Page 180 of Powerless

Wait.

There’s a faint tickling my veins, the feel of a power coming closer. I grasp at it and—

Andy lunges.

Claws outstretched towards my throat, razor teeth bared, a blob of burgundy flashing towards me.

And then I’m standing behind her.

Andy crashes into the sand where she intended to crash into me. She lets out a roar of frustration and is barely able to spin around in the narrow pathway. Only the agility of a cat could fold itself to face me with such little room.

With another roar, she lunges at me again. And with another Blink of Jax’s ability, I’m behind her. Again. She follows the same pattern of spinning around to try and sink her teeth into me all over again.

And then Jax’s power coursing through my veins falters, flickers.

No, no—

And then it fails.

He’s too far from me now, lost in the maze and taking his ability with him.

Well, that leaves me no choice.

With only one ability available to me, I finally take advantage of it.

I shift.

Plagues, I forgot how much I hated this. There is a flash of light before my bones begin shifting, muscles stretching, every part of my body achingly aware of every change. I’m close to the ground, body sleek and strong and slicked with a shiny coat. I feel my canines elongate, sharpened to deadly points. My eyesight sharpens with them, narrowing on the smaller jaguar before me.

Keep your head. Keep your head. Keep your head.

With the little training I’ve had compared to Andy, it’s far easier for me to lose my mind to the animal I have just become. So, the faster this fight ends, the better.

Andy seems only slightly surprised that I have gone from human to jaguar, matching her, mirroring her. But she recovers quickly, and the sudden swipe of her claws catches me across the side of my face. She slashes upward, barely missing my eye.

I grunt in pain. No,growlin pain.

I leap towards her, slashing out with my own razor-sharp claws. I swipe her across the chest, and she lets out a cry of pain before leaping on top of me.

This might be the strangest fight I’ve ever been in. And that is saying a lot.

And yet, it feels so natural in this body. My claws and canines know exactly what to do as I slash at her. Red blood blends into her burgundy fur as we roll over one another, growling and slicing each other’s flesh anywhere we can.

We are quite literally fighting like rabid animals.

I let instinct take over, let myself tap into that animal side a little more.

Keep your head. Keep your head. Keep your head.

She’s on top of me and my teeth snap, meeting the soft skin of her neck. She yelps, and I throw her off me, watching as she tumbles into the sand and crashes into a hedge. I slink towards her, paws padding silently as I close in on my kill.

No. Not my kill. My family. Andy.

She’s trying to get up, trying to slice me with her claws and teeth as I approach. I crouch over her, this small jaguar who dared challenge me. My teeth are bared, and a growl grows in my throat.

I am Kai Azer, prince and future Enforcer of Ilya. I am Kai Azer, prince and fu—

Pain.

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