, ears flat, teeth bared. Harley’s margay was no doubt in a nearby tree, preparing to pounce.
Madisyn shrugged at the Alpha bear. “As I said, I figured you’d be stupid enough to come. And it sure was stupid.”
A muscle in his cheek ticked. “You’re gonna die tonight.”
She smiled. “You first.”
A silvery gray ball of fur burst out of the trees, flew through the air, and barreled into Archer’s side, knocking him down. Then everyone jumped into action—wolves growling, cats hissing, bears roaring. Unlike their animal counterparts, black-bear shifters could, in fact, roar. The guttural sounds were like something from a prehistoric mammal.
Madisyn’s eyes had been on Charity, so she’d been ready to pounce right up until the bitch booted Dawn hard, making her roll into the creek. Before Madisyn could leap to help the cougar, Charity shifted.
The sow charged on all fours, head low, her massive paws thundering on the ground, splashing through the water.
Adrenaline pumping through Madisyn, she quickly shifted. The cat leaped at the bear. Wrapped itself around the sow’s muzzle, she held its jaw closed. The cat knew that a single bite from the bear could break a neck or sever a spinal cord.
As she savagely bit into the sow’s face, it reared up on its hind legs and batted at her. She held on tight, ignoring the pain. The sow’s huge body flinched as Roni’s wolf jumped onto its back, clawing into fur and flesh. The sow swung back one wet paw, trying to knock the wolf down. Failed. Then another pallas cat was there. And another. And another.
They all attacked with teeth and claws. Never let up. The bear weakened. Slowed. Swayed. Finally, it slumped to the ground. The she-wolf ripped out its throat.
Another bear came splashing through the water. Again, they attacked it as a unit. Wore it down until it was too weak to stand. Like before, the wolf made the killing blow.
Yet another bear took its place. They took it down in much the same way. And another bear. And another. They were tired, bleeding, breathing hard. But they kept fighting.
“You son of a bitch!”
Hearing the female human’s cry, the cat looked to see that a bear was shaking the tree in which the female sat. Abandoning the bear dying at its feet, the cat raced toward the tree and sprang at the other bear, crawled up its body, and ripped at its scalp.
Powerful jaws locked around the cat’s leg in a crushing grip. Yanked her off the sow and tossed her in the air. The cat landed in the creek with a splash. The shock of it made her freeze for a single moment. Cold water poured into her mouth and nostrils. Entered her lungs.
Instinct kicked in, and the cat swam to the surface, breathing—
Teeth snatched the cat by her back, lifted her out of the water, and shook her hard. Sharp and strong, the teeth bit deep, snapped bones. Waves of pain rolled over the cat, rippled through her body, and snatched the breath from her lungs.