The thought of her shackled to the bed sent his mind racing. Maybe this wasn’t a bad thing after all. It would give him an excuse to enjoy her in ways he’d never imagined.
When he finally saw the turnoff ahead, he let out a relieved sigh. Now to see how far Samantha had gotten, or if she’d left at all.
He pulled into the carport, glad to see that her car was still there. He’d pulverized the key fob, but he wasn’t sure if Samantha had an extra hidden somewhere, or on her person. Better safe than sorry.
Running into the house, he was surprised to see that it looked untouched. Maybe she was still there after all. He was going to feel like a complete ass if Samantha was still there.
He rushed down the hall and stopped in the doorway of her room. He threw the light switch on and dashed to the bed. He was only a few steps away when he knew that she was gone. In the dark, he might have fallen for the pillows routine, but in the light, standing only a little more than a foot away, he knew he’d been had.
Grant spun and ran for the door. He was filled with rage, his body already tingling with the need to shift as he sprinted through the house. He was a few steps from the door, body changing swiftly, when he leaped in the air and let out a mighty roar. Lion’s paws hit the dirt and tattered clothes floated to the ground in a heap. Grant made a sharp turn towards the south, headed for Samantha and the safety of her home. It was all uphill, and even uninjured, there was no way that she was getting away from him no matter how long her head start was.
He galloped towards the trees in the distance, the wind in the open field pulling at his mane so that the hair swirled around him. He stretched his legs, lengthening his stride and covering the distance in record time.
Grant took the wide trail he had the night before, as the trail meandered through the forest towards Samantha’s house beyond. He tilted his nose to the wind, trying to catch her scent on the air. There was nothing.
He slowed down, still moving at a steady clip along the trail. But now, he was scanning the damp trail, his own footprints from the night before still encased in the moist dirt and clay that made up this portion of the trail. He skidded to a stop and turned around looking at the fresh prints he was leaving on the trail.
Cursing inwardly, he did an about-face and went back towards the house. Samantha didn’t come this way, at least not recently. Once again, she’d tricked him into wasting valuable time.
He needed to regroup, to calm down and think before he made his next move. Samantha was a worthier adversary than he’d given her credit for. He couldn’t continue to run on instinct alone when it came to her. No, she was making smart moves and his carelessness had set him back. Again.
He stepped out of the trees and into the field, taking time to look around at the forest that surrounded the entire property. Trying to put himself in her shoes, he considered all the options. But there were far too many variables, and he didn’t know the area as well as Samantha.
He decided to run along the edge of the forest and circle around the property to see if he saw anything that would give her away. It occurred to him that she might have hidden in one of the other houses, or even by the road, waiting for him to return so that she could flag down help, but he quickly discarded those thoughts.
There was a logical choice here, and those weren’t it. He had to figure out what one of Samantha’s characters would have done. They were each modeled after Samantha in some small way, and figuring out which persona of hers would fare best in this situation would be the key to solving the problem.
Grant trotted on the trail that ran along the entire edge of the forest, scanning the ground in front of him and the area on either side, hoping for clues. He was almost halfway around the back of the property when he stopped. He saw it there, partially hidden by the tall grass that was still damp from the storm.
I almost missed it, he thought.
There, in a small patch of mud that so small that it could have easily been stepped over, was a single footprint. A fresh footprint very clearly made by a woman in running shoes.
Suddenly, things were looking up for Grant. He turned down the trail, taking off at full speed, catching her scent on the wind and thinking that it was amazing how one small misstep could change the course of their lives.
It was clear to Grant that the universe wanted him and Samantha to be together.
*
“I don’t understand why I need to stay here. I can help you guys.”
“You said yourself, you haven’t shifted in years. You’ll be a liability. And if Samantha shows up back here, we’ll need someone here to get help to her. You’re valuable here.”
Dylan was listening to their conversation, wishing the two of them would quit arguing so that they could go. They were wasting precious minutes arguing over who was doing what.
“We can cover more ground if we split up,” Mabel insisted. “Trust me, there’s a lot of ground to cover.”
“She’s right, Jacob. What if she went down the trail where we found Grant’s footprints? That way, if Samantha is running this way, Mabel can help protect her.”
“Fair enough,” Jacob said. “It’s mostly downhill, so even in human form you should make good time.”
Jacob grabbed his keys and the twins walked out the door, not waiting to see what Mabel’s answer was. As far as Jacob was concerned, it was his only offer and she could take it or leave it. But he needed to leave.
Mabel watched them go, her anxiety rising. Samantha was in danger and they didn’t know if she was alright, if she was in the woods somewhere, or if Grant had her shackled somewhere. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She had to stay focused. If she let thoughts of what Grant might or might not do, she would go mad with worry.
She left the house, heading for the north access point to the forest. If it was truly downhill, she wondered if Samantha would even take this route. Sure, it was the most direct route home, but Samantha didn’t care about that. Going up a hill like that when you were running for your life was foolish. Samantha knew these woods like the back of her hand.
