“Umm., you might want to look away, I have a feeling it looks more painful than it feels.”
That was a lie, it hurt like hell. She once again pictured the image of herself as the weretiger and waited till it locked in her head. Once again, she was wracked with pain, but yes, it was less this time, even less than last time. She was sure eventually the pain would be almost nonexistent.
She once again heard her mom gasp and knew she hadn’t looked away. In seconds, it was over, and she stood once again as the half tiger, half woman. She closed her eyes one last time and quickly she was back to human form. Each time she did the change it was quicker and less painful. She had complete control of it now. Now, what was she supposed to do? Right, she was to find the Druidess, but how was she supposed to do that?
“Mother, how am I supposed to find this Druidess?”
“I’m not sure. That was not passed down. I got the impression she would be reborn. So, she could be anywhere.”
“Great. How am I supposed to protect her then?”
Her mom didn’t give her an answer. She didn’t have one.
Kat started training in her new form. She figured if this is what she would be fighting with, she might as well learn her weapons. Her mom sent Jeffrey away, telling him he wasn’t needed anymore. In truth, he wasn’t. If she fought him in her new form, she would have killed him in seconds, she was that much stronger. In fact, since her “awakening,” she was stronger in human form as well, and quicker, though her deadliness was truly achieved in her hybrid form. She moved about her gym with subtle grace, running at fast speeds then stopping abruptly, turning and running through quick punches and kicks. She had to modify some of these to incorporate her sharp claws. Now her punches were more like slashes.
She practiced jumping and found she could easily leap twice her height from a standing position and with enough starting distance, her running jumps, in excess of forty feet. She could punch through bricks and thin steel, though she got pretty cut up doing that. She discovered her healing was faster as well in hybrid form.
She couldn’t help but be amazed at her new form. She was deadly. If she were an evil person, she would be a monster, and there were others out there, like her. And some of them were probably evil.
She wondered what others would do with this power. Would some kill? She must admit, when she was in her hybrid form, she felt a desire to hunt, not strong, but it was there. It was easy enough for her to ignore, but could others? What would she do when it came time to face these others? Could she kill if she had too?
Then it occurred to her. This is what her parents had trained her for. They had trained her to kill. Their twenty-year old daughter, they had trained to be a killer. Before her anger at the wrongness of it took hold, she realized they were just trying to prepare her for the dangers of life. Yes, they had taught her to kill, but it would be kill, or be killed. Would she be better off having to face what she would face and not know how to defend herself? No. She knew better. This training would save her life, and hopefully the life of the one she was meant to keep safe. Wherever the hell she was.
Kat finished her training and was just about to revert to human form when her mom walked in. She was surprised to find her mom not here earlier, since her mom loved watching her train in hybrid form. It seems she always dreamed of becoming one herself, and she was living a bit vicariously through Kat.
Whenever she would do an almost impossible move, she would catch a glimpse of her mother rising up a little as if ready to join in. She felt sorry for her mother. Truth was, Kat didn’t know how she felt about this. She wasn’t sure she wanted it, the power or the responsibility. She didn’t know if she could handle it. She was too young, too inexperienced in life to be thrust into some major conflict with mythological creatures and ancient sorcery. It was too much to handle. Her mom wanted it. Why couldn’t it have been her? That was the only reason she worked so hard at this. She didn’t want her mom’s dream to be for naught. She looked at her mom and realized something was bothering her.
“What’s up mom?”
“Nothing.” Her mom started pacing back and forth.
“Yeah right. Seriously, what’s up?”
Her mom stopped pacing and gave her a wan smile.
“It’s probably nothing. Nothing serious or anything, I’m sure you can handle it.”
“Now you are freaking me out. So, what is it?”
Her mom had the decency to look apologetic.
“Well…. Tonight, is the full moon.” Her mom finished and looked at her, waiting for the reality to sink in. The problem was, Kat had no idea why that should matter, and she told her mom so.
“Full moon? Lycanthrope? Were-creature? Doesn’t any of that ring a bell?” Her mom threw up her hands and continued. “A full moon brings about a change in a Lycanthrope. Normally, when a Were creature first changes, it is at a full moon. Now, since you are a different case, well, I really don’t know what will happen.” Her mom finished.
“Oh,” Kat said, and then thought it over. “So, what you are saying is the moon being full might force me to change?”
“It is possible, yes.”
“Will I have control over myself?”
“I don’t know. Our ancestors, I believe, did, but that knowledge is lost to us.”
Kat thought some more on this.
“Then you probably should lock me up, and you and dad should not be here tonight.”
Her mom looked shocked. “No way. There is no way we are going to leave you here by yourself, let alone lock you up.”
Kat could tell her mom was determined to stay, and she knew it was a very bad idea. She needed to convince her otherwise.
Kat closed the distance between them in a blink of an eye. She heard her mom’s breath catch as she was now looming over her. Kat lowered herself down so that her jawline was level with her mother’s eyes and peeled her lips back to revel her rows of sharp fangs. She let out a very low growl from deep within her belly. She heard her mom whimper.
