“We’ll get to that, but first, I’d like to tell you a little about our pride. We’re not like most, after all.”
“Okay…” Rayna said.
“Unlike most, we are a conglomeration of many shifters. Mostly cats, of course, but we do have a few more unique types.” His smile grew, revealing less than perfect teeth. Some crooked, some straight, and most of them stained yellow.
“Other breeds? Do you take werewolves?” I asked.
Charlie’s smile disappeared. “I’m afraid not. The Shadowpack would never allow such a thing. Werewolves’ blood in general runs a little hotter than most, but especially so when it comes to the Shadowpack.”
“They won’t allow it?” I asked.
“They’re an organization that relies on its hierarchy. They rule with a heavy hand and force their members to live in fear. As such, they would never allow a wolf in Stonewall to be free of their pack. This is simply not our way.”
Fear for Willy ran through my veins, but as Rayna spoke, I pushed it aside. This was an opportunity to get help for Rayna; I didn't want to muddle it with anything else.
“What exactly is your way?” Rayna asked.
“Werecats are a peaceful creature, but our strain of the virus is highly selective. Our kind is fading from the world, and as our numbers drop, we need now more than ever to come together. Our goal is to unite all the werecats under one banner.”
“If it’s so hard to transfer the virus, how did I become so lucky?”
“I’m afraid we have yet to find any rhyme or reason for why the transfer occurs in some and not others.”
“Wonderful.” Rayna rolled her eyes.
Charlie didn’t seem bothered by Rayna’s reluctance. He managed to keep the smile on his face even as the uncomfortable tension set in around us. “You’re here because I can help you.”
“With what?”
“There is no need to play coy. I can help you bring out your beast,” he said.
“I don’t need help with that. I don’t want it out.”
“Rayna…” I started.
“Don’t, okay? Everybody is so keen on helping me control this. I don’t want to control it; I want to be rid of it.”
“Whether you wish to have the gift or not is not of importance. It is yours to have. You should feel proud, Rayna. The werecat is a strong and independent creature. The other animals respect it.”
“Gift? More like a curse.”
“Oh, but it is, child. With my help, we can move past the pain it causes you. I can teach you to control it so it comes only when you call it. As you learn control, the shift becomes less painful.”
“I already told you I don’t want to control it, so unless you can help me get rid of it, we’re done here.” Rayna stood up and looked at me. “Let’s go.”
I didn't move. I didn’t trust random strangers, but I also wasn't about to blow off the only help we'd been offered. I knew Rayna was scared, but I wouldn't let her fear stop us from hearing our options.
“There is more for you to know. Please sit.” Chief gestured back to the couch.
“And if I refuse?”
“You are not a prisoner. I simply want to help you. This can be a revealing and positive experience if you let it, but if you fight it, there is a high probability it will be the last experience you ever have.”
“Are you threatening me?”
Chief shook his head. “The shift you’re experiencing is deadly, even to a pureblood if not properly handled. You are a born shifter, yet you are not a pureblood. As such, your beast is wild, and requires even more attention than most.”
I waited for Rayna’s quick remark, but she stayed silent, the defiance in her eyes fading slightly.
“You’ve helped others?” I asked.
Chief nodded.
“Other half-demons with hunter’s blood?”
“To my knowledge, there is no other exactly like Rayna, but there are hunters who’ve been granted this gift whom I’ve been able to help.”
“And they survived?”
“It isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible. The shifter virus does not blend well with hunter DNA. With training, however, we can increase the chances of a successful change.”
“So you can help her?” I smiled.
“How is that great news?” Rayna snapped. Her eyes were fierce and her tone, frosty.
“What do you mean?”
“I’d think you of all people would have my back on this. I don’t want to shift. Can’t you understand that?”
“Yes, I can, but you don’t have a choice. If you don’t get help, you’re going to die. Do you understand that? I don’t want to lose anyone else. I won't…” I let my voice trail off and diverted my eyes. “The shift will kill you.”
I could feel Rayna watching me, and although she wasn’t pleased, she sat back down. “What can you do for me exactly?
“We need to bring the beast out slowly. You must learn to call it to the surface, and push it back down. Once you’ve mastered that technique, we can move into the specifics about shifting.”
“That’s it?” Rayna sounded unimpressed.
“It sounds simpler than it is. A painless shift is about being centered in your world, and understanding the beast. In order to accomplish this, you must connect with it, and be able to command it. I can teach you, and help keep your beast controlled.”
“What makes you think I can’t do that alone?”
“It’s dangerous. If you don’t know how to work with your beast, it will tear itself out and rip you in half in the process. These violent transformations are what take so many young lives. Plus, you shouldn’t have to be alone. The first shift is painful. As you become more experienced, it gets easier. As a shifter, we don’t rely on the cycle of the moon, but we do run on a monthly cycle. Once per month, from the date of your first full shift, you must release your inner animal. Some of the older shifters can change at will without suffering the side effects; the younger ones aren’t that lucky.
“What side effects?”
