for yourself.”
Zima flipped off the surface and
landed a few feet from Nae who narrowed her eyes, keeping track of
the woman’s movements. She eased around one of the two columns in
the center of the room, staying out of Nae’s direct line of vision,
while easing in close. Nae dropped her hands and exhaled. Every
time she turned to face the woman, the chick moved. She chewed the
inside of her cheek, debating on the baton or gun. Perhaps if she
could get the crazy lady to chat, she might be able to talk her way
out of the situation.
Nae tried again. “Listen…” She caught
sight of the woman charging her in her peripheral
vision.
Nails grazed her cheek, and she raised
her arm to deflect the blow. Pain seared up her bicep as the
woman’s claws sliced through her skin. Nae dropped to her knee and
extended her leg, swinging it through her attacker’s limbs, to send
the woman stumbling back. She grabbed the club from her boot and
rose to her feet. The baton protracted with a flick of her wrist.
Nae spun in a circle trying to keep her eyes on the agile
attacker.
The second blow came from the opposite
direction. The sound of scraping metal filled the room as Zima’s
nails slid along the iron rod. Nae dropped her arm and turned her
body to the side, swinging her weapon at the woman’s belly. Zima
grunted, bent at the waist and stumbled forward. She stopped short
of tumbling into the crowd. Nae danced out of the way as Zima spun
and lunged for her, she met the woman’s gaze. Hate filled the
bright gold eyes. With a flick of her wrist she brought the baton
down on her opponent’s fingers. A wail ripped through the silence.
When the woman opened her mouth Nae swore she saw fangs. Quickly
circling her foe, Nae thrust her arm down, slamming the steel bar
against Zima’s calves. Her opponent dropped to her knees. Nae
twisted around and kicked up, aiming for the woman’s nose.
Lightning fast, Zima grabbed her around the ankle and shoved her
away. Nae slammed into the linoleum floor, flat on her back. She
scrambled to get to her feet, watching as Zima rose and crossed her
line of vision.
A roar rent the air and everyone
stilled. An apprehensive quiet filled the space and Zima started to
sprint toward her.
***
El padded out of the woods and
stretched. The spicy, sweet scent of candied ginger made his
nostrils twitch. That aroma followed him from the SUV, he’d found
on an old logging road about a mile from the bar. He loped over to
the cycles. Within a few steps bones broke and realigned; fur
receded, leaving a sprinkling of hair on his skin. Gunter lit a
thin cigar as he rested on the seat of his custom bike and blew
circles of smoke in his direction. El strode to the saddle bag on
his motorcycle and yanked out a pair of jeans. He slid in one leg,
and then the other before pulling up his pants and meeting his
second in command’s gaze.
Reaching for his vest, he slipped it
on and dropped his boots on the ground. “You look like you have
something to say Gunter?”
“ Nope, I sent Reese to
find you earlier, but now I’m just waiting.”
El glanced at the building which
housed the motorcycle club then back at the older man. “For what?”
Cool air enveloped him as he waited for an answer. Without the fur,
he felt the chill to his bones. The weather in Oregon was nothing
like the dry heat which seemed to rise off the plains of the
Serengeti. But, it was a place no one would expect a pride of lions
to reside. For him that once thing outweighed the importance of the
other. He would keep his pride hidden at all costs.
“ Curious evening, some
woman came looking for you, a pretty little thing with bronze skin
and sinful chocolate eyes.” Gunter inhaled deeply from his cigar,
and a thin red rim of smoldering fire glowed in the
night.
“ A woman ?”
“ Yeah a human.”
“ Huh, that’s the last
species I would expect to seek me out. What did she
want?”
The bar door was shoved open.
Screeching metal
Zima flipped off the surface and
landed a few feet from Nae who narrowed her eyes, keeping track of
the woman’s movements. She eased around one of the two columns in
the center of the room, staying out of Nae’s direct line of vision,
while easing in close. Nae dropped her hands and exhaled. Every
time she turned to face the woman, the chick moved. She chewed the
inside of her cheek, debating on the baton or gun. Perhaps if she
could get the crazy lady to chat, she might be able to talk her way
out of the situation.
Nae tried again. “Listen…” She caught
sight of the woman charging her in her peripheral
vision.
Nails grazed her cheek, and she raised
her arm to deflect the blow. Pain seared up her bicep as the
woman’s claws sliced through her skin. Nae dropped to her knee and
extended her leg, swinging it through her attacker’s limbs, to send
the woman stumbling back. She grabbed the club from her boot and
rose to her feet. The baton protracted with a flick of her wrist.
Nae spun in a circle trying to keep her eyes on the agile
attacker.
The second blow came from the opposite
direction. The sound of scraping metal filled the room as Zima’s
nails slid along the iron rod. Nae dropped her arm and turned her
body to the side, swinging her weapon at the woman’s belly. Zima
grunted, bent at the waist and stumbled forward. She stopped short
of tumbling into the crowd. Nae danced out of the way as Zima spun
and lunged for her, she met the woman’s gaze. Hate filled the
bright gold eyes. With a flick of her wrist she brought the baton
down on her opponent’s fingers. A wail ripped through the silence.
When the woman opened her mouth Nae swore she saw fangs. Quickly
circling her foe, Nae thrust her arm down, slamming the steel bar
against Zima’s calves. Her opponent dropped to her knees. Nae
twisted around and kicked up, aiming for the woman’s nose.
Lightning fast, Zima grabbed her around the ankle and shoved her
away. Nae slammed into the linoleum floor, flat on her back. She
scrambled to get to her feet, watching as Zima rose and crossed her
line of vision.
A roar rent the air and everyone
stilled. An apprehensive quiet filled the space and Zima started to
sprint toward her.
***
El padded out of the woods and
stretched. The spicy, sweet scent of candied ginger made his
nostrils twitch. That aroma followed him from the SUV, he’d found
on an old logging road about a mile from the bar. He loped over to
the cycles. Within a few steps bones broke and realigned; fur
receded, leaving a sprinkling of hair on his skin. Gunter lit a
thin cigar as he rested on the seat of his custom bike and blew
circles of smoke in his direction. El strode to the saddle bag on
his motorcycle and yanked out a pair of jeans. He slid in one leg,
and then the other before pulling up his pants and meeting his
second in command’s gaze.
Reaching for his vest, he slipped it
on and dropped his boots on the ground. “You look like you have
something to say Gunter?”
“ Nope, I sent Reese to
find you earlier, but now I’m just waiting.”
El glanced at the building which
housed the motorcycle club then back at the older man. “For what?”
Cool air enveloped him as he waited for an answer. Without the fur,
he felt the chill to his bones. The weather in Oregon was nothing
like the dry heat which seemed to rise off the plains of the
Serengeti. But, it was a place no one would expect a pride of lions
to reside. For him that once thing outweighed the importance of the
other. He would keep his pride hidden at all costs.
“ Curious evening, some
woman came looking for you, a pretty little thing with bronze skin
and sinful chocolate eyes.” Gunter inhaled deeply from his cigar,
and a thin red rim of smoldering fire glowed in the
night.
“ A woman ?”
“ Yeah a human.”
“ Huh, that’s the last
species I would expect to seek me out. What did she
want?”
The bar door was shoved open.
Screeching metal
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