by Eliza Gayle
She had half a mind to take her chances with the humans instead.
The sun's rays trickled through the tree canopy that offered the hideout more privacy than she'd expected. Despite the chill in the late afternoon air, everything around her mocked her with its almost summer like beauty. She didn't want to notice the pretty poppies growing in a border around the left side of the yard, nor did she want to see raised garden beds at the edge of the property that beckoned for someone to fill them with fruits and vegetables.
They could dress it up and call this place whatever they wanted. She'd essentially been kicked out with no information about when or if she could ever return. Irritated and tired, she walked up the driveway toward her banishment. As far as she knew the place had stood empty for many years. While Deals Gap, North Carolina had officially been declared a neutral zone in the tenuous treaty between the wolf and cougar clans, they'd been encouraged to keep to their own lands as much as possible. Especially her. Her father had been beyond vigilant in his preaching about keeping the bloodlines pure and not associating with other races for anything more than absolute necessity. Supposedly everything he'd done had been in some part due to his bloodline obsession. Although, considering her recent discovery of a half-sister who was half-cougar and half-witch, she'd begun to question everything.
Kitty rubbed her head and tried to push the anger and resentment from her thoughts. Her actions of the last few years had not been great either. The embarrassment of her relentless pursuit of a man who didn't give a rat's ass about her burned through her soul like acid. Unfortunately there were a lot of other things she'd done almost as humiliating as her behavior with Kane. Things she couldn't take back or change.
She'd hole up here for a few weeks until she got her head on straight and come up with a new strategy for the next several months. Her father's assets had all been confiscated, leaving her with nothing to fall back on. Her job skills were a joke and there had been no reason to hold down a nine to five with her father taking care of everything. Kitty had wasted all her time being a stuck up bitch. There, she admitted it.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen...
Stepping onto the small porch, Kitty lifted the sunglasses from her eyes. The paint looked fresh and the area around her was neat, obviously someone took care of the place. As she slid the key into the deadbolt of the door, the scrape of metal on metal screeched through her head. She pushed the door open and the air suddenly shifted around her. The hair at her nape stood on end. Tension pulled at her skull and instantly notified her she was no longer alone. Before she could react, or even turn around, the door slammed in her face and she flew backwards. Her muscles flexed and her claws burst free as she scrambled to catch herself.
The air whooshed from her lungs as her thickened nails dug into the wooden steps of the porch, barely breaking her fall. She pushed to her feet at the same time a hard kick was delivered to her ribs and another to her face.
"Don't even think about it, bitch. You've had this coming for a long damn time and I'm going to make sure you finally get what's yours."
Black spots blurred Kitty's vision from the pain of the blows. She didn't need sight to put a face to that voice. Laurel James had been gunning for her for a very long time. Competition among the feline women for the men of their kind was fierce and often violent. This wouldn't be the first time she'd fought for what she wanted.
As Kitty perched precariously on all fours, several pairs of legs crossed her line of sight. Laurel wasn't alone. Whatever they had planned, she'd brought reinforcements and this wasn't going to go well for Kitty. It didn't take a genius to realize she'd been out maneuvered and out numbered. Now her only thought turned to survival as she struggled to find a solution before they pulled her limb from limb.
"This is your idea of a fair fight? Four against one?" Kitty spat. She needed to try and buy some time. She'd dropped her keys and she needed precious seconds to locate them.
"What the hell do you know about fair? You have dicked around with our men behind our backs, done everything in your power to hold us back in clan politics, all while you schemed with your father to bring down our Guardians. Our only protection from the mongrels across the state line. And if that wasn't enough, just when you were finally due to get what you had coming, you somehow convinced Kane to have mercy on you and were given this cozy little house to hide out in."
White-hot rage filled Kitty's veins. She fought through the pain and pulled herself upright. With one eye on Laurel and the other on her pack of stupid bitches, she slowly took a step forward. "Are you on drugs? Do you honestly think coming here was some kind of reward? I've lost my father," she pointed her finger at Laurel, who inched back a few steps. "I've lost my home. And now I'm being forced to look at your ugly face."
Laurel's face turned various shades of red and Kitty swore steam came from the woman's ears. It dawned on her that she might have pushed too hard when the four of them circled her in a show of solidarity. She frantically searched the area for her keys with no luck. They had to be here. They couldn't have just—
"Looking for these?" Laurel held up the keys Kitty had been hunting for. "Your overconfidence is astounding." She circled Kitty. "But that's okay because before we're through you're going to wish you were dead instead of exiled."
"Shut the fuck—" Kitty's head snapped back as Laurel slapped her across the cheek. Tears she refused to shed burned in her eyes. No matter what happened she would never give these women the satisfaction they sought.
"Is that the best you've got? Fighting like a girl?" This time the hit came from someone else and knocked her into the porch railing. Pain exploded in her head and immediately her ears began to ring. She tasted blood.
"I've waited a long damn time for this so you're going to listen to every word I have to say."
