He leapt over Paolo’s cat, striking with his back claws to rip open the back. In the course of less than a minute, he had already marked and injured Paolo’s male in three places. Elijah was relentless, not giving the other male any time to gather himself. He struck over and over, fast attacks, rip-and-tear tactics, never going in for the kill, but shredding fur to get to the muscle. Tearing chunks of muscle to get to the bone.

There was nothing so painful as a claw digging into a bone and ripping at it. Or teeth settling around it and crunching down with powerful jaws. Elijah kept at the other cat, delivering a brutal, savage punishment until the eyes of the other male went from dominant, aggressive and confident to scared and then to sheer terror. The bloody leopard tried to run, whirling away from the heavy cat that was slowly ripping his body to pieces. Elijah was faster, hitting him hard from behind, using his entire weight and momentum to knock Paolo off his feet. He heard the crack as the back leg shattered and Paolo screamed.

Instantly Elijah hit him again on the side with his heavier weight. Breaking ribs. He leapt over the cat as the leopard tried to drag himself into a protective ball. He paced away from Paolo, snarling, fury riding him. A killing fury that took over. He saw her body, ripped and bloody as the cat mauled her, and Elijah rushed his fallen opponent again, crashing into his other side, breaking those ribs.

It took some time to come down from the killing madness. By that time he’d delivered the suffocating bite to both cats there was little left of Paolo’s body that wasn’t torn apart. His male still refused to back away from the dead leopard, despising his enemy, an enemy that would torture, beat and maul a woman.

His leopard heard the approach of two more males and whirled to face them, snarling, bloody from the minor lacerations Paolo’s cat had managed to inflict during the mostly one-sided fight. Although he recognized both Drake and Tomas, he avoided them, unable to get near either one in his present state. They could deal with the bodies. He had something more to do.

His leopard took off running, his fury rebuilding with every step. He knew why Drake and Tomas were there. Siena had gotten them. She’d disobeyed him as usual, and she’d run for aid. He was going to kill her. Beat her. Spank her. Well. Not spanking. That hadn’t worked out in his favor. But something.