Worth Fighting For. Sondrae Bennett

was mean to tease the wolf when he was down, but the devil inside him couldn’t resist. Besides, a little teasing would help keep his own beast at bay.

      With a smile, he swung back around. “Oh, and call Samantha as soon as you can to let her know you’re okay. She’s freaking out. Made me promise to come out here and save your ass.” He swallowed a laugh as Jason’s growl filled the night.

      * * * *

      Misty strained her neck, trying to see over the heads of the foxes in front of her. She huffed in annoyance as she realized the pointlessness. If she hadn’t promised Cody she’d stay in back, she would have already crept forward. Admitting she wouldn’t see anything, she swung both ears forward, trying to at least hear what was happening.

      Even the words were muffled. Her curiosity almost forced her forward, but she bit her inner lip, remembering her promise. At least the tone of the conversation didn’t seem confrontational.

      Giving up trying to hear anything either, Misty dropped her butt to the ground and sat. She might as well have stayed at the bar. At this point, it didn’t seem like she would see anything interesting.

      Misty coughed to cover the chuffing laughter bubbling up as Jen looked over and rolled her eyes. At least she wasn’t the only bored one. A couple foxes glared at her over their shoulders at the noise, before turning back to the action. Apparently they had a decent view.

      With a tilt of her head, she gestured Jen forward. Cody had made her promise to stay back, but he hadn’t said anything about Jen. If Jen saw what was going on, she could fill Misty in later over beers. Not ideal, but at least she’d know what happened. How sad would it be to come all this way and still be out of the loop?

      Luck was with her and Jen understood the unspoken request. Misty watched her snake through the crowd to get a better view. After she was gone, Misty raised her head and stared at the pattern the leaves on the trees made against the sky.

      She should be grateful the situation was settled before they’d gotten here. It wasn’t like she knew how to fight. But the pull of adventure had been too strong to resist. Like those people who strapped a bungee cord to their ankles and jumped off bridges, the element of danger excited her. Personally, Misty thought those people were crazy, but then again, many people would think running toward a potentially lethal shifter fight was crazy, too. To each their own.

      Besides, the thought of Cody fighting, potentially hurt, while she sat in a deserted bar, sipping her warm beer, would never sit well with her. She’d be half out of her mind with worry if she’d stayed behind. It would never have worked.

      Bored from lack of action was a better alternative to crawling out of her skin with worry. Plus, Jen could give her all the gruesome, or not-so-gruesome, details later. Even if the skulk had arrived late, surely something exciting was happening or else they wouldn’t still be here. They’d have turned around and gone back to town.

      A stick snapped behind her, the noise jerking her to her feet. She twisted to find the cause, but it was too late. A giant black cat, unlike anything she’d ever seen, leapt straight toward her. Misty had no time to move before being tackled to the ground.

      The impact forced the air from her lungs as the ground scraped against her cheek and shoulder. The weight of the animal crushed her as they slid to a stop.

      Misty lay stunned, struggling to breathe. Her mind screamed to fight, to get out from under the cat, but her body refused to listen. She heard foxes barking, growls from nearby wolves, and even some human shouts, but pushed up against the belly of the beast, couldn’t do anything to help or reassure.

      Her lungs fought to drag in air but could only take in shallow breaths, even as her mind compelled her to move, to struggle, or wriggle, or something. She heard the foxes and wolves surrounding her, knew they fought the black cat, but none managed to remove him.

      Without warning, the cat moved, his heavy weight crushing her chest. Her lungs, still struggling to draw breath, became even more constricted.

      Finally, her body registered her mind’s pleas to fight. Her arms flailed uselessly against the beast. The longer he sat on her, the harder it was to focus. If she didn’t get him off soon, it would be too late.