Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Phoenix thought himself done with warzones, but finding himself in the midst of a battle where men fired guns while tigers snarled brought back unpleasant memories.
Even worse, he didn’t have a weapon to help.
Zafira, Johan, and many others had switched into fur and claws.
Zafira, no surprise, dove into battle with Johan by her side.
They fought because the alternative might be worse than death.
As striped felines baited the armed mercenaries—one rushing head-on while another crept up from behind—the scene devolved into chaos with much screaming and fatalities.
It wasn’t just the mercenaries, though, staring sightlessly at the roiling sky.
While the harimau could heal grievous wounds via shifting, head shots killed.
It didn’t help that some of the shifters, in the midst of fighting, would get a severe enough injury that morphed them back to their two-legged shape.
Their nakedness, along with a lack of claws and teeth, put them at a disadvantage.
Since Phoenix could do little to help, he strode for the general with determination. “Call off your men.”
“Why would I do that?” mocked the general.
“Because, if you leave these people alone, I’ll go with you willingly.”
“So conceited. I already told you I’m not here for you. I’ve had people searching Malaysia for therianthropes before you ever sailed to its shores.”
A man went running past Phoenix, a tiger hot on his ass.
Predictably, the cat won. A quick glance around showed most of the mercs either on the ground, about to get taken out, or running for the jungle.
It led to Phoenix feeling slightly more confident as he announced, “Your hired army isn’t faring well.
I’d suggest you start running if you want to survive. ”
“Why would I run like a coward when I still have this advantage?” The general pointed his gun at Nadirah’s head.
An icy chill stiffened every muscle in Phoenix’s body. “You want to shoot someone, then shoot me. I’m the one you’re pissed at.” He held out his arms to make himself a tempting target.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” sneered Davidson. “But I’m not dumb enough to fall for it. If you want the woman to live, then you’ll tell them to stand down.”
“You’re the one who needs to call off your men.” Only a few remained, but they’d formed a back-to-back square with guns pointed outward. The tigers outnumbered them but couldn’t get close enough to attack without getting shot. Given they’d already lost three to death, the rest proved cautious.
“On your knees and surrender,” snapped the general as he began to realize he might have been overconfident.
“Once you let Nadirah and Farah go.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass about the old lady, but…” The general nudged Nadirah’s head with the muzzle of his gun. “She’s coming with us.”
“Why? She’s not a therianthrope.”
“No, but she might be carrying one.”
It took a second for the words to sink in, and when they hit, Phoenix’s jaw dropped and his gaze lasered in on Nadirah’s. “You’re pregnant.”
At her nod, he went through a myriad of emotions, chief among them excitement—he’d never imagined being a dad, but knowing the woman he loved carried their child?
Insanely awesome. As for the other feeling that hit soon after?
Rage, because this bastard threatened the person he cherished most in this world, even more than his life.
“Promise you won’t hurt her,” Phoenix demanded as he stepped toward the general, hands laced over his head.
“Behave and I won’t have to.”
As Phoenix neared, the general, with a smug smirk of victory, barked, “On your knees.” At the command, Phoenix dropped to the ground, hands still on his head. “Don’t move while Badrul cuffs you.”
Badrul obviously being the pockmarked man who left the quad of remaining mercenaries and approached, dangling metal manacles.
Phoenix kept his gaze locked on Davidson. Cleared his mind of everything but his need to save his mate and unborn cub.
I have to protect. An instinct that hummed within the man, and that desperation called forth his tiger—without injury.
Holy shit, I did it.
Even better, the general didn’t expect it, and that second of surprise proved enough for Phoenix to launch himself. He knocked the general down, and luckily, the gun hit the ground without firing.
The bastard managed to get his hands up to block Phoenix’s open maw, the stubby fingers digging into fur and somehow preventing his teeth from tearing into his throat.
Fucker was stronger than he looked. However, while those hands strained to keep Phoenix from biting, they couldn’t stop his paws.
Claws slashed, leaving deep gouges in the general’s chest. Blood flowed copiously from the wounds.
Phoenix might have done more damage, but a gunshot to his rear left haunch had him yelping and whirling.
