Endangered

by Michelle Larkin

  Tora bolted from the sofa in a flash. She had already shifted into a lioness by the time Aspen had her weapon drawn.

  “Skye!” Aspen shouted toward the kitchen as the sound of an automatic weapon continued to assault her ears in short consistent bursts.

  “I’m okay!” Skye yelled back.

  She thought of Oscar outside with his pack. As worried as she was for him, she knew he could take care of himself. Her main focus right now was getting the girl to safety. Staying low, she made her way to the kitchen and found Skye underneath the table. “Are you hurt?”

  The girl shook her head.

  Tora came up alongside them, still in lioness form.

  Aspen crawled out from under the table to latch the dead bolt on the kitchen door. It wouldn’t keep the bad guys out forever, but it would slow them down. She crawled back and looked from Tora to Skye. “There’s a window in the attic. That’s the highest and safest point in the house right now. I’ll take you up there so you can fly out of this mess. Let’s go.” She grabbed Skye’s forearm and started pulling her along.

  “I can’t,” Skye said, not budging. “Our laws say I’m supposed to protect you.”

  Aspen glanced down at her uniform and thought for a moment. Who was she to argue about following the law? Rapid gunfire outside was suddenly interrupted by the heart-wrenching sound of a high-pitched yelp. One of the wolves had been hit. Her stomach somersaulted at the thought of losing Oscar.

  “You’re right,” Aspen said, wiping a smudge of leftover whipped cream from Skye’s chin. “New plan. Go upstairs and fly out from a window. Swoop down and take every weapon you can from the bad guys, just like you did with the dart gun. But be careful. At least one of their weapons is fully automatic. It’s big and can do a lot of damage but less accurate when it comes to hitting a target.” She turned to the lioness. “I’ll take the front. You take the back. We take out as many bad guys as we can. Agreed?”

  “But you can’t shift yet,” Skye protested.

  “Maybe not. But as a police officer, this is my weapon of choice.” The Glock felt solid and familiar in her hands. “Until I get my teeth and claws,” she added, trying to muster a reassuring smile for the girl.

  A longer spray of gunfire outside made her stomach do another series of flips. From what she could tell, there was only one automatic weapon at play. “Go for the largest gun first,” she told Skye.

  Skye followed her to the stairs leading to the second floor of the house. The girl fled up the stairs two at a time and vanished around the corner. Aspen looked back at the lioness with a check-in glance. The lioness nodded and headed off toward the kitchen at a gallop.

  Aspen was poised to exit through the front door of the house. She hesitated. How would Tora manage to open the locked kitchen door to get outside? She considered going back to help her when she heard something large crash through one of the kitchen windows. Apparently, the doctor had already found a solution on her own…without the need for opposable thumbs.

  Ducking down low, Aspen threw the door open and dove headfirst behind some bushes. Bullets sailed through the air around her before she even hit the ground. How many SEA soldiers were there? She had heard just one fully automatic weapon, but maybe that was a tactic to lure her outside and get her to think they stood a fighting chance of escaping alive.

  Did these soldiers have every exit and window covered? She couldn’t risk letting Skye open a window to find out. A white owl against the dark night sky would make an easy target. But she had no way of knowing which side of the house Skye would choose. Given the girl’s loyalty and protective nature, she would probably choose the side of the house from which Aspen had exited.

  Without giving it a second thought, she took a deep breath, rolled from the bushes, and sprinted across the front yard toward the source of the gunfire. A moving target was harder to hit than a sitting one. With any luck, she would draw the attention away from Skye and give her the precious few seconds she needed to escape.

  * * *

  Tora galloped across the kitchen, leaped up, and squeezed her eyes shut as she crashed through the window above the sink. Confident her thick fur would protect her from glass shards, she landed, unscathed, on the cold ground in pitch-black darkness. Her lioness eyes adjusted. Seeing at night had never been a problem for her.

