23. Level Three- Every Baby Girl Needs a Beast
CHAPTER 23
Level Three- Every Baby Girl Needs a Beast
Knox
T he blood pooling in my head is getting to me. I know Slayer can be in this position forever with no ill effects, but I can’t.
‘Is this really necessary, or is the point of walking on the ceiling to make me pass out and take over my body completely?’ I growl out.
‘How did you guess?’ He chuckles in my head.
I knew it. Releasing the tentacles from the ceiling, I twist our body, softly landing on the ground to prowl next to Lynx’s black tiger form as Ryker halts at another cross-section in the hallway.
I don’t know how in the hell we got tossed into a maze of a place like this, but it seems like we’ve been stuck here for hours. Ryker, Zeke, Lynx, and I have been killing or outwitting monsters here and there but not really knowing where to go, and it’s doing nothing to calm down the festering anger that’s boiling within. I need to see results or have a fucking plan. I can’t stand being cooped up in this place that smells like decay, death, and piss.
“Do you see anything?” Zeke whispers, coming up behind Ryker.
“There’s a mirage to the right that I can’t see through. Also, a dead end to the left, and straight ahead, there’s some sort of flickering flame along the far wall,” Ryker replies.
Zeke looks back at us for our opinion, and Lynx raises a paw to go straight. One of my tentacles points in the same direction, and Slayer points to the right. I let out a deep growl that shakes in my chest while low, manic laughter rings in my head.
“So two votes for straight ahead, and I can only assume by Knox’s growl that Slayer is giving him a hard time and wants to go right,” Zeke relays to Ryker.
Ryker looks over his shoulder at me and cocks an eyebrow. “Still?”
I show my teeth in frustration, and Ryker scoffs. As soon as we landed here, we were swarmed with YarNabits. Think of a massive rat with a rabbit head, three red eyes, and a tentacle mouth. They’re carnivores, and they hadn’t been fed recently. Thankfully, Slayer appeared within the blink of an eye while I was still trying to figure out what we had landed in and kept our injuries down. The only damage we took was our leathers are a little worse for wear.
“Okay. Okay.” Ryker motions for me to calm down, and that’s the last thing I need: someone telling me to calm down. “We’ll go straight, but I’m worried about that hall I can’t see down.”
I get it. He’s nervous that whatever is down there will double back and follow us, attacking from the rear. I curl my tentacle pad around itself and throw it back up like a thumbs up, and he nods, knowing I’m watching our back. We quickly and quietly cross the hall and toward the flickering light. As we proceed down the hall, my body becomes hotter and more uncomfortable as another wave of frustration hits me. Ugh. Where is this coming from? It’s not a natural feeling that I have to suppress as a shifter.
It’s like it’s unfiltered raw aggression that’s rolling over me, trying to seek a way into my soul where it will take complete control so I’ll be lost forever.
The awakening. Some find it a curse, while others seek it out as a blessing and the bliss that it can bring. To lose yourself to your animals and allow them to take over can be so freeing. Some say it’s natural to be one with the constant state of war we feel and to allow our bodies to run free with it. We are animals at our basic level, are we not?
If you had asked me a few years ago, when I was at my lowest, if I would take the out and be lost to the awakening, I would have happily taken it. Now, though, things have changed. I’m closer to my family, Zeke, and now I have Rez. I have a new purpose and reason to be mentally here and stronger than ever. So even though the temptation of letting go and sinking into the release of the fury is what I can only imagine would be the equivalent of a drug addict finally finding their Nirvana after their hit, I have to resist. I’d rather go through the withdrawals of fiending for another hit of that sweet release, but I know how hard it is to pull yourself out of it once it’s taken over.
The sounds of distant fighting pull me from my inner musing, and I perk up. Hmm. These mobs haven’t been fighting among themselves, so what is going on now?
Before I say more, a flood of mass fury engulfs me out of nowhere, making my vision go dark for a moment as a wave of heat inundates me. I furiously blink and shake my head, trying to regain my vision only to see things with a darker hue, but at least the flash of warmth no longer surrounds me.
What the fuck is going on?
“Does anyone else hear that?” Zeke asks, turning to look at Lynx and myself.
I peek at Lynx as he does the same to me, and we cock our heads in unison, swiveling back to the hallway with the sounds. Zeke covers his mouth, stifling his laughter before schooling his features, and immediately shares his amusement.
“When we get out of this, I want us to join a circus. We could make a killing with you guys being a synchronous act.”
“Really, Zeke?” Ryker scoffs, hitting him in the shoulder.
