The Snow Leopard's Christmas Surprise

by Emilia Hartley

  For a moment, she was afraid that he wouldn’t believe her, and that once more, Nova would be in danger of getting shot. Thankfully, Mac appeared to have accepted her explanation. He nodded thoughtfully. “Know your enemy. Good thinking. I knew I chose well when I deputized you. Alright everyone, listen up. Aim for the brownish wolves, you got it? Let’s not anger the others in case what Amara is saying is right.” He ushered them all forward. “Okay, people, let’s move.”

  Just then, the front door of Amara’s house burst open and Sadie stepped outside. Amara’s heart froze in her chest. Then, before she even knew what to do about it, the world began to move in fast forward. Sadie took a step forward, tripped on the mat and fell on her face. The hand gun she held in her hand flew forward, discharging as it toppled down the steps.

  That’s when the world exploded.

  Chapter 16

  The two packs charged at each other. They erupted in a fierce cacophony of snarls, barks, howls, growls, and yelps. They bit, lunged, tore, and clawed at one another in their attempt to claim the territory that was her hometown of Strathford.

  Amara watched, helpless, as the love of her life went to war. There was nothing she could do to help him. If she aimed her gun to take out one of the Valley Clan, she risked hitting Nova, Nemoy, or one of their pack. But she had to do something. Sadie was still up there on that porch, so close to the action. And if anything happened to her little sister…well, she would just have to trust Nova and his pack to save the town. She needed to get to Sadie.

  Turning, she handed her gun to Zoe. “Do you remember how to shoot one of these?”

  For a moment, Zoe merely gaped at the weapon in her arms. Then, she took a deep breath before raising her gaze to meet Amara’s. Amara was pleased to find Zoe’s eyes scared, but determined. Zoe nodded.

  “Don’t shoot unless you have to,” Amara instructed. “But don’t let them get too close either. You can do this, Zoe. I know you can.”

  “Where are you going?” Mitch demanded. He sounded as scared as Zoe looked.

  “I’m going to get my sister,” Amara replied. She unsheathed the knife at her hip and spun it around until she found the right grip. Her other knife remained at her ankle. Then, without looking back, she darted across the street.

  In the midst of battle, Nova’s world consisted of just one primal fact: kill or be killed. There was his enemy, there was his pack. As far as he was concerned, there was no in between. Everywhere he looked, there was death and destruction. The coppery scent of blood permeated the air. He could smell the fear of his enemies all around them like a stench that he soaked up like perfume.

  Fear me, he thought, growling through his sharp, gritted teeth. You attacked my home, my people. You came after the woman I love. You threatened her town, her family. And now you will face my wrath. Fear me. For I am your death.

  When the gun went off after Sadie tripped on the porch, Nova let the wolf part of himself take over. He relied on his canine instincts, that other part of him that was wolf, and intrinsically part of the Pack. He lunged at the nearest Valley wolf, his powerful jaws open and ready. As his adversary came closer, Nova swooped in and latched his teeth to the other wolf’s throat. Now was not the time to be diplomatic. This was war. As much as he hated to kill, he knew that it was necessary to protect what was his. He accepted it. And with that, he closed his jaws and pulled, leaving the other wolf a lifeless pile at his feet.

  Hot, thick blood dripped from his jowls. Nova didn’t care. One after another, he met his enemy. And one after another, his enemy fell. He and Nemoy fought side by side, putting every bit of training they’d ever had to good use. But this wasn’t like training where if you screwed up, it would all be okay in the end and you could try to do better next time. This wasn’t even like the border skirmishes, or the run-ins he’d had with Kal over the last few years.

  This was madness.

  Amidst the chaos, the growls and sneers, Nova spotted Amara across the street. He watched as she handed the shotgun to Zoe and spun the knife in her hand. She was going to join the fight. Damn it. For once, couldn’t she just stay back and let him handle it?

  No, of course, she couldn’t. Because that wasn’t who she was. That wasn’t the woman he had fallen for. Amara was fierce, and stubborn, and brave, and he knew without even a shadow of a doubt that if someone she loved or cared about was in jeopardy, she wouldn’t be content to sit around and wait for someone else to help. She would risk absolutely everything to save the ones she loved. Or she would die trying.