“I feel a hunger for flesh every time I change. It takes concentration on my part to not tear off someone’s limbs and eat them. Do you think you would be able to stop me if I didn’t have control over myself? Do you think I could stop myself? I could tear you and dad to shreds in seconds if I wanted. If I lost control and you were both still here, that is what would happen. And when I regained control? Saw your mangled bodies on the floor. Could still taste your flesh in my mouth? Do you think I would care about that stupid Druidess? Do you think I would be able to go on? Would you risk everything because you thought you needed to protect me still? I do not need protection. I am the threat now. People need protecting from me.” Kat lowered herself more so she could look into her mother’s eyes, where she saw fear and sadness.
“I love you too much to risk you or dad. If you don’t leave here, I will, even though that will put others at risk.”
Her mother blinked her eyes and wiped away the barely formed tears.
“Your father and I will leave. We will also lock you in here before we go.”
Kat nodded her feline head.
“Thank you, mother.”
“No. Thank you for reminding me who you are and what your destiny is, and I must not do anything to risk that. Even if it means I have to learn to stop being a mother.”
Kat changed back to her human form in almost an instant and hugged her mother.
“You don’t need to stop being a mom. Just remember I am not a child anymore. Not only that, but I am one of the most dangerous people in the world.”
Kat smiled at her mom.
Her mom forced a smile back.
“Don’t let it go to your head. There are others like you, and now they are awakened as well, you will undoubtedly have to deal with them. It is very likely some of them will be stronger and quicker than you. You may heal quickly, but you are not immortal.”
“I know. I barely know this body, and I still need to learn its limits. I am sure I wi
ll learn the hard way. But you know I’ve always been a quick study.” She was attempting to make light of what she was afraid would be a difficult lesson when it came time to learn it. There is always someone bigger and badder on the playground. Not only was she going to probably have to fight him or her, she was going to have to stand in his way.
As night fought back day’s final stand, Kat found herself alone, in her gym, the doors locked and bolted, and the windows barred. She sat, legs folded on the mat in the center of the room, her breath drawn in slowly by her nose and let out at a steady pace from her mouth. Her eyes remained closed as she focused her mind on her body and tried to draw an image of herself inside her mind.
She lost all sense of time, but she was sure hours had passed. She waited patiently for when the moon would decide to exert its influence over her. She didn’t have to wait long.
She breathed in through her nose and was rewarded with sharp pain streaking through her body. The image she had held of herself shattered into a thousand pieces in her mind and her body began to change. Desperately Kat tried to regain that image, but it only came in fleeting bursts. She could feel her body reconfigure itself into her hybrid form and it felt as if she was having an out of body experience.
Try as she might, she could not regain control of her body. She felt herself stand and move to the doorway. She could feel her hunger. Her need to feed, the one she always was able to ignore and push away was now in the forefront of her desires, her only desire. She reached the door and attempted to open it. It didn’t give. She felt herself getting angry and frustrated. She pulled harder at the door and the lock gave way. The door opened slightly but was stopped by a chain wrapped around both doors.
Kat needed to get control of this situation. If she got outside and could run free, she did not feel she would regain control. She brought all her willpower into forming the image of herself in human form.
She pulled heavily on the doors. The chain links bent and pulled apart. In seconds, she would be free. Free to hunt!
The image of her human self slammed into her head. After a moment of resistance, it held firm. Her body started to change back.
No! Freedom taken away. I will never be allowed to hunt! The thoughts screamed within her mind.
Kat collapsed to the floor. She didn’t realize how difficult it would be to fight off her desire to be free to hunt. She felt weak and slightly nauseated. Her body was thrown into an imbalance and would take a bit for it to balance itself out.
She felt relieved. She was afraid the beast within her would take over. Now she knew she was strong enough to defeat it. She did not feel she would have to struggle as hard next time. Though, she still intended to lock herself up and get as far away from people as possible.
She waited till early in the morning before going to bed, not wanting to trust her dream state to any lunar control. She called her mom before retiring, to let her know everything was under control, and they could return later in the day. The relief in her mother’s voice was palatable. Her mother also sounded concerned, probably because she could hear how worn-down Kat was. Kat again assured her mom everything was fine, and she would see her later that day
Her mom must have decided she needed to rest, for they didn’t return until late afternoon, which was good because Kat was dead to the world till about then. She remembered crawling into bed and that was about it. The next thing she knew, she heard a soft rap at her door, followed by her mother peeking in.
Upon seeing her daughter’s eyes open a slit, Kat’s mother stepped in and moved to the side of the bed. She sat and brushed her daughter’s hair out of her eyes.
“What happened?”
At first Kat didn’t want to talk about it. Didn’t want to admit how close she had become being drawn into the beast, a beast wanting to run free and hunt. How close she had come to losing her identity. But it came out, bits and pieces at first, then the whole thing in a torrent of words and emotions. When she finished telling her mother what had happened, she felt ashamed. Her mother seemed to sense this.
