Hunted (Auralight Codex: Dakota Shepherd Book 2)

by Shei Darksbane

  The dragon-Skinwalker snapped down on me, lodging the sword into the roof of its mouth so hard, it punched the hilt through the metal roof of the truck, and as it did, I let go and fell back into the seat below, slicing my arms on the jagged metal as I fell.

  The dragon-Skinwalker threw its head back and roared again, this time in pain, as it shoved off of the truck and beat its massive wings, lifting into the sky with the sword lodged firmly in its mouth. I was sure my wolf-sensitive ears were bleeding by now from the sheer volume they’d endured.

  Raelya floored the gas and the dragon-Skinwalker wheeled around to pursue, whipping its head one way and the other, trying to dislodge the sword from its mouth, but the blade was stuck tight. The great beast shook its head violently once more, then suddenly gave up and simply became the griffon once again. The sword fell free as the dragon’s mouth stopped being a dragon’s mouth, and the griffon-Skinwalker caught it in its back claws and transferred it deftly into the curling front talons as it dove at us again.

  The griffon-Skinwalker roared in outrage and loathing, swooping once more with its talons extended. I matched its roar with a roar of defiance, and thrust my hand through the hole once again. The griffon-Skinwalker saw the Hellfire coming and tried to change course, but I’d timed it just right and nailed it with a glob of Hellfire that impacted the beast with palpable fury. The flames practically sprinted up the long feathers, spreading like a lambent plague that engulfed the griffon’s wings so quickly it didn’t have time to react and land.

  The flaming griffon suddenly lost all lift as the fire devoured enough feathers to ruin its wings, and the now wingless bird-lion lost control and fell like a comet to the ground, slamming into the trees with an impossibly loud, creaking crunch. I watched behind us as several trees fell beneath the supernatural weight of its impact.

  Raelya steadied the truck and ferried us away from the point of impact at top speed, and after a few breathless moments, I realized that we really had lost it for now, and I let myself flatten back against the seat to catch my breath, holding my bloody arms to my chest. “Great.” I laughed breathlessly.

  Raelya glanced over at me with naked concern. “What? What is wrong?”

  I laughed again, possibly a little deliriously. “Oh nothing, just… There’s an angry Skinwalker after us that can turn into a freaking dragon… and now it has a sword.”

  27

  Flight of the Valkyries

  Raelya parked the battered truck right next to the curb at the tiny airport. I gave the parking lot a careful scan as we pulled in but the terminals were closed, and there was no one around that I could see or smell.

  Elisa had shifted back into her human form a few minutes after the Skinwalker’s retreat. Her side had knitted itself tentatively back together, but the bed of the truck was covered in her blood and I was deeply concerned about her well-being. I hurried to the back end of the truck to check on her again as soon as we rolled to a stop, and found her propped up and conscious, which seemed generally like good signs. “You okay, Mama Wolf?”

  Elisa snorted mildly. “Will be fine.” She moved a bit tenderly, but the look she gave me when I offered a hand told me if she wasn’t actually fine, she would be soon enough. Raelya got out of the truck with Elisa’s clothes in hand. Elisa pulled her dress on quickly, leaving her undergarments in the back of the truck. Obviously, she thought she’d need to shift again soon, and I didn’t think she was wrong.

  Raelya waited just long enough for Elisa to get dressed, then threw her arms around her and nuzzled her cheek. Elisa grunted at her stoically, but hugged her and patted her back softly. I smiled to myself as I stepped aside to look for signs of Amorie.

  The airport felt abandoned. This was not the McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville where the facility was huge and newly renovated with nine thousand foot runways taking up over two thousand acres of land, nor was it the Downtown Island Home Airport where most of the private and corporate aircraft landed downtown. It was a single landing strip with a little one-story hut of a terminal and a dozen parking spaces that badly needed repainting. I felt like there should be another word for this place, because it barely felt like an airport at all.

  I wandered back over to the others when I was satisfied that we were alone. “No one’s here. Let’s wait inside.”

