They all apologized, Bruce the loudest, pleading to be left in one piece.
Austin Steele motioned the couple out of the way.
“Not you,” he growled at Bruce, taking another step closer. “I remember you from when I was here before. I never understood my brother’s decision to elevate you, but then, I’ve never given someone more than one chance to mess up. The alpha is a lot more patient than I am. I have benefited from that patience. You have not. You made grave errors, the least of which was going after my mate.
While I’d love nothing more than to rip your throat out, I’m not going to.”
“Thank you, alpha,” Bruce said, falling back against the magic closing in the doorway. “It was all James, I swear it. He was the one leading all of this. What was I going to say, no? He’s the beta.”
Austin Steele tensed, and anger rose once again through the bonds. Instead of braining the guy like he clearly wanted to do, he took a step back.
“Brochan, have at him.”
“What?” Bruce said, his eyes rounding again. “W-wait—”
“Well, this is an interesting turn of events,” Niamh murmured as Ulric came jogging back.
“This isn’t going to go well,” he said, putting his hand on the edge of the bar.
“Would ye get out of me way? I can’t see!” Niamh gave him a shove.
Bruce wiped his sleeve across his nose before straightening a little, watching Broken Sue step away from the rest of the shifters. As he passed Austin Steele, the alpha stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
“He can be healed if needed; he can be killed if you want; he can be spared if that’s your intention,” Austin Steele said. “He challenged you at that meeting. This is in your hands.”
“And if he is spared?” Broken Sue murmured.
“I’ll stow the body bag I brought and act like I expected it.”
“Oh crap,” Ulric whispered.
“Oh, lads,” Niamh whispered just as softly, leaning forward in her seat with what probably looked like a manic grin. “That lad is just about to get a baytin.”
“Broken Sue, is that what they call you?” Bruce said, rolling his head a little, readying for the fight. He probably figured Brochan would be an easier tussle than Austin Steele. And while he was right, he was still on the wrong end of the power scale to be able to save himself. “Broken, I get,” the idiot sneered. “Like your old pack. Too proud to ask for help and they all died, huh? And you called yourself an alpha?”
“What the hell is he doing?” Ulric murmured as Jasper hurried to stand to Ulric’s other side.
“False bravado,” Jasper whispered. “He’s trying to build himself up because he’s got no way out.
He doesn’t want to look like a coward while he’s secretly pissing his pants. Bet you anything.”
“I’m not taking that bet,” Ulric said.
Broken Sue rounded a table, not throwing it out of the way like Niamh would’ve preferred. That would’ve been more cinematic, at least.
“But Sue?” Bruce huffed. “Like a whining little girl?”
“If he doesn’t kill him, that comment gives me the right,” Niamh said.
“It’s been a long time since you were a girl,” Jasper said.
“I might look like four hundred, but I feel like a spritely two hundred, and I’ll make sure to bate your head in after I’m done with that muppet, how’s that?”
“You’re going to be the one in need of false bravado if you keep talking,” Ulric muttered to Jasper.
“Yeah, they call me Sue.” Broken Sue stopped in front of the other man, his body loose, his size enormous in comparison. “How do you do?” he growled.
Shivers ran up Niamh’s arms as Jasper whispered the Johnny Cash lyrics, “Now you’re gunna die…”
Broken Sue closed the distance in a couple of steps, his hands down, his power pulsing. Bruce took a swing, then another. Broken Sue leaned back just slightly, letting the first would-be blow barely miss him, and ducked beneath a second. Then he engaged.
He hit the other man in the stomach, twice, before stepping back and issuing a clean hit to his face.
Next an uppercut. He paused, hands down again, and waited for Bruce to swing and miss before he jabbed, twice, three times, and then hit him with a roundhouse.
“My boy can box,” Jasper said, clearly riveted.
“He didn’t put his weight behind that last one, though,” Ulric said, watching as Broken Sue stood flatfooted in front of the other man, willing Bruce to throw those punches. None of them landed, but still the other man tried.