Page 42 of Claws and Controllers

“Uh-uh,” he tutted. “No calling for help. This is between us.”

“Grant,” Ellie said, fighting to keep her voice steady as she slowly stood. “What are you doing here? How did you get past security?”

Grant’s smile was all teeth, no warmth. “Oh, you’d be surprised what a little cash can buy. Now, let’s talk business, shall we? You owe me, Ellie. Big time.”

“I don’t owe you anything,” Ellie spat, anger overtaking fear. “You stole my work, dragged my name through the mud. If anyone owes anyone?—”

Her words were cut off as Grant surged forward, grabbing her arm roughly. “Listen here, you frigid bitch. That game was as much mine as it was yours. And now you’re raking in millions with this new one? I want my cut.”

Ellie tried to wrench her arm away, but Grant’s grip was like iron. “Let go of me,” she hissed. “You’re not getting a cent. Now get out before I call security.”

Grant’s laugh was cold and humorless. “Oh, I don’t think so. See, my friends here?” He gestured to the three men who had spread out, blocking any escape routes. “They’re going to help me make sure you understand just how serious I am.”

One of the men hefted a baseball bat, swinging it experimentally. Ellie’s eyes widened as she realized the gravity of the situation.

“You see,” Grant continued, his voice deceptively casual, “two of these fine gentlemen are shifters. Pumas, to be exact. Very agile, very... hungry. So here’s how this is going to go. You’re going to transfer a very large sum of money into an account I’ll provide. If you don’t... well, let’s just say there won’t be much left of your precious office. Or you.”

As if to emphasize his point, the man with the bat swung, connecting with a row of monitors. The crash of breaking electronics filled the air, and Ellie couldn’t suppress a scream.

“Stop it!” she yelled, struggling against Grant’s grip. “You can’t do this!”

“Oh, but I can,” Grant sneered. “And I will. Unless you want to cooperate?”

Ellie’s mind raced. She needed to stall, to find a way out. Where was security? Where was?—

The office door burst open, and Ellie’s heart leaped as she saw Zy silhouetted in the doorway. Relief flooded her system, quickly followed by terror.

“Zy, run!” she screamed. “Get out of here! They’re shifters!”

But Zy didn’t run. His eyes, glowing with an otherworldly light, took in the scene in an instant. A low, inhuman growl rumbled from his chest.

“Let. Her. Go.” Each word was punctuated with barely contained rage.

Grant’s grip on Ellie’s arm tightened painfully. “Well, well. If it isn’t the competition. Come to play hero?”

What happened next would be forever seared into Ellie’s memory. In a blur of motion almost too fast to follow, Zy’s form rippled and expanded. Where a man had stood moments before, a massive tiger at least eight feet long crouched, muscles coiled and ready to spring.

Ellie had known Zy was a shifter, but seeing his tiger form in action was something else entirely. He was massive. The raw power emanating from him was both terrifying and awe-inspiring.

Grant’s shock was evident on his face, but he recovered quickly. “Take him down!” he barked to his companions.

The two shifters transformed in an instant, sleek puma bodies replacing human forms. They launched themselves at Zy, a whirlwind of claws and fangs.

Ellie watched in horror and awe as Zy met their attack head-on. His tiger form was poetry in motion, power and gracecombined. He batted one puma away with a massive paw, sending it crashing into a desk. The other latched onto his back, but Zy rolled, crushing it beneath his weight.

The room was chaos – fur flying, desks overturned, the snarls and yowls of battling felines drowning out all other sound. Ellie barely registered Grant’s grip loosening as he backed away, eyes wide with fear.

In her peripheral vision, Ellie saw the human attacker swing his bat wildly, connecting with more equipment. The crash jolted her into action. She wrenched free from Grant’s slackened grip and made a dash for the door.

But Grant wasn’t done. With a snarl of rage, he lunged after her. Ellie felt his hands on her back, shoving hard. She stumbled, her leg catching on a broken monitor. Pain lanced through her as she fell, glass slicing into her skin.

A roar that shook the very foundations of the building filled the air. Ellie looked up to see Zy, his tiger form splattered with blood, stalking toward Grant as he ran to the door. The fury in his golden eyes was terrifying to behold.

Grant, all bravado gone, ran. His remaining human companion was already long gone. The two pumas lay motionless on the floor.

As quickly as it had begun, the fight was over. Zy’s form shimmered, and suddenly he was human again, kneeling beside Ellie.

“Are you all right?” he asked, his voice rough with concern. His hands hovered over her, as if afraid to touch her.

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