My heart pounded as I backed up to another set of steps leading down. “Please just open the door and let me leave, Noah. We had one really nice year together, but we’re not good for each other.”
“You’re not good for anyone.” He dragged his right leg behind him. Blood suffused his sneaker and left streaks on the floor. “The only thing you’re good for is whoring, and you’re not even good at that.”
I ran down the steps and skidded past the bathroom. When I made it to the shiny metal garage doors, I searched for a button toopen them. All I saw was a card reader. I thought about the badge clipped to Noah’s waist.
Should I risk it? I can outrun him. But what if he grabs my arm? How close to an angry tiger do I want to get?
Something occurred to me, and I sprinted across the massive warehouse toward one of the aisles I remembered Enrique showing me.
“Where are you? Where are you?” I whispered, frantically scanning the boxes on the floor.
Then I spotted one withweaponswritten on a label.
“Please don’t be impalement wood.”
I sliced open the tape, ignoring Noah’s taunts as he hunted me. When I peeled back the flaps, I stared at an array of small daggers. I dropped the box cutter and carefully fished around for something larger—a weapon to be taken seriously.
“Cecilia! Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
I spied a large handle and gripped it. When I pulled it out, the blade was sheathed in leather.
“Aha!” Noah appeared at the end of the aisle.
I quickly shoved the box beneath the bottom shelf and ran to the next aisle while struggling to unfasten the sheath with my trembling fingers.
“Why are you running from me, baby? I’m giving you a chance to work this out.”
The clasp unfastened, and I pulled out a blade that was seven or eight inches long. Steadying my breathing before I passed out, I held the blade in front of me.
Noah halted in his tracks. “Is that a weapon? Are you pulling a knife on me?” He took a few steps, his shoulders squared. “Did you know I can maintain control for five minutes after shifting? That’s how I worked with your horse. Five minutes of terror, and then I’d shift back.” His nostrils flared as he drew in a deep breath. “Startthe clock!”
I gasped when Noah leaped forward and morphed into a tiger. Because of his enormous size, his clothes ripped away from his body.
The animal snarled, his fangs gleaming white.
I walked backward, my heart beating at a hummingbird’s pace. When I reached the end of the aisle, I stepped out of sight and took off like a shot. His powerful roar reverberated in the open space, assailing me from every direction. I heard his paws and nails hitting the concrete floor behind me.
When I turned down an aisle, my foot caught on a box poking out from the floor level, and I fell on my face.
My entire body seized when the tiger roared. The ominous sound sank into my bones like a promise. His immense paw batted me around like a rag doll. Then he backed away.
Noah was toying with me. Would he kill me? Or would he black out and let his animal do it?
I swallowed hard and scrambled to my feet. “Let me go, Noah. If you ever loved me even a little, just let me go.”
Since running would incite him to chase me, I mustered the courage to walk away at a steady pace. His tiger roared, and I caught the shadow of his paws swiping at my heels.
Stay calm. Stay calm. I can’t climb these shelves… The bathroom is a swing door. Is there a back exit? It’s probably locked too. Stay calm. I can’t shift. He’ll kill my horse.
Keeping my stride, I circled back to his pile of clothes.
When I lifted his badge, I stared the animal down. He was the only obstacle between me and freedom. “I’m leaving, Noah. Shift back, because I know you want to say something to me.”
The massive animal’s lips peeled back in another roar. When I moved to walk around him, he locked his jaws on my left arm without piercing the flesh. In a swift motion, I stabbed him in thelower jaw.
The tiger released my arm and wrenched away. Fury danced in his eyes. He planned to kill me, so I ran.
With my eyes on the garage door, I sprinted as fast as I could, freedom in one hand and the dagger in the other. I’d barely crossed in front of the office before the heaviest force knocked me over.
