Sondrae Bennett - Worth Fighting For

“You stupid bitch!” Someone screamed in her ear right before a hand reached out and yanked on her hair. Pain burst across her skull as another hand wrenched her hair from the other side.

Another flash of pain.

Then she was pulled from all sides. Hands tore at her clothes, at her hair, scratching her without thought.

Misty called for help, but the crowd drowned out her words. With a sob, she begged those around her. They either didn’t hear her or didn’t care.

She turned to try another direction when a hand flew out of the crowd and pushed her. Hard. She stumbled, falling into a body in front of her. The woman she’d fallen into slapped her face with enough force to turn her head. Breath whooshed out of her lungs and her hand flew up to cup the offended flesh. Her cheek tingled with a mix of pain and numbness.

With a fresh sense of desperation, Misty frantically sought an exit. Some way to extricate herself from the situation. She had to get out of there. Now. But the bodies closed in around her until she barely had room to breathe.

Hands pushed her from all directions now. Claws scraped down her arm, causing her to yelp in pain. In a flash of panic, she wondered how far they would go. All it would take would be one person. One person with a knife. She’d bleed out on the street surrounded by people who hated her. Never again would Cody hold her in his arms. She’d never hear him tell her he loved her. If only she’d let him say it last night. At least she’d have that to hold on to.

Thoughts of Cody steadied her, even as the crowd seemed to grow wilder. It seemed the less she fought, the angrier they became. No. It couldn’t end like this. She had to find a way out. What had Cody taught her? When something goes wrong, she should breathe and keep a cool head.

Her lungs were tight with panic as she drew in the first breath. The air pushed painfully against the tight muscles. She forced herself to draw in another, deeper this time, and felt a sense of calm fill her, even as her head smarted from continued hair pulling.

Your job is not to win, it’s to get away. Use whatever means necessary to get your attacker on the ground and remember the pressure points … Cody’s lessons came back to her. Get away. That was her purpose. By whatever means necessary.

A hand punched her back hard enough to bring a fresh wave of tears. No doubt she’d have bruises tomorrow. But it did make up her mind. If she would be hurt either way, there was no reason not to fight her way out.

With that resolve in mind, Misty punched the man in front of her in the throat. His eyes bugged out as he clutched it. She squeezed past him as new rage boiled in the crowd around her.

The next man, she thrust her hand up against his nose. Blood flew out, some landing on her shirt, but she didn’t stop to think about it.

Arms circled her from behind, forcing the air from her lungs as they tightened. On instinct, Misty squatted, breaking the hold. Without stopping to think, she turned and punched the man in the balls.

More hands reached for her. Clawed her. Nails dug into her skin, but Misty blocked out the pain. Using every ounce of training, she made her way to the edge of the crowd. The people behind her moved, blocking her from her car.

No time to worry about that. Now that she’d fought back, the crowd was becoming more violent. The only option left was to run, and hope they didn’t follow.

Stripping as she went, Misty threw herself into her change. As the shift swept over her, she pushed her body past endurance, rushing her fox to the surface. The pain blinded her, but she stumbled to her feet and took off for the woods. The need to get far away overrode everything else.

The crowd pursued her as far as the woods before breaking apart. But Misty never slowed down. Adrenaline flowed thick in her veins, allowed her to push her body harder. Faster.

She must have run for over an hour in blind panic before her lungs forced her to stop. Once she did, she collapsed on the forest floor. Her lungs wheezed as she struggled to pull air in. A quick inventory of her body showed pain originating from her abused scalp, her cheek, her arm, and her left front paw.

Raising her head, Misty looked around and sniffed the air. She didn’t recognize any landmarks, but detected the scent of Alpine Woods, Jason’s wolf pack. At least she was among friends.

Her legs wobbled as she stood. She wouldn’t make it much farther, but if she could make it to town, she’d be safe. Was probably safe now that she’d crossed their pack boundaries. But she couldn’t rely on the crowd staying off pack territory. The attackers had smelled like shifters, but not any she recognized. And she’d been outright panicked–she couldn’t trust her nose at the time.

As her sense of relief, of safety, grew, her steadiness shrunk. Her paws carried her in an uneven line as she continued to struggle for breath. Her chest felt like it would explode, or implode. But determination pushed her onward. Once she got to town, she’d get an inhaler and go home.

A sob of relief escaped as she caught sight of the bookstore, Books and Crannies. Help would be there. Putting on a burst of speed, Misty ran around the building until she reached the front door.

Of course it would have to be a push door and not automatic. But before she shifted, Laurie, Jason’s sister and owner of the store, opened the door for her.

“You lost?” she asked, staring at Misty with humor lighting her eyes. The humor vanished as Misty limped past her before collapsing with a drawn-out whine. The change swept over her until she lay wheezing on the floor in human form, no doubt bleeding on the entrance rug.

“Julie, Samantha, I need some help over here!” Laurie shouted.

The two women rushed over. With their help, and a throw blanket they thankfully had on hand, Misty was seated in a comfortable leather chair. Julie sat beside her, a first aid kit in hand, patching up the scratches on her arm.

They were talking to her, but Misty was past hearing. Everything passed by in a daze until the sharp sting of antiseptic touched her exposed wound. Her breath hissed in, resulting in a coughing spat as her lungs protested.

Laughter came next, tinged with hysteria. What a fucking mess. Her cheek felt hot and swollen, her muscles protested every move she made, and she’d no doubt be covered in bruises tomorrow. To top it off, she was having an asthma attack. Because why not.

“Here drink this. It will help with the wheezing and the nerves.” Samantha pushed a cup of something into her hand. Steam floated up and the scent of chamomile drifted out.

“Thanks,” she croaked, grateful for the tea and the kindness. She hadn’t been the nicest to Samantha in her thoughts. Now she regretted every bad thought.

Across the room, Laurie stood at the counter with the phone to her ear.

Although she didn’t hear the conversation, she had no doubt Laurie would call Cody. The relief at that nearly drowned her. Cody would come for her, and when he arrived, everything would be okay.

He barely remembered to put the car in park and turn off the engine before throwing himself out of the car. From the moment he’d gotten the call from Laurie, his brain had stopped functioning. The need to see Misty, hold her, overrode everything. He now understood exactly how Jason had felt months ago when he’d come to pick up Samantha from his house.

Slamming the front door of the bookstore, he swept his gaze around the room until he spotted her. In an instant, he crossed the room, crouching down to stare up at her.

He noted her ragged breathing as he dug in his pocket for her inhaler. When Laurie had called him, she’d mentioned the excitement had pushed Misty into an attack. It had taken him an extra ten minutes to run home and grab her inhaler. Ten minutes of him grinding his teeth. But now that he was here and able to offer her relief, he was glad he’d taken the time.