  Amara began a mad dash across the street. About halfway across, she turned back searching for the source of a scream.

  Nova was torn. Did he work his way through the fray to go help Amara? Or did he stay there beside his brother, defending his pack? Neither one seemed to be the right choice, and yet he knew he had to choose. His brother or his girl? And how did anyone ever make a choice like that?

  From the corner of his eye, Nova saw a russet-colored wolf dart towards him. He was running with such speed that when he hit, the other wolf dug his shoulder into Nova so hard that he went toppling head over tail, knocking others in his back to the ground like a bowling ball to bowling pins.

  Kal ran at him again and his fangs dug into his shoulder, ripping through fur and flesh. Pain exploded behind Nova’s eyes, sharp and fast. For a moment, he saw stars. Nova’s howl broke through the evening air, his agony, fear, and aggression resounding over everyone nearest to him.

  The hungry leer in Kal’s eyes held a glint of triumph, and an even larger glare of hatred. Whatever he was up to, Kal thought he was winning. Maybe he was.

  Kal lunged a third time, his teeth catching Nova’s left hip. He was trying to make him weak, and damn it, he was succeeding. This time, however, Nova was ready for him. He swiveled his neck just as his adversary slammed into him again, and his own jaws grabbed hold of Kal’s side.

  Though he yelped in pain, the son of the Valley Clan’s Alpha managed to slip away. He charged through the grassy field separating the town from the woods, aiming for Amara’s front porch where Sadie was still pulling herself to her feet. In the blink of an eye, Kal had transformed himself back into a man.

  Sadie’s eyes bulged and her mouth dropped open in a terrified scream. However, the noise of the battle was so loud that no one could hear her scream. With one swift, fluid movement, Kal knocked Sadie’s head against one of the porch’s posts, rendering her unconscious. Then he lifted her effortlessly into his arms and disappeared into the house.

  Amara spun around, slicing into the nearest wolf as she set off for her sister. She felt the sickening squish as metal met flesh and the blade hit home. Pulling upward, she called upon the hunting skills her grandfather had so painstakingly taught her over the years. She wrenched up the knife with all of her strength, effectively gutting the Valley wolf from naval to nose. When he fell, lifeless, to her feet, Amara fought the urge to be sick. Though the sight of blood covering her hands turned her stomach, she forced herself to keep moving. She had to get to Sadie.

  And then Zoe screamed.

  Amara didn’t hesitate. Without thinking, she rushed back to her friend, dispatching an attacking wolf as quickly and efficiently as she was able to on the way.

  Zoe lay on the ground, her arms crossed over her face to protect her throat. Her knees were tucked up against her and she was using her feet, pressed up against the wolf’s chest, to hold him at bay. Her arms were trembling, and Amara knew if she didn’t get there soon, Zoe would possibly be killed.

  Putting on speed, Amara sprinted toward them. She slammed her shoulder into the wolf, using her momentum to push him off of Zoe. She landed with an oompf on top of the wolf. She had just managed to see Zoe clambering to her feet when she felt the wolf scoot out from beneath her and suddenly, they had changed places.

  This time, she was the one with her back to the pavement, her arms and legs curled up against her as protection from the deadly, slavering jaws of the wild canine in
tent on ending her life.

  Fear and panic coursed through her veins, and her blood roared through her ears, but Amara forced herself to remain calm. Though the circumstances were far from ideal, she called upon the knowledge gleaned from those two weeks of yoga class her mother had insisted she take, and somehow, she was able to control and balance her breathing.

  Think, Amara, think. Those lethal fangs were getting closer. If only she hadn’t dropped the knife during her fall.

  The knife! Of course.

  Turning her head as much as she dared, Amara searched the pavement for even a hint of the steel blade. There. Now, all she had to do was reach it.

  Stretching out her arm, she spread her fingers as far as they would go. She was barely a centimeter away from it. But the wolf’s paw was holding her down, and if she moved anymore his claws would rip into her flesh. And she most definitely did not want that.

