grip on the stone in her hand. She’d get one chance, and if she failed, she knew it would mean her life. Keep him talking , she decided. Wait for the right opportunity.
“What are you talking about?!” she exclaimed, making her voice more incredulous than unnecessary. A strange tight-lipped smile spread on Theo’s lips as he rubbed his head, almost bashfully.
“It’s exactly as I said. We need more Tigers, more loyal Shifters to support us. And you, Kristen… the only reason I’ve spared you this far is because you’re pregnant. You can bring new blood into our gang, a new hope. Think about it. You could be a queen among our kind.”
She almost gagged on the thought, but she knew she needed to distract him. “That’s your offer, then? To become a whore to your group of Tigers?”
“I didn’t say that! I said queen ,” he clarified, holding the syllables too long so that they became a perversion in his mouth, “but we need more than a single Tiger. Perhaps, in time… you would find yourself attracted to others. You would give birth to an entire army. An army of Shifters! How can you possibly say no to that?”
Kristen stood up. His handprint still felt fresh on her skin.
“Let me tell you something about Shifters,” she replied coldly, “if ever in this world I am made a queen, I tell you this now… Rodney is the only king I’ll ever have. And you… you’re nothing. Nothing at all, Theo. You’re a bad dream. Something meant to be woken from. And then disappear forever.”
Her words grated on him like fingernails on a chalkboard, and she saw the tension mount in his face, driving itself toward a terrible finale. He reached toward her, his ropy hands clutching at her neck, and she gasped as she felt the air constrict and his fingers press in against her windpipe. Even in human Form, he was still a monstrous figure to contend with, and the wiry muscles on his arms strained as he lifted her off the ground. Her feet treaded the air helplessly.
Without thinking, she pulled the rock from behind her back and brought it down on his face. He grunted but held her fast, and she plunged the makeshift dagger into his head again and again until it was wet with his blood. He screamed and dropped her, holding the mangled remains of his face, which hung off his features like a wet bag of laundry.
His nose was completely crushed, and she felt sick at the sound of air trying to make its way through the sucking bloody wound. She’d almost caved in one of his eyes, and its white soupy liquid was pouring down one inflamed cheek. Theo screamed again, something unintelligible as his remaining eye spun in circles before finally locking on her again. She staggered with her back to the wall, horrified at what she had done to him, but also that he was still conscious enough to come after her.
“AAAUHHH!” he wailed, lunging forward with both hands.
Kristen had dropped the stone when she’d fallen and it was too far away. Her jaw clenched as she waited for the misshapen Tiger to finish what he’d started. Theo’s feet scuffed across the stony plateau and he fell upon her.
She barely registered an orange and black blur that flashed past her ear, followed by a tremulous growl that resonated within the stone cliff. Theo screamed again, but this time in pain as huge feline teeth sunk into his shoulder blade, piercing downward almost to his heart. There was a ripping and tearing of flesh as a full-sized Tiger tore at its quarry, loosening bones from their joints.
Blood dripped onto the stones, pooling in a red arc where it finally careened over the cliff edge, and the Tiger pulled back, still snarling, its lips pulled back over its teeth, which gleamed with Theo’s life-blood.
“Brother, no,” the elder Tiger murmured, “…why… why…”
The last Kristen saw of him he stumbled backwards, his chest almost torn away and his abdomen and legs slick with red. His feet tripped over the edge of the cliff and he
“What are you talking about?!” she exclaimed, making her voice more incredulous than unnecessary. A strange tight-lipped smile spread on Theo’s lips as he rubbed his head, almost bashfully.
“It’s exactly as I said. We need more Tigers, more loyal Shifters to support us. And you, Kristen… the only reason I’ve spared you this far is because you’re pregnant. You can bring new blood into our gang, a new hope. Think about it. You could be a queen among our kind.”
She almost gagged on the thought, but she knew she needed to distract him. “That’s your offer, then? To become a whore to your group of Tigers?”
“I didn’t say that! I said queen ,” he clarified, holding the syllables too long so that they became a perversion in his mouth, “but we need more than a single Tiger. Perhaps, in time… you would find yourself attracted to others. You would give birth to an entire army. An army of Shifters! How can you possibly say no to that?”
Kristen stood up. His handprint still felt fresh on her skin.
“Let me tell you something about Shifters,” she replied coldly, “if ever in this world I am made a queen, I tell you this now… Rodney is the only king I’ll ever have. And you… you’re nothing. Nothing at all, Theo. You’re a bad dream. Something meant to be woken from. And then disappear forever.”
Her words grated on him like fingernails on a chalkboard, and she saw the tension mount in his face, driving itself toward a terrible finale. He reached toward her, his ropy hands clutching at her neck, and she gasped as she felt the air constrict and his fingers press in against her windpipe. Even in human Form, he was still a monstrous figure to contend with, and the wiry muscles on his arms strained as he lifted her off the ground. Her feet treaded the air helplessly.
Without thinking, she pulled the rock from behind her back and brought it down on his face. He grunted but held her fast, and she plunged the makeshift dagger into his head again and again until it was wet with his blood. He screamed and dropped her, holding the mangled remains of his face, which hung off his features like a wet bag of laundry.
His nose was completely crushed, and she felt sick at the sound of air trying to make its way through the sucking bloody wound. She’d almost caved in one of his eyes, and its white soupy liquid was pouring down one inflamed cheek. Theo screamed again, something unintelligible as his remaining eye spun in circles before finally locking on her again. She staggered with her back to the wall, horrified at what she had done to him, but also that he was still conscious enough to come after her.
“AAAUHHH!” he wailed, lunging forward with both hands.
Kristen had dropped the stone when she’d fallen and it was too far away. Her jaw clenched as she waited for the misshapen Tiger to finish what he’d started. Theo’s feet scuffed across the stony plateau and he fell upon her.
She barely registered an orange and black blur that flashed past her ear, followed by a tremulous growl that resonated within the stone cliff. Theo screamed again, but this time in pain as huge feline teeth sunk into his shoulder blade, piercing downward almost to his heart. There was a ripping and tearing of flesh as a full-sized Tiger tore at its quarry, loosening bones from their joints.
Blood dripped onto the stones, pooling in a red arc where it finally careened over the cliff edge, and the Tiger pulled back, still snarling, its lips pulled back over its teeth, which gleamed with Theo’s life-blood.
“Brother, no,” the elder Tiger murmured, “…why… why…”
The last Kristen saw of him he stumbled backwards, his chest almost torn away and his abdomen and legs slick with red. His feet tripped over the edge of the cliff and he
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