Her eyes hardened. “I told you, I’m not leaving. I’m not going to live like that again. My children aren’t going to grow up like freaks, Matt. Killing the old lady may not have been your plan, but leaving wasn’t mine.”
“But—”
“How could you even ask me?” she cried. “You know what it was like when I lived away! You know! And you still asked me to leave with you? Are you insane?”
He didn’t know about Matt, but Missy was sure as hell out of her mind. Any thoughts of reasoning with her fled when he caught her wild stare. No remorse for the woman she had murdered. Alma had only been an obstacle.
“You may be squeamish, honey, but I’m not. She had to die. You’re the one who told me Thomas Crowe would be on board, and you were right.” Suddenly, a desperate smile crossed her face. “You were right! The hotel plan is going to go through and everyone is going to realize how amazing you are. How much you can do for this town. And eventually, it’s going to be you in that Elder’s seat.” She shook her head, stepping a little closer. “So don’t feel guilty. You didn’t do anything wrong. It was me. It had to happen; you know that.”
How often had she had to give her husband this same speech? From the practiced way it rolled off her tongue, he suspected more than once.
“But, Missy—”
“Shhh.” She stepped toward him, putting a soft finger across his lips. But as soon as she touched him, she knew he wasn’t Matt.
Missy stepped back, her eyes widening in terror before the air around her rippled and Caleb was staring at a mountain lion again. Only this time, she was staring back into the barrel of his gun. He held the 9 mm steady on her eyes.
“One shot, Missy. I don’t want to, but I will.”
She only curled her lip and screamed, the rasping sound filling the canyon as everything happened at once. Missy lunged toward him and Caleb fired, but the bullet only knocked up dust as her body was thrown to the side by the streak of black that hurdled through the air, talons tearing into Missy’s shoulders as the bird threw herself against the lion.
It wasn’t a hawk. It was an eagle.
Magnificent in its aim, the lion jerked away, twisting its body as it tried to free itself of the raptor’s iron grip, but the giant golden eagle held, the long claws digging into the thick skin and its wings beating against the lion’s face as Jena screamed in rage.
“Jena!” Caleb had his gun out, but was afraid to use it when Jena and Missy were so twisted up. He’d have to hit Missy’s head or the thick hide of the lion would protect her from any real injury. But if he fired on the head or soft belly, he could hit Jena.
“Jena, get out of here!”
The bird was locked onto the lion, the vengeful screams filling the canyon as Caleb looked on helplessly. Missy finally twisted, baring her belly to him as her right paw reached up, claws bared, to swipe at the bird that clung to her shoulders. A final scream echoed through the night as red wells of blood burst from the eagle’s underbelly.
“NO!” He fired just as the eagle fell to the ground with a soft thud. He heard a cracking sound as the mountain lion rolled on top of the eagle, bleeding from the shoulder. Then a gasping sob as Missy shifted back to reveal a twisted body beneath her.
Missy was sobbing and holding her shoulder as Caleb shoved her away to lift Jena in his arms.
“Oh shit! Oh Jena, what did you do?”
Four claw marks dug through her breasts and belly. One arm and another leg hung at awkward angles, but she was smiling, a trickle of blood leaking from her lip. She choked, trying to speak as he held her. His body shifted back to himself and he pulled her closer, pushing back the instinctive nausea as Missy moaned and rolled in the dirt.
“Don’t talk.” Caleb looked around desperately as her blood soaked his shirt. “I gotta get you help. Don’t talk! Just hold on.”
Finally, she mumbled, “Good shot, baby.” And then her eyes closed.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
She probably shouldn’t have closed her eyes; that just made him panic.
“Jena!” he screamed. “Wake up!” He shook her a little.
“Ow.” She groaned. “Cut it out.”
“You’re bleeding so much. Too much.” He tore off his shirt and pressed it to her belly. Owww. She winced and pressed her face into his chest. He smelled right. He was perfect for her. How had she been so lucky to find another good one? After Lowell had died, she’d figured that her luck had just run out. After all, you could only expect to meet one man that perfect for you in your lifetime, right? How odd to realize that you were in love with someone when your insides had just been ripped out.
