Using speed and surprise, my paws hit the shoulders and my jaw clamped onto the back of his neck, biting through thin skin as the body screamed. The magic flared out as we continued until the body hit the ground. Ripping through the skin, he stopped moving as the other turned. Leaping from the first body, I ran the second one as the other shot into my body. I felt several bullets graze by and one lodged in my hip as the second body hit the ground before it stopped moving. Turning, the damage started healing before I went toward the last one. Growling at the previous target, he tossed several things toward me that exploded with smoke and something started stinging my eyes. Hissing at the pain, I backed up, trying to bat at my eyes with my paws. I could hear the footsteps of the last man running, leaving me ample space. I couldn’t see, and found myself staggering back where I could smell my mage.
I took care not to step on him as his hand touched my face as something else came up toward my face. Hissing, I could hear him say something that made no sense in this form but paused as fabric went over my eyes. They were healing, but the damage over my body was worse than my vision slowly returning. I shifted away from the care, my need to change to understand the world, seeing what I needed to come back as the adrenaline coursing through me began to calm.
Coughing up the remains of the meal, pieces of meats, as well as blood, I began to focus on the world no longer in the shifted vision of my jaguar. Turning back to an average human with skin pulling back in, the fur leaving along with the heat fading and bringing me back from the raging fever of the shift to human-like. Panting from the remains spit out, my human vision returned as the pain flared through parts of my body as I reformed into a human. My hip aflame from the bullet, the streaks of red strips where I had been grazed already began to heal over, leaving hints of reds and pinks. The bones and eyes were taking most of my concentration as I could hear Caleb trying to calm the situation with soft words.
“Who the hell were those sons of bitches?” I snarled out; my teeth still too sharp to speak normally.
“Bad guys, well, ex bad guys. I think one got away,” he stated, handing me one of the unused towels. “You’re naked.”
“It happens when I shift, you know that.” The fangs continued to pull back into my mouth, as I roamed my tongue over my mouth. I would need to brush, bleach, and floss the bits of humans and dinner.
“I know that, it was just not what I expected. You have gotten much better at this than before.”
“It has been nearly six years; you have missed a few chapters in my life.”
“I know.” He used the damp cloth over my chin and cheek. “I should have done things differently.”
“Not geting captured would have been a great start.” He gave the look of annoyance and a stupid eye roll. “What? It’s true.”
“Yes, but not helpful, Fee. They will be back.”
“We need you free and to stop them. There are innocent people in this building, and they are not getting in the middle of this. We need to get out of here.” I stood, wavering only a bit. A pair of shifts after a long day and little food didn’t make a happy cat. “So, any idea how to get that thing off your neck to allow you to go back to badass mage without the light show?”
“Nullify the hell out of it, that would be the best idea. I have no idea who is on whose side here in your turf. The local conclave is in Dallas, I guess we could go there.”
“And do you trust them?”
The pause reached long enough for me to wonder if he dropped back unconscious, but he just looked lost. First time for everything. “I don’t know. Do you know any local magic users here in San Antonio?”
“I do. Minor problem, though.” He tilted his head as he adjusted his glasses, a sure sign of his frustration at the situation. “She doesn’t do just any job, hates the conclaves and covens but is bribable and…”
“And? I take it she is an unsanctioned user.”
“Pretty sure, she lives out in the middle of nowhere and keeps to herself with her crazy ass plants.”
“So, just pure Texan hospitality isn’t going to do the trick?”
“Maybe she does have a shit ton of guns, loves to shoot intruders to feed to her plants, and I think all three of the husbands are buried out there. And maybe if she is in a good mood, we’ll get sweet tea.”
“Brutal, what type of crazy unsanctioned are out here?”
“One that can nullify that thing, Caleb. I don’t honestly deal with them much; I have had some bad experiences with magic groups. Hell, your family blacklisted me, so none of the sanctioned mages even deal with me, I must send someone else if I need something. But Anna is well, Anna. We can try, but I make no promises about her attitude or if she will take this on. We have to get going, I am not risking people here on your shit.”
“I didn’t mean to drop this in your lap, Fee, I just knew once I figured out where I was, you could help.”
“I know.”
