Brand dumped him on the couch and darted back toward the cells. Anton gripped his head, the room spun a little, and he fought to remain conscious. It seemed to take an eternity before Brand crouched before him, holding up a green syringe.

"This one? What the h.e.l.l is it?"

"Naloxone. We keep it and narcotic sedatives here. Shoot me directly in the vein with it already.

It will counteract the other."

"Sounds dangerous. Let me call for help."

"No time. It works lightning fast." Anton tried to reach for the syringe but his hand missed by inches, his equilibrium off. "f.u.c.k. Just stick me."

"Fine." Brand used his teeth to tear off the plastic tip from the needle and stuck it in the big vein at the bend of Anton's elbow.

Within a minute his sluggish body responded. The drowsiness vanished. He took some deep breaths and focused on the task at hand.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Get me a phone."

Brand withdrew a cell phone from his back pocket and held it out. Anton grabbed it, careful not to crush the thing in his hand since anger was pumping him up, and dialed Rave's number. He got the machine.

"Pick up, Rave. It's an emergency. Stop f.u.c.king and grab the phone." Seconds later an out-of-breath Rave answered. "This better be super important."

"Mom is going to kill Dad and Grady," he spoke quickly. "And she's sent someone after Shannon.

Maybe more than one. They are going to be pride. Get to my apartment and protect my woman right now. Our mother drugged me and locked me up. Brand is with me. I'll call everyone else. Get to Shannon now!"

"Is this a joke?"

"No."

"f.u.c.k!" Rave snarled.

"Go to her, d.a.m.n it. She's alone."

"I'm going." Rave hung up.

Brand straightened, rushed to the closet that contained an a.s.sortment of clothes and pulled some out for Anton while Anton dialed Grady's number. Mika, his mate, answered on the second ring.

"h.e.l.lo?"

"Put Grady on the phone."

"He's in the shower. Which one of you is this? I can't tell you brothers apart on the phone." She laughed.

"This is Anton. Mom is planning to kill Dad and Grady. Just tell him to watch his back and protect you. This isn't a joke. Stay there or go somewhere safe but don't trust that b.i.t.c.h." He hung up before she could react.

He dialed Von and Braden but neither of them answered their cell phones. He left them curt, detailed messages telling them what their mother had set into motion and asked them to go to his place to protect Shannon. He barely remembered to warn them that she had puma blood so they didn't freak out when they smelled her shifter genes if they had missed hearing the rumors. He hung up and realized Brand gawked at him.

"Don't," he threatened. "Yes, she's mine."

"I heard you'd hooked up with a woman but n.o.body said she was a cat shifter."

"Part." Anton managed to stand now, his legs steady under him, and jerked the clothes out of his cousin's hands. "She's mostly human and it doesn't matter to me if you approve or not."

"I didn't say anything negative." Brand seemed to recover from his stunned state. "I can't believe this is happening. I know your mom is mean and she's done some c.r.a.ppy s.h.i.t over the years but Uncle Elroy is her mate."

"It seems she hates him."

"Can't you call your place and warn Shannon?"

"I turned the phones off." He snarled, jerking sweatpants up his legs. "We were starting mating heat and I didn't want to be interrupted. Mom sent a runner to escort me here or I'd still be at home.

She said Dad had been severely injured. Didn't you smell his blood inside the cell too?"

"I just a.s.sumed you'd fought with your father when he put you there. h.e.l.l of a time for Aunt Eve to pull this s.h.i.t. It's near genius. Everyone already hooked up for the heat is nailing each other and the rest of the pack is either hunting for someone to hook up with or running in the woods for the free-for-all. It's going to be tough to track down anyone and find help. You said she sent pride after your Shannon? She had to have invited them into our territory and a.s.sured them it would be safe. Otherwise there's no way they'd dare come here."

"Yeah. I have no idea how many of them to expect either. My brothers have to get their messages. They'll come. We all have to take turns patrolling. That means we check them often." He headed out the door with Brand right behind him. "I need your help. I can't shift yet and I need a ride home. I also need you to help me protect Shannon. We may be in for a h.e.l.l of a fight."

"You know I'd do anything for you and I never want to miss a good fight." Brand jumped into the driver's side of his truck and started the engine while Anton took the pa.s.senger seat.

"Are you going to have a problem helping me protect a part-puma shifter?" Brand threw the truck into drive. "In college, I fell in love with a spotted-leopard half-breed." He cleared his throat. "I never told anyone that before. She just up and left me one day." Anton's eyebrows shot up. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. I didn't give a second thought to us supposedly being enemies. I just loved her, man.