“Spilled my guts,” she mumbled. “Literally. But you’re just right. And you feel right and you smell right. But you gotta work on the language, buddy. It’s not good for the boys.” What was hurting so bad? Something hurt in deep, thick waves that seemed to come and go. And the black stuff around the edge of her vision…
“Jena…” He lifted her up, choking back what sounded like a sob. “Don’t try to talk. Listen to me, honey. Try to stay awake.”
“Of course I’m gonna stay awake. I’m naked and you’re shirtless… I think. Where are we?”
What was wrong with her eyes? Her eyes were always good. Caleb did that weird snort-sobbing thing again and lifted her up.
Owwwww.
“Caleb…” She groaned. “What the hell—?”
“Careful now.” He gave her a strangled laugh. “You’re gonna need your own swear jar.”
“I don’t think I want to go anywhere.” The shock was beginning to wear off and a blistering pain radiated from her belly. She dug her fingers into his arms. “Caleb, put me down.”
“Nope. Sorry.”
“Where are we going?”
“Out of here. Shit,” he muttered. “How many dead ends are in this damn canyon?”
“Lots. There’s lots of dead ends.” She winced as he turned and walked back to where she could hear Missy moaning in pain. Why was she…? Oh, that’s right, that bitch had killed her grandmother. Good, she deserved to moan. She hoped it hurt. A lot. Jena knew she had liked digging her claws into the cat. It had felt great. She only wished she’d been able to dig in a little more…
Just as they were getting closer to where Missy lay, Jena shivered. The air whispered secrets. She could smell the scent of the water, and the prickling lifted the hair on her arms as she felt the magic roll through her.
“Caleb, put me down.”
“Jena, I gotta get you out of here. I know it hurts, but—”
“Put me down.” Her voice was strong and firm. “Lay me down, Caleb. I’ll be fine.”
Ted’s voice came from down the canyon. “Put her down, Caleb. If she changes, you don’t want to be holding her.” Footsteps approached as Caleb set her on the ground, still holding her in his lap. Idiot. He’d pay with talon marks on his thighs if she shifted. But something inside her gut told her that would not be a good idea.
She felt others approaching and heard Ted call out, “Someone run down to the fresh spring and get her some water! Jena—” Ted’s voice was closer now“—this is way worse than a fracture or your average cut. Do not shift. You hear me? I don’t want your insides rolling around. Someone get some spring water. Fast!”
Water sounded good. Water would make her feel better. It always did. Who told her that? Her grandmother? Maybe… She felt herself drifting off, but her eyes cleared a little when she felt Caleb’s arms tense. There was a shuffling noise in the sand. She could feel them before she heard the rattles.
Caleb said, “Jena? There are rattlesnakes. Lots of them.”
“Shhh. It’s okay.” She tapped his mouth with a dirty finger. “The clans are gathering. The Quinns always come first.”
“What do I do?”
“Just hold very still. You’re not their prey. And I’m gonna try not to shift. It’s hard with so many close.” The more shifters gathered, the more the magic pressed on her. Her skin humme
d with it. She could feel a terrible lightness in her bones.
First, one rattler slid across the dust, then another, another and another and another until the canyon filled with the echo of the snakes’ ominous hum. Caleb tried not to jerk when one of the Quinns slid past, brushing his leg as it curled along the ground. They slid toward Missy, their twisted bodies circling her as their tongues flicked out to taste the terror that began to permeate the dry air.
The wolves came next. Treading close on silent paws, they danced delicately between the snakes, one brushing up and licking her face as he passed.
“Hey, Alex.”
Allie, trim and alert in her fox form, came to sit at Caleb’s feet, her dark nose twitching in the night air. She tensed a moment before the sound of human feet approached. Jena saw Ted bend over her.
“Heya, Teodora Vasquez. How you doing, gorgeous?” Jena smiled. “You’re an awesome friend, you know?”
“You sound drunk.” She kneeled next to her. “You’re still conscious. That’s good.” Ted twitched, her movements jerky and awkward.