Mabel was certain she wasn’t coming down this way.
She scanned the tree line, deciding on the east access. Every time she’d seen Samantha coming out of or going into the woods, it had been that trail. If she knew her friend, she knew that Samantha would stick to the east access, possibly even headed towards the ranger’s station directly east of where they were.
The more Mabel thought about it, the more sure she was that she was right. Samantha had no way of knowing that Mabel and the twins were coming for her, so she would take the route that would offer her the most chance for help from strangers that might be hiking in the public section of the state park.
Mabel was excited. She was so sure that she was right that she immediately began running towards the east entrance.
“We’re coming for you, Samantha,” she whispered into the wind, “don’t give up hope.”
Mabel ran as fast as her two legs could carry her, turning north east on the trail, hoping this trail would eventually intercept the one that Samantha was likely on. But her human form was limiting, and she could only run so fast on two legs.
Bending over double and trying to catch her breath after just one mile of running through the dense woods, Mabel knew she was going to have to make a decision. She was no good to Samantha in human form, and she was more than a little afraid that she would find Samantha, only to be confronted with her brother in lion form, much too big and strong for her to fight.
Resolved that this was the only option, Mabel stripped down quickly, shoving her clothes onto a low-hanging branch and closing her eyes. Already, she could feel her body preparing, the very core of her cells heating up in preparation.
She felt like she was on fire from within, the pain building as her body began the tedious process of changing from human to lion. Her skin felt taught and dry, the hair pushing through the skin as it stretched and formed over her changing bones ma
king her skin feel as if it might tear.
Mabel took deep, ragged breaths, trying to bite back the screams that threatened as her body shifted. When her head began the transformation, the pain was too much. Mabel’s knees hit the ground, except they were no longer her knees.
She looked down, shocked to see that the transformation was almost complete.
She pushed herself, forcing her body to speed up the process, though her brain fought against the move. The pain was severe, but Mabel knew that as soon as the shift was complete, it would be gone. If she could last just a few more seconds-
The last of her body transformed and she instantly felt better. She stretched her front paw out, testing it out by setting it firmly on the ground in front of her.
Now isn’t the time, Mabel, she scolded herself. You can deal with this later. Samantha needs you.
Spurred on by her friend’s need, Mabel leaped in the air, hitting the ground silently and taking off just as fast as her legs could carry her. She was making better time now, eating up the distance with ease, her breathing relaxed and easy.
She smelled her before she saw her, the scent of her fear so heavy on the breeze. She tried to call out to her friend, but she couldn’t speak. Would she know that she wasn’t Grant? Or would she go on the offensive?
A familiar roar yanked her out of her thoughts, and she realized that Grant was already hot on Samantha’s trail. Samantha was running as fast as she could, but even from where she was, Mabel could see that Samantha was running out of steam.
Mabel pushed herself faster, watching her brother as she gained on him. He was so focused on Samantha that he hadn’t even noticed Mabel in the trees. That was good, because Grant was much bigger than Mabel was, and the only way she was going to be able to beat him in a fight was if she had the element of surprise.
Samantha cried out as she tripped, skidding on the ground and coming to a stop. She got onto her knees and started running again, but Grant was closing the distance fast. Mabel altered her course so that she was running parallel to Grant’s path and angling towards him. He was still focused on Samantha, who was running with all her might, trying to get away from the monster that Mabel once called her brother.
Samantha fell again, this time tumbling so that she ended up on her back mid-slide, hands behind her, frantically trying to get back her feet before Grant got to her. She screamed, but not in fear. Samantha was angry, grabbing a large rock beside her and throwing it with every last bit of her strength in a futile attempt to stop Grant from barreling down on her.
Mabel jumped onto a large boulder and leaped into the air, sailing over a startled Samantha and crashing into Grant’s side full force. They went down in a heap, tumbling and rolling for a long time in a tangle of claws and fur.
When they finally came to a stop, Mabel was on top of Grant. He looked at her, and his eyes registered her ice-blue stare. He didn’t have to say what he was thinking, Mabel knew that from that moment on, she was dead to him.
He threw her off him and her back connected with the tree behind her. Her breath flew out of her body, pain exploding behind her eyes. She hit the ground, dragging herself onto her feet an instant before Grant collided with her again.
He was on top of her, his dead eyes murderous with rage. He opened his mouth and lunged at Mabel, pinned beneath him and completely helpless. There was a loud crack and Grant stopped for a moment, looking around in confusion. Samantha stood beside them, a heavy stick over her shoulder, ready for another swing.
“Get off her,” Samantha ground out, her voice low and angry.
Samantha, don’t! Mabel wanted to cry out, but her voice was silent. She struggled to get up again, but she was injured. Her fur felt wet, and looking down she saw that she’d been pinned beneath Grant in a pool of her own blood.
She pushed herself up again, trying to get to Samantha before Grant did. Grant was circling her slowly, on the prowl and taking his sweet time. He licked his lips, eyes locked on hers as she brandished the stick and dared him to come at her.
