Daila laid on the ground, unmoving. The fox woman sat above her, holding the blade at her throat, its edge pushing into skin but not drawing blood. Towering behind her was the giant silver pillar the boss made, explosions of both green and white flickering all around it.

  I knew in my brain that Daila wasn’t dead, but that’s not what Ursa form saw. He saw a friend lying on the ground, in a pool of her own blood. And the enemy that did this to her.

  Sanguine waves grew around the edge of my vision. The rage I’d only recently learned to control welled up inside; no amount of force or willpower would stop it. And truthfully, I didn’t want to. I really, really, wanted to hurt her. Damn near every bone in my body wanted to launch at the fox, but I wanted Daila to live more.

  And the woman saw that.

  Her cloak no longer shrouded her face, torn and burnt by Daila’s knives and concoctions, revealing a bright orange pixie cut hairstyle. She had a few wounds of her own as well, blood seeped from a gash above her right eye, forcing it to stay shut. Her entire cloak was riddled with burn holes of varying sizes and colors. She was hiding her other hand behind her, making me think it may be injured. At least it looked like Daila took a pound of flesh.

  But the leader’s remaining eye smoldered with emotion. I wasn’t sure what emotion, though. She was neither angry nor triumphant.

  Before I could figure it out, her single open eye moved down to my hands. I looked down as well, shocked to find that massive arcs of electricity jumped across each claw.

  “Ma’am, let me put him to sleep. Then—”

  I twisted over to the massive red-haired woman, swinging my claws out. The arcs on my hands shot out towards her, climbing up her arm. But she endured it, not taking her eyes off of her mistress for a second.

  The fox woman slowly shook her head. “No, Glenna. He will come. Liam. I promise you, Daila is only passed out. She isn’t dead.”

  My head twitched as the anger burned inside, but I looked down at the mouse woman. Her chest rose and fell. Softly, even peacefully.

  “Okay, Liam, all I need you to do now is revert from that form. I will remove the blade once you do. Then we can speak on equal terms.”

  My eyes darted back and forth between the Daila and the fox-tailed woman. How do I know she’ll stay true to her word? But she will kill Daila. Right? This isn’t some bluff. Argh! But she hurt Daila! Thoughts of anger and uneasiness collided in my head. Ursa really wasn’t the form to be in for this type of turmoil.

  But before I could make a decision, the crow man that stood next to her in the beginning walked over to her side, one hand down his trousers, the other holding a rope that dragged along the ground. A good amount of bruises and bruises adorned his bare chest, while more than a few of his dark feathers were signed. He panted when he stopped.

  “That, huff, was not, whew, fun, my lady.” He said in between tired breaths.

  “I know. But did you…”

  “Of course. Have I, puff damn it, ever let you down? Now come on, you two.” He pulled the rope harder. I followed it down, my heart dropping into my stomach once I saw what was at the end of it.

  “Tawny! Hait!” My fury reignited upon seeing the two tied up together. Both of their mouths were filled with feathers and eyes wide with panic. My vision went completely red. But then, right before I delved further into that crimson abyss, I heard a small, mousey cough.

  And in that split second of clarity, I shifted into base form. My armor loosened as I shrunk back down. My knees hit the dirt. The anger still simmered in my chest, but it was directed at myself for getting them all wrapped up in my bullshit. Even if I didn’t understand what it actually was.

  Once it finished, I turned to the fox woman. “There, happy now.”

  The leader grinned, and promptly removed the blade from Daila’s throat. “Yes, and please call me Lisse.”

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  The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it.

  Her red-haired hulk snorted. “No ma’am. You must be addressed as Chief, especially by this city folk.”

  “Glenna, we have been over this. He isn’t city folk. He’s as Feral as they come, just like us. Isn’t that right, Liam?” Lisse’s voice grew friendlier by the second as she addressed me. She wore a warm smile as the crow man wiped the blood from her brow with one of his feathers.