“What? It was one of your books that even gave me the damn idea,” Zeke fires back and continues when Ryker gives him a look of disbelief. “ Galaxy Circus by Lexi Winston?” He throws his hands out as if saying he should know, but Ryker just stares blankly at him. “It’s all about weird ass aliens that are shifters from out of this world that are in a circus. So why can’t we do something like that on Earth?”
While Zeke continues to make his point about some new romance Rez has ultimately turned him on to, I try to block out the issues with my eyes and focus on what we all hear in the distance. Shaking off the uncomfortable feeling over my body, I leave my post towards the back for a moment, my tentacles attaching to the ceiling and lifting me to the closest wall. I need to have a better purchase if I need to lunge.
‘What are you picking up?’ I ask Slayer as we focus through the shadows, but my new eyesight is not helping at all.
My senses flicker briefly as I feel Slayer push forward slightly, causing a power boost. I wish we could always operate at this level, but doing so tires us out. I’m sure we could push ourselves to a new level if we worked on our endurance though. Something to work on later, but now isn’t the time.
As we tune into the subtle sounds, we pick up a few grunts, death rattles, and a familiar yip and swoosh of flames. A flare of light glows along the wall when we hear a sound that sends our heart racing. It’s the most beautiful yet heart-wrenching sound in this damn place—Rez’s voice screaming, “Reaper!”
I reach out to let JP know that Rez is here, only to remember he’s not in our group. Fuck. I don’t want to shift to tell them and shift back only to waste that precious time. Slayer, in his brilliance, makes the call for me. Our left tentacle pad flies back and smacks Ryker in the side of his head with a whack.
“What the fuck?” he screeches, but I don’t wait to see what he does. I’m already running down the corridor. He should be happy that it was the smooth side, not the hooked side with the barbs.
“Shit! Is that Rez?” I hear Zeke ask, panic in his voice.
Feet pound behind me as I rush down the hall, my whips propelling me along the rusted flooring ahead of them. The only thing I focus on is the flicking firelight that’s getting brighter the closer I get until my body swings around a corner, my whips pulling me short of missing it, and I come face to face with a mob of monsters surrounding Reaper and my mate.
My vision turns red as I throw myself into the fray of bodies before me. I don’t even take time to register what type of monsters are in front of us as my claws and tentacle whips lash out and wrap around their tender throats, severing their last breaths. Their cries and the blood gurgling out of their throats bring a small smile to me as I move on to my next target that dares attack my woman.
For a moment, I’m not even sure whose thoughts are which. Is it mine or Slayers that’s enjoying the death that’s surrounding us?
‘It’s both of us. We are one. Enjoy it while we can. This is the ultimate Blood Match; everyone here deserves to die!’ Slayer cackles like the crazed manic that he is.
‘You might be right that we can let loose, and everyone deserves to die. But we can’t be lost here,’ I remind him. This is the Road of Worth, and Azazel being the Prince of Rage, is all about trapping our ass here.
Slayer laughs and continues to carve up the larger prey before us as doubt trickles in. I can’t fight against Wrath and Slayer; there’s no way I’ll win. Besides, aren’t my animals supposed to be on my side?
The thought leaves me as we cut through another monster while we work our way closer to Rez. Our claws cut through their flank like butter, cleaving them in two. Everything becomes a blur as I allow Slayer to guide our direction, and I try to rein in our desire to let go and give into the bliss that calls to us.
It’s not until the mob thins out that I notice my labored breath sawing out of my lungs, and a thrill races through me. This is what I needed a moment ago while we wandered aimlessly around these halls—this detachment and finding Rez. It’s like breathing in fresh air after coming up from toxic clouds, waiting for a chance for reprieve.
As Lynx and Zeke finish off the last of the monsters, I quickly shift to my human form, ensuring my leathers are in place while looking for Rez. I find her, but I’m taken aback by her appearance and pause as I wonder for the first time if it’s safe to approach her.
Body parts surround her feet as her chest heaves from her exertion. There’s no mistake that she’s been at battle this whole time away from us. Ribbons of her hair lay limply around her face, drenched with sweat and blood. It matches the rest of her ensemble on her leather as chunks of her enemies are spread across her outfit. Her clothes look intact, but it’s the fact she’s not moving to wipe anything away from her face that sends up warning signs. Her taut stance and unseeing wild eyes make my skin crawl as I reach out to her in another way.
Tapping into our bond, my brows furrow as I don’t pick up any feelings from her. It’s as if there’s no connection or there’s just static and I need to tune in deeper.
‘Slayer, wanna help?’ I prompt, needing a power boast once again. I hope this is just a side effect from being on this level.
Taking a step, I call out, “Kitten?”
I tentatively reach for her and notice the grip around her glaives tighten slightly, so I pull back my hand but continue to approach.
