by West, Tara
Hakon shifted into human form and slipped into a pair of sweats. “Father is calling people to see if anyone’s injured,” he said, pulling a T-shirt out of the dresser.
“Oh fuck!” Amara said. What if she’d killed a tribe member?
“Is the house damaged?” Luc asked, zipping his pants.
Hakon shrugged, skirting a pile of smashed glass. “Just a few broken dishes.”
Her cheeks flushed, she looked from one mate to the other. “I don’t think that was an earthquake.”
Luc chuckled, jumping off the end of the bed. “Of course it was.” He held a hand out to her.
She stayed rooted to the spot, holding up her palms. “It felt like it came from me.”
“The earthquake?” Hakon asked.
She looked at her palms, which tingled and still felt warm. “It poured out of me like healing magic flows from my fingers.”
“How?” her mates asked in unison
She thought of what she’d been feeling right before the quake happened. She’d been furious when she’d learned of Agent Richter’s treatment of Luc and her cousin. “I think my anger caused it.”
Tor popped his head into the room. “Is everyone okay?”
“Yes, Father,” Hakon answered.
Tor called to the people below. “They’re unharmed.”
“Thank the Ancients!” Bunica said back.
Rone followed Tor into the room, carrying a whimpering Hrod. She climbed off the bed and reached for him, cradling him and kissing his forehead. He held tightly to her neck, and she wiped a tear from his cheek. “I’m sorry, baby,” she murmured. She leaned up and kissed Rone on the cheek. “Thank you for protecting him.”
“Of course,” he answered, his usual jovial expression replaced with a grimace.
“Is the tribe okay?” Hakon asked.
Tor scratched the back of his head, brow furrowed. “Nobody else felt it, not even our neighbors a mile away.”
“How is that possible?” Luc asked.
“I’ll tell you how it’s possible.” Hakon pointed a shaky finger at Amara. “She carries an earthshaker in her womb.”
“Sweet Ancients,” she breathed. Whatever the hell that was sounded dangerous, very dangerous.
“An earthshaker?” Rone asked.
Tor gave her an intense look. “Do you think you caused this earthquake, Amara?”
She swallowed hard, wilting under his scrutinizing gaze. “Yes, sir. I felt it come out of me.”
To her surprise, Tor broke into a wide grin. “Where do you think the Thunderfoots got our name? Many of our ancestors were earthshakers, too.”
“Do you think my unborn baby sensed I was angry and caused this?” she asked.
He rubbed his bearded chin. “Or else you harnessed his powers.”
“Come outside, Amara.” Hakon tugged her elbow, an excited gleam in his eyes. “Let’s see if you can do it again.”
She clutched Hrod tighter, resisting him. “I’m scared.”
“Don’t you see? This could be the distraction we need to get off the reservation.”
“Oh,” Amara breathed.
“Fuck,” Luc grumbled.
“OKAY, AMARA, TRY AGAIN,” Hakon encouraged. “Don’t worry. I’ll catch you if you fall.”
They’d gone to a grassy patch by the house, so if she did fall, she’d have a soft landing. The only problem was there were several pine trees close by. She hoped her alphas would be able to stop limbs from falling on her. All of her mates were with her, as well as her mates’ fathers. Hrod was with Amara’s Bunica inside, sheltered under the dining table in case she lost control.
She looked at her palms. “I’m not sure what to do.”
Drasko rested a hand on her shoulder. “Summon the tremors, like you summon your healing magic.”
She opened her hands and tried it, but nothing happened. “I can’t.”
“Think of something bad,” Hakon suggested. “Like that new agent who beat the crap out of Luc.”
Though she’d never met him, just the thought of that slimeball hurting Luc and trying to kill her cousin made her blood boil. She opened her hands, aiming them at the rocky incline below, shocked when the ground shook so hard, several boulders tumbled into the lake, sending wide ripples across the water.
“Look at that!” Rone cried.
“Great Ancients.” She closed her hands and reeled in the magic.
“Did you control the direction?” Hakon asked.
