Page 66 of Shadow

I steered back toward loose sand, aiming for a cluster of trees jutting from the cliffs. The bike wobbled slightly as I slowed, guiding it into the undergrowth. “I’m turning on the bike’s beacon,” I told her as I shut off the engine. “My team will see it and know to get here. We’re stashing the bike and heading up to see if we can find a place in the rocks to hunker down until they arrive.”

I didn’t mention the beacon could attract hellhounds. We had to consider the guns first. We would deal with the rest as it came.

With Marinah’s help, we pushed the bike as far into the bushes as possible. She surveyed the ground. “What about the tire tracks?”

“Not much we can do,” I admitted. “They won’t be able to track us in the rocks. It’s the best option we’ve got.” I kept my tone even, masking the sharp stab of pain in my shoulder.

“They?” she asked cautiously.

“Him, her, them, I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head.

I grabbed the saddlebags and gestured uphill. “Let’s move.”

“I can carry those,” she offered, reaching for one of the bags.

“I’ve got them. Stay upright and don’t fall,” I snapped, more forceful than I meant to be.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn’t argue.

The climb was steep, and we made it in near silence. The bullet wound throbbed with every step. I could feel myself losing blood quickly. High-caliber rifle was my guess. I pressed on. About a hundred yards from the bike, I noticed a small crevasse.Pulling grass aside, I found a cave nestled in the rocks. It was large enough for us and the bags, with room to spare.

“The sun’ll be down in an hour,” I said as we settled in. “We’ll be safer in the dark.”

Marinah nodded, her eyes scanning the horizon as tension settled between us, the quiet filled with her unspoken fear.

“Marinah,” I said, my voice strict despite the exhaustion threatening to pull me under. She was watching outside the cave, her fear etched in every line of her body. When her gaze finally met mine, I saw the defeat lurking in her expression. That wouldn’t do.

“We’re safe here,” I said, holding her eyes. “But I need to shift. I’m losing too much blood.”

Her expression tightened, and I could see her grappling with my words. “Then shift,” she said, firmly despite her obvious apprehension. “Do whatever it takes.”

She didn’t understand. Not yet. I took a breath, forcing myself to explain. “There’s a chance Beast will break away from me because of the injury. He has issues with you, and he’s hard to control immediately after I shift.” I was telling her more than we had ever admitted to humans, but I didn’t have a choice.

“What do I need to do?” she asked allowing calm to replace her fear. It was her father’s no-nonsense approach all over again.

“Don’t look into my eyes, no matter what. Even if I speak to you, keep your gaze down. Don’t move suddenly or try to run if you’re scared. It takes time for me to gain full control.”

What I didn’t tell her was that running would help stabilize the chemicals in my system faster, but that wasn’t an option right now. Marinah running, would turn her into prey. The pain I was in might help ground me, but I didn’t know if it would be enough. If whoever was after us found us before Ihad fully shifted, I wouldn’t be able to do much until the shift completed. Beast, once he was in the forefront, could handle almost anything and the wound wouldn’t matter.

“Find a comfortable spot and stay as still as you can,” I said, pulling a knife from the saddlebag. With one sharp motion, I cut away my blood-soaked shirt.

“Should we take the bullet out first?” she asked, her eyes darting to my wound.

“No. Shifting will push it out on its own within twenty-four hours. Nothing major was hit. If it had nicked my lung, I’d be in worse shape. Right now, it’s blood loss that’s the problem.”

She nodded but didn’t say anything more, settling herself against the rock wall as I prepared.

“Stay still and quiet,” I told her, letting the K-5 surge through my system. The transformation began immediately, the familiar burn coursing through my veins as Beast rose.

I had hoped to gauge how the new Secretary of Defense would handle seeing a Shadow Warrior in their beast state. This wasn’t how I had wanted to do it, but there was no other choice now.

Bones crunched, and pain seared through my skull as it reformed, the sensation agonizing and overshadowing the bullet wound. My teeth extended, deadly and sharp, while my arms and legs reshaped, growing larger, stronger. The bullet added to the excruciating pain as muscles twisted and contracted, trying to force out the foreign object from where it was lodged in the bone. A low growl vibrated through my chest, echoing in the confined space as the transformation progressed more slowly than usual.

When it was over, the world sharpened into vivid clarity. Colors were brighter, the scent of damp earth stronger, and every sound amplified. A noise far above the cave drew my attention instantly.

You cannot fight them yet,I told Beast, forcing control into my thoughts.Must protect the woman. Rest.

The rustling bushes and shifting rocks grew fainter as the search party moved away.

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