Turtleshift

by Linton Bowers

  “That is understandable. I’m aware of your history, and I know the roadblock before us. I also know that trust freely given is easily broken. We can take it slow and build up a mutually trust. I feel going after the imposter is the best way to achieve that goal,” Antoinette said.

  Izzy leaned forward and placed her elbows on her knees letting her gun dangle from her fingers between her legs. “You have an idea of who this imposter is, don’t you?”

  “We do indeed. This isn’t the first time we have been setup to take the fall for heinous actions. It probably won’t be the last. We believe the culprits are members of the Mage Senate. They believe Tuatha are put here to hunt them. Due to the peace brokered with Acashia they will not attack outright. But they plot and scheme to take us down. That is where we feel the search should begin,” Antoinette said.

  “You have to excuse my ignorance, but I don’t know any thing about the Mages or thier Senate,” I said.

  “Hence the need to send some of our people with you. Our people know where to find the local Mages and have an idea of who it might be. The Mage in question is not far from here. I have the teams going with you prepped, and ready with gear for the three of you.”

  Izzy stood. “When do we leave?” She asked as she holstered her pistol.

  “I thought the teams, all of you, and I would break bread first. Is that acceptable?” Antoinette asked.

  “I like that idea,” I said.

  I stood and waited for Antoinette. To show us the way. None of the Lycans in the room moved while we walked by. Antoinette opened a door and held it for us. I side we found a large dining room table with eight woman, four on each side.

  “Terry, please sit here,” she waved to the seat at the head by the door. “Would you ladies accompany me to the far end? I would like to get to know you better.”

  “I guess, that’s okay,” Scarlett said.

  Izzy gave the woman a rather nasty glare and placed her hand on her pistol. To her credit, she did follow the woman and took a seat next to the other head of the table. Scarlet sat across from Izzy and Antoinette took her place across from me. Our hostess clapped her hands and two Lycan women dressed like waiters in black slacks and white button up shirts brought out trays of food. Every woman tamed, or employed, by my father was gorgeous. Considering my Tua were beautiful women, I had no room to talk. It was that he had so many that felt wrong to me.

  “Hi,” A cute brunette with a button nose said. She sat to my right and held her hand out to me. “I’m Chloe, one of the possible Tuas for you to tame.”

  “Oh.” I didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t the first Lycan to every offer herself up like she was auditioning to be in my pack. It was far stranger than when Andrea approached me.

  “She can be a little blunt,” The woman across from Chloe said. She had bronze skin and a strong Roman nose, but she was still an attractive woman. “I’m Tula, the leader of Antoinette’s strike team. I’ll be your go between for my team. Anything you need, let me know and we will see about making it happen.”

  “Nice to meet you, Tula.”

  “I’m Porshia,” the raven haired woman next to Chloe said. “Chloe doesn’t mean to be rude, but she often times doesn’t think. This is Reina, and Lauren. We are all here to help and become pack, if you feel we would be a good fit.”

  “Oh.”

  “It’s alright to be uncomfortable with this arrangement,” Tula said. “It does seem a bit creepy and rapey.”

  “Wait,” My eyes went wide. “I’m not going too…”

  “I know,” Tula interrupted. “I didn’t mean to say yo were. It’s just that this is all kinds of fucked. Don’t mind me.”

  “I’m not too big on it either,” I said. “Is it always like this here?” I asked.

  Tula looked around then leaned forward all conspiratorial like. I leaned closer ready to hear a secret I hoped would help me in dealing with my father. I wasn’t sure what dealing with him meant to me just yet, but it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared.

  “Between you and me, something has Miss A over there and your old man spooked. You being his kid, I figure I can be candid. Whatever this mission is, I think it’s more than we are being told. Stay on your toes and keep your head on a swivel. Pass that on to your Tua,” She said.

  “What about the offering of Lycans thing?” I asked.