  Forced to assess her surroundings at lightning speed, she was on the move in microseconds as she evaded bullets aimed in her direction. She was intuitively aware of two wolves nearby. Fortunately, identifying friend versus foe was easy. Anyone in human form was now fair game.

  She quickly honed in on the soldier shooting from the tree line and immediately recognized his weapon of choice: a Remington R-25 semiautomatic. She knew from experience this particular rifle was a favorite of humans because it was built to take down big game. Tora loathed this weapon. It had taken the lives of more than a few of her colleagues, friends, and family over the years.

  She sensed the wolves were already stalking him from both sides. Tunnel vision kicked in as she charged at a full gallop. Covering thirty feet with every stride, she was on top of him in seconds.

  The wolves arrived at the same time with calculated precision. They clamped powerful jaws around his forearms and bit down into his flesh. One on each side, the wolves held his arms away from his body as she reared up and tore into his throat.

  Releasing his lifeless body, she was instantly aware of a second soldier who had taken up position behind the first, about ten yards out. Rifle cocked, he took aim at her and fired.

  Chapter Seven

  Bullets from at least three different sources rained down around Aspen. She kept running toward the one in the middle, finally deviating from her course when a bullet whizzed past and took part of her uniform sleeve with it. Suddenly, everything around her slowed. She became acutely aware of the cold air on her skin, the sound of her own heart thumping wildly in her ears, the taste of blood in her mouth. Still running, she zeroed in on three bodies hiding in the darkness as clear to her as if they were under bright spotlights, an impossible feat if she were merely human, but she realized her abilities were flexing their muscles now. She sensed two wolves moving in at Oscar’s command. The man on the left and the man on the right, she suddenly knew, would be disposed of quickly.

  The wolves were leaving the one in the middle for her.

  She dove behind a large boulder and felt her mind reaching out to Skye’s. Almost immediately, she sensed a large winged presence hovering somewhere above her in the darkness. Had she somehow instinctively called Skye to her? No time to think about that now. The important thing was that she knew Skye was there, watching and waiting for her signal. Without looking up for fear of giving away the girl’s location, she darted out from behind the boulder to draw the soldiers’ attention once again.

  They fired on her repeatedly as she sprinted forward. She heard the sound of muffled screams on both sides as the wolves finally caught up with their quarry. Closing in on hers, she saw the panic in his eyes as a giant owl swooped in and plucked the weapon from his grasp with ease. Skye disappeared just as efficiently and silently. That girl had skill.

  He was reaching for the gun at his hip when Aspen blew two holes in his chest, dead center. He went down hard, hitting the ground with an audible thud.

  Everything went eerily quiet. The wolves approached her from both sides, blood still dripping from their muzzles. “Thanks for your help,” she said. “Where’s Oscar?”

  They led her to the backyard. One wolf walked ahead while the other took her six and walked behind. Oscar had obviously shared the news that she was a Myriad. They were taking their allegiance of protection seriously.

  Aspen sensed a somber feeling in the air. The wolf in front lowered his head, flattened his ears, and tucked his tail as they rounded the far corner of the house. Several wolves had already gathered in the backyard, their heads hanging low.

  Her heart plummeted as she stepped between them to gaze down
at Oscar. One of the wolves chuffed to get his attention. Sprawled on the ground in wolf form, Oscar lifted his head with great effort to peer into her eyes as she approached. She dropped to her knees and held his head between her hands. His thick black fur was soaked with blood, his body riddled with holes. She realized he was holding on only to say good-bye.

  Despite her desire to be strong for him, she felt her eyes well up. Oscar meant everything to her. How could she ever say good-bye? “I’ll make sure we win this war to save our people. You have my word.”

  He blinked and nodded ever so slightly.

  Still holding his head up, she kissed his muzzle and peered into his eyes. “Love you, Pop.” She had never called him that before. But he was as much her father as any man could be.

  The tears spilled from his eyes now as he returned her gaze with such tenderness and love. Then, with one final breath, he was gone.

