Leah Casado resisted rolling her eyes as she listened to her father’s latest efforts to force her to come home after graduation. He stared back through the face-chat as he continued to lecture her.
“…You aren’t prepared for anything in real life with a Psychology degree, Leah. You’re fooling yourself if you think otherwise. I’ve worked my entire life to build a business empire to hand over to you. Why are you trying to throw all that away?”
Leah let go of the lock of long, orange-gold hair she’d been twirling around her forefinger. Annoyed she’d returned to a childish, nervous habit, she flicked the hair back over her shoulder and glared at the screen. “Because the Cartel holds nothing of interest for me. I don’t want to live a life skirting the law.”
Her father’s eyes flashed with a yellow glow, his pupils elongating into slits for a second before returning to normal. “Our lives running the enterprise that is our family birthright is the very thing that allows you to live so comfortably. It makes the money that provides you all the things you have up there at school. Are you prepared to turn your back on all of that, Mija? No car, no condo, no more vacations in the Caribbean one week and Tahoe the next?”
Leah clenched her fists, trying to hold back the urge to let her inner jaguar manifest. He always held the money over her head. He knew it worked. She’d loved living like a queen while in college. She’d wanted for nothing; had her own luxury apartment, a fancy sports car to drive around town, and credit cards with no limits. She could literally buy entire stores worth of merchandise if she wanted. And yet, it all paled against her desire to do something different with her life, something with meaning and purpose.
“I’m not letting you bribe me anymore, Dad. I have no interest in taking over your criminal empire.”
Carlos Casado’s eyes narrowed again. “This is an open line, girl. You know better than that.”
Anger flared in response to her father’s admonition. “I haven’t done anything wrong. Why should I be nervous? Should I say hello to the FBI agents tapping the line for you?”
Her father’s eyes turned a feral yellow again. This time, his emerging jaguar teeth bared. “I’m through talking to you about this, Leah. You have one more semester until you graduate. Go out and have your fun while you have the chance. At the end of the school year, you will return home and do what we require of you. You will carry on the family tradition.”
Before she could reply, her father hung up. This time her anger got the best of her. Retractable claws popped out through her fingertips as orange and black spotted fur sprouted on her forearms.
Leah stood, resisting the urge to shred the curtains over the window beside her desk. She tried to force her partially shifted arms back under control, but her jaguar-self resisted. It was always this way with her. The power given to her family centuries before through blood rites practiced by Incan high priests carried a price. If left unchecked, some were-jaguars lost control and never regained their humanity. It was the curse their increased strength and power over other cat shifters carried with it. It was also the one thing Leah feared more than anything else.
Struggling to regain control, Leah dug her claws into her palms until trickles of blood stained the tawny fur at the edge of her wrist. She reached for the doorknob, struggling to grip the metal with her blood-slicked hand. She had to get some air and calm down.
She stormed out of her bedroom and down the hallway to the apartment’s spacious living room. Her two roommates and best friends sat watching videos on the flat screen.
Amber, a tall, dark-haired were-panther beauty with olive skin, glanced at Leah’s hairy forearms as she stalked by. She nudged the other roommate with an elbow. “Uh-oh, Kat, her inner jag is showing. She must’ve been talking to Daddy.”
“How’d you guess? He still expects me to come home and work for him. I don’t know why he refuses to hear me when I tell him no.”
Katia, a petite, blonde were-puma with a perky pixie cut, laughed. “The same reason we had no choice about where to go to college. Your father doesn’t take no for an answer. He told our parents we were to come to school and here we are.”
“Is that a complaint?” Leah asked. “You got a free education out of it. All you have to do is spy on me and report back.”
Kat frowned. “We’ve never betrayed anything important when our parents have asked us what you’re up to. You’ve known why we were allowed to come with you all along.”
Amber laughed. “I don’t know what the big deal is, Leah. You’re the daughter of one of the world’s most powerful men. You stand to inherit a vast business empire. I wish I had the options in life you have laid out before you.”
