by Amira Rain
Eric frowned, setting his mug on the table. "No, not at all. And neither have any of the other Forms. The dragons have reported that the lake has been absolutely still."
Confused, I took a sip of my coffee, and then set the mug on the table. "You say that like it’s a bad thing."
"Well...I think it is. I think Gabriel and the other Forms are gearing up for something, though I don't know what."
Nate took a sip of his coffee and set his mug down with his expression unreadable. "Though like I said earlier, they might not be gearing up for anything. It could just be that all their recent attacks have depleted their supernatural energies and they need to rest for a while. Which is good for us, since it gives us time to get the help we need from the dragons."
Still frowning, Eric took a long drink of his coffee before responding. "No. That's not it. I just have a feeling. Their energies aren't depleted, and they aren't resting. I imagine the bullet wound to Gabriel's shoulder is also completely healed by now, so that's not it, either. They're planning something, or building up to something. Probably an attack on the village with all of them coming in at once.
“It would make perfect sense. Gabriel could render us all paralyzed while the rest of the Forms go in for the kills. It would make perfect sense that they're trying to lull us into a false sense of security before they do this."
Realizing that I'd become so frustrated I'd crumpled a paper napkin into a wad the size of a gumball, I heaved a sigh, my gaze on Eric. "What would make perfect sense is if you'd just let me help, for God's sake. I am the only one not affected by Gabriel's eye spell. I'm great with a gun. By my actions when I rescued Kaylee, I think I've proven that I'm not the type who faints with fear, even when in a situation where I could be killed.
“Just please agree to let me do this. I'm sick of having you and Nate gone all the time. I'm sick of missing you both. I just want you here. I want the threat of Gabriel eliminated so that all the people here in the village can live in peace and happiness. Just please agree to at least consider, really think it over and consider what I've asked you to let me do."
Eric's response was pretty to-the-point.
"No."
Exhaling in a rush of frustration, I threw my hands up and leaned back in my chair. "If I'm going to live here on the island for the rest of my life, I suppose I'd better get used to this...the fact that you call all the shots and your word is final. I'd better get used to having zero personal autonomy or control over my own actions. Because this is exactly what this feels like, Eric. It feels like you're controlling me.
“I realize that you just want to protect me and keep me safe. I realize that, so you don't even need to say it. But let me say this. It is not a great feeling. It is not the way I want to spend the rest of my life -- feeling like I'm being protected to the point where I can't breathe. I don't want to feel like my safety is coming at the expense of me being me, and me doing what I feel compelled to do to help people.
“Do you understand what I'm trying to say, Eric? I want you to keep me safe and protect me. I do. But at the same time, I need some freedom to be the strong, brave woman I feel like I was meant to be. The woman I need to be in order to be happy. So, isn't there some way we can compromise? Isn't there something we can work out so that things don't have to be so black and white?"
With his expression more serious than I'd ever seen it before, Eric looked deeply into my eyes, seeming to be deciding something.
Knitting his light brown brows together, Nate suddenly spoke, looking at Eric. "We could follow very closely behind her, as her backup. With more wolves behind us to be our backup."
"And what if Gabriel paralyzes us all with his eye spell, leaving Liz completely on her own?"
I leaned forward in the chair, my gaze on Eric. "Then you trust Liz to hold her own and defend herself, this time with a gun."
Just then, Eric's phone began going off, and after a long moment or two, he pulled it from his pocket and looked at the screen. "I'm sorry, but I have to take this. It's my dragon friend Lucas, who's been doing surveillance of the lake from the sky."
Eric stood, answered the call, and walked out to the dining area of the kitchen, listening.
I turned to Nate, reaching across the island and twining my fingers with his. "Thank you. For seeming like you actually believe I could do this, that I could actually take out Gabriel."
"Of course. I think you're the most incredibly brave and strong woman I've ever met, Liz, and I have faith in you. Which isn't to say I'd be crazy about the idea of you attempting to take out Gabriel yourself without backup, but...with Eric and me close by, I'd be comfortable in letting you take the lead. I kind of like the idea of you being allowed to be the courageous woman you are, though with some safety precautions in place."
I briefly wished Nate was the alpha of the village instead of Eric.
I gave Nate's hand a squeeze, looking into his dark green eyes. "Thank you again."
Eric had been standing stock-still near the dining room table, and he now suddenly said a few quiet words, pocketed his phone, and turned toward Nate and me. "They've risen from the lake, all of them, and most of them are heading here in shadow form. Gabriel is hanging back by the lake with his eyes already beginning to glow red."
CHAPTER EIGHT
I jumped off my bar stool, looking at Eric. "Gabriel has probably sent the other Forms on ahead to attack everyone here in the village and get everyone in a state of panic before he moves on in himself to paralyze and kill everyone. This is our perfect opportunity, our perfect chance to take him out without any of the other Forms around to worry about.
“Eric, please. Let me go do this. Just try to have faith in me and believe that I'm capable. Just try to trust me. You can have your men handle the Forms here, while you, Nate, and I circle around to avoid the incoming Forms and attack Gabriel at the lake. This is our chance. We have to take it."
