by Cecy Robson
Our group repelled the enemy with vicious grace. Blood darkened the soil while chunks of flesh splattered and stuck to large boulders. Roaring, hissing, and slithering sounds drowned my snarls as my fangs pierced through smooth reptilian skin to crunch on bones.
Shayna’s strikes whistled in the night like high-pitched fireworks. She grunted as her spiraling blades cut through the thick, tough hides of the black mambas and the points stabbed and gouged the boomslangs.
Chang fought three massive snakes like an extra from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He spun and leapt in the air as if on invisible wires. Perhaps that was next week’s lesson. The snakes worked together to kill him, but failed to match his ghostlike speed. He evaded them, landing a rapid array of blows and kicks before flipping backward to descend on the back of another. Sparks flew with each blow until he beat the serpents unconscious. He held no weapons, and yet he chopped the heads from their motionless bodies with thrusts from his bare hands.
Danny’s and Bren’s wolves teamed up to play tug-of-war with the serpents, ripping the snakes in half. Blood pumped out of the lifeless remains, riling Bren’s wolf and making him howl.
I’d finished clawing through a black mamba when the white blur slowed in front of me. Behold, Tye the white lion. His fur sparkled like fresh-fallen snow in the moonlight. He paused from continuing his carnage just to flash me a lion’s grin and flick his tail teasingly in my face.
I batted his tail away and raced to find Emme. He chased me and just about ran me over when I skidded to a halt. My bashful and kindhearted little sister had battled the witch and won. She’d manipulated vines with her force and entwined them around the powerful enchantress, wrapping them around her mouth and preventing her from casting another spell. Tye did a double take, stunned that Emme was restraining her while holding two more snakes for Bren and Danny to kill. Ying-Ying, on the other hand, remained in lotus pose as the anarchy continued around her.
I fought my way to Ying-Ying to protect her, tearing off the heads of two boomslangs along my path. We continued our onslaught until only one snake remained, a boomslang. Tye fought it, slashing and pouncing with lion’s speed, but the snake surpassed his strength and power. It flung Tye against a large boulder. His ribs snapped with a hair-raising crunch. Emme held tight to the witch while I left Ying-Ying to help Tye.
My whiskers tingled with the rise of dark power. The boomslang’s leathery skin thickened and elongated with every brush of magic against my fur. It dropped open its mouth, spilling venom as the witch’s dreadful voice echoed from deep within its throat. Despite Emme’s hold, the witch had managed to transfer her essence into the weresnake. “Make no mistake, Celia Wird,” she spat. “We will kill you and your destiny.”
Her deadly voice brought me chills, yet also fueled my rage. It also fueled the rage of my friends. We attacked as one. I launched myself on the snake and dug my fangs into the back of its head. It shrieked as I raked and stabbed its cold skin. It flung me like a rag doll until, collapsing with a hard thump, I released it. Shayna had delivered the final blow by piercing its brain with one of her swords.
She dripped with sweat and panted with exhaustion, but hell, so did the rest of us. We’d fought long and hard. Everyone was breathless. Well, except for Ying-Ying.
I thought only the Tribe witch remained. But I was wrong. A final weresnake rose from the earth in front of Ying-Ying, who continued her meditative state. My claws dug into the earth, kicking up soil as I sprinted toward her. My speed was fast, yet not fast enough. It struck. There was a sickening crunch and then it was over.
Ying-Ying didn’t need me. The decapitated snake head joined the rest surrounding her. I was confused by what happened until I saw her happily munching away. She smiled at me with full cheeks. Danny and Shayna hurled behind me. Bren and I gagged when an eyeball popped out of her mouth, but we managed to keep it together. Chang laughed happily and pumped his fist, as if Ying-Ying had told a funny.
Tye changed back to human. I quickly averted my eyes from his naked body. Every were I’d ever met—no matter what kind—was always hung like a damn bear. Tye, it seemed, was no exception. He laughed and came to face me. “Don’t worry, dovie. We haven’t time for anything else . . . At least not at the moment.”