  “It’s one of the reasons I think this is serious shit. They have never done that before. Could be, it’s cause you’re the son and they want to see you grow and get strong. A parenting thing.”

  “I doubt that,” I said. She was giving me valuable info, so I didn’t finish by saying he abandoned my mom and I and I wanted him to burn in hell.

  “Either way, it’s strange and i don’t like it.” Tula leaned back and dug into the pile of food on her plate.

  “Hey, Terry. It is Terry right?” Chloe asked.

  “That’s right,” I said.

  “You ever see a Werebadger?”

  “No,” I said wide eyed. I should have figured they would be a thing, but it hadn’t crossed my mind before.

  “Cool, cause that’s what I am. It’s going to be so sweet when I shift and you can see me in action.”

  “I don’t doubt that.”

  As we ate the other women spoke up telling me what they were and asking questions about my pack. It was a nice little dinner and I enjoyed meeting all the new Lycans.

  Chapter 25

  We rode in a caravan of four black SUVs with blacked out windows. My Tua and I sat in the third vehicle. Antoinette’s team were split between the first and fourth, while the merc girls, as I came to calling them, were in the second.

  Our target was a mage, which had me all kinds of worried. Lassiter was the only mage I fought, but he was different from the rest. He controlled flesh, adn flesh I could destroy easily. A mage that controlled fire, or earth, that was a different story. How do you fight fire? The easy answer was with fire, but I still couldn’t use Dragonshift.

  The truck slowed to a stop and I took stock of our situation. We were parked on the street in front of a YMCA. The place looked abandoned, which wasn’t a surprise considering it was nine o’clock at night. The fewer witnesses the better.

  One thing that still bothered me was the plan. I didn’t know what it was and I wouldn’t until it was underway. I agree to that stipulation because doing so meant I would get the merc girls on a permanent basis regardless of me making them Tua. Antoinette said she would continue to pay them for a s long as I wanted to have them around, or until I accepted them as pack. It seemed like a good deal at the time. Once we fought a battle and I could see what they were capable of, I would know if I was right, or if I was duped.

  The doors opened on the lead vehicle and Tula came over. She rapped on the passenger window and I rolled it down. For once, my Tua let me ride in the front seat.

  “We go on foot from here. We can’t all go together though, or it will look suspicious. Terry, you come with me and I will have my girls, and the mercs split up with your Tua. We will meet up at the planned attack points. Good?”

  “I guess so,” I said. Her attitude about keeping me in the dark was starting to get to me. Rage trickled into my bloodstream and the world took on a darker redder hue. It took a few deep breaths to keep from losing my shit.

  “You okay?” Tula asked as I left the vehicle.

  “Yeah, just anxious.”

  “Keep it together, Terry,” Izzy thought to me. “We don’t need to make more enemies. These people seem to want to help you, let’s keep it that way.”

  “I’m sorry, Izzy. I don’t think I’m back to normal yet.” I thought back.

  “I know. Just try, for me, please.”

  “I will, for you.”

  “You and I are going in the front,” Tula said.

  “The front of what?” I asked.

  “That.” She pointed to a building surrounded by a tall green line of hedge bushes.

  “What is that?” I ask
ed as we walked closer.

  “It’s a mansion. Most Mage communities hide in large houses like this. It looks like a mansion on the outside, but the inside will be more like a self contained village.”

  “How many Mages are we talking?” I asked. “And what about kids? I won’t help murder kids, Mages or no.”

  Tula laughed. “Nothing like that is going to happen. We are going to walk in like we own the place and head up to the third floor. The leader will be there. If we’re lucky, he will spill the moment we pop a claw. If not, we beat him and any guards he has. It will probably be tough, but we can handle it. There is a reason these fuckers fear us,” Tula said.

  “And what is that reason?” I asked.

  “Let’s hope you don’t find out. Here we go.”

  We crossed the line of bushed onto the grounds. The path morhed from concrete to cobblestones and the surrounding landscape was an immaculate portrait of green grass and strategically placed flowers of reds and yellows.