  Aspen set his head gently on the ground. She laid a hand over the blood-soaked fur on his chest. He wasn’t breathing. His heart had stopped beating. She ran her fingertips over his eyes to close them.

  Tora stepped out from the shadows and knelt beside her. “He took those bullets for me,” she said. “Oscar sacrificed himself to save my life. I’m so sorry.”

  Aspen shook her head. Dammit. Of all the people he could have died for here tonight, why’d it have to be her? “First, you get yourself darted. Then you get Oscar killed. Do you still think you should be the one to train me?”

  Unfazed, Tora wrapped a hand around her arm. “Come on. We need to get you out of here.”

  Aspen jerked from her grasp and stood. “Get your hands off me!” She’d shouted louder than she intended. “That’s my father. I’m not leaving him like this.”

  The wolves closed in around her. One by one, they tilted their heads and howled in unison into the nighttime sky. Her arms broke out in goose bumps as they bid their pack leader farewell with a hauntingly beautiful forlorn chorus.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the owl touch down. She watched as Skye approached. “He’s dead?”

  Aspen nodded, drying her eyes with the back of one sleeve.

  Skye went to Oscar. She lifted her arms above her head as they shifted into the pure white wings of an owl. Amazingly, the rest of her body remained in human form. Aspen had no idea Shrouds could do that. Judging from the gasp that escaped Tora’s lips, the doctor was just as surprised.

  Everyone stood still. All eyes were glued to the girl in the center of their circle. The night itself seemed to hold its breath in anticipation of something magical.

  This was the moment Aspen had sensed was coming—the moment when the girl would reveal why she was so important. Skye looked like an angel in the moonlight as she extended her wings and wrapped them around the wolf’s body. She bent her head, as if in prayer, and sat motionless for long minutes. A warm light began to spread from the tip of each wing until every last feather was aglow. The light slowly enveloped her entire body, turning even her short hair a pure, radiant white.

  Aspen found herself wishing for sunglasses. It hurt her eyes to stare directly, but she couldn’t look away. After several minutes, the girl’s light began to dim. She gracefully shifted her wings into human arms, stood, and stepped back.

  Impossibly, Oscar’s chest began to rise as he replenished his oxygen-starved body with a huge lungful of air. Aspen knelt beside him in the dirt as he lifted his wolf head—on his own this time—and blinked up at her. He rose on all fours, looking strong, robust, and healthy.

  She didn’t wait for Oscar to return to human form. Aspen threw her arms around him and hugged him as hard as she could. She felt him shapeshift in her arms as he hugged her back with equal ferocity.

  “Thank God you came back. Now I don’t have to pay for Sunday brunches at IHOP,” she said, struggling to keep the tears to a minimum.

  “My treat,” he whispered. “As long as you keep calling me Pop.” He reached out for Skye and draped an arm around her shoulder, giving her a squeeze. “Thanks, kid. You’ve earned free pancakes for life.”

  Skye grinned shyly. “I didn’t even know I could do that.”

  The magic of what just happened was still sinking in. Curiosity got the best of Aspen. “Then how did you know what to do?” she asked.

  The girl shrugged. “I just followed my instincts.”

  Skye’s white hair remained—a ghostly reminder of tonight’s brush with death. The color was made even more striking by her bright green eyes. She’d mentioned earlier that her mother was an owl. Aspen wondered if her mother possessed the same ability when she was alive. For all she knew, maybe every owl could bring someone back from the dead.

  Oscar turned to his pack. “Anyone injured?”

  A gray wolf stepped forward and shook his head.

  “Thanks for your help tonight, boys. Conduct a perimeter check and report back.” The wolves dispersed immediately, their lithe bodies disappearing into the shadows.

  “I can do a perimeter check from overhead,” Skye offered.

  Oscar nodded. “Stay high.”

  “I will.” Skye leaped into the air, shifting with a grace and speed that Aspen could see mesmerized even a seasoned Shroud like Oscar.