To hell with that. Kitty tuned out Laurel and battled to her feet, only to be slammed to her knees. Fear shot through her mind as the true state of her predicament sank in. They were going to kill her. Her last moments would involve a handful of catty women out for revenge and an ordinary house in the middle of the neutral zone. Her heart sank. How had things gotten to this point? All her life she'd followed her father's rules, even clan rules for the most part. The fact she used her father's power to cause havoc now and again seemed minor in comparison to this. The taste of bitterness irritated her tongue. Didn't she deserve better?
"For years you've used your perfect face and perfect body to get whatever it was you wanted. What would you do if that were no longer an option? Would you simply find another way to make people suffer? Or would you turn into your father?"
Kitty didn't want to listen to this. She'd only done what she had to. No more, no less. How exactly did that make her so much different than everyone else who was looking out for themselves?
"Jealousy doesn't become you, Laurel. You should know that by now."
Another blow to her ribcage toppled Kitty to her side, knocking the wind out of her again. That one came from what suspiciously felt like a fucking baseball bat. She couldn't keep taunting them if this was how they were going to respond. She'd be dead in minutes. She had to think.
"Aww, poor Kitty. You have no idea do you?"
The venom in Laurel's words unnerved Kitty. Her former childhood friend appeared to be hanging on to sanity by a thread.
Kitty tried to get up, but Laurel grabbed her wrist and pushed her down. "You think this one little tiny mark is punishment enough?" Laurel pressed painfully into the neutral zone brand on her wrist. "That being magically labeled as an outsider is enough to make up for all the torment and suffering you've caused? Yeah, you have no idea. But I'm going to show you. An eye for an eye, right?"
Laurel crouched down and entered Kitty's line of sight. Her anger twisted the woman's normally pretty face into an ugly scowl.
"I never meant to—"
Laurel twisted Kitty's wrist to the breaking point, making her scream. "Don't even bother. An apology now would
mean nothing. But this..." Laurel stretched her free hand in front of Kitty's face and extended her claws. "This is what we call a proper payback."
Kitty's old friend swiped those lethal claws across the left side of Kitty's face, slicing into her flesh. The scent of blood filled the air and for one stunned second, Kitty went numb. Then the searing pain of burning from the inside out sliced through her. She tried to breathe and couldn't. Pain so intense robbed her of any semblance of coherency. Her eyes opened wide and she looked at the woman she'd once called friend as the shock of what she'd done sank in.
"That's right, little miss Kitty, it fucking burns doesn't it? Trust me, it's about to get a whole lot worse."
From behind her someone tore through her shirt and clawed at her back, arms and legs. From some dim part of her brain, Kitty registered the screams tearing through the air as she thrashed in their grip, frantic for escape. The stench of burning flesh mixed with blood filled her head as she fought wildly for freedom. Fire crawled along her entire body, getting worse the harder she fought. When Kitty's brain began to shut down, the animal inside her took over and fought for survival, clawing its way to freedom.
An idea popped into her head. Maybe there was a small chance.
"Enough," Kitty screamed. "Just kill me. Please," she begged. "Just do it. For the love of God do not make me listen to any more of your insane drivel."
The blow she'd been hoping for came in the form of a right cross to her jaw, knocking her on her ass. She prayed for a blackout that never came. The pain, however, exploded in her head so fierce she couldn't draw a breath. With her mind reeling, she almost didn't notice when the hands holding her down broke free.
A glimmer of hope threaded through the pain. She swiveled her head and met Laurel's gaze. The smug look did her in.
With the last burst of strength she could gather, Kitty charged her, moving as fast as possible before the others had a chance to stop her. Together they slammed into the side of the house with Laurel's head taking the brunt of the blow. Someone came at her from behind, punching Kitty in the side of the head so hard she saw stars. Thankfully, she managed to keep a hold on Laurel. Kitty kicked and snarled at the others as she tried to fight them off.
A fierce growl erupted from Laurel that turned into a high-pitched scream. Kitty froze for a second before she was thrown backwards. She twisted to land on her feet but failed. Her shins skidded across the rocks in the garden, tearing through her pants and digging into her skin. The burning across her face and body felt like she'd been doused in gasoline and set on fire. This was it. Her one and only chance. Kitty dug deep for every ounce of energy she could muster until her skin tingled and bones popped.
"Shit. She's changing. Hurry, grab her!"
Kitty ignored the commotion behind her and twisted to her hands and feet mid shift. Her clothes shredded and the excruciatingly painful shift finished in a blur. By some miracle she probably didn't deserve, she was free. Already in motion, she ran for the woods behind the house. Escaping into the cover was her only chance. Cats yowled behind her, letting her know the rest of the women had shifted and were likely in pursuit.
The shift had spent more energy than she could afford but adrenalin pushed her onward. She didn't want to die like this. Once under the canopy of trees she didn't slow her pace to give them any chance to catch up. Every advantage she possessed due to her DNA was mirrored in those who chased her. She ran over rocks, roots and natural crevices until her lungs burned and she wanted to vomit. It was difficult to hear anything over the blood rushing in her ears and her heart racing. She pushed on without looking back or letting up for even a second.
