“Ever since I learned I was like you, I decided I wouldn’t give you what you wanted. I don’t shapeshift or use my powers, I’m nothing to you. Why don’t you just leave me alone?”
Nastas smirked. “I can’t do that.”
Markus edged toward the bathroom door and tried grasping the key between his fingers but the tire rim got in the way.
“Nothing like a good chase, but you’ve got nowhere to go.” Nastas’s sneer elongated while he shrank into a cougar. The tan cat padded forward, and let its mouth drop open.
Markus ran to the door and fumbled with the key, slipped it in and turned the knob just as Nastas reached him. Pain ripped his back and Markus yelled in surprise. While he pulled open the door, he turned around to see the cougar’s claws implanted into his back. More than the physical agony, his energy was being sapped. Panting with fear, Markus lunged into the bathroom and tried shutting the door behind him. His grandfather lost his hold on him, but was already halfway into the dark, dirty room.
Markus stumbled back, away from the predator and watched it creep in toward him. The cougar reached out and clawed at his leg, tearing his jeans. He exhaled sharply and thought to himself, This is your last chance. Don’t let yourself be a lamb for the slaughter! Move!
He dashed around the animal and dove for the door. He could hear the animal behind him, but he remained focused on what he needed to do. Markus flung himself against the outside of the door and pushed with all of his weight, trying to shut his grandfather into the bathroom. A screech called out beside him and he saw the cougar’s head lodged between the door and the wall.
Markus’s blood thundered noisily in his ears as he planted his foot against the base of the door and the ground. He turned to place his palms against the metal door and wracked his mind on what to do next. While he stared at the large metallic disc dangling from the key that was still in the knob, he realized his life was in his hands. With his foot and shoulder planted securely, he slipped the tire rim from the keyhole. Gripping it tight, he raised it up and with all of his strength, brought it down into the wild cat’s neck. Metal cut through flesh and stopped at bone.
The cougar’s head was thrust to the ground and blood washed the dirt. Its mouth fell open and eyes stared unblinking. Markus’s heartbeat rattled uncontrollably and he took a shaky breath. Without warning, a burst of blue light and wind radiated out from his grandfather’s body. Markus dropped the tire rim and fell back against the door, the burst of power and energy surging through his core. Dizzy and lightheaded, he shut his eyes.
I told you, you’d be mine. One way or another.
The memory faded and as Chance leaned against the restroom wall, he tried to get oriented. He wasn’t reliving Markus’s life anymore—he was in a gas station with Batukhan. What he’d viewed in his head wasn’t really happening now. But even though it hadn’t been real, he felt the stomach-turning rush from Nastas’s death and the voices in his head.
What was he doing?
Markus’s thoughts echoed in his head and he pushed away from the wall. Just like him, Chance had no intention of being led like a lamb to the slaughter. He gripped his shoulder straps and swallowed hard.
It was time he struck out on his own. He didn’t know who Batukhan was or what he really wanted with him, but he wasn’t going to just hand himself over to be killed like a fool.
The door opened and a police officer walked into the bathroom. Chance nodded to him as he brushed by and formed a plan. If he was going to make a clean getaway, he’d need some help.
“Excuse me, sir? There’s a man outside the bathroom who’s got a gun in his bag and he threatened to kill me.”
Chapter 17
The flame licked up toward the ceiling. The candle had melted halfway down and wax was pooling at its base. Ana sat cross-legged before it, still and focused. It was early morning and no one else was up. She had been practicing in all of her spare moments, eager to control her abilities. If this was the key to learning about healing, then she’d put every ounce of effort into it. Failure was not an option.
In her meditative state, she was aware of the energy motes swirling around her. Careful not to disturb the candle’s flame, she drew in the power surrounding her. For the first time, the bloom of light wasn’t affected. It continued to lick at the air, undisturbed from Ana’s actions. Her concentration broke and she let out a laugh.
