Chapter 37

37

L ogan knew he had a whole lot of unresolved anger and emotional baggage to work through, and he was pretty sure that pounding Clancy into a bloody pulp would solve a lot of it.

Clancy was shifter fast, and he recognized what was happening exactly as Logan reared up and struck out with his front feet. Logan was handicapped for just a moment with worry for Tabby and Franzi, and he was glad when Tabby dived over the little girl and pulled her into the insufficient cover of the open car door, just as a single shot rang out. He didn't have time to figure out if one of them had been shot and could only hope he hadn't screwed this up, too.

The gun, Logan's first priority, went skittering out of Clancy's grip when he was clipped by Logan's hoof, and the car took the brunt of Logan's charge as Clancy slithered away. Tabby was hauling Franzi into the car and out of the way, and now the fight was an unarmed man versus a pissed off horse.

Logan didn't wait for Clancy to collect himself or draw a blade to defend himself with, but attacked furiously, plunging and using his entire body as a weapon. He struck Clancy several glancing blows that he barely twisted away from.

"Cousin!" Clancy cried desperately. "I didn't sell you out!"

Logan didn't believe him and didn't pause in his assault. Clancy's first defense was always the lie that he thought someone wanted to hear. He'd threatened Tabby and taken Franzi, and that was enough reason for Logan.

He is not our herd , his stallion agreed. Drive him away.

Clancy must have guessed that his silver tongue was going to get him nowhere, and he turned away in time to shift and kick back to catch Logan in the chest with one rear hoof.

Slowed, but not badly hurt, Logan engaged again, this time clashing legs with Clancy as he spun and reared to meet the attack. Clancy's head snaked forward to bite at Logan's neck, and Logan used his longer neck to bite back more successfully.

Clancy might be more horse than he was man, but his horse was smaller than Logan's, and less fit. Logan had been training hard with Tabby, and working even harder at the auto shop; he was in the best shape of his life, and he had everything to lose. He could turn faster and rear higher, and Clancy screamed as Logan battered at him with hard hooves, getting hit after hit through his flailing legs at his chest and flank.

Clancy tried to flee, but Logan was faster, and far more determined.

"Stop!" A gunshot cracked in the air.

Tabby, brave, clever Tabby, had closed the car door on Franzi and found the gun, and she was pointing it in the air rather than trying to train a shot on one of them in their tangled battle.

Logan paused and Clancy backed away. They faced each other, sides heaving.

Logan had several bad scrapes and his head was ringing from a lucky kick, but he thought he'd gotten more hits on Clancy than he'd taken himself. It was hard to tell, in the dark, how badly either of them was hurt.

Would Clancy back down or continue the fight, now that Tabby had the most dangerous weapon?

Do something dumb, he dared Clancy in his own head.

And Clancy did.