To my complete astonishment, Eric immediately nodded. "All right. Grab your gun, and make sure you have enough ammunition. I need to make a few quick calls to alert my men and ask a few of them to follow behind Nate and me, and then we'll go."
Already dashing over to one of the kitchen drawers, where I'd stashed the gun and bullets, I nodded. "I'll be ready to go in thirty seconds."
I'd honestly been ready for days.
Several adrenaline-fueled minutes later, Nate and Eric were in wolf form, and I was riding on Eric's broad, furry back through the forest, just like he was a horse. Though he was running fast, he was managing to balance me so well, that I felt in no danger of falling. In fact, I felt much safer on his back than I'd felt when I'd been on an actual horse when I'd taken a riding lesson several years earlier.
As I'd suggested, we were going to arc around from the direct line to the village that we expected the Forms to take, thereby hopefully bypassing them on our way to the lake, and Gabriel. Once we got relatively close to the lake, Eric and Nate were going to drop me off, so to speak, and I was going to walk along by myself the rest of the way. They'd be fairly close behind me, with several wolves fairly close behind them.
Hands shaking, I clutched Eric's thick, silvery fur, still absolutely stunned that he'd finally agreed to let me do what I was about to do. I was stunned, though happy. Grateful. Ecstatic, even. However, at the same time, I wasn't entirely without fear. I'd never let it slow me down before, though, at least not for long, and I wasn't about to start now. I had a job to do to help my new community, a community that I might be a part of for the rest of my life, and I didn't intend to falter or fail.
With the jewel-green, vine-covered trees of the dense jungle flying past me on both sides, I focused on trying to take deep breaths in an attempt to slow my rapidly thudding heartbeat while Eric raced forward, zigzagging to avoid the trees, boulders, and fallen branches. With the only sounds being Eric and Nate's footfalls and my own breathing, the forest was eerily quiet.
Every so often, the relative silence was pierced by the shrill
shriek of an exotic bird. Because of the tree canopy blocking out a great deal of sunlight, the interior of the jungle was also dimmer than I'd thought it would be, and spookier. I told myself this didn't matter, though, and really, it didn't. I just needed enough light to shoot by, which I'd have. Also, if Gabriel tried to use his spell on me, his glowing red eyes would make wonderful targets.
Though the lake was several miles from the village, Eric and Nate had flown through the jungle at such a high rate of speed that we made our drop-off destination rather quickly, probably within fifteen minutes of leaving Clearwater. They both slowed at the same time, then stopped in a small clearing. I hopped off Eric's back, feeling readier than I ever would be.
He immediately shifted into human form and pulled me into his strong arms. "We will be right behind you. Use all caution, Liz, and do not deviate from the plan. No toying with him to make him mad, no shooting him in the leg first to make him suffer for scaring Kaylee, nothing. Anything else you might think of that is not part of the plan, you do not do it.
“The moment you see Gabriel, who I'm sure is in solid form by now, you shoot him directly in the head or the heart to kill him. You empty all your bullets into him until you're positive he's dead. Once we hear gunfire, Nate and I will assume you've hit your mark, and we'll come running."
I nodded, looking up into Eric's dark eyes. "Okay. No deviation from the plan. I got it."
"Oh, and stay away from the lake as best as you possibly can. I realize you may have to get near it, and that may be unavoidable, but try not to touch the water. Try not to even dip a toe in. There are strange currents in the lake, even at its shallowest levels, that not even we shifters understand. There are currents even near the shore. Just stay away from the water, no matter what."
I nodded. "I will. I shouldn't even have to get near the water to shoot him. I'll steer clear. I'll stay several feet away, at least, at all times."
He dipped his head and gave me a brief, hard kiss, cradling the sides of my face. "Good. We'll see you soon."
Nate, who'd also shifted into human form, gave me a kiss as well, then pulled me into his arms for a brief squeeze before releasing me. "You're going to be brilliant. You're strong, and you're brave, and you're tough. I have all faith in you. When we see you again, I know Gabriel will be dead."
Nate gave me one more brief kiss before shifting back into wolf form, and Eric
did the same. Not wanting to show any signs of hesitation, I immediately turned and began heading northeast, toward the lake, striding fast. I didn't want Eric to have second thoughts and pull me back.
The terrain in the jungle was rough and rocky, making me constantly glance down so that I wouldn't trip, which increased my anxiety a bit because I felt like I should have my head up, looking around me, at all times. It just wasn't possible, though.
To compensate for the visual vigilance that I couldn't do, I concentrated on listening for the slightest sound that would indicate Gabriel was close by. I also listened for any sounds that would tell me that the lake was near. Eric had told me that there were strange currents in it, so I expected to hear splashing or gurgling noises.
However, after ten minutes or so of walking through the jungle, it actually wasn't a noise that alerted me I was close to the lake; it was the smell. Something like a cross between rotting garbage and body odor, it was absolutely overpowering. Fighting an urge to gag, I continued walking, sure I must be getting close, and I was.
