Penny laughed then grew quiet when she saw we didn’t share her humor.
“Before I put you on the air, I need some kind of proof. I will lose everything,” her gaze drifted to the booth, “if I don’t have proof.”
Charlene nodded to Penny, then pointedly looked at Winifred. Penny’s gaze followed.
“You have proof?” Penny asked Winifred.
“No. I am proof.”
Winifred held out her hand and changed it to a white paw, then back again.
Disbelief and panic surged from Penny. Isabelle inhaled deeply, and the scents disappeared completely.
“I’m willing to demonstrate what I am on live TV,” Winifred said. “And will answer your questions after I explain why I’m coming forward.”
As if in a trance, Penny slowly crossed the room to join Winifred by the couch.
“Do it again,” she said, staring at Winifred’s still outstretched hand.
Penny stared as Winifred’s skin slowly disappeared under a layer of fine white hairs. Her thumb shrank back a moment before the rest of her fingers. A paw at the end of a human arm. Winifred’s control was better than anyone I knew. She didn’t leave her arm like that for more than a heartbeat before everything went back into place.
This time, Penny’s scent didn’t change with panic, but awe.
“Incredible.” Penny sat heavily in the chair.
The door behind us opened. I tensed and looked at the unfamiliar human.
“We’ll be ready in five,” he said.
Penny turned with wide eyes.
“Seriously?”
When the man nodded, Penny’s gaze drifted to Charlene, who watched us from the inside of the control booth.
“And you’re okay with this?” Penny said, once again looking at the man.
“Of course,” the man said. “It’s breaking news. The public needs to know.”
He withdrew again, closing the door.
“Have a seat,” Penny said to Winifred. Then she looked at me then Isabelle. “There’s plenty of room if—”
“They will remain by the door,” Winifred said, moving to sit on the couch at an angle to Penny’s chair.
Three more joining you, Grey sent me a moment before the door opened again.
Two men came in to operate the cameras angled at Penny and Winifred. A woman came in and stood near some sort of panel. I moved closer to Isabelle, positioning myself between her and the door.
Penny patiently watched the digital countdown in the booth’s window. When it reached one, she turned to Winifred and started to speak.
“You’re coming forward with some astounding information I know our viewers won’t believe. A new species exists among us.”
“Not new,” Winifred said. “We are as old as humans. Here since the beginning.”
“And what are you?”
“The most popular term is werewolf.”
I felt Isabelle pull deeply again and watched the camera crews’ expressions of disbelief and irritation fade. Over our link, I could feel some of what she was experiencing and hoped this wouldn’t take too long.
“You can’t expect us to believe something like that without proof.”
“Of course not,” Winifred said, standing. Penny stood, too.
“You might want to move back,” Winifred said.
Penny stepped back a moment before fur sprouted on Winifred’s skin. She didn’t burst into her fur or do the slow change like she had for Penny before, but something in between.
Winifred stayed upright long after her legs shortened and recurved. Her chest flattened and expanded, until her shirt split open with a loud rip. Her pearl necklace burst apart, sending the little beads everywhere. Her pants caught on her tail, but she shook the material free before everything fully formed.
I caught hints of panic in the air, but Isabelle kept everyone mellow enough that they remained where they were. The tension over our link expanded, and I glanced at Isabelle’s nose before focusing on Winifred and the news lady once more.
Penny stared with her mouth open as Winifred dropped to all fours and stepped out of her shoes, completely transformed. Silence enveloped the studio as Winifred turned and padded to the bag she’d brought. The cameras followed her every move. She stuck her head into the bag and pulled out her white hotel robe. When she took a step toward Penny, Penny backed up.
“She wants to change back,” Isabelle said. “All she’s got now is her birthday suit.”
Penny glanced at Isabelle, then at Winifred, before she extended a shaking hand toward the robe. Once Penny held the covering, Winifred turned away from the camera and sprang back onto her hind legs. The transformation back took the same amount of time.
The stunned Penny didn’t cover Winifred’s exposed backside right away, and Winifred turned her head to glare her overly large human eyes at the woman. The look motivated Penny. She stepped close and held the robe up to cover the almost smooth skin and receding tail. But she left the covering lowered enough to show Winifred’s back.
After the fur disappeared, Winifred threaded her arms through the sleeves and cinched the robe before she turned and sat.
It took Penny a few moments to do the same. Isabelle was grinning beside me. The humor coming over the link made me want to grin as well.
“Are you dangerous? How many of you are there? Was that dog attack earlier this year one of you?” The rapid questions flew from Penny before she took a calming breath then asked, “Why are you coming forward now?”
“I’ve come forward because we are all in danger. We are not the only species hiding within the human population. There is another species, Urbat, who are very similar to us in appearance but not in nature. They would see the human population devastated.”
“Urbat,” Penny said slowly as if testing the word. “Why do they want our population devastated?”
The link in my mind came to life with a burst of unfiltered joy, sadness, and exhaustion.
Carlos, they’re coming. Run.
For a stunned moment, I didn’t know how to respond.
What’s your name? I asked, desperate to know.
Sofia. A wave of love wrapped around my mind then faded quickly.
“Because your numbers are a threat to their goal,” Winifred said, answering Penny. “They want to rule. The population, the planet, everything.”
“What are we supposed to do?”
A very muted knock on the window startled Penny. On the other side of the glass, Gabby motioned for Winifred to hurry up.
Sofia? I sent back. But the link remained silent.
