Page 26 of Finding my Shifter Soulmate

"I will kill you, and I will take your mate. As our prize, we will march into the village and wipe them all out. Every shifter, every human, every creature you swore to protect. We will ravage them all, and we will make your human watch as we string up your hide. When we are finished, the Barong bloodline will be extinct, and my tigers will rule this land." His mouth curls into a humorless grin, his face expressing every bit of his hatred for the Barong line. He turns his back to me, not even deigning to look upon me.

His threats against Sabrina are almost enough to send me over the edge, but instead, I narrow my focus on what I must do next. "We have you surrounded, Rama. I won't offer you a chance to stand down, but I will give you the opportunity to be put down with honor. Otherwise, you will die a traitor's death. Kneel and we will bring justice to all those wronged by your greedy hands. Try to fight, and we will still bring justice, but it will brutal, like your evil ways."

Rama blinks and slinks his head from side to side, studying the empty space between us. "I see no warriors, Barong. Although, I do smell your human hiding inside the cave like a rat."

The trees around us rustle, betraying the presence of the animals moving in for the showdown. Monkeys scream and scatter, a hawk scolds, and a bull grunts before rearing up and waving its lethal horns. Overhead, a family of hornbills flies in low.

Within moments, the ground surrounding Rama and his fellow tigers are filled with all manner of animals from the jungle. The rhinoceros chuffs as it stands with the Komodo, ready to bring down the violent tiger who threatens its home. The python curls among the roots of the strangler fig, orangutans swing from a limb.

The hoard of animals surrounds Rama and his tigers, trapping them on the periphery of the chamber. I take advantage of their confusion and close my mouth, stepping toward Rama. He does not yield an inch as we face one another. The other tigers draw tighter in response, creating a shield against my forces.

Rama opens his mouth and laughs into my face, his voice like a rattling skeleton, with no humanity left. "So be it, Gede. After I kill you, I will hunt down your little pet human, and she will spend the rest of her life paying for what you have done here today."

The animals on the fringe step closer. A few of the orangutans shriek and chitter, warning that their patience is limited, and the rhino stamps at the leaves on the floor. Surveying the crowd, Rama keeps his eyes narrowed and lickshis teeth, in what seems to me like anticipation. His friends behind him drop to their forepaws and growl their assent.

It seems a lifetime ago since I felt this sense of satisfaction, of righteousness. And yet, today, after I defeat the tiger, I will win my freedom back. I will live a full and productive life with Sabrina. For the sake of the creatures who surround me today, I will protect and defend and uphold the sacredness of the forest. For the people in the village, who need someone like me to protect them from supernatural creatures they don't even know exist.

Who is better positioned to lead than me? I know the jungle in its entirety, the deep caverns and treacherous ravines, the remote caves where outlaws hide. From here, I'll guard the helpless, and I will defend all of Bali against all who seek to harm them.

But first, Rama needs to pay. Glancing toward my left, I notice that the animals have tightened their circle around Rama's collective. A couple more feet, and the tigers will be boxed in. A hush falls over the assembled. Everyone holds their breath, knowing something terrible is imminent.

After today, the jungle will never be the same. The battle here will change lives. By conquering the tigers and cleaning the island, everything will shift. There will be a reckoning.

With that thought in mind, I return my focus to my adversary, aware that the battle has begun even if neither of us has made a move. We're both waiting for the other to break first, and it's a war of wills. My muscles ache to be used, to fight, but I wait him out. I've been waiting a long time already. What’s a moment or two more?

Rama's eyes dim a bit and his body sags. My adrenaline spikes, and I respond to it by grinding my jaw. The tension wraps around my tendons, and I allow it to drive me, o fill the empty places in me. This will end today. I promise the jungle.

It will end now.

Chapter Eighteen – Gede

I bare my teeth at Rama, my vision clouded by my hatred of him. Whether I kill him or just maim him, I don't really care. In my heart of hearts, I'd prefer it to be quick and humane, but he's given me no reason to give him that honor, so I make no promises to the universe or to myself.

The beasts who surround us draw nearer, watching and waiting for my signal. My muscles flex, ready for the fight. This monster has taken enough. He cannot be allowed to take more. This fight has been brewing for years. Today, it will end. And tonight, my queen and I will toast to a fallen foe. The deadliest beast of them all. The tiger.

A snarl trickles from the tiger and flows through the quiet crowd, carrying with it the sour odor of fear and anger. Rama paces a few steps, bumping the rhino, who counters with its own enraged snort and stomp. My chest swells with triumph, so sure am I of our victory. With the wrath and the anger of the lost creatures rallied against him, I know our success is guaranteed.

"Kill Gede and take the girl," Rama screams without warning.

His team of tigers prowl, dropping their heads and snarling, making as much of a show as they can. If you ask me, it's the most pathetic display I've ever seen. I don't feel a speck of dread or fear. Not even an ounce.

We're ready for him.

When the tigers move to put themselves in position as they're told, the animals around the edges spring into action. The orangutans pounce on one of the biggest tigers, knockinghim to the floor. His body slams with a thud, and the primates drag him into a trunk root of the closest tree, where they encircle him and block my view.

It's chaos for a second as we all rally together. Wildcats leap from the highest ledges and use their claws to scale the slippery cliff sides. Above us, reptiles and aves swoop down and work in tandem, tossing debris at the enemy, hitting Rama's henchmen directly in the face.

I slash my claws at Rama, but one of his soldiers stops me. He's massive, and he puts his body between Rama and me like a bodyguard. I swipe his face and catch his nose with my claw, but his hide is so thick that my attack just grazes him. The mountain of a feline pushes forward and hits me in the gut with his tank-sized head.

He charges me, and I stumble backward, catching myself just before I fall. Scurrying around him, I try to get past and reach Rama again, but this massive guard refuses to yield. Twice more he hits me in the face, and twice more he knocks me off my feet.

My front paws slide through the soil, the impact of the big cat's attack sending shock waves through my body. Leaves and branches flow past as I fall backward, my back legs scrambling to catch a hold. The predator leaps forward, his yellow eyes blood-thirsty. Rolling to my side, I duck his ferocious advance, my heart thundering inside my chest.

He attacks from the front, swiping, while one of his cohorts bounds up to my back and throws himself against my shoulder. Caught between the two of them, I bear my canines and fight back with everything I've got. Both predators are strong and seem determined, their powerful jaws gnashing at my flesh.Rama slows his pace and watches his men beat me into the ground.

Just when I think I'm as good as gone, a rhinoceros rams one of the predators, and the heavy giant comes crashing to the ground. The ground shakes, and the sounds of enraged animals drown out all but my immediate surroundings until I see my partner's face.

Sabrina emerges from the darkness, screaming my name. Before I can warn her to get back to safety, Rama catches sight and launches himself at her. She grabs a branch and swings at him, shrieking at the top of her lungs.

---