  “Never heard of a Shroud who could bring someone back to life,” he said as soon as Skye flew away. “You were right. There’s something special about that kid. She’ll make a hell of a cop someday.”

  “How do you feel?” Aspen asked.

  “Better without all the holes,” he said, patting his stomach and chest in disbelief.

  “You were dead.”

  “I kind of figured that out already.”

  “Like, really dead.”

  “Did Beckett do a celebratory jig?” Oscar surveyed the shadows. “He’s been after my position as alpha for years.”

  “Like, big Xs over your eyes dead,” she added.

  “What about Miller? He’s quiet about it, but I can feel him breathing down my neck for pack leader.”

  “Like, deader than lobster in butter sauce.”

  Oscar turned to face her. “Feels like you’re rubbing this in just a little.”

  Aspen shrugged. “I’ve just never met a zombie before.” She stared at him. “How long does it take for body parts to decompose and start falling off?”

  With a slightly panicked expression, he checked his own wrist for a pulse. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m very much alive.”

  “Do you have a sudden craving for brains?” According to every horror flick she’d ever watched, brains were always a zombie’s delicacy of choice.

  Frowning, he looked past her to Tora. The doctor was sitting alone on the porch steps. “If I know you—which I do, and quite well I might add—I’m guessing you said something to make her look all sad and lonely.”

  Aspen sighed. “Please don’t make me go over there to make up with her.”

  “Great idea,” he said, slapping her proudly on the shoulder. “You go do that, and I’ll start packing up some food and supplies. We should get moving soon.” He retreated to the house and promptly shut the door behind him, giving her the privacy she didn’t want.

  * * *

  Tora kept playing it over and over in her mind. With a quick glance in the soldier’s direction, Oscar had reacted faster than she could even think. Before she’d had time to process what was happening, Oscar had stepped in front of her to protect her from the onslaught of bullets. He’d stood stoically in place as the bullets pierced his wolf body, one right after another, his eyes on his pack members as he waited for them to put an end to the threat once and for all.

  Tora had shifted back to human form and caught him as his legs gave out beneath him. They’d locked eyes as she cushioned his fall and held his head in her lap. She’d stroked the fur on his neck and shoulders, tears coursing down her cheeks. Too choked up to say anything at all, she hadn’t even thanked him for saving her life.

  She felt her face flush with embarrassment and sh
ame as Aspen approached.

  * * *

  Aspen took a deep breath, walked over, and sat beside the doctor. “You didn’t deserve what I said tonight—”

  “Apology accepted. No harm done.”

  “That wasn’t an apology. But if it was going to turn into an apology, I wasn’t finished with it yet.”

  “Well, whatever it was, I’ve already moved on and forgotten about it. I suggest you do the same.” Tora stood and brushed lightly at her scrubs. “We need to leave. I’ll meet you around front whenever you’re ready.” Without waiting for a reply, she shifted and disappeared around the corner of the house.

  Unbelievable. Aspen shook her head. That woman had a hard candy shell, but she doubted there was anything chocolaty inside. More like an M&M stuffed with turnip.

  Sudden movement in the tree line bordering the backyard caught her eye. Squinting into the shadows, she stood at full attention but didn’t dare move a muscle.

  Chapter Eight

  “Pop?” Aspen had meant to shout, but it came out as a pathetic squeak. Feeling the heat rising in her cheeks, she cleared her throat and tried again. “Pop!” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the storm door spring open.

  Oscar poked his head out. “Taking the new name for a test drive?”

  “Drove it. Happy with it. Old news,” she said, never taking her eyes from the tree line. She felt his eyes shift to the tree line, too.

  “Oh,” was all he said.

  “Is there a party you forgot to mention?”

  He sidled up alongside her and whispered, “I may have asked Beckett to tell a few friends about you. Didn’t expect this kind of turnout.”

  A tiger, a grizzly bear, a cheetah, a gorilla, a snow leopard, and a huge rhinoceros looked on from the safety of the trees. She felt more than a little intimidated. “Are they going to eat me?” she asked, only half joking.