I kept my lids rammed shut, until Emme called to me. She pointed to the witch’s limp form. “I think she invaded that other snake’s soul. She must have died when Shayna killed it,” she whispered.
Bren growled in human form. “Doesn’t matter. We would have killed her anyway.” The threat against my life had angered him. Hell, it angered me, too, and reinforced that the Tribe wanted me dead.
Even though we’d fought a tough battle, the witch’s words had a more profound effect. Shayna stroked my back. “I don’t like how all these dark critters seem to know you, Ceel.”
Yeah? Well, me neither.
Emme hurried to my side. She didn’t say anything, but the scent of her fear smacked me in the nose. I rubbed my head against her to comfort her and almost knocked her frail form down. Tye caught her against his naked body. It was dark, and Emme probably couldn’t see much, but she knew Tye wasn’t wearing so much as a fig leaf. Her cheeks could have started a wildfire and she quickly scurried back to me.
Tye smirked, pleased with his ability to make the Wird girls turn red. “Come on,” he said. “We need to keep moving.” He paused to look at me. “Don’t worry, Celia. I won’t let those assholes kill either of us.”
• • •
We ran all night in our beast forms, carrying our two-legged friends on our backs. Tye led the way to the crater. The terrain was littered with sharp stones, debris, and enough dust to coat our throats. I used Aric’s image to propel me forward, and ignored Tye when he attempted to communicate through his thoughts. He believed himself my destiny, and the Tribe’s latest target. My heart told me he was wrong.
As dawn broke through the horizon, a sign alerted us that only five kilometers remained until we reached the crater. We changed back to human, unsure who we’d stumble upon.
Tanzania was beautiful; I only wished I could have enjoyed it more. The light blue sky held no clouds, just a bright sun that beat against our backs. Bren carried Emme most of the way; her lack of athleticism hindered her especially given the rough terrain. Shayna struggled to keep up the pace, and so did Danny. But their werewolf essence gave them enough of a boost to follow close behind.
We hiked along a dirt road and passed a lake filled with flamingos. They took flight when we approached, frightened of the predators they sensed within us. A couple of hippos peered at us from the water, just as natural here as ducks back home. We even caught a beautiful lioness and three cubs crossing the path before us. Everyone oohed and aahed except for Tye. He played it cool, but the sparkle in his grin exposed his love of the land.
“I wish Koda were here,” Shayna whispered to me. She smiled as she said it, but sadness and worry dulled her eyes. I knew how she felt. As much as I tried not to, my fear for Aric and the others preoccupied my thoughts.
Maybe Aric and I could come back here on our honeymoon.
Bloodcurdling screams halted my steps and thoughts. I bolted to a small gravel path and froze.
Demon offspring attacked a band of Tanzanians. They flew through the air and swept down to grab the villagers. The women cowered over their young as the men fought bravely to spear their attackers. I didn’t think about the consequences of our discovery; I just acted. I changed and sprinted toward them.
I flung myself at a demon attempting to rape a screeching young girl and rammed my claws through its chest. His innards spilled and slithered away like mucus-covered snakes, only to shrivel in the scorching sun. The girl screamed in horror and her mother threw herself on top of her. Blood oozed from the multiple cuts on the woman’s skin, yet it didn’t stop her from trying to protect her daughter.
Another demon
targeted the same family. I sliced through its neck before it reached them. The mother’s and daughter’s blood must have aroused the creatures. Six smaller demon children closed in, thick black saliva dripping from their long yellow fangs and greedy mouths. I positioned myself between them and unleashed a ferocious growl. No way would I let these assholes harm this family.
They jumped on me at once, raking their claws against my skin. I flipped over, slamming them repeatedly into the earth, then tore their heads off one at a time.
Demon parts pelted my fur as my mighty weres shredded body parts like bloody Triscuits. A few of the villagers glanced from what remained of their attackers, then back to us. Their faces slowly changed and their eyes widened. They knew we were trying to save them. Hope gave them strength. They picked up their spears and fought back with pure ferocity.
