by Lynn Howard
They had Charlie. Her wind would be beneficial. But that was only if she was able to stay safe herself. Daxon would rather the Fairy use her magic to keep anyone from entering the cabin and going after Ryanne or Penny.
Wait…what the fuck did Clint mean this had something to do with Daxon?
He had been right. The mother fuckers were there for Ryanne.
Stalking in that direction, his feet silent on the drought-stricken ground, Daxon made his way to Clint.
Koda stopped him before he could get close enough to wrap a hand around Clint’s throat and throttle him to death.
The look in Koda’s eyes was as murderous as Daxon felt. Which meant…
“Jacob wants Ryanne. Hand her over…and we leave,” Clint said, that stupid smirk still in place.
“You mother fucker,” Daxon said, trying to move forward.
Koda and his Second, Auddie, tried to restrain him, but it would take more than two males to hold him back after that little fucking statement.
“She’s mated. You can’t have her. She’s marked,” Charlie called from where she stood.
Daxon wasn’t sure how she knew that. Neither she nor Campbell were Shifters; they wouldn’t smell the change in her blood. Maybe they’d spotted the mark. Or maybe their mates had told them when they were alone.
The news didn’t seem to affect Clint nor matter to him.
“Jacob wants her. She was picked specifically for him. You and your buddies prevented Jacob from having what he wants. You can keep the kid. He has no use for her.”
“You mean he wants to sell her,” a female from Morse said.
Auddie moved closer and stood between Daxon and Clint, using his body to keep Daxon from getting to Clint and starting a war.
And there would be a war if any of these sons of bitches even acted like they would go near Ryanne or Penny.
“Jacob has no intention of selling her. Don’t ask me what his fucking obsession is. She looks like any other female. Although, she does have some pretty nice tits and a nice round ass.”
Daxon couldn’t take any more.
With a roar of rage, he charged forward, only coming within inches of him before his panther burst from his skin and Clint’s crow carried him out of his reach.
“Fuck!” Koda bellowed.
The quiet night was filled with the sound of crows. So many fucking crows. The sound was deafening as they seemed to appear from nowhere.
Daxon had checked the trees before stepping outside and again when he was listening to Clint and Koda. He hadn’t seen or heard a damn thing.
But there were dozens of them. Far more than any of them realized.
Wolves appeared all around Daxon; a couple of panthers were on his right. But even with the entirety of Morse Pack and Ravenwood Pride, they were way outnumbered. All those bastards had to do was make sure enough of them were blinded and there would be no fight.
And then they could take off with his mate.
Trucks rumbled in the distance the same time the crows began their kamikaze dives. He prayed that was the sound of his friends coming to help.
He prayed they’d get there in time.
He prayed they would make sure Ryanne and Penny were safe when this was all over.
Because Daxon was pretty sure he wasn’t going to make it out of this alive.
Chapter Twelve
Ryanne trembled as she stood outside the closet where she had hidden Penny. Only the trembling wasn’t from her need to Shift.
Her freaking lynx was cowering in the deepest recesses of her mind. She had always been submissive, but Ryanne never would have thought her animal would hide when her mate was out there and possibly in trouble.
She could hear voices, caught a few words here and there, but they were all speaking so softly and were all the way at the end of the row of cabins.
What the hell was going on? Who was there and what did they want?
“I want Daxon,” Penny cried from within the closet.
It wasn’t the best hiding place, but this house wasn’t exactly big. And no one had shown her a panic room of any form, so this was the best Ryanne could do for now.
And she prayed no one got past Daxon or the rest of the Pride because her damn animal was no help.
Even as terrified as she was, she realized hardly any of the fear was for herself. Of course, she didn’t want to be taken by anyone, didn’t want to be sold as a breeder, but she would rather give up everything she was to keep Penny and Daxon safe.
“Stay in there, honey,” Ryanne said.
Maybe standing in front of the closet wasn’t a good idea. She was basically telling them where the little girl was hiding. Might as well put a big sign on the door – child inside.
“Daxon will come get us when it’s safe. Stay in there and be super, duper quiet. Be as quiet as a mouse.”
A small whimper came through the door, then nothing.
She hated that Penny had to learn things like this. She hated that, despite all Ryanne’s years of hiding, someone had still found them.
What if someone wasn’t there for her or Penny? It could simply be someone looking for help.
Then why hadn’t Daxon come back yet to tell them all was clear?
A male bellowed, “Fuck!” a second before all hell broke loose outside.
She could no longer hear male voices mumbling. She could no longer hear anything but the squawking of crows and the rattling of leaves.
“Oh no,” Ryanne muttered and eased closer to the windows.
Wolves and panthers were spread out, their eyes raised upward and their bodies dodging the best they could as large crows, bigger than the hawks she’d seen in this area, dove at them from the trees.
One was diving at Charlie and Campbell. Ryanne opened her mouth to scream, to warn them. But a huge gust of wind rattled the windows, blew the women’s hair around, and blasted the bird away from them.
Charlie. She was using her magic to keep Ryanne and Penny safe. And doing her best to keep everyone else safe.