G.o.d, it tore my heart out when I realized she'd run out on me. I wanted to mate her but I guess she didn't want to stand up to her family or our pack. I'll help you protect your puma."

"Thanks."

Anton closed his eyes, his body finally leveling off from the drugs in his system, happy for his ability to heal quickly. The horror of the situation nearly leveled him. His mother had always been cold, remote, and not the best influence but mates didn't kill each other. He'd believed his father put up with too much from the woman-it had always been a bone of contention between them after her poor treatment of his older half brother Grady-but she actually planned to kill two people he loved. Three.

She was going after Shannon as well.

His cousin drove down the street, breaking every speed law their city held. He gripped the door as the truck took a turn too fast. He loved Shannon. No doubt about it. Somehow it had finally happened after all the years he'd tried to find a woman to mate. He'd enjoyed s.e.x with other women but none of them had made him feel. He'd suspected he loved Shannon, had started to adjust to the idea, but now that she faced danger he knew how deeply that love ran. He'd go insane if something were to happen to his s.e.xy little kitten.

The bar came into sight and he spotted Rave's motorcycle parked in front of the building. Some of the tension eased. Shannon wasn't alone anymore. Brand slammed on the brakes behind the bike and Anton jumped out before the engine died. The front door to the bar had been kicked in but he didn't give a d.a.m.n how Rave had gained entry to reach Shannon and protect her. He could replace a door but never her.

Brand was right behind him when he pounded up the stairs to spot another door Rave had kicked in. He nearly slammed into the back of his shirtless, shoeless brother, standing just inside his apartment, only wearing jeans. Rave spun to face him, snarled, and his claws shot out until he saw who ran at him. He barely missed nailing Anton in the face, his claws missing his throat by mere inches.

"I was too late," Rave's grim voice informed him. "The doors were kicked in. I found blood on the bed, hers by the scent, but it's not fresh." He paused. "She's gone, Anton. They took her. I smell two pride males."

Anton threw back his head and howled his rage. A hand gripped his shoulder from behind. He turned his head but it wasn't Brand who gripped him. His youngest brother, Braden, stood behind him.

Von had arrived as well. All three males had matching, furious expressions.

"They took her." Anton snarled the words. "They kidnapped my Shannon."

"We'll get her back," Rave swore softly. "There's only one pride close to us. I've scoped their territory in the past. I sometimes have to hang out at a biker bar that borders their lands. There's a lot of rogue activity there and I keep an eye on it for the pack to make sure they don't cause us problems." Braden hesitated. "Are you sure they kidnapped her? Maybe she returned home with them willingly. What the h.e.l.l were you doing with one of them?" Von growled low. "Be quiet, Braden. I heard Rave say he found her blood on the bed."

"That's my fault," Anton admitted. "She's mine. I marked her. She wouldn't leave with them if given a choice. She's terrified of them."

"They aren't her pride?" Von calmly met his gaze.

"She's alone. She's mostly human, had been warned they'd kill her on sight for being as human as she is, and I'm the only shifter she's ever spent time with." Anton turned to study the apartment. He didn't see any signs of a struggle or damage except the broken door. He sniffed, the scent of two pride males, something he memorized, and rage gripped him again. "I'm going to tear them apart if they've killed her."

"Easy," Rave spoke softly. "She's pretty. They aren't going to kill her." Brand shouldered a few of his cousins aside and sniffed near the bed. He softly cursed. "She's in heat. I'd know that scent anywhere."

"Oh f.u.c.k," Rave groaned. "That's worse. We have to find her fast." Anton closed the distance between them. "What would it matter to them? Why do you think her being pretty means they won't kill her? They have this policy about killing the weak. Shannon said her father fled his pride because of his half-human blood. They wanted to kill him for it." Rave took a deep breath and met Anton's gaze grimly. "I know a lot about the cat shifters. The good news is, they won't kill herat least not on purpose. The bad news is, they only kill weak males.

The females?" He paused. "I don't want to tell you the rumors I've heard about that subject. You'll go nuts."

Anton crowded him, enraged, and demanded, "You need to tell me what you think they'll do to her. Don't make me ask again."

Shannon really wished she had remained unconscious as she a.s.sessed the dire situation she'd woken to. Seven pride males stood around her in the woods. All of them were grim, scary guys ranging from their early twenties to early thirties. The two brothers who'd kidnapped her were there.

