Page 130 of Claim the Light
Three of them hold back, making it clear that the one in front is their leader. Her slightly smaller bone structure tells me she’s the female of the pack.
She’s the one whose instincts I have to trigger.
Any other beast could have been a problem for me, but these creatures are the stuff of nightmares and whispers.
Just like I am.
I was born to tame beasts like this, gather them to my side, and give them a purpose.
The female will obey me if she recognizes the nature of my power.
I allow my claws to descend and my teeth to sharpen. If I have to shift fully, then I will, but I’d rather conserve my energy.
Lowering my head without taking my eyes off her, I draw back my lips and utter a fierce growl, pulling the sound from deep in my chest. It’s the snarl my mother taught me that signals to another dark creature that they should leave me the fuck alone or face the consequences.
“Back off,” I snarl as my growl fades. “That’s all I ask of you.”
The female panther’s head snaps up, her ears pricked and alert. She gives a soft grunt, blinking at me in the dark, her silvery eyes appearing and disappearing as her eyelids close and open.
I growl again, more softly this time. “I want my freedom and I’d rather not kill you.”
She sniffs the air, her nostrils flaring, and now a curious light enters her eyes. She takes a small step in my direction, her paw landing on a piece of rocky debris that lies between us, but she doesn’t come any closer and her claws retract.
I’m sure it’s the only sign of subservience I’ll receive from this proud creature.
I take a chance to glance at the cage door. It’s so close and the latch is twisted and broken. It will take multiple twists, but I hope I’ll be able to lift it—unlike these beasts, whose claws could never achieve the fiddly task.
Carefully, I step up onto the debris, choosing my footing so I don’t slip or get stuck. The rocks shift beneath my feet and the panthers twitch, but they don’t come after me.
Faster now, I sidestep to the door, keeping the beasts within my sights.
My hand lands on the latch and, after twisting it back and forth and then over its damaged catch, I’m slipping outside the cage and into the corridor beyond it.
With a firm push, I close the door behind me.
Just like that, there are no longer any bars or walls around me.
I’m struck with a sense of space and it’s suddenly fucking terrifying.
Rows of cages stretch out into the distance, maybe as many as fifteen on each side of the wide corridor. The absence of sound tells me that, other than the panthers and me, there’s no other living creature here.
Directly to left is the solid, stone wall that formed one of the sides of my cell, but facing it from this direction, I would never be able to tell that there’s a space behind it. The door’s outline isn’t visible and all that sits on the wall is a misshapen lever that has the appearance of melted iron.
I turn back to the far end of the corridor. I’ve never had the chance to look so far into the distance and my vision blurs as I try to scan along the cages to the door that must be located at the end.
I tell myself the impediment to my vision will pass.
I was born an apex predator with the sharpest senses. My ability to see long distances may have been stunted by my surroundings, but I promise myself I’ll overcome it.
Stepping away from the cage, I’m preparing to race down the corridor and claim my freedom when I pause.
Inside the cage, the panthers have prowled forward, their bright eyes trained on me.
The female makes a soft, mewling sound, her head held low, but not in an aggressive way.
“You want your freedom, too.” I sigh, hoping I’m not taking a terrible chance when I open the cage door and back away quickly, increasing my speed when the panthers don’t immediately leap out after me.
My matted hair slaps my back in heavy thumps as I run.
