Gone (Book Two of the Dark Lycans Series)
Chaptered Eighteen: The Tiger

"Abelardus subsido!" The beast immediately crouched down at her voice. I was at the entrance of the room with a scared and confused Blake beside me.

"What the hell is that?" He growled lowly. I waved him away and watched as Shade climbed onto the tiger's back.

"Ad Madox scriptor locus," Shade commanded, giving me a grin. I returned it and crouched down slightly. Abelardus leaped forward with a roar and started to run out the tunnel.

I grabbed Shade's outstretched arm as she passed, and swung up onto the tiger. My arms wrapped around Shade's waist and we laughed as Blake started shouting profanities at us.

Abelardus was similar to my lion, but had teeth like a saber tooth tiger. He was a little longer, but not as tall. I loved Madox more, but probably only because he was my own.

"How did I ever forget this?" I heard Shade ask with a laugh as we took a sharp corner. I shook my head with a shrug and agreed.

"See? Its much better when you are on your own, always was," I said. She nodded, and we slid to a stop inside Madox's room. I jumped off the tiger and smiled at seeing the familiar, golden yellow eyes.

"Ite extra," I commanded him. He let out a growl and began running. I swing up onto his back as he passed and heard Shade tell Abelardus the same.

She raced behind me and we ran through the tunnels, a familiar joy filling our bodies. I whooped as we tumbled out of the cave, and into the green trees.

It was beautiful outside and I sucked in a breath of fresh air.

"We should race!!" I heard Shade laugh. I grinned with a chuckle, and suddenly heard a scream come from the cave.

"We forgot about Blake," I cringed. Shade was trying to hold in her laughter when suddenly we heard a loud roar followed by another scream.

"Oh shit! I don't remember the other animals. We have to both go and find out whose it is," I said quickly. She nodded in understanding.

"Madox, invenire Blake!" I yelled to my lion. He shook his head before running back into the cave. Shade followed close behind as we went through a new set of tunnels.

He sniffed the air as he ran, following Blake's scent until we heard the screaming again. I muttered a string of curse words, worried that this creature would kill Blake.

An angry barking growl sounded through the cave. Several chirping noises followed, and I closed my eyes taking in a deep breath.

"Its a cheetah," I announced. Shade gasped in realization.

"He might already be dead," she said, giving voice to my fear. The growls were right next to us and I felt Madox start to stop. I slid off Madox and ran down the rest of the tunnel.

Blake was backed away in a corner, a giant cheetah stalking towards him. The cheetah had several black stripes running down it's back, ending in a fluffy tail.

Its tail was lashing, and teeth bared in a snarl. I heard Blake let out a low growl and his claws slid out. Shade was instantly beside me and we held out our hands.

"Wait, Blake-No!" We screamed as his claws slashed the throat of the cheetah. It let out a strangled growl, and blood soaked its beautiful fur.

I gasped and clutched my own throat as pain ripped through my neck. I felt as if I had been scratched, and I saw Shade panic.

She screamed for Blake to stop, and when he backed away, the cheetah fell to the ground.

White spots flooded my vision, and I swayed. My body hit the stone floor hard, and everything went black.

*************

"Can we see them yet?" I giggled jumping up and down. My mother laughed and patted my hand, that rested on her arm.

"Yes you can see them now," she smiled. I squealed and grabbed Shade's arm. Her eyes were glowing with happiness as we ran to the glass.

My mother nodded to Lily, who began hitting buttons in the computer. Shade and I waited as the gates slowly began to open, and the animals stalked into the arena.

They were very big, and some were scary. Abelardus was the scariest, with teeth four inches long, and red eyes. He was Shade's though, so I didn't worry about him.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw my black maned lion, Madox. He was one of my favorites because of hisassive size, and his loud, scary roar.

"When will we get to play with them?" Shade asked in an animated voice.

"Soon, but we have to talk to you about them first." I nodded intently, eager for her to continue.

"We made them so you are bonded with your animal, they will be completely and only loyal to you. Also, they are connected to you," she told us. Shade rolled her eyes.

"You already told us this," she sighed. My mother smiled.

"Well, I need you to understand that if your animal gets hurt, you will feel it. And if they die, it will feel almost like if your mate had died," she announces. Shade and I gasped in shock.

"No!" I said with wide eyes. Even as little as we were, we knew how much it hurt to lose your mate.

"Yes, that's why you have to take care of them, and they will take care of you in return," she said firmly. We nodded vigorously, making her smile.

"Okay, so you already know Madox and Abelardus, but the other ones are new," Lily said.

"So the cheetah is called a king cheetah, it has those special stripes. Her name is Zelda, she is extremely fast, agile, and strong, but not as strong as Madox or Abelardus." She said pointing to the animal through the glass.

"Whose is she?" Shade asked.

"Raven's, but that one is yours....."

**************

My eyes jerked open and I gasped for air. I was laying on my side in the stone floor, something warm on my back.

When I tried to sit up, pain shot through my neck, so I fell back down with a groan. My head landed on something soft, and I jerked back up in surprise.

I turned my head to see black and gold fur. A smile spread across my face, but it quickly faded when I remembered what Blake did.

"Zelda?" I called. I bit back the pain and sat up. She didn't even stir, I barely saw her breathe, and I felt my heart drop.

I looked around but no one was there, even Madox was gone. Turning back to Zelda, I saw that her neck was bleeding horribly.

I took a deep breath and pressed my hands to the scratches. Blood quickly covered my fingers and I began to panic as her heart beat slowed.

"No, no! Zelda you have to be okay!" I cried, tears beginning to fall down my cheeks. I heard footsteps far off but didn't pay attention to it.

I felt a sharp pain in my chest and slumped on top of the cheetah. My head rested on her chest, my body curled up underneath me.

"Please be okay Zelda," I whimpered as another pain hit my chest. My eyes fluttered open and closed and my breathing became shallow.

Everything was blurry, even my mothers figure as she ran into the room. I thought I heard her calling my name, but another pain hit my chest, and I fell unconscious with only one thing on my mind.

Zelda.

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