Roar

by Natavia

  The minute I sat my purse down, the phones rang and the computer beeped letting me know we received emails.

  “We have a long day,” I stressed and Mia cracked her knuckles.

  “Complain all you want but this is a great look for us. Who knows, I might can land a job here once I finish school,” she said before she answered the phone.

  “Saber Enterprises, Mia speaking, how may I direct your call,” she answered.

  “This job is so you,” I said.

  A few hours later…

  “My fingers are hurting,” I complained and Eze heard me. He came out of his office drinking a plant smoothie. He said they boosted your energy instead of coffee but I couldn’t get past the earthy gritty taste.

  “You want one?” he asked.

  “No,” I replied.

  “How about you, Mia. Do you want one?” he asked.

  “Sure,” Mia said.

  When I looked at the clock, it was ten o’clock at night. We were the only three inside the building. There were almost two hundred unanswered emails.

  “Looks like the secretary wasn’t doing her job for the last few days she worked here. She read the emails but didn’t answer them,” Mia said.

  “Janet was a bitch,” I replied.

  Eze came back with a green smoothie for Mia. She frowned her nose when she tasted it. I thought she was going to puke.

  “Ummmm, this is pretty…interesting,” she replied and Eze chuckled.

  “Humans wouldn’t understand the beauty of that shake,” he replied.

  “You and Lynx always say ‘humans’ as if you’re something else,” Mia laughed.

  “It’s a habit,” I replied. I stood up to go to the bathroom and Mia called out to me.

  “You have something on the back of your skirt,” Mia said.

  I touched the back of my skirt and it was wet. Blood was on my fingers and Eze rushed over to me.

  “What’s the matter? Is everything okay?” he asked, lifting up my skirt.

  “I think it’s your period,” Mia said.

  “Excuse us, Mia. I gotta holla at Lynx about something,” Eze said. He pulled me to the bathroom in his office and closed the door.

  “What happened, Lynx? What did you and that other male do?” Eze asked.

  “What do you mean? I’m bleeding from between my legs and you have the nerve to ask me about him?” I replied, taking off my panties. Eze grabbed a few paper towels and wet them for me.

  “This is so damn embarrassing,” I said. He kneeled in front of me and helped me clean off. He raised my leg to his shoulder and cleaned off my thighs. It was hard not loving him, he was so passionate.

  “You finally reached puberty,” Eze replied.

  “I reached puberty already,” I said. Eze stopped cleaning my leg and stared at me.

  “I mean, you’re fertile. That night when we you know; did you take something?” he asked.

  “Yes, I did. I took something from this college kid to help me go into heat. I took a lot and it didn’t work. All it did was change my scent and made you notice me. I’m not proud of what I did but I wanted you to see that I was good enough,” I replied.

  “No wonder I felt the way I did. Whatever you took had a lot of pheromones. It’s used to mate animals. I should’ve known it was something,” he chuckled. He stood up and leaned against the wall.

  “You grew up on me,” he said and I rolled my eyes.

  “Whatever, Eze. You’re just trying to stop me from feeling embarrassed,” I replied.

  “Okay, you got me, but you’re blossoming. You can go home now,” he said and left out of the bathroom.

  I had been waiting for months to go in heat but I was already regretting ever wanting to. After I was finished cleaning up, Eze gave me his button-up shirt to tie around my waist.

  “Now, take your bloody ass on,” he joked and I gave him the finger. Mia came into the office and covered her chest in shock. Eze was shirtless and I couldn’t look away myself.

  “Umm, I’m leaving. I’ll see you two tomorrow,” Mia said, storming out of his office.

  “Hot-in-the ass college girls,” Eze said, picking up his car keys.

  “Is it okay if I crash at the estate? Is Toyi still there?” I asked.

  “She should be. I don’t think Quanir is going to let her out of his sight,” he replied.

  “Ewwww, I hope she bit him already,” I replied, grabbing my purse.

  “You’re not slick, neither. You don’t want to stay in the cabin because of how messed up it is,” Eze said.

  “No, I have to check up on Toyi. I have been meaning to but I was out and about living the college-girl life,” I said and he shook his head. We stepped on the elevator down to the lobby. A security guard locked up the building after we left.

  *************

  “Come in!” Toyi yelled after I knocked on her door. When I walked into the guest bedroom, she was sitting on the window sill with puffy red eyes.

  “You look great,” I said.

  “I don’t feel great. My breasts are leaking and I miss my cubs. I just need my cubs back. I can’t sleep or eat anymore,” she said.

  “They are in good hands,” I replied and she rolled her eyes at me.

  “What do you know? You don’t have any cubs. Asha is taking care of my cubs after trying to kill me. The thought of it is sickening,” she seethed.

  “We will get them back. Eze just doesn’t want to bring the drama here,” I replied.

  “I understand, his family worked hard for all of this and it is a beautiful home. It’s not hidden away like the home I had with my pride. It’s a breath of fresh air,” she replied.

  “Tomorrow morning, we should go for a walk around the property. I’m drained,” I yawned.

