Page 4 of Fighting the Lies

CHAPTER TWO

“Is there any news from Kas?” Scott was watching through deep blue eyes, as Selene and Brayden entered the room. The former was nestled into her mate’s protective arms. After the interruption to their mating ceremony, Brayden had taken a distraught Selene back to their bedroom to try and calm her down. She’d been so upset that her friend had been arrested. Scott couldn’t blame her for that after everything that the young multi-shifter had been through in the last few months. To not know anything before waking up in the middle of Death Valley, discovering you have the ability to hear thoughts and change shape then experiencing the hard times where she was sure that she might never be able to touch the man she loved were the killer. The man she loved…the woman he… Scott shifted in his comfortable chair to dispel the thoughts. It was an old leather wingback, a Queen Anne Chesterfield no less. His throne, after all, he was King of the Jungle.

“Kas said he would let us know when he heard something.” Katia, the tigress’s reply to Selene’s question had him turning his head in the direction of her gossamer voice.

“What else is there to know? Emma’s been falsely arrested." He grumbled into his arm, which rested on his tucked up knees. "She’s going to be put into a cell with criminals and left to fend for herself.” An air thick with tension enveloped the room.

"Kas won't leave her there. He’ll do all he can to get her out." Jane, Brayden's human mother, placed her hand on his shoulder. He should feel the warmth of her comfort, but all he wanted to do was remove the hand, as it stung his flesh. He growled low in his throat.

“Scott.” Brayden stepped forward, a stern expression on his face and a stark warning in the tone of his voice. In Kas’ absence, the snow leopard, as beta, was in charge.

"It's ok son." Jane pulled her hand away from his shoulder. Scott felt the pain reside.

“How about we all get a drink. I know I could do with a stiff brandy.” Tyler, a wolf shifter, jumped to his feet and was pouring glasses before anyone could answer. The wolf handed them out one by one. Tyler bypassed Zain, the American bear, because the grizzly was doing his best Winnie the Pooh impression and was already on his second pot of honey, which, this time, was being devoured as comfort food.

“Scott?” Tyler handed him the amber coloured liquid. He just stared down at it. “Scott?”

The red mist descended; claws shot from his fingers. The whole hand transformed into a paw. The glass went flying, as he swiped at it. The fine crystal shattering into hundreds of tiny little pieces.

“What the hell man?” Tyler stepped back from him, his trousers covered in brandy.

“I don’t want brandy. I don’t want comfort.” He spoke through gritted teeth, the anger in him flooding every pore. “I want Emma back here.”

“That’s what we all want. It’s what Kas is working on. It doesn’t mean that you get to smash glasses over me!” Tyler snarled back at him.

Scott was barely holding onto his control.

“Kas shouldn’t have let them take her in the first place. You know what that prison is like. We’ve been down there to see people before.” He was on his feet with his face level with Tyler’s. The claws in his hands were still drawn. “She’s too delicate to survive in there.”

Tyler laughed and prodded him in the chest. “Emma, delicate, seriously, don’t judge her by your own lazy standards. She’s tougher than all of us put together.”

It took Scott an instant to complete his full transformation into a lion and leap at Tyler. The wolf shifted to protect himself against the ensuing fight that saw them begin to roll around the floor. The three women in the room screamed.

"Stop it," Brayden ordered, but Scott barely heard the words. His claws were too busy swiping at Tyler's face. The wolf didn't know Emma as he did. He watched her every minute of the day. She might be a tremendous fighter, and one of the best in the pack, but she was also so very sensitive. When she made a kill for them to eat, she always said a quiet prayer for the soul of the departed animal. Where the others always went into a fight with the attitude that it would lead to the death or at least bad injury for the person against them, Emma saw a tiny bit of goodness in every creature. She believed that she could turn them to the path of good. Hitting out was the last result. She had a silly little aversion to dirt, while most lions, like him, enjoyed rolling around in the mud to condition their coats, she avoided it at all costs. She also had a secret penchant for fashionable labels. She may spend a lot of her time in tight gym wear, ready for fighting, but it all had a label. He started to imagine her tight little backside in her very brief gym shorts, her pert breasts in a slightly too tight vest top. Damn! Tyler broke his reflection with a pawed thud to his cheek.

“Back off. Transform back.” Tyler’s voice entered his head.

Like hell, Tyler didn't know Emma as he did, and the wolf was going to pay for even suggesting that he did. His beautiful lioness would hate the situation that she found herself in. She would never murder anyone, and he would rescue her. He pulled his paw back and sent another bruising punch into the wolf's face. In quick fire succession, he delivered several more. Tyler barked out in pain. Nobody defeats the King of the jungle.

"Enough," Brayden demanded again.

"Scott, please, you're hurting him." Selene's voice was full of worry. Tyler whimpered as another round of punches went his way.

“You don’t know anything about Emma, none of you do.” He roared his voice projection into their heads.

"We aren't pretending to." Selene held her hands up in surrender, as she took a step closer. Brayden was approaching from the other side, and Zain and Katia were joining them. If they thought, they would take him down then they had another think coming. Tyler slipped out of his hold and twisted around to his back. He was too quick for him though and back flipped over to send them crashing through the furniture. Jane screamed when Brayden pulled her out of the way at the last minute.

"Scott, stop this, please. We need to be thinking how to help Emma and not fighting amongst ourselves. She would hate this." Selene realised at the last minute what she had said. She was telling him what Emma would think. His blood boiled over and exploded. He pounced for her, but she vanished into thin air, and he went flying into the wooden wall. It splintered under his weight, leaving a big hole. He let out a painful cry, when a shard dug into his side. He turned back to Tyler, his breathing heavy and his growl full of determination. Selene appeared, placed her hand on the wolf, and they disappeared. He cursed the day she developed the witch’s power to dematerialise and re-appear elsewhere.

“Cowards.” He shifted back to human, the transformation process ripping his skin further where the wood was.

Zain grabbed his arms and held them tightly behind his back. You didn't escape a bear’s hold. Not without a broken limb, and to help Emma, he didn't need one of those. Brayden stepped in front of him, his face was full of thunder. Scott just raised a nonchalant eyebrow.

“You messed your hair up.” The snow leopard sneered.

Ok, that wasn't what he'd expected to come out of the Beta’s mouth.

"And I suspected, you've messed Tyler's face up. One of our good fighters who we may need to help rescue Emma when we are called for by Kas." The last few words were spoken with strong vehemence. A knot of guilt twisted in his stomach. What had he done? He'd lost control and allowed his anger to get the best of him. Selene re-appeared behind Brayden with Tyler, now in human form. He held an ice pack to his face. Beneath it, Scott could see that his eye was swollen shut, a cut bleeding on his cheek.

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