My Shifter Boss

Chapter 4

Lucy, the Head, and the secretary stared at the office door, unrealistically hoping that Marissa’s plan did not include killing anyone. The door was locked, but it wouldn’t hold three strong weres out for long. The secretary gasped suddenly.

“Marissa knows where I keep the spare key to your office,” she said, her hand covering her mouth, her eyes wide.

At that moment, the metallic click of a key being inserted into a lock could be heard. The Head pushed Lucy and the secretary behind his desk and moved in front of it, hoping Marissa would focus her anger and deadly intent on him. He stiffened when the door opened slowly, preparing to shift if necessary. In his mind, as the door opened, he rapidly listed the types of training Marissa had undergone. She was an expert at computer skills, he remembered, but what concerned him most at this moment was her combat training. Many weres went through combat training, even those who would probably never see combat in their lives. Marissa had continued her training until her arrest as her exercise routine. She was a skilled fighter, both in human form and in were form. The Head had also gone through this training, but it had been years ago and he had not practiced in years. He glanced back at the two women huddled behind his desk; neither of them had any training.

The Head watched as Marissa walked into his office as she had a million times before. Her companions remained in their were state, prepared to attack should it be needed. The werewolf had blood on its muzzle, and the werebear growled menacingly, staring at the women behind the Head. The Head hoped to take the lead in this exchange so he could end it quickly.

“Marissa,” the Head acknowledged.

Marissa lifted her head nonchalantly and looked at him with steely eyes. “William.”

The Head’s secretary gasped. Once a Head is elected, that person is no longer referred to by his or her name among the weres; from that day until resignation or death, that person is called the Head, whether male or female. The tradition had begun long ago. Calling him by his first name was considered incredibly disrespectful.

The Head’s eyebrow arched up. “Prison has changed you,” he said coolly, his joke not meant to invoke laughter, although the werebear snorted.

Marissa made a noise deep in her throat, almost a growl, but more like a hum of irritation. She moved closer to the Head, her eyes never leaving his. “You’ve changed the Guard since becoming the Head. Several weres have been unhappy with your leadership for some time. It’s time to make a change.”

“Is that a fact?” The Head moved to the left, away from his desk and the two women behind it, hoping to draw attention away from them. The werebear, who had been staring at the women when they’d first walked in, had moved his attention to the interaction between the Head and Marissa. “Marissa, the only person who has indicated that there is any type of problem is you, and that has only been since you were caught undermining the Guard.”

Marissa rolled her eyes. She drawled his name slowly. “William, it was only a matter of time before someone confronted you about the ridiculousness the Guard has become.”

“Pardon my language, but you are talking a whole lot of sh*t you know nothing about.”

Marissa chuckled menacingly. She stepped closer to the Head, stood within arm’s length of him. “The Guard has become sh*t since you took over. And now,” her hand became a panther’s claw, only her hand, “there will be an alternative to the Guard.” She plunged her hand, claws first, into the Head’s chest. She yanked down, creating four massive lacerations that spurted blood onto the floor and over her naked bre*sts.

Lucy and the secretary screamed simultaneously and loudly, drawing the attention of the two weres near the door. Marissa looked at the women and grinned as she released the Head, who fell to the floor. The secretary ran to him, dropped to her knees, and tried to staunch the blood flow with the jacket she’d yanked off.

Marissa and Lucy hadn’t lost eye contact since the secretary had moved away. They stared at each other as Marissa’s hand evolved back into a human hand. Later, Lucy would remember this and wonder how she’d done it. Lucy glared at her, pure hatred clear on her face. Marissa wiggled her eyebrows at her, provoking a response. Lucy roared as she shifted, pieces of her torn clothing flying all over the room. She leaped onto the desk in her werewolf form and pounced on Marissa, who had a look of shock on her face; clearly she had not actually expected Lucy to attack.

Lucy’s werewolf body slammed into Marissa’s human form, and they hit the wall and fell to the floor. Beneath her, Lucy felt Marissa shift just as she clamped her mouth on a shoulder and bit down. She drew blood, but Marissa used her claws to rip open Lucy’s flank, and Lucy released her shoulder before too much damage had been done. Lucy howled in pain and anger and twisted her body so that Marissa was on top. She used her back legs and flung Marissa across the room. Marissa hit the desk with a crash but was on her feet in a moment, her well-trained body prepared for this kind of scuffle. Lucy scrambled up on all fours, panting, blood dripping from her side. With some satisfaction, she saw blood matting the fur on Marissa’s shoulder.

Marissa looked at her shoulder out of the corner of her eye, furious that the other woman had drawn first blood. She turned back to Lucy and hissed, her panther eyes frightening. Lucy growled deep in her throat, a terrifying, threatening sound. No thoughts entered either woman’s mind except lust for the other’s blood.

They circled each other. Lucy spared a glance at the two weres who had entered with Marissa. They watched with interest but showed no inclination to help their leader. Lucy assumed she’d told them not to. She looked back at the werecat and lowered her head dangerously, indicating an imminent attack.