Zach ran his hands through his hair as he paced around the kitchen. “If you two think tigers are an easy take down, your nuts. And they protect their own. Trust me when I say they’re headin’ this way. Now…tell me where the fuck he is!”

“I said I don’t know! And stop yelling at me!”

In exasperation, Conall turned away from his mate and toward her. In surprise, “Angie?” They all turned to look at her. “How ya feelin’, hon?”

“Like I’ve been drugged.”

Conall’s face turned red as he swung on Miki. “Miki!”

“Hey! You said I couldn’t drug you. You didn’t say anything about drugging anybody else. Besides, I invented a cool new aerosol. It smells and tastes like peppermint!”

Zach snarled. A sound that made Angie want to back up out of the room. Even Miki didn’t test him. Only one woman existed who thought it just fine and dandy to play with the man…

Sara stood up, the chair scraping against the floor. “Don’t think for a second I don’t know the part you played in this. And don’t think you can scare me. You want the motherfucker so bad, you be a fuckin’ bloodhound and track his ass down.”

Angie didn’t believe this. What the hell was Sara thinking? How the hell could she do this to Nik? What if he were lying somewhere really hurt? Did she take him somewhere or did she kill him? Question upon question swirled through Angie’s brain. Questions she didn’t have answers for. And the more unanswered questions that came up, the angrier she got.

Years of anger management went out the window as she launched herself at Sara. Her hands wrapped around her throat and Sara snarled, lips drawing back over bright white fangs. Sara drew her fist back to punch Angie in the face, but before either female could do even a modicum of damage, Zach had Sara and Conall dragged Angie back.

The two women glared at each other, both taking in deep gasps of air.

Zach looked at Conall. “Let’s everybody calm down…” He released his hold on Sara as Conall let her go. Within seconds they were back at each other. Hands wrapped around each others’ throats.

Then Miki was there. Short she may be, but the woman knew how to handle two crazy bitches in a fight. She took handfuls of hair and snatched them both down to her level.

“Listen to me, cause I’m only saying this once. You two bitches back the fuck off or you’ll both wake up tomorrow completely hairless…you remember how that feels, don’t ya, Ang?”

“Yeah, but she…”

“She started this…”

Miki yanked their hair harder. She had them both twisted in such a way that neither of them could turn to snap her little neck.

“Maybe I wasn’t fuckin’ clear…,” she twisted her fists tighter.

“Okay! Okay!”

She shoved Sara away. “Go run or do whatever dog thing you need to do, but when you get back here, you better be fuckin’ rational.”

Sara opened her mouth to argue.

“Hair,” Miki barked.

Growling, Sara threw open the sliding door, shifted, shook off her clothes, and ran.

Miki released Angie. “Could you guys please excuse us.”

Stunned and a little wary, both men left. Angie rubbed her head where her best friend almost ripped her hair out.

“She…”

Miki held up her hand. “Before you even start, let me say one thing to you. When Zach first showed up to get Sara, the Alphas thought about taking her. Just taking her and turning her. If that had happened…what would you have done? Honestly.”

They both knew the answer. They both knew Angie wouldn’t have rested until she made sure every shapeshifting bastard in the Continental United States ended up dead for taking her best friend.

Angie took a deep breath. Then another. “Just tell me…is he alive?”

Miki nodded. “Of course he is. She wanted to make a point. Not murder anybody…at least, ya know, not anymore. So he’s definitely alive. But I don’t know where he is.”

Angie walked out of the kitchen, leaving Miki standing there. She went back to her room and grabbed up her cell phone. They’d taken all her stuff when they snatched her back. Her new clothes dumped in a corner the way dogs will do. They even brought her baseballs and bat.

A man answered, “Yo?”

“Derek. It’s me.”

“Hey, beautiful. Haven’t heard from you in awhile.”

“Been busy. Look, I have a job for you. I need you to find something for me. Something big.”

***

Nik slowly opened his eyes. His head throbbed. His entire body throbbed. He hurt all over.

He glanced down at himself. He was still tiger. He hadn’t shifted back. And he didn’t think he’d be able to. At least, not for awhile. Nor was he dead. When that crazy wolf-lover pulled the trigger he thought for sure he was dead. But instead she tranquilized him with something. Damn geniuses. They should keep them in special homes were they could do the least damage.

And where the hell was Angie?

Nik pushed himself up, but his back slammed into something. He blinked, forcing his eyes to focus. He looked around. Blinked again. Then looked around again.

I can’t be…they wouldn’t…

“Well, well. Look who’s up. How ya feelin’, big fella? I bet you’re hungry.”

Nik turned his head toward the male voice trying to soothe him.

“Man, you’re huge. It’s going to cost us a fortune to feed you, huh?”