Finally! Was it too early to go knock on Lifen’s door? She still felt the sting from her teacher’s condescending remarks the other day and wasn’t eager to agitate her again, no matter how off base she thought it was.
While she smiled at the flame it doubled in size and her eyes widened in surprise. Had she done that? She quieted her mind and paid attention to her energy, which she realized was now radiating outside of her body. The flame continued to grow and react to her. Ana focused and reversed the flow instead, pulling in the glowing light around her and the candle’s teardrop of fire reduced back to what it was.
“You are very determined, Ana. I am impressed.”
Ana looked over her shoulder. Lifen was standing at the entrance of the living room wearing a colorfully embroidered robe. Her pale skin shone in the darkened room.
“Good morning, Lifen. I’ve been practicing and I think I’ve got it! I can control the energy around me.”
“It also looks like you’ve discovered the beginning stages of healing too. How to push your own energy outside of your body.”
Ana lifted herself off the floor and stood up. “Does this mean I get to learn about healing now?”
Lifen stared at her.
“You promised,” Ana whispered, fearing her mentor’s silence.
Lifen’s acerbic voice frightened her. “I never made a promise. I told you that you would be ready to learn about healing once you were able to control the energy around you. I see much impatience within you.”
She continued to study Ana, whose feelings were erupting into panic and fear. “However, I do see your intentions behind your actions, which confirms my initial impression of you, Ana. You will be a great healer because you are a kind person.”
Ana was afraid to say anything, not wanting to agitate Lifen again. She would do anything to be able to learn how to save Chance. Being berated by her mentor stung, but she’d take it if it meant getting taught about healing.
Lifen turned to leave and said over her shoulder, “Are you coming?”
She didn’t need to be asked twice. Ana blew out the candle and scurried after her mentor. They went to the meditation room and Lifen slid open the rice paper doors. The first rays of sunlight had begun to peer over the mountains and were visible from the windows.
“The boys will be waking soon, so we need to get started. Please close the doors and take a seat.”
Ana did as her teacher asked and settled on a cushion on the floor. Lifen went to the small cabinet, took something out of a drawer, and then sat across from Ana.
“There are many forms to healing. I will teach you one of the more basic elements today. You are able to see energy around you and have now learned to control how to draw it into your body. This technique alone takes healers months to learn. You are special.”
Lifen held between her fingers a small knife. An intricate design was etched along the blade and the milky, translucent handle had a floral pattern. It seemed to be very old, but it wasn’t rusty or dull. Ana watched her mentor in surprise while she lifted the blade to her forearm and slid it along her flesh. Blood surfaced along the incision on Lifen’s skin and she looked up at Ana.
“It stings a little, but you can heal me.”
No matter how many times she saw blood, she couldn’t adjust to it. She was sickened at the sight, but strangely drawn to it all at once. It upset her to see the wound, although she couldn’t have walked away if she wanted to.
“When healing, it is important not to draw from only your own energy, weakening yourself, but to pull in the energy around you. Beginners find it usefu
l to have contact with the injury when they start, but as you evolve you will only need to be near to direct the energy into the recipient. Healing is similar to shapeshifting in that both require the ability to map an animal. Once you have pulled in enough energy, and you are in touch with the mapping of the injured person or animal, you can begin the healing connection. It should be gentle, and if it isn’t, then you need to disengage immediately so you do not cause damage to yourself.”
“But I didn’t think it was possible to map a human. . .” she said with her eyes glued to the bloody cut.
“You are correct that shapeshifters and healers cannot map humans, but that is because we are human and it is ingrained within us. You already know the proper form of man. Now if you are ready, please begin.”
While Lifen had been talking, Ana had already begun to draw in the energy around her. She couldn’t take her eyes away from the cut on her mentor’s arm. All Ana wanted was to fix what was broken. Her energy surged and she could actually see it reach out to her teacher’s arm and connect, like a long glowing feeler. At the same rate she was absorbing the power around her, it was funneling off to Lifen in a beautiful electrical arc. Before her eyes, her mentor’s pale skin created a puckered seam that extended the full length of the cut.