  No one stopped us as we made our way down the long walk to the door. It was unlocked and we walked in. Inside, no one so much as looked at us while we strolled by to the stairs. The house was not what I expected. When Tula described the way life would be inside I pictured tents spread out and clothes lines hanging everywhere. Instead, there was a vast amount of sitting furniture and lots of people occupying them. There were a lot of doors, and the floor plan was weird. Like the place had too many rooms. The second floor was much the same, but we didn’t stick around to find out for sure.

  The third floor was more in line with the appearance of the outside. The floor was a rich dark wood and the walls were maroon with gold trim. The walls held paintings and large colorful vases stood next to small half circle tables with flowers in smaller matching vases. The flowers gave the hall a nice floral scent.

  A guard in a black suit stood by a door at the end of the hall. Tula turned right leading m toward him.

  “What’s your business with the Grand Ember?” The guard asked as he moved to stand directly between us and the door.

  “We need to ask him a few questions,” Tula said.

  “How nice for you. Please show yourselves out.”

  “Not happening,” I said.

  “Last chance,” the guard said as he stepped forward.

  His little act of aggression set me off. I pulled forty percent from my pack as I stepped forward. My fingers closed around the lapels of his coat and I spun sending him flying. The man hit the window at the end ot the hallway and passed through in a storm of glass shards. I turned to the door ready to smash it in.

  “Wait,” Tula said. “Let’s try the door knob. If things work out and we don’t have to resort to violence then we will want to refrain from doing damage. Or, anymore damage. You should think about some anger management courses.”

  “Just open it,” I growled. She had a point though, so I dropped the power draw back to my normal ten percent.

  The door knob spun and the door opened inward. The room beyond was a big office with two more doors along the wall we entered from. The far wall sported floor to ceiling windows that spanned the length of the room. With large expensive looking cherry wood furniture the room felt like money.

  “I guess he’s not home,” Tula said.

  “I bet he is through one of those doors. My guess is this is a horseshoe shaped floor plan and those doors lead to living spaces. I’m getting the idea that this guy doesn’t want to live below with the common folk.”

  “Valid point.” Tula turned to face the three doors. “Left or right?”

  “I think left first. It should be a shorter leg since it’s cut of by the stairs.”

  The woman, who hadn’t told me what type of Lycan she was, opened the door. Beyond it we found a large bathroom with a walk in shower big enough for five. There was a door in the far wall which turned out to be a linen closet full of towels and bathrobes.

  Having not found our quarry, we backtracked and Tula opened the right door. Together, we stepped into a kitchen that was all stainless steel and white tile. It sickened me to see the opulence while those below lived like refuges. The kitchen was empty, so we continued through to the next door.

  This one opened into a living room pregnant with comfy looking furniture and entertainment gadgets. Once again, this one was empty. The next door opened into a bedroom.

  A poster bed dominated the large room. A figure under sheet moved up and down in a steady rhythm and the mattress squeaked from the motion. It seemed the mage had company and was entertaining at the moment.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” Tula said, and I liked her a little more because of it.

  A woman screamed and the man jumped from the bed. Her stomped around the bed naked as the day he was born and red faced. The woman scrambled to cover herself.

  “What is the meaning of this intrusion?” The man spoke in a deep raspy voice.

  “We needed to speak to you,” I said before Tula could answer. “I am under the impression that you had my home destroyed, and blamed it on a fellow Lycan. I want to know why?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he replied.

  I activated wolf sense before speaking. He stank of sex, but surprising little sweat. That worked in my favor. He must not have been going at it long. “Say that again.”

  “Why should I?” He asked.

  “Because I might find it hard to control myself if you don’t. The way I feel right now, you wouldn’t want to piss me off.”

  “I could care less about your mood swings. I want you out now.”

  “I tell you what. You answer the question once more then we will go. If not, I’ll get comfortable and hang around for a while. I don’t see too many of those hippies downstairs coming up to fight.”

