I could do the same thing now, jump on the back of the seat and reveal that I was here. But being impulsive wouldn’t serve me well this time. He wouldn’t go about his business doing whatever he was doing if he realized I was watching.
I didn’t have a car or bike of my own to keep up once he started driving, and human feet just wouldn’t cut it, so there was only one option. I dove into the bushes and stripped.
Everything had to go in my bag—my shirt, pants, shoes, and underwear. And I shifted.
The roar of the motorcycle’s engine boomed above the hum of distant traffic.
I had to hurry.
The sound of footsteps approached, two sets, coming down the steps.
“The mimosas this morning were a touch too tart, don’t you agree, Meredith?” a female voice asked, with a froufrou tone.
“But the croissants with the honey and brie—” said a second.
“Yes, those were quite divine. I’ve even taken an extra for later.”
Fuck fuckery—I cursed at myself for missing breakfast.
My stomach growled its frustration, but my decision was already made. I was following Zane, breakfast be damned.
The strap of my bag fit perfectly in my short jaw. Clothes in hand, er mouth, I dove from the bushes and into the lot.
Screams followed me.
“A dog! Did you see that? That dog’s stealing some pour soul’s purse!”
“Dog? It’s orange, Bessie. Dog’s aren’t orange.”
Fox. They wouldn’t have understood if I’d said it out loud anyway. In this form my voice was more of a bark than words. Still, I thought. I’m no dog.
My stomach growled as the smell of pastry and cheese filled my nose. I turned and eyed the box in the tall one’s hand.
“It’s looking at us!” Meredith squealed.
I raced forward, and both women scrambled back crying.
I dove up and snatched the plastic from the woman’s hand. It wasn’t easy with the strap of my purse secured between my back teeth, but that still left my front teeth for biting. The woman screamed, a shrill cry. The woman beside her shoved her over and ran for the steps.
“Sorry, dear, every woman for herself.” The chick ran, leaving her friend there, on the ground. “I cannot believe this place is infested with dirty wild animals. Help, help!”
And they thought I was bad.
To be fair, I wasn’t dirty, but I was a wild animal. A flippin’ fox.
I turned back and raced after the motorcycle, out of the lot and down the sidewalk that paralleled the busy street, clutching my bag and my breakfast.
Chapter Five
Zane
Wind whipped against me, gluing my jacket to my chest and combating the heat of the midday sun. The bike’s engine roared as I wove through traffic and held tight to the handlebar grips.
There was no reason to return to The Tipsy Claw before noon, as the bikers would still be asleep, so I’d waited as long as I could stand in the hotel before leaving.
Two blocks from the bar, I parked my bike behind the same strip mall as before. I climbed the ladder that was screwed to the back of the cupcake shop and took a seat in my chair. The metal bars beneath the canvas seat creaked under my weight, but I knew they would hold.
Sweet scents filled the air, sugar, spice, and other confections. The combination was reminiscent of sweet cinnamon, of Mia. I shook the thought, or at least I tried.
It wasn’t as easy as I would have liked, given the ovens in shop beneath me were still cooking, surrounding me in their scents.
Heat radiated from the roof, caught from the sun and reflected back.
I took off my jacket, making myself more comfortable, then I watched. I waited.
Nothing of note happened for hours. Cars passed by and pedestrians hurried across the street. But eventually, the doorman took his place outside, leaning against the bricks.
“This is getting boring. Boring. Boring.”
I’d almost dared to hope the furry sprite had left sometime before morning. I hadn’t heard a thing from Nona since I’d fallen asleep last night.
“Surveillance is important,” I said.
Nona dropped down in front of my face, obscuring my view.
I tilted my head and the furball followed, keeping itself in my way.
“Why do you do this?” I asked.
“Entertain me,” it said.
“I’m busy.”
“Where’s your girlfriend?” Nona asked. “Next time you should invite her along. Then maybe I’d have something to do. You know, watching you fail desperately at flirting.”
“I don’t have a girlfriend,” I said. “I don’t flirt. Why am I even—”
I swiped my hand at the creature that appeared to be part bird, part cat. Entirely annoying. As always, it dodged my hand.
But it was enough of a break to see the bar. Just in time to see the door open.
“Something’s happening,” I said.
Nona watched, silently, offering me a small break from the constant annoyance.
Two bikers walked out. Neither was Roadkill.
But before the door slid shut, something scurried across the street.
Reddish orange fur, tall pointed ears, and a long bushy tail—a fox. On the fox’s back was a bag, nearly as big as the creature itself, the strap held securely in its mouth. She turned and looked up at me. I swear she saw me, though she shouldn’t have been able to from my place behind the giant cupcake.
I rose to my feet.
The fox slipped inside.
The door clicked shut and the bikers walked away.
And I just stood there, staring. There was no question in my mind—that fox was Mia.
“There she is!” Nona bounced through the air. “I saw her. I saw her.”
I stared at the metal door and ran my fingers through my hair. Fuck.
Mia was inside the wolves’ den. There was nothing I could do to protect her from out here. I had to go in. That was it. I had to bust inside and drag her out before she got herself killed.
