Alonzo’s opponent, unlike Elijah’s, definitely had experience, but it didn’t matter, because, like the two Elijah had fought, his leopard was out of shape and Alonzo’s leopard wasn’t. Alonzo took good care of his cat and it showed. He was fast and deadly, spinning on a dime in midair, twisting and raking and leaping away. He had absolute purpose and deadly concentration in spite of two more explosions sending birds screaming into the sky.

The other leopard finally realized he had no hope of winning and tried to run, but Alonzo cut off all escape and kept at him, wearing him down, ripping and clawing, using his teeth until the other leopard was standing, head down, sides heaving, coat dark with sweat and streaked with blood. Alonzo’s leopard took him down hard, teeth to the throat.

Elijah dropped the carcass of the leopard he’d killed and turned to the one dying just a few feet away. The leopard lifted his head and snarled, hatred and fear in his eyes. Elijah ignored the warning and was on him fast, delivering the suffocating bite. There were no more explosions, but the scent of gunpowder and death was heavy in the air.

Birds began to settle in the treetops and insects started their incessant droning. Elijah and Alonzo stared at each other through their leopards’ eyes, and as if by mutual consent, dropped their respective opponent to the ground and turned to help Eli and Joshua with rounding up the other leopards.

As they approached the five men standing in the clearing surrounded by a grove of cypress trees, Elijah shifted enough to talk to Evan. “Need a report,” he clipped.

“What I didn’t get with the charges, Drake took down with his rifle. It’s quiet here. Neighbors might have heard the explosions, although we’re out a ways and my guess is no one wants the kind of trouble this crew can deal. I’ll let you know if anyone shows up. The guard at the gate, Danny, took off into the swamp when the explosions hit. Drake took his ass down. When you’re burning bodies, don’t forget him.”

“You have the girl?” Elijah asked Drake.

“With her now. She’s nearly comatose. Terrified out of her skull. Pete’s niece, the one he thought was dead. She’s been living a nightmare for months. Whenever he showed up to deliver the gas, the men would torture and rape her while he was here, thinking it funny.” Drake’s voice was harsh. Furious. Not the calm they knew so well.

“We need to know if any of these other men participated,” Elijah said, staring at the five shifters under Joshua’s and Eli’s guns. He shifted all the way and caught the jeans Joshua threw him, tugging them up over his hips.

“Any of you touch that girl you had there in the cabin?” Elijah demanded.

They shook their heads.