Shai Soi

Chapter 41

No one but Sadie reacted when the bolt hit the first guard. I just barely hit the other two before she tackled me from behind. We rolled, nails scratching and knuckles bleeding. I'd always heard of the saying 'fur flying', but it was a whole lot different when you were the one doing it.

We shifted faster than any normal eye could follow. The paw of a lion batted my snout. I clamped my jaws over a neck before swallowing empty air. A falcon clawed at my cheek and I lunged as a snake. Sadie's fingers yanked my pony tail the same time my elbow collided with her temple. I understood how fast her reflexes were, how heightened her animal instincts had become- but every animal experienced pain. And every animal was affected by it. This and only this allowed my hand to reach out, grab the fallen gun, and shoot her in her arm.

Within a matter of seconds, Sadie Orin was reduced to a lump on the floor. Blue electricity danced along her figure. Despite the pain racing through my veins, I placed two fingers against her neck. Before everything happened, before the raids and the betrayals when I first learned I was a shai soi,  I did research on animals. Lions had the ability to sense the blood rushing through the carotid artery so they always knew where to strike. I could feel the blood pumping through her neck, and mine, and stone-still Nathaniel. Everything pulsed with energy. I felt her pulse just in case I wasn't mixing hers up with everything else.

It was irregular, sometimes sputtering fast sometimes numbed from the bolt. I sighed and put my fists over my eyes. This was no time to rest. We had to get out of here before everyone was recaptured. But the pounding of my head and body needed to slow before I moved. My chest heaved. The right side of my face stung. I tasted blood. My fingers ached. My rib cage screamed. My insides writhed with over-heated shara.

Breathe in, breathe out. Inhale, exhale. There you go, Rebecca.

"Rebecca?" The voice made me jump. Spots flashed in my vision as I took my hands away. Nathaniel's glowing green eyes were wide. With shock or fear I didn't know. Blood spurted from his nose from where those despicable guards had hurt him...and me. I couldn't have looked much better. My shirt was nothing but shreds of fabric. I found myself blushing, because my sports bra could easily be seen. I untied the knot of my hoodie from around my waist and pulled it on. It was nice being in something so familiar. The one thing that gave me comfort was unchanged. It reminded me that maybe not everything had gone to Hades.

Nathaniel was still looking at me strangely. "B- Bec?"

I attempted a smile. Was there any way to make this less awkward? "Hey, Nathaniel. Are you okay?"

"But... you... she..." he looked from me to the guards to Sadie. For the second time today, Nathaniel Slithan was rendered speechless. He shifted his weight, the cuffs dug into his wrists.

"Here, I'm guessing you're uncomfortable with these on." I lifted a nearby guard's thumb and pressed it to the cuff's thumbpad. A red line appeared, and a beep later the cuffs hissed and unlocked. They clattered to the ground. Nathaniel didn't move. I exhaled. "Nathaniel, I know this is confusing. So if you want to ask questions then we can either stay here and most definitely be recaptued or we can leave. Your choice."

Something clicked behind his eyes. His lips slightly quirked. "Didn't pin you for a quick wit."

I grinned. "And you're still a blunt-headed creep." I grabbed his hand and helped him up.

He looked at the fallen guards. "Are they-"

"No! No. Sadie told me that these guns don't just target nerves, they somehow form this lock so we are stuck in human form. I figured, if it affects both the human and the animal in shai,  it could still affect regular Namuhi. Thanks goodness I was right. She also told me how to get out of here. Let's go."

Nathaniel scooped up a gun. "Have you ever considered acting?"

"Har, har. Now, put that gun down, we'll need our hands." I knelt next to Sadie and hoisted her onto my shoulder. Even that minor movement hurt. Broken skin of my shoulder pulled and screamed when Sadie hit it. I looked past her slumped head at Nathaniel. He'd dropped the gun but he didn't move to help. "What are you doing? Every guard has body monitors under their padding. As soon as they read their energy levels, others will be here. If they're not on their way already."

"Why?"

I huffed. My arm was already complaining. I knew two things: I couldn't leave Sadie behind, and I couldn't do it without Nathaniel. "Why what?"

"Why do you want to take her?" He stepped closer. Unlike his hard words, his eyes were only concerned. His cold knuckles brushed against a cut I felt run from my jaw to my eyebrow. I never noticed how soothing his cold hands could be. "She hurt you. More than once."

I inhaled. My arm was shaking, I struggled to hide my bubbling shara  levels, and I could hear a group of guards running down the staircase. The emergency lights came on in our hallway. The strobes made my head spin. No matter how grateful I was for Nathaniel's protectiveness, I knew he wouldn't help Sadie if he knew I was hurting. I gritted my teeth. "I believe everyone screws up sometimes. But just because things get all messed up, doesn't mean you leave them behind to deal with it alone. I refuse to let others struggle when I can do something about it. So if you want to walk away, fine. I won't judge. But I'm not giving up until it kills me."

We stared at each other until Nathaniel sighed. He boosted Sadie's other's side relieving my shoulder from some pain. "You're going to be the death of me."

Despite the situation, I laughed. "I'm probably going to be the death of us all."

"Hear, hear!" He smiled.

"Shut up, Creep."

"Nerd."

"Jerk."

"Weirdo."

I couldn't think of another adjective, so I shut my mouth. We stumbled out of the building and into the saftey of the woods.