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  ROAR

  Rage. Oath. Animalistic. Reign.

  An Urban Shapeshifter Novel

  By Natavia

  Copyright © 2018 by Natavia. Published by SOUL Publications. All rights

  reserved www.nataviapresents.com This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales or, is entirely coincidental. No portion of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without writer permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Sy’noba

  T he branches underneath my paws snapped in half as I stalked my prey.

  The meaty cow looked around with grass falling from its mouth. It could sense my presence but it couldn’t see me because I was crouched down behind the fence, blending in with the trees. I didn’t want to scare the other cows and alert the humans, so I quietly climbed over the fence while the oversized meal continued to eat.

  1… 2… 3…

  My animal charged into the cow, my butcher-knife-sized teeth piercing into its neck, instantly cutting it in half. Golden-hazel eyes stared at me in the darkness of the woods.

  Come! I thought.

  Two female lions ran out of the woods to help me drag the large animal back to our king. We lived deep in the woods inside of an old mansion. A human would die in the woods from starvation before reaching our home, that’s how far it was from civilization.

  Damn, Sy’noba! Why did you have to get the biggest fuckin’ cow! I just gave birth a few days ago! Toyi fussed.

  We have to hurry up before King Koja has a fit! my sister, Asha, said.

  It took an hour to carry the animal through the woods to our home. When we arrived, the pride was sitting in front of the house, waiting to be fed. Koja, the biggest lion in the pride, sat in the middle with his two brothers sitting next to him. The white tribal markings imbedded into our skin glowed in the night, making our silhouette blend into the darkness. Our pride was small, with only twelve members. A few of us were killed in Africa many years ago for clothing, shoes, and many other things. I don’t remember much of Africa, I was a baby when we came to the United States. My parents were killed, so my sister, Asha, raised me as her own. I didn’t know much about my past other than humans being dangerous to our kind.

  Koja was the first to eat, then his brothers. They barely left anything for us. A few female lionesses fought over the cow’s tongue as I sat and watched. I knew I had to hunt again, but would have to do it alone. I shifted into my human form before I walked into the house. My silk robe hung by the door and I hurriedly grabbed it before Koja saw me naked.

  “What’s the rush, Sy’noba? Come here and let me see you,” Koja said from the top of the stairs.

  “I have to go to bed. I work in the morning,” I replied without looking at him. Koja leapt from the top of the stairs and landed in front of me. His eyes glowed and a purr mixed with a growl slipped from his lips. He trapped me against the wall and wrapped his hand around my neck. His long, sharp black nails pricked my skin. Koja was dark as chocolate with hazel-green eyes. He stood at six-foot-five and was all muscle. His teeth sharpened as he stared at me.

  “Soon, we will mate. You’ll be my third wife, so I suggest you fall in line before I kick you out of this pride. You must obey the rules in my house, Sy’noba. Don’t make me kill you because I will,” he gritted. I pulled away from him and he lifted my chin up so I could look him in the eyes.

  “You’re so beautiful. I can’t wait ‘til our ceremony,” he replied. Asha walked into the house naked with blood dripping down her chest. A hint of jealously filled her eyes when she saw Koja lusting after me. Asha was his first wife; they had two three cubs together. Toyi was his second wife and she recently gave Koja two cubs. The king picked the strongest female hunters out of the pride to mate with and I was one of them.

  “Go upstairs, Asha. You have no business watching me,” Koja scolded.

  “Sy’noba is still young! What do you want with her?” Asha asked. Koja roared at her and the curtains in front of the window blew. His handsome face was in a scowl and Asha backed off.

  “I’ll be upstairs,” Asha said before she ran off. Toyi came into the house and kissed Koja’s cheek. She was obedient. Koja never yelled at her and she spent most of her nights in his bedroom.

  “Lighten up, Noba, Koja will show you the ways of womanhood. You should be happy to get picked by the king. Soon, you won’t have to work or sleep in the basement with the other females,” Toyi said. Koja slapped her on her round plump ass when she walked away.

  “Get some rest,” Koja said to me before he walked away. His brothers came into the house and the sight of them disgusted me. Lupe was taking advantage of the females in the pride. He didn’t mate with any of them, he only picked whichever one he wanted for the night. Jinsi disgusted me because he didn’t take up for me when his brother announced that I would be his next wife. I thought we were going to run away and live in society like humans but Jinsi betrayed me. Jinsi looked a lot like Koja, only a shade lighter. Lupe was shorter than them, standing at six-foot-three. He also had a long scar on his cheek because I attacked him a few years ago. He tried to sneak into my bed one night and Jinsi almost killed him. My feelings for Jinsi grew afterwards but I realized he didn’t feel the same way about me.

  “Bitch,” Lupe mumbled under his breath, and Jinsi slapped him on the back of his head.

