by Jessica Snow
"Not now, Violet," Cole replied irritably. "I’ve got to teach this one a few things before she meets the King, or he will not be pleased."
"Well, hurry up. He’s not going to wait much longer." The cell door creaked shut and the sound of footsteps retreated down the hall.
"Now," Cole said with a grin and turned back to McKenzie. "Where was I?" He stepped towards her, his eyes lit with excitement. McKenzie groaned and closed her eyes. She had no clue how many more lashes she would be able to take before she passed out or died from the pain.
So much for Rosie protecting me, she thought forlornly. What made her think her former house cat could protect her anyway? The whole thing, with Rosie communicating with her inside of her head and telling her about supernatural creatures, had been madness from the start. It was more likely that McKenzie was just going insane.
I’m still here, came Rosie’s voice.
McKenzie’s sadness turned to anger. Well then do something, you furry bitch!
Rosie suddenly appeared at McKenzie’s feet, the torchlight reflected in her eyes. The cat eyed the circling Cole coldly, looking as if she wanted to claw his face off. Relief flooded through McKenzie’s limbs at the sight of the cat.
Cole continued to circle McKenzie, appearing not to notice Rosie’s presence. "You must learn that pain is not such a bad thing."
A glance to the side revealed that neither Annabelle or Daisy noticed the cat either. Certainly, they couldn’t hear her voice.
You must help yourself.
McKenzie’s fear was almost all anger now—and frustration at this useless telepathic cat. How the hell am I supposed to help myself?
You are special, just like your sister Kat. You have a talent, just a different kind than she does.
You have to be kidding. I have no power! I wouldn’t be here if I did!
You can do it, McKenzie. Rosie urged. You have the power. Just look inside of you.
"Pain is everything," Cole murmured, stroking his whip. "Pain is life." She heard him readying the whip and braced herself. She knew that this time she would pass out from his next blow.
Look inside of you, Rosie repeated.
In desperation, McKenzie closed her eyes and concentrated harder than she ever had in her life.
A moment later, time seemed to slow to a standstill and her life began flashing before her eyes. She saw images of her mother -- Reba, Kat, and Big Mike, all together, one big happy family. She saw the good times and the bad times. But most of all, she saw images of her mother’s love and care, and the strange things she would say to her when putting her to bed each night.
"One day," Reba had said, "you will have to use what’s inside of you to protect yourself from evil."
"What’s inside me, Mommy?" McKenzie would ask curiously.
Her mother would kiss her on the forehead and reply, "Something special. Now go to sleep."
All this time, I thought she was telling me bedtime stories.
Suddenly, McKenzie realized everything that Rosie had told her was true. It was all real. She knew it from all along, but just did not want to believe.
She glanced down at Rosie and was immediately struck by her intense gaze. Those eyes. She knew those eyes. Then it hit her. She recognized those eyes because...they were her mother’s! Rosie the Cat was her mother Reba, come back to help her!
Considering the loving gaze of her mother, the biggest realization about what she was filled her mind with one word.
Witch.
"And I will make you love pain." Cole’s voice. Time seemed to resume its normal pace and the whip descended towards her back.
Reba’s words cracked like a whip in her mind. Now, McKenzie!
As the whip reached her flesh, McKenzie looked up and shouted one word. She didn’t even know what it meant; it was just instinct. Maybe proof positive that she had lost her mind.
Then her entire world burst into flames.
Chapter 36
"We are gathered here on the night of this full moon to witness the end of a traitor!" Crystal shouted as she stood on a makeshift wooden platform near Liam. Nightfall had fallen over the wooded area, and the light of the full moon illuminated the gathering with a ghostly glow.
The Greyson heir was tied securely to a wooden pole that had been erected in the middle of the barn courtyard. Hay and chopped wood had been piled around the pole beneath his feet, materials for the bonfire that would be used to roast his flesh.
"A traitor, not only because he betrayed me on our sacred mating night, but because he violated a sacred rule that forbids wolves to mate with werebears!" A shocked gasp ran through the crowd and Liam had to hold back a laugh. But the amusement in his eyes only enraged Crystal further. Voice cracking, she shrieked, "For this outrageous violation, Liam Greyson must be put to death!"