“A young shifter needs hours of sleep after a shift. It’s an exhausting process. When they finally wake, their appetite is tremendous and they’re oversensitive to smell and noise. It doesn’t happen to everyone, but there is an adjustment period.”
“That’s not so bad,” I said, but those words earned me a glare from a still unhappy Rayna.
“This is a big change, Rayna. I understand that. Nobody is here to force anything on you. I simply want to extend the invitation. Our pride is leaving in a few days for a retreat. It’s a perfect opportunity for a young shifter to get in touch with their beast in a safe environment.”
“How exactly do you even know about me?” Rayna asked.
“Shifters are always aware of their own kind. Especially when they are of the same pride,” Chief said.
“You said yourself you’ve never dealt with anyone like me. What makes you think you can even help?”
“I have helped many through this. Some were purebloods, others were hunters, and the rest were bitten.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Your situation is different because you were never bitten. Without knowing when the first major shift is coming, we don’t know how much time we have to work with.”
“I’ve just met you and you’re telling me you have a feeling you can help me. Not to mention, you haven’t said what you want in return. Forgive me if I seem a little unsure.” Rayna’s sarcasm was thick, but the confidence she tried for wasn’t there. She sounded confused.
“I understand. I am a stranger to you and I’m asking you to trust me. All I can do is tell you I wish to help, not harm you. And I want nothing in return. You are a shifter in need, and as such, I wish to help. I cannot promise any more than that.”
“I need to leave,” Rayna said.
“It may seem strange to you, but the werecats are peaceful people who take care of their own. Please consider my offer.”
> “I said I want to go.”
Chief nodded, looking disappointed. “Garrett will take you.”
I reached out and shook Chief’s hand, thanking him for his time. Although Rayna wasn’t happy about it, I felt relieved knowing there might be a chance we could help her. Now I needed her to see it that way.
********
The SUV hummed over the pitted road and an odd silence hung around us. It was thick and uncomfortable, and I was happy when Garrett spoke.
“He’s a good man,” he said, brown eyes watching me through the rearview mirror. “Chief, I mean. You can trust him. I was where you are once. I hated what I was. I didn’t want anything to do with anyone, especially not the Hollowlights.”
“What changed?”
“Chief came into my life. He came into all of ours.”
“It sounds kind of strange that one man changed all your lives,” I said.
Karissa turned around. Her hazel eyes held the most serious expression. “If you'd ever met Arian–our old leader–it wouldn’t.”
“What made him so bad?”
Karissa released a sarcastic laugh.
“Arian was not a nice man,” Garrett said. “He thrived on torturing shifters, and if a werecat refused to join his pride, he killed them. Plain and simple. Things were not ideal for us.”
“That's putting it lightly,” Karissa added.
“When Chief came to Stonewall, he saw the fear and pain Arian inflicted. He taught us what Arian refused to: how to control our beasts. As more and more shifters went to Chief for help, Arian started to notice a change in his pride. When he discovered what was happening, he kidnapped and tortured Chief, threatening to kill him if he didn’t fall under his command.”
“So how did he get to be the leader?” Rayna’s mind seemed distracted by the story. Her feline eyes looked eager to learn what happened next.
“Chief challenged him.”
“To what?” I asked.
“All shifters follow a code. When a challenge is made, a shifter must either step down from their rank and leave the pack, or accept. If he accepts, the challenge is to the death.”
“So Chief won,” I said.
“Had there not been other shifters present, he would have surely killed Chief on the wall he was chained to, but even Arian wouldn’t attempt that in front of the pride. It wasn’t an easy battle, but even after weeks of torture, Chief defeated him, making him our new leader.”
“Wow.”
“Like I told you, he’s a good man. He is honest, and most importantly, he shows compassion.”
“Is that so?” Rayna’s sarcasm came back with a vengeance.
“Chief didn’t kill Arian. He gave him the opportunity to choose: death or exile. Arian chose exile and left the pride. With Arian gone, Chief has built this pride into something amazing. Other shifters like bears, foxes, coyotes, and all the birds, have always been on the bottom of the food chain. They are even rarer than the werecats, and because of that, they have no families. No pack. Chief has opened the door to them. Given them a home and somewhere they can belong. He cares not just for his people, but all people.”
Garrett brought the vehicle to a stop in front of the condo and turned in his seat. “You don’t have to love what you’re becoming, Rayna, but you should love who you are. Love the life you have and the people who are in it. If you try to do this on your own, you won’t have it for much longer.”
Rayna stared at Garrett, but I couldn’t read the expression on her face. She shook her head, jumped out of the vehicle, and didn’t look back.
“Try to talk to her, Chase. It’s in her best interest.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Rayna was in the elevator and as I raced to beat the doors, our eyes locked and it started to close. She leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms. I was too late. The doors closed and the elevator sprang to life.
I moved up the stairs with a hunter’s speed. I let the concrete steps vanish beneath me and I gripped the railing as I turned around the corner of each flight of stairs. “Rayna, wait.” I came through the front door of the condo, but Rayna didn’t stop. She took the last few steps and disappeared to the second floor. I followed her up and used my hand to stop her bedroom door from closing. “What, am I invisible?”
