Shapeshifter

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Final Fight

I heard a snarl and felt a solid body collide with me, forcing me to the ground. I screamed as my elbow connected with the floor awkwardly, the bone snapping, but my scream became silent as the air just rushed out of my lungs. My attacker got off and I struggled to turn onto my back, facing it.

Sebastian's panther form snarled at me, putting his weight on me again, my last movement provoking him. His eyes were like Leo's - cold and mad, his corruption keeping the Sebastian I knew as its hostage. Marley said it was just like Leo, I could get him back. "Sebastian, it's me. It's Cj. Remember, you have to remember. You don't hate me. Zac has just messed with your mind. You're my best friend, Sebastian. A brother! You've saved me so many times; from others and myself. Remember."

He put a paw to my throat and snarled in my face again. I had gotten nowhere. "Stop!"

"Cj!" It was Leo. "You have to hit him, hard. Like you did with me," he paused. "But you don't have to knock him out!" I doubted I could manage that while I was stuck beneath him.

His paw pressed harder on my throat, stopping me from being able to swallow. "Please don't hurt me." I sobbed, everything becoming overwhelming. And just like that, he froze, staring at me and stepping back. He shifted back and pain was all I could sense in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry." He said. "I can't believe I was hurting-" I slapped him hard across the face, hard enough that he lost balanced and fell to the floor, not expecting the sudden contact. "Ow, Cj. What the hell?"

"Are you going to try and kill me now?" I slapped him again, this time he expected it.

"Jesus, woman! Abusive much?" He asked. Nothing changed. He didn't go into another anger frenzy and try to attack me.

"Okay, good. You're normal again." He said nothing, just rubbed his cheek. "Where's Sam?" Sebastian shrugged.

"I don't know, sorry. After Zac fucked with our heads, I don't remember what happened." He said.

I nodded and walked him back to Leo and Marley. "Normal are we boys?" She asked and they nodded, not making eye contact with anybody, especially me.

"We need to find Sam." I said.

"You're injured." Marley said, motioning to my broken arm. "You have to wait until that's healed."

"It's already healing, Marley. I'm fine!" I was desperate to find Sam. I didn't care about my injuries, I just wanted Sam. She sighed, looking at me with sorrow.

"I understand, Cj. But remember what I said. He may be gone for a while."

"I don't care whether he slits my throat or not. He is my mate. I will find him. And I will not let him go. Zac can do whatever the hell he wants." Everyone's attention was on me. "He can send his men after me to tear my whole word apart just to conjure me out of my hiding places. He can use his silly little games to hurt me, to break me. He can rip my heart out of my chest. But he will still lose. Do you know why that is, Zac?" Marley, Leo and Sebastian all looked behind me in that moment and I turned too.

Zac stood metres away, smirking, holding Sam against him, a lengthened claw on his throat. "And why is that, Cj?"

I stalked up to him. "Because all you've ever wanted was me, my powers. You're a fool, Zachery. If you kill me, you lose what you want."

His smirk disappeared. "Smart girl. A little too smart," he spotted Leo and Sebastian, muttering "Weak ass pricks," under his breath. "I see you figured out how to snap them out of their trance." He growled. "Sam would have been a great ally. He would have had the most vengeance towards you. He would have taken you out. But the bleeding heart here wouldn't succumb to my tricks."

"Succumb? Don't use big words, Zac. Don't want your brain to fry." He rolled his eyes.

"Shut up." I smirked and shrugged, motioning with my hand for him to continue. "Anyway, I couldn't turn him against you, unlike your loyal subjects over there." He sighed. "I didn't want to kill you, my friend, but your little mate has turned you against me." He dragged his claw two centimetres, cutting a small sliver into Sam's flesh. Sam growled and I opened our mind link, forgetting I had closed it off. But his side came up blank. He shut me out. Sam's face contorted in pain as Zac dug deeper into his neck, cutting him more, blood trickling down his neck and into his shirt.

"Stop!" I shouted, stepping forward. Zac stopped his attack on Sam's neck and looked at me expectantly. My arm still felt fragile, still in the healing process although it was almost finished; and I was confident that it was strong enough. "I'll fight you, Zac. Let Sam go. I took your best friend away, you hate me even though you need me. Fight me. If you win, I submit. If you lose, run."

Zac snorted. "You'll have those losers back you up. It's an unfair advantage. Me against your pack. That reminds me, how is it not having as many people?" His smirk was feral. "And you, Cj. Spoken to your dear family?"

I uttered a small, deadly growl from deep in my chest. "Does killing make you proud?" I lowered my voice so only he could hear. "What if it was your sister I murdered in cold blood?"

He shrugged. "Don't have a sister, don't care."

I roared and shifted into my wolf form, charging towards him. He released Sam and shifted too, preparing for my attack. We collided and I instantly started snapping my jaws, scratching, hoping to inflict a hell of a lot of pain on him. I was consumed by rage, anger and loss and I felt myself slipping away.  My vision just became dark but my body still moved.

I was no longer in control.