“There is no reason for you to feel bad about this, Kat. This is an ancient power and one you have only just learned about. You have no idea how to control this. Worse still, no one alive knows, either. You are in uncharted territory, and you have handled yourself magnificently. I have never been prouder.”
Kat looked up at her mother. What she saw there surprised her. She thought her mother was just saying these things to make her feel better, but the look in her mother’s eyes belied the truth. Her mother was proud of her. All the anguish and shame washed away. She realized now how foolish she had been. She knew she had accomplished an amazing thing, and this was just the beginning. She would do her mother proud.
Deep in the night, Kat crouched on a rooftop, her feline eyes watching the streets below as if it was daylight. This was the second night of trying this. She felt a little silly, acting as if she was Batman or something, but it seemed stupid to have all this power and ability, and not use it for some good. It had been just over a month since she had changed for the first time and they had still not found anything to indicate where the Druidess was. Kat grew impatient. She was desperate to find information about where she might be. She sensed if she didn't locate her soon, she would be in trouble.
Action below intruded on her thoughts. The movement brought her attention to the alley across the street. A man worked his way to the opening of the alley and watched the people as they passed. She couldn't say why, but she knew he was up to no good. Kat looked up and down the street. She saw a younger woman strolling the sidewalk. The woman would walk directly in front of the alley and there was a break in the crowd, putting her there alone.
Kat looked back to the alley and saw the man peeking out. He watched the woman as she approached. Her feeling about the guy seemed right, and now was her chance. It was her chance to make a difference. She dropped down to the street below, landing lightly, never taking her eyes off the man across the street. She knew she wouldn't get there before the woman crossed his path. She hoped he only meant to rob the young woman, or assault her, not kill her. If he did that, she would only be able to avenge the woman.
She watched as the woman walked in front, then past the man in the alley. He made his move. A single step behind her, he wrapped one arm around her waist and brought his other hand up over her mouth before she could even scream. He was a big man. He easily lifted her off her feet and pulled her back into the darkness of the alley. Kat watched as he carried her into an alcove and out of her sight.
She made her move. She was like lightning as she crossed the street. With her enhanced hearing, she heard a gasp from someone on the street to her left and knew someone had seen her. She also knew her speed and the darkness of the street would make that person doubt what he or she had seen.
She raced down the alley and turned into the alcove. The man had the woman pressed against the wall and had ripped off her blouse and with one hand was squeezing an exposed breast, hard. He had the other pressed against her mouth to prevent her from screaming.
Kat could see the fear in the woman's eyes. She was looking for a way out, or anything that could help her. Kat suddenly felt a cold anger that a man could try to take advantage of a woman like this. She let out a low growl. The man was so busy trying to get the woman’s clothes off he didn't hear it, but the woman did. Her eyes immediately went to where Kat was standing. Her eyelids opened even larger as they settled on Kat's feline form.
Kat knew this had gone on too long. She made her move. She tapped the man on the shoulder. He stopped his groping. His hand slid to his belt and Kat knew he was going for a knife, or gun, but that didn’t worry her.
The man secured whatever he was looking for and then looked over his shoulder. He freaked. He released the woman and stumbled back a little. Kat quickly closed the distance between her and the man. Her taloned claw closed around the man's neck and pushed him back against the wall. She held him there. Kat looked to h
er side to see the woman staring, her mouth wide open. Kat nodded at the woman.
"You should probably go. I don't think you want to see what is about to happen."
The woman looked from Kat to the frightened man who Kat had pinned against the wall. The woman ran out of the alley.
Kat felt a stabbing pain just below her armpit. She gazed down at the knife hilt sticking out of her. She pulled the knife out of her side and held it up in front of the man's eyes. He stared at the knife covered in her blood.
"You shouldn't have done that," she told him.
She leaned in and growled deeply and bared her fangs. She didn't need her enhanced sense of smell to pick up the reek of urine as the man pissed himself. She grabbed the front of his shirt and poked a hole in the front with a razor-sharp claw and brought it slowly downward, slicing the fabric in half, and then she went to work.
People walking by outside the alley hurried on as the man shrieked in pain.
Officer Ben Charles approached the alleyway slowly. The dispatch told him someone had been attacked and possibly killed. He was taking no chances. He switched on his flashlight and pointed it, as well as his gun, into the alley. His flashlight split the darkness and illuminated a circular swath on the pavement. Trash littered the ground but was otherwise empty. Ben waved his flashlight back and forth making a cursory search of the walls and all visible ground. He almost missed the shoes barely visible from the entrance of an alcove.
"This is Officer Charles of the Sacramento police department. Are you in need of assistance?" He waited, but there was no answer. He edged in, keeping his flashlight trained on the shoes. When he was within a couple of feet from the alcove, he called out again. He wasn't positive, but he believed he heard a soft whimper, and the shoes, and whomever was wearing them, looked as if they wanted to move deeper into the alcove.
The Awakening Box Set Page 17
