by D. K. Davis
“So, you still didn’t answer my question.”
“A strong, pure strain of shifter blood eliminates any other strain of blood in the system. Morgan will soon be a full-blood shifter. Becka will need help acclimating Morgan to the ways of our kind. We’ll all need to participate in her teachings.”
“If she had such a pure strain of blood in her system, why wasn’t it active at her birth?” None of it made sense to me.
“None of the shifter blood activates until late puberty in human years, like anywhere between the ages of thirteen to eighteen, and then our aging process decreases substantially.” Dad turned onto the dirt path leading to our home.
Headlights followed us down the drive. Becka parked beside Dad. She ran to my door of the truck, pulled it open before I could, and then peered inside. “Is she sleeping? What happened to bring this on?” She glanced up, her eyes filled with moisture. “She’s more shifter than we first thought, isn’t she?”
Dad stepped around to Becka and reached an arm across her shoulder. “We need to talk about Morgan. Rowan can move her into the house. Let’s get a room ready for her. She’ll need to stay here for a little while.”
Becka nodded, tears streaked down her cheeks. “Tell me she’s going to be all right, Linden. Tell me everything you’ve learned from Leo. Were we right about her father?”
They know her father?
Dad glanced at me, nodded, and then drew Becka away from the truck. They hurried across the yard into the house. Lights went on, by now it had to be close to 10:00 p.m., and I wondered if Oakly patrolled Connor’s property tonight. Dad had brought him home today with a list of projects to complete.
Wherever Oakly is and whatever he’s doing, I’m glad it isn’t here.
Morgan’s body suddenly relaxed, conforming to the seat and my lap, all signs of stiffness gone. She exhaled a long breath on a sigh. Her eyes fluttered open and focused on mine.
A direct hit of lightning struck my chest and reverberated through my body, leaving me shaky, but I refused to break our connection by looking away.
“Who are you?” she whispered, her voice hoarse.
I narrowed my eyes, tilting my head. Her eyes no longer glowed, but had she lost her memory? “Rowan. I’m Rowan, and your aunt is here with my dad inside the house. I need to get you inside. They want to talk to you.”
She reached up and grazed my cheek with her warm fingers. “Then we should move. Maybe someone can explain why I’m feeling so weird, so hot, so energized.”
I lifted her from my lap and slid out the door.
She dropped her legs off the seat and sat up. “This is where you live?” Her eyes widened as she stared out the front windshield. “It’s huge.”
“Yes, it is.” We lived in a fort, more or less, big enough to take in our kind for extended periods of time if the need arose. Thankfully, that didn’t happen often. “Come on, you, Dad’s going to think we’ve run off. And, I don’t want your aunt upset with us.”
Morgan climbed out on her own steam and swung the truck door closed.
I grabbed her hand, feeling a sparked charge pass between us, and then guided her inside the house. Dad and Becka walked into the great room from the first-floor hallway of six bedrooms.
“We set up the first room on the right.” Dad strolled over, studying Morgan all the way. “There are two beds so Becka can sleep in the same room with her.”
Becka stayed back.
“How are you feeling, young lady?” Dad stopped in front of Morgan, his eyes narrowed, searching for something, maybe proof?
* * *
Morgan
Rowan’s dad stood in front of me, staring like he expected me to grow a third-eye.
The urge to run through the woods stuck in my head. My hands trembled and then my knees buckled. “I either got to go for a run, or I need to sit. I’m feeling anxious and alert like everything is in high-definition; things I’m sensing on the inside, and stuff I’m looking at on the outside.”
“Her eyes are glowing.” Aunt Becka stepped closer but stayed behind Rowan’s father.
“Maybe it would do her good to take a run with Rowan. Our paths here are well-marked, and they’ll be able to see in the dark anyway. There won’t be any danger to them.” Mr. Marcus glanced at Aunt Becka. “Do you agree? It would divert some of the intensified energy coursing through her system.”
“I agree.” Aunt Becka eyed me, and then looked at Rowan. “Keep our girl safe, mister.”
