Changer's Blood (Balancer's Soul cycle)

by Lee Morgan

  This gained everyone’s attention and the atmosphere tensed.

  The anchor woman asked in the microphone “Can you please give us some details about this accusation?” her eyes widened at a scandal she didn’t yet know about. Connor also didn’t like the way her eyes seemed to be undressing him.

  Connor smiled. “Gladly,” he glanced at an enraged mayor. “The mayor’s son, Mathew assaulted my wife before the school year ended.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “I wanted to punish him for harming her, but she said not to. Daddy here,” Connor pointed to the mayor who stood behind his line of men. “told his son to ‘Make me look like the trash I was.’ Mathew took his advice and received a stun gun from a teacher at the school graduation.” Everyone of the press’s jaw dropped slightly. “Oh it gets much better. Mathew used the stun gun on me at the high school graduation and in front of everyone there. He kicked me while I was getting tasered. The other part of it was that the teacher who gave him the weapon, took my wife hostage.” Sarah squeezed his hand that rested on her shoulder. “When I fought against the Taser I managed to incapacitate both Mathew and Mr. V.”

  Connor turned to look at the red faced bulldog. He spoke in a controlled voice as he looked down at the balding man. “The teacher was imprisoned, but the mayor here used his authority to only let Mathew get a few hours of community service. He uses his office to do many unlawful deeds.”

  “This is all an accusation without any proof!” The mayor yelled to the reporters. Then he looked at Connor with dangerous eyes. “The two of you are liars!”

  Connor has a fair amount of patients, but zero tolerance for anyone calling himself or his mate a liar. Connor walked around the sofa, leaving Sarah in her spot. He stood before the four guards who finally moved in to intercept. He intentionally stopped and smiled when the four men brandished the sidearm’s that were hidden under their jackets. The one that stood before Connor held up his hand. “You don’t want to take another step, son, if you know what’s good for you. Step away before you get hurt.”

  Still smiling Connor spoke in a voice that could cut steel. Looking down at the guard he said “This is my house your trespassing in. Plus the four of you are all within my territory. I could drop all of you to the ground before your hands even went for your gun.”

  The guard smiled back in a menacing way. “What can you do against the four of us? Your only one person.”

  All of the objectives for his plan were finally met. Before they arrived Connor was able to do a quick scan of everyone’s minds and got a generalization of how they think and react to a variety of situations. When he first told Sarah what he had to do, she became a little hesitant.

  Knowing this would be the safest way, she finally agreed.

  His smile became a grin as Connor grabbed the bottom of his long sleeved black shirt. He pulled off his loose shirt and tossed it behind to where Sarah still stood. He now stood tall and the entire room became silent except for the still rolling camera. With his overly muscled physique he looked down into the stunned leaders eyes. They all saw his chest brand and it frightened them. “This is what I can do.”

  While the four guards were instinctively backing away Connor moved as fast as he could when he was still human. With precision he reached into the four men’s jackets and removed each of their side arms. He threw them backwards knowing where he told Jack to stay. Not one sidearm hit the floor as Connor pulled Tool from his belt and used the flat hammer to bring the chin of the leader to look up into his face. Connor got in his face and the man went pale white with real fear. “I don’t like guns. Especially when they are around those I love. Get out of this house now and I’ll return them to you before you leave. Say another word and you’ll be in the hospital for months after I’m through with you.” He was still stunned. Connor got nose to nose with him.

  Connor spoke coolly yet dangerously “Get out. Now!”

  Suddenly he and his four men scrambled safely outside. The mayor said without any compassion “Those men were well paid. Well they are all fired.” Connor turned his sights on the self-important man. He backed into the wall saying “You can’t touch me boy. Unless you want the death penalty.” He smiled at the idea.

  Connor unceremoniously walked into the mayor’s personal space while his knuckles were white as he held Tool. He got nose to nose to him. He quietly said “Apologize to my wife for calling her a liar!”

  He grinned and whispered “Never.”

  His patience came to its end.

  Connor grabbed the mayor by the throat easily and lifted him up with his right hand only. “I see where Mathew gets his arrogance from.” The man’s expression was more shocked that he was actually touched than being lifted clear off the ground with a single hand. “If you’re here to accuse me for Mathew’s disappearance, tough luck. I didn’t even see him there at the rescue efforts. I was too busy helping someone else so she could get home to her grandparents. She was and still is more important than your missing son.” Connor brought him down to face level and whispered so that only the mayor could hear. “Get off my property. If you don’t, I have the right to permanently remove any trespasser. Plus you brought weapons on my property; that’s intent.”

  “Well, well, well. What do we have going on in here? Looks like we’re having a party.” Connor turned to see a smiling Deputy Burrow’s in full uniform behind the camera crew. He released his hold after seeing that familiar face and the mayor crashed to the ground.

  The county mayor chocked while holding his throat. He curled in a fetal position as he finally spoke. “Officer, arrest that man for assault on the mayor.”

