Oath Sworn - K.N. Banet Page 0,22

her, helped raised her. They were probably honorary uncles and friends she watched grill with her father. She was probably friends with their children.

“He sent you to me,” I said gently. “He didn’t send you to them.” Why? I had no idea, but I was absolutely planning on finding out when I got my hands on him. If he was dead already, I figured a witch might help me contact his spirit. That wolf needed a piece of my mind, and I fully intended to give it to him. “He sent you here, sweetheart.”

“I know…” She continued walking after that, disappearing into my bedroom.

“Lock all the doors, then hide in the closet!” I called, turning to leave.

I jumped down the entire staircase, checking my back door first. I bolted it closed, then the secondary lock. I didn’t need it for the area I was in. No, the extra locks were only because of what I was and the potential trouble being a werecat could bring me. Now they came in handy.

With that door secure, I pushed open the door that led to the bar. I propped it open. I needed to be able to see the staircase in case any of the wolves tried for it. I kept the blinds closed and went to the front door. It was locked, but that’s not what I wanted. I flipped the latch, hoping the wolves would try it first. It was past dark now. Perfect.

Then I went to the bar, my cat clawing to come out. I couldn’t let the monster play, not yet. Closing my eyes, I focused on my territory and my land. The wolves were still moving, closing in on my location on the highway. Damn, I had really been hoping they would abandon the car and run the woods instead. I had twenty minutes now. I turned off all the lights from my spot, letting my eyes adjust.

I poured a drink once I was done. I could hear Carey above me, moving things around and probably getting ready to run once this was over. I hoped so, at least.

Fifteen minutes and my hands began to twitch. The full moon was tomorrow night, which meant every single one of the wolves would get faster shifts, but then again, so would I.

At ten minutes, I began to pull off my clothes. Thankfully, my normal patrons didn’t even bother showing up today, or they must have checked the door, saw the closed sign, and turned around. None of them were around, and I hoped it would stay that way.

Five minutes to go, I Changed. The pain tore through me as the bones broke and reformed, taking me down onto all fours. I snarled as the pain flared and took the air from my lungs. Hands became giant paws. My canines became five inch saber teeth. My eyes focused and adjusted to the dark, even better than in my human form.

Roughly a minute. That was my Change time now. A shift between forms faster than even one of the oldest werecats could do. It was much faster than any werewolf would ever be able to perform.

I jumped onto my bar and lay down. It was high enough to make me feel level with anything that walked through the door. I focused on my territory. The wolves had stopped five minutes out and were going through the Change, most likely. It made my hackles rise.

In human shape, they could speak to me. I would get information, then probably kill them. In wolf form, they were a hunting party. There would be no talking. There would only be a fight.

I could have left and hunted them down, but my instincts were against the idea. Staying close to Carey was my number one priority. If I left to hunt them down, I could miss one, and it could come here and take her or kill her. That wasn’t an option. This was my first Duty and hopefully my last. I wouldn’t fail it. I couldn’t fail it.

The wolves were running now. I flexed my paws, extending my razor-sharp claws. I heard their paws hit the gravel of my parking lot, though one wasn’t in wolf form. I could hear the hum of a small engine and the tires hitting the gravel, kicking it up. It was a sound I was familiar with, like a small dirt bike. I bared my teeth, licking between my fangs. One stayed in human form. Interesting.

I stood up slowly, all