  Elisa nodded, starting for the door and Raelya followed her. The door was locked, but we figured a little protection was worth the trouble of picking it. Elisa had a hair pin and I’d seen this once on an episode of Castle, so I figured I could manage. The lock wasn’t very solid or I doubt I could have pulled it off, though Raelya seemed a little more confident than I felt when she offered to do it instead just before I managed it myself. Once inside, we took a seat and waited, watching out the windows facing the strip.

  I sighed to myself as we waited. Raelya noticed and slipped over into the chair to my right, sliding an arm around me gently. I nuzzled her shoulder lightly and she nuzzled the side of my head. “Are you all right, Dakota?” Her voice was soft and low.

  I nodded. “Just mad at myself and stuff.”

  Elisa glanced my way and raised an eyebrow. Raelya tilted her head a little. “But why?”

  I shrugged. “It was stupid of me to drag the two of you out here. Elisa got hurt because of me, you got hurt, and my track record with other people’s trucks isn’t looking so great either.”

  Elisa harrumphed. “Silly girl. I am not hurt because of you. I am hurt because Skinwalker is trying to hurt my pack and I chose to fight it.”

  I smiled helplessly at her, but I still felt bad. “If I hadn’t decided to drag us out here—”

  Elisa cut me off with a thwack to the back of my head. “Who is in charge?” I ducked my head a little as heat rushed to my cheeks. “Hmm? Now stop being silly. Skinwalker is still out there and we do not have time for blame or regret.” I smiled again, unable to hold it back, and nodded once. Elisa held my eyes with hers and nodded back. “Good. Remember, Dakota, Skinwalker is intruder in our home. If something must have blame for these things, blame Skinwalker.”

  I lifted my chin. “You’re right. Sorry… I’m just…”

  “You are afraid you made mistake, but it is silly to think you could have done anything else. It was reasonable that we come here for reasons we did, and Skinwalker was ready for us. At best, we lured it away from home and pack. At worst, we walked into its trap and still hurt it worse than it hurt us.” Elisa grinned fiercely.

  I grinned right back. “Yeah? I guess we did. You were awesome, Mama Wolf.”

  Raelya squeezed my arm. “You were awesome too.”

  Elisa nodded and grunted her agreement. “I could not believe what you did with that sword.”

  I blinked. “What? Me? You’re kidding right? All I did was panic and hold up a sword. He was the one crazy enough to stick his mouth on it.”

  Raelya laughed lightly and shook her head. “You made it lose the big cat form with the long teeth. And you burned up the griffon’s wings too!” I scoffed mildly and Raelya eyed me seriously. “Dakota, you fought a dragon with a sword and won.”

  “Perhaps ‘won’ is putting it strongly.” Elisa added with a critical sniff. “But you are not dead or eaten, so is an achievement.”

  I laughed. “I’m not usually much of an achievement hunter, but in this case—”

  A distant cry broke the air and the three of us jerked our heads around toward the sound in unison.

  Then breathed a mutual sigh of relief.

  It was the sound of an approaching jet, not the baleful cry of the Skinwalker in some horrific form.

  I spent the next few minutes pacing as the plane drew closer and closer. A car pulled up outside and I wasn’t the only one who went on alert; Raelya and Elisa both came to their feet and joined me near the window to see what business the newcomer had at the tiny airport.

  A pale-skinned man stepped out of the car and adjusted his tie before circling around to the trunk. He pulled out a pair of
air traffic light-stick-thingies and jogged over to the runway, tucking them under one arm then settling an earbud into place. His aura made it pretty clear who he was and what he was doing here, if his actions weren’t clear enough.

  The jet arrived shortly after; the vampire lit up his light stick things and guided the plane in. As soon as the small private jet was on the ground, the vampire rushed around to the side facing the building we were in and helped settle the fold-out staircase and lock it into place. As I watched him work, I hoped he was unimportant enough to the Skinwalker that he’d be safe leaving here alone when his part in this was played.

  Amorie emerged from the jet and descended the stairs briskly. She scanned her surroundings, then pulled out her phone. I pulled mine out just as it started ringing. “Dakota?”

  “Look at the little building in front of you.”

  I waved through the glass as Amorie glanced my way and frowned. “I thought I told you to stay at the pack house.”

  “I thought I told you not to come at all.” I shrugged at her.