She flexed her fingers. “I think so.”
He rubbed his hands together, excitement in his dark eyes. “Try again.”
This time she focused on the driveway in front of their house. It shook, and the ground buckled. Her mates’ trucks looked like ships at sea, rolling with the waves. Wow. She was getting the hang of this already.
She turned to her mates. “Now what?”
Hakon looked like a mad scientist who’d just discovered time travel. “Now we plan our escape.”
Amara tried to block out the sounds of Luc’s swearing.
Chapter Sixteen
“Hello, Roy. How are you doing?”
Roy lifted his head off the table and glared at the agent called Richter through the cracks of his swollen eyelids. How was he doing? His bloodied and bandaged hand throbbed like hell, he was tired, hungry, but most of all worried for Annie. “Where’s my sister?”
Richter sat down in front of him, pouring himself a tall glass of water from the pitcher that was just out of Roy’s reach. “That’s what we’d like to know.”
He ran his tongue over the roof of his parched mouth. “Yeah, I’m sure you would.”
The agent took several long gulps of water and let out a satisfied belch. “I need to ask you a few questions about her.”
Roy would’ve drooled over that glass of water if he’d had any moisture left in his mouth. “I’m not saying shit until I get a lawyer.”
“Aw, how cute.” The agent tossed back his head and let out a sinister chuckle. “You think you’re gonna get a lawyer out here? You’re off the grid, son. According to our government, this place doesn’t even exist.”
His limbs iced over. “What are you saying?”
The agent leaned forward, his eyes narrowing to slits. “I’m saying nobody knows you’re here. Nobody knows any of us are here, and if you scream, no one will hear you. Now... do you think you can cooperate with us?”
“I can’t tell you shit.” He backed away, his cuffs scraping across the metal table, his heart thudding loudly in his ears. “I don’t know nothing.”
Richter leaned back, casually examining his fingernails. “How long has your sister been able to shift into a wolf?”
“I don’t know.” Roy tried his best to quell his shaking limbs. “I didn’t even know she could do that until today.”
Richter pulled something out of his vest pocket and slammed it on the table. “Do you know what this is?”
”This” was a black gun with bright yellow trim. He knew exactly what it was. Some agents had used it to subdue him earlier. Panic rose, and he hacked when his throat itched as if he’d drank sulfur. “Yeah.”
Richter flashed a grin so evil, Roy expected devil horns to shoot out of his bald head. “It delivers five million volts of electricity, stronger than any police taser. Some people call it a stun gun.” His smile broadened. “I prefer to call it a submission gun.”
“I already said I don’t know nothing.” His voice shook, making him sound like a middle-school boy.
“Wrong answer.” Richter leapt to his feet and shocked Roy’s arm.
He would’ve screamed, but the jolt held him in its painful clutches, making his heart seize so hard, he thought he’d have a heart attack.
Releasing him with a bitter laugh, Richter sat back down, setting his weapon of torture in front of him. “Where is your sister hiding?”
Hanging his head, he released a shaky breath as his tight nerves and bound muscles slowly unraveled. He opened his m
outh to speak, but no sound came out of his parched throat. He swallowed a steady trickle of blood, though that wasn’t enough to quench his thirst. He coughed and coughed, spitting up blood until Richter swore and forcefully grabbed his jaw, pouring water down his throat. It was too much. Roy coughed again, spitting bloody water all over Richter’s chest.
“Goddammit,” the man swore. “Not again.”
He inwardly smiled. If he didn’t survive this day, at least he’d have had that one little act of revenge.
“I’m going to ask you again,” Richter said through clenched teeth, wiping his tie with a cloth. “Where is your sister hiding?”
“How da hell vould I know?” Roy’s sore tongue felt like a giant, bloated fish as he struggled to push out words. “I just vound out she vas a volf dis morning.”
“Wrong answer again!” Richter reddened like a ripe tomato, his nostrils flaring as he heaved heavy breaths. He zapped Roy again.