The gathered shifters lifted their heads and howled with delight. Scanning over the gathered faces of the outlaw men and women, Liam doubted that any of them cared what he had done. After all, they were trouble-makers themselves. They were just happy to see someone from a respected pack be slaughtered like an animal.
Crystal glanced over at Liam, a cold smile on her face. "You have anything to say for yourself, traitor?"
Liam sneered. "Kat is still worth a hundred of you, you man-eating bitch."
Jerle, who was standing guard near Crystal, moved to backhand Liam.
"Stop," Crystal commanded. "I will not let this asshole’s words spoil the moment. He will regret his lies soon enough."
Jerle glared at Liam and walked back to Crystal’s side reluctantly. "Well hurry up and be done with it. I can hardly wait to tear his flesh from his bones."
“Yes, my mate...and then we will feast on it.” Crystal turned to her audience. "Start the bonfire!" she shouted with glee. One of the men grabbed a large gasoline can that sat nearby and brought it over. Crystal turned back to Liam with a sinister smile. "I am going to enjoy this."
"There he is!" Kat whispered loudly.
Led by Zack Lilly to his sister’s new hideout, the ragtag group was crouching behind several large trees, peeking out at the blood-thirsty crowd surrounding Liam.
"We have to go save him now." Kat’s heart pounded wildly in her chest. Though Liam had pissed her off by making her think McKenzie was dead, she did not want to see him hurt.
Ashley placed a restraining hand on Kat’s shoulder. "Wait."
"Wait for what?" Kat demanded. "She’s about to spit-roast my boyfriend!"
Ashley nodded over at Zack and Carly. "Send those two in as decoys first."
They had discussed their plan on the way over. It was simple. Cause a distraction, save Liam, and kill any wolf that got in their way in the process.
It sounded simple enough, but with two humans who had no fighting skills to speak of and did not even believe that wolves were real, a human ninja who hated all wolves with a passion and a werebear that did not know how to shift, they were up against steep odds.
Carly opened her mouth as if to protest, but then snapped it shut. They were here to save her cousin after all.
"It’s all good," Zack said confidently and began stripping his clothes off. "Carly and I’ve got this."
On the way to Crystal’s hideout, Zack had confided in Kat that he and Carly had scoured the city for McKenzie and had no luck in finding her. He had been in the process of interrogating a rival by the name of Erick when he had heard what had happened with Liam’s factory.
He had then rushed to Liam’s house to warn him of what had happened, only to find Kat being held hostage by her friends.
Carly tossed a glance towards Kevin before she began stripping down to her birthday suit. He stopped staring and looked up at the sky, apparently worried that someone might start strangling him again.
"Damn," Elizabeth muttered when Zack stood naked before them in all his glory, her eyes on his groin. "They sure did not grow them like that when I was younger."
"And to think that he wants to waste it al
l on a human girl," Carly sighed wistfully, her eyes glowing with appreciation at Zack’s impressive physique. Zack blushed at the attention from the girls.
“You guys mind not perving on my sister’s boyfriend?” Kat snapped. She turned to Kevin, who was sneaking peeks at Carly again. “And as for you, she’s sixteen, perv.”
Kevin’s eyes widened and he literally turned his back. “Shit.”
Kat did not know what to think about the presence of her ex. She was still pissed at his betrayal, and to find him hanging out with Ashley and Elizabeth was just odd. On the way over, he had told her that he had broken up with Lori and now wanted her back. Elizabeth had piped up with the story of how they had caught him stealing her rent money out of her drawer, and Kat had laughed in his face and told him to go fuck himself. But still, he stuck around, leaving her wondering why. He can’t possibly still think he has a chance. But he probably did; he was, after all, an idiot.
Zack turned to Carly. "You ready?"
"As ready as I’ll ever be," she mumbled, staring at the wolves amassed around Liam.