  “Watch it, muthafucka,” Jinsi scolded. Lupe scoffed at Jinsi before heading upstairs to his room.

  “Are you okay?” Jinsi asked. He reached out to me but I pushed him away.

  “Don’t touch me,” I replied and he backed away from me with saddened eyes.

  “Koja is the king of this pride. As his little brother, I must obey his rules. I feel something for you but you will soon belong to him. It’s our tradition,” he said.

  “I’m not like Toyi or Asha. I feel nothing for him! I don’t want him to enter my body. I don’t even want him to look at me the way he does. That’s just how I feel, our tradition isn’t good enough for me. I hunt for all of you. I work sixteen hours a day to take care of this pride, so I should be able to have a voice. We are not in Africa anymore! I don’t remember the savanna, so I will not live as if I do,” I spat.

  “I don’t give a shit what you remember. Just know that this is our tradition and has been for hundreds of years. Those humans you work with live different lives than us. Maybe you should stop fantasizing like you’re a human,” he said.

  “Goodnight, Jinsi,” I said.

  Moments later, I was entering the basement where my bedroom was. I shared a room with a few other females but we didn’t talk much. I sensed it was because Koja picked me. When I walked into the room, Riya and Elsey stopped talking. They laid down on their beds with their backs turned toward me. I grabbed my things and headed back out to shower. Tears fell from my eyes when I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My wild mane was the color of sandalwood and it came down to my hips. My skin was the color of red oat grass which would’ve camouflaged me in the open lands of the savanna. My eyes were hazel with a tint of gold in them. I had a beauty mark on my cheek—a mole shaped like a triangle. A few humans wanted me to be a model of some sort because of my rare beauty. My hair was mistaken as something the humans called a “wig.” So much rage filled my heart and I wanted to scream. I snatched the medicine cabinet out of the wall and hurled it across the bathroom. I could imagine how the lions in the zoo felt—trapped. I was mentally caged. When I stepped into the shower, I turned on the water. Blood from dinner mixed into the water and went down the drain as I washed my
hair.

  You’re gonna find a way out, I thought.

  Eze

  “G ood evening, Mr. Saber,” the doorman greeted as I walked into my father’s building. I slapped hands with him to give him dap but he wasn’t familiar with the handshake.

  “Loosen up, bruh. I know you’re not that old,” I said to Johnathan. He was an older black man, around forty-five years old.

  “I know all about it. Question is, what do you know, youngsta? Alexander wouldn’t be too fond of this professionalism, if you know what I mean,” he chuckled.

  “I know what you’re sayin’. Pops has been giving me hell since I was a little one. The man only knows work and nothing else, but I’ll holla at you later. I need to see what the old man wants from me,” I said. The receptionist blew me a kiss when I walked past her desk and onto the elevator.

  “Heyyyyyy, Eze,” she called out to me.

  “Good evening, beautiful,” I replied.

  All that chocolate should be a sin, umph and he’s tall with big feet, she thought as the elevator doors closed. I punched the button to the top floor where my father’s main office was located. When I stepped off the elevator, Janet, my father’s secretary, was leaving his office fixing her skirt.

  “Happy birthday, Eze. How old are you? Twenty-one?” Janet asked.

  “Twenty-three, and I feel old already,” I replied.

  “Oh hush, I have a daughter older than you,” she laughed.

  “Is he decent? I just want to know before I walk into his office,” I replied and her cheeks turned red.

  “Umm, yes. Go on back, we were just looking over a few files,” she lied. When I walked into my father’s office, he was fixing his suit jacket.

  “So, you’re fucking the secretary? Real professional of you,” I chuckled.

  “Sit down, son, we need to talk,” he said with seriousness in his voice. My father was usually in a happy mood, always smiling and joking. He had bags underneath his eyes and his forehead was wrinkled as if he was concentrating.

  “What’s up, Father?” I asked.

  “It’s your twenty-third birthday. According to our ancestor’s calendar, your birthday falls on the year of the king. You’ll be tested to see if you’re the chosen one. I didn’t want to tell you because I was hoping it skipped you, but this morning I had a vision. The ancestors want to test you tonight when the moon rises,” he said.

  I chuckled. “This has gotta be a birthday joke. I must say, it’s the best joke of all. A king? You’re the king of our tribe and you’re still young. I thought you had to die in order for me to take the throne. Shit ain’t adding up,” I said.

  “The company will be yours. I’m going back to my world tonight. This is hard for me, son. The vision from Fi just suddenly came to me while I was in the shower this morning. I’m not prepared for any of this,” he said.

  “I have to decline. I’m still young and I have my own business to run,” I replied, and his eyes glowed at me.

  “Selling exotic animals is illegal. The humans will send you to jail if they find out what you’re up to,” he said.