The culprit tried to fire again, but his gun jammed and acted as a signal for the other tigers, who suddenly rushed the remaining group.
In moments, the mercenary threat had been eliminated.
A glance at the general showed him gasping and bleeding out. His ribs peeked through the torn flesh, and intestines glistened. Phoenix could have put Davidson out of his misery, but he preferred the man suffered after all he’d done.
Chuffing filled the air as the ambush of tigers celebrated their victory, although it came with casualty.
Phoenix counted at least four striped felines who would never see another dawn, but it could have been worse.
Many more survived, and knowing his enemy was dead, and his mate with their unborn child were now safe, had Phoenix shaking his head and roaring.
All the tigers ululated their triumph just as the skies opened up and unleashed a torrential rain.
Phoenix strutted over to Nadirah, who stared in wide-eyed shock.
At the sight of him, she burst into tears and held open her arms. Without even thinking, he ran into them—as a man.
The shift happened so naturally, he didn’t even have to think of it.
He hugged Nadirah tight as she blubbered, “I’m so sorry. He ambushed us in the city and—”
He kissed her, not just to silence her apology but to reassure himself of her safety. He’d almost lost her. “I love you,” he murmured. “This isn’t your fault, but do me a favor. Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
She snorted. “I’ll try.”
“Is it true?” He didn’t have to specify because she immediately nodded and murmured, “I’m pregnant.”
“Holy shit.”
“Is that a happy holy shit or—”
He lifted and swung her around, laughing. “Ecstatic. That is, assuming you are.” He set her down on her feet, his expression turning more somber.
“I love you. I am beyond happy to— Behind you!” Her sudden scream had him whirling to see a huge silverback rising from the ground, its fur getting soaked by the pounding rain.
What the hell? Malaysia didn’t have gorillas.
“It’s the general,” Nadirah yelled. “He’s not dead.”
At her exclamation, he noticed the human eyes.
The fucker had gone through the protocol.
Once more, without thought, Phoenix transformed, snarling and lunging, but the gorilla proved faster, racing away from him and leaping for the trees, grabbing hold of branches and swinging away.
Phoenix tried to follow on the ground, his hearing attuned but also stymied by the torrential downpour that rattled every leaf and branch. The water also ruined his ability to smell.
Despite the fact that other tigers joined him in the chase, they lost the gorilla, and after a while, they gave up and returned to the village.
A village in mourning.
Those who’d been sent to the safety of the jungle had returned and lamented over those who’d fallen.
Guilt hit Phoenix like a ton of bricks.
This is my fault. He’d brought the general with his hired mercenaries to this peaceful haven. These deaths happened because of him.
The anguish might as well have been a grievous injury, for it left him suddenly huddled on the ground, naked, shivering, and ashamed of what he’d caused.
“Do not blame yourself for this,” Farah stated as she handed him the muddied shorts he’d lost in the change.
“Who else? The general came after me,” his bitter reminder.
“You just happened to be here when he came. By his own admission, he already planned to attack.”
“What?” Her claim brought his head up to stare at her in shock.
“It’s true.” Nadirah put a hand on his shoulder. “He was coming here, no matter what. He just happened to come across me and Farah first.”
“But how did he know the harimau were here?”
“Because, as I told Nadirah, it’s always only a matter of time before the sanctuaries we create are compromised.”
“What happens now?” he asked.
Johan was the one to answer. “We start over.”
“Where?”
The man offered an enigmatic smile. “Soon see.”
Farah added, “Our first order of business is to get everyone out of this jungle before that beast returns.”
It proved a somber slog through the soaking jungle. They ended up in the parking lot, surprisingly empty of tourists. Then again, the dead bodies of those who worked for the park probably had something to do with that. Smart people didn’t stick around in places where they might get shot.
Some of the ambush immediately got into cars and drove off. However, not everyone had wheels.
Johan pointed to some dark-paneled vans, which Farah indicated were used by the general. “Everyone who needs a ride, load up.”
When Phoenix, his arm around Nadirah, hesitated, Farah murmured, “That includes you.”
“Are you sure you want me going with you?”
Johan slapped him on the back and said something in Malaysian that Farah translated. “Today you proved yourself harimau. You belong with us, assuming you want to be a part of our ambush.”