“Don’t get all furry on me now, kitty cat.”
“You know, even when you’re two steps away from dying, you’re still a smartass.”
Caleb said, “What? Damn it, Ted—”
“Caleb, I’m joking. Now get back and let me see.” Jena felt gentle hands prodding and poking. “The bleeding is slowing down. Drink this. That should help until he can get you to a hospital.”
“No hospital,” Jena groaned.
“You’re going to the hospital. Caleb press here and hold.”
“Are you okay?” Jena heard him ask.
Her vision was still cloudy, but she could feel the magic growing. It radiated around her, but still, she didn’t shift.
“Is she going into shock?”
“The water should help.” Ted put a bottle to her lips and forced her to drink. “Sorry, mamá, but you’re gonna feel worse before you feel better.”
She mumbled, “Is my dad coming?”
“Yes. The elders are bringing her mate. Take this blanket. Press here.”
Jena blinked when she saw the circle growing. The cats surrounded the pack, hanging back from the traitor their clan offered up. Good, she thought. That was good. And there were Ollie and his bears, surrounding them all, backs to the murderer, muzzles pointed out to guard those carrying out the swift justice of the clans.
Alma’s death would not go unpunished.
“Missy Marquez.” Jena heard her father and other human voices. She blinked up as Ted and Caleb tried to pour more water into her mouth. She swallowed some and shook her head. It only made her feel worse. The ache in her stomach turned sharper. Her ears cleared more.
The canyon was filled with the shifters. The snakes ringed Missy’s prone form, now shaking and shivering in fear.
“Please,” she sobbed. “Please.”
Jena sat up and croaked, “Did you let Alma beg before you killed her? Shut the hell up.”
The wolves raised their hackles and snarled at the cat’s weakness. Jena could hear the smaller canines’ excited yips and barks as they hung back, resigned to let their alphas strike first. She felt Caleb move under her. He was trying to sit her up. “Ted? What the hell is happening here?”
“Don’t try to interfere, Caleb.” Thomas’s voice rang out. “This isn’t your justice.”
Missy sobbed and the coyotes howled in excitement. Jena blinked her eyes and tried to sit up. Her mate was young. He didn’t understand…
“Tom, you can’t do this!” Caleb yelled. “Let me arrest her. She has children. A family—”
“No!” Missy screamed. “Not a human jail!”
“There won’t be any human jail,” Jena heard Old Quinn say, his voice hard and mean. He had loved Alma. Caleb told her. Poor Quinn. Poor Caleb. He didn’t understand.
“I can’t stand by and watch you do this, Tom.”
Jena turned and pulled his ear down to her lips. She had to make him understand.
“Caleb,” she whispered. “These are my people. This is our justice.”
His voice was hard. “But Jena—”
“Do you love me?”
Caleb put a hand on her cheek and met her eyes. “Of course I do.”
This part was harder.
“Do you accept me?” He paused, his fingers suddenly still against her cheek when he understood what she was asking. “Do you accept all of me?”
There would be no day in court for Missy Marquez. Maybe if the offense hadn’t cut so deeply. Maybe if the guilt was less certain. But not that night. That night, the judgment of the clans had been rendered. Jena heard Matt groaning as he watched his mate. He was held by two of the bear clan in human form. Missy’s parents and sisters were on the other side, sobbing quietly while the cat elders guarded them. Her father towered over them with the rest of the town elders on either side.
She saw Caleb look around the moonlit canyon. He looked at her, then at the wailing woman surrounded by snakes and wolves. His shoulders sank a little, but his mouth firmed. “I will accept you.” The coyotes yipped again and Caleb stood, cradling Jena in his arms as he addressed her father. “But I’m not gonna stand by while Jena bleeds.”
“See to your mate, shifter.” Only Jena would notice the slight wavering in her father’s tone.
Ted spoke rapidly as they started out of the canyon, each step jarring her a little more. Shouldn’t the water have been making her better? It just felt worse. Her head was clear and those nice sleepy waves had backed off, only to be replaced by sharp, jolting pain that radiated from her stomach to her toes.
