He was in the transition between human and beast, but there was no guessing how short or long of a duration he would be in this state. If there was ever a perfect time to strike, it was now. He was arrogant, but with that came a vulnerability. It was evident by his words that he didn’t suspect us to survive the blow from the jagged shackles. If I was being honest, he wasn’t alone in his skepticism.
Much to everyone’s astonishment, we hadn’t perished, and it gave us an advantage. Without a doubt, either I would be dead soon, or it would be him to lose his life. It was up to me to make sure it was the latter and not the first.
“The fuck we are!” stormed out of my body in a guttural roar, and I lunged forward, my sights on the sensitive spot of his neck just above his shoulder blades. The chained pulled my body backward, and metal only sank further into my flesh. I cried out in pain, and dizziness swam in my head, but the determination to avenge our sister, by far, outweighed it. Not only had Trista lost her sister, but I also lost mine. We were both to blame now. There would be a time for condemnation and sorrow later, but there was no room for second-guessing at the moment.
Forcing myself forward with as much strength as my body held, I leapt headfirst and held my breath. “If this is the end, I love you, Trista.”
“Thought there wasn’t time for second-guessing.” She nervously chuckled. “I love you, too, but don’t give up now. Kill that fucker!” she screamed in my head just as the shackles broke, and we gained our independence.
I didn’t waste a precious second thinking about what I would do. My paws sprang from the ground, and as soon as I felt the tiger’s neck beneath my teeth, I clamped down. The metallic taste of blood was something I enjoyed when it was prey, but I’d never killed another shifter. It was against the ethics our parents raised us to live by. Yet tonight, as my moral compass dropped to the southernmost point possible, and I betrayed the memory of my parents, I refused to stop until I drained every last bit of life from his useless body.
My head violently flipped back and forth, tearing hide and flesh from his bones. His tendons and muscles snapped apart as if they were made of paper. They were no match for my teeth.
“Yuck! That sounds like—”
“Our freedom,” I interrupted Trista before she had a chance to elaborate.
“Freedom.” Trista sighed and relaxed.
283
Loco
I’d been running for so long, I’d lost track of time. August and I both figured if I kept going, eventually, our body would straighten its shit out, but I finally came to the realization there was no way to tell unless we used our powers. It didn’t matter if we ran all the way to Texas, running wasn’t the problem we were having. It was keeping our abilities in check.
“Good damn point. Where are we, though?” August asked me, and my pace decreased to a comfortable stride, taking in our surroundings.
“I’m guessing right outside of Detroit. The air doesn’t smell as shitty.”
“Isn’t this around where that fuckhead prospect lives?”
“Yeah, I guess it is.” Realization set in, and the houses in the far distance were familiar. Greaser and I made a pitstop at the prospect’s house when the three of us went for a run. The prospect was the only one who went inside his home since we did not have time to waste sitting around visiting that day. Tyson was expecting us back.
“Speaking of Tyson. Guess we may as well get our letters while we’re in the area. It’ll make him happy.”
“Fuck Tyson!”
“You say that now, but you wouldn’t be if he was here.”
“Depends on the day, Gato. Fine. Let’s go, but there might be a small problem with your plan, genius.”
“We’ll find something to cover your balls on the way. Don’t worry, no one is going to see your tiny marbles.” I laughed at him, both of us knowing there was no contest when comparing our balls.
“These marbles see more action than yours ever will.”
“For now.” I shook my head, and my words abruptly stopped. The air changed, and the sweetest aroma I’d ever inhaled overtook me. It was intoxicating.
“Fuck me,” I purred, licking my lips, and the fur on the back of my neck stood on end. It was so enticing, I took another breath, inwardly afraid I might not get another chance. It was still there, but something else spoiled its beauty. The potent stench of blood was unmistakable.
“Human?” August asked nervously.
“Feline,” I corrected him and lurked forward in the direction of the smell. Perhaps there was a damn good reason why no one had heard from the prospect. He was more than likely dead. There was a slight possibility he wasn’t the only shifter in the area, but I doubted it. The closer I got to his house, the more familiar the scent became. It was our prospect. He was dead. I never forgot the smell of someone’s blood. As astounding as it seemed, every person had a distinct odor. Dodger, the prospect, got busted up right after Tyson threw denim on him, and we had Doc sew him up. Chaotic Twister was plagued with the fucker’s pungent stench for a week afterward. I had never met someone who loved garlic as much as he had. Regardless of his reeking blood, he was still part of us, and someone’s world was about to be fucked up.
