by T. A. Foster
Slowly, the transition took place. Girls with sharp green eyes and long, dark hair found new shape as stealthy midnight black cats.
We slinked through the tunnel, taking turns to exit into the night.
I meant to call Zac before I shifted, but he had left a message earlier that he was going to work late and we’d have to meet later. I pictured him huddled over his laptop in his office. He would be safe there. I worried Case would try to hurt him again, but it wasn’t as if I could keep him locked in the lair with the Nox. That would never work. So far, he had kept up his end of the deal to stay away from the legend and the magic. My heart raced a little faster every time I thought about what that meant about his feelings for me. At the same time I tried not to think about Holly’s warnings. I convinced myself dating humans must be different for the witches.
I prowled out of the cave, keen to the sounds of the woods. I decided to patrol near the edge of the park, the others split off in different directions. Vix wanted to show Bey the trails near campus.
The wind whipped over my fur. I caught a hint of blood in the air. Human blood.
I turned to face the wind, sniffing strongly. It was a lot of blood; whomever it came from probably wasn’t alive.
I cautiously crept toward the scent. I scanned the thick brush for movement. The wind made it hard to tell if there were other creatures watching. The leaves bent back and forth.
My ears perked. I could hear the drip-drip sound. I looked up.
My God. There was a man hanging from the branches, swinging in the wind. I scaled the trunk, careful to avoid the ropes tossing him between the limbs. I cut through the rope with my claws to lower him. He landed with a thud, and I jumped to the ground.
He was dead. His body was still warm. This had just happened. I looked around. Then I picked it up. There was another scent. It was warm juniper and mint. My ears pinned back. My nose twitched. I started to growl. Zac had been here.
I canvassed the area. His blood wasn’t here. Thank God. I walked closer to the park. Maybe he had gone for a run today and I was catching remnants from the afternoon. It grew stronger the closer I walked. Then I picked up another scent. One that always made my stomach turn. Case.
I ran in circles. More than one member of the Tribe had been here. I followed where the scent became the thickest. They had arrived from different paths, but they left together. Zac was with them.
I ran faster. I had to find them. I had to find him. I swore I wouldn’t let anything else happen. He wouldn’t be able to defend himself against them in shifter form. Their claws and teeth would rip him apart in seconds.
I hurled my legs under me, sprinting faster than I ever had.
The smell was fresher. I was closer. I slowed down so I could plan my attack. Garbled voices spoke on the other side of a line of bushes. They were speaking jag. I peered through the leaves, and then climbed the closest tree.
My heart froze. It wasn’t possible. This wasn’t happening.
Tegan and Eva stood next to Zac. Sloan paced in front of them, her tail flicking with each lap. I wanted to scream to them to run, to break away from the Tribe, but there was something wrong. Terribly wrong.
Tegan held a knife. I didn’t know why she and Eva were the only ones who hadn’t shifted. I edged forward to listen.
Case snarled. “This man is a threat to all of us.” He glared at Zac. “The queen wants him. She continues to defy me. To defy all of us.” He had their attention. “Together, we will show her what happens when you defy the laws of the council. When you defy royalty.”
He nodded at Tegan, and she ran the tip of the knife along the side of Zac’s throat. Eva held his arms back.
I could see the blood trickle faster now that the point of the knife was pressed against his skin. His eyes were closed. He didn’t see me. None of them did.
They were too focused on the fire and the sacrifice they were about to make in the shadows of its flame.
I crouched, the limb supporting me as I edged closer. I was outnumbered. If I pounced now, the Tribe would surround me in seconds. But, if I waited much longer, they would kill him.
There in the center, I could see everything familiar to me. I knew them and somehow the wildness and violence I witnessed had stripped away the memories of who I thought they were.
I was forced to feel my raw emotions spilling around me, consuming my choices, my inaction. How had this happened?
My ears twitched at the low growling sounds that started in the center of the circle, and then made their way around until they were so loud it was deafening.