When she splashed through the first river she ached to stop and drink. A new luxury she couldn't afford. The pads of her paws had split and cracked ages ago, or at least many miles behind her. When the sun finally dipped down below the horizon Kitty couldn't take another step. Nothing she'd tried had doused the fire under her skin. She slowed her pace and ducked behind a large boulder to shift and gather her strength. If they caught her, so be it. She already felt like she'd been thrown from a cliff, might as well go for the real thing. Maybe she'd get a chance to take one or two of them with her. Kitty snarled with anger so strong it ached in her bones.
Her chest heaved as she collapsed against the cool surface of hard rock. Everything ached, from head to toe. And despite the shift, which should have helped her heal, her skin still burned out of control. Through sheer desperation, she stilled her body and listened for signs of the others. Nothing but deafening silence met her ears. Even the small wildlife sensed a dangerous predator and moved on. At this point she didn't care if they found her. She'd gladly choose death if it meant the end of this agony.
Never in her life had she traveled this far by foot. Glancing around all she saw were the same trees and dirt that covered the region, but there were no obvious signs of where she'd ended up. With the moon about to rise, she'd been running so long she had to have left the neutral zone hours ago. There were only two possible locations, one of which put her in more danger than the people chasing her.
Curious about the whereabouts of the women who wanted her dead, she peered from behind her hiding spot. To her surprise, there was no one around. Either they'd given up at some point or they were lying in wait for her to shift. Speaking of... Kitty noticed her paw and front legs shaking from the effort of holding this form. With her energy this depleted she had no choice, she couldn't hold the magic another second. A wave of energy flashed over her and her cougar body disappeared to be replaced by her now bruised and battered human form.
Unlike the other shifters in her clan, her feline form was not an equal state. Without the energy to maintain the cat, she automatically shifted back to her human form. She had no idea what it meant, but instinct cautioned her to keep her anomaly a secret. Not even her father knew about this strange quirk. He'd had a long list of reasons why she failed him as his offspring, he didn't need another.
It was quickly growing dark and she desperately needed shelter, and a doctor. Unfortunately she had nothing left, energy wise, to move. The chill in the night air raised goose bumps on her arms and legs. Maybe a few hours more of this and she'd die of exposure and whatever poison they'd forced on her. Exposure sure as hell beat getting ripped to pieces by a group of she cats out for revenge. Sensitive bitches. Nothing she'd ever done to them warranted a death sentence.
Without a stitch of clothing left to cover with, she'd never make it through the night. She needed the cat to get her through this. Kitty focused inward and reached for the elusive animal and the magic that made her who she was. A slight twinge in her legs and arms made her hold her breath. Maybe...
She focused and concentrated, dug deep and willed the change. Nothing happened. Shit out of luck.
Her only hope of survival at this point would be human medical attention. She was quite certain a few of her ribs were cracked and she would be surprised if she didn't need some stitches to sew her back together again. Hell, even a hot bath might coax the cat to heal her.
However, the constant burn under her skin really worried her. What the hell had those women used on her? So much for the quiet and boring exile Kane offered her. Bitterness burned almost as much as the vile poison.
She laughed out loud, a twisted and dark sound that should have frightened her. If she had enough energy left for fear.
"Well, well. What do we have here?"
Kitty jerked at the sound of the voice behind her. The automatic instinct to move and hide left her writhing in more agony. Fuck! She wasn't going anywhere.
A man—no—she sniffed the air—several men moved closer, forming a tight circle around her resting place. Not human. Kitty bared her teeth and snarled.
"I thought you said you smelled a dead cat, Bobby. She don't look dead to me." He paused, looking her over from head to toe. "She does look a bit like a used up chew toy though."
"That's okay. Either way she don't belong on our land. Her trespa
ssing gives us the right to do whatever we want with her."
Kitty shivered and forced her body to turn and face all of the newcomers who stunk to high heaven. God, didn't they know how to bathe? That slight movement forced a new eruption under her skin. Her mouth opened to tell them exactly what she thought of that idea and instead a scream erupted.
"Jesus Christ. Shut her up. What the hell kind of noise is that?"
One of the men rushed forward and clamped his hand over her mouth. In automatic survival mode now, she bit him. He reared back and she screamed again before he backhanded her, sending her flying across the clearing and into a tree. She fell to the ground with a painful, heavy thud. Black spots blurred her vision again as she tried to gather some shred of willpower to get up and fight. Again, nothing happened.
"Here kitty, kitty, kitty. You don't have to snarl at us and play hard to get. I think you're going to like us. Maybe if you play nice and do your job well, we'll let you live—for now."
Bile rose in her throat as the three men approached her. She closed her eyes against their faces as a massive surge of fear gripped her insides.
Please let me die. Please let me die. Please let me die. Anything else but this. Please.
She knew her prayers would go unanswered so she did the next best thing she could. She used the fear, pushed through the pain and agony ripping through and struggled to her feet. The men before her grew blurry. The forest spun around her. Her legs shook and she held out her arms to keep balanced. A loud noise drew her attention, but her eyesight had worsened. The black edges around her vision were growing larger and all she could make out were fuzzy images in front of her. It was impossible to hear anything over the blood now roaring in her ears.