Slide

5

“All of this could easily be yours!” he said.

Ember felt herself lean away from him. She clutched the glass in her hand hard, hoping that it could withstand how she was attempting to ground herself.

“You are a beautiful woman,” he continued. “Obviously. But it wouldn’t just be a blessing for me to have you around. No, no!”

He stood from his chair, his glass almost drained. Ember assumed that alcohol was a lot like water to this man.

“You would be my queen, and all of this would be your empire!”

Ember looked around, attempting to feign even the most minute amount of interest. A different man approached her with a bag of ice, and she took it willingly. She groaned as she pressed it upon her skin.

The General wasn’t happy with this turn in her tone. He rushed the man out like he was a waiter in a fancy restaurant.

Ember closed her eyes and tried to focus on the pain, willingly forcing it to move out of her pores like a harsh wind.

The General finished off his drink, with yet another man rushing in to refill it. He did not appreciate the fact that Ember’s attention was elsewhere.

“Look at me,” he ordered.

Ember opened her eyes and was greeted with the sight of an angry and inebriated man. His eyes swam with frustration as if their conversation had been much longer than it actually was.

“Yes?” Ember said, softening her tone.

The man got down on his knees, holding his arms into the air as if in victory.

“Do you not crave power?” he asked.

Ember blinked heavily.

He began to crawl toward her, which made Ember pull her legs back instinctively. He grinned at her physical instinct, then reached his hand out to her thigh.

“I would be yours, and you would be mine,” he said quietly. “And you would rule this country with me.”

The General’s eyes wandered down her body, settling on her breasts, then her legs. She was mostly covered in her thin slacks and blouse, but that didn’t matter for most men.

“General …” she whispered. “I am very flattered. But I am committed to my people. To my workers at the embassy. I’m sure you understand.”

As predicted, the General did not understand. He reached out his hand forcefully, slapping it down on her thigh and squeezing it painfully.

It was time for Ember’s muscle memory to take over the helm. She dropped the glass of water, letting it shatter upon the hard ground. When the General’s attention was removed, she snapped her muscular leg into the sensitive skin of his testicles.

His eyes bulged out of their sockets, and he curled over, falling to the ground, and writhing in pain. He screamed. “You stupid b***h!”

How original.

Three men scurried out of nowhere, then took her again by the arms and legs. She shook and tried to yell, reaching out to any member of her team who could hear her. She knew that no one could do anything, but at least if they heard her voice, they could maintain some kind of hope.

Ember was taken down to a dark basement and thrown into a cell. She held onto the bag of ice like grim death and pressed what was left of it against her wrist.

As the light trickled away, she breathed out, finally alone again. It was time to gather her thoughts and re-arrange them into something meaningful.

SLIDE

It didn’t take Slide long to navigate the savannah from the drop point. He shifted almost immediately, letting his lion run free after being caged for so long.

He drew in long breaths of fresh air, saturating his lungs with the wild freedom of it. He was home, in a sense. This land felt like it had been made for him, for lions.

He roared as he began to run through the long grass. The power of his muscles moving him swiftly brought him a pure, bone-deep joy. It lifted his heart. For the first time in a long time, the loss of his parents and the betrayal of the General did not clutch his heart so badly that it clouded his thoughts.

Being free, being able to shift, and knowing he was out of that horrific prison ... these things helped to ease his burden. But most of all, the knowledge that he would soon have a shot at the General himself lifted the dark cloud that had settled on him the day he lost his family and was framed for something he didn’t do.

After running free for some time, he found the scent he was looking for. It wasn’t difficult. All he had to do was stand on a high bluff with his nose to the wind and wait. The cluster of soldiers left a trail a mile wide. He headed toward the scent and arrived at the camp near midnight.

There were several small outbuildings and tents surrounding the main house. He could smell the General, his scent mixed in with the other humans. It was difficult, but he knew he had to complete his mission before he took care of his personal business. He prowled through the shadows, finding the small building where the hostages were being held.

There were two guards on the door, and they were tossing dice at their feet, exchanging coins just for the fun of it. They took sips from a small flask. So far, most of the soldiers he’d seen were casually going about their business. The camp was well fortified with massive stocks of deadly weapons and heavily manned.

He guessed that it was very rarely ... if ever ... attacked. All of these men were secure in the knowledge that they could easily subdue a weak village invader. Obviously, they weren’t expecting a professional special ops soldier to sneak in.

He walked sideways along the wall in his human form, staying in the shadows. Even though it was nighttime, there was a faint glow beyond the dark shadow cast by the roof of the shack. He was able to sneak right up behind the guards and knock their heads together before they were even aware of him.

He kicked out the lock with one swift jab and hurried inside. One of the men hurried up to him.

“Thank God you’re here! You were sent by the U.S. government?”

Slide nodded, raising a finger to his lips.

“Keep quiet and head out. Stick to the shadows. I’ll meet you a few clicks north in the wooded area.”

He looked around quickly, counting heads.

“Where is the other one? Ember?”

“They took her,” the man whispered. “Into the house. I don’t know what happened to her.”

“Okay,” he gestured at the door. “Go. I’ll be along soon. We can’t go without her.”