Cannon

5

When the light had faded from beneath the door, Ryver knew it was time. She did her best work alone and this was the ultimate time to show her own strength. She pulled at her left wrist and completely whipped the chain out of the wall. It clanked loudly on the floor.

“Fuck.” Ryver stopped moving, sitting still on the floor for a few moments. A few men outside the shack spoke and laughed at something. But they did not approach. Thank goodness. When she didn’t hear anything for several minutes, she started working on her right arm.

She clenched her teeth and pulled with all her might then heard something outside. She stopped, sat down, and stayed still. Someone was trying the lock but didn’t seem to have the key. Her mind began running sprints as she considered the man who had smelled her hair. Had he returned to find her breaking out? Or worse. Her stomach recoiled at the thought of his words.

The metal clicked and clanked together, and before she was able to grab at the bucket, the door swung open.

CANNON

Cannon tonted. He may have been a shifter imprisoned for going against the government, but he was also a man of his word.

The team had to make their way through the country as discreetly as possible since multiple militia groups dominated every village and kept their eyes out for foreigners. They took jeeps along back roads and oftentimes had to avoid the many civilian cries for aid. There was a disease running through many of the villages, but the multiple militia groups did not allow their own citizens to receive proper care. Cannon had to hold on tightly to the back of the jeep, forcing himself not to shift into his dragon form and attack all of the terrorist organizations and save every innocent person who needed it.

It was the most difficult for Cannon when he saw women and children. He had no problem protecting them when the hand of a corrupt man came down on them. They were the usual victims in these situations. It was almost always men who spread violence and left the children and women in the wake of their destruction. It was predictable and frustrating.

But he had to focus on why he was there. Then perhaps, he could become his own vigilante-type shifter and help these people.For hating mankind, he sure was a damn softy. s**t, he hated that he cared.

After visiting the village where the doctors were last seen, it took them a day of beckoning heat to locate the camp that was holding Ryver. While at the village, he received the news that only the female had actually been taken. The males had been killed while fighting their captors.

Outside the kidnapper’s compound, Cannon buried his backpack to retrieve after he’d fetched the female. He didn’t need anything slowing him down. He wanted to get this over with. Cannon took it upon himself to be the sole infiltrator – he hadn’t been directly asked. He carried a gun with him but knew that since his dragon’s strength had returned, he wasn’t going to need it.

“Just in case,” his comrade named Gus had said from their jungle base location as he’d handed him the handgun. Cannon wasn’t sure what kind of shifter the male was, but he was short with his features all scrunched together. Possibly a wolf or even a rat.

Cannon had laughed to himself.

“What’s funny?” Gus asked.

Cannon shook his head as he stuffed food and extra clothing into his pack. “Nothing. Let’s get this done and over with. I’ll meet you at the trail north of the forest as planned. Got that?”

Gus grunted. Cannon pocketed his gun and adjusted his mercenary wear. Again, he felt it wasn’t entirely necessary, and if he needed to shift, he would only destroy the body armor. But he did as he was told without a peep of complaint.

Cannon secretly hoped he’d be able to shift. Even if it was just partial. And what the hell did “partial” mean besides no wings? He had been cooped up for years, unable to form into his true self. It was like wearing an ill-fitted suit, then finally finding that perfectly tailored one waiting for you. He craved that satisfaction.

Cannon checked his earpiece and left the jeep. They were set up miles away from where the female was held, so he made his way through the forest on light feet. His adrenaline pumped through him, and he loved the feeling. He hadn’t been challenged in a long time, and a challenge was something that kept him feeling alive.

Cannon arrived at the wall of the kidnapper’s camp, then swiftly hopped over it. The two guards on watch smoked cigarettes and laughed. They didn’t notice him as he silently passed by.

He scanned the area, tapping into his night vision abilities he thought he had lost once the bug had been implanted in his spine. There were three tents set up and one rusted metallic shed. It was likely that Ryver would not be in a tent. Cannon scurried through the night air and found two men in his pathway.

He crept behind one of them, then silently snapped his neck in one quick motion. The other man barely had time to realize that his friend was dead when Cannon crushed his windpipe with his fist. Cannon moved the bodies into the shadows so they would only be found in daylight.

The shack was not far off. He noticed two more men sitting near it. One was dozing off in a lawn chair while the other played solitaire, flipping cards on the ground. Cannon groaned to himself. This wasn’t even close to a challenge for him.

Cannon made his way around to the card player, then snapped his neck swiftly. The dozing man continued to snore. Cannon moved over to him, still crouching, then tapped his leg. The man’s eyes shot open with fright, but he could not speak as Cannon choked the air out of his lungs. Cannon once again hid the bodies so others would not be alerted before they had the chance to leave.

He had made his way to the shack. There was a lock on it, one that he toiled with briefly, thinking perhaps if he picked it, he would be quieter. But after the sad excuse for guards he’d seen, he thought one loud metal slam wouldn’t do him much harm. After attempting to pick the lock, he grumbled and tore it off in a single motion.