Page 26 of Tender Wild

Miguel’s eyes narrowed, his body coiling like a spring about to release.

Jared took a step back, causing the floorboard behind him to creak. The sound might as well have been a gunshot in the tense silence.

A dark figure lunged through the kitchen doorway. Miguel sprang forward, colliding with the intruder in a tangle of limbs and snarls. They crashed into the wall, going for blows as the other hyena headed straight for Jared.

The hyena lunged at him with terrifying speed, his face distorted in a savage grin.

Jared stumbled backward, crashing into the bookshelf with a bone-jarring thud. Books cascaded around him, their pages fluttering like panicked birds, hardcovers slamming against his shoulders with painful force.

Miguel and the other intruder crashed through the kitchen doorway, a tangle of snarls and flashing claws.

“Nowhere to run, kitty cat,” the hyena hissed, his voice dripping with malice as he gripped what appeared to be a gun.

Jared wasn’t versed in firearms, but he’d seen enough movies to recognize that ominous, orange-feathered projectile.

A dart.

It was a tranquilizer gun.

“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be,” the hyena sneered, his thin lips curling back to reveal yellowed teeth. His face was lean and angular, with stubble scattered unevenly, as if his skin rejected the idea of a proper beard.

The way the hyena eyed him made Jared’s stomach churn with revulsion, as though he desired something far more sinister than merely subduing him.

I’d rather jackoff with a spiked glove.

Fueled by a surge of disgust, he launched himself at the hyena. They crashed into the coffee table, the wood exploding into shards and splinters.

They scrambled to their feet simultaneously, Jared’s arm slick with blood. A throbbing pain radiated through him, but Jared gritted his teeth and forced himself to push through it.

The gun lifted menacingly, finger coiled around the trigger. Jared’s hand shot out, seizing the hyena’s wrist, twisting with bone-cracking force. The gun discharged with a muted pop, dart embedding into the drywall inches from Jared’s head.

They wrestled for control, Jared’s fingers digging into tendons, the hyena’s grip iron-strong around the weapon. Hot breath assaulted Jared’s face, reeking of cigarettes and something chemical, acrid and nauseatingly wrong.

“Let go!” the hyena snarled viciously, ramming a knee into Jared’s stomach.

Air exploded from his lungs. His vision blurred, but he held on with a desperation that gave him strength. Another dart waited in the chamber. One hit and he'd be down, defenseless.

Adrenaline surged like wildfire through Jared’s veins as the hyena lunged. No time for thought, only raw instinct. He snatched the nearest object—a ceramic lamp—and hurled it, forcing the attacker to duck.

Jared bolted for the hallway, bare feet slipping on the hardwood. Behind him, Miguel’s roar of pain sent ice through his veins. He wanted to turn back, to help his mate, but the hyena was already on his heels.

“Miguel!” Jared called out, voice cracking.

A hand caught his ankle, yanking him down. His chin cracked against the floor, teeth snapping together with enough force to make his vision blur. The taste of copper flooded his mouth as the hyena flipped him onto his back, straddling his hips with crushing weight.

“Got you now,” he panted, breath hot against Jared’s face. He just might pass out from the man’s rancid breath.

“What you need to get is a toothbrush,” he snarled.

The tranquilizer gun pressed against Jared’s neck, cold metal digging into his skin.

He grabbed the hyena’s wrist once more, muscles straining as he fought to push the weapon away. His claws extended, drawing rivulets of blood.

“You’re making this difficult,” the hyena spat, trying to overpower him with brute strength. “Just one little dart and you can sleep through all the messy parts.”

Their arms trembled between them, locked in deadly tension. Sweat beaded on Jared’s forehead as he fought to keep the barrel pointed away. The hyena’s free hand clamped around his throat, squeezing until black spots danced at the edges of his vision.

“You know what’s happening?” The hyena’s face split into a cruel grin, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Evolution, little kitty. Natural selection with a helping hand.” He jerked his arm free, the gun swinging toward Jared’s chest. “Soon hyenas will be the only shifters left. We’ll own all the lands. Every territory from coast to coast. Your kind will be nothing but a memory.”

---