  The press silently stepped back as Connor’s friend walked forward. The deputy simply smiled. “Sorry, but he is within his rights to do as he did.” He leaned forward and said loud enough for everyone to hear. “Can you even see what Mr. May looks like? If he wanted to Connor could have crushed your wind pipe along with those men, who are outside scared out of their wits, before you could even blink. Count yourself lucky that he was merciful. I know he doesn’t give many other chances.” The deputy stood up and showed he wasn’t going to help out the trespasser. He spoke calmly and politely to Connor. “Would you like for me to arrest the mayor for entering a private residence without legal authorization?”

  The mayor’s eyes went wide, knowing that he stood alone.

  Connor said “I’ll settle for the reports you brought for these nice people to see.” He could almost feel the atmosphere starting to shift.

  The deputy had two copies of the initial report from Mathew’s attack before the mayor erased them from the county server. Deputy Burrow also found a few delectable pieces of information that he told Connor about and had them prepared for a situation such as this. He handed each stunned group a report. He smiled and said nicely “Will you please let everyone know how unlawful and unethical the mayor and his son have treated this nice family? I hate when Politian’s sweep things under the rug while hurting polite and decent folk.”

  Jim was the first to speak. He sounded upbeat now that he could do an article against someone other than Connor. “There will be a new headliner for tomorrow’s paper. I can guarantee you that.” He smiled as he thumbed through the report like he just discovered an entire gold vain beneath his feet. After thumbing through it he tapped his coworkers on the shoulder. “We have a better story to write than a missing fool.” He smiled at Connor and winked as he left with his men. They were both glad the spotlight had shifted and his boss couldn’t punish him.

  The deputy walked over and talked with the reporters while Connor knelt down. The mayor was still rubbing his throat when Connor said for his ears only “I’m only going to say this once. If either you or Mathew set a single step on my property again, I will kill you. If you approach my family, I’ll kill you. You can bark all you want at me, but you had better beware of my teeth if you ever think to come back.” He stood up and spoke normally to a stunned man. “Would you like to leave under your
own power or would you like for me to carry you out? It doesn’t matter to me either way as long as you leave and never return.”

  A few seconds passed. He speech was as shaky as it was for him to stand. “I still have some pride.” When he finally stood he slowly made way for the door.

  Connor walked over to Jack. Jack smiled and he felt him wanting to say something telepathically. “That worked wonderfully. I would hate to have you as an enemy…”

  Connor smiled as he took the guns from Jack and walked outside. With two in each hand he approached the four men. The mayor was crawling into the backseat of the SUV. Two men were sitting down in the grass while the other two were standing, but only just. “Here you go boys.” He handed them their guns back. He decided to offer them some healthy advice. “Never underestimate an opponent who you’ve never met. And never rely on a gun in a crowded room. Next time bring a knife for close quarters.”

  The head guard finally got up off the ground. He said as he re-holstered his weapon “I’ll remember that. By the way, how did you take our guns?”

  “When you make your prey afraid, their reflexes are momentarily stunted. Use that hesitation to disarm them. It’s child’s play for me.”

  He actually walked up to and shook Connor’s hand. “Thank you for not hurting myself or my men.” From the look he gave Connor and the other men they had a long history with each other. They looked like old war heroes, but they had to find a job and the only one they could find came in the form of protection.

  The four men left the property after saying their words of thanks.

  The only two vehicles that didn’t belong were the deputy’s cruiser and the news reporters. Connor sighed and walked back inside.

  The moment he stepped through the front door the camera turned in his direction. The blond woman asked “Where did you get that tattoo at?”

  He didn’t want to talk anymore because he was tired of annoying people asking questions that should be left alone. He looked at Sarah and she at him. She gave him a heartfelt smile and he pushed into her mind. “How would you like to exact your revenge, Princess?”

  She looked at the reporters back and a feral grin crept in. She said in her velvety voice “Excuse me?” The reporters turned as one to her. “Can you leave? You interrupted my husband while he was eating and you saw what happened when he gets upset. You have everything you need.” She looked at the female reporter specifically and her tone changed to icy steel. “Leave us alone, if you know what’s good for you.”

  Taking the hint they left. Jack perfectly placed the magnets because the camera passed exactly between them on their way out.

  As they left Deputy Burrow’s and the rest of his family let out a sigh of relief. Connor yelled the ‘All clear!’ down the hallway. Instantly his best friend and little sister came outside and joined them. The deputy spoke when everyone was quiet. “Connor, I have to say you’ve got some pretty big stones for that little stunt you pulled. What will happen if the news people edit the film and turn it around and say that you attacked the mayor?”

  He smiled and said. “Stand in the doorway.” Connor walked up to his relieved mate as she handed him back his shirt. The shirt slipped back on as the deputy shrugged and stepped into the entryway. He said evenly “Try to use your radio and call someone.”

  His brow furrowed, but he reached up and clicked the walkie-talkie that hung over his collar bone. All he received was a loud static sound as he held the button. “What’s going on?”

  Connor stepped forward and pulled the wall paper back and pulled out one of the magnets. When he handed it to him, one of the pens in his uniform’s breast pocket popped off the shirt and landed on the top of the magnet. “That’s why I’m not worried about those cameras.”

  His grin widened. “You actually wiped their tapes? Boy, that was some good thinking. How did you know what to do?”

