Chapter 19

A week later

Arriving in LA, the shady man from the woods looked down at his phone. The airport he was standing in was the last known location of Markus and Monica before they fell off the radar.

"Hm." Pocketing his phone with a grunt, the man began to head for the exit of the airport.

In Club Yuno, Cal and Kimiko sat at the bar, talking and ordering drinks from Sasha. The club was closed, so no one was there except for the girls and Cal.

Seeing Jennifer walk in, Kimiko looked away, still refusing to speak or even look at her.

"Drink?" Sasha offered, pouring Jenn her usual.

"No." Jennifer turned it down, much to Sasha's surprise.

"No?" Sasha leaned forward, drinking Jenn's drink while she was at it. "You cutting back?"

There was a slight hesitation.

"Yeah." She replied. "I just..." She took a deep breath. "I think I need to stop drinking."

"Last night give you an epiphany or something?" Sasha teased.

"Yeah." Jenn answered seriously. "Well, somethin' like that."

Sasha stared at Jennifer.

"What?"

"Who the hell are you and where is Jennifer?" Sasha asked.

Jenn rolled her eyes as she took a seat at the bar.

"Don't act like it's not the first time I decided to take a break." Jennifer stated.

"True." Sasha shrugged.

Over with Cal and Kimiko, the two were talking about what to do for the day.

"Let's go to the beach." Kimiko suggested. "We haven't done that in a while, and I wanna show you my new swim suit." She whispered that last bit.

Cal contemplated the idea before smirking.

"Yeah. Sounds fun."

As for Lilly and Makio, they were already out and about shopping. Picking out a purple dress for Lilly, a pink dress for Makio, and matching heels for the two as well. They were getting ready for something fancy, you could tell.

As for the others, Lilly was picking outfits she knew would go great with everyone.

A dress for Sasha, Jennifer and Kimiko as well as a nice suit for Cal. And matching shoes.

A few hours later

Just outside the club, Cal and Kimiko got into their Uber and headed off for the beach. They each had a bag that held towels, sun screen and their bathing suits. Excited for their day, Kimiko held Cal's hand for the duration of the car ride.

However, just across the street was the man from the airport. Holding a picture of Cal, the man looked at it before watching the car drive off.

Tucking in his silver blade, the man approached Club Yuno.

Down at the beach, Cal and Kimiko set up their towels and things before heading for the changing stations.

Cal came out in a set of black trunks, and Kimiko emerged in a sea blue monokini.

Upon seeing her, Cal became slack jawed. Noticing his reaction, Kimiko smirked before seductively swaying her hips as she headed back to their towels.

Snapping back to reality, Cal jogged to catch up.

Once back at their towels, the couple began to apply sunscreen to themselves as well as help each other cover their backs. Once done, Kimiko got up and began walking off.

"Where ya going?" Cal asked.

"C'mon!" Kimiko shouted.

Not arguing, Cal got up to join Kimiko.

The two spent the day making memories. From swimming together, to relaxing on the beach, to walking together next to the shoreline.

Looking out to the ocean, Cal noticed just how late it had gotten. The sun painted the sky a gorgeous crimson.

Kimiko slid beside Cal, taking his right hand into hers.

"Thank you for today, Mark." Kimiko gazed up at his eyes. "I had a lot of fun."

"I'm glad." Cal smiled.

After spending a bit more time together, the two agreed it was getting late and began heading home.

Inside Club Yuno, Lilly, Sasha, Jenn and Makio were badly beaten and each tied to a chair with chains. The shady man was sitting in a booth, his face cut, and his body covered in gashes.

"Who the fuck are you?" Sasha growled.

The man looked at the Shapeshifter, his expression lifeless. Emotionless.

"I have no quarrel with you, girl." The man said in his Italian accent. "You could've walked away when I offered."

Sasha spit on the floor.

"I'm not a traitor or a coward."

"That's admirable." The man said. "What's your name?"

"Why?" Sasha growled.

"I'd like to remember you." The man said. His voice was soft and emotionless. "I value loyalty. Knowing someone has your back. Makes the world... less scary. I'll honor your choice."

"Sasha. Pearl." Sasha said after a few seconds.

"Well, Sasha, I'm going to be honest; you-"

Hearing the elevator ding, the man stood up, cocking his pistol as he rose.

"We're back!" Kimiko announced as she sprung out of the elevator, heading to the bar. "You won't believe what-" turning around at the bar, she stopped as she noticed a pistol aimed at her head. "What, uh-"

A gunshot rang out as Kimiko fell against the counter, bleeding heavily.

Cal, having lagged behind, quickly ducked behind a wall. Sitting against the bar, Kimiko ran a hand over her shoulder, blood pouring from the wound as it stung like lava.

She didn't scream as the pain didn't kick in instantly. However, the man didn't let Kimiko recover as he quickly approached with his gun aimed at her forehead.

Just as he tried to pull the trigger, Cal jumped out tackling the man and quickly pinning his hand down which held the gun. Slamming his wrist against the floor again and again, the man lost his hold on the weapon.

Punching Cal, the man managed to push him off. Getting up, the man reached for his gun only for Cal to grab his wrist and wrestle him to the wall.

Kneeing him in the gut, Cal pulled his arm back and managed to get a left hook in. Going for another, the man moved his head out of the way and countered with a punch of his own.

Grabbing hold of Cal's left arm, the man tried to strike only for Cal's skin to peel off, revealing pitch black fur.

The man dropped the flesh before seeing the feral and blood thirsty look in Cal's eyes. Grabbing the man by the throat, Cal slammed him against the wall twice before throwing him over the bar.

Countless bottles shattered to the floor as the man slowly recovered. While he did, Cal went through the remainder of his transformation.

Standing on all fours, Cal howled before he dove over the counter, standing directly over the man.

Biting, clawing and scratching, the man did his best to defend against the enraged wolf as he reached for his knife. Pulling it out, the man stabbed Cal in the side.

However, the sudden pain and heat only added fuel to the fire as Cal bit directly onto the man's throat. Continuously stabbing Cal, Cal bit down harder before flipping the man over the counter by his throat. Once he had, he got a better hold before slamming the man back into the alcohol shelves.

Once his body lay motionless on the floor, Cal ripped the man's throat out with his teeth.

Howling in triumph, Cal's howls slowly turned to whines of pain as he limped out from behind the counter.

"Mark!" Jenn shouted as she watched his wolf lay on his side, his breathing labored.

She had come to just moments before the battle ended.

Struggling against her binds, she saw Kimiko crawling over to her. Feeling something press against her chains, there was a loud bang before the fell to the ground, freeing Jenn.

Seeing a gun in Kimiko's hand, she realized she shot the lock.

"Help him..."

End of chapter 19