Shifter Wars Complete Series

by Sarah J. Stone

  "Well, bears are bears," said Mr. Jane.

  He then looked over Kyle, a hint of disgust in his eyes.

  "What's the big plan?" asked Kyle. "You know what'll happened once your elders find out that you've worked over a Sapien, right? I mean, they're right in the other room, you know."

  Mr. Jane let out a snicker. "You really don't understand what you've gotten yourself into, do you?"

  "Enlighten me," said Kyle, his voice stern through the pain.

  "Why do you think we disappeared for so long?" said Mr. Jane. "It was in the service of just what we're doing now. You see, we're planning a coup."

  Kyle felt his blood quicken; he realized he should've known they were planning something this drastic.

  "You're going to kill the wolf three?" asked Kyle, his tone one of disbelief. "How the hell do you think you're going to get away with that?"

  "Easy. We've been spending the last few years amassing our fortune, more than enough to make the Bianchis the most powerful wolf shifter clan. And, I know that the bears have been feeling safe and secure behind the peace treaty between our kinds, but I know that the rest of the wolves have been hungering for war. Only the weaklings in charge of our species have any sort of interest in long-lasting peace."

  Kyle said nothing. He knew that Mr. Jane was right; he'd heard rumblings from the wolves for months. The treaty was hanging by a thread.

  "So, you're going to start a war? Just for power?"

  "Just for power?" asked Mr. Jane. "Please. With the money we'll hold claim to and the bears a shadow of their former selves, we'll be the most powerful species in the city. Strong enough to take on the dragons, even."

  Kyle shook his head.

  "You're not the first jackass to think he's powerful enough to take on the dragons, you know."

  "Maybe, maybe not," said Mr. Jane, "but I'll certainly be the first one to be right."

  "Half a century ago the bears were the most powerful species in the city," said Kyle. "We controlled half of Manhattan, and the Sapiens were nearly all our kind. And, even then, we couldn't have stood a chance against the dragons. And, even then, we never tried to do what you've got in mind."

  "That's because your kind is weak," hissed Mr. Jane.

  "No," said Kyle, "it’s because we knew our limits. And, we knew the power of the dragons. The Sapiens aren't just around to keep the peace, you know; we're around to make sure no power-hungry psychos like you get too big for your goddamn britches."

  "Then you're nothing more than tools," said Mr. Jane, sneering.

  "No, we're here to keep the peace, to make sure no shifters are killed in needless wars because people like you have dreams of sitting on the throne."

  "Enough," said Mr. Jane. "I'm not here to debate the pros and cons of my plans with you; I'm here to offer you a deal."

  Kyle smirked. "This ought to be good."

  "It's simple: you leave here, take your girl with you, and report back to your council that you saw nothing amiss among the wolves. Tell them that the Bianchis are simply celebrating their return to the city societies, and that your suspicions were unfounded. Do this, and we'll let you, and your girl live."

  "You'd let us just walk out like that?"

  "It would pain me, and especially Melina, to see you live, but it'd be a small price to pay to keep your kind off of our backs for long enough to set our plans into motion."

  "And, if I refuse?"

  "Then you both die, of course. This is the answer that Melina is hoping for."

  Kyle's eyes snapped to Melina, who was standing behind Mr. Jane, her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed.

  "I'll give you a moment to think things over. Let's say . . . ten minutes. I look forward to hearing your response."

  With that, the pair left the room, the door locking shut behind them with a heavy, metal clank.

  Jesus, they've got to be out of their damn minds if they think I'm going to go along with this lunatic plan of theirs.

  Kyle pulled against the manacles, testing their strength. They seemed strong, but the chair less so. Closing his eyes and attempting to put the pain aside, he shifted, letting his arms change into the powerful limbs of his bear form. He slammed the bindings of his arms against the legs of the chair, the metal grinding deep into the wood with each impact. As he attempted to break free, thoughts of Jo filled his mind. He wondered if they were subjecting her to the same treatment that they'd been giving to him, and his anger began to boil at the thought.

  Just focus on getting out of here, he thought. Revenge later.

