Page 6 of Rescued By the Beast
All eyes turn to me, and I know what they see: authority etched into every line of my face, in my steady, unyielding gaze.
Ted, my right-hand man, is the first to speak. The bear shapeshifter crosses his enormous arms, his brow furrowed in concentration.
"It looks like forbidden magic. A necromancer playing god, or perhaps a black witch summoning things she shouldn't." He shakes his head. "I don't know who would be stupid enough, but... it's happening."
"Stupid or desperate." The dry comment comes from Viklaus, a sharp-tongued vampire. His red eyes glow in the soft light of the meeting room. "Creating the undead is a risk. If left unchecked, it can spiral out of control and turn against its creator."
"And yet, it's here, right on our doorstep." I growl, frustration overflowing in every word.
My patience is wearing thin. The sharp slap of my hand against the table echoes through the conference room, a wave of violence that makes the room shake. The smell of fear, subtle as a wisp, spreads through the air, the tension heavy enough to take your breath away. The oak table, threatening to split in half, only resists the impact thanks to the protective magic that surrounds it, placed there after a few pastincidents.
I take a deep breath, controlling the beast inside me.
"Why so close to our territory?" I walk to the window, crossing my arms, my muscles stretching and contracting. I feel the transformation beginning. "Coincidence, or something more?"
This is the second monster in less than a week to haunt Salem. Four days ago, a ghoul appeared in the cemetery. We managed to intercept it before it claimed more victims, but unfortunately, two humans were not so lucky.
My skin stretches, my muscles bulk up, and a growing heat envelops me. My claws begin to lengthen, black and sharp, lethal, cutting through the air with a low snap. I feel my bones readjusting, my height increasing, the air around me becoming heavier, denser.
My eyes glow with a golden, predatory, lupine hue. The growl that comes from my throat is no longer human.
I struggle to maintain control.
The beast inside me is ready to break out completely, but I don't let it. Not now.
"It could be a new portal where these monsters have been crossing," Jack, the alligator shapeshifter, cuts through the tension. "But that would be unlikely. We haven't seen any signs of it. No energy bursts, no imbalance in the environment."
"Unlikely, but not impossible," I reply, slowly turning to face them. "We need to consider all possibilities. Someone may have created a dome to hide the energy."
"I thought the same thing," Ted agrees.
"Ted, alert the supernatural community," I order. "And inform the mayor that we need to double the sentries in the city and reinforce the monitoring points. I will not allow another attack to catch us off guard."
"Understood." The bear nods, already typing on his laptop.
Viklaus shakes his head sceptically.
"The mayor doesn't care, he's only concerned with the security of his mansion. I doubt he'll release funds for reinforcements without some kind of... mental persuasion."
My jaw tightens, but I don't look away from the vampire.
"It's not a choice, it's a necessity. It's our responsibility to protect the city from supernatural attacks."
A crooked smile appears on Viklaus's lips.
"So, it's official? We're resorting to unconventional methods?"
"If necessary." My voice is cold as steel. "The priority is to keep the city safe. No one, not even the mayor, will get in the way of that."
"Alert and request made, boss," Ted announces. "Now we just need to find out if there's someone behind these apparitions."
I leave the question hanging in the air for a moment, allowing its weight to fall on everyone in the room.
"That's what we're going to find out." My voice reverberates in the silence.
A moment of tension hangs in the air, until Jack tries to ease the pressure with a faint smile as he says:
"At least the extermination of the kappa today was a success; we were quick and left no traces."
