Chapter Nine
Even though she knew she shouldn’t, Ana couldn't help but be glad that Joseph was with her. They were going to die, and she wanted to rage against Joseph's death. She wanted to kick and scream and get a gun and kill the people who were going to kill them. But somehow, being in his arms made her feel safe, even in this situation. It made her feel like no matter what happened, as long as they were together, everything would be fine.
She bandaged his leg as best as she could and Joseph undid the tourniquet. He needed the blood flow to use his leg properly, to fight. Maybe that was why she felt so safe… He wasn't giving up, he was planning what to do to get them out of there; maybe there was some small part of her that felt hope again as well.
It was only a few hours after he was brought to her room that the two of them were dragged out of it again. Ana blinked. The warehouse she remembered seeing had been completely transformed. It now looked like somebody's living room, and bright filming lights shone at them from every direction.
"Hello," a voice trilled. A female voice.
Ana looked at the source and found a petite woman. She was quite lovely, with black hair and blue eyes, and was surrounded by men holding guns on her and Joseph. Ana recognized her. She was a TV personality. Crystal Scott. A talk show hostess who married an insanely rich man who also happened to be very anti-shifter.
The two prisoners were dragged to the couches. Ana was relieved to see Seth there already, looking pale but calm.
"Are you okay?" she asked him.
He nodded once. "You?"
"Yeah."
"Please take your seats," the woman said. "My name is Crystal Scott. I'm so glad that you could join me for my show today."
Ana leaned into Joseph's side. The woman stared at the three of them with unbridled hatred.
"We are here today with shifter Seth Fischer. Tell me, senator, who did you have to bribe to get into office? Everybody knows that shifters are untrustworthy, vile creatures. They should not be allowed to walk freely in public. Would you let a Bear stroll down the street?" She turned to Joseph. "And yet we have a Bear right here. A detective. Shifters are unpredictable. They are ruled by instinct, how can we trust that a Bear like you will protect the people?"
There was something off about Crystal's monologue. The things she was saying were bad enough, but the way she said it, talking too fast, pacing back and forth, gave her a hysterical quality. Ana shivered. She had always thought of anti-shifters as being crazy, but when it came to Crystal Scott… she couldn't help but think it was true. Rumor had it she'd had a mental breakdown recently. Was it true?
"And then there's the danger to humans." Crystal focused on Ana. "This woman thinks she's found a mate. A mate who will stay with her forever and ever and ever. But did you have a choice in the matter, Ana Medina? Or was it because the Bear forced you into it? Yes, he tricked you, lied to you, and then… then you didn't have a choice. When a shifter decides they have a mate, they produce pheromones that draw that human to them until they don't have a choice."
"That was scientifically disproven," Ana tried to say.
Crystal grabbed a handgun from one of the men around her. She pointed it at the three of them in turn, panting, her eyes wide and wild. Ana shrank back. She was insane! Her own eyes widened and her mind raced, trying to think of a way to talk the woman down.
A gunshot went off. She heard the bullet hit and a spray of blood splattered her face. Seth let out a cry of pain, hunching over. He clutched his abdomen. Ana was just able to repress a scream.
"You're stopping the Shifter Registry," Crystal said. "We need the registry to protect humans from the monsters that shifters are!"
She turned the gun on Ana. But Joseph had already leaped from the couch. In one fluid motion, he shifted. The guns of Crystal's guards fired rapidly; Joseph barreled through them, slapping Crystal away. Her gun clattered to the floor. Rearing to his full elephantine size, Joseph struck out, knocking the men with guns every which way. He pounced on each of them, crushing guns and bone between his teeth.
Ana sprang from the couch, grabbing Seth. She couldn’t do anything to help Joseph, but she could get Seth out of here. She dragged him up, looping his arm over her shoulders. He stumbled, leaning against her and she looked around wildly–the forklift. They could at least have some protection in there. Ana tightened her grip on her boss and started lugging him towards it.
A bellow filled the warehouse. Ana turned, her heart jumping to her throat. Crystal had scrambled to her feet and was charging towards them. That maniacal gleam in her eyes was back; she bellowed again, the sound inhuman, and in a blink, her form changed. A moose bigger than Joseph's Bear barreled towards them, foaming at the mouth.
Ana screamed.
A roar echoed, challenging the moose for dominance. Crystal turned just in time to meet Joseph as he threw himself at her. Ana stared, frozen and horrified, as the moose caught him in her antlers and tossed him aside. Joseph landed in the couches, sending them flying, but rolled to his feet and charged again. This time, he was able to avoid those antlers and wrapped his front legs around Crystal's shoulders, biting at her neck. Blood splattered on the floor.
"Ana," Seth wheezed.
She shook her head and turned her back on the fight. Her heart pounded in her throat. If she got into the forklift, would she be able to ram the moose, help Joseph get the upper hand? Or would she just end up putting herself in danger?
In the end, though, it wasn't necessary. When Ana got to the forklift, she risked a glance backward. Crystal was on the floor, her legs crushed against her body by Joseph's bulk; his jaws were around her throat. Ana helped Seth into the forklift and when she turned back, Crystal was human again, cowering on the floor, her body shaking with sobs.
"You've ruined everything," she cried to Joseph as he also shifted. "I was just trying to protect the humans from Beasts like us. Can't you see? We don't deserve to walk free!"
"You are suffering because you've suppressed your shifter side," Joseph panted, still pinning her. "You're sick, and it's because you haven't talked with your Beast enough."
She clutched her head. "Shut up, shut up! I don't want anything to do with her! She's a demon inside of me, I have to find a way to cut her out before she can hurt anybody else."
Ana shuddered. Crystal believed what she was saying. She really did. How could anybody think of themselves like that? It was so horrific! Ana climbed into the forklift beside Seth and cautiously drove it towards where Joseph was. He was tying the woman up as she continued to sob. Seth slumped, his face pale as he tried to stem the flow from his bullet wound.
"This is why I do what I do," he whispered. "Look at her. This is what happens when shifters are forced to keep themselves hidden, when they are taught to hate themselves so much that they refuse to acknowledge their own identity. When will enough be enough?"
Ana had known all this but hadn't realized how bad it was. Her gaze flickered over all the dead bodies lying on the warehouse floor. If they hadn't hated shifters, they would all be alive. She shuddered again. If anything, her resolve had been bolstered from this. She had always been a proponent of shifter rights, but now she knew she had to do more.
Joseph picked up the petite Crystal easily. She continued to sob. He looked at Ana; their eyes met, and a feeling of love burst in her chest. That was her mate. He was alive and well.
And together, they were going to change the world.