  “I rescue animals that are becoming extinct. The humans are going to their homes and killing them for sport. You should know what’s it like to have your kind become extinct, in case you’ve forgotten. Our kind vanished thousands of years ago,” I replied.

  “We were reborn,” he said.

  “That’s beside the point, Father! They were here before us; our original ancestors are dead,” I replied.

  “Fair enough, you win the argument, but Saber Hotels has been around for years. My father passed it down to me and I’m passing it down to you. This company is worth billions and I’m giving it to you. If you want to sell illegal animals on the side, go ahead. Just remember, this is your first priority,” he said.

  “You called me here just tell me that I’m going to be a king and the owner of your business at twenty-three years old?” I asked.

  “Twenty-three years old in our world is more than old enough. Listen, Eze, we can go back and forth all day, but you are a part of Camden. You don’t have a choice! The only way out is death, and even then, your soul will be reborn again. You have been raised amongst humans all your life, so I understand you want to have fun. Strip clubs, partying, smoking and all of that other shit you like doing isn’t who we really are. It’s time to be a part of your world—your real world,” he said.

  “This is bullshit!” I said, swiping everything off the desk.

  His eyes glowed as he snarled at me. “My presence on this world is done. The company, the mansion, the money, everything is yours now. It was predicted from Fi and you must follow the damn rules!” he said and slammed an old booklet down in front of me made out of animal skin.

  “Tonight, we will have a ritual for you up in the mountains. Our ancestors will join us to see your rebirth. It’s more to life than living like a human. You will age very slowly after tonight and will possess things that many would love to have. I have a meeting in a few minutes where I’ll be announcing to the staff that you will be their new boss. Here is your birthday gift,” he said. He slid an old gold box across his desk and I opened it. There was a necklace with a gold tooth-shaped pendent on it. It matched the one my father was wearing.

  “Put it on, son,” he said. I growled at him before I put the necklace on. The coldness of the gold warmed, and seconds later, it began burning my skin. My nails sharpened and my clothes were busting at the seams as I fought the urge to shift.

  “It’ll go away,” he said nonchalantly.

  “Goddamn it! What was that?” I asked, after the burning sensation went away.

  “You’ll see. Now leave my office and take the pamphlet with you. It’s written in a broken old language but you’ll soon understand,” he said. I opened his door and slammed it when I left his office. The door flew off the hinges and cracked the wall.

  That’s comin’ out of your money! his voice boomed inside my head.

  We’ll see, old man, I replied.

  I took the elevator down to the lobby and the receptionist hung up the phone when she saw me.

  “Excuse me, Eze. Can I talk to you for a minute?” Lakita asked. She was a beautiful woman with a phat ass but the scent of her perfume was like ammonia to my nose.

  “What’s up, beautiful?” I asked.

  “I was wondering if you we could go out to eat sometime,” she said.

  “My schedule is a little hectic now. In case you haven’t heard, I will be the owner of Saber,” I replied. Saber was one of the biggest luxury hotel chains across the world and now it was mine.

  “Yes, I heard, and I want to say congratulations,” she said. While she was talking, a young woman walked into the building with a bucket of cleaning supplies. She didn’t smile and her hair hid her face. I tried not to stare, but two things caught my interest: her scent and her voluptuous hips.

  “Oh, that’s Sy’noba. She’s a temp from the cleaning agency,” Lakita said, arms crossed. Sy’noba dropped her bucket when her eyes landed on me. I sniffed the air and caught a stronger whiff of her scent.

  Animal, I thought.

  The phone to the front desk rang and Lakita excused herself. I went over to Sy’noba to help her pick up the things she’d dropped.

  “I don’t need your help,” she said, slamming the cleaning supplies into the bucket. When she stood up, I was still crouching down, picking up her things. I looked up to hand her a sponge and her eyes were glowing at me. She was so beautiful. I’d seen many beautiful women but her beauty was rare. Her eyes mesmerized me and I could sense her feelings. She was trying to figure out my animal.

  What are you? she thought.

  What are you? I replied.

  Wait, he can read my thoughts? What in the hell is going on here? she thought.

  “My name is Eze.” I held my hand out to her. Her eyes glowed again and she snarled at me.

  “I have to get to work,” she replied, and hurriedly walked away.
/>   Her scent is intoxicating, I thought.

  I walked outside and Johnathan opened the door to my Bugatti.

  “Have a nice day, Sir,” he said.

  “Appreciate it and, uh, you will have a new uniform by the end of the week. I’m not feeling this old-fashioned shit. Matter of fact, plenty of changes will be made soon,” I said as I shook his hand.

  “Have a nice day,” he chuckled.

  Instead of pulling off after I started up the engine, I sat in my car in front of the building. There was something about Sy’noba; it was almost as if I smelled her scent before.

  Damn it! She seems so familiar, I thought. The doorman knocked on my window with concern etched on his face.

  “Is everything okay, Sir?” he asked.