  “Indeed.” Amorie ended the call and put her phone away. I did the same and waited for her to reach us. A moment later, she stepped through the door and I all but tackled her. “Dakota?” Amorie sounded startled as she wrapped her arms around me in return. “What is—” I kissed her. Amorie seemed surprised but kissed me back and gave me a solid squeeze.

  I settled back on my heels after a moment and smiled at her shakily. “Shit got real while you were still in the wind, Am.”

  Amorie smirked. “In the wind… Very funny. But what happened?” Her expression sobered as she studied my face.

  “The Skinwalker attacked us on the way here—”

  Elisa cut me off. “We can tell story later. For now, should focus on getting back to house. Skinwalker is still out there. We should not give it more time to prepare for us than necessary.”

  I nodded. “Long story short, Skinwalker attack. That thing is scary, Am. We should stay alert on the way back. We don’t know that it won’t come out to play again.”

  Amorie’s eyes flashed darkly for an instant as she ran her finger along my forearm which was still coated in dried blood, though it had long since healed. “I certainly hope it does.”

  I took her hand in mine. “Let’s go. Elisa’s right. We should try to get back to the pack house.” Amorie nodded and followed us out. As we hurried to the truck, I noticed the other car in the parking lot and remembered the vampire who had arrived to help Amorie’s landing. “What about your posse back there? Aren’t you going to bring them for backup?”

  Amorie smiled at me patiently. “Do not be silly, ma chérie. They would likely only die. I may be a monster, but I am not that kind of monster.” She patted my arm gently. “Besides, I don’t need them.”

  I smiled at her, but winced inwardly. I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, Amorie…

  We climbed into the truck, Ralof’s poor, battered and abused, now complete with sunroof, hopefully still functional truck, and Raelya turned the key. The engine wheezed and whined at us pathetically on the first try. Raelya cursed in her not-English language and tried again. The engine submitted and came to life despite its continued complaints, and Raelya put us on the road home.

  “It looks like things were pretty bad, ma chérie.” Amorie noted, eying the jagged edges of the hole in the roof.

  I laughed humorlessly. “You could say that again, Am. You could say that again.”

  28

  Fools Rush In

  The Skinwalker’s cry shattered the midnight silence, and even from miles away, it sent tingles down my spine. Elisa growled lowly in the front seat next to Raelya. “Skinwalker is waiting for us to come away from civilization again.”

  Raelya nodded. “He is trying to scare us, too.”

  Elisa grunted. “Predator tactics.”

  I squeezed Amorie’s hand in the back seat. She glanced up at me and smiled slightly, though she seemed distracted. “Do not worry, little wolf. I will take care of the Skinwalker. It will all be over soon.”

  I sighed. “I hope you know what you’re doing Am. This thing is really bad news.”

  Amorie leaned over and kissed me tenderly. I leaned into her and absorbed the comfort of knowing she was right here, close enough to kiss. She leaned back, smiling at me with her clever little smile. “So am I.” Her voice was low and cold.

  I turned my eyes back to the road. “Should we call the pack and let them know what’s going on? What if Ralof circles back to the house because the Skinwalker isn’t in the woods out back?”

  Raelya looked to Elisa, concern in her eyes. Elisa nodded. “That is good idea. Call Elliot. Tell him Skinwalker is on this side of mountain. If Ralof comes back, he should know where to take hunting party next.”

  I whipped out my phone and made the call. Elliot answered quickly, his tone even and quiet as usual which told me nothing especially interesting had happened at the pack house. Good. I told him that the Skinwalker was on this side of the mountain, asked him to tell Ralof that if he returned, and that we were trying to make it back, but the Skinwalker was obviously out there hunting us.

  Elliot assured me he would tell Ralof, hesitated, then asked if he could speak with Elisa. I handed the phone over and let them talk, distracting myself by peering out the windows and the newly-installed sunroof for signs of ambush. Elisa spoke with Elliot briefly, confirming his orders, then returned my phone. I tried not to bristle; Elliot and I would have to settle our dominance battle another time.

