Emily and Riley froze...eyes wide with horror as they stared up at Officer Michael, perched unnaturally on a tree branch. A thick brown tail swung behind him like a pendulum, his golden eyes gleaming in the moonlight.
"He has a tail," Emily whispered.
Before they could run again, Michael leapt from the tree with supernatural speed, landing before them. He slammed both girls against the trunk of another tree, knocking the air from their lungs.
"You're lucky I can't shift tonight," he sneered, voice dripping with menace.
Riley, breathless but burning with rage, pushed herself forward. Something cracked within her. Her vision darkened, and the familiar surge of energy stormed through her limbs like fire licking at the edge of sanity.
"An Orsticle witch!" Michael hissed in surprise, stepping back.
But Riley wasn't listening. Her mind had vanished into the storm inside her, and her body moved on its own. Her scream tore through the woods as flames erupted from her skin, wild and uncontrolled.
"Riley!" Emily cried, terrified.
She tried to reach her, but vines slithered around her leg, pulling her back. Riley's eyes glowed like embers, her hands summoning a ball of flame aimed straight at Michael.
He barely dodged it. The heat scorched the air.
"Stop!" Emily screamed again, fighting the vines. She broke free just in time, charging toward her friend. Ignoring the heat blistering her skin, she grabbed Riley's arm with both hands.
"Please, Riley!" she cried, even as the fire seared her palm.
Riley turned to her with blank, unseeing eyes. For a moment, she looked like a stranger...raw power radiating off her skin.
And then Michael struck. He moved behind Riley and kicked her hard, sending her flying to the ground. The flames vanished instantly as her body went limp.
"No!" Emily fell to her knees beside her friend.
Michael returned to his human form...tail gone, gold eyes fading.
"She'll be fine," he muttered before grabbing Emily by the arm.
"Let me go!" she shouted, struggling. But he was stronger, and she was in pain.
He dragged her through the forest to a truck parked alone on the roadside.
Panic clawed at Emily's throat. "Somebody help!" she screamed.
No answer.
Michael shoved her into the back, tying her hands tightly to a metal post. She squirmed, kicked, fought, but he was methodical silent.
Then came the syringe.
Emily's heart pounded. "No—please, don't—"
The needle pierced her skin. Within seconds, everything blurred.
Darkness swallowed her whole.
⸻
Meanwhile, Ethan and Ryder arrived at the clearing where Riley lay unconscious among blackened leaves and scorched bark. Ryder was the first to reach her.
"Princess, wake up," he whispered, brushing soot from her face.
Her eyes fluttered open.
"Emily..." she croaked, voice dry and panicked.
"She's not here," Ethan said grimly, scanning the woods. His expression had hardened into something lethal. "Where is she?"
"I think... he took her," Riley whispered, clutching her head.
Ryder lifted her gently. "Let's get you home."
Ethan had already disappeared into the shadows, his speed inhuman. His heart was thundering in his ears. Emily's signal had come through...weak, but enough. Her necklace had pulsed once. He knew what that meant.
She was still alive.
And she needed him.
⸻
Emily stirred, groaning as her head throbbed in agony. She was tied to a chair in a dim, abandoned room. The bulb above flickered. The walls were stained. Her blood was pooling near her head from the fall.
Then the door creaked open.
Michael stepped in, smiling like a man with no soul.
"You're awake," he cooed.
"Why are you doing this?" Emily asked, tears streaking her face.
"Why?" He tilted his head. "I'm bored."
"Bored?!" she choked.
He smiled wider. "You're not hungry, I assume?"
Emily's stomach growled in response.
Michael's gaze sharpened. "Did your little witch friend kill her parents?"
Emily glared at him, saying nothing.
"No comment?" he smirked. "Badass."
He left with a shrug, slamming the door behind him.
Emily's mind raced. She needed a plan.
Then she remembered her necklace.
She shifted painfully, her wrists tied too tightly to reach it. So she began rocking the chair—left, then right, harder. Until she toppled over.
Her head hit the floor again...pain exploded behind her eyes. But she'd done it. Her chin had tapped the pendant.
A faint pulse glowed from the charm.
Miles away, Ethan still on foot felt it.
He raised his hand as a lone car approached. The driver slowed.
Ethan's eyes darkened as he stepped forward.
"Get out," he ordered, his voice thick with compulsion. "Now. Leave."
The driver obeyed instantly.
Ethan slid behind the wheel and slammed the door. He didn't even need directions.
Emily had already called him home.