Within another minute or so, the rocky ground became more sandy, though it was dark, wet sand, almost marshy. The trees began to thin out and become more spindly, and their foliage not as full, as if whatever moisture they were drinking up from the ground was something toxic. I pulled the gun out of my waistband and took the safety off, knowing I might need to use it at any second.
Soon, I spotted a large, inky black pool of water just up ahead. Eric had been dead-on with what he'd initially told me about the lake. It wasn't really quite big enough to be considered an actual lake, per se; it was more the size of a large pond. Although for a pond, its shape was unusual. Instead of being more or less circular, or oval-shaped, it appeared to be more of a crescent or horseshoe shape, with the ends of the horseshoe pointing at me, and a small, rocky hill filling the inside of the "shoe."
A little island within an island, I thought. And that was my last thought before I spotted him and my mind seemed to temporarily freeze.
He was ambling around one side of the horseshoe, his black fur blending in with the dark water so well that I hadn't even seen him at first. But now, I clearly did, and he suddenly seemed to spot me, too, or maybe just sense me or smell me. With his eyes faintly glowing, he lifted his head and looked right in my direction. He was no more than maybe fifty or sixty feet away from me, but I knew I had to get even closer in order for my first shot to be deadly accurate.
Lifting my gun, I began slowly stepping forward, glancing downward as quickly as I could every step or two to make sure I didn't trip on anything, go down, and become an easy target rather than a hunter.
Gabriel pawed the sandy, rocky ground beneath him, growling. His eyes began glowing brighter, redder, though they still had no effect on me. Despite the fact that the day was warm, but not hot, a trickle of sweat snaked its way down the back of my neck.
Somewhere in the distance, a tropical bird shrieked, piercing the near-silence of the jungle. It was time. I knew I had mere seconds to take my shot. Gabriel could charge me, and I knew a moving target would be much harder to hit. I was now maybe about forty feet away from him, and I came to a stop. After taking a deep breath to steady my aim and my hold on the gun, I squeezed the trigger and fired. That was when my plan fell apart. Fell apart into three different parts, to be exact.
*
The bullet I'd fired hit its mark, nailing Gabriel right between his glowing red eyes. However, instantly, the very moment he fell to the ground, three dark, bear-shaped shadows rose above his seemingly dead form.
Gasping, I took a step backward. "Oh, God."
Somewhere in the distance, a bird screeched several times in rapid succession, sounding as if it were actually laughing at me.
Trembling, I took another step backward, tripping over a stick or a rock or something and falling on my rear. "No!"
Even as I fell, I didn't take my gaze from the dark shadows hovering above Gabriel's carcass. Within moments, they became solid, pawing at the air, roaring. They were enormous, even for black bears, exact replicas of Gabriel. They were essentially clones. Snarling, looking directly at me, they floated down to the ground with their eyes glowing as red as hot coals.
Though terrified, and hyperventilating to the point of being dizzy, I scrambled to my feet, knowing that again, I had to act fast. I couldn't let Eric, Nate, or myself down, and I certainly couldn't let these three new Gabriels head toward the village. They had to be stopped, and it was up to me to do it.
I fired at the Gabriel on the left first, hitting him directly between the eyes like I'd done the first Gabriel. Also like the first Gabriel, he instantly fell to the ground, seemingly dead. Before I could fire again at the other two, they began charging around the side of the lake, heading straight for me.
"No. God, no."
I fired at the Gabriel on the right, who was surging forward, but I missed. I fired at him again, hitting him in the shoulder, and he went down, wounded though not dead. The other Gabriel was now upright, sprinting more than charging. I fired at him but missed. I fired at him again and missed again. Knowing that the next bullet was the last in the gun, I fired again. This time, my bullet hit its target, right between his glowing red eyes. He went down immediately, not more than ten feet away from me, his eyes remaining open but going dark.
I allowed myself a deep gulp of air, lowering my gun. "Oh, my God. Oh...my God."
A deep breath and a few whispered words. That was all I was going to get, as far as a rest. The last Gabriel of the three clones was now up, though dazed, staggering
around on his feet maybe twenty-five feet away, just to the side of the dark lake.
Swearing, I fished around in my pocket for my spare bullets, but didn't find them. I could only assume they'd fallen out when I'd tripped and landed on my rear. The only bear now alive began slowly staggering forward, blood seeping from the wound on his shoulder.
Out of ammo and knowing I was running out of time, I cupped my hands around my mouth, turning toward the jungle behind me. "Eric! Nate!"
The split-second that I'd begun shouting their names, I heard snarling from somewhere very nearby. Snarling that sounded as if the wolves doing it were getting closer, fast. They'd already begun heading toward me, probably having heard the gunshots, and within seconds, I saw them speeding through the jungle toward the lake. Nate and Eric were going to take out the last remaining bear. My work here is done, I thought. Except it wasn't.
The bear's eyes were still glowing red, and as soon as Eric and Nate appeared within his field of vision, he simply looked at them, and they instantly fell to the ground, seemingly paralyzed.