  “Okay, get some rest,” she replied.

  Eze and Quanir were in the gym room, drinking and smoking. I went to the guest room and closed the door when I heard Eze talking about how much he was missing Sy’noba. My feelings weren’t going to go away overnight. I still wished it could’ve worked out differently. After a long hot shower, I laid on the bed and passed out….

  “GET UP!” Quanir yelled at me. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and sat up in bed to fix my robe.

  “Get out! I’m tired,” I said. I was ready to lay back down but he pulled me out of the bed.

  “Toyi left!” he said.

  “Ohhh, noooo, they might finish her off,” I panicked.

  “Show me where they live,” he said.

  “Yo, it’s four o’ clock in the morning. Why are y’all making so much noise?” Eze said when he walked into the room.

  “Toyi left, bruh. We gotta help her out. I knew this shit was going to happen. She was depressed all day yesterday,” Quanir said.

  “If we go there, we will be bringing them back here. Her cubs’ father will have every right to fight for his cubs for being on another’s male territory,” Eze said.

  “They tried to kill her. That pride isn’t safe for her or her cubs,” I replied.

  “Fuck this, I’ll get her myself. I can try following her scent,” Quanir said and left out of the room.

  “Hold on!” Eze ran after him. We leapt down the stairs when Quanir opened the front door then shifted. Eze shifted into his saber and I climbed on his back. We ran across the field and into the woods. Eze knew where the pride’s territory was so he took charge. Eze’s large animal ripped through the woods, knocking down a few trees. He and Quanir’s heavy paws thumped against the ground like a stampede.

  When we get there, I want you to climb up in a tree and stay there until we leave, Eze thought.

  I want to join in on the fun, I replied.

  You’re a cougar. They are lions, not cheetahs or leopards. They’ll rip you apart before I can get a chance to heal you, he thought.

  Ugh, fine, I thought.

  Asha

  K oja had been on a rampage since Toyi disappeared. I thought after we made love that night he was going to be f
ine without her but the next day he lost it. He messed up his house and it was no longer in good living condition. The pipe in the wall burst and wasn’t fixable. We didn’t have the money to get it fixed because the pride members weren’t going to work since Koji needed them to repair the house. He picked up the couch and threw it into the window. Toyi’s cubs were upstairs in her bedroom screaming at the top of their lungs. They were missing their mother and their cries were fueling Koja’s rage.

  “Calm down!” I screamed.

  “Shut the fuck up, bitch! Don’t tell me to calm down. My brother is dead and it’s because of your witch sister. Toyi is missing and I bet Sy’noba is responsible. I think you’re lying to me, Asha. Did you know Sy’noba was seeing someone?” he asked.

  “I’m positive, I didn’t know she was seeing someone. We don’t need them. It’s fine with just us,” I said and he snarled.

  “You have nothing to offer, Asha. Did you think your pussy was going to change my mind? It helped me at that moment but when I woke up the next day, the feeling came back again. The cubs have been crying nonstop since their mother disappeared,” he said.

  “I’ve had enough! I’m leaving this pride and going back home,” I replied. Koja burst out laughing.

  “With what money?” he asked.

  “I’ll find a way,” I replied.

  “You can’t do shit but spread your old legs,” he said.

  Riya came into the house naked with blood dripping down her chest.

  “I only caught one deer,” she said.

  “One fucking deer? Unbelievable! Looks like we won’t be getting fresh meat anymore. We will have to stick to frozen meat,” Koja fussed. “I’m going to bed,” Koja said and went upstairs. He slammed the door and the chandelier fell onto the floor.

  “This house is falling apart,” Riya said.

  “Whatever you do, you’d better not speak a word to anyone,” I replied.

  “What if he finds out? He’s already snooping around Sy’noba’s job. You said you had it under control and you’re slacking. He’s getting worse every day,” Riya said. She peeked around me to make sure Koja wasn’t listening.

  “Listen, there is an abandoned cabin by the swamp a few miles away from here. We can live there until we figure out how to return back home. Koja is going to kill us if he finds out what we did. We should leave tonight,” Riya said. The front door burst opened and I gasped. Toyi stepped into the house wearing a dirty T-shirt with leaves in her hair. Her eyes glowed as she walked towards me.

  “Get back!” I screamed and Riya roared.

  Toyi attacked me and we fell back on the stairs. She wrapped her hands around my throat, her nails puncturing my skin. I screamed when her sharp canines bit my shoulder. Riya pulled her by the hair and dragged her across the living room. I bit her leg and Riya went for her neck again. Toyi roared and Koja ran down the stairs. He pulled me and Riya off Toyi and slammed us into the wall. Koja’s teeth snapped Riya’s neck in half. I screamed when her dead body fell onto the floor with a loud thud. Koja ran to Toyi and cradled her.

  “What happened, baby?” Koja asked, rocking her.

  “Asha and Riya tried to kill me when we went hunting. They left me for dead but someone found me and tended to my wounds. I came back to take my cubs,” she replied.