My head throbbed from the sounds of their celebration. I didn’t have time to regret the choices that led us here. Later. Regrets were for later.
The steel blade sank against his skin, and my eyes narrowed.
Now. I needed to move now or he would be lost to me.
The forest would hear my roar and so would the Tribe. I leapt from the branch, landing in the center, scattering the fire and the knife. They growled, their sharp teeth bared at me.
I’d spent my life fighting for humans, but tonight, I knew in my heart that I would fight until I was dead.
The commotion was enough to take Tegan and Eva by surprise. Zac swept his leg against their ankles, knocking both of them to the ground. I couldn’t help him and attack the Tribe at the same time. I prayed he could keep them away.
Sloan was the first one to swat at me, her claws extended to their full length. She hissed and lunged.
I darted to the side, and she soared past me.
“Sloan!” I roared. “Stop! What are you doing?”
Ronan growled at me. “You can’t give her orders anymore.”
I jumped at him, striking his back and the curve behind his ears. He rolled to the side, howling.
Sloan attacked from the back, sinking her teeth into my neck. “You can’t hurt him, Dare.”
I spun hard enough to throw her off balance, sending her through the air. She landed hard against a tree. I wasn’t sure if I had knocked her out, but I didn’t have time. The rest of the Tribe was aimed in my direction.
Trev lined up behind him. “Trev, you don’t want to fight me.”
We both knew it was true. He didn’t want to have anything to do with preserving the bonding ritual. He stepped to the side as Eli hurtled his body at me. I reared on my legs to cut across his face.
“That’s for Abi,” I hissed.
He grabbed at his face, oozing with blood. His nose was split.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Zac assessing his options. I wanted him to run. Run far from here where they couldn’t find him. He picked up the end of burning timber, holding it in front of him. His eyes darted to mine before poking the air in front of him with the burning wood. He had made a choice to stay and help me fight.
Eva and Tegan exchanged a wicked smile, and then slowly shifted. My God, they were transforming in front of him. There was a hint of relief that they were still able to make the transformation, but it wasn’t good for Zac. He grabbed another stick and charged at them with the fire.
I spun in time to avoid Noah’s fangs. He charged at me, mouth open, ready to tear into me.
Case growled at him. “Don’t kill her, you moron.” Case knocked him out of the way. “I don’t want her dead. She’s my queen.”
Noah stood, his eyes filled with more hatred for me than I thought possible. I didn’t want to be grateful for Case’s protection, but Noah was prepared to take me out.
“Hey, little kitty,” Case purred.
I backed away a few feet. I needed enough space to pounce harder and faster.
“Let them go, Case. No one else has to get hurt. I’m giving you a chance here.”
He laughed. “You’re so outnumbered, sweetheart. You think you and your boyfriend can run out of here and off into the sunset?” He scratched at the dirt floor of the forest. “Just look at you two.” He laughed. “You’re a panther and he’s a human. You know this can’t ha
ppen.” He snarled. “I’ve been patient. Awfully patient, don’t you think? You belong only to me. You’re not his. It’s time you accept your defeat.”
I was ready for him to launch himself at me. My ears twitched. I focused on his eyes.
“I’m not accepting anything from you.”
“You know, technically he shouldn’t even be here.” He nodded at Zac. “That message Noah gave him should have removed him from this scenario. But you’re stubborn. You had to save him, didn’t you? The guy should be dead.”
Before I could run in front of him, he pounced, but not toward me, toward Zac. He hurtled his body at Zac’s chest, knocking him to the ground with a heavy thud. He pinned him under his paw, and Tegan and Eva immediately ceased their pursuit. They deferred to Case.
I couldn’t believe it. They should be fighting with me against the Tribe. Instead, it was as if all Case had to do was look at them and they magically responded to his wishes. It made the rage in me burn deeper. Who in the hell did he think he was?
Zac stared into Case’s eyes. I wanted to tell him to stay still. The more he moved, the more likely it was Case would hurt him. He was completely unpredictable right now.
“He means something to you, doesn’t he, Dare?” Case taunted.