A group of young children watched in awe as Shayna transformed an abandoned shield into a razor-edged disc. She flung it like a Frisbee, decapitating a demon with ease and digging it into the chest of another.
Bren and Tye leapt on top of the demons that were attempting to fly away with children and tore off their wings. The demons fell writhing to the ground, meeting their ends when the natives stabbed them to death with their spears.
Ying-Ying collected weapons from those too injured to fight. She carried them to Emme, who was protecting a small band of women, and an already injured Danny, who struggled to stand. Emme gathered her force and launched all ten spears at the demons who had escaped Bren and Tye. They fell to the dry earth, moistening it with their splattered entrails.
Ying-Ying contorted herself into some kind of ball and used her body to knock the demons down like bowling pins. Chang and I pounced, beheading their stunned forms. “Celia!” Chang called, pointing wildly at a demon flying off with a crying baby.
I darted toward the baby but was intercepted by a mound of yelping beast and wings. Danny had tried to rejoin the battle and now a demon had him. Blood saturated his fur as he tried to fight off the giant brute. Yet despite being were, Danny could not match the demon’s strength. I scrambled forward and tackled the demon, sending us both down the ravine.
Gravel and sharp dried branches pummeled and punctured my skin the entire way down. I hit the bottom with an excruciating jolt, cracking my skull against a large flat rock. Fluid seeped from my ears and mouth and my stomach lurched from the cold rush of nausea. I wanted to scream from the paralyzing agony, but could barely gather a breath. Something was wrong—very wrong. I’d never felt pain like this. I lost my concentration and changed back to human.
It took me a long time to gather my resolve and attempt to stand. When I finally tried, my limbs failed. I gave up for the moment and tried to regulate my breathing. That’s when Aric appeared. He clutched my broken body in his powerful arms and comforted me with his soft sweet words. He promised me a lifetime of togetherness, but I had to stay strong and survive. I held on to his words. He was right—I had to live. Although at that moment I wasn’t sure how.
Neither the demon nor I moved for a long while. I sprawled completely helpless, praying he was dead, but my prayers were not answered. The moisture from my sweat and blood chilled my skin as the demon slowly stood and limped his way toward me. He stretched his leathery wings and smiled with shattered fangs.
Aric’s hideous growls fired all around me, but he wasn’t actually there to help me. I struggled to move, and once again failed. My body trembled as the demon crawled on top of me. His long forked tongue slithered out with a hiss and black drool splattered my face. He drew back his claws and aimed them toward my heart. I flinched at the expectation of my death.
It never came. He slumped on top of me, dead.
Above me, the mother whose child I had saved held the spear that pierced his skull.
A group of men sprinted down the side of the hill and hauled the creature off me. “Thank you,” I mumbled when they helped me to my wobbling feet. They caught me as my knees buckled. I couldn’t stand while human. I needed the strength of my beast. I gathered what focus remained and changed back to tigress, much to the wonder of the Tanzanians.
My body stumbled and swayed. The only reason I wasn’t dead was the same reason I’d managed my eagle form. Misha’s blood had made me strong enough to cheat death twice.
Tye met me halfway up the ravine and stroked his face against my neck. Damn, Celia. How bad are you hurt? He rubbed his body against mine and urged me up the mountain. Talk to me, dovie. As cats, we can speak to each other. Just concentrate and allow your tigress to take over.
I collapsed and threw up in response. The pain worsened as blood from my stomach spewed out. When I was done, Tye nudged me to my feet and up the ravine. The Tanzanians walked on either side of us, their spears out and ready to protect us from any threat. It wasn’t necessary. When we reached the top, it was clear no demon had survived. The waiting crowd parted and allowed us through. We must have been quite the sight, a golden tigress and an albino lion walking side by side.
I tried to reach Emme, but didn’t make it. What little strength my tigress had given me to make the climb ran out. I fell on my face and changed back. Shayna screamed and Bren swore when they saw me. Someone threw a blanket on top of me while Bren yelled for Emme. Ying-Ying and Chang spurted rapidly in their respective languages; both were cut and bleeding, but they didn’t seem to care about themselves.