Rowan grasped my hand, and we ran out of the house and into the woods. “I’ll lead since you’re not familiar with our paths, but you need to stay right behind me. Got it?”
“Got it.” The night air cooled my hot skin. Scents from the creatures and plants bombarded my senses as we rushed along the path, but the most potent scent, Rowan’s, embraced me like a giant hug, protecting and comforting me at the same time.
We ran for miles through the woods. I recognized the area when we got close to my aunt and uncle’s, and we followed the creek.
Then I ran into Rowan and bounced off him as if I’d run into a wall. “What the heck?”
His arms went out to his sides in a warning for me to stay back. “Shift, right now,” he said to someone in front of him.
I peeked around his body, under his arm. A cougar stalked toward us, all muscles and gaping mouth. I knew his scent, Oakly.
“The only reason to shift is if you’re in imminent danger. Is there something I should know? Is there a danger, because I haven’t picked up any vibes?”
Then I noticed the blood. Around Oakly’s mouth, across his chest, on his paws, he looked covered in it. I gasped. “That’s human blood.”
Oakly collapsed in front of us. We both ran to him.
“Don’t shift, brother. You’ll heal faster in cougar-mode.” Rowan and I examined him, finding deep cuts. “These are knife wounds, and there’s a lot of them.” Rowan turned toward me. “He’s lost a lot of blood. You need to get Dad and Becka. Have them bring a portable stretcher. We need to get him back to the house.” Rowan leaned closer. His lips touched mine in a gentle kiss.
My insides warmed, leaving me breathless when he backed away.
“Open your senses to get back to the house. You’ll be able to find your way. Also,” he grabbed my hand, “be wary of unfamiliar scents. Whoever did this to Oakly may still be somewhere in the woods.” Rowan turned his attention back to his brother, patting his head. “Relax brother. We got you now. We’ll get you out of here soon.”
I ran hard, Rowan’s scent guiding me back. Fear for Rowan and Oakly kept my speed fast, a quicker pace than I’d ever run in my life.
We were closer to Aunt Becka’s than Rowan’s house, and I would share that in case it made more sense for Mr. Marcus to drive to my aunt’s house.
I startled and jumped, someone or something crashed through the trees beside me. I scented human, more than one, and knew they’d never catch up to me. A shot echoed behind me, a bullet whizzed past my head, and my pace increased.
So, they not only used knives, they carried firearms as well.
Chapter Fourteen
Morgan
Ten minutes after my near run-in with a bullet, I rushed through the front door of Rowan’s home. Aunt Becka sat across from Mr. Marcus, drinking tea or coffee, they stood when I slammed the door shut.
“Where’s Rowan?” Mr. Marcus looked over my shoulder as if Rowan would open the door any minute.
It took a second to catch my breath then I said, “Oakly got stabbed, many wounds. He lost a lot of blood, but Rowan told him to stay in cougar form.”
“Oakly is in cougar form?” Mr. Marcus’ brows arched and his jaw tensed. “He wouldn’t have shifted unless to protect himself.”
“Rowan stayed with him. He wants you and Aunt Becka to bring a portable cot for him.” I stopped for another moment to settle. “They’re closer to Aunt Becka’s property. It would save time to drive there. Plus, there are humans in the forest that s
hot at me. They tried to follow me, but I lost them before getting here.”
“We thought that was a gunshot, but it sounded too close, so thought maybe it was a vehicle backfiring.” Mr. Marcus strode toward the door. “Becka, I’ll grab the cot from the garage. Let’s take my truck.”
Aunt Becka and I followed Mr. Marcus out the door. Another shot rang out, sounding far away. My heart pumped double-time.
“Get inside the truck,” Aunt Becka shouted.
Mr. Marcus threw the cot and some rope in the backend of the truck and wasted no time climbing inside. He shot down the driveway and onto the road in seconds. We arrived at Aunt Becka’s fifteen minutes later.
Mr. Marcus grabbed the cot and rope, and we all ran into the forest, heading toward the creek. “We’ll pick up their scents when we get close. Morgan, you follow my scent with your aunt, she’ll be a little slower, and I don’t want to lose her.”
