Page 74 of Shifters Unifying

Marcus bowed, suddenly his usual nonchalant self. “As you wish, multimorph.”

I dropped the warding and moved to the door, unwilling to be inside the private room with Marcus a moment more than necessary. Getting back to my drey was the only thing I wanted to do.

When I stepped out, Logan and Dr. Wise waited beside the training ring. No sign of the newbies or the squirrel warriors who I’d left behind in Six-Mile.

Well, fuck.So much for figuring out how to tell my mate about Marcus’s visit to East Nuttal. I’d planned to wait until he was nearly comatose after an effective conjugal. The warding must have also masked the change in distance between us.

Damn.

Shit’s hitting the fan in… Three… Two… One.

Marcus stepped out from behind me.

Logan’s eyes widened, and his mouth twisted into a snarl. “What’s he doing here?”

“I decided I was owed anotherprivateaudience,” Marcus growled. “The first wasn’t enough of Emma for my liking.”

I shook my head. “It was nothing private like that. Compose your?—”

But Logan didn’t wait for me to finish my sentence. He launched himself toward Marcus, growling and snapping, and Dr. Wise scrambled out of the way of flailing alpha, tucking her attaché case against her chest.

“Logan!” I shouted, raising my arms to stop my mate from causing a scene. The bat fell from my hands, and I stooped to retrieve it from the dirt. When I straightened, I reached out to my mate through the bond, begging him to stop.

It didn’t faze him.

Marcus took two steps to the side, braced himself for the impact, and caught Logan’s weight full on. A blood-curdling panther’s scream burst from the cat alpha’s throat as he took a swing at Logan.

“Stop! Break it up!” Nothing I yelled made a difference, and the two kept on. At least Tossle wasn’t here to add to the fuckery.

Logan grabbed the branches which made up the wall behind them and crushed Marcus against the small oak trees, snapping at least three. The tops leaned and fell to the ground at their feet.

“How nice to see you,” Marcus hissed in Logan’s face. “It’s much nicer to enjoy the company of your mate than it is to see you. We’re making plans to visit Ville Platte together.”

“Marcus! What the hell is wrong with you? Don’t antagonize him.” I gestured wildly at the tangle of fury, keeping my fists closed this time. Marcus had to have a death wish, probably brought on by finding his sister’s pendant. “You two knock it off!”

“I told you to stay away from my mate,” Logan roared. “Now you’re a dead man!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

emma

Logan lifted Marcus into the air, body slammed the big cat onto his back, and he rammed his forehead into Marcus’s nose. A sickening crack made me wince.

Marcus convulsed as he tried to refill his lungs with oxygen. Blood already streaked his face, pouring from his nose, and he coughed out a mouthful. He landed a right hook to Logan’s jaw, and Logan brought his elbow down on Marcus’s cheek.

The two wrestled across the ground, grappling for dominance and spitting nonstop expletives and accusations. At least neither of them had drawn on their magic.

“Of all the ridiculous…” I was now too furious with both of them to form any kind of sensible end to my angry thought. They were both leaders of their clans, and they were acting like badly behaved children. “Fine. Figure it out, but don’t ask me to heal either of you when you’re done.”

From the other end of the deciduous gym, Salali came running. “Multimorph! What should we do?”

“Leave them,” I said, biting back the stream of colorful language I wanted to unleash. “For some animals, the pecking order must be established before a truce can be called. Let them work it out.” To be honest, East Nuttal was probably the onlyplace their fight could happen without interference from other members of Six-Mile or Ville Platte. “But if they want healing after, they’ll have to shift or go back to their own packs to get it.”

Salali stopped short with a frown on her face. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders. “Are you sure?”

“Of course. Thank you, Salali.” As the multimorph, I’d decided. As Logan’s mate, I’d probably regret my decision later.

Despite the uncertain look on her face, she nodded.