“Very impressive. I have not seen anyone as suited for healing as you are.” Lifen wiped the blood from her arm. “A scar remains, but you will learn how to remove those with time. I can fix it, do not worry. You may let go of the connection.”
A dew of perspiration beaded at Ana’s forehead and she realized she’d been holding her breath. She inhaled and disengaged the flow of energy with a little effort. The glowing light that had been arcing between them dissipated and Ana was left feeling numb.
“After a healing, it is important to meditate and reconnect with your energy core. Do not neglect yourself, or you will grow imbalanced. An imbalanced healer does not remain a healer for long.”
Ana nodded and closed her eyes. She did feel a bit tired and a nap sounded better than anything, but she did as her mentor instructed.
“With time you can even remove your own scars if you wish it.”
Ana automatically lifted her fingers to her sternum, and felt the ripple of flesh beneath her shirt.
“Only if you wish it.”
Not only had she never expected to be cured from her heart condition, she never thought she could be free from her physical scars. Ana was thankful to Chance for saving her life, and was happy to be alive. She would have thought that after a lifetime of embarrassment, the marks that remained on her chest from her surgeries would be easy to say goodbye to. But now that it was being offered to her, it wasn’t such an easy answer.
After a few minutes, she realized her thoughts were keeping her from relaxing and meditating, so she let go of her angst and focused instead on the energy around her and the yellow power within. Rejuvenated and no longer in need of a rest, she discovered she was extremely hungry. Her stomach growled and she cracked open one eye.
Lifen smiled at her. “Healing will also make you hungry. I think I hear the boys moving around. Why don’t you go eat breakfast and we’ll do more again soon.”
Ana got up off her cushion and thanked Lifen before leaving the meditation room. She found all of the guys in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
“Hard at work already?” Ryan asked, but she didn’t get the feeling he was giving her a hard time.
“Learning a little healing,” Ana said. “I’m finally able to control myself when pulling in energy. Now I won’t hurt you guys during meditation.”
Ryan raised his hand and gave her a high five. “Sweet! That’s always a plus—not hurting your friends.”
The fact that he’d called himself a friend didn’t go unnoticed by Ana.
“Good job, Ana. Congrats!” Derek said and Jordan chimed in with his congratulations.
“Thanks!” Ana said. “Anyone started the tea yet? I can brew a pot.” Ana wove through the kitchen, feeling truly at home.
Ana woke slowly, her eyes combing the ceiling. Daylight poured into her bedroom from the small windows at the top of her wall. She sat up suddenly and grabbed for her phone on the side table. She’d slept in and only had enough time to throw on some clothes before meeting the others for meditation. Breakfast would have to wait.
Another week had gone by and she hadn’t had another dream of Chance. She was growing anxious about his safety. Was he hurt? Or worse, had he hurt someone? Not knowing was eating her up. She constantly vacillated between happiness and guilt. One moment her excitement for accomplishing something new would take her to a new height, but in the next, her sadness over Chance being lost from her brought her to an extreme low. The guys tried to roll with it, understanding that when she grew quiet, she needed space.
Ana pulled on a shirt and sweats and ran a brush through her hair so it wasn’t as tangled. A pair of socks warmed her feet before she nestled her toes into her slippers. Just as she reached for the doorknob, a quick tapping sounded from the other side of the door.
“Ana, you awake?”
She opened up to find Jordan’s concerned face.
“I slept in by accident. Coming now.”
“Lifen really doesn’t like it when we’re late.”
Ana pulled her hair into a ponytail and squeezed Jordan’s arm. “We don’t want her in a bad mood. Thanks for coming to get me.”
The others were just getting to the meditation room when they walked in. Lifen was waiting, sitting cross-legged with her back to the windows. She was wearing a serious expression and Ana shared a worried glance with the others, who seemed to have picked up on their mentor’s frame of mind.