While he was distracted with Samantha, Mabel lunged at Grant again, landing on his back and sinking her sharp teeth into his scruff. He roared in pain, trying unsuccessfully to shake her off his back. Mabel sunk her claws into his sides, blindly tearing at his hide as he bucked, trying desperately to dislodge her.
Samantha got right into the mix, swiping at Grant over and over again, trying to get him to the ground. When Mabel went flying, Samantha swung with all her might and got in a good, solid hit on Grant’s head. Grant flinched and glared at Samantha, but he turned away from her, bearing down on Mabel, who was laying, unmoving, on the ground facing away from Grant. Samantha chased after him, hitting him over and over again with the stick, trying to stop him.
“Mabel, watch out!” she cried.
Mabel picked up her head, but just as quickly dropped it to the ground. Samantha’s heart was in her throat when she noticed that Mabel’s lion form was shrinking, slowly returning her to human form.
“No, no, Mabel don’t you let him win. Fight it, Mabel. You can do it.”
Samantha stooped down, grabbing a handful of heavy rocks and throwing them at Grant from less than ten feet away from him. Grant flinched visibly but didn’t turn to Samantha. She was trying to distract him from the task at hand and he knew it.
Yelling in frustration, Samantha flung herself onto Grant’s back, wrapping her legs around him and bringing both hands high over her head. She brought the rock down as hard as she could on the back of his neck. It landed with a sickening thud and for a moment, Grant stopped moving.
“Mabel, run!” Samantha yelled, hitting Grant again with all her might.
He swung around, violently hurling Samantha through the air as he did. He watched her fall, hitting the ground and rolling until she finally came to a stop. Satisfied that Samantha wouldn’t be bothering him again, he turned his attention back to Mabel.
Samantha could see even from where she sat that Mabel was turning, losing her fight to hold onto her shifter form and morphing back into human. Smaller and weaker than Grant already, in human form she had no chance at survival.
Samantha tried to call out to Mabel, but her voice wouldn’t come. She struggled to catch her breath, trying to sit up in the process without success. She watched in horror as Grant sauntered over to his own sister, watching her body shrink and turn human right before his eyes.
She heard a deep, miserable sobbing and was startled to realize that it was her own anguished cry. Mabel was going to die, and there was nothing that she could do to stop it. Still, she tried, dragging her body along the ground by her elbows, still gasping in a feeble attempt to fill her lungs with the wind that had been knocked out of her.
“Grant, please,” she gasped between choking breaths, “please don’t kill her. She’s your sister.”
If Grant heard her, he didn’t respond. He stopped a few feet from Mabel, watching the last hints of her werelion self, disappearing into weak human flesh. Samantha closed her eyes, too sickened to watch him take Mabel’s life. Her friend was going to die trying to save her, and Samantha would never live that down.
There was a loud roar and a strangled cry, and despite her best efforts, Samantha’s eyes flew open. She sucked in a quick breath, so overwhelmed by what she was seeing that she hardly noticed the pain she was in.
CHAPTER 14
Jacob slowed the car and turned off the highway onto the narrow road that served the abandoned neighborhood.
“It looks quiet,” Dylan said.
“A little too quiet. This was the perfect place to hide her if they’re here, that’s for sure. They’re practically right under our noses.”
“I see three houses. Which one do you think we should start at?”
“My money is on the one in the back; it’s tucked away from the street, not visible from the highway and appears to have the carport or garage in the back. If I were going to choose one of these houses, that would be the only one I would
consider.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
“Do we have a plan, or are we just going to wing it?”
“I was thinking that we’d go in and save the girl, personally,” Dylan said matter-of-factly.
“Sounds good to me.”
Jacob pulled around the back of the house and sure enough, there were two cars parked in the hidden carport.
“There’s Samantha’s car, and I’m guessing that one belongs to Grant.”
“The door is open.”
“I see that. Let’s clear the house really quick and we’ll go from there.”
“I doubt they’re here.”
“Me, too.”
The pair slipped inside the house, making quick work of checking out all the rooms and stepping back outside. Dylan walked over to the sports car, putting his hand on the hood for a moment.
“This car has been driven recently. They couldn’t have gone far.”
Jacob pointed to the south, pointing out the very obvious path that lead almost directly to Samantha’s house.
“There. That’s the trail.”
They took off running side by side, heading for the trail.
Jacob stopped suddenly when they were almost in the woods, holding out his hand to stop his brother.
“Something isn’t right. There are lion tracks in, and the same tracks coming out. Both sets of tracks are fresh. He went after her this way and then came back for some reason.”
They heard a load roar and both turned, springing into a run without missing a beat. The sound was coming from the east.
“Looks like Mabel was right.”
“Too late to listen to her now, I’m shifting. He sounds far off and we don’t have time to waste.”
Jacob stretched his stride, bending his head into the wind and grimacing as he forced his body into a fast shift. His clothes strained and ripped, falling in shreds from his body as he went from running on two feet to four without a single misstep.
Her Tiger Twins Page 14