Emme had just finished healing the baby that had been rescued and immediately hurried toward me. She touched my face. Her gentle yellow light surrounded me and her sympathetic tears wet my cheeks. We both cringed at the popping sound my skull made as it readjusted itself and I bit back a shriek when about four ribs abruptly snapped back into place.
“I can’t watch,” I heard Bren say over the buzzing in my ears.
The image of Aric’s face appeared in my mind and his deep timbre filled my head. I love you, he said. It’s almost over. I focused on his words. It took Emme a long time to mend me. The severity of my wounds far surpassed what I’d ever endured. Slowly, my strength returned and my nausea disappeared.
I spit out the blood that remained in my mouth and stood. I would have rather lain on the ground and slept, but I needed to reassure myself and everyone I was safe. Shayna helped adjust the blanket around me while Tye spoke with several of the men, communicating in a language I couldn’t identify.
Tye stalked over to us, his brows set in a deep frown. “The Maasai say all the neighboring parks had been evacuated due to what they believe were leopard attacks. They were fleeing when they encountered the demon children. The Tribe is obviously near. False info or not, they’re getting close to that damn stone. We need to get to the blasted crater before it’s too late.”
The beasts among us immediately changed. Tye was right—we were running out of time. Emme climbed on my back and held tight to my fur. The others sped off ahead of us. I paused to look back at the woman who had saved my life. She clutched her daughter against her. These Tribe assholes wanted me dead and I hated them for it. But I hated them more for all the lives they’d claimed along the way. It was time for them to die.
Emme stroked my head. “Are you all right, Celia?”
I chuffed a yes before running full out to join my team.
CHAPTER 29
I ran my fingers through my unruly curls and tried not to melt from the wretched humidity. “And how exactly did you learn to hot-wire a car?”
Shayna’s tiny butt shimmed and twitched as she toyed with the SUV’s wiring. “Koda taught me. He said, ‘Baby, every gal needs to know how to do three things: defend herself and hot-wire a car.’”
Emme fanned herself with her hand. “That’s only two things. What’s the third?”
Shayna slipped from beneath the dash when the engine roared to life. Her blush and grin told me more than I needed to know. “I’ll tell you later, cutie.”
We jumped int
o the Range Rover that we’d, er, procured at the entrance to the crater. Tye had wanted to drive. Much to Emme’s displeasure, I insisted Shayna take the wheel. I hated to admit it, but, as crazy as she drove, her reflexes and speed were unmatched.
I tried to focus on the scenery in order to avoid screaming like poor Emme. We sped through jungles and open plains prowling with leopards, through swamps busting with black rhinos and warthogs. But when we encountered a herd of elephants, I knew I’d found the perfect weapon. “Shayna, pull over.” I leapt from the vehicle before she finished skidding to a smooth stop.
Tye chased after me. “Celia, what the hell are you doing?”
I ignored him and crouched down a few yards from the majestic beasts. Slowly I crept, closing in on them as much as I dared. “Damn it, this is no time for sightseeing,” Tye growled.
My eyes never left the herd. “I’m hoping this will come in handy.”
“What?”
I shifted underground and surfaced behind the largest male. My fingertips gently touched his wrinkled belly. He flicked his tail but otherwise didn’t respond. I concentrated on absorbing his essence, just as Misha had taught me. Something triggered inside me, similar to the feeling I’d had when I first connected to the eagle. I sighed with relief. Thank you, big guy.
I withdrew my hand, feeling pretty pleased with myself, until the elephant noticed me. Turns out pachyderms aren’t the most forgiving of creatures. He swung his massive trunk at me and just missed crushing me with his mammoth feet. I changed and took off running.
Tye’s eyes shot out of his face when he saw us barreling toward him. “Oh, shit!” He kept his human form as he hauled ass and dove into the car.
My four-hundred-pound self couldn’t fit inside a crammed Range Rover so I changed as I leapt through the moving car window. Shayna floored it and—surprise, surprise—I landed naked on top of Tye. Everyone urged Shayna to hurry while Chang hung out the window snapping pictures with his iPhone.
