Dax’s voice was appalled, and Candace slid him a dirty glare. “Your people are not his people. He didn’t betray his people. You went after his people and you got burned. Literally. Your bad. Also, this makes me think gorillas are super-messed up. The fact that you can’t see a reason for him protecting his own sister? I don’t blame Torren for not wanting to breed a bunch of females. I don’t blame him for giving two middle fingers to that poisoned throne either.” She gave her attention back to Torren just as his monster silverback ripped out of him and landed with his giant fists on the floorboard, cracking the wooden planks underneath. “He wasn’t ever meant to be king of a fucked-up people. He was meant to be this. He was meant to be HavoK.” He was meant to keep the world safe from Vyr. He was meant to live his life on his terms. Nothing this gorilla said was going to change what she saw—the real Torren.
Torren and Colt stood on their hind legs and beat their chests. The loud drum of it filled the room, and Candace covered her sensitive ears. The silverbacks charged and hit each other with the force of a head-on collision.
As they slammed their fists against each other in a flurry of violence, Dax began to pace and yell at his fighter. Colt spun out of Torren’s grip and scrambled for the wall, Torren right on his heels. The two scaled the wall like it was nothing. Candace couldn’t even tell where they’d found purchase before they were up in the rafters.
Torren was so much bigger than he’d looked in the video she’d watched, the one where he’d gone to battle and Vyr had burned Covington. Seeing him in real life was eye-opening. He was bigger than wild gorillas. He was eight hundred pounds, at least, of pure muscle and power. Massive front arms and a sloping back. She followed the chase as the man next to her yelled for Colt to, “Stop playing defense and fight!” He was agitated, passing tighter now, growling. Shit.
“Settle,” she warned him.
“Don’t tell me what to do, bitch.”
Oh, she wanted to rip his throat out, but Torren didn’t need the distraction. Candace clenched her hands against the urge to Change. Come on, Torren. End this quick.
“Fight, Colt!! Fight or I’ll finish this! Don’t let this asshole shame you. Lock him up!”
Candace blew out a breath, half her attention on the fight happening thirty feet above them, half on the man who was snarling louder beside her. When he gritted his teeth, his canines were too long.
“There is no money happening for you if you go two on one against him,” she warned. “Seriously. Settle.”
A gorilla fell from the rafters, and for a horrifying second, she thought it was Torren. But a moment later, Torren landed on all fours right beside him, buckling the flooring beneath his massive knuckles with a deafening crash. He pulled himself easily out of the rubble and went to blows with Colt. Their gorillas were similar sizes, but Torren kept the upper hand, didn’t even look like he was trying.
The man beside her gritted his teeth and let off a bellow. With a smattering of pops, his silverback broke out of him.
Crap, crap, crap!
He charged Torren, and now the shit had officially hit the fan.
“Torren!” she screamed.
He jerked his attention over his shoulder just in time to catch Dax’s weight full on his back.
She’d always been proud of her control over her animal, but that went out the window now. Mine. He’s fucking mine. Mine, mine, mine! Roaaaar! Her body broke, and oh it hurt for the instant it took. Bones broke, muscles snapped, teeth elongated, claws pierced her paws.
Colt was back in the fight now, wailing on Torren as he went to battle with Dax. Two massive gorillas on one, but Torren was a beast. He didn’t show any pain under the blows. He didn’t even flinch when Dax sank his teeth into his shoulder blade and ripped backward to inflict maximum damage. He just kept fighting, ripped Dax’s face off him as he twisted, eyes now focused on Colt. The shift between his fights with each were smooth and lightning fast.
Dax was hanging off his back while Torren was still engaged with Colt. There was no honor in Dax fighting two on one and going after an exposed back, so Candace bolted for him and pounced, claws out. She latched onto his ribs, surprised at how thick his skin was. It was hard to find purchase with her claws, but she sank her teeth into his side as hard as she could—so hard her jaw hurt.
Dax roared and released Torren, and then with a big, meaty hand, he reached over his shoulder, grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, and yanked her off him. She was airborne and then hit the wall.
Vyr. Vyr! Vyr can you hear me? she screamed in her mind. Torren needs you!
She didn’t know what made her do that. Perhaps it was the instant and intense pain of crashing through the wall, or the desperation she felt seeing two gorillas at war with the man she cared about.
Vyr terrified her, but he loved Torren and she was no match for silverbacks.
Ignoring her bruised side, Candace forced herself up onto all fours. Her ribs were probably cracked. Limping, she ran back to the fight. It smelled like blood. The overpowering scent of iron made her dizzy. Torren was on Dax now, but Colt was taking advantage of his exposed neck. He could kill him like this! She attacked Colt and just went vicious. Biting, clawing, she pulled him away from the fight and distracted him enough for Torren to focus on Dax. She was slammed to the ground, and time slowed. Eyes blazing like blue fire, Colt lifted his arm into the air and slammed it down toward her face. And right before he made contact, he was ripped backward through the wall of the sawmill, wood planks blasting out with him.
Candace winced as splinters from the exploding wall rained over her. What the hell?
When she turned, Torren was standing over her defensively, and Dax was ripping an old rusted blade from one of the machines. He swung it at Torren’s throat, but Torren stood on his hind legs and ducked easily out of the way of the jagged, razor-sharp teeth.
Vyr, Vyr, Vyr. Vyr!
She roared and stalked Dax. Colt was still outside, and she couldn’t even hear him anymore. All she could hear were the grunts and snarls from the warring gorillas facing off. She crouched beside Torren and pulled her lips back from her teeth with a long, warning hiss. Swing that fuckin’ blade one more time, and I’m gonna light you up.
Dax hesitated at a rumbling noise, and it took her a moment to place the strange sound. It was getting louder and louder, and suddenly, Torren wrapped his arm around her middle and spun her out of the way. A horrific crash sounded and then splintering wood was everywhere. Torren was moving so fast she couldn’t catch her breath, and in a matter of moments, she was up in the rafters with him. Below them, the Mustang had crashed through the wall of the sawmill. Dax was searching for something in the rubble. He picked up his cell phone just as Torren let go of the rafter and landed gracefully, saving Candace from the impact.
With grim determination written all over his face, Dax yanked the passenger door open and shoved his giant gorilla ass into the tiny car. With his arm and head hanging out the window, Dax, the gorilla, shoved his meaty middle finger into the air as Colt zoomed backward out of the hole he’d made. The memory of this would probably be funny tomorrow, but right now, she mostly wanted to kill them and set their car on fire.
“That went well,” Torren said sarcastically in that snarling, inhuman voice of his. He was staring at the hole with an exhausted expression. His arm was shredded and dripping crimson on the floorboards.
More stains on this place.
More mess.
More HavoK.
He arched his gaze down to her. “You scared yet, Wildcat?”
She was bruised, out of breath, limping, shocked, angry, and her eyes were now open to what a power-house Torren was.
But scared of this life she was melting into?