The panic happened again tonight. But with the help of her phantom Ash, she forced herself past it. She groaned aloud as her shoulders and pelvis realigned for four-legged movement, and the muscles and tendons contorted, lifting her onto her toes rather than keeping her flat-footed. Her jaws lengthened to house her new, sharp teeth, and powerful muscles developed along her neck and shoulders.
She sighed in relief when the black fur finally chased across her skin. The white streak in her hair carried through to her beast form, running through the fur from her forehead and down her neck. Her nose stud always managed to hold through it, sparkling alongside her Dire nostrils.
Dani crouched and then leaped into the air. She came down on all fours, and then, she ran.
Although the transformation itself was terrifying, she had insufficient words to describe the experience of being Dire. The closest she could come was pure, primal, unadulteratedjoy.
The scents, the sounds, the sights—everything was so much more than when she was human. Coupled with the strength and speed of her beast form, she would gladly give up her human existence for this one.
It was a valid thought, now that her pack was dead, and she was back where she’d started. If only she could get away from people—maybe to Riding Mountain National Forest, or to the mountains of British Columbia—perhaps even the forests of Northern Ontario would be enough.
But she knew nothing of surviving alone in the wild. She’d have to learn to hunt, to store food for lean times, and find shelter to get her through the winters. Surely if she could survive the streets of Winnipeg, she could figure out how to live as a wild Dire...
For now, she stretched out, ducking and dodging through the headstones just for the pure fun of it, pushing her body until she was a dark blur darting through the trees.
Her beast legs ate up the distance, and within moments, she was at the river. She raced the current from the bank, then turned inland once more. Around the periphery, and back to the river. Several times, until her tongue lolled from her panting jaws.
Dani finally stopped beneath a huge cottonwood tree and sat her furred butt down. She panted in the warm night air. She could go back to where she’d left her clothes—but the thought of climbing back into the grimy garments disgusted her. Before she’d even made a conscious decision to do so, she’d writhed her way back to human beneath the trees.
It seemed almost sinful to sit naked on the riverbank, but there was no one to see her. Those that had been Dire from birth had a different perspective of nakedness—it was a natural state for them. Only in society did they feel pressured to don clothes.
That freedom appealed to her.
The air drifted across Dani’s skin, and she inhaled the scent of damp earth, missing the richness her beast nose provided. It was so peaceful here. She found the movement and quiet murmur of the river mesmerizing. Her heart and thoughts slowed as one. She stretched out on the cool grass as her breathing slowed as well...
Dani woke up with a start. How long had she been asleep?Dammit,she hadn’t meant to doze off.
Every hair on her body stood on end and her skin prickled with goosebumps. Something was wrong.
Muzzy with sleep, it took her a moment for her brain to connect the dots. Because she’d felt this before. The recognition sent a surge of adrenaline through her, and she was instantly on her feet, lips peeled back in a snarl revealing her tiny human teeth.
The portal opened in the doorway of a sixty-year-old mausoleum not thirty feet from her, and Rindek stepped through the cracked marble entry. Right behind him were five huge male Dires.
Dani’s reaction was instinctive. She ripped a headstone straight out of the ground and hurled it at the Archmage.
He didn’t even flinch, but simply held up a hand. There was a burst of light, and the stone vaporized to dust.
Rindek shook his head at her. “Now, my dear, is that any way to treat an old friend?”
“You’re no friend of mine.” She snarled at him, backing away, her gaze tracking the Dires as they moved out onto the grass. They split up, moving to flank her. Why hadn’t she slept in her beast form? Too late to shift now, they’d be on her in an instant.
She whipped another headstone at one, and he dodged it. Twisted to send yet another at the Dire trying to get behind her. He didn’t duck fast enough. It clipped him and sent him tumbling.
When she spun back around, Rindek was only feet from her. The Archmage had moved like lightning, and now he threw something straight into her face.
The liquid burned her eyes as she retreated. Two Dires jumped into her path, and she ripped a bush out of the ground, smashing it into them. But her thoughts were already blurring—whatever was in that liquid was acting damned fast.
A Dire screamed.
Blinking tears away, Dani struggled to keep her legs moving. The Dires to her right seemed engaged in a battle—but not against each other. One combatant was huge and covered in gold-spotted fur...
A Sabre.
All the Dires were fighting now, too. With other Dires, including one who had rich, red fur.
Bursts of glowing energy penetrated the snarling, slashing mass, and the Sabre roared in pain as it scorched across his fur. Rindek’s face twisted in a rictus of hate as he strode forward, sending pulse after pulse of pure energy into the combatants. He didn’t seem to care whom he hit.
Dani tried to run, but her legs no longer obeyed her. She crumpled to the ground, desperate to move but unable to do so. As she lay helpless, Rindek moved closer to her.
