by Jools Louise
“Glad to see you’re awake at last,” a familiar, horrid voice sneered. Morag. “I had thought I might have to kick you back to consciousness. A shame, really, that I didn’t get the chance.”
Fly peeled his eyelids up, glaring at the bitch. He nearly gagged on the thick wad of foul-tasting material stuffed into his mouth. Morag laughed maniacally at his obvious distaste.
“What’s wrong, princess? Don’t like your current accommodations? Well, soon you won’t need to worry about anything.”
Fly snarled furiously, fighting to shift and break free, but couldn’t summon his cheetah.
“Yeah, you can’t shift, sweetie,” Morag mocked. “I injected you with a little dose of our magic juice, guaranteed to slowly poison you, over many excruciating, pain-filled hours. Its side effects stop you turning into your pussy form. It’s a win-win, as far as I can see.”
“Quit tormenting him, Morag,” a male voice scolded harshly. “We’re just using him as bait, nothing more. The injection won’t kill him, just incapacitate him for a while. I want him immobile for when his friends arrive to rescue him. It’ll give me time to take them out.”
“What’s wrong with a bit of mind-fucking?” Morag asked, scowling at a place behind Fly’s head. He had the feeling that the other person was Ghost, but couldn’t turn his head to see.
“Idiot!” the man said. “He needs to be able to fight. He’s no good to me if he’s completely paralyzed. Mind-fuck him later. I want him to be angry, not scared out of his wits. This is our first cheetah shifter. I want to see how he fares against other species.”
“He’s going to die soon enough, anyway, Ghost,” Morag protested venomously, her eyes glittering with malice as she stared down at Fly’s recumbent form. “Once he’s in the ring with that big lion shifter, it’s lights out for the skinny little drag queen here.”
“Just make sure he’s able to fight, Morag,” Ghost snarled back. “There’s a lot riding on this. Don’t fuck it up. The drug will be starting to wear off. Go get more while I go and collect our chemists. We’re going to need much more if we’re to succeed in taking down Sage.”
There was the sound of wheels dragging over a rough surface, the whine of a motor, and then Fly realized he was alone with Morag. Not a happy thought.
“Fucking hell, that idiot is boring me to tears,” Morag complained, pacing back and forth beside the gurney that Fly was attached to. “I should just shoot the fucker, but I need him alive for a while longer. He does have one or two uses. His link to that bunch of bully boys, Flashpoint, for one. They’re the reason you’re here, you know. They want revenge against the town, for daring to try to stop them.” She laughed bitterly, rambling now, in full flow. “And my dear sister, always so perfect, so kind, so loving to you and your bastard brother. She dropped me, didn’t she? Left me to rot in jail after I killed those two sniveling bitches. Then, when she needs me, she comes creeping around, begging for my help. Well, I showed her, didn’t I? I have her darling princess right where I want him. She’ll come for you, because she loves you,” she said in a sing-song voice that sent chills down Fly’s spine.
Morag was deranged. He could hear the madness oozing from her, the self-pity mixing with years of excusing her disgusting behavior. He tuned in again to her self-obsessed rant. “I want Meredith to pay for what she did to me, so I’ll wait for her to come to me.” She sneered. “She’s bound to want her darling boy back. I can’t imagine why. You never were anything special. As for your fuckwitted brother, he’ll suffer once he knows his family has been destroyed. The little bastard was always too clever for his own good. After all I did for him, he double-crosses me and goes to work for the enemy.”
Fly rolled his eyes. Morag was insane. Meredith had tried to make amends, but Morag had double-crossed her and had her locked up for years. What had Mercury ever done to Morag? Fly had the sinking feeling that his brother might not have told him the whole truth. He felt sick with disappointment. Every time he thought he could trust his brother, the bastard betrayed him again. Was Mercury a double agent? Fly thought they’d figured him out already, but perhaps Mercury was simply playing his own game, now. Morag’s abuse might have turned him feral. He’d always been a little out there, pushing boundaries.
“I have to go now,” Morag drawled sweetly, peering down at Fly with distaste. “I’ll just leave this mirror here, so you can see the makeover I gave you while you were sleeping. You look so much better without all that hair.”