“You won’t lose me. Just because I can’t shift doesn’t mean I don’t carry other abilities, like seeing in the dark and following scents. I can do both. Morgan, keep up with Linden. He may need your help.”
Even though I wanted to hurry, leaving my aunt to fend for herself against those shot-gun happy humans didn’t excite me. But what if Rowan and Oakly had been the targets for the last shots fired? “Are you sure? I don’t mind hanging back with you.”
“I’m stealth, like a Ninja, I can hide. I’ll scent them long before they ever know I’m here.” She gave me a quick hug. “Go. Linden can use you, especially if both boys are in trouble. Remember you’ve gained not only speed but strength. You have super-powers. Now, hurry.”
She didn’t have to tell me twice. Adrenaline injected into my system like a super-drug, to go with the super-power my aunt said I now possessed. The dark forest appeared in twilight-mode but then brightened even more because I wanted to see, better than wearing night-vision glasses. My system listened to my needs and responded. I wanted speed, and a sudden burst of it caught me up to Mr. Marcus.
“We’re getting close, and I don’t think my boys are alone,” he whispered.
I heard him loud and clear with my ultra-hearing ability, and I agreed, there were others with the twins.
Mr. Marcus motioned for me to stop. We crept forward, slow and steady. Two humans with guns and night vision glasses, but both men wore their night vision equipment on top of their heads, not in use. One used a high-powered flashlight, the beam centered on Rowan and Oakly.
“We’re going to ambush these two idiots from behind. I’ll take one, and you take the other. Be quiet and sneaky, be furious, knock him to the ground and confiscate his weapon. The boys can’t help us. They’ve sustained injuries.”
I smelled blood from both of the twins. No, please don’t be dying. A stabbing ache slammed into my chest. A firestorm blazed through me, my hands turned into such tight fists blood oozed from my palms. At that moment, I realized the deep discomfort of wanting to kill. Those men hurt someone I love.
As if Mr. Marcus caught my intention, he whispered, “We’re only going to capture the bad guys, no killing. That’s not our way. Understood?”
“Understood.” I unclenched my hands to relieve some tension.
Rowan started babbling, distracting the dudes with the guns.
“Rowan knows we’re here. Let’s make him proud.”
I crept through the brush behind the guy with the flashlight. Mr. Marcus moved farther ahead to the other guy.
“Now,” his whisper filled my head, and I moved, hard and fast.
Using all of my weight, I launched myself at the guy’s back. He went down like a sack of cow dung. I slammed his head into the ground for making me bite my tongue. Blood filled my mouth. With little effort, I grabbed the gun out of his hands, and for a moment, that ability stunned me.
Mr. Marcus had his guy down, the gun confiscated, and the evil dude’s hands tied behind his back. Mr. Marcus shoved his guy next to my guy, roping my guy’s hands, and then he roped them together.
“Good show.” Rowan coughed, and blood spewed from his lips. Oakly, in cougar form, lay with eyes closed and his sides heaved with each breath. “Oakly isn’t coming around.”
“No one survives what’s in his system or yours,” the guy spat at Rowan.
The other man shoved his partner. “Shut up, moron.”
Right then Aunt Becka came around a tree. “What’s happening here?”
The concern etched across my aunt’s face made me extra worried for Rowan and Oakly.
“Becka, call Leo. Tell him to bring supplies for poisoning. We have a situation. Tell him to meet us at your house. Call Charlie also. We can use his help with moving the boys.” She pulled her phone from a pocket and stepped away to make the calls.
Mr. Marcus stepped through the brush and then carried the cot to Rowan. “How bad is it?” Mr. Marcus ran his hands over Rowan. Blood ran from his middle. “Looks like the slug went straight through your side, in the front and out the back, but your skin isn’t knitting.”
“It feels like a lava flow is dumping through me. Dad, I think you’re right about the poison. Oakly is worse than when we first found him. He’s not healing.” Tears welled in Rowan’s eyes. He pressed his fingers in them and eliminated the moisture. “Get him out of here. You can’t wait for Leo.”
Becka walked back and whispered something to Mr. Marcus. They strode over to the men, checking their pockets.