Roy fell back, captive to the pain as he bit down harder on his swollen tongue. When Richter finally released him, his heart skipped so many beats, he thought he might pass out.
“We can play this game all day, Roy,” Richter said quietly. “I don’t have anywhere to go. How long have you known the Thunderfoots?”
His head lolled to one side. “I don’t know dem.”
“Wrong!”
Too tired to flinch, Roy laid his head on the table, wincing when he banged his sore hand.
“We’ve already unlocked the GPS on your phone.” Richter menacingly tapped the gun against Roy’s forehead. “You drove to their house yesterday.”
“I vent dere to talk to my cousin, Amara.” A wave of nausea nearly overpowered him as he tried to lift his head. “But dey vouldn’t let her talk to me.”
“Amara Thunderfoot is your cousin?”
“Yesss,” he slurred, eyes closing. He was so damn tired.
“Do werewolves run in your family?”
Roy couldn’t help the sardonic laugh that escaped his throat. “How da hell vould I know?”
He knew it was coming, but he was too tired to fight it. Richter shocked his shoulder, flinging him back in the seat.
“Goddammit!” Roy couldn’t even lift his bound hands high enough to rub his sore shoulder. “I don’t know shit.”
“Does your sister know Amara is a wolf?”
“I-I don’t know.”
“Lies.”
Roy only felt a slight shock when Richter lunged for him, grazing him with the zapper.
“Okay, okay,” he whispered. “Ve talked about it. I said I saw Drasko Dunderfoot’s face change.”
“What did she say?”
“She called dem shifters. She knew what dey were.” Roy hated himself for discussing his sister with this monster, but what choice did he have? He knew his heart would give out soon if he didn’t give him what he wanted. He only hoped Richter wouldn’t use this information to harm Annie.
Richter tapped the gun against the table. “Do you think she’ll head to Amara Thunderfoot’s house?”
Yes, he did, but he wasn’t about to tell Richter that. “How vould I know? I didn’t give her da address.” But he had given her the general location. No doubt she’d use her wolf instincts to find Amara. Hopefully she found the Thunderfooots before Richter found her.
“She doesn’t need it.” Richter stood, sporting a smile that didn’t quite mask the coldness in his snake eyes. “Thank you, Roy. You’ve been a great help.”
Why the fuck had he talked? Why hadn’t he just let Richter kill him? “Can I go home now?” he pleaded, hating the pitiful whine that slipped into his voice.
“Oh no, not yet,” Richter said indifferently, acting as if Roy’s life wasn’t worth more than a squished bug stuck to the bottom of his shoe.
“Why not?” Panic pumped wildly through his veins. What were they going to do with him? Kill him? Richter had said Roy was off the grid. Would they dispose of any witnesses before killing Annie?
Richter stood by the door, casually tapping his phone. “I may need you again,” he drawled.
Roy was momentarily disoriented when he saw double Richters. “For vat?”
“Insurance.”
When the two Richters merged into one, Roy’s heart thumped at the menacing look in the agent’s eyes. He wanted to cuss out the snake, but the buzz in his brain and the slow beat of his heart overpowered all reason. The room spun, then his vision blurred and darkened.
TAKAANI SHIFTED INTO human form and broke into another empty cabin, this time a hunting lodge of sorts, judging by all the pelts and animal heads hanging on the walls, including a few wolves. She shuddered at the sight, but opted to remain. She no longer heard the choppers, but the hunters were out there, and Mako needed medical attention. She found a suture kit in the bathroom and stitched up Mako as best she could, adding lots of topical antibiotic. Mako only whimpered a little and made far less fuss than Takaani did when she rubbed ointment on her bullet burn. Odd that there was only one injury on Takaani’s leg, yet Roy had used a shotgun. She’d expected several pellet holes.
The pantry was stocked with enough canned goods to last a winter. She fed Mako salmon and fixed herself tuna on crackers, then wrapped a fleece blanket around her nude body and laid with Mako beside the stove, warming her hands as the summer sun briefly set. Though she was exhausted beyond belief, there was no way she was sleeping. She had to keep watch over Mako. His tail limply thumped when she stroked his back. She sniffed his wound, not liking the faint pungent odor that might indicate infection had already set in. She sent a silent prayer to whoever or whatever was listening that her loyal dog would live. He’d been her best friend and companion this past year, and she didn’t know how she could go on without him.
