Survivor

Chapter 12

Nikita's skull pulsed painfully in time with her heartbeat as she opened her eyes.

Despite her enhanced healing powers, she could feel a swelling at the back of her head as she gently felt it. Whoever knocked her out was damn strong, being able to throw her like a rag doll. She was almost certain it must have been the other shapeshifter living there. Slowly she sat up and looked around. Apparently, she was in some kind of cellar. The room was divided in the middle by bars, the cellar door was on the opposite wall.

She was locked up. Again. Nikita couldn't help but chuckle humorless, shaking her head but wincing at the dull pain that shoot through her head. She got up from the floor and walked over to the metal door. She pulled on it experimentally, but of course it was locked. With a sigh, sat back on the straw scattered in one corner. It smelled like shapeshifter, but the scent was old, like no one had been in this makeshift cage for some time.

Picking the straw apart she suddenly heard muffled voices and looked up at the cellar door. A young man pushed it open with his shoulder while arguing with the black-haired man who stepped over the threshold behind him.

"Torin, the only necessary thing for us to know is about the collar. The fighting doesn't matter."

The other man, Torin, shook his head, the movement enhancing his three-day stubble. Both had apparently not yet noticed that Nikita was awake, as they hadn't even glanced in her direction. She had no interest in giving herself away and found it quite amusing that the two just kept talking.

"I know privacy is really important to you, but she tried-"

The white-haired man crossed his arms in front of his chest, sighing.

"Can you at least not ask her all the details? It's way more important who sent her to attack Benji."

"Aaron.", Torin sighed. "Okay, I won't dig too deep, but I need to know if she is dangerous for you-"

"Oh shit, you're awake. Hi!"

Nikita felt a small smile twist her lips as she listened to the conversation. It only widened when the young man noticed her. Despite the situation she was in, the whole thing was kinda funny. She raised a hand and waved.

"Brilliant observation."

While the white-haired man, Aaron, grinned at her, Torin drew his brows together, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"What's your name?"

She stopped smiling and stood up. Smoothing the straw off her pants, she leaned her back against the wall, hands in her pockets.

"Nikita."

She looked at Aaron. His almost snow-white hair framed his face and accentuated his blue eyes even more. He built was slimmer than Torins, more like a climber instead of a bodybuilder. Torin put his hands in his pockets, eyeing her up. His shirt stretched over his chest and biceps, but he also looked like he didn't say no to cake every now and then. A little belly sat over his pants and somehow emphasized his wide shoulders.

"Are you one of the cage fighters from the darknet?"

The unexpected question made Nikita raise an eyebrow. Tilting her head she paused.

"How do you know about the fights?"

Torin shrugged his shoulders.

"Benji has a knack for the Internet. So, are you one of them?"

Nikita just watched him for a moment, before nodding slowly. Torin cursed, causing Aaron to ram his elbow into his side.

"What he actually wants to know is, if you have yourself under control and why you wanted to strangle our friend to death."

This made Nikita sigh before pushing herself off the wall.

"I can control myself. Miller was a job, nothing personal. With this electric collar," she pointed at it, "Sam can control me. You are both shapeshifters so you know about the thing with electricity. I don't know why Sam wants him dead though."

Torin nodded when she finished, a serious look on her face.

"Benji was right, you're a hunter. But I still want proof that you have control. I want you to shift."

"What is a hunter?"

Confused, Torin and Aaron looked at the brown-haired woman with the golden eyes.

"A hunter is a shapeshifter who is used as a weapon against their will. Those who control the hunters mostly work with electricity because it is the simplest and most effective method. Did you never hear of the term before?"

Nikita shook her head, looking down thoughtfully. Torin regained her attention as he continued to speak.

"I want you to shift. If you actually have yourself under control, even as a jaguar, I'll let you out of the cage."

He pulled a bunch of keys out of his pocket before nodding at her. Knowing she had no other choice, like always, she sighed, but closed her eyes. Concentrating she shifted within a few seconds. The sound of ripping fabric made her grimace internally. She hadn't thought of them, not being used to wearing clothes anymore.

Aaron stared at her open-mouthed, while Torin observed here, an impressed expression on his face.

"Holy Shit, did you see that? That was the quickest shift I've ever seen!"

Torin ignored Aaron's enthusiasm and looked at the jaguar who had sat down and watching the two.

"You'll get new clothes in a moment. Can you shift back? It's always harder from jaguar to human."

He hadn't finished speaking when Nikita was kneeling on the floor again as a human.

"Damn, that's so crazy! Did you learn that somewhere or have you always been so fast?"

Aaron's excitement was amusing, and Nikita could feel the corners of her mouth twisting into a smile. She lifted her head and pulled the pants up that Torin had thrown towards her along with a top.

"I would say it's a mixture of talent and practice."

The white-haired man rolled his eyes at her answer. But his expression quickly turned into a horrified one as Nikita straightened up to put the top on. Torin sucked in a sharp breath as the two looked at the woman's naked torso. It was absolutely covered in scars. Some looked fresher, others had already faded. Some looked as if they were caused by canines, but most were clearly from razor-sharp claws. It looked brutal. Her body was marked forever. The scars would always remain visible on her skin. Aaron slapped his hand over his mouth as he looked from her torso to her face.

"How the hell did you survive all those years?"

Nikita grinned as she put on the top, shrugging her shoulders.

"I fought. And I haven't lost once."