Fly flinched, his eyes widening in horror as he viewed his image in the large mirror that Morag placed beside him. He was sporting the worst buzz cut he’d ever seen. He looked as though he’d been scalped with a hedge trimmer or something. There were tufts of uneven hair all over and some bald patches. It was horrific.
“I may apply for a job at that hair salon, you know. I’m gifted. Don’t you think? I think this style is so fitting. Vanity is such a pathetic trait, but this do will have everyone looking at you…if you live,” Morag quipped viciously. “Now, I have to go get you some breakfast slops and more magic juice. Ghost needs you fighting fit for the ring, and porridge will keep you healthy. Don’t go anywhere, now, you hear?”
She left Fly staring at his reflection, tears welling up despite himself. What would Noah think? Then he gasped. Noah had been shot, trying to defend him. Morag had shot his mate. Was Noah still alive? Rage welled up, drying his tears. The bitch wanted him fighting fit, did she? Wanted to feed him slops, did she? Well, she was going to find out just what she had unleashed. He focused on his animal form, determined not to be helpless when she returned. If he could shift, he could get free. He was sure of it.
* * * *
“Blue, what are you doing?” Little Moe asked, staring at his friend with concern.
“My stomach hurts,” Blue complained. “I don’t feel so good.”
“You can’t be ill, now!” Murray hissed impatiently. “We’re on a mission.”
“If he’s sick, he’s sick,” Candy, their lookout, said, glaring at Murray. “Don’t be so mean.”
Murray slapped a hand over his face in frustration. “Candy, I’m not being mean. But we happen to be on the high school roof, looking for Flashpoint baddies. We’re supposed to be on our way to our next class, at the elementary school over the hill. If we get caught again, my dads will hear about it. I’m just glad Daddy John’s in England, or I’d get my butt spanked.”
Blue snorted at that. “John never spanked you in his life,” he retorted, still clutching his belly as the fierce wind teased his shaggy blond hair, the rain having eased off for now. “He’d put you in time-out and then pull faces at you the whole time. John’s not exactly a disciplinarian.”
Murray grinned at that. “Yeah, you’re right. He’s worse than we are for getting into trouble.”
“Wow! Someone learned a new word,” Candy said, sounding impressed.
Moe giggled. “Yeah. That’s a ten-dollar word.”
“No, sweetie, fuck is a ten-dollar word,” Murray drawled. “I know, because I said it yesterday, and Daddy Cameron told me if I said it again, he’d be collecting ten dollars of my allowance.”
“How much allowance do you get?” Blue asked curiously. “I only get a dollar a week.”
“Yeah, so do I,” Murray shot back dryly. “That’s why I won’t be using the F word when Daddy Cameron’s around. It’d take me weeks to pay it off.”
The children all laughed at that, nodding. “Yeah, Cameron is pretty strict,” Moe agreed. “Almost as bad as my mom.” He thought for a moment. “I said the B word the other day, and she went berserk. You’d think I’d killed a unicorn or something, the way she went on.” They giggled again as Moe screwed up his face dramatically.
“Shhh!” Flint hissed. “Someone’s coming.”
“Where?” Moe asked, looking behind him to the stairway.
“Here,” Freddy drawled, landing on the roof in his eagle form, then shifting.
They all let out yelps of ala
rm and then snickered at themselves.
“Freddy!” Murray protested, glaring at the man. “What was that all about?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” Fred retorted, hands on his hips. “What are you doing on the roof?”
“We’re patrolling,” Blue explained, and then groaned, folding over, hugging his belly.
“What’s wrong?” Freddy asked worriedly, kneeling beside him.
“We think he must have eaten something that didn’t agree with him,” Candy supplied, averting her eyes from Freddy’s nakedness. “He’s been like this all morning.”
“I had a funny dream last night,” Blue gasped out. “About a falcon, diving on a pigeon,” he added. “The weirdest thing because I’ve never even seen a falcon, but I knew what it was.”