I took that moment to kiss Rowan on the cheek. It left a little blood mark from my injured tongue. Then I whispered in his ear, “Hang in there, mister, you have a lot to teach me about being a good cougar. You have no idea how much I wanted to kill those men for hurting you.”
He turned his head and kissed me on the lips, his tongue slipping inside my mouth.
Butterflies rose in flight and fluttered inside my chest, spiraling down to my abdomen and shooting back up to my heart. I tasted his blood and sensed the poison. I kissed the corner of his mouth and backed away. The poison won’t hurt me. How do I know that?
Rowan’s eyes widened as if he heard my thought. “I did hear your thought. I think we exchanged blood, and that means, you may catch a few of my thoughts also.”
“Are you kidding me right now?” My mouth dropped open, and I tasted remnants of my wounded tongue.
“I’m sure your injury has healed.” Rowan smiled.
“What’s to smile about? If you knew this would happen, why did you…you did it on purpose.” I screamed the thought, “Why Rowan?”
His head jerked and slammed into the tree behind him.
I smiled. “Serves you right.” Then I realized something; he’d stopped bleeding.
He looked down at his wound.
“Rowan, your injury is healing. Do you think it’s got something to do with my blood?”
“Here.” Aunt Becka held a small vial in front of Mr. Marcus.
Rowan and I glanced at them.
“I think this is what we’re looking for.” Aunt Becka set it carefully into Mr. Marcus’ hand.
He opened it and sniffed. “I know what it is. I’ll give Leo a quick call, so he brings the right antidote.” He stepped away.
I looked back at Rowan. “Should I give Oakly some of my blood?” I glance at the cougar. His sides heaved harder, and his tongue hung out as he gasped for breath.
Rowan nodded. He pulled a jackknife from his pocket. “Cut your finger and drip it on his tongue. Hurry.”
Aunt Becka dragged the cot over to Oakly. “What are you doing with that knife?”
“Watch this,” I whispered, not wanting the uninvited bad dudes to hear or see.
Aunt Becka positioned herself in front of me, lifting the cot to hide the action taking place as I cut my finger deep enough to get good blood flow.
I dripped it on Oakly’s tongue.
The cougar tasted it and lapped at my finger. After a few moments, his breathing relaxed. Then his eyes fluttered open. Another few moments passed as his glazed-over eyes ad
justed and focused on me. I could tell when he recognized me. He continued to lay still, but the bleeding staunched. Oakly’s cuts slowly knitted, like watching a miracle in slow motion.
“Oh, my goodness. You’re a healer,” Aunt Becka whispered.
After another few minutes passed, the big cat sprang onto his feet, and Rowan got to his feet also.
Mr. Marcus strode back to us. “What the hell happened?” He hugged the cougar, and then Rowan. “Leo was afraid he wouldn’t make it in time to save either of you.”
Rowan glanced at me. “You want to share your newest ability, or shall I?”
Aunt Becka nodded her head toward the guys. “Think we should do something about them first. Get them out to the road. Then I’ll let Charlie know about the turn of events.”
“Good call.” Mr. Marcus and Aunt Becka hurried to the men.
Rowan, Oakly, and I hung back while the two men still tied together, got directed down a path that led toward the road.
“Oakly, you should head home. We’ll meet you there shortly.” Rowan patted his brother’s head. “I’m relieved and happy you made it back to us.”
The cougar nodded and took off in the direction of the Marcus fortress.
“Your Dad drove his truck to Aunt Becka’s. We should probably get it and meet them at the road. Does that sound good?”
Rowan picked up the cot. “Sounds like a plan, I’ll follow you.”
“Is this a test?”
“Yes. You’ve already surpassed a few of those, what’s one more?”
I stepped over to him, standing toe-to-toe. His eyes glowed. I touched his chest feeling the beat of his heart and then mine synced. He leaned down, and I rose to meet his lips. He crushed mine to his and fireworks burst between us, inside and outside too. We both felt the rush of our combined energy. In a word, addictive.
He swept me into his arms. “Addictive,” he whispered against my lips, and I swallowed it into my heart.
* * *
Rowan