  “Fine, I didn’t do it.”

  The sound of his heartbeat picked up and the stink of sweat became more prominent. “Lier!”

  I ran at him shoved hard. The mage fell back landing on his ass and sliding across the carpet until he hit the wall hard.

  “You fucker!” The woman on the bed shouted as she jumped up. Her modesty was no longer a concern since I escalated the situation. She threw her hands out and a ball of fire formed 8n from of her palms.

  Seeing a mage create a real life ball of flame mesmerized me. If not for Tula tackling me at the last second I would have been bar-b-que.

  We hit the ground with me acting as her soft landing apparatus. Tula rolled off and sprung to her feet. I rolled over and stood just in time to see another ball of flaming death streaking toward me. I had to lean hard to the left to keep from being hit and felt the heat of the attack as it passed.

  I took one step in the direction of the woman when a new lightsource flickered on. The mage on the ground had his hands out and flames grew. As I watched, instead of becoming a fireball the flames condensed into a swirling ball of red and orange. I had a bad feeling all of a sudden.

  The ball didn’t fly at me like I expected. A thin red beam shot out which I barely managed to dodge. The beam grazed me left side and I moved, but it followed. Ten feet is how far I had to move before the spell ran out of juice. “Did you really just shoot a laser at me?” I asked with venom in my voice.

  “Fuck you!” Another flame burst to like before his outstretched hands.

  One thing I expected was mire fire from the woman. I spared her a glance and saw Tula standing behind the woman with a knife to her throat. Instead of casting, she was crying.

  The flames in front of the mage dude condensed. I pulled sisxty percent from my pack and time slowed. The shrinking ball slowed and looked really fucking cool as the swirls barely moved, or that’s how I precieved it.

  Waiting for thebattack was not a viable option. In the blink of an eye I was next to the mage. A hard blow to his head knocked him unconscious and the ball fizzled out. In hindsight, I probably should have let him fire and expell the energy. For all I knew the ball would blow up once he was no longer able to contro
l it.

  “Let’s get these two tied up so we can be better prepared to deal with them when he wakes up,” Tula said.

  Chapter 26

  Twenty minutes after I knocked the mage out he woke up finding himself tied to a chair next to his girlfriend. I assumed they were dating since neither had a ring on. Both were still nude.

  The woman was an attractive one, with tan skin and features that made me think she was a latina. I wondered how she felt about being in a pack and becoming much more powerful? I had to see what she was like before thinking of offering that to her.

  “Hey, buddy, how ya doing?” Tula asked. While tieing them up, she asked me to let her do the talking. “Now, I know this looks bad from your vantage, but trust me when I say it could get worse.” She leaned over putting her face close to his. “It can also end on a high note, if you agree to cooperate. Your choice.”

  Tula stood and stepped back. The man glared at us both but didn’t respond. Wolf sense was still running so I smelled the scent of something burning and I knew exactly what he was doing.

  “If you don’t stop trying to burn through your ropes, I’ll be forced to fuck you up. Then all bets are off. No more Mr. and Mrs. nice guys. Things will get painful and bloody, starting with your woman friend,” I said.

  “Don’t touch her!” He screamed in a high pitch voice.

  “And we won’t,” Tula said. “As long as you cooperate. That’s all were asking for. Cooperate with us, and we walk away. No harm no foul. Don’t cooperate, and well…” she shrugged letting the rest go unsaid.

  “Fine. What do you want from me.”

  “Why did you have Lassiter Security attack my people and make it look like the work of another Lycan?” I asked.

  “I was ordered to do so by the Mage Senate. The thinking was one Mage Hunter could kill the other. If we were lucky, both would die. After some research they discovered the Tuatha in question was your estranged father. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out there was already bad blood.”

  “You guys really think we want to hunt you?” I asked. “Because I don’t. I want to learn as much as I can about magic. I just found out it’s a thing and I think it’s cool as fuck.”