AMARA RECOGNIZED THE enchanted forest from the many other times she’d visited her namesake, the Goddess Amara. White mist swirled about her feet as she floated toward her. She was sitting by a raised pool, twirling a finger through the dark water.
“Look there, Amara.” The goddess pointed to the reflections of four shirtless, muscular males with long braided hair and tattoos running down their thick arms. Each armed with swords, they were fighting off armored warriors. Just as the other warriors closed in on them, two of the men shifted into protectors, clubbing their adversaries with meaty fists while the other two men shifted into wolves, shredding the throats of their attackers.
Crippling anxiety pumped sludge through her veins. This all seemed so real, but was it? “Who are they?”
“You don’t recognize them?” the goddess asked.
“Sort of.” She squinted into the water. Their eyes looked familiar, but that was about it.
“Those are my mates over a thousand years ago.” The goddess chuckled, patting Amara’s back when she let out a gasp.
“They look like soldiers,” she said, feeling helpless as they dodged one sword and then another.
“They were once.” The goddess heaved a wistful sigh. “Brothers who’d been cursed.”
Amara arched a brow. “And you?”
“They found me later and paid my father a large dowry.” The goddess grinned. “They didn’t tell me I’d have four husbands. I thought I was marrying the eldest.”
“I bet that was a shock.” She snorted.
“A shock and a delight.” She clasped her hands together, a twinkle of distant memories in her eyes. “I was human then. To have four handsome men devoted to me was beyond my wildest fantasy.”
Amara was surprised. “You were a human?”
“I was,” she said, “until I was turned.”
She was turned? How had she never heard of this before? “How?”
“We will save that for another time.” The goddess patted Amara’s hand affectionately. “You will wake soon, and I know you have many concerns.”
She swallowed hard. She felt ten shades of selfish for forgetting her cousin so easily. “Yes, we still have not found Annie, and a human agent is trying to kill her.”
“I know.” The goddess frowned. “We did not foresee this.”
Amara wanted to ask if the pool showed the future as well as the past, but that question would have to wait. “Why?” she asked, forcing herself to stay focused on helping Annie.
“We have no control over this human’s actions. He is strong willed, and his judgment is clouded by prejudice.” She pointed at the pool, to a bald man with beady eyes yelling into the receiver of his phone.
That had to be Agent Richter. Amara’s heart skipped a beat when she heard him making demands for the government to send him amethyst bracelets, thousands of them. Whoever was on the other end wasn’t cooperating, because the bald man’s cheeks turned redder and redder while he tried to explain his need for them, using words like monsters, savages, and killers.
Amara’s blood boiled. He wanted everyone in the tribe to wear amethyst bracelets. He wanted to eradicate all shifters. Ending the call with a curse, he threw a Styrofoam cup of coffee at the wall, splattering it everywhere. The image faded.
This man had to be stopped before he caused more damage to her tribe. “What can I do?” she asked.
The goddess placed a hand on Amara’s tummy. “Use the power we’ve given you.”
“You gave it to me? So my baby is not an earthshaker?”
“Oh, he is,” she said with a wink, “but he will not be able to harness such power for a long while. You can, though, as long as he is inside you.”
She was relieved her baby wouldn’t be able to use this power out of the womb. She couldn’t imagine the damage he would do every time he threw a tantrum. The power in her hands was frightening enough. “Luc thinks it’s too risky to try to save Johnson and Annie.”
“Luc is wise.” She nodded to the tranquil pool. “He’s experienced the brutality this human is capable of.”
“But if I don’t save them—”
“I’m afraid no one else has the power to take on the military.”
That’s what she’d feared. She was the Amaroki’s only hope, which meant she had to risk her life, and her loved ones, in order to save Johnson and Annie.