“Goddess? You okay?” Ryker’s concern pierces the silence, and Rez marginally shifts her weight to her back leg. The small movement speaks volumes as she preps to attack.
“Lynx? You got anything?” I ask, keeping my voice steady and calm.
“Nope. Rezzi-bear is a Rezzi-stare…off into the void,” he says, moving into my peripheral. I cock an eyebrow in disbelief. “What?” He shrugs.
I go to answer but find that I can’t. Instead, that unbearable heat is flooding through me. I give Lynx a wide-eye look, and he automatically goes on defense.
“What’s wrong?” he calls out before quickly shifting back into his tiger form.
Simultaneously, I drop to my knees as pain ricochets throughout my body, causing my back to bow as a scream so primal makes the fine hair on the back of my neck stand on end. Rez’s head is thrown back, elbows tight against her sides, and her weapons out as she screams at the top of her lungs. But she doesn’t look like she’s in pain. No, I’ve seen that look before.
She’s awakened.
Fuck!
Before we can do anything, Rez sprints past us and takes the hallway we just came from, but her scream has turned into a war cry.
“Shit! What the fuck is going on?” Zeke asks. He looks between me and her in confusion, unsure who to help, and I try to wave him off.
“Go,” I manage to get out, and Zeke and Lynx waste no time going after our woman. The pain is excruciating. The heat I feel makes it hard to move, let alone breathe.
‘Dusky…help.’
I feel a wet and warm tongue lick along my cheek and try to smile as Reaper nuzzles against me and whines. I know he’s worried, but it’s not me who’s truly going through this; it’s Rez, and I’m experiencing the effect since I’m fighting it.
‘I’m pleased to help,’ Dusky chimes in. It’s been a while since I’ve heard his meek voice. ‘ But I’m afraid to say I don’t know how long I will be able to control this pressure if we are here long term.’
‘Well, we’ll have to work fast,’ I assure him.
“Okay, big man. We need you too,” Ryker says, grabbing my arm and putting it over his shoulder as he tries to lift me.
“Ry. She’s awakened,” I say, and he stiffens.
“What did you say?” He pauses and stares at me wide-eyed. I take a deep breath as the heat dissipates and look at my brother.
“I don’t know how it happened, but that’s what I’m feeling. It’s coming through the link,” I explain.
Understanding washes over him. “You’re feeling the side-effects of fighting it,” he says, nodding as I stand up and my back pops loudly.
“Yes, the heat, pain, and the stiffness,” I confirm, looking grim. We take off running down the hall after our team when he asks the question I was wondering myself.
“Then how the hell do we stop it?”
I blanche as I think of what we’ve done with other shifters that have awakened in the past.
“For shifters, there are three options. One, allow them a place to run through their awakened state naturally and hope they come back to themselves. It can range from just a few days to never, and in that case, they get locked up. Think of a human zoo. Option two, they fuck and fight it out of them. Or option three, Special Ops puts them down.”
“Fuck me,” Ryker says under his breath. “So, what are the options for Rez?”
“Since she’s not a shifter, I have no fucking clue. We’re winging this shit.”
We come back to the crossroad and immediately take the hallway that Ryker couldn’t see down earlier, almost stumbling to a halt.
Lynx and Zeke are fighting alongside each other against a handful of wrath demons, their red eyes glowing with power. But behind them is a creature even I wouldn’t attack alone—a Typhlotic chicken. The blind monstrosity’s legs are at least twice as big as me. It’s skinless, but its wings double as a shield so that its head and neck can pull inside like a turtle. Poisonous talons equip its feet, and it has a paralytic tongue that can shoot venom at its victims. That’s not even mentioning the double rows of teeth the damn thing has. Its squawk could even deafen a person if you were in their direct path, and at its feet is Rez, hacking away at it.
‘ Kill…kill…kill…don’t stop. Cut him down. Kill…kill…’ a sultry voice rings through my head.
‘Fuck. Now that’s hot!’ Slayer purrs.
‘Is—is that coming from Rez?’ I ask my animals, quickly shifting into Slayer as I spot Reaper running to Rez’s side.
‘I believe it is. But it does not sound like her. It has a deeper resonance,’ Barons calls out.
‘She does not sound like our mate,’ Fluffers whines.
‘It is another,’ Dusky adds in.
‘That’s it? Nothing else to add in there?’ I growl out, getting frustrated. ‘Well, Slayer, you’re up. I’m trusting you to help me bring Rez back. Have any bright ideas here?’
A picture flashes in my mind of a dark beast curling his lip before licking his chops and winking at me.
‘Of course I do. It’s simple. Every baby girl needs a beast,’ he says before weaving into the fray of enemies and heading toward our woman.