Leah grumbled as she paced around the living room. She had to get control of her anger. Her friends never understood this side of her. Few knew the risks inherent in the were-jaguars’ powers. Leah took several deep, calming breaths and forced her shifter form back under the surface where it belonged.
She’d hated her were-jaguar self ever since she’d first shifted when puberty hit. It didn’t matter she was one of the rarest of shifter cats. It didn’t matter she was heiress to the royalty of supernatural-cat-kind in the Americas. Sure, India and Europe had tiger and lion shifters, but most of them had been hunted to near-extinction centuries ago. The few who remained stayed hidden most of the time.
Here in the “new world,” things had progressed differently, and the shifter cats had retained much of their hierarchy and power. The lesser cats still all served the jaguars of the southern jungles.
From an early age, they had raised her to rule. She’d been taught to take command of those around her, to fight back when necessary, and to kill to make a point. It all galled her more and more as she grew up.
Despite the brutality she’d seen as a child, Leah had felt the calling to help those in pain. Whether it was an injured bird or a classmate in distress, she’d always been ready to do whatever she could to help them get better. It was why she’d chosen her major. She’d thought she could become a therapist when she got out of school.
Now, as she got closer to graduation, she found she had little to look forward to. She couldn’t afford to continue school on her own, and she didn’t think being a psychologist was what she wanted to do anymore. How could she avoid her father’s influence and money? She needed a way out.
Amber stood, blocking Leah’s endless pacing around the room. “Enough. I can tell you’re headed down the ‘oh, pity me’ path. Come on. We’re going out.”
“Where?” Kat asked, bouncing to her feet.
“Shopping, of course. It’s the only answer to depression I know of.”
Leah started to say she wasn’t in the mood, but Amber cut her off.
“Nope, you’re not staying here alone. We’re getting new outfits so we can go out this weekend. A friend of my father’s just opened a new club downtown. With Leah along, we’ll get guaranteed VIP room access. Who knows which celebs will be there?”
Kat spun in a circle up on her toes. “Who’s the DJ gonna be? I need a night of dancing and fun.”
“Who cares? With you, me, and Leah there, it’ll be a parrrrr-tay!”
Leah surprised herself. The thought of getting out of the apartment for a while appealed to her. She wasn’t much for shopping, but her friends lived for it and it might be fun. The distraction would help get her mind off her father.
“Fine,” she said. “But I’m driving.”
Amber laughed. “Of course you are, dahling. Your ride is divine.”
The three of them laughed together at Amber’s horrible British accent as they left to go shopping.
Chapter Two
Leah grabbed two skirts and a blouse and followed her two friends back to the changing room. They had to hurry. It was late, and the store closed soon.
Katia glanced over her shoulder at Leah’s choices and laughed. “A jaguar print? Isn’t that a bit obvious?”
“Sometimes, you gotta show guys what they’re g
etting into.”
That brought giggles from all of them as Amber led the way into the tight quarters of the changing room. As Leah came in and closed the door, Amber asked, “You shift forms when you’re with a guy? I’ll bet that freaks them out.”
Leah grinned. “I haven’t done it yet, but could you imagine the look on their face if I did? Who knows? If they’re really good, I might lose control, and my nature as an Unusual could emerge.”
Kat shook her head. “Oh, yeah, Leah. Like you’d ever lose control like that. I’ve never known anyone who’s so driven to hide that side of themselves. Has anyone besides your parents seen your full-on jaguar self? When are you going to let your guard down a little?”
Leah glanced at the floor, tucking a strand of hair back in place behind her ear. “It’s not the kind of thing I like to share.”
Amber nodded. “Were-jags are so rare, a lot of supernaturals say they’re extinct. You know what the legends say: ‘They’re so savage—if you see one, it means you’re about to die.’”
