A head suddenly bulged out from the thick hide. Ewww. Some of the monsters the shapeshifter had eaten were still alive. Bile rose in my throat as I noticed there were other body parts moving inside the shapeshifter.
“Some will survive for up to three days as they are slowly digested,”Kaelen commented.
“Ick.”
“The Tai-Kok eat their prey alive,”Zarek replied.
He had a valid point. Karma was a bitch, and they deserved a horrible death.
The shapeshifter rolled toward me. Damn, he was still very hungry. I projected calming vibes.“Easy. Jake is bringing more for you to eat.”
“I hunger,”a raspy voice said in my head and a slimy tentacle curled around my neck.
Fear skittered up my spine as I met his burning yellow eyes.“I’m Lexi. What is your name?”
“Gael.”The tentacle slid away.“I am Gael, son of Qa’a.”
I could feel Kaelen’s and Zarek’s shock.“It is an honor to meet you.”
“Your father was told you had died in battle,”Zarek said.
Gael transformed back into the tiger and roared his fury.“I was betrayed. Ziyn trapped me in this form and sold me to the Tai-Kok. I was forced to hunt for them.”
“Do you need us to contact your father?”I rubbed his ears like Kaylee had shown me. Evidently, it released endorphins and calmed critters down.
“It is my duty to hunt the traitor down,”Gael answered.
I guess that was a no. I smiled when he started purring.
A diesel truck pulling a livestock trailer skidded to a stop.
The poor sheep knew there was a predator nearby and their high-pitched bleating was awful. But it was them or every living soul within ten miles.
Jake jumped out of the cab, took one look at Gael and froze. “That’s one big kitty.”
“Gael isn’t a cat, he’s something else.”
Poof! Gael transformed into his true form. He ripped the gate off the trailer and chowed down on the sheep.
“What the fuck is that?” Jake bellowed.
I dragged him away from the trailer. “That is a Katanic shapeshifter. A very hungry shapeshifter.”
“No shit!”
Dad joined us. “How many sheep did you bring?”
“Eighty,” Jake replied.
There were only three sheep left, and I could still feel Gael’s terrible hunger. “It’s not going to be enough.”
Dad rubbed his jaw. “The creature hates the Tai-Kok as much as we do, right?”
“Yes.”
“How about we port him on board the Tai-Kok ship and he can eat to his heart’s content.”
I grinned. “And he can check Mars for their new base too.”
