He snapped at his brothers, trying to get them to hurry up rather than stand around chatting like a bunch of old She-wolves.

His brothers shifted to wolf and ran off down the hill. Eggie looked out over Smithtown territory—the one place on earth he loved more than any other.

Truly happy, Eggie charged after his brothers.

The rules had been set when they’d first arrived. A clean, fair race in this open land where wolf, bear, cat, and hyena territories all butted up against each other.

It was a Monday so most folks were at work or being responsible in some other way. Plus, this was Lewis sisters against cats in this race, not Smith She-wolves, so there’d be no audience for this event because no one really cared beyond whether they won money or not. In the end, it was just the Barron sisters, the Lewis sisters, and two grizzlies from Collinstown who would be the refs. They’d decide who was the winner if it was a tight race and they’d be able to keep the maulings down to a minimum if it came to that—which it probably would.

Now here Darla was, making a tight turn, far ahead of the pack. The Barron sisters were getting cranky about her lead, too. Getting more and more aggressive as the number of laps wound down.

When they hit the last two laps, Darla knew that the Barrons were gunning for her. Since any of the three Lewis sisters winning meant they all won, Darla made a split-second decision to pull back and let Roberta fly past her. She did. Of course, it was just as one of the Barrons shot across the makeshift track—and took out the tail end of Roberta’s car.

Darla watched her sister’s car spin toward the center of the track, almost taking out one of the grizzlies, who dived for cover.

Janette, the family hot head, rocketed past Darla and rammed into the side of one of the other Barron sisters, sending that one airborne.

“Shit!” Darla burst out, not caring she was cussing because she knew this was about to get damn ugly. She downshifted and quickly pulled up next to Roberta’s wreck. Lord, Frankie Ray was going to lose his mind when he saw his car.

Darla jumped out of Eggie’s car and ran over to her sister’s. She went to pull the driver’s side door open but the handle was missing. So she ran around the other side just as Janie Mae got there. She pulled open the door and reached in, dragging her sister out. When she had most of her head and shoulders free, Janie Mae grabbed hold too and together they laid Roberta out on the grass.

“Those bitches,” Roberta snarled from her spot on the ground. “What happened to clean and fair?”

Darla put her hands on her sister’s shoulders to stop her from getting up. “Just rest a minute, darlin’.”

Janette drove her car up and jumped out. “Are you all right?” she asked two seconds before one of the Barron sisters tackled her to the ground.

Janie Mae startedto go over there, but Darla grabbed her arm and yanked her back. “Don’t you dare, Janie Mae.”

“She’s outnumbered!”

“You’re pregnant!” Darla took a breath. “Just stay here. I’ll deal with it.”

Darla rushed over to the three She-lions on one wolf fight. She tried to pull one of the She-lions off but they were on her sister like ticks on a hound dog.

As she tried to reach in again to get a good grip, one of the grizzlies was there. He caught Darla’s arm. As he lifted her up and away, Darla heard a popping sound and the grizzly stumbled back. He dropped her and Darla landed hard on her knees.

“What the hell . . .” she heard the grizzly gasp.

Darla looked up and saw blood pouring from two holes in the bear’s shoulder. He’d been shot.

Moving fast, she caught hold of his arm and using all her strength, yanked him down just as seven or eight more shots rang out.

“Down!” Janie Mae screamed out. “Now!”

Everyone who wasn’t already down, dove to the ground.

Eggie and three of his brothers had a good grip on the buck’s body while Bubba Ray had him by the throat. Bubba pushed the animal to the ground, trying to suffocate him before the rest of them lost their grip.

But instead of finishing him off, Bubba suddenly stopped, his head lifting, his nose casting for a scent.

Since Bubba was never one to go off a kill, Eggie released the buck and backed away. He turned, lifted his head. That’s when he heard it. Rapid-fire shots. No one used automatic weapons inside Smith territory or in any of the nearby shifter towns. Not even the hyenas used them.

Which meant only one thing . . .

Eggie took off, instinctually knowing that his brothers were right behind him.

Darla hid behind Janette’s car with the bear as more shots hit the vehicle.

“What’s going on?” the bear demanded.

Darla lifted up his T-shirt, trying to see the wound. “They’re here for me,” she admitted. “They’re trying to kill me.”

“Using guns?” It was the unspoken rule among their kind that in a physical fight, shifter challenged shifter with claws and fangs only.

“They’re full-human,” Darla admitted.

The bear chuffed and Darla stared down at him.

“Move,” he told her.

Still crouching and keeping her head down, Darla moved back and he shifted to his bear form. Roaring, he turned, slipped his front paws under the car and tossed it like a toy.

Darla charged back over to Janie and Roberta, hiding behind Roberta’s car. “You two, shift and go.”

“Are you kidding?”

“Janie, you’ve gotta protect your baby. Go.”