Freddy stared, and Moe saw a dawning realization light the man’s expression. “You guys were all born in the lab. They probably messed with your DNA, like they tried with mine. I wonder…”
Moe connected the dots. “You mean they may have created these guys with more than one animal form?” he asked. “Cool!”
“Not from where I’m sitting,” Blue groaned. “I feel like I’m about to give birth!”
Freddy chuckled. “Or maybe you just ate too many sweets,” he said, grinning. “We won’t know until whatever it is makes an appearance.”
“Eew!” Candy said, moving away. “If he spews, I’m out of here.”
They heard a vehicle down below, and Murray, Candy, and Moe peered over the edge of the roof. “Who’s that?” Murray whispered.
“Isn’t that…Ghost?” Moe asked, terrified as he saw a familiar wheelchair. They had all seen the man, years ago, when the first Two Spirit Tournament was under way, trying to plant bombs at various sites around the sports complex.
“Fuck!” Freddy cursed, staring, as well. “I need to call this in, guys. Don’t go anywhere.”
He raced off toward the stairs, disappearing from view.
“Should we have told him that his dick’s swinging in the breeze?” Flint asked drolly.
Moe giggled. “I think David will remind him,” he said.
Blue convulsed, moaning pathetically, and then a second later shifted…into a large, cream-and-brown bird of prey, several times the size of a regular bird of its type.
“Wow. Is that a falcon?” Flint said. “That is pretty cool.”
Blue chirped, ruffling his feathers. “I’m jealous,” Candy said. “I only have paws and fur.”
“You hope,” Murray retorted dryly. “We were all in the same lab, Candy girl. We may all have special genes.”
“I hope so,” Flint said enthusiastically. “Imagine the missions you could go on. You could be Sage’s very own shifter air force.”
They laughed as Blue spread his wings, flapping a few times, then began preening.
Murray suddenly let out a gasp of shock, clutched his stomach, and keeled over onto his side. “I think I’m about to find out what it’s like to fly,” he said, whimpering in pain. “I just looked at my animal form and found a big bird there, as well. He wants out.”
“Imagine both your forms, and get them to say hello to one another,” Candy suggested. “That’s what Freddy did. Otherwise they’ll just fight over who gets to shift first.”
Murray nodded, moaning. Moments later, a bald eagle appeared, flapping around energetically, its huge wings nearly sending Moe off the roof.
“What the heck?” Freddy asked as he came running over, with David in tow. “Is that Blue and Murray?”
Moe nodded, grinning widely at their shock. “Yep. Meet the flying squad.”
Flint laughed. “You could be the bomber squad,” he chortled. “You drop bombs. We’ll bite ankles.”
Blue chirped at them urgently, drawing their attention.
“Oh, yeah,” Flint said, pointing. “We have company. Ghost just arrived.”
“We know,” David replied, eyeing him steadily until Flint flushed. “Now, what am I supposed to do with you while I tackle him?”
Flint shrugged, scuffing his feet on the flat roof. “Dunno,” he said sulkily.
“Neither do I,” David replied sharply. “Since Ghost is here, my hands are tied. I need to make sure you’re all safe.” Blue chirped again, spread his wings, and flapped vigorously. He was soon airborne, circling above them, testing out his flight skills. Murray, not to be outdone, followed suit, the pair in competition in the aerobatics department.
“Geez,” David groaned, raking a hand through his hair. “Those two will turn me gray.”
“Er, guys,” Candy said sweetly, tilting her head. A second later, and she had changed into an osprey.
“Good God!” Freddy said, staring. “Do they all have dual shifter status? And here’s me thinking I was a rarity.”
“You are,” Moe said soothingly. “You were born that way. They were genetically engineered.”
Freddy nodded, then rolled his eyes. “What am I thinking? I’m standing here when I should be working, trying to find where Fly was taken.”
“Fly? Taken?” Flint asked, his eyes narrowing, excitement quivering through him.
“Geez, Freddy,” David scolded. “Now they’re going to disappear again, trying to track Fly and Morag down.”
“Morag?” Moe asked, clapping his hands. “Isn’t she the one who hurt Fly? The one who pretended to be his mommy and was a nasty old witch instead?”