  “I can’t let you leave. I need you,” Koja pleaded.

  “I’m sorry, Koja, but I don’t want to be here. I’m not happy here and I can’t pretend anymore,” Toyi said, pulling away from him. Tears filled Koja’s eyes and he roared. Lupe came into the house with a cheap bottle of liquor in his hand. Since Jinsi was killed, he stayed in the woods to drink.

  “Take Asha to the hole,” Koja told Lupe. I was ready to protest but a loud roar came from outside and it shook the house. We covered our ears when a louder and raspier roar followed. Toyi broke away from Koja and ran upstairs. Lupe looked out the window and snarled.

  “There are two big-ass tiger-looking animals in front of our house with tusks,” Lupe replied. Koja called for the pride members to come upstairs and he instructed me to hide the cubs. I ran upstairs to my cubs’ room and they were peacefully sleeping. They were used to the loud noise in the house and could sleep right through it.

  “Wake up, Mekah. Get your sisters and hide in the closet. Do not come out until I tell you to,” I said. He grabbed his sisters and pulled them out of bed. He pushed them into the closet and closed the door. When I left their room, Toyi was coming out of her cubs’ room with them wrapped up in a blanket around her body.

  “You’re gonna attack me while I’m carrying my babies? I’m leaving and never coming back,” she seethed.

  “We both know Koja loves you and will not rest knowing you’re alive. Death is the only way he’ll get over you,” I replied. I shifted when I charged into her. She balled herself into a fetal position to shield her cubs. My paw swiped at Toyi’s arm and blood ran down the hallway. She kicked at me and I caught her foot in my mouth. A cat burst through the window in the hallway and glass flew into my eyes. I shook the glass off and a cat with yellow-gold eyes was walking slowly towards me in attack mode. The cat was a young cougar. Toyi crawled downstairs shielding her cubs.

  Who are you? I asked.

  Lynx and I’m about to kick your ass! she thought. We collided into each other and fell through the wall in my bedroom. A sharp piece of wood got stuck in my leg and I used my teeth to snatch it out. I looked around the room and the cougar was gone. My head was only turned for a second. I was ready to leave out of the bedroom when the cougar jumped off the ceiling and knocked me into the hallway. We rolled around on the floor, scratching and biting each other. She used her hind legs to kick me off and I charged into her again. Lynx slid underneath me and went for my neck. I roared when her teeth sank into my throat. We rolled down the stairs and out of the open front door. I froze when I saw half of the pride members lying in the yard ripped in half. The two big cats with large tusks were killing the pride members. Their heavy paws were crushing their spines. Koja, Lupe, and two other members were fighting the bigger cat with gold tusks. When the other cat locked eyes with me, I realized it was the cat me and Riya saw on the farm when we were hunting on his property.

  I should’ve killed you when you tried to take our cow, he thought.

  You’ve come here for Toyi, huh? Too bad because I’m going to kill her! I said. Once I had a clear view of Toyi, I chased her into the woods. She was on top of the cougar’s back, holding on to her cubs. I leapt over a bush and knocked Toyi off the cougar. The cougar shifted into her human form and grabbed the cubs from Toyi. She crawled up the tree, cradling the cubs while Toyi lay injured on the ground. I shifted into my human form and Toyi hissed at me.

  “You tried to kill my cubs?” she asked.

  “Fuck your cubs!” I yelled and she charged at me. She slammed my face into a tree and bit a chunk out of my neck. I fell onto the ground holding my neck and she kicked me in the face.

  “GET UP!” she yelled. She picked up a big stick and brought it down on my stomach. I rolled over and coughed up blood. She was going to hit me again but Lupe sucker-punched her and she flew into a tree. When he helped me up, tears fell from my eyes. Koja was fighting the cat with gold tusks. They rolled around on the ground biting each other but Koja wasn’t a match for him. The cat with the gold tusks’ nails sliced through Koja’s stomach. Koja’s mane was drenched in blood. Lupe pulled me into a bush and covered my mouth. The cat laid on top of Koja and sank his sharp tusks into Koja’s neck. I tried to scream but Lupe squeezed my face.

  Be quiet before they hear us! They are too strong for us to defeat, Lupe thought. After the cats finished our pride members off, they left. Toyi climbed onto one of the cat’s backs and they ran off into the night. I ran out of the bush to Koja and his body was disfigured. His handsome face was in shreds and I could see through his neck. His arm and leg was mangled off. Lupe looked around and blood was everywhere. I fell to my knees and wept. Lupe picked Koja up and
took him to the hole. I fell into the blood-soaked grass because of my neck wound. Lupe picked me up and carried me into the house. He laid me on the kitchen table and went into the cabinets looking for a first-aid kit. He came back with alcohol and a towel. He poured the alcohol on my neck and I roared. The pain almost sent me into shock. He grabbed salt and placed it on my wound. The pain was unbearable, so I fainted…

  **********

  When I opened my eyes, I was lying in bed. Lupe came into the room with a glass of water.