Hidden Passions (Hidden, #7)(73)

"Probably," he said. "Are you certain that's what you want? His spirit remains angry."


"Please," Tony said. "With all of us to help, we can control him until he calms down."

The fae seemed unconvinced, but he stepped to Freda's side anyway.

~

All Chris could think as he watched Tony and Jonah fight was that this was happening because of him. Though he wanted to present an unruffled front, he couldn't refrain from wrapping his arms around his ribs. Probably it was just as well. If his hands had been free, he'd have attacked someone. The pureblood, maybe. Roald had the power to end this by bringing down the ring.

Not that he would. Chris doubted a punch from a tiger would have much effect on him.

Jonah's punch had an effect on Tony. Blood sprayed from his lover's nose as Jonah's roundhouse smacked his head sideways. Tony recovered, jumped back, and responded with a kick. Overcome with anxiety, Chris shoved a thumbnail between his teeth.

A warm hand landed on Chris's arm. "This isn't your fault," Syd said. Vasur stood a little ways behind him. No one else was in Chris's immediate vicinity, tiger or otherwise. Either they sensed he needed space or were treating him like a leper.

Considering the outcome of the challenge was undecided, the show of support meant something. Chris wished he had the presence of mind to appreciate it. At the moment, the best he could do was nod.

"Jonah's been angling for this to happen for a while," Vasur said.

They hadn't seen fit to warn him. Of course, Chris hadn't acted on the warnings he'd sensed himself. Now Tony was acting instead of him.

"Jonah hasn't beaten the wolf yet," Syd said reasonably. "He's landing a few hits."

A few hits wouldn't settle this. Like everyone else, Chris was squinting to compensate for the blur of the magical barrier. No sounds passed through it, which made the fight's swift violence appear surreal. God, he hoped Tony wasn't crazy. In the list of things Tony thought Chris couldn't survive, he should have included his own death.

"Ooh," the mostly shifter crowd burst out. Jonah had gotten behind Tony for an attack, slamming him facedown onto the ground underneath his weight.

Shit, Chris thought. Were Tony's ribs broken? Before he could decide, Tony plunged a clawed hand backwards, deep into Jonah's gut.

"Ouch," Vasur said, wincing sympathetically.

As Tony wrenched away, Chris's heart was beating a mile a minute, like a jackhammer in his throat. He was going to pass out before either of the combatants.

"Keep it together, boss," Syd said.

Chris realized his claws had sprung out. This wasn't good. He was still the beta. He had to act like one. "I'm all right," he said, forcing his arms to drop and his back to straighten. "One of you stand with Liam. I don't want him to feel alone."

Syd gave him a strange look, but went off to do it. Vasur moved a step closer and crossed his fireplug arms, the pose unexpectedly protective.

"The wolf's got game," he said when Chris glanced at him. "Maybe he isn't doomed."

Chris fought an inappropriate urge to laugh. Tony would have been bowled over by his praise.

"Oh boy," Vasur said, drawing Chris's attention back to the fight.

Tony was flipping through the air over Jonah's head--something Chris hoped he wasn't doing to be flashy. Landing neatly, he grabbed Jonah's chin from behind and twisted him around. To Chris's amazement, Jonah fell like a tree. Tony got him prone and pinned so quickly the cat had no chance of escaping.

"Shit," Chris breathed, marveling at the move.

Simple though it had looked, the cat was trapped. He couldn't get out from under Tony's various presses and holds. The tiger's face was turning red from pain.

"Why aren't they ending it?" Vasur asked.

"Jonah won't call 'out,'" Chris realized, zeroing in on their moving lips. "He won't admit Tony bested him."

"Fuck," Vasur said. "He's trying to change. He's going to make the wolf kill him."

The prediction was barely out before Tony lifted and brought his weight down again. Chris couldn't swallow back a sound of distress. He was breaking the cat's neck. Jonah went limp, and the fighting ring's walls flickered. An instant later the barrier was down. Tony jumped off Jonah and called for an ambulance.

The fight was over. Tony was alive, but Chris barely registered his relief. Evina's friend Freda ran to Jonah with her paramedic gear. Chris could tell she wasn't finding signs of life.

He jogged forward to see if he could help.

"Can you heal him?" Tony was asking Cass Maycee's dad.

The fae seemed to be agreeing. He moved to Freda's side. Evina was there too. Roald knelt, laying his hands over Jonah's unpleasantly twisted neck.

"This has to be fast," the pureblood said, his hands beginning to emanate a sparkly glow. "His life force is almost gone. Please brace yourselves to control him."


Evina looked up at Chris from her kneeling position.

He knew what she was thinking. If Jonah healed and then changed, his tiger could do a lot of damage. His mental state was likely to be same as when he went unconscious.

"Do it," his alpha said.

Chris flashed into his tiger form. A second later, Vasur and Syd did the same. Chris's beast grunted at them in satisfaction. Like him, it was happy to have allies.