“That’s the one,” Freddy said, looking like he was fighting not to smile.
“Boys, you come with me. Freddy…don’t lose those critters,” David ordered, grabbing Moe and Flint by the hand and leading them off the roof.
Moe waved cheerfully to Freddy, who groaned, eyeing the two flying shifters and keeping a fix on Candy’s feathered form.
* * * *
“Ghost’s at the high school,” John said, running down the concourse of the mall. “Freddy just told me that Murray, Blue, and Candy are dual shifters, and just took off from the high school roof, after they saw Ghost drive off with two of the older students. The students didn’t look happy about being taken along, apparently.”
“Who?” Pace asked, looking distracted and annoyed, ignoring the dual shifter reference. “I mean, which students?”
“Two girls. Carmen and Felicia. Older kids from the lab facility in Idaho. They’ve been here for years and are just about to graduate high school. They’re studying shifter sciences, biology and chemistry.”
“Did they look scared?”
“How the hell should I know?” John said, flinging up his hands. “I was at the cafe, sweeping up broken glass and wiping up horse shit after someone dumped a load through my window. Smashed the whole thing when they backed into it. They left tire tracks in the shitty mess they created. Bloody ingrates! And with over three thousand residents, nobody saw a damned thing. Typical!”
“Horse shit?” Pace asked, sounding a little amused. “That’s new.”
“New and stinky,” John groused, scowling. “I need to get out to the school, see what my darling offspring are up to.”
“Ryder just called,” Mabel said, wandering over. “He’s on his way there now. He said for you to stay here, John, to keep an eye on the town. Crash is still on the loose. He wants you here in case the bastard shows up.” They’d determined that the pile of dead flowers weren’t a danger, just messy, and were just finishing off with the forensic exam, trying to determine who’d planted them. Fingerprints would help when they found the culprit.
“Fuck that!” John retorted. “My kids are in danger if Ghost is over there. He may already have planted a device by now.”
“He said you’d say that,” Mabel added, smirking at the big Brit. “He also told me to tell you to be on your guard. Divide and conquer was his last message.”
John stared at her, raking a hand through his long black hair. “Fuck! He’s probably right. Ghost wants us running around like headless chickens, doesn’t he? Makes sure he’s seen over at the school, to dis
tract from what might be happening in Sage.”
“I figure we need to call a Code 5,” Pace suggested. “Everyone needs to be on the alert. We may have another situation like that invasion a few years ago. When Kathleen and Drew were nearly taken, and a truck was driven right at the security gates.”
“I tagged Mazy,” Mabel said. “She’s in town for some self-defense classes. Said she’d help out if needed.”
“Mazy?” Pace groaned. “That’s all we need. A rampant elephant shifter causing chaos.”
“If you don’t need my help, young man, I can always take my rampant ass back home,” Mazy said, wandering toward them from the lower level escalators. “I was planning on buying something for your daughter’s birthday, Sheriff, but perhaps I’ll find another use for my money.”
Pace ducked his head, flushing as everyone laughed at Mazy’s sally. “I didn’t forget about Candy’s birthday,” he admitted, glancing up at Mazy sheepishly. “I won’t apologize for my other comment, though. Since you moved into town, you’ve been a menace. We’ve had car accidents when you’ve shifted back into your human form, sashaying down Main Street like you’re Lady Godiva or something.”
She grinned wickedly. “Darling, if only I had the hair,” she said, flicking her shortish gray hair impishly. “Besides, what’s wrong with a bit of female nudity? You male shifters parade about all the time. Comparing notes, are you?”
John guffawed at that one. “I think you mean ‘comparing nuts,’ don’t you?” he said, chuckling merrily as they high-fived.
“I don’t mean to interrupt this lovely bonding moment,” Slade said sarcastically, standing nearby. “Cullen just left, after overhearing you saying that Ghost was out at the school. I think he may be going after Ghost. He thinks it’s all his fault that Ghost has attacked Sage.”
The laughter stopped abruptly at the comment. “Shit,” Pace cursed. “This day is just getting better and better.”