Mark appeared slightly older than his brother Adam. He spoke as though he were the one in charge as he argued with another male. "She's too human for anyone to mate with."

"I'd take her," a blond twenty-something male offered again. "Our women are scarce."

"They won't be if we stop mating weak-blooded she-cats." Mark shot a glare at Shannon where she'd been dumped on her a.s.s in the gra.s.s with her hands secured behind her back. "We're not diluting our bloodlines with another breed. But the fact that she's partial puma is a bonus and a certainty for success. She's a rare find."

"Her scent trace isn't known. Her blood parent wasn't from our pride." Adam moved next to his brother. "I'm with Mark on this. No mating this one. We know what needs to be done."

"I agree," a tall brunette sighed. "Besides, no male could harm his mate the way she'll suffer.

She has no family in our pride to protest her treatment. She is a rare find that we must use to full advantage."

Shannon cleared her throat. "I'm no threat to you. Please just let me go. You'll never see me again. I can promise you that. I've never told anyone what I am. You don't have to kill me." They ignored her. "I can't get past the stink of her though," one of the males whined, his voice grating. "She reeks of wolf."

"Hold your breath then." Mark shot him a glare. "I've decided." The blond who'd offered to mate her cursed. "She doesn't appear to be very st.u.r.dy."

"She's blooded enough to go into heat," Mark stated.

"It's very faint," the whiner complained. "I can barely detect it over the horrible wolf stink."

"I know." Mark reached behind him and drew out what appeared to be a plastic gla.s.ses case. "I grabbed this on the way here."

"That will do it," the oldest-looking male sighed. "Those hormones will jumpstart her into full-blown heat. It takes about twenty minutes to work from the testing I've done."

"Hormones will do it?" The whiner didn't look convinced.

"They were taken straight from other she-cats in full heat. We've tested it a few times and it worked every time."

"What are the chances of her dying?" Mark coldly glanced at Shannon. "I'd hate to take that risk. She's partially in heat already."

"The hormones won't kill her," the older male proclaimed. "We're just going to have to remember to be careful. She's going to suffer but no biting or clawing her up. Blood loss will kill her." Shannon started to tremble. "What are you talking about? What do you plan to do to me?" Mark's green eyes fixed on her and he sighed. "What do you know of us?"

"You plan to kill me for being mostly human."

"Wrong." He walked closer. "Here's a little s.e.x education for you. In skin, when we get females pregnant, they only have single births. One baby."

Dread filled Shannon. They were talking about s.e.x, hormones, and her being in heat. She had a really bad feeling where this conversation was headed.

"We can impregnate females with litters if we're shifted when it happens. They can carry anywhere from three to five babies. The thing is, though, when the female shifts back to skin it aborts the pregnancy. Our women don't enjoy staying in animal form for months while their pregnancies gestate to full term. Even the ones willing to attempt it have accidentally shifted while they slept, without meaning to. It has greatly decreased our numbers. After we decided it was safer to mostly live in skin than remain in animal form, our low live-birth rate has greatly decreased our population." Adam snorted. "Humans try to shoot us or give us to zoos when we run around as pumas." One of the men nodded. "I lost my first mate after humans killed her. Some f.u.c.king hunter shot her on private property. I killed him but she didn't survive his bullet. They poach on our lands after hearing of sightings of us. Now we can only shift and run at night to avoid drawing more of them. We post guards to take out any trespa.s.sers. They are easy to sneak up on using our night vision." Mark took over the conversation again. "We can breed with you and create a litter. You can carry more babies than our females can."

Shannon whimpered. "I can't shift and I won't do that. No!" Her frightened gaze darted among the seven men. She knew all the color drained from her face when she realized one of them planned to try to get her pregnant, and she pulled frantically at whatever held her wrists. "I won't agree to it." The oldest guy drew her attention by walking closer to peer down at her. "We're not asking your permission. You're not pride and your wishes are irrelevant. The fact that you can't shift is why you're perfect for what we need." He glanced at Mark. "Should you tell her or should I?"

"I will." Mark's green eyes seemed to gleam, his look of near amus.e.m.e.nt directed at Shannon.

"Here's how it is. You can't shift, which means you can't accidentally abort the litter you'll carry." She recoiled in revulsion. "But you said, in skin, I'd only have one baby."

"You'll be in skin but we won't." A cold smile curved Mark's lips. "We're going to shift after our doctor there injects you with hormones to force you into full heat, your body will be primed to conceive, and between all of us, we'll put a litter inside you."