  Then, with one last impact, the bindings broke through the legs of the chair. Collapsing backward, he moved his limbs away from the now-ruined chair and stood up, his hands behind his back. It'd only been a few minutes since the pair left, and he knew he had to figure a way out before they returned. He scanned the room for a way to get out, but found nothing.

  The door to the room opened slowly, and Melina's slim form stepped in.

  "The boss says I can get a few more minutes with you before–"

  She ceased speaking as soon as she looked up, realizing that Kyle had broken free.

  "I don't suppose saying ‘it's not what it looks like' would work?" Kyle asked, an impish smirk on his face

  "You little fu–"

  But, before she could finish her sentence, Kyle barreled towards her, slamming her body into the door and shutting it hard. Kyle heard a deep, cracking sound as they collided, Melina stumbling away after crashing into the door. Struggling against his restraints, Kyle prepared his next move. As Melina composed herself, he shifted further, his body bulging with bear musculature.

  "I'll kill you for that," said Melina, though her obvious disorientation said otherwise.

  A roar bubbling in his throat, Kyle ran towards Melina once again, thudding into her and bringing both of their bodies against the nearby wall with a cracking crash. Melina collapsed in a heap, and Kyle quickly searched through her slacks pockets for keys. Finding them, he undid his restraints and slipped the keys into the inner pockets of his suit jacket.

  But, before he could make his escape, he saw Melina attempt to struggle to her feet out of the corner of his eye. With frighteningly quickly summoned speed, she began to shift, her claws rushing through the air and barely missing Kyle's face. He returned the favor, swiping his own claws at her. The razor tips of his claws grazed her face, leaving red trails on her skin. Then, she rushed towards him once again, her face twisted in rage. Kyle grabbed her furry wrists in mid-air, overpowering her easily. Working one paw onto the side of her head, he slammed her into the wall once again. This time, she seemed to be out for good.

  "Now stay down, little doggie," he said, watching her for a moment to make sure that she was out cold.

  Once he confirmed that she was down for the count, he walked carefully towards the door, sticking his head out and making sure that no Bianchi was patrolling the hall. Then, escape on his mind, he rushed out the door.

  CHAPTER 17

  "We have to get out of here. Now."

  Kyle's voice was stern as he undid Jo's restraints, tossing them to the side where they landed with a clatter.

  "How did you–" began Jo.

  "Questions later. If we don't get out now, we're done for."

  Jo silenced herself, deciding to trust Kyle. He held up his hand to her as he stuck his head out into the hallway. Once he confirmed that it was clear, he beckoned her forward. Following close Kyle close behind, Jo moved through the hallway and back into the main bar room, the swirling music and chatter pounding against Jo's head.

  Kyle grabbed Jo's hand, pulling her through the tight knots of people until they were back out through the front door. Before the bouncer out front could ask why their clothing was in such a disheveled state, they were back in Kyle's car and speeding down the road, weaving through the city traffic.

  Driving far beyond the speed limit, Kyle soon pulled in front of his building. The pair parked and got out and were soon back at
his apartment. Once there, Jo collapsed onto the couch, the events of the last few hours running through her thoughts like a nightmare that she'd only recently awoken from.

  "Are you okay?" asked Kyle, looking over Jo as he stood over the couch.

  "I'm fine," she said, sitting up. "But, you're the one who looks like he's in bad shape.

  An inquisitive expression crossed Kyle's face, as though he'd forgotten that he'd spent the last hour or so getting worked over by Melina. He ducked over to a nearby mirror and looked himself over, tilting his head this way and that to inspect the scrapes and reds marks of impact on his face.

  "Damn, that girl could really punch," said Kyle.

  He turned back to Jo.

  "It's nothing," he said. "Shifters heal faster than humans; these'll be gone before dinner."

  "Dinner?" asked Jo. "You thinking of grabbing a bite after all of that?"

  "I don't know," said Kyle, evidently seriously thinking about it. "I could go for a burger or something."

  "Maybe that can wait until we're not being targeted by wolves who want to murder us. Speaking of, which, what's the plan now?"