His mouth opened and closed in shock. “Really?”
“We’ll need you,” Farah stated, concurring with a nod. “That general is still on the loose, and you know more about him than us. That knowledge might be necessary to keep our people safe.”
Because Davidson likely wouldn’t let a little thing like the fact he’d lost his mini army and skulked off in shame stop him from trying again.
Still, Phoenix glanced at Nadirah. “What do you want to do?”
“We need them as much as they need us. I say we go with them.”
“But what about your grandmother?”
Her lips turned down. “I miss her, but right now, it’s too dangerous for me to go back home. And besides, my place is with you. Trust me, she’ll understand. She’s waited a long time for me to find someone to love.”
So had he, and he’d not even realized just how much love would complete him until he found Nadirah.
So with that decided, he, Nadirah, Johan, Farah, and Zafira piled into a van and took off. They only went a short way before ditching the vehicle under an overpass. On foot, they made their way to a seedy part of the city and an even seedier apartment building.
When Phoenix eyed it dubiously, Zafira snickered. “Pretty boy want fancy hotel?”
“More like I’m afraid the rats will get me in my sleep,” he muttered.
To his surprise, though, while the exterior might be run down, the interior couldn’t have been more different. It needed a coat of paint on the walls, and the pattern on the floors had been worn bare, but it smelled of cleaning products.
“Wait here.” Johan left them, heading down some stairs but returning quickly, dangling a set of keys.
“What is this place?” Nadirah asked Farah, who appeared exhausted by the events of the day.
“One of several safe houses scattered across the city. We keep some in most major hubs just in case.”
The level of planning and the matter-of-fact way both Johan and Farah kept reacting eased Phoenix’s mind somewhat.
Apparently, they truly did expect the sanctuary to only ever be temporary, and, as Farrah had explained, almost everyone had a home outside the sanctuary, which made the transition easier.
As they entered the plainly furnished apartment, Phoenix eyed the third-story windows with a grimace.
“Safe,” Johan stated, noticing his expression.
“How can you be sure?”
Johan shrugged. “Not sure. But no followed.”
While it seemed unlikely the general could have escaped the jungle and somehow tracked the vehicles that went off in different directions, Phoenix couldn’t help but pace in front of the windows, keeping watch on the street outside.
It took Nadirah softly saying, “I’m going to bed,” for him to run into a dilemma. He wanted to cuddle and make love to her so badly, but then, who would stand guard?
To his surprise, Zafira smacked his arm. “I watch. You sleep.”
He glanced at her. “Are you sure?”
“No tired. Big nap.”
He might have argued more, but the magnet that was Nadirah pulled him into one of the small bedrooms.
She had her head down as she began removing her damp clothes.
“Are you okay?” he asked. He’d been so focused on preventing an ambush he’d forgotten to ask. Hell, he’d been so frazzled that he’d eaten while staring out the window.
“I’m okay. You?”
“Yeah.”
“I’d say you’re more than okay. Was it me, or did you manage to shift without getting hurt?” She’d noticed.
He couldn’t help a slow grin. “Guess you can teach an old cat a new trick.”
“Thanks for saving us.”
“Don’t you mean thanks for fucking up everyone’s life?”
She cupped his cheeks. “That horrible man would have attacked even if you hadn’t been there. Who knows what the outcome would have been, though, without you?”
“He’s still out there, and I doubt he’ll give up his quest to capture the harimau.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing we’re going to stick with them so you can help prevent that from happening.”
He wrapped his arms tight around her. “How did I ever get so lucky as to find you?”
“Because obviously Nenek’s tithes to the god Tua Pek Kong paid off.”
“And why was she bribing a god on my behalf?”
“Not yours, mine. She wanted me to find love, and what do you know… I ended up with not only the man of my dreams, but a pet tiger, too.”
His mouth rounded in astonishment, and she laughed. It proved contagious, and when their mirth died down, he murmured, “Remind me to thank this god of yours, and Nenek.”
“We can show our appreciation to Tua Pek Kong right now, actually.”
“How?”
She cupped him and whispered, “By making love to show our appreciation for the gift of our lives.”
He’d never heard a more perfect idea.