“Our time here is over,” Winifred said, looking at Penny once more. “The Urbat are coming for us because we’ve shared what they didn’t want us to. Find Blake Torrin, their leader. Cut off his connections. He’s everywhere and has enough money to do much damage.”
Winifred stood and grabbed her bag.
“How are we supposed to tell you apart from the Urbat?” Penny said, standing.
“There isn’t much difference. Only the nails. Ours are grey, theirs are black. Good luck, Penny.”
Winifred stepped toward us, ignoring the cameras that followed her. I opened the door and nudged Isabelle out. I felt her pull again.
“How close?” she asked Gabby.
“Two are in the building.”
And my sister had warned me. Why? Why reach out now after a lifetime of silence? As much as I wanted to try to figure that out, I had to focus on the present. The humans now knew. We all needed to get far away from here.
“Isabelle, I need you to lead,” Charlene said. “I need to maintain my hold until we are out of the building.”
“Perfect,” Isabelle said with a nod. “Gabby, Clay, and Grey can ride down with Carlos and me. I’ll see you on the bottom, whole and healthy,” she said to Bethi, pulling again.
The fear left Bethi’s eyes as she nodded.
She’s close to pulling too much, I sent Grey as we left the small room.
We’ll keep an eye on her, but we do need to get clear of this building.
I understood what he was saying. We needed Isabelle to get us out of the building or none of us would be free.
The people we passed in the halls and open workspaces watched us, but no one moved to stop us. The scent of their emotions were a blend of disbelief and curiosity.
Is Charlene keeping them all calm? I sent Grey.
Yes, I believe so. I could feel the deep concern in that message.
When we reached the elevator bank, the main part of the group hung back near the reception desk while we took the first elevator that opened. As soon as Gabby was in, she ran her hand down the first twelve floors.
“Um…” Isabelle said, giving her a questioning look.
“They’re right here,” Gabby said as the doors closed and the elevator started to descend.
“What do you mean?”
“They’re standing right in front of us. On one of the floors.”
Isabelle looked at Grey.
“Tell Charlene to hold the other elevators so the Urbat can’t jump onto one.”
“Done,” he said.
Isabelle stared at the doors as we slowed. Clay nudged Gabby behind him. Grey made to step forward so he was at the front.
“Stay by Gabby,” Isabelle said. “There are only two, and I need the fight.”
I would prefer she sparred with me when this was done, but we didn’t know how much more she would need to pull in before we were free of the place.
The door slid open. Two humans stood waiting.
“Not this elevator,” I said, holding up a hand when they would have entered.
Surprised, the man and woman stepped back; and the door slid closed.
We checked each floor down to the third. Before the doors glided open, Isabelle cracked her knuckles.
“Get ready,” she said.
The doors slid open to reveal two men standing side by side. On the floor behind them lay a bloody security guard. The rest of the area near the elevators was empty.
“Hello, boys,” Isabelle said with a smile as she stepped forward and planted a fist in the right one’s face. I shadowed her, distracting the second man as her opponent’s head snapped back. He shook off the hit and growled at Isabelle as the mutt facing me took a swing.
“Which one are you? The dreamer or the fighter?” the one fighting Isabelle asked.
She hit him again, the blow driving him back a step and spiking his anger. It distracted the one facing me. I ignored the opening.
“Which do you think I am?” Isabelle asked.
She ducked under his next swing and danced around him so he was further from the elevator. Away from the people she cared about. Understanding what she was doing, I copied her moves and led my opponent as well.
“Let the doors close,” I said to Grey when we’d gained some distance.
You need to hurry, Grey sent, removing his hold on the doors. The rest are coming down. Charlene said police are on their way.
As soon as they shut, I felt Isabelle push. The men fell to their knees, and I hit my opponent hard enough to knock him out, then turned and knocked Isabelle’s mutt out, too.
“We need to move. The rest are coming down. Charlene says police are coming.”
I pulled her toward the stairwell, and we raced down two flights of stairs.
On the main floor, we burst into the lobby and complete chaos. Visitors to the building stood in frozen panic as police poured in through the front doors. Gabby, Clay, and Grey had almost made it to the exit.
“No one leaves!” one of the uniformed men shouted.
The police were using their shields to push people back into the room. People began to panic and shove against the barriers, causing a ripple effect of jostling bodies.
Isabelle glanced at me, and I reached for her hand and pulled her close to my side as someone shoved past us. I watched Clay shelter Gabby from the chaos.
She’s almost here, Grey sent me.
Across the room, the elevator doors opened, and Charlene stepped out. All motion just stopped.
She walked forward, weaving her way between the bodies, with the rest of the group slowly following. I started leading Isabelle through the crowd as well.
“We are not the ones to fear,” Charlene said, her voice carrying the length of the room as we moved. “The ones you seek are on the third floor.”
She continued toward the door, joining Grey, Clay, and Gabby. A few of the people around us slowly started to move toward the exit, too. The police and security remained stationary.
As soon as we cleared the doors, everything inside went back to normal. We walked among the humans who’d left with us. As we walked, Isabelle continued to pull and push. It was starting to affect a few humans around us, but most stood in stunned silence as they stared down at their phones or other devices. Disbelief coated the air.
“They will discredit what they saw,” Isabelle said softly to Winifred, who walked near us. I didn’t think the quiet conversation was necessary. No one seemed to notice Winifred walking around in a robe.
“They might have. But they now have two Urbat,” Charlene said.
Isabelle’s worry touched my mind as she shivered. We all knew what the humans were likely to do to those two Urbat.