The sounds of popping bones bounced off the trees as Zack morphed into a wolf. "Holy shit!" Elizabeth and Kevin exclaimed at once as Carly did the same thing, their faces white with shock. The two wolves glanced once at each other and then silently bounded off towards the gathering, using bushes and trees as cover. The humans stared after them.
Ashley turned on the two, who continued to gawk in amazement, with a smug smile. "Who’s crazy now, huh?"
Liam watched anxiously as the last bit of gasoline dribbled out of the container and onto the pile of kindling at his feet. Then the shifter tossed it aside onto the dirt. Jerle, smirking, dug into his pocket and produced a match. Sweat beaded Liam’s forehead as the crowd leaned forward with anticipation.
He was about to light it when Crystal raised a hand. "Wait," she commanded. "Let me do it." She walked forward and grabbed the match out of his fingers, and then turned on Liam. She smiled. That evil smile. "Prepare to die," she purred. Flourishing the match in front of Liam’s face, she lit it with agonizing slowness. Crystal brought the flame dangerously close to the pile and looked up at Liam with a grin.
The perverted bitch was enjoying every second of his torment.
Liam closed his eyes, preparing for unimaginable pain. No matter how bad being burned alive hurt, he wasn’t going to scream. He refused to give Crystal that pleasure.
Suddenly, a woman in the crowd, someone Liam vaguely recognized as Tammy, began screaming. The crowd quickly parted to reveal a young wolf with blonde streaks on her back and her teeth in Tammy’s throat. She collapsed to the ground while the wolf tore at her flesh. The wolf looked up from the badly wounded woman when it saw that it had gotten the attention of the shocked crowd. It howled once and bounded off towards the trees. Somewhere off in the distance, another howl answered.
"Find him!" Crystal screamed after a shocked silence. "Find him and bring him to me now!"
Liam immediately recognized the wolf as Zachary Lilly. The young kid was risking a lot to try to save him, even going against his own sister to help him out. If Liam survived, he would definitely be in the boy’s debt.
As a handful of shifters quickly morphed into wolves and chased after Crystal’s brother, Crystal turned her eyes back to Liam and sneered.
"That was a valiant effort by my little brother to stop your execution," she growled. "But it won’t save you. Then, with an evil laugh, she turned and tossed the match onto the wood.
Upon seeing Crystal light the bonfire underneath Liam, Kat roared with rage.
"Kat, stop!" Ashley commanded, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Unthinkingly, Kat slapped at Ashley who went flying into a tree with a crack.
"Holy fuck!" Kevin exclaimed. "Kat, are you on meth?"
Kat ignored her ex as her rage took over her body and she felt her bones began to pop and contort. Crying out in pain, she fell to the ground. Rapidly, her face began to lengthen and her hands morphed into large paws. Unimaginable pain filled every bone in her body as the transformation coursed through her. Finally, it was all over, and she rose onto four legs with a growl.
She glanced around. Three white faces frozen with shock stared back at her. Kat paid them no mind and sniffed at the air once. Then with a roar, she lumbered off into the direction of the crowd of shifters, intent on drawing blood.
Ashley jumped to her feet, brushing the dirt off her latex outfit, and pulled out her firearm. Then she pointed a finger at Elizabeth and Kevin. "You two stay here!" After one last glance at the two to make sure they would obey her command, she ran off after the roaring bear. "Kat, wait for me!"
"Oh, my God!’ Elizabeth exclaimed as soon as Ashley was gone, her body shivering with shock. "Kevin, did you see what just happened to Kat? Un-freaking-believable!"
A dull thud sounded beside her.
"Kevin?" Elizabeth whirled around to see Kat’s ex lying out in the dirt. Kevin had fainted.
Liam tore his gaze away from the mesmerizing flames licking at his feet when he heard the roar of the bear. Kat! He had no idea how she had shown up here. Then he realized it must have been Zack that led her to this place. He cursed himself for not just staying with Kat and depending on a human to take care of her. Now she was in very real danger.
The brown bear was surrounded by a group of wolves. A wolf would dart in for a bite, followed by another wolf, but would Kat would roar and rise up on her hind legs and swipe at them, keeping them at bay. There was no doubt that Kat was fearsome as a bear, but it would only be a matter of time before the wolves wore down her defenses.