I wouldn’t fool him if I lied. “He does. Just let him go. He has nothing to do with this. He’s not part of our shifter problems.”
“But he is. You’ve made him our problem. You should have let him die.”
And we were back to the same issue. The one I’d tried so hard to prove to Case. With Zac’s heart beneath his claws, it wasn’t time to defy Case.
“He’s not that important. Let him go. He’s just a human.”
“I don’t think that’s all there is to it.” Case ran his tongue over the tips of his fangs. His whiskers twitched. “Say it,” Case ordered. “Say, yes and I’ll let him live.” His paw moved over Zac’s throat, the claws indenting his skin.
“You wouldn’t kill him. I’d never forgive you. You won’t take that chance.” He had to be bluffing.
“I will kill him. Watch.” He extended a claw and ran it behind Zac’s ear. Blood flowed down the back of his neck. “See, little kitty? This is all up to you.”
I growled. “Stop, Case! Stop!”
“Only if you say yes. It’s your choice, Dare.”
Choices. We all had them. I had made one when I let myself fall for Zac. When I went to the boring museum dinner, when I let him kiss me, when I took care of him, when I slept all night in his bed. Choices had been made.
I looked into his eyes. He was struggling to breathe, but I saw the fight alive in him. He was breathing slowly. He was centering himself.
“It won’t work if I agree like this. It’s forced.”
Case chuckled, his eyes landing on Sloan. “I think she would disagree with you. Sloan has become quite the devoted bride-to-be. We will honor it no matter how you say it.”
Case moved the claw to Zac’s ear and scratched a second cut. “Come on, you’re really going to let me kill this guy?”
“No, I’m not.” I walked toward them. The circle of panthers and jaguars sat around us.
“Good.” Case smiled. “It would be a shitty way to start our honeymoon. I want my bride happy. Really I do. Just say it, Dare. Say it.”
I swallowed hard. Zac looked at me. I had been fighting against this choice, and no matter what, I couldn’t outrun it. Case had won. He had used my heart against me.
I sat at Zac’s feet. Case waited for my answer, his claw twisting in Zac’s neck.
“Case, I-I—” I choked on the words. They were stuck in my throat, but I couldn’t let him die. I couldn’t let him slip away, bleed to death in front of me. Not like this surrounded by dark shifters, by evil and hatred.
“Go on, say it.”
“I-I will—”
As soon as I pledged myself to him, it would be over. Zac would be free, but I wouldn’t. The words would bind me to Case—unlock the magic between us. Open my mind to his influence, make me want to serve him, follow him, sleep with him. Raise his daughter. I felt the bile rising under my ribs.
Case growled. “Say it.”
The roars surrounded us, echoing off the trees, filling the air. I whipped around. The Nox were positioned to attack. Vix stepped forward, flanked by Maya and Bey. The new initiates slowly circled, appearing from behind the cloak of the heavy foliage. Their shadows were long in the firelight.
Case released Zac, ready to attack. He took his opportunity to escape the clutch and backed up slowly. I watched as his silhouette faded into the trees.
“What the hell?” Case glowered. “Where did these little kitties come from?”
Bey took another step, allowing the firelight to glimmer off the sheen of her fur.
“You bitch.” He spit, twisting his head back toward me. “You went into my territory?”
I enjoyed his reaction a little too much. “No, Case. It’s Bey’s territory. I think your entire lineup is really screwed up now. No wife number one or number four.” I grinned.
“Hey there,” Bey taunted.
Case’s temper flared in his eyes. I had pushed all the right buttons.
Vix glared. She had wanted to draw blood for a long time. I nodded at her. There was no holding back tonight.
The Nox charged first, meeting the Tribe head on amidst the scattered fire. We fought, teeth gnashing, claws slicing. Determined. Fierce. Relentless.
The Tribe had always underestimated us. When you were fighting for something, there was a strength and a power from within that couldn’t be trained. It couldn’t be taught. It couldn’t be defeated.
