The Jaguar’s Arranged Mate

A claw stirred to the left, and Miera hurried over to the were-jaguar lying on the ground. She kept low herself, almost crawling, trying to keep herself small and not draw attention to herself. When she reached the were-jaguar, however, she realized he was already dead. With a trembling hand, she closed his eyes and went off to find someone else to save.

It was slow work, trying to round up as many of the wounded were-jaguars, and she was pulled into battle along the way, forced to change her form to take on the offensive. She fought alongside both Blood Roses and Teal Warriors, but she noticed that the two packs did not go out of their way to help each other.

The hardest part was walking away from those still capable of fighting without sending them to the door. For the plan to work, they had to keep the Brutal Claws occupied and inside the warehouse. They couldn’t afford for the Brutal Claws to realize some of the were-jaguars were slipping out of their grasp and off to safety.

Hopefully to safety. Who knew what was waiting them outside? If all of the Brutal Claws had descended upon the compound and the brunt of their force was waiting outside the warehouse, they were all dead. It would only be a matter of how many heartbeats they had left to pump.

But her heart was too big, and after she and a Blood Rose killed off two Brutal Claws—the Blood Rose doing more of the fighting because her body, although pregnant and thereby stronger, was still weak from trying to heal herself—she directed her to the pile of bodies and shifted only her mouth to human so she could vocalize easier. “Go there and—”

Carrie changed her mouth too, but it was obviously with great reluctance. “Do what?” she snapped. “There are more to fight.”

“I know but—”

“I will not flee.” Carrie whirled around and rejoined the fray.

Miera exhaled sharply. Carrie was a strong fighter, yes, and one she would love to have for the next battle… if there was one. If Carrie didn’t leave, though, there would soon be no chance she’d be around for round two.

By now, the warriors of their two packs were now becoming vastly outnumbered by the Brutal Claws attacking them. Miera bit her lip.

Beric was suddenly by her side, and he touched her uninjured shoulder. He was in human form, and he held a knife. Briefly she wondered where he had gotten it. “We can’t save them—”

“They have to know what we’re planning.” She jerked away from him. A mistake. Her neck wound reopened, and she could feel blood gushing from it despite the binding. “We can’t just leave them here to—”

“Miera, you said so yourself. If the Brutal Claws realize what we’re doing—”

The rest of his sentence was forever lost because two Brutal Claws came barreling down on them. Miera managed to get a few good slashes in, bright red coating the chest fur of the taller one, but his claw nicked her neck, right on her wound, and down she went. The brunt of his weight smashed against her injured shoulder, and she bit her tongue to keep from crying out. Beric had more than he could handle with his Brutal Claw.

She dug her claws into the paw holding her down, but he didn’t react, as if he didn’t feel any pain. Somehow, she managed to bury her claws deep enough for him to release her. His howl of fury echoed in her ears as she leaped up, changing her mouth back to her jaguar’s, and lunged right for his throat. Blood rained down her neck even as it filled her mouth.

The Brutal Claw staggered away from her when she released him, and he collapsed in a pool of his blood, mixed with those who had already been killed. Most of the warehouse was covered in blood. The green carpet she’d processed down was now a yellow color from the blood. It looked eerie and gave Miera the creeps.

Gingerly turning her head to the side, she spat out the blood. Then she darted forward and joined the next battle over, two Teal Warriors against three Brutal Claws. She helped them fight, but with every slash, she could feel more blood dripping from her shoulder, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to last much longer. Whenever she came close to either Teal Warrior, she tried to tell them about the plan, but her howls were too low to be audible.

A Brutal Claw fell, then another. The third was furious and fought as if possessed. One of the Teal Warriors was the next one to die, right before the other Teal Warrior finally ended their foe.

Miera nipped at his ear then changed her mouth to human. “Listen. We’re going to set this place on fire. It’s the only way.”

His head snapped up, and he stared at her, his expression unchanging as he took in her wounds. Just like Carrie had, he reluctantly shifted to his human mouth. So much easier to whisper and not draw attention to themselves. “You have to live if there’s to be any chance of any of the others surviving.”

She gaped at him, both filled with admiration and desperation. “You do realize—”

“I know what I’m saying. I know what it means.” He glanced around. “If you don’t leave now, you won’t be able to.”

“But the others—”

“I’m sure they would rather die fighting then—”

“But you wouldn’t die fighting—”

“Yes, we would be. We’ll be doing our part.”

“But—”

“Your part is to survive and try and unite the packs. It’s your only chance. Now leave before I finish you off myself.” He growled, low and menacing, sounding almost more like a wolf than a jaguar.

Beric was hurrying over, well, more limping than hurrying, and it soon became clear why he was trying to rush. Five—yes, five—Brutal Claws were charging after him.

Two Teal Warriors stepped up, including the one who had told Miera to go. A Blood Rose joined them.

Beric grabbed her hand. Together, they hurried to the back door, bypassing the pile of bodies, which had grown significantly.

The door slammed shut behind them.

Miera turned back, regret already filling her. What had they done?