Enemy Within (Moira Ashe Book 1)

It was almost time.

The strange but familiar sensation nagged at the fringes of her mind.

She had felt this sensation many times before, and although she dreaded the act, she hoped to experience it tomorrow night and many nights after.

Moira took a slow deep breath as quietly as she could in preparation.

She was luckier than she could have hoped. Sloane was too busy socializing with her would-be executioners for them to keep track of the time, allowing her the precious seconds of privacy.

Her luck didn’t end there. The evening’s rain had persisted into the night as the second phase of the full moon began.

Agony shot through her as the moon peeked over the rooftops, and the curse ravaged her body.

She didn’t dare make a noise as was reshaped, in fear of alerting her captives. She bit the inside of her mouth to suppress a scream.

She heard the group laugh as the coppery taste filled her mouth, and her clothes began tearing at the seams. She barely noticed when the strap of her eye patch snapped against her skin.

The sounds of her clothes obliterating silenced the crowd outside.

Her expanding body fought painfully against her bonds, as they constricted her growth.

Using her morphing limps, she cut through the belt around her waist.

She stood with the chair still tied with the fraying rope as she heard the sounds of boots rushing towards her.

Reaching towards her chest with her elongated limbs. Moira tore the rope apart as Sloane burst through the door.

“Oh my God!”

Sloane stood in the doorway in shock and disbelief as guards pushed past her.

Hunger plagued her mind. Intense cravings bid her to feast, but she refused as she struggled to regain control of her body.

The guards were noticeably shaken as they formed a desperate firing line. Moira struck as the first guard tried to bring their gun to bear. She lashed out with a massive backside of her hand. The guard was slammed into the wall of the cell as Moira turned her attention to the other guards to the left of her. They’re weapons discharged into the ceiling as Moira drove her shoulder into them. She sent them flying to the back of the cell with a sweep of her left arm. Sloane stood unmoved, frozen, and pale as she stared at the creature before her.

Moira wasted no time. She threw herself through the window. The wooden frame broke and glass shattered, slicing her skin. She slammed into the street two storeys below. The rain soaked into her fur as she began her escape.