  However, it would be one hell of a lot less painful than if he tore out her throat, but still. Shit, she thought. This is seriously going to hurt.

  Using every ounce of strength she had, Amara fought against her captor. Sure enough, his sharp claws pierced through her jacket and into the skin and muscle of her upper arm. She screamed in pain, but she was still able to reach the blade. Amara’s fingers closed over the handle and she steadied her grip. With one last deep breath, she raised the knife and plunged it straight into the wolf. She didn’t stop until the wolf was motionless.

  The wolf slumped against her, and the sheer weight of him dropping onto her rib cage knocked the wind out of her. Blood poured from the wound in its side, and soon Amara was covered in it. Her stomach heaving, she used what little energy she had left to push the body off of her. And then she was violently and thoroughly sick.

  How Nova and the pack could stomach this kind of violence was beyond her. She hated the Valley wolves as much as the next guy—more even—but if she never had to kill another one of them, it would be too soon. She had killed enough of them already.

  Amara wiped her mouth and then started, nearly jumping out of her skin. A gun shot rang out behind her, followed by the loud thud of yet another body falling to the ground. She whipped around and stared, her expression a mixture of terror and surprise.

  Zoe stood beneath the small circle of yellow light cast from the street lamp, still holding the shotgun. The barrel was smoking. As slowly and carefully as she could, Amara approached the other woman and reached out a tentative hand. She pressed her fingers to the warm metal of the firearm and forced Zoe to lower it. Her arms were still shaking.

  Her eyes a little bit crazed, Zoe turned to face Amara, letting her take the gun away. “He was going to kill you.”

  “I know.”

  “I…I had to. He was just…and I just…he was going to kill you.”

  “I know.” Not knowing was else to do, Amara wrapped her arms around Zoe’s neck and pulled her into a hug. Zoe returned the embrace with near bone-crushing enthusiasm. Amara took a second or two to wonder if she was going into shock—especially when Zoe began to rock back and forth. Finally, she pulled back and forced Zoe to look her in the eyes. Thankfully, she had lost a little of the crazy and she was on her way back to normal. Amara took a deep breath and said what both of them needed to hear. “Thank you.”

  A loud howl caught her attention and Amara once again looked toward her house. She watched as the wolf that was Nova charged up the steps to her front porch and disappeared inside. From what she could tell, the wolf that had howled was Nemoy. The all-black wolf was attempting to charge his way through the chaos after his brother, but he didn’t seem to be getting very far.

  Sadie was nowhere to be seen.

  “No,” Amara breathed, completely horrified.

  Zoe gaped at her. “What?”

  “No!” She didn’t wait for Zoe’s reaction. She didn’t pause to find out why there was a sudden surge in howls and gunfire. Instead, she charged through the crowd, not caring who or what she hit if they got in her way. The only thing she knew right at that moment was that she needed to get to her fiancé and her sister.

  Chapter 17

  The second Nova was inside and out of sight from the humans, he transformed back into his human form. As quietly as he could, he made his way through the house, searching each room as thoroughly as he dared. When he reached Amara’s room and finally decided there was no one else in the house, Nova searched through his drawer of things and pulled on a pair of pants.

  They had to be somewhere. He hadn’t seen them come back out the front. Could Kal have slipped out without Nova seeing him? It was possible, he supposed, but doubtful. What would Amara do if anything happened to Sadie? Would she be able to handle it? To accept it? Would he? Would he lose her? He couldn’t lose her.

  Deciding that the only place Kal and Sadie could be was outside, Nova dashed through the house, into the kitchen, and out the door to the backyard. At first, Nova couldn’t see anything. He could still hear the noise of the fighting, the random gunshot amidst the howls and growls of wolves, but there were less of them now, as if the battle had already been decided and it was just beginning to wind down. Yet, without the yellow glows from the line of street lamps that bordered the street, it was hard to make out whether or not he was alone.