The Nox fought together, in unison, plowing through the defenses the Tribe attempted.
The skills Zac had taught us helped us stay steady and focused while the Tribe plowed ahead with reckless emotion. Maya had never seemed so certain before. She latched on to Eli, using her legs as powerful weapons.
Vix ripped Noah’s ear and was headed for the second, when he turned to run into the forest.
I didn’t know whom we took out first. All I know is I stood over Case. A chunk of his arm ripped and exposed. I peered into his eyes, daring him to challenge me. He looked away, clutching at the bloody fur near his shoulder. I had been merciful. He should know that I didn’t have to be.
I stepped over him.
In the end, we stood on one side of the fire, and Tegan, Eva, and Sloan were on the other.
I looked at the panthers on my right and left. “Don’t attack them,” I ordered.
“Why not?” Sloan asked. She growled. “Afraid you’ll lose your little newbies?”
“Because it’s the magic making you fight us. I won’t fight you. You’re Nox. You’re one of us. You all are.”
“No, we’re part of the Tribe. Each of us has been chosen to bond. That is our choice, your majesty.” She spit the words into the fire. “Or do you think you still think you can tell us what to do? Maybe you’ve noticed you aren’t the only leader.”
“We fought tonight for you.” I stared at each of them. The Tribe was scattered around our feet, licking their wounds, writhing in pain. They were lucky they were still alive. “We fought for each one of you.”
“Then you’ve got a problem,” she snarled. “You have a weakness.”
“It’s not weak to care about your friends. There’s nothing weak about us,” I challenged her.
I heard the branches break behind me. “Tegan?” Abi tipped into our circle from the woods. I wasn’t sure how she had found us. She hadn’t shifted. She looked small and delicate amid our circle of shifters, like a lost child.
She walked toward Tegan, weaving past large black cats, oblivious to the fight we had just survived.
Eli gritted his teeth. “No, Abi! Don’t!” He pulled himself forward, but both his paws were sliced. Maya had beaten him. Abi glanced at him over her shoulder, but kept walking.
She stood in front of Tegan, studying her face
. We watched, afraid if we moved the other Nox would strike against Abi.
“Tegan, where have you been?” she whispered, reaching her hand toward Tegan’s head.
Maya stepped forward, but I nudged her to stay still.
All it would take was one slash to rip into Abi’s chest. To kill her on the spot. She was defenseless in front of the three of them. I held my breath, praying there was a part of them still there. A part that wouldn’t hurt Abi.
They knew her. They had gone to The Grove with her. Tegan loved her. Magic couldn’t undo all of that.
“I’ve been looking for you. I couldn’t find you. Were you here?” Abi’s voice sounded small but calm.
Tegan backed up slowly, her eyes diverted to the ground.
“I’ve been looking,” Abi repeated. “You were never where I thought you’d be.”
“That’s enough! Stay away from her, Tegan,” Eli snarled. “Don’t talk to her.”
Maya marched over to him and hit him with the back of her paw. His head hit the ground.
Tegan turned around, and then darted into the woods.
Abi faced us, looking confused. “I remember her. I couldn’t find her.”
“It’s all right.” Maya tried to reassure her. “You found her. See?”
Eli’s tone had been frantic, panicked almost. I wondered if it was because Abi had a piece of her memory back. Maybe talking to Tegan would bring even more to the surface. I wanted to know what had triggered it.
“It’s not too late,” I spoke to Eva and Sloan. “You’re still Nox. You can come home with us. We’ve been helping Abi. We can help you too.”
It was a small look between them. One so small they probably didn’t think I saw it. For a second I thought we had gotten through to them. Our friendship, Abi, the battle—something made them want to be Nox again.
Sloan and Eva circled together. Before I could stop them, they ran after Tegan and fled into the darkness.
I kicked rocks over Case as I strutted past him. “It’s over, Case.”
I heard the rumble from his throat. I didn’t need him to tell me he had lost. His army was separated and injured. Trev deserted. The girls had run off.
“You still have to face the council,” he groaned.