Chains by Kelli Maine

protect Princess Danielle.
    Her shrill cries of terror tore at his heart. As the moon shone through the narrow arrow slit in the high stone wall, a beam of light caught his eyes and sparked a fire in his gut¸ doubling him over onto the ground.
    His bones jarred and bent. His jaw grew, jutting forward, filling with the sharp fang-like teeth of a carnivore. His hair grew into a long mane, and fur cover his body. Razor-like nails protruded from his padded paws. His eyesight honed and his ears perked while his mind began to think like a predator.
    Barron Striker was his prey.
    The tiger threw his mane back and let out a rumbling, guttural roar that shook the castle, sending dust and debris falling from the rafters. His jailers ran, screaming. He charged his cell door, breaking it into a million splinters and bursting through to freedom.
    The castle was silent as he stalked through the corridors. The scent of the baron and of the princess…and of blood, lingered.
    He found her in her bed, staring out the window into the dark night, and climbed in with her. She buried her face in his fur, trembling.
    The tiger, Sir Tyler, knew he’d been given a gift. The gift to rip a man limb from limb, and that’s what he would do to Baron Striker to avenge the princess. But snuggled deep in the tiger’s arms, the princess knew Sir Tyler was forever changed from the big-hearted boy who loved to draw to this raging beast beside her. She knew as long as she was there for him to protect, he’d never be able to free himself from the beast. The tiger should have never been and she’d do everything to keep him from taking over Sir Tyler, no matter the cost.

SEVEN
    I stepped outside and surveyed every car in the lot. Then I walked to the end of the sidewalk and back, searching for Striker.
    “Okay,” I said, sticking my head back inside the door. “I don’t see him.”
    Danny stepped outside with the puppy in her arms and closed the door behind her. Her eyes squinted in the bright sun and darted left and right. “I’m going to puke,” she said, weak, shaking and nauseated. Withdraw was a bitch.
    “You’re strong. You can beat this. We have to get you out of here.” Moving her was the last thing I wanted to do. She was headed down a road of pain and needed a place to crash where I could take care of her.
    A taxi pulled into the parking lot. I’d called for one almost an hour ago. “Is there anywhere you can think of where we can lay low for a while? If he knows about me, then he can find me through Mike and the gym. I can’t take you home with me.”
    She looked at me with hesitation in her eyes, biting her chapped lips. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
    The taxi honked. “We have to go somewhere,” I said, ushering her across the asphalt. “If you know somewhere, you need to tell me.”
    She bent and stepped into the taxi, scooting across the seat. When I was in and the door was closed, she leaned forward between the seats. “Take us to Carson City, please. I’ll get an address on the way.”
    She sat back and gave me an apologetic smile, eyeing the driver as if to say she’d explain when we got moving. I had the distinct feeling that she was hiding something she should’ve told me sooner. Then again, I knew nothing about her anymore, so everything was a secret. Why would this be any different—enough to make her look like she owed me an explanation?
    She dug her cell phone out of her little handbag. She hadn’t lost it. I saw it when I searched for drugs earlier. I didn’t want think about what she did to get money to pay for cell service.
    She sent a text and balanced the phone on her thigh. I lifted my eyebrows, questioning who she was trying to reach.
    Danny took my hand. “Alex,” she said. “I found him after you left. The first time I ran away. I used some of the money I stole and hired a private investigator. You were in jail. I didn’t have anyone else to run to.”
    My mind spun in circles. “Wait. Didn’t he