  “We must leave now. Glenna round up…”

  Lisse barked orders to the soldiers surrounding her, but the words were deaf in my ears. I looked around the area. The entire squad of soldiers I marched with had been wiped out. Some still breathed, tied up like the twins, yet others didn’t. At least there was some solace to be had; I wasn’t the only one who lost. We were all utterly defeated. I closed my eyes.

  I shivered. The hairs along my entire body stood straight up. This feeling again. I looked up behind Lisse, past her, up at the giant silver tower. A shining red light blinked back at me. The boss’s challenge.

  Mimic the boss.

  “Wait!” I yelled at the busying group of ferals. They each turned over to me. Lisse spoke up first. “Liam. We—”

  “No! Before we go anywhere, I have two conditions for my surrender. If you meet them, I will go with you willingly. No fuss, no fight. Hell, I’ll go with a smile on my face and skip in my step.” I said with a cheery tone. “But they must be met,” I said, returning to my serious tone. “If not, then I will be the largest pain in the ass you all have ever met. I kick, scream, and bite at every single one of you for the rest of my days. I will try to escape every chance I get. And I will never cease trying. I will attack every single guard you put to watch me. And you will have to tie me down and water board me every single day to get me to cooperate.”

  The whole crowd was stunned by my outburst as they looked among themselves. I knew I probably sounded like a petulant child throwing a tantrum, but I had to try.

  The crow man was the first to respond, walking up to me. He stood nearly a foot taller than me. His face twisted as he leaned over, getting right in my face. “Do you really think you have leverage here?” He tugged on the rope holding the twins, trying to prove his point.

  I held his gaze for a moment before turning to the twins. Worry rimmed their eyes. I said no words and gave them a pointed nod. They looked at each other and then back at me, returning the nod.

  Before the crow attempted to intimidate me further, Lisse stepped between us.

  “Let us hear him out first. Please, Liam, we mustn’t linger here long. I want you to join us freely. If I can meet these conditions, then I will. So tell me. What do you want?”

  I cleared my throat. “First off. I want you to make sure Daila, and those twins get back to the command tents as soon as possible. You will heal any injuries you have caused them and ensure their safe return. That goes along with all the soldiers in this squad, as well as any stragglers your people may find.”

  Lisse nodded, turning back to the crow man. “Handle it.”

  “But chief…”

  “Handle. It.”

  He sighed. “Always the fun work. Alright, runts. Lesgo.” He pulled the rope again.

  Lisse smacked the back of his head. “Untie them first. And get the feathers out of his mouth.”

  He grumbled under his breath but followed her orders.

  “Liam, don’t do this.” Tawny said as soon as her mouth was free.

  “The city will brand you a traitor. If you even come near Laurel, you will be killed on sight.”

  I shook my head, a sardonic smile grew on my lips. “Is that all?”

  “Liam, now isn’t the time for jokes.” Hait said as his feathery gag was undone. “You will never be welcome back home.”

  I shook my head again, finally saying what I thought. “Thanks guys. But let’s be real, it was never really my home.” Tawny tried to protest further, but Hait stopped her, giving me a nod. She relented, copying her brother's gesture.

  Oddly enough, Lisse chuckled at my words, as if agreeing with them.

  The crow man pushed them along with the aid of some other ferals. The group picked up the other survivors as well as Daila and followed after. I called out to the twins before they got too far away, remembering something vital. “One thing before you go. Make sure you tell Mrs. Warbler, 'Thank you!’ for me. She was the best person I met in that whole damned city.”

  “AYE AYE SIR!” They replied in tandem, giving me the Laurelhaven shoulder salute.

  Lisse smiled at them. “They are wonderful." Her words sounded full of nurturing as she looked at the twins. She sighed, turning back to me. "But now on to your second condition.”

  I sighed. “This is the tough one.” My eyes wandered back over to the silver tower.

  “I need you to escort me to the boss.”