The Lion’s Cross Species Baby

He smiled at her, a frightful smile that showed the wolf within. He took her arm and tried to pull her down the street. “Come on. There is a clinic that specializes in these kinds of things just down the road. Let’s handle this now.”

Annie tried to jerk her arm out of his grasp, but he tightened his hand to crushing. A bruise would surely bloom there later. “Let me go. I am not going anywhere with you.”

“Annie, Annie,” he said, yanking her up against him so that their faces were inches apart. “This can be handled in a civilized manner. Or I can shift here and cut you open, killing both you and the brat. Do you want to die with it?”
Annie opened her mouth to reply, but the werewolf was jerked away from her. He didn’t release his grip at first, and she almost fell. A hand steadied her. She looked up into Cooper’s eyes, eyes that were on fire.

“Are you okay?” he asked. Behind him, the werewolf stood. Annie nodded her head and indicated the man behind him. Cooper wheeled around. His voice sounded like a growl. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Hello, Dad,” the man snarled.

“I asked you a question,” Cooper reiterated.

“Your little birdie there and I were having a conversation. That baby in her belly needs to go, one way or another,” the man said, the false cordiality back in his voice.

“That is not a decision you get to make. Walk away,” Cooper threatened.

The man shook his head. “I can’t do that. The baby is dangerous. Either she handles it with a medical professional, or I’ll handle it with my teeth.” He snapped his mouth closed threateningly, looking at Annie and back to Cooper.

Annie watched as Cooper’s body began to shake. He was trying to control his temper and not shift in the middle of the street. The werewolf in his man form waited patiently for him to lose control. Annie stepped forward and took Cooper’s hand in hers.

“Cooper, let’s go. I have an appointment,” Annie said.

The werewolf grabbed Annie’s arm. “You do have an appointment. At the abortion clinic.”

Cooper shifted the moment the man’s skin made contact with Annie’s. He leapt at the man, who shifted instantaneously into his werewolf form. Annie was pushed out of the way and landed on her knees, scraping both palms to keep from hitting her face on the ground.

Screams erupted around them as humans deserted the streets to escape the rabid brawl taking place between the two magnificent creatures. Lion and wolf, fighting for the right to take the bird.

The pair were up on hind legs, growling and snarling, scratching and attempting to bite. The werewolf went for Cooper’s throat, but the large mane protected him from the sharp teeth. Cooper scored the werewolf’s side, leaving long, deep gashes, while the wolf used its claws to dig through the mane and pierce the sensitive skin. Cooper managed to jerk away before the claws could dig in too deeply, but soon his mane was bloody.

They separated briefly before attacking again, Cooper diving in with his feline agility and managing again to claw the werewolf’s face. The werewolf screamed in pain and anger as more blood escaped his body. The claw marks down his face would leave scars even in his human form. In retaliation, he bit Cooper’s ear and yanked, pulling a chunk off and spitting it on the ground as he paced back. Cooper shook his massive lion head, and blood sprayed. Cooper paced, regaining his breath. He roared at the bloody creature in front of him, glaring as he moved back and forth, matching the movements of the werewolf.

Annie watched, breathless with fear. Both sides were bleeding, and neither showed signs of giving up. If Cooper lost, though, that werewolf would force her to the clinic. She already had plans to shift, but she couldn’t. Tears streamed down her face; Cooper couldn’t lose. This had to end. She looked around for help, but there was none. All the humans had fled, and the shifters only watched, letting the problem handle itself.

She returned her attention to the battle in front of her. Cooper and the werewolf had stopped moving and were standing, glaring at each other. Briefly, the idea of stepping between them entered her mind, but she cast it away almost instantly.

Both were seriously injured, and it was obvious the two were almost evenly matched. The werewolf shifted back into his human form, and Cooper followed his lead. The werewolf’s eyes quickly shifted to Annie and back. He pointed first at Annie, then at Cooper.

“Get the hell out of Brazil if you’re going to have that abomination. Someone will kill it if you stay here. Eventually,” he panted, blood dripping off his face as he spoke.

“Come near either of us again, and I’ll kill you,” Cooper promised. Blood from the wounds on his sides oozed down his leg as he stood staring at the man.

The man grinned. “Sure thing.” He looked at Annie. “I’ll see you.”

Cooper growled in the back of his throat, the man laughed, shifted, and ran off to nurse his wounds. Cooper remained standing until the man was out of sight, then he collapsed to the ground on his knees. Annie ran to his side.

“Cooper! Are you okay?” Annie sat and put her hand on his back.

“I’ll be fine. I need to shift back so my wounds can heal.” A shifter’s wounds healed more quickly and efficiently when in animal form. “How close is your hotel?”

Annie pointed. “Shift now. There’s hardly anyone on the street. We can walk back and go up to my room.”

Cooper nodded and shifted, releasing a lion groan from his throat. They walked slowly back to the hotel, where they were greeted by the concierge who offered to send up medical supplies. Annie gratefully accepted as they entered the elevator.

In the room, Cooper rested on the couch in his lion form, watching as Annie bustled around the room. She got a wet washcloth and drenched it so she could squeeze water into his mouth. After he’d had his fill, she cleaned his wounds gently, which were already scabbing over.