Letting out a helpless howl, Liam struggled against his bindings, rivers of sweat streaming down his body. As Kat’s pack leader, he desperately wanted to protect her. He did not care if he got burned in the process.
"Go help kill that bear bitch now!" Crystal yelled at Jerle. "Tear her ass to pieces!"
The big man stared at the bear in their midst and grinned. “Finally, a real challenge.” Stripping his clothes off, he began to shift into a giant silver wolf.
Kat roared, her mind filled with rage. All she could think about was saving Liam from his fiery fate. But there was no way she could get to him. She was surrounded by cunning wolves, who waited for her to make one fatal mistake that would allow them to feast on her flesh.
One darted in, snapping at her right side. Kat spun away, only to feel a nip on her ass. She roared. A second later, she felt a nip on her right side. This time, it hurt. Growling, she swatted at the wolf, catching it just as it was about to dart away and watching it go sailing over the heads of its brethren.
She saw fear in the wolves’ eyes. She was stronger than them. All she had to do was make them see that. But they continued to surround her. Roaring, she charged the nearest wolf. But a large, silver shape slammed into her before she could strike.
She felt claws rake across her chest agonizingly. She roared and reared back to get a better look at her assailant.
It was a large, silver wolf, about half her size. It stalked her, circling her slowly, its blue eyes intent on her face, calculating. The other wolves, emboldened by the new wolf’s presence, tried to dart in for Kat. But the new wolf snarled at them, and they backed off, ears flattening in fear. It wanted to fight Kat alone. Baring its long fangs, it growled at her.
But Kat was not afraid of this big bad boisterous wolf. To save Liam, she would rip it apart.
It moved within several feet of her, holding her gaze every step of the way. Then it lunged at her, darting in for her right side. Kat reared back on her hind legs and swiped, hitting the thing on the side of the face just as it got close. With a surprised yelp, it went flying, flipping over several times, scattering wolves out of the way before slamming into the ground.
Shaking off the blow, the silver wolf quickly rose to its feet and snarled angrily at Kat. Kat felt a surge of satisfaction. Half its face was covered in blood and a long claw mark. But that did not seem t
o bother this stubborn wolf because it was already coming back for seconds.
Kat warily backed up, mindful of the wolves that circled behind her. She was about to make a lunge for the wolf to grab it into a bear hug when she heard Ashley’s voice yelling and a loud pop.
She turned her head to get a better look and saw Ashley shooting her gun at a pack of wolves that surrounded her. That proved to be a big mistake. Suddenly, she felt big teeth tearing into the flesh of her throat. She whipped her head around in a frenzy, trying to dislodge the silver wolf’s powerful jaws. Then she felt another set of teeth dig into her flank. A third wolf leaped on her back.
Roaring in pain, she fell to the ground underneath the combined weight of the pack of wolves. The last thing she saw before she was covered by wolf fur, was Ashley being taken down from behind by a wolf and then being piled on.
"Kat!" Liam roared with panic as he watched her go down underneath a pile of wolves. The golden-haired hunk struggled frantically against his bonds, but he could not get them loose. He was weakened by the heat of the fire that was now inching very dangerously close to his flesh.
Nearby, Crystal laughed, clearly enjoying the carnage. "Looks like the buck stops here for your clan-wrecking bear as well. How deliciously sweet." She turned towards the wolves. "Bring her to me when you’re finished with your fun!" she yelled. "We will have a magnificent feast tonight! Fried wolf and fried whore bear!’
"Fuck you," Liam gasped, sweat pouring from his face and stomach in rivers. The heat from the flames was scalding his flesh. He only had a few more moments before he went up in flames. "You evil bitch."
Crystal just laughed at his insults and watched the flames approach his flesh with ghoulish delight. "Say goodbye, traitor."
"I love you, Kat," Liam whispered and closed his eyes. He hoped he had the strength not to scream when the flames overtook him. A flame licked at his foot. Liam flinched. This was it. The horrible, fiery end.