Her attention was torn between the two ends of the cabins, and the damn crows knew it. They were testing her, diving at her, then diving at the rest of the Pack and Pride. She couldn’t protect everyone and herself and Ryanne.
Come on, lynx. They need us. Daxon needs us. Penny needs us. We can’t protect her in this form.
Her animal perked up but was still MIA. Fine. She would have to find a way to protect Penny as a human.
Running from the windows, she yanked open drawers until she found a butcher knife and a cleaver. It wouldn’t help if she was attacked by multiple people, but at least it would give her a chance. It would give someone else a chance to get to her, give them time to even out the numbers.
Or at least get to Penny before it was too late.
Ryanne gripped her weapons in both hands and ran back to the windows.
Where was Daxon? How was he doing? Was he hurt?
Was he still alive?
Please, God. Let him still be alive.
Trucks rumbled up the long drive and then headlights flashed over the odd scene playing out in the middle of what used to be a pretty field. It reminded her of some horror movies she’d seen in the past. Or like that movie Reed had mentioned, Birds.
Men and women poured from the trucks, then exploded into wolves, bears, lions, and a leopard. The animals were massive and dove into the fight without any hesitation.
They swiped at the birds, tried to guard their friends.
And then Hollyn stepped from the truck.
Ryanne stood so close to the glass her nose was pressed against it.
Hollyn shared a look with Charlie, then nodded.
Hollyn’s hands raised and flames danced on her palms. Ryanne smiled, knowing what was happening.
“Get down!” Campbell screamed.
Ryanne stood there watching behind the safety of the wood and glass.
Flames shot across the clearing, barely above the tallest bear’s head.
Then wind pushed that wall of flame higher, causing the birds to flee or get burned.
But it wasn’t over yet.
Heads whipped around and stared in the direction of Ryanne’s cabin. No. Not her cabin. Past it. To the side of it. Behind it.
It felt like a damned earthquake beneath her feet and the scent of fur overwhelmed her senses. Flight Shifters didn’t have a scent. There were more Shifters coming from somewhere in the woods.
“Ryanne!” Campbell screamed over the sound, her eyes wide as she stared at Ryanne through the window.
What the hell was she supposed to do? She couldn’t run out there and leave Penny unguarded.
But she couldn’t expect these people to risk their lives for her while she did nothing.
Running through the front door, she grabbed Campbell and shoved her toward the porch. “Go guard Penny!”
Campbell might only have been human, but she had been hunting Shifters long before Brax and the rest of Ravenwood knew she existed.
Campbell didn’t question Ryanne, didn’t argue, simply ran up the stairs and slammed the door shut behind her.
“Go. I’ll watch over her,” Charlie said.
The problem was the direction from where the Shifters were coming. If they weren’t intercepted, they would end up right next to Penny. She didn’t want those bastards anywhere near her baby sister.
Ryanne’s lynx might have been submissive, but Ryanne wasn’t. She never had been.
Especially not when it came to Penny.
With a battle cry, Ryanne reached deep inside and forced her cat out. Fine. She didn’t want to fight? Ryanne would take over. She would force her animal back inside and take over her body the way her lynx did her when they ran.
Bones cracked and reshaped and fur sprouted along her body. Her animal form was bigger than a wild lynx, but still a bit smaller than the panthers or even wolves.
Ryanne took off in the direction of the noise, determined to steer them far away from Penny. Feet thundered behind her as others followed.
She didn’t intend to fight them alone. She had planned to use herself as bait and lure them in a wide berth, leading them back to where all her friends waited.
It could still work. Even with others following her, she could guide them to the field where they’d been fighting only minutes ago.
Where were the crows? The ceiling of fire was gone. They were cowards so they probably took off when they realized their numbers didn’t mean shit.
Or maybe they called in whoever was coming for them to distract the rest of the Shifters while they blinded every single one of them.
The second Ryanne was close enough, she began to rethink her plan. There were way more wolves than she realized. And they weren’t alone. There were massive male lions running alongside them, as well.
They were all once again outnumbered.
A dark blur raced past her and slammed into the wolf closest to Ryanne.
Daxon. It was Daxon, ensuring no one touched her.
Damn it. That wasn’t her plan. She couldn’t exactly tell him, not in this form, nor could she have said it out loud in her human form.
Hoping everyone, including Daxon, would catch on, Ryanne veered to the right and tried to make her way to back to the clearing.
A group of wolves cut her off.
Shit. She hadn’t really thought past this part. She’d had it in her head she would lure them back, they would all find a way to beat the rogues and their friends, and then live happily ever after.
Skidding to a stop, Ryanne turned and prepared to defend herself and prayed they’d kept the bad guys away from Penny and Campbell.
She wanted to look around and see who had followed her but didn’t dare peel her eyes from the lion charging toward her, his lips peeled back and teeth bared.
Oh no. No no no no. What the hell was she supposed to do against someone that large? Her lynx was less than half his size. She scurried back and tried to puff her fur to look larger. The lion didn’t stop his advance. In fact, it looked like he was moving faster toward her.