“Caleb, it hurts. Slow down.”
He ignored her. “Do I keep giving her the water? How do I get out of here?”
“Yes on the water, and take my car,” Ted said. “It’s the Jeep right at the mouth of the canyon. It’s not the most comfortable ride, but it’ll get you to the main road the fastest. Have her keep drinking as much as she can. She’s gonna hurt worse, but it’ll keep her awake. You need to get to Indio. And keep that shirt pressed against the wound as much as you can. She should be okay.”
“Should be? What the hell does that mean? Aren’t you coming with us?”
“She can’t,” Jena murmured. “She’s about to shift.”
Jena could hear them approaching. She bit her lip, the pain cutting through her baser instincts. “Baby, get me out of here,” she said in a desperate voice.
Caleb clutched her tighter. “What’s wrong with her?”
She could feel the manic energy radiating off Ted. Her friend was practically jumping out of her skin. “The crows are coming,” Ted whispered. “All the clans are here now. Get her to the hospital. Jena, don’t do it! You’ll hurt yourself more if you shift with those injuries.”
Jena groaned. The old magic rolled through her. The whispers came on the still night air. She felt the tingles in her body as Caleb started to run.
Fly, fly, fly.
The flapping sounded overhead, and she lifted her face to the sky.
Rip. Tear. Rend.
Black shadows called to her.
Fly, fly, fly.
Ravens. Crows. Vultures. The carrion eaters had come for their prey. They would pick the bones of the murderer who had killed the old one. But first, they would watch her die. Jena felt Caleb tense when he heard the first tortured scream split the night air.
He kept running.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Focus.
Ignore the screams of the woman.
Focus.
Ignore the howls and caws.
Focus.
Open the door. Put Jena in the car.
Focus. Focus. Focus.
“Jena.” He patted her cheek and her eyes blinked open again. She was pale. Way too pale.
“I’m okay. I don’t feel the urge to shift anymore.”
Caleb wasn’t worried about her shifting.
“She should be okay.”
Sho
uld be? Should be wasn’t good enough, Doctor Ted.
“Jena?” He tilted her head up and poured a little more water down her throat. “Jena, wake up.”
She grunted and turned her head. “Stop it, Caleb.”
He pushed her legs into the car, then pressed the bloody shirt to her stomach again. It was red with fresh blood, the wounds must have opened again as he ran. Caleb saw her wince when he pressed, but he only pushed harder, pulling the seat belt out and wadding up a jacket he found stuffed behind the seat.
“Stay awake, Jena.” He used his hard voice. No cajoling for her. “You hear me? You better do what I tell you.”
Any other time, she’d hit him for talking to her like that. Caleb tried not to panic.
Stay awake.
Stay alive.
Heal.
Stay with me.
Her eyelids flickered closed as he pulled the seatbelt all the way out before cinching it to her as tightly as he could. It was the best he could do and still drive.
“Jena!” He slapped her cheek. Once. Didn’t work. Harder. She opened her eyes with a gasp.
“Oh, you are going to pay for that, you asshole.”
There, that was better. He smiled and pressed a hard kiss to her mouth. “Promise?”
He shut the door before she could hit him back.
Focus.
Drive the car. Dodge the cactus. Climb the edge of the wash.
He was thankful Ted had sprung for the sport suspension and four-wheel drive by the time he hit the pavement. He peeled out, dust flying off the dirty Jeep, the wind whipping Jena’s hair around her face. He reached over and tried to tuck it behind her ears, but it didn’t do much. He kept driving.
Focus.
“Jena, drink some water.”
“Don’t want to.”
“Don’t make me pull this car over.”
She snickered. “You sound like a dad.”
His heart jerked in his chest. Who was watching Aaron and Low? Probably Cathy. He had to remember, as foreign as the canyon had felt only minutes before, Cambio Springs was just a little town. Half populated by ordinary people, half populated by people who turned into animals and ate murderers for sport. And those were the respectable ones.
Shifting Dreams Page 27