  "Good question," said Kyle, thinking it over. "We're in something of a get-them-before-they-get-us-type of a situation here."

  "We can't just, you know, take them out?"

  Kyle shook his head. "Still gotta follow due process and all of that. But, if we could find some kind of evidence of the coup that Mr. Jane was nice enough to tell me about, then that might be just what we need."

  "And, how do we do that?" asked Jo.

  Before Kyle responded, a beeping sounded through the apartment.

  "Talk to me," said Kyle, standing in front of the TV, one hand tucked into his pockets.

  A logo, similar to the tattoo on Kyle's wrist, appeared on the screen.

  "Kyle, are you there?" asked the familiar voice of Winston.

  "Well, hey Winnie," said Kyle. "You sound like you weren't expecting to hear from me."

  "You went off the radar for a few hours; I was worried something had happened."

  "Aw," said Kyle. "Sweet of you to care."

  "Just not in the mood for paperwork," said Winnie, her tone sardonic. "But seriously, where were you?"

  "Doing some, uh, recon on the Bianchi situation."

  "And, what'd you find out?"

  "My suspicions were confirmed; they're planning a major coup."

  "Hmm," said Winnie. "I figured you might say something like that. I took the liberty of doing some recon of my own, though from the comfort and safety of my office, of course."

  "Always willing to put your neck on the line," said Kyle, a smirk on his face.

  "Hey, you want a desk job, it's all yours. But, I know how you adrenaline junkies are."

  Kyle raised his eyebrows as if conceding the point. "So, what do have for me?"

  The symbol on the screen disappeared and was replaced with a 3-D mockup of a several-dozen-story-tall building that Jo recognized from Midtown. She soon realized that it was the building that the Bianchis had been attempting to purchase.

  "Wait," said Jo, "that's where the Bianchis are?"

  "That's right," said Winston. "They purchased the top few office floors a while back; the purchase of the rest of the building is what they've been concerned about."

  The image zoomed in on the top few floors.

  "If you're looking for some way to get evidence on what the Bianchis have been up to, this is probably your best bet."

  "Can't we just tell them that they kidnapped us?" asked Jo.

  "We could," said Kyle. "But, compared to what they've been up to and what they're planning, a little roughing up isn't going to bring down the punishments we want."

  "And, what are they planning, exactly?" asked Winston.

  "Nothing less than a complete overthrow of the wolf three."

  "My God," said Winston. "If they were able to move in and get rid of the wolves that're in favor of the peace treaty, then . . . ."

  "War," said Kyle. "Another war between the bears and the wolves."

  A moment passed.

  "And, it looks like the Bianchis are planning another event for tomorrow evening," said Winston. "All of the wolves will be there."

  As the pair spoke, Jo made her way into the kitchen. Her hands still holding a tremor, she poured herself a glass of water and brought it up to her lips. Her heart still pounded, and she could hardly focus on the conversation.

  ". . . probably where they're going to make their move," said Kyle. "We'll have to stop them there . . . ."

  More images appeared on the screen as Winston and Kyle spoke, their words a faraway murmur. Jo took another sip, but this time the glass slipped from her hand, dropping onto the floor and shattering into pieces.

  "Hey, you okay in there?" asked Kyle, turning his attention from the screen.

  "Yeah, I'm good," said Jo.

  As Kyle returned to his conversation with Winston, Jo squatted down to pick up the large, jagged shards. She cleaned up the first few, picking them up delicately with her fingertips. But, as she did, she spotted a small, grey object down below the sink. It was a strange-looking object, about the size of a pack of playing cards, a red light glowing on the side. Narrowing her eyes, Jo moved closer to the thing, attempting to get a good look at it. She craned her neck, another series of red lights on the side catching her eye. And, the closer she moved, the more she was able to see what the lights were.

  They were a digital clock.

  The readout was in military time, eighteen-hundred hours. Turning around and looking at the large, analog clock on the wall, she saw that it was five-fifty-seven.

  "Kyle?" called out Jo, not sure what to make of this thing.