Something slammed into his side. Once they stopped rolling, a large bear stretched to his full height of at least nine feet tall or more and roared, the sound hurting Ryanne’s ears.
The sounds of wings flapping in the air preceded that godawful squawking sound. Damned cowards. They waited until there was no way Ryanne and her friends could focus on what they were doing to attack. They waited until their asshole friends came to fight while they dove at them from high above.
A large wolf with the brightest blue eyes she’d ever seen positioned itself beside Ryanne, creating a united front. Ryanne wasn’t sure how she knew, but that wolf was Peyton. The animal was too fierce and brave and was definitely female if her size was anything to go by.
A second wolf, smaller than Peyton, positioned herself on the other side of Ryanne. She suddenly felt like that scene from Avengers: End Game where the women all banded together.
There were fights everywhere, teeth and claws and fur creating blurs and flashes in the moonlight.
And then the first crow dove at the writhing mass of bodies.
Ryanne opened her mouth to warn her friends and mate but nothing came out but a combination of a short bark mixed with a screech. Her kind weren’t known for their powerful voices.
There was nothing she could do to protect the people she had come to care about, the people she had grown to love.
Where was Daxon? He had to make it. He had to be there to take care of Penny. Because there was no way she could fight any of these males. The females in Big River Pack, Blackwater Clan, and even Morse Pack might have been fierce, but she had never been taught to fight or any form of self-defense.
All she could do was rely on her animal’s primal instincts and pull on them if and when the next threat approached.
“Brax!” Campbell screamed.
Oh no. Oh god no.
Turning on her heel, she sprinted past the biting and slashing animals, ducked the crows, and ran as fast as her legs would take her back to Penny. The only reason Campbell would scream for her mate was if she was in trouble, if she was outnumbered or being overrun.
The trees were thick and the leaves blocked out most of the light, but she was able to find her way through. Her lynx’s eyes were strong, even in the dimmest light. Only total and complete darkness could keep her blinded.
That, and the damn crows determined to pluck the eyes from every single person.
Except her.
She realized then that not a single crow had come for her. The male lion was the only Shifter who had approached her. Although, the rest of them were busy fighting.
Why were they there? What was the point of all of this?
It had to be Ryanne or Penny. They wanted to complete their task of selling them and collecting their money.
She would die before she let anyone touch Penny. She’d take out as many fuckers as she could, even if she had to Shift back and use the butcher knife and cleaver to slash their throats.
She’d been right. Three wolves and two lions were darting at Campbell, then pulling back when she would turn her gun toward them. Why the hell wasn’t she firing that thing?
Ryanne had no idea how many bullets were in a gun. Maybe Campbell was worried about running out and being left with no defense.
Not bothering to slow down, Ryanne ran into the closest wolf, knocking him back a few feet. He didn’t roll like when one of the bear’s hit a lion, but it at least got his attention.
While he was trying to figure out what had happened, Ryanne ran up the stairs and stood beside Campbell, her side brushing the human’s thigh.
“Brax!” Campbell yelled again.
Even with Ryanne at Campbell’s side, there was no way the two females could take on all these guys. There were too many, they were too big, and Campbell was fragile and could be killed or Turned, something that could kill her, too.
Campbell pushed against Ryanne. “They’re
here for you,” she said.
Ryanne turned her head and stared up at Campbell. What?
She’d wondered if they had come back to finish the job, but Campbell had said they were here for her, not for them, not for both Penny and Ryanne.
She needed her voice.
Pushing her lynx back, she returned to her human form and stood naked in front of five male Shifters. But their eyes didn’t roam her body; no one moved closer. It almost felt like they were guarding her, but not from danger.
It felt like they were guarding her from her own people.
That was the only reason she was able to get past them and onto the porch.
Had she just delivered herself to the enemy?
“What the hell do you mean they’re here for me?”
Campbell didn’t pull her eyes from the wolves and lions in front of her.
“Charlie heard them talking. Said the Alpha of the crows wants you for his own.”
“Why? I’m not a bird Shifter. There’s no guarantee what kind of child I would have.”
That had been the goal of male Shifters for years before the laws changed. Many males took several mates in hopes of producing greater numbers of their own kind.
But Ryanne could have either a lynx cub or a crow chick. What would be the point of that kind of risk?
“I don’t want your womb,” a male said, a slight drawl to his words.
Campbell’s arm yanked up and she pointed her gun at the man rounding the side of the cabin. He seemed oblivious to the fight raging only feet behind him.
He sneered at Campbell as if she were nothing more than a nuisance. Ryanne didn’t know this guy and already disliked him.
“I take it you’re the Alpha of Black Feather?” Ryanne asked.
“I’m Jacob.”
“So, what do you want?”
“I’m pretty sure Clint already told you.”
Ryanne shook her head. She wanted to check on Penny but didn’t want to bring any attention to the baby. “I was inside. I didn’t talk to anyone. You all need to leave. Tell your people to leave my friends alone and go away.”
Where the hell was Daxon? Was he okay? He had to be okay.