Shiftertown was as lively as ever as she followed Liam on his bike through it. Kids were being called in from playing to have dinner. Kim smelled barbeques firing up and burgers on the grill. Men and women alike looked up as Kim’s Mustang rolled past. Liam, ahead of her, sexy on his Harley, lifted his hand in greeting time and again.
Liam’s yard was quiet, no barbeque going here. Kim wondered whose turn it was to cook and hoped the men inside hadn’t decided it was hers. But something seemed wrong; the door was shut too tightly, the windows too dark.
Liam sensed it too, stepping silently in front of her as they went up the porch steps. He opened the door to reveal Dylan and Sean in the living room, facing each other in livid anger, their eyes feral white. Connor huddled in the kitchen, as far away from the other two as he could get and still be downstairs.
Liam’s voice was very quiet as he asked, “What’s the trouble, Sean?”
Sean swung from Dylan, his body so tight with rage Kim wondered that he didn’t flow into his wildcat form. Claws extended from his fingers as he grabbed a paper from the table and shoved it in Liam’s face.
“That’s the trouble.”
It was a printed e-mail. Kim rose on tiptoe to read it with Liam.
After the mate-bonding at the full moon, it has been decided by clan council that Dylan Morrissey shall step down as leader of the East Austin Shiftertown and another Feline of the council’s choosing be put into his place. Authorized by Fergus Leary, leader of the South Texas Feline clan.
Chapter Sixteen
Kim had never seen Liam less than completely self-assured, never at a loss for words. Not her Irish Shifter with his gift of blarney.
Now Liam stared at the paper while his face flooded with color and his eyes changed to white-blue.
“I told Dad”—Sean’s voice was strained—“that he needs to confront Fergus and get it over with. Dad refused.”
Kim folded chilled fingers into her palms, deciding for once to keep silent. She remembered Liam telling her that he didn’t know why Dylan never fought Fergus for dominance, but that he thought it was so the Shifters could live in peace.
“Son of a bitch,” Liam said. “Dad, why?”
Dylan’s voice was tight, his hands clenched. His fingers had changed to claws, and blood smeared his fists. “Leave it alone, Liam.”
“I can’t. Fergus wants you to step down? To put one of his lackeys in your place? Our lives won’t be worth shite if that happens. He’s undercutting your position in your own pride, not to mention the clan.”
“I said, leave it alone!”
Liam didn’t flinch. “Dad, this is a blatant smack in the face, an invitation to challenge him.”
Dylan’s eyes were red with rage, but Kim saw anguish behind the animal fury. “Don’t you think I know that? But I won’t. Not now.”
“Why the hell not?”
“I have my f**king reasons!” Dylan roared.
If he’d directed that anger at Kim, she knew she’d run like hell. Liam stood his ground, his own hands showing claws. “If you think you’re giving in for the good of Shiftertown, you’re crazy. This will be his first step to drive us out of here. He’ll make sure we end up in a Shiftertown far from here, where we’re clanless and at the bottom of the pile. Kim will have to abandon Brian, and Brian will go down for the murder.”
Kim noted Liam’s big assumption—that if the Morrisseys had to go, she’d go with them—but she decided this was not the time to bring it up.
Dylan’s eyes were bleak. “I know.”
Liam’s claws shredded the paper, which fell to the floor. “I can’t go after Fergus myself. You know that.”
“Yes,” Dylan said quietly. “I do.”
“Then why…”
His words trailed off as the back door banged open and hot wind flooded past them. Glory charged in, dressed in hot pink with silver sandals, her finger-and toenails painted in matching pink. “Dylan, what the hell is going on?”
Dylan gave her a weary look. “Glory. Not now.”
“Fergus wants Grandda’ to step down from leading Shiftertown,” Connor babbled from the kitchen.
Glory’s mouth opened in shock. “What? We won’t stand for that. The ass**le.”
“You said it,” Kim agreed.
The males in the room, except Connor, ignored both women. Sean met Dylan’s gaze, his face quiet. “I’ll do it. I’ll fight Fergus.”
A chorus of shouting drowned him out. Liam huffed a bitter laugh. “What, Sean, you’ll kill me, then Dad, then go after Fergus?”
“No.” Sean’s face was white. “I’ll just kill the gob-shite. I can shoot him, can’t I, and then stick him with the sword. Fergus is dust, no more problem.”
“And then by Shifter law I’ll have to take you out,” Liam said in a hard voice. “Bad plan.”
“What does it matter?” Sean asked.
The others fell silent, and Kim couldn’t contain herself. “Are you all crazy? Why would you let Sean even think of that?”
“Stay out of this, Kim,” Dylan said without looking at her.
“No, Kim has a point.” Glory folded her arms, her perfect br**sts straining against her pink shirt. “Sean, why should you sacrifice yourself?”
“To keep the peace,” Sean said in a tired voice. “I would be the logical choice to be the assassin and pay the price. Because I’m mateless.” Sean shot Liam a hard look, and Liam, surprisingly, dropped his gaze.
Glory said, “Listen to the human girl. If anyone should pay for this, it’s Fergus himself. Let him be the sacrifice.”
“Good idea,” Connor echoed.
Dylan let his voice roar through. “There will be no argument. We do what Fergus says.”
Kim opened her mouth to protest, and so did Glory, but suddenly Glory shut hers, as though she understood something. Dylan was staring hard at Liam, those nonverbal cues flying between them. Dylan’s eyes were feral white, Liam’s not much better.
Liam dropped his gaze and turned. Dylan gave him a look of almost disappointment, then swung away and slammed himself out the back door. Glory took a deep breath, but to Kim’s surprise, she didn’t follow Dylan.
“I really don’t understand,” Kim said into the silence. “Why would your dad stand back and let Fergus win?”
Liam shot her a quick look. He was worried. “I don’t know.”