AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It all felt like he was moving through water, a familiar sensation that sometimes occurred when he was in battle. But it had less vibrance to it and more sorrow because at the end of it was the potential for loss.
The loss of the most beautiful and loving woman he would ever know. And the child that had become her own.
FORTY-FOUR
KIRSTEN
Kirsten held her breath. With so many shifters in the room, it was hard to know where to turn. They paid her no mind and focused on each other, growling and pawing at the ground. She had to leave as soon as she could before she was caught in the crossfire. Before she could move, the shifters attacked with claws, teeth, and fury.
Kirsten stood stricken by fear at the sight of so many shifters tearing each other apart. It was a bloodbath. The tiger shifters used their teeth and claws to swipe and maim, and the bear shifters used their bodies to crush and kill. The power they exuded was frightening, and all she could do was hold Zara close to her.
One of the bear shifters looked up at her, snarling and growling. She let out a scream and turned to run. She almost tripped over her feet, hurdling up the last of the stairs. And she sprinted through the mansion until she found a closet to hide in. She heard the bear climbing the stairs, it’s great, lumbering body shaking the walls and slapping against the marble.
What could she possibly do? There was no way to outrun this. She was stuck there until the fight was over or Henry came to get her. She was so stupid! If only she had gotten out while she had the chance. Before Sher grabbed her and dragged her back in.
If only one of the guards had helped her escape ... what kind of hold did Sher have over them? Surely they were not loyal to her only because she was a rich shifter. And, for that matter, what kind of hold did she have over Henry? Would he really leave Kirsten for Sher as Kirsten told him to?
And what would become of baby Zara when this was over? What if Henry died in the fight? What if they did not make it out alive? She was racked with so many questions that her anxiety got the better of her. But when she looked at Zara’s face, she felt calm.
“Shh,” she said, rocking Zara back and forth. Zara kept quiet, never crying, looking into Kirsten’s eyes like she trusted her completely. Kirsten was honored to gain Zara’s trust, and she knew she would never take it for granted. Even though Kirsten was new to Zara and Henry’s lives, she wanted to be with them forever.
She whispered to Zara, consoling her as best she could, but Zara made no sounds. Even when the fight raged below and it sounded like the bloodshed was getting closer every second, Zara stayed still in Kirsten’s arms. She was perfect. And Kirsten really was a good cat whisperer.
Roars of rage and victory echoed around them, and Kirsten feared that there were too few bears in the mix that were surviving. It could not end like this. It could not end with Sher winning after all this time, especially if it meant Henry was losing ... or worse.
Kirsten did not want Sher to die exactly, just to be out of their lives for good. At one point, she thought that Sher should have her family back, but she no longer thought that, especially after being locked up by her in this mansion. Sher was twisted and mean, and she used people to get what she wanted. Henry was a good father, but Sher had never shown herself to be a good mother.
Kirsten began to fret the longer the fight went on. Where was Henry? Was he safe? Did he manage to survive? If he died, Kirsten would have nothing. She did not want to live without him ... she never wanted to live without him. She thought she needed excitement and adventure, but what she really needed was Henry, Zara, and everything that came with a family. She did not want any of this shifter business anymore.
A cry came from downstairs. It was Sher’s voice yelling for them to stop the fighting. Kirsten held her breath. With so many tigers injured, hopefully, Sher had learned her lesson. Maybe, but maybe not. It did not seem like Sher was interested in learning any lessons. Maybe she was only calling an end to the fighting because she was losing.
But the fight continued as the bears bellowed and the tigers yowled, each of them tearing the other to shreds. Kirsten held her breath for several long seconds until the fighting ended abruptly. No one moved in the house, and the only sounds were from the injured shifters groaning in pain.
Kirsten looked around for a bucket to hold water. It was silly, but water was the one thing that would make the cats stop since they didn’t like being wet. Water was like a shock to their system and stopped them, Kirsten would not usually do it, but at a time like this, she was desperate. But she could not find anything.
She opened the closet door and crept out into the hall. Voices carried from the bottom level where the shifters were ... Sher’s and others. Sher was desperate, too, her panic-stricken voice pleading for the violence to end.
“We have to stop,” Sher said. “Please, please, we have to ...”
“I never wanted this!” Henry’s voice carried throughout the house and up to the stairs where Kirsten stood with Zara. “It’s up to you to stop. Give it up, Sher. You can’t keep doing this anymore.”
Sher let out a wail that sounded as though she had been mortally wounded. “Okay, okay. Let’s make a truce. We’ll stop the fighting.”
“Swear on it.”
“I swear!”
Henry growled in acquiescence. His footsteps carried up to where Kirsten was, his voice calling out for her.
“Up here!” she called. Zara nestled into her chest, burying her sweet face in Kirsten’s neck.
Henry rounded the corner, his feet slapping against the marble. The first sight of him brought tears to Kirsten’s eyes. She really thought she would never see him again. But here he was ... bloody, beaten up, but alive. Her Henry.
FORTY-FIVE
HENRY
Henry looked around the bottom level as he made it back downstairs with Kirsten and Zara. The bloodshed around them was heartbreaking, and Henry fought back tears at the sight of so many of his kin slaughtered. He helped the ones that were still alive get back on their feet while they healed, but he needed to sort something out before he could tend to them properly.
