Free Calico Cross by DeAnna Kinney Page B

downtown.
    “We’re almost there. What’s wrong? You sound a little shaken up,” she asked me.
    “I am,” I responded. “I think someone is here, watching me.”
    “Okay, hang on. We’re almost there.”
    “Okay,” I responded and then hung up the phone. I heard it again and spun in the direction of the noise. It sounded like a combination of a whistle and a growl. I didn’t see anything, but whatever it was it was getting closer.
    “Is anybody there?” I called out and then waited for a response—followed by silence.
    I decided to make my way to the deli. It wasn’t that far so I started walking. I heard the noise again and quickened my pace. Within seconds I was in a jog. I could hear the noise getting closer so I picked up the pace until I was in a full out sprint. I was only a few feet from the deli, and I could almost feel a presence right on my heels.
    I reached the door and pulled. It was closed. I banged on the door. “Hello! Is anybody there?!” No one came. I looked around me in desperation. That’s when I spotted the dark figure in the road, running toward me. It was too dark to see who or what it was, but the figure went from running like a human to instantly running on all fours like an animal. I knew I was in trouble.
    Just then the car squealed to a stop in front of me. “Get in!” Kiki yelled, swinging the door open wide. I jumped in and slammed the door as Tabby sped the car out in the opposite direction, headed toward home.
    As soon as we hit the main road a dark vehicle appeared behind us and catching up fast.
    “Faster, Tabby!” I yelled, monitoring the car behind us. It was actually a large, dark colored truck. I could barely make out at least two people inside the cab, and more in the back
    “Does anybody else have a very bad feeling about this?” Fancy asked, her voice quivering.
    “Yes,” we all said in unison.
    “Hang on!” Tabby yelled as she took the curve too fast. We spun out and then regained control but at the cost of losing speed. Now the truck was right on our bumper.
    “Faster!! Go faster!!” we all yelled.
    “I’m trying!” Tabby yelled back at us.
    The truck tapped us, causing the car to fishtail. Tabby kept control and sped up, losing them slightly. They quickly caught up again, and again they hit us, but this time hard. Our car spun out of control and flew off the road, heading into the woods.
    “Savage!!” I screamed and flung my arms in front of my face right before we smashed head-on into a huge tree.
    I vaguely recall a rumbling growl and the car being ripped apart above me, with flashes of some kind of white all around me. Then I was floating.
     
    * * * * * *
     
Dane’s POV
     
    “Savage!” I heard Calico scream, and it shot through my body like a bolt of lightning. I was on my feet in a full sprint before I had time to think.
    “Hang on, Calico! I’m coming! I’m coming!”
    My heart beat with fear. Something was wrong; and this time it was bad.
    I could hear the sounds of the were-pack, which consisted of different were-creatures from jaguars to foxes. They were part of Creed’s pack! The girls were about to be harmed or worse. I had no choice. I shifted into my massive form and growled a steaming growl that I knew would scare away even the largest of beast. They had not encountered anything like me before and they didn’t want to. 
    By the time I arrived at the scene of the crash, the animals were gone. Lucky for them, because I would’ve ripped them all apart for what they had done. I ran to the window of the car, and all of the girls except Kiki were unconscious.
    I wasted no time and jumped onto the roof of the SUV and ripped the top completely off. It only took ten minutes until I had all the girls safely in their home and tucked into their beds. It was Calico’s bedside that I stayed by. She had a serious gash on her head and some bruising.
    I held her hand, kissing it lightly as I pleaded for her to wake up. I could not lose