  Kara spoke up and grinned. “Brother knows a lot about science. One day he accidently dropped a magnet on my dance recital tape. It was completely ruined of course. He didn’t get supper that night.”

  He handed back the magnet and smiled.

  Connor said “Thanks again for covering for me.”

  “That’s what friends are for, Connor.” He shook Connor’s hand and left the six of them to do their thing.

  As Connor shut the front door he sank to the ground knowing that they could finally speak in peace. He put his head against his right knee when a familiar hand rubbing his shoulder. Emerald green eyes were looking at him with pride. She spoke in her soft voice and it was so soothing to him. “That was some plan. I about fainted when you pulled their weapons. How did you know things would work out that way?” She smiled.

  He chuckled to himself. He then noticed everyone walking toward them and sat down on the floor to listen. “The only way to deal with a pompous person like the mayor is to show him a little reality from nature. Never mess with an angry wolf when you’re nothing but an overweight, miniature schnauzer.” Mark chuckled at the comparison and Kara grinned approvingly. “I guessed he might bring some muscle along. I knew that Mathew was a complainer and would tell his father who and what I’m like.” Sarah rested her hand on his thigh. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get him to apologize to you, Princess.”

  She shook her head and suddenly Jillian laughed. He turned his head as she said “The look on his face was all worth it when you picked him up. He looked like a deer frozen in the headlights.” She smiled at him. “He needed to learn some humility and he gained a lot today.”

  Mark asked “What do we do now? He will be licking his wounds for awhile, but I’ve known people like him over the centuries and they will come back.”

  Connor closed his eyes and thought for a moment in complete silence. “From now on we’ll only train on Sundays after we get back from work.” Mark tilted his head, but knew that his words of revenge weren’t disregarded. There wasn’t any worry at the moment so there wasn’t anything to say. Then his gaze drifted to his side. “Sarah is going to start teaching school in two weeks anyway and I have a lot of work to do on our cottage because winter will be here soon. There is a lot of reinforcements that need to be made. I can’t afford for my house to collapse under heavy snowfall. Also I think we should watch our movements when were out in public. You never know what might happen or who has a camera. The last thing we need is for someone to hide nearby and catch us doing something extraordinary.”

  The six of them stayed at Jillian’s for a few more hours and waited patiently for something important. They waited until the news came on at five. When the blonde reporter appeared on the screen she apologized to the all the viewers because her big story had a technical malfunction, but they did reveal what the Mayor and Mathew have been doing against Connor and his family. Also she did some more digging into certain transactions and found out that the Mayor has been siphoning money from the taxpayers and putting it all in an offshore account.

  The final clip of the night came in the form that made the entire family laugh. The grinning Deputy Burrow was the arresting officer as he drug the Mayor from his home. Poetic justice had been served this day and it looked to have made Deputy Burrow’s entire year because his smirk couldn’t be wiped away for anything.

  Jack said happily “That’s the end of him!”

  They all said goodbye once the report ended and went their separate ways, finally feeling relief from getting the news off of their trail and putting it all on the mayor.

  After a large meal Connor went to sleep in the comfort of Sarah’s soft embrace.

  Little and Big

  Five months have passed since the altercation with the Mayor and the media. And much has happened during that period of time. It is now December twelfth and Sarah was sitting alone on the comfortable sofa, looking at the dancing flames in the fireplace. Light and warmth saturated the room. She was patiently waiting for someone who should have arrived hours ago. Since it is well into winter and snow blanketed everything, Connor’s
survival business was put on hold until spring. Many people don’t like camping when it’s too cold out and that meant spending more alone time with the man she loves. So far the ground outside was covered in about three feet of snow as she recounted what has happened simply from sheer boredom.

  Two weeks after revealing the true nature of the mayor and being arrested, he was fired from office and the search for his son Mathew was cancelled not long after. He was also added another sentence for money laundering and abusing his power for personal gain. His trial didn’t go too well for him and he was sentenced to thirty years in prison in county jail; without any chance for parole. Plus his monetary accounts were seized and put where it belonged once again.

  Weeks later, after they decided to train only on Sunday evenings, Kara wanted to learn how to fly. Sarah smiled to herself, remembering that incident.

  At the training field Kara wore her leather gear and finished turning into a wolf. The first time she grew her wings, she messed up. The wings she made were too long and skinny to be strong enough to achieve lift. It didn’t stop her from trying to pump them into action. It looked like she was trying to fly with long, wet noodles. She reabsorbed her wings back into her body after she shed her frayed sandy blonde feathers. On her sixth try Mark said “That’s perfect. Nice form of the Fwen transformation. The proportions are proper for you.”

  Kara stretched her new and glorious sandy blonde wings and caressed them with her clawed hands. Her wingspan was as proportional to her body just as it was to Mark’s version. Even though her wings weren’t as long, she flapped them one time and lifted herself ten feet off the ground. She shrieked as she fell and together, Connor and Mark caught her before she could hurt the ground. It brought back the memories of the first time Sarah tried flying and Kara’s reactions were similar, but she didn’t remained frightened nearly as long.