Twice in a row that woman had screwed with my plans. Twice in a row she’d compromised my operation. I couldn’t let her get in the way of securing the device. No one could interfere. Too much was at stake.
Jacket in hand, I turned for the ladder, unsure of what exactly I was going to do. But I had to do something.
“Isn’t that the guy you’re waiting for?”
“What?” I turned and slipped my jacket back over my shoulders.
Sure enough, Roadkill was walking out the front door with two other wolf shifters.
Just before the door shut, the fox slipped out, too.
What was she doing?
She hung back, following the Claws. Surely they would catch her scent. When they did, she would be in trouble.
The wolves rounded the corner.
I ran the roof of the bakery and jumped over the ledge. The landing was hard, my feet crashing into the pavement.
Gasps followed, customers by the door of the cupcake shop looking on at the man who had leapt from the building above.
They didn’t matter.
I ran. I ran after Mia, after Roadkill and the others. They entered the lot on the far side of the building. The wolves climbed into a Jeep. Security in the front, boss in the back.
I scanned the lot from the corner, flattening myself against the bricks, but Mia was nowhere to be seen.
The Jeep flew out of its space. The wolves were driving away. Fuck.
A quick movement across the ground, from beneath a nearby truck, and the little fox jumped up onto the bumper of the Jeep. Was it better or worse that Mia was with them?
Worse. Definitely worse.
The wolves turned left on Market Street, and I knew this was it. This was the break I’d been waiting for, and I was going to miss it.
The Obsidian Claws were driving to make their trade, but I’d been distracted. Taking flight would keep me close, but I couldn’t risk anyone se
eing. Not my wings, never in front of humans.
“I’ll help you if you ask nicely.”
I looked down, to my jacket pocket. There peeking out was the plague of my existence.
“I can fly after them, let you know where they go. Plenty of time still. I’m as fast as I am feisty.”
“Fine,” I said. “Do it.”
“Uh-uh-uhhhh.” Nona shook its head from left to right, little cat ears swaying behind. “That didn’t sound very nice.”
“Please,” I said. “Nona, help me.”
“Better,” the creature said. “But I think you can give me the warm fuzzies if you really put your mind to it.”
“I need your help,” I said. “I appreciate it, and…”
“And I love you. Go on,” Nona said. “Tell me you love me.”
My gut reaction was to squeeze the little bastard until it stopped pestering me. I couldn’t do that.
“Then you’ll help me?” I asked. Every second this took was more distance between me and the device. Between me and Mia.
“Make it sound like you mean it.”
“Nona,” I said. “Please help me. I...love you.”
A little bile crept up my throat.
But the bird cat purred and darted from my pocket in a flash so quick a blur of light seemed to follow.
I ran for the strip mall, for my bike, and hoped it would be enough.
Beyond reason, I hoped Nona would actually come through for me.
It had to.
I climbed onto my bike and started the engine. The metal rumbled beneath me as I took off in the direction the Jeep had traveled.
There was no way for me to know which way to go after I turned onto Market. The street was busy with lines of cars traveling both directions. I wove through traffic, checking down side streets, checking ahead. But there was no sign of the black Jeep.
My whole life I’d waited for whispers of the device, waited for someone to try to assemble and use the weapon. The time was now, and I couldn’t let it slip away. Rage and helplessness were a bitter mix as I drove and drove, searching for the black Jeep.
There was nothing. Not one sign. Was it time to turn back, search the side streets? Had I missed their turn?
Nona landed on my shoulder, tiny claws squeezing my leather collar. “Right on Clefton,” it said.
A small weight lifted, a shred of hope returning.
At the next light I turned.
“Left on Bell.”
I turned again.
We were going from the bad part of town to an area that was worse. A few blocks from the warehouse district was an area of dilapidated buildings and frequent assaults. It wasn’t surprising that a shady deal would happen in a place like this, but still, I didn’t like being here. I didn’t like Mia being here either.
“You’re going to want to park somewhere,” Nona said.
I pulled into the gas station on the left. The signs were all smashed and the windows on the little shop were barred. I hated to leave my bike here, but there wasn’t a better alternative. With my bike secured in a spot on the right of the building, I climbed off.
“Now what?” I looked down, but Nona was gone.
I opened the top pocket on my jacket, checked the ones on the sides.
“Nona?”
A sick feeling grew within me, one of frustration, one of urgency. Nona had led me here, then disappeared. Every second that passed put more distance between me and the device. We didn’t have time for games.
I opened my mouth to yell for the little bastard catbird, but shut it again as I noticed movement.
An elderly man walked by, sipping soda from a glass bottle. He spared me a glance, then climbed into the car parked next to my bike.
“You know we have to be careful, right?” The high-pitched voice came from nowhere.
The tension I felt eased, just a little.
“Tell me where to go,” I said.
A chill crept up my back—Nona was climbing into my shirt. I shivered as its little claws tickled across my skin, but after a second, it peeked out of my collar.
“Through the trees.” Nona pointed with its beak.