  Nova silenced his thoughts for a moment, aligning himself with the night around him. Reaching deep within himself, he called upon his innate wolf instincts and abilities and transformed only the part of his anatomy that enhanced his hearing. It was a neat “trick,” as his brother Nemoy called it, and most wolves couldn’t do it. At least, not as well as Nova could. He didn’t even think Nemoy had completely perfected that ability yet, and he was the Alpha.

  Focusing on just the sounds around him, Nova did his best to block out the sounds of death, chaos, and destruction from the street. He let the night around him go quiet as he searched for one distinct sound.

  There.

  Off in the far corner of the fenced yard were two independent heartbeats. One was slow and faint, but thankfully, it was still there. The other was loud, strong, and slightly erratic. That one was most certainly Kal. Nova was sure of it.

  “I know you’re out here, Vann,” Nova called. The pounding beat of the other man’s heart became stronger and louder. “Show yourself, why don’t you? Unless, of course, you enjoy standing in the shadows like a coward.” The beat became a frenzy. Nova added the last nail in the coffin. “But I guess that’s how your father does things, isn’t it? Hides in the shadows and lets the lesser wolves, the expendable wolves, do his dirty work? As an Alpha, I suppose that strategy does make the most sense, even if it does make him yellow. Are you trying to be like dear old dad, Vann? Have you made him proud yet?”

  Nova knew he was taking a chance in goading Kal, but judging by the rapidly increasing thud, thud, thud of Kal’s heart, he knew it was a risk that would pay off. Kal Vann was unstable on his best days. However, when pushed, he had a tendency to react rather than think things through logically, which gave Nova the advantage.

  Yes, he needed to get to Sadie, and Nova was grateful she was still alive, but one thing he had always done even better than Nemoy was keep a cool head in the face of emergency. If he could rattle Kal to the point where he gave up an advantage, Nova might just be able to get Sadie out of there in one piece.

  “Do not talk of what you don’t know, Lowery,” Kal growled from the shadows. His words came out low and lethal. “You know nothing of my father or what he’s capable of.”

  Kal stepped forward out of the darkness, dragging an unconscious Sadie with him in one arm. Her limp body looked ready to fall to the ground in a crumpled heap. Nova could only hope that she was still alive.

  His blood pumping frantically, Nova forced himself to think rationally for a moment. “No, you’re right. I don’t. And why is that, you may wonder? Because I never see him. Because he always sends you or any number of your lackeys to do his dirty work for him. Your Alpha—your father—sends you to die
in his stead because he doesn’t need you. He can sit back and relax, knowing you’re out here risking your life for him, because the harsh reality is that he just does not give two shits about you.

  “And have you seen my Alpha, lately?” Nova asked. He took one slow step forward after another as he spoke. If he could only keep Kal distracted long enough, he might have a chance. “Well,” Nova continued, “if you were paying attention, you would have. Because he was right there beside me, fighting the same battle his Pack was in, facing the same enemy. He didn’t hide back at home like your father. He was a man, defending his people, his family, because they matter. Can you say that about your Alpha, Vann? Do you matter to him?” His laugh was cold and cruel as he interpreted his adversary’s silence. “No. I didn’t think so either.”

  Nova thought he was winning. He thought maybe he was getting to him, breaking him down. Kal’s biggest weakness was his father, Nova knew. Where Nova’s own father and his previous Alpha had been stern but loving, Kal’s father had been heartless and cruel. It was common knowledge that the young pups in the Valley Wolf Clan were beaten into submission rather than taught respect and loyalty. From the moment their Alpha had begun his rise to power, violence had been his weapon of choice. And Kal was what he had to show for it.

  Nova made to take a step forward, but Kal held up a hand and Nova stopped in his tracks.

  “Ah, ah, ah,” Kal chided, wagging one long finger at his adversary. “Don’t come any closer, Lowery, or I will sink my teeth into Sadie’s pretty little neck.”

  Nova’s blood ran cold. Kal would do it; he knew he would. Though Nova was aware Kal’s tone was intentionally taunting, there was an air of madness about him. It sent a chill of fear cascading down Nova’s spine, leading him to an even more terrifying conclusion.