Hidden Passions (Hidden, #7)(68)

"I challenge you as the champion of my acknowledged mate, as is allowed by shifter law."

"No," Chris said, horror washing through his blood. When he'd admitted he was Tony's mate, it wasn't so this could occur.

"You're out of your f*cking mind," Jonah said, which was probably what a lot of folks were thinking. Jonah was a big tiger and gamma in rank--maybe more if his ambitions had a biochemical basis. Tony looked half his size in his stupid sexy red speedo. He also looked absolutely calm.

"I'm the wolves' omega," Tony said. "That doesn't make me subordinate to you. Nate is our third, and your will bows to his."

"Shit," Chris breathed. This was not the time to rub Jonah's nose in that.

Jonah filled his big chest with air, obviously about to accept the glove Tony had thrown down.

"Stop," Evina said, her alpha power causing the command to vibrate the air.

"Evina--" Tony said.

"You shut up, too," she ordered, jabbing her mom finger straight at him. "Nobody say another word until Tony and I talk this through."

"You're not leaving me out of it," Chris said.

"Or me," Nate put in mildly.

His wife glared at all of them.

~

Adam volunteered to keep a lid on things outside while Evina led her little discussion group into the penthouse. Cass's grand Gothic living room had plenty of comfy furniture, but they were too hyped to sit. Rick would have joined them in their huddle, except he and Cass had stayed back to keep the dragons calm.

The brood seemed to think Tony was crazy too. They'd started chittering and flapping like mad things.

"You can't do this," Chris said as if he were explaining the facts of life to a two-year-old. "Jonah is twice your size."

"Not twice," Tony said, wishing everyone weren't so horrified. "Maybe a third again as big. Anyway, the bigger they are the harder they fall."

Chris didn't appreciate his humor. "What if Jonah shifts to his tiger form while you're fighting? You can't change without the moon."

"Evina can order him not to. I doubt Jonah himself would consider that anything but an appropriate handicap. You and he, on the other hand, would be sure to go tooth and claw."


"That would be an even match."

"No, it wouldn't. You'd crush him, guaranteed. How would you survive doing that after what happened to your brothers?"

Chris didn't like him bringing this up. His eyes sparked and his jaw muscles bunched.

"What happened to his brothers?" Nate asked Evina.

"His mother's boyfriend had Tomcat Syndrome and murdered them. I assume Tony is implying Chris wouldn't be comfortable killing someone in his cat form."

Chris looked at her, startled. Tony guessed he hadn't expected her to know.

"Sorry," she said. "I've been aware of your past since before I asked you to be my beta. Not about you being gay, but about your family. I uncovered it in a background check. I figured if you ever wanted to talk about it, you would."

Chris and she had been colleagues a long time. Their gazes held for a few heartbeats. Chris dropped his to the antique carpet.

"I could defeat Jonah without killing him," he said.

For Chris's sake, Tony wished he sounded a hundred percent certain.

"He'd push you," he said. "And he'd push your tiger. Challenges bring out primitive impulses in shifters. If he won't back down, he might force you to fight him to the death. Worse, if it comes to the crucial point, and you find you don't have the stomach, he could kill you."

"Oh I'd find the stomach," Chris said darkly.

He'd shoved his hands in his pockets, his body language defensive.

"Say I believe you," Tony said. "What then? How would you live with having killed your own crewmember? Your conscience would torment you. You'd always wonder what you could have done to stop the challenge from happening. I'm the catalyst in all this. You'd end up hating me."

Tony's last sentence had come out rough. Chris looked up, his orange-brown eyes burning. "Never."

Tony said nothing.

"Never," Chris repeated, then squeezed his temples between his hands. "Fuck. You couldn't challenge Liam instead? At least he's an omega."

Tony smiled gently. "Liam wasn't challenging you. Plus I kind of like that kid."

Chris shook his head. "That 'kid' thinks you're a cocksucker too."

"I am one. I just don't consider it an insult. Jonah's the manipulator. I'm willing to bet he's been planning this for a while."

This accusation surprised Evina but only for a moment. "Jonah has seemed like he's been taking everyone's temperature. As if he wanted to know who'd support him as beta. Crap." Her lustrous golden gaze met Tony's. Her eyes were a different color than her beta's but similarly exotic. "Maybe my crew is right about me liking you better."

Though Tony was incredibly touched, he laughed. "I'm new to your life. Our baggage is lighter. Jonah is like an annoying family member. You probably don't really want to see him hurt."

"I'd like him to get his butt kicked," she muttered, sounding pretty sincere. She frowned. "I just don't see how you'll pull it off."