I walked behind the gas station through the thin patch of brush and trees to the parking lot of a rundown dentist’s office. Only the giant tooth by the road gave away what it was meant to be, as the windows were boarded and all the signs had been removed.
Beyond that was the shell of a building, burned to the ground. No one was here, no sign of the wolves.
Nona said nothing, so I continued walking.
Next, we came to a wooded plot, a dirt driveway, and a rundown shack built of sheet metal. It wasn’t large, little more than two shipping containers side-by-side. There was a roof on top, bent and broken. The windows had been smashed and the doors, too, seemed to be missing.
“Here,” Nona said.
With measured, silent steps, I walked slowly through the trees. I stayed off the dirt path and rounded the rusty steel building, keeping my distance from the parked cars. Sure enough, there was the Jeep, but no sign of Mia.
Voices carried from within the shell of a building.
“How does it work?”
“Hell if I know.” I recognized the gruff voice as belonging to Roadkill. “That’s not what you’re payin’ me for.”
“How am I supposed to believe this really is some kind of priceless weapon if you can’t show me how it works?”
“I’ve got other buyers lined up,” Roadkill said. “You want it or not?”
I closed in toward the building, past the four vehicles. No one was stationed on guard. The scents inside suggested everyone present was a wolf shifter. Heavily armed, nervous wolf shifters. The scent of mistrust was as strong as that of rust, dirt, and canines.
After ducking beside a broken window, I slowly raised my head to peer through the broken glass. I kept an eye out for the little fox, but still there was no sign of her.
One of the wolves lifted his nose to the air, but none were close, and none appeared to notice me.
In the center of the room were men dressed in black. None were familiar other than Roadkill. His back was turned, but there was no question that the bald man with the orange beard was him.
“Let me see it,” the man in front of him said. He had long black hair and pointed features. I memorized his face. The flat expression, the thin lips, the dull hazel eyes. Was this the man who’d hired Roadkill? It seemed strange for a man to know where the facility was, know what number box to grab, and not know how the device worked.
He reached out and took something from Roadkill and lifted it into the air. Silver in color, and covered in rune-like symbols, it was a cube. A sound resonated from the device—a hum that called to my inner dragon.
It took all my willpower to keep my wings from bursting from my shoulders. It took all my strength not to tear through the building to rip the box from the wolf’s hands.
I had to wait.
I had to find Mia.
“Over there,” Nona whispered, as if reading my thoughts. “I see her.”
One of the wolves turned in my direction. I took a step back. Perhaps he didn’t see me.
I followed Nona’s line of sight. And there, creeping around the far side of the building was the small fox with the bag strap held in her jaw.
“Hey!” The wolf by the window turned, pointing his gun at me. I ducked and raced around the corner, in the direction Mia had headed.
Shots filled the air, loud and booming.
I rounded the corner and flattened my back to the metal wall as I approached the open hole where a door was meant to be.
Mia was nowhere to be seen, so I peeked inside.
All attention in the building turned toward the window where I had been.
“Someone’s here,” the shifter by the window said. He stuck his head out and looked from side to side. “I heard him. Saw movement.”
“And you just opened fire?” the shifter holding the box sne
ered, and shook his head in disbelief.
There, I spotted her, across the way out the other door. I hadn’t expected her to circle the building.
Mia crept through a hole in the wall, toward the wolf shifters.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
This woman was going to screw up everything—again.
I ran in after her.
All eyes turned to me.
The hum resonating from the box called to me. The closer I came to it, the louder it grew. And this time I didn’t hold back.
Wings sprouted from my shoulders as I ran toward the wolves in the center of the building. Toward Mia.
“Get them!” the black-haired buyer yelled.
Mia shifted mid-step. Fur faded to skin, as the fox left four paws behind for two human feet.
Gunshots flew wildly.
Mia jumped, naked, on the wolf shifter who’d ordered the others.
I dove, wrapping my arms around her shoulders, pulling her from his back and shielding bullets with my wings.
Flesh tore with the barrage, puncturing my wings. The pain radiated outward, searing across tender skin.
I held Mia in my arms, her bare breasts heaving against me.
There was only one option.
I closed my eyes and blinked us away.
Chapter Six
Mia
What the fuck? What the fuck?
“What the fuck?” I slammed my fist into Zane’s chest. He held tight a moment longer, until I stopped hitting him. Then he let me go.
Only then did he seem to realize I was buck naked. His gaze was fixed on my face, then he turned around like he thought I’d care if he stared. I didn’t.
But, I did appreciate the opportunity to slip the little box into my bag without him noticing. It was my prize. I’d claimed it first.
Asshole had shown up from nowhere, grabbed me off of that wolf’s back after I’d snagged the cube, and…
The bullet storm was over. Everyone was gone. So were Zane’s wings—he had wings.
The building was gone and so were the woods and the shack. We were in an empty parking lot beside a junkyard. Smashed up cars were stacked all over the place behind a barbed wire fence. There were no trees. And the cool, damp air smelled like a river. A river and motor oil.
In Deep Shift: The Protectors Unlimited Book Three Page 5