“That’s exactly the way my father likes it,” Leah replied. “He exploits the mystery of his jaguar form to inspire fear. He only brings it out when he wants to kill someone, or scare those he’s threatening with death. It’s sick. I won’t ever do that.”
The room fell into an awkward silence. The other two girls shared a glance and let the topic drop. They all began to try on the new outfits. A minute into it, Amber lost her balance. She fell over, slipping out of her skin-tight jeans. She toppled, bumping into the wall with a thump, reaching out to steady herself.
Leah glanced her way, noticing beads of sweat all along her friend’s forehead. The color had faded from her face, too. “Hey, Amber, are you okay? You don’t look so good.”
“I-I-I’m fine. Just a little wobbly on one foot. That’s all.”
Leah didn’t buy it. Amber’s words slurred a little as she spoke. That definitely wasn’t a good sign. Her concerns went right to her longtime friend’s chronic diabetes.
“Hey, when’s the last time you had something to eat?”
Amber snapped an angry reply. “I’m okay, I said. Leave me the hell alone.”
Kat gave Leah a worried look. The three of them had been best friends since elementary school. They’d seen their friend neglect her condition before and recognized the signs of distress.
Kat reached out with one hand for Amber. “Here, sit down on the seat. Rest a little. I think I’ve got a candy bar in my purse.”
“I said, I don’t need your help.” This time the words had the tone of a ripping snarl. Amber’s eyes turned bright yellow. Her pupils morphed into feline slits. Black fur sprouted all along her arms and legs. Retractable claws popped in and out from her fingertips.
A rap at the door silenced Kat and Leah, though the low snarls from the shifting were-panther continued. “Is everything alright in there?” called a voice. “There’s only supposed to be one person in the room at a time, you know.”
Leah grabbed at Amber, holding her back as she leaped at the door. She pinned her friend’s hairy arms to her sides, trying to avoid getting scratched by the claws straining to reach for her. Only Amber’s weakened condition gave Leah the advantage. The only way she’d be stronger was to shift to her own altered form, and she’d avoid that until it was absolutely necessary.
“We’re good,” Leah grunted as she struggled with Amber. “My friend needs help to change her clothes. She’s got a handicap. It’s all good. We’ll be out soon.” Her enhanced hearing listened as the clerk walked back down the narrow hallway. “Kat, find that damned candy bar while we can still try to get her to eat it. If she shifts all the way, she’ll overpower us both and attack the normals out there.”
Kat looked up from digging through her purse. “It’s not there. I forgot I ate it last night.”
“Check her purse then. She should carry something to eat.”
Digging through Amber’s purse, Kat shook her head. “There’s nothing here. Oh, crap. I forgot. She told me she’s fasting to lose weight.”
Leah gritted her teeth as Amber gave a particularly violent lurch. One arm pulled free from Leah’s grip and slashed at Katia.
In the tight confines of the changing room, Kat had no way to avoid the strike. She cried out as the were-panther claws raked down her back, shredding the blouse she’d tried on.
Groaning with effort, Leah grabbed at the flailing arm before Amber could strike again. She managed to pin the arm to the girl’s side. “You okay, Kat? I need your help here. With her low blood sugar, she has no conscious control over her panther side at all.”
“I think I’ll be alright. She just grazed me.”
Kat moved around behind Amber, careful to avoid the girl’s snapping jaws.
Leah made an executive decision. “We need help here. Hold on to her. I need to make a call.”
Katia grabbed at the flailing were-panther and took over trying to restrain her.
Leah pulled out her phone.
Kat asked, “You calling her parents?”
Leah shook her head. “No, they can’t get here in time. I think we need to call for help. She needs an ambulance or something. She won’t be able to shift back until she has control of herself again.”
“You’re not calling on those special human paramedics everyone talks about? Your father will kill you. He hates how they’ve interfered with things here in Elk City!”
Leah scoffed. “Well, unless you want to let her loose so she can maul some unsuspecting store clerk, I don’t think we have a choice!” She didn’t wait for Kat to protest further, tapping 911 on the keypad and putting the phone up to her ear. Then she realized she had no idea what to say to be sure they got the right people and not a regular ambulance.