  We were nearly halfway home when the Skinwalker trumpeted a deafening roar of challenge and impending victory, swooping in from the trees and circling the truck in the form of a Roc, the mythical bird of legend. I knew things like that because, well, Dungeons and Dragons.

  The bird was huge, much bigger than Ralof’s truck, and Raelya was forced to dodge onto the shoulder to avoid it’s extended talons as it made a grab for us. She flashed me a grin in the dangling rear-view mirror. If I didn’t know there was a terrifyingly powerful monster after us, I’d have said she was enjoying this.

  Amorie squeezed my hand, then stood up suddenly and disappeared through the sunroof, climbing neatly out of the jagged hole with such speed that I barely knew what had happened by the time she shoved off from the truck and landed on the road behind us with force. “Shit!” I reached for the door. “Raelya, stop the truck!”

  Raelya slammed on the brakes and brought the truck to a screeching halt. I leapt out, closely followed by Elisa who was already shedding her dress in order to shift. I couldn’t see Amorie on the road, and I didn’t have long to look for her.

  The Roc-Skinwalker circled overhead and then it was suddenly falling toward us, its form morphed horrifically from the giant bird into an impressively massive, ancient-looking, spiney bear-thing. I knew what it was because I’d looked up the word “Ursa” after Jack had mentioned it the night of my first run with the pack when we’d come across the Skinwalker’s tracks in the woods. I still didn’t know what an Ursa was capable of, but the ground shook with the impact as the Ursa-Skinwalker landed in front of us like a furry orbital drop soldier. The monstrosity thundered out a grizzly roar of challenge.

  Elisa stepped in front of me, just finishing her change to the war form and snarled in response. The Ursa-Skinwalker charged toward us and Elisa clashed with it hard, claws seeking flesh. She deftly raked her claws across the Ursa-Skinwalker’s shoulder and sent a tuft of thick, white fur flying. The Ursa-Skinwalker hit her with a heavy blow that staggered her back a step and she rebounded in a flash, snapping her teeth at the primal bear’s throat.

  Elisa was strong, fast, tough, and old enough to know what the hell she was doing. But the Ursa-Skinwalker was strong, so incredibly strong, and unimaginably tough. It’s thick hide seemed to shrug off Elisa’s blows, and while its claws weren’t as sharp as hers, it put enough force behind its blows to prove that her hide was not nearly so thick. In a fight against a werewolf, the U
rsa had an advantage in that bears were generally good at fighting alone, and a wolf was meant to fight with a pack. Facing it one on one, Elisa wouldn’t stand a chance, and I knew it.

  They traded vicious blows, Elisa landing half a dozen cruel cuts for each attempt by the slower Ursa-Skinwalker to land a single one. But when one finally connected with her, I could almost feel the fearsome force of the impact in my teeth as a massive paw slammed into Elisa and she, in turn, slammed into the ground. I heard something snap, but Elisa was back on her feet in a blink, snarling and diving back into the fight. Watching her fight was awe-inspiring, but I had to get in there and help her now.

  My mind raced as I contemplated the idea of shifting into war form myself, but my earlier track record was two-and-oh with the Hellfire, so I decided to go with green burny hands for five hundred. As soon as I saw an opening, I unleashed the wicked flames from my palm, hoping to set the monster on fire. The Ursa-Skinwalker seemed to expect my attack, however, and rolled to the side, dodging in a manner that would have been impossible for a normal bear. I mean, I’m no bear expert, but I was pretty sure bears couldn’t roll like that and just come right back up swinging.

  I expected it to go for Elisa again, and that combined with the oddity of its movement left me off guard and unprepared when it leapt for me instead. Raelya, in her wolf-shape, barreled into my side, hitting me hard enough to take the wind out of me, knocking me out of the way and bringing us both clear of the Ursa-Skinwalker’s path just in time.

  Elisa roared in challenge from behind and I instinctively understood; she was trying to draw its attention away from her pack. Raelya circled around to the side opposite Elisa and started harrying the Ursa-Skinwalker as best she could all on her own. Elisa forced the beast to turn its attention back to her by getting in close and digging her claws into its side, hard. The Ursa-Skinwalker couldn’t ignore her anymore, so it wheeled on her viciously and tore into her in return.