Adam rubbed his hands together. "It's going to feel great for us but not for you. That's why no male will f.u.c.k his mate the way we're going to take you and we don't share our mates. Females are able to carry different...babies from different fathers at the same time. Between the seven us, we'll definitely make sure you have a litter for us. Human and puma bodies just don't match up that well." He smiled at the men around him. "We've all fantasized about it though." The doctor chuckled. "I've done it once to test the hormones. It's amazing. They are much wetter in skin so you can f.u.c.k them deeper but we should gag her. She'll scream. It's very painful for the female when we barb up and withdraw from her. We can't wait until we soften to pull out after e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n the way we do with our mates. We need to keep f.u.c.king her continuously because the hormones won't last more than a few hours. It's too risky to keep her in heat with her human blood for longer than that. Her heart probably couldn't take the strain." Shannon wanted to scream then. She resisted the urge as she fought her restraints and tried to get to her feet, but with her arms behind her back, she couldn't.

"Please don't do this," she begged.

Mark tossed the plastic case to the doctor. "Inject her. We'll prepare her while it starts to take effect. I'm not worried about her screaming. No one will hear her and we've posted a few guards." The doctor caught the case, opened it, and withdrew a large syringe. Shannon threw her body to the side, tried to roll away, but he planted his loafer on her a.s.s, pinned her to the ground, and tore up her shirt. Another male bent down to tear at the borrowed sweatpants she wore. He bared her left a.s.s cheek.

Shannon screamed when the big needle pierced her skin. It hurt a lot and seemed to take a long time for the doctor to inject the contents. Tears ran down her face when she stopped screaming after the needle jerked out of her a.s.s. Two men gripped her upper arms to haul her painfully off the ground.

They didn't even let her feet touch the gra.s.s when they carried her toward a large, fallen tree. Two other men rushed forward to help them.

She screamed and struggled but they forced her to her knees and bent her over the rough wood. Someone cut the restraints at her wrists but then her arms were yanked wide apart. She turned her head to see rope being tied to parts of the branches still attached to the log and then secured to her wrists to keep her arms spread open.

"Don't do this. Oh G.o.d. Please?" She sobbed.

"Shut up." Mark leapt over the log to face her from the other side of it. He picked up something that had been hidden from her view under the log-a chain with a thick leather collar. She tried to jerk away but the ropes held her chest and hips firmly against the log. "This is to keep you in place. The less you fight the less the risk of slicing you with our claws." She tossed her head, tried to avoid his hands, but he managed to clamp the collar around her neck. It nearly choked her until he adjusted it. He bent, pulled on the chain, and it forced her head down until her chin brushed the log. She heard a click and when she tried to lift her head, there wasn't any give. Mark winked at her.

"I'm going first. You won't be able to see which one of you is f.u.c.king you since you can't turn your head but I wanted you to know that. Don't worry though. I'm the biggest so I'll hurt the most. The others will feel only slightly less painful. Strip her."

"I'm under the protection of a werewolf," she cried out when someone gripped the back of her shirt, jerked on her body painfully, and material tore open to bare her skin. "He will kill you for doing this to me."

Mark brushed his fingertips over her cheek. She tried to jerk away but the collar choked her. It made him laugh but he pulled his hand away.

"No werewolf is going to come after a she-cat. A dog will f.u.c.k anything and I'm sure it was fun for him to screw the enemy in a literal sense. Now you're home. This is your life from now on. You'll breed us litters until you grow too old to have them anymore. You'll be useless when you stop ovulating but if you help hike our numbers high enough we won't turn killing you into a fun sport. I'll make it painless." He winked. "I'm a nice guy when motivated. Don't forget that." She sobbed, the action making her more aware of the rough bark through the thin material of her shirt. They tore off the sweats completely. She screamed when her thighs were pulled apart, spread wide, and the ropes dug painfully into her legs just above her knees so she couldn't close them.

"Don't do that," Mark crooned. "You don't look so pretty with red eyes. Of course I won't be looking at your face." He stood and moved out of her sight.

She could hear them talking while she cried. Her body started to feel warm, then hot, as if she were running a fever. Painful cramps jolted through her belly and she sobbed when the agony increased.

Wetness slipped down her thighs, coated them. She knew she hadn't peed herself-the drugs were working.

"f.u.c.k," someone snarled. "Smell her. Let's start."

"Not yet," the doctor ordered. "Soon. We want her in full ovulation. Let's strip and change.