“Good morning,” Ana said brightly, hoping to start the day off right.
“Let’s get started.”
Wordlessly, they all sat on cushions before her and closed their eyes. Ana was comfortable absorbing energy around her friends now that she had control of it. She hadn’t had another healing session with Lifen, and she was anxious to learn more. Chance didn’t have a cut finger he needed healed—she knew it was far more complicated than that. She was eager to practice again, but she didn’t feel comfortable hurting herself or asking one of the guys to, either. So, she continued to focus on shapeshifting lessons, no matter how unimportant they seemed. It appeared asking Lifen about another healing lesson was out of the question today since she wasn’t in the mood, but she really didn’t want to wait any longer. If the opportune moment presented itself, she’d be ready.
They meditated for half an hour before Lifen told them they’d be working in the shapeshifting arena yet again. Ana sighed and lifted herself off the floor. While the guys went to get changed into their robes, she ran down to the kitchen and grabbed a granola bar from the pantry. With it hanging from her mouth, she stripped in her bathroom and pulled on her robe, no longer shy of her own skin.
At the front entry she slipped on her boots and followed the guys up to the large metallic building. She went down the corridor of stalls and cages, feeling a bit depressed. Ana never would have thought learning about shapeshifting would have been so unpleasant. Maybe it was the fact that she hadn’t sensed Chance in a while, but she didn’t want to shapeshift just then.
She stopped in front of the osprey enclosure and stared at the bird of prey. Its golden eyes returned her stare while it held still on its branch. After a moment of studying her, it blinked and gazed at the wall.
Ana whispered, “I wish I weren’t here too.”
If she had to be around anyone, she’d prefer hanging out with the birds. Although staring in at a caged bird made her sad. She’d always loved them for the freedom they represented. She felt just as free as the birds in Lifen’s collection. Something to look at and admire without a proper job or value.
A scuffle down the corridor drew her attention. Within the folds of a robe, a lizardlike creature flicked its tongue out. Patches of pink skin intermixed with the dark green scales in a stran
ge pattern.
“No, Ryan,” Lifen said, with her hands resting on her hips. “Shift back before you hurt yourself. Reptiles are not natural to you. I do not understand why you persist having such issues.”
The animal curled under the fabric and began to grow in size, lifting up the robe as it enlarged. Ryan’s shaggy blond hair lifted above the collar and his hands came out the sleeves. He tied his robe and braced himself against the wall of tiny glass terrariums.
“I’m trying my best. I want to learn reptiles. There’s something about them—I just want to get it right. I don’t know why I can’t do it!”
Ana realized she was staring and turned her head to face the wall.
“You need to do what I’ve instructed you to do. Maybe we should go back to mammals for now. You don’t seem to be ready for this yet, Ryan.”
“What if I try a different type of reptile? I’m not giving up.”
“No, the iguana is the perfect starting point. It isn’t too complicated.”
Ryan groaned and Ana looked back. He punched the wall beside the cages and swore as loud as he could.
Lifen held up her palm. “You must be patient then. Calm yourself.”
He closed his eyes and rested his head on the glass of the terrarium. Ana focused in and everything began to glow. The energy currents around them, floating from the floor to the ceiling, swirled in heart-stirring harmony. Each of the animals flickered with soft blue light and beside them, Lifen glowed like the full moon. When Ana turned her attention to Ryan, she noticed his luminescence was weaker than their mentor’s by far, and a wisp of light curled away from him into the air.
Ana was curious. That couldn’t be normal. Maybe that was why he wasn’t able to shift into a reptile.
Ryan was staring through the glass of the terrarium again, ready to give it another try. His brow wrinkled with concentration and his hands were pressed against the wall on either side of the iguana’s cage. The energy leak didn’t seem right to her, so she reached out with her power and connected to his. It was similar to when she’d healed Lifen’s cut, but different still. She felt a wound, a hole in the skin of his energy and pushed her healing light into him, trying to seal the leak.
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