  He said nothing at first, still involved in his planning with Winston.

  "Kyle?" she called out again, her voice more insistent.

  "What?" he finally responded.

  "There's something here."

  Kyle stopped his conversation and approached. As he walked over, Jo watched as the time ticked over to five-fifty-eight.

  "What is it, Kyle?" asked Winston.

  "I don't know," said Kyle, approaching Jo and squatting next to her.

  Jo said nothing, instead holding out an extended finger at the strange object. She turned to Kyle, who moved in close, looking at the thing, his eyes settling on the digital readout, the numbers blood red.

  "We have to go. Now," said Kyle.

  "What? Why?"

  "Just go!"

  He bolted out of his squatting position, grabbing Jo by the wrist and pulling out her out of the kitchen.

  "Kyle!" demanded Winston. "What is it?"

  "A bomb!"

  Jo's blood ran cold. Her eyes shot over to the clock, which was now only a minute away from the time on the object.

  "A what?!" shouted Winston.

  "You heard me!" said Kyle, pulling Jo towards the balcony. "We're getting out of here; patch yourself into my car, I'll be down in a minute!"

  "Got it," said Winston, the screen going blank moments later.

  "What's going on?" asked Jo, her voice frantic as Kyle pulled her out onto the balcony.

  "You saw the clock!" he said, looking around. "That's a goddamn bomb!"

  The wind whipped around the pair, the setting sun filling the evening sky with brilliant oranges wisped with white clouds.

  "We're going down!" shouted Kyle, looking down onto the balcony below his, which appeared to be a thirty-foot drop.

  "What? How?" asked Jo, raising her voice over the sound of the wind mixing with the traffic noises from far below.

  "There!" said Kyle, pointing to an escape ladder off to the side the wide span of his balcony. "Come on!"

  He pulled her over to the end of the balcony, the ladder a good few feet away.

  "Go!" he said. "And, don't look down!"

  Jo stood at the end of the balcony, immediately ignoring Kyle's advice. The crisscross grids of the city below seemed to leap out to Jo, as
if to remind her of just how far in the air she was. She took a slow breath, knowing that a single slip on the ladder would mean a drop of several hundred feet to certain death.

  "I know it's pretty goddamn scary, but we're on a time limit!" shouted Kyle.

  Jo steeled herself, reaching over and grabbing onto the rough, cold steel of the ladder. With a final heave, she moved her body off of the balcony and grabbed onto the ladder with both hands, holding still for a moment as she made sure her grip was solid. Then, carefully at first, she began her descent. As soon as she made her way down several feet Kyle grabbed onto the ladder himself, following her down.

  Hot tears of anxiety formed in Jo's eyes, and she felt that at any moment her body might simply freeze in terror, loosening her grip and sending her down to her doom. Her grip surer, she moved down, down, faster and faster, ignoring the pounding of fear that rushed through her limbs.

  "Almost!" shouted Kyle

  Jo looked down, and saw that she was near the balcony below them. Soon, she scaled down far enough to where she could reach over and grab onto the balcony, pulling herself over and onto it. Once she was safe, she squatted down into a tight ball, not wanting to move an inch.

  "Not safe yet!" shouted Kyle, scaling over with ease and grabbing Jo once again.

  He pulled her by the wrist, and just as he did a deafening explosion ripped through his apartment above. Blossoms of orange fireballs rushed out over the balcony to Kyle's apartment, sending debris into the air. The sound was immense, a deep, rumbling bass that blocked out all sound and rattled Jo's bones and teeth as though they were made of glass. Kyle threw his body over Jo, shielding her from the blast, the shattered glass streaming through the air and catching the evening sun with brilliant, shimmering glitters.

  "Come on!" shouted Kyle.

  He took her through the balcony door into the apartment below, which appeared to be vacant. The pair ran through the open space, arriving soon in the hallway, which was strobing red and white. Kyle brought her over to the service elevator. The doors opened, and Kyle pulled Jo inside. Once in the safe, tight confines of the elevator, Kyle pulled Jo close, wrapping his arm around her as they descended.