Moonlight Secrets (#2 Penderry's Bizarre)

Chapter Twenty Six

Still crouched behind the ammo trunk, Jim aimed his rifle and fired into the smoke, hitting a spectral shape. A werewolf yelped and spun off balance before hitting the ground.

From out of the fog, a warning shout sounded.

"Ammunition is low. Make every shot count!"

But it wasn't long before each packet of silver shot, and every grain of powder, was spent. Gunfire ceased completely, and a dense silence settled over the village. Amidst the smoke and carnage, a lone werewolf - the maharaja - paced the marketplace. Nobody dared to move.

Beside Jim, Bunny drew an unsteady breath. "What do we do now?"

Jim shook his head. "There's only a handful of us. If anyone tries to get close, they'll be torn to shreds."

The maharaja's guttural howl filled the air. "Give me Anju!"

The smoke cleared and Bunny saw the werewolf's injuries. Bullet wounds marred his body, and blood matted his thick mane. He limped, yet he appeared far from finished. His powerful muscles clenched and rippled as he continued to prowl in a wide circle.

Two figures rushed into the marketplace - Anju and a young Indian man. They staggered to a halt, yards from the maharaja. Clad only in loose churidars, the prince was barely recognisable, until he shouted in anger.

"Papaji!"

His father swung his attention to Sujit, their gazes locking. The prince's echo faded, and shallow panting filled the quiet. Eyes bright with caution, he approached his father, one slow step at a time. He wove around the bodies of his fallen pack while Anju watched, clutching a sack to her chest.

"It's over, Papa," he said. "Everyone knows the truth. The British, the people of Shamki and Delhi. They know everything. Please stop all this and surrender. I won't let you hurt anyone else, not anymore."

The maharaja's eyes ignited. "Are you challenging me?"

"I don't want to fight you."

"Then how will you make me surrender?" He gave a harsh laugh, his bulk expanding and contracting with each laboured breath. "Gupta was right about you. He said you'd conspire against me eventually, but I didn't think you'd have the nerve." He pointed a curved claw at his son. "I'll have your head for this. I'll stuff you myself and put you on display!"

"Things don't have to be like this. Why can't you see? We don't have to be monsters. Anju showed me that."

"You're wrong, child." The maharaja skulked towards him. His eyes burned red, and he bared his sharp teeth in an ugly smile. "That's exactly what we are. It's what we've always been. Now, tell me, will you surrender to these people and let them take you prisoner, to torture you, probably kill you? Or will you stand by my side and fight for your survival, for your family's honour?"

Sujit peered wide-eyed at his father's towering figure and retreated a step. With a backward glance at Anju, he met her desperate gaze and swallowed.

"Time to decide which side you're on, son," said the maharaja.

Clouds amassed above, darkening the sky, and Sujit surveyed the shadowy bodies littering the village.

He looked at his father. "Where is the honour in this?"

With a rupture of stretching bones and an anguished cry, the prince shifted form. He met his father's lunge mid-air, colliding in a tangle of teeth and claws before they hit the ground. Plumes of dust billowed around them, and wisps of fur drifted into the air. Beneath their tumbling bodies, dark streaks smeared the ground.