My Shifter Boss

Marissa recognized the lowered head and surged forward quickly, claws extended, teeth bared. Lucy sidestepped and turned her body, her target Marissa’s throat. But Marissa anticipated the movement, twisted, and slammed her uninjured shoulder into Lucy’s windpipe as she extended her neck to reach her throat. Lucy dropped, and Marissa shifted swiftly and kicked Lucy in her injured flank, breaking her ribs and causing the blood to flow more freely from the claw marks. Marissa walked around her slowly, staring at her like she was a piece of garbage, and delivered another kick into her other side.

Lucy lay on the floor, knowing she couldn’t shift because her injuries were too great. In her human form, she would die. Marissa stared down at her; alarm bells sounded in Lucy’s mind. She’s going to kill me, Lucy thought. She looked at the Head and could tell by the secretary’s demeanor that he had died. She lowered her head to the ground to catch her breath, waiting for the death blow.

Marissa grinned at her as if reading her mind and shook her head. “No, I’m not going to kill you. You’re not worth my time.” Lucy growled quietly, the only response she could give as a wolf, and the only response she could give with broken ribs. Marissa laughed at her. “Don’t shift, bi*ch. Those injuries would kill a human. But you know that. Say hello to Nathan for me.”

Lucy swiped at her leg, but Marissa sidestepped it and kicked her in the face. Lucy’s eye exploded with pain, and she saw stars. She slumped to the floor, not unconscious but certainly rattled, and watched as Marissa walked out with her companions.

Hands touched her side and voices called out for help, but she slipped into unconsciousness so her body could heal.

*****

Marissa called a retreat as she marched through the building, weres around her like she was some sort of warrior goddess leading her troops through the battlefield. Bobby loped up beside her and shifted into his human form to walk with her.

“Several weres inside joined our ranks as soon as they heard the Head had been killed,” Bobby reported. “I have no idea how many we lost, but I only see a total of seven dead. I think we gained more than we lost, though.”

“How many?”

Bobby glanced over his shoulder. “I’m not sure of the exact number yet.”

“Injuries?”

“A few, but nothing so bad they can’t walk out of here on their own.”

“I assume you’ve set up a base somewhere?” Marissa asked as she stepped gingerly over a dead werecat she didn’t recognize.

Bobby avoided a puddle of blood before answering. “Of course. It’s about ten miles north of here in a warehouse purchased over three years ago.”

“Purchased how?”

“Discreetly, of course. Through a dummy corporation with an unknown CEO,” Bobby replied.

Marissa smiled. “Excellent work. How do we get there?”

“I thought you’d want to make a statement. I’m thinking, in were form, we run through downtown, knocking people over, perhaps slicing one or two, without killing them. No need to involve the human police before we’re hidden again if we can avoid it. I’ve chosen a subway entrance about a mile from here. We’ll frighten the humans and ride the subway, as weres, to our new location.”

Marissa threw her head back and laughed as they stepped out of the building and into the sunshine. No humans were nearby to see the spectacle of dozens of weres stepping out in their were forms, beautifully dangerous, or the naked couple laughing together. Marissa smiled at Bobby. “Bobby, if you weren’t gay, you’d be my soulmate, so much do we think alike.”

He returned her smile. “I agree.” He shifted and looked up at her, werewolf eyebrow cocked.

Marissa turned and raised her voice to address the weres. “Weres! We have been in hiding long enough! The humans know we exist, but they refuse to give us the freedom to be ourselves! Let’s make a statement! Don’t rush through town, my friends. Let them see us! Knock them down, play with them a little. Let’s go!” A chorus of howls and roars answered her call to arms. She grinned and shifted, standing proudly in the sun in her werecat form. She turned to her troops and roared the order to move, the sound reverberating off the nearby buildings. She ran, and they fell in behind her.

Moments later, they reached crowded downtown. A werebear roared, and a werewolf howled. Several humans froze in place as the weres bounded past them at medium speed, intentionally slamming into humans, knocking them into walls or to the ground. One werewolf leaped on a man and ripped a hole in his suit, although the cuts she delivered would prove to be shallow. A werecat attacked a woman and her dog. He grabbed the dog in his mouth and yanked, pulling the leash so hard the woman’s arm came out of its socket. He killed the dog as she screamed in fear and pain. A child, separated from her mother, cried out in fear. A werebear stopped and looked around for her mother, then head-butted the child in her direction until she saw her. The woman jerked her daughter up and ran in fear. The werebear rolled its eyes, amazed that the woman had watched him save her child and was still afraid. He turned and galloped away.

As they ran, wreaking havoc among the humans, Marissa thrilled in the escape, thrilled in the idea that she could be herself in public, openly a were. A new age, she mused to herself as they reached the subway. She slowed her pace and allowed her troops to surge ahead of her. The screams echoing up from the underbelly of the city amused her.

Men, women, and children rushed to the exit to get out of the subway. Weres were still coming down and shoved past the humans, most of whom froze after moving to stand against the walls. Marissa sauntered down the stairs slowly, eyeing each horrified human gleefully. She snarled at this one, snapped her jaws at another, and relished the fear on their faces.

If they won’t accept me the way I am and let me be a part of this world, then I’ll rule this world and make them hide, Marissa thought as she walked onto the waiting train like royalty.