“Nine-one-one,” a polite but efficient woman answered, “do you need police, ambulance, or fire?”
“Um, ambulance, I guess. There’s a special one, right?”
“Just tell me the nature of your emergency and I’ll get you the people you need right away.”
Leah would have paced, but the tight confines of the dressing room were far too small for that. She chewed at her lip instead. “Look, my friend isn’t a normal person, you know, she’s sort of… Unusual? I have to make sure we get the people we’re supposed to get.”
The woman on the other end of the line didn’t miss a beat. “I can get you what you need. What is the specific problem your friend is having?”
“She has diabetes. She just sort of lost control and we don’t know what to do.”
“Does she have any sugar or juice with her?”
“No, we tried that already. Look, did you hear what I said? She’s not like normal people. She’s Unusual.”
“It’s all taken care of, miss. I show on my map you’re at Kovak’s Department Store. Help is already on the way.”
“Hurry, we’re in women’s clothing. In the changing rooms at the back of the store.”
Amber had finally shifted fully into her humanoid were-panther form. With the change complete, her jet-black fur was broken only by the wild, yellow cat-eyes staring out at Leah, and the snarling white teeth in her snapping mouth.
Kat struggled more than ever to contain their friend. She’d had to open herself to the additional strength she held as a shifter. Golden fur coated her arms as she accessed the power that came with her partial shift into a were-puma.
It wasn’t enough. Amber wriggled free, turning her head and clamping down on Kat’s arm with her powerful jaws.
Kat cried out, letting go with her other hand to slash at the panther’s head with her own claws. Cat snarls echoed around the room as Leah strained to hear the emergency dispatcher on the phone.
Leah gave up on the nine-one-one call. She dropped the phone to the floor and dove in to try and pull Amber away from Kat. Her bloody arm looked bad and she had to help her injured friend get free.
Amber let out a snarling growl and turned on Leah.
Leah reached out
with one hand and caught Amber by the throat, holding the snapping teeth away from her. With her other hand, she used her shifter reflexes to bat away the claws reaching for her chest and belly.
The salesgirl banged on the door. “You girls need to come out of there right now. I can hear that growling. I don’t know how you smuggled a pet into the store without someone seeing, but you have to leave. That is definitely not allowed!”
“Look, lady,” Leah shouted. “I’ve called nine-one-one. Why don’t you go and look for the ambulance and make yourself useful? We have an emergency here.”
“What kind of emergency? Has that animal bitten someone? I have to call security and my manager if there’s a problem.”
“Just watch for the ambulance, okay? You can find out what’s going on later. We’re trying to help our friend.”
The store clerk went away again.
“What are we going to do?” Kat asked, cradling her injured arm with her free hand, trying to slow the bleeding. “If they’re not here soon, she’s going to get free. We need your jaguar strength, Leah. It’s the only way.”
Leah knew Kat was right. She released her iron grip over her shifter ability, calling on its additional strength, letting the blood magic free until her skin sprouted orange fur and black and tan spots. Leah’s vision enhanced as her feline eyes picked up parts of the visible light spectrum no human’s eyes could see.
The immediate burst of strength filled her with awe at the power she held. It would be so easy to live this way forever.
For an instant, her fears were realized and the call of the wild jaguar held Leah in thrall. Then, with a thrust of her will, she fought the wild cat back inside and regained control.
Her eyes bored into the yellow panther eyes facing her. Amber was the first to look away, ceding power to the were-jaguar manifested before her. Leah nodded and wrapped her arms around her friend, once again taking control. Together, she and Kat held onto Amber, waiting for help to arrive.
A minute later, another knock on the changing room door broke Leah’s usually controlled demeanor. “What the hell?” She snarled. “Don’t you understand the words go away?”
Hellcats: Anthology Page 102