“Out!” Rayna pointed to the door.
“No, not until we talk about this.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. Now leave.”
“Well, I’m telling you there is.”
“What do you want to talk about? How much easier things will be for me if I go? That I need to gain control of this monster inside me?”
“Why are you making this so difficult?”
“Because I don’t want to go.”
“What’s so bad about learning to control it? Or are you happy to let it kill you?”
“Don’t stand there and nobly tell me it’s for my own good because you don’t have a clue what’s best for me.”
“I know it’s killing you. You’re trying to shrug this off like it’s nothing, and it’s not. I was there. I saw what it did. You need Chief’s help.”
“I don’t need anything. Not from him, and not from you. Now get out of my room!”
“Too many people have died to keep us alive. I won’t let you throw that away,” I said, and my stomach tightened. I knew that was a low blow, but it needed to be said. I didn’t know how else I could get through to her.
“Don’t you dare throw that in my face!”
“It’s true, or have you forgotten the sacrifices that were made for us?”
“Screw you, Chase!”
“Dammit Rayna, why are you so afraid of this?”
“Because you’ll think I’m even more of a monster!” Rayna screamed, and silence fell over us.
I was frozen. “What?”
“Forget it. Just leave me alone.”
“That’s what this is all about? What I might think?” Rayna turned and stood with her back to me. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, but I’m not that person anymore.”
“Oh please, I see the way you look at me. At Tiki, Vincent, even Willy. You pity us.”
“I do not.”
“You feel sorry for what we are. You think you're better than us.” Rayna’s voice was quiet, but I could hear the anger in it.
“You have no idea what I think. If you did, you’d know the reason is so I can keep you in my life. I don’t want to lose you, Rayna. Not Willy, not Tiki…I’d be okay with losing Vincent, but that’s beside the point. All of you and Marcus are all I have left.” Rayna turned around and met my eyes, but while her face showed anger, her eyes showed sadness. “But since you can read minds, you don’t need me to tell you that, do you?” I turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind me.
I felt the fire burning within me. Anger and fear vibrated in my soul, rising to my fingertips and threatening to explode. “Not now.” I spoke to myself through gritted teeth, closing my eyes and concentrating on the element. I tried to push the power back, not focusing on water to neutralize it, but reaching down and shoving the flame into my soul.
The memory of my dream came back. I had perfect control then and I needed that now. I couldn’t afford to let this power own me. Not anymore. That confidence calmed me and allowed me to hold the fire back. The element churned, and with an invisible hand, I pushed it back beneath the surface.
The magic faded, as did my anger, and I released the breath I was holding. My pulse was racing in my throat and I took deep breaths, slowing it to a steady pace. I stood in the hallway, surrounded by silence, when Rayna's voice came from the other side of the door.
“I’ll think about it.”
Chapter 12
“Chase, come on, get up.” Rayna’s voice echoed around me.
The world was fuzzy and I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. “What time is it?”
“It’s late. Come on, we’ve got to go.”
I pushed myself up and leaned against the headboard. “Forget it. I'm not coming shopping with you again.”
“We're going to Vincent’s.”
That name pushed away the sleep that had clung to my body. “You woke me up to take me to Vincent? No thanks.”
“He’s got information about the ring.”
“I’m sure he does. And I bet it comes with a pretty little bow and price tag attached. Not interested.” I slid back down onto the bed and rolled over.
“He’s offering it to us for free.”
“Now that doesn’t sound like there’s an ulterior motive at work.”
“Look, I don’t buy it either, but if the Circle and Riley both want it, it’s worth checking out. Get dressed,” she said and walked from the room.
I pulled the pillow over my head to block out the sunlight. Rayna wasn’t wrong. Riley and the Circle wanted it, and that painted an even bigger target on me than usual. But this was Vincent and he operated on hidden motives. He was the reason I had the ring and the Mark in the first place. I wanted nothing to do with him, but he did have a talent for finding answers.
I cursed myself and rolled out of bed, getting ready for what I could only imagine would be a day full of lies and deceit. Maybe once we’d sifted through all that, we’d get lucky and find some answers.
I didn’t want to bring up Chief and his offer to help Rayna again. I knew the discussion wasn’t over, but the last thing I wanted was another fight. She hadn’t said a word about it on our trip to Vincent’s, but the tension was there, floating between us.
Vincent’s warehouse looked dull. The chain link fence was sagging in most places and the gate that was usually chained and locked was open and inviting. The boarded up windows and broken brick walls were in their true form. No glamour to be taken down. I still couldn’t wrap my head around why the head of a powerful vampire family lived in a place like this. It just didn’t seem right.
A blonde woman met us at the gate and led us inside. She pushed open one of the dented steel doors and smiled. “Welcome. I’m Veronica and I’ll be taking you to Vincent.”
She was one of the many vamplings Vincent had working for him. They watched over the vampires during the day and did whatever was needed on command. I knew they were just emergency food, but the vamplings thought they were a key piece to the vampires’ survival; they all hoped to serve their master until he sought to turn them.
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