Skin Walkers Conn

by Susan A Bliler

  “I’m not tired.”

  “Suit yourself.” He eyed her in the rearview mirror. “You can get in front if you’d like.”

  She unfastened her seatbelt and reached for the door handle when Conn warned, “Don’t even think about running.”

  Her fingers stilled in mid-air and she ignored the door handle and climbed over the seat. She instantly regretted it. The space felt too small, too cramped, too close to Conn, but it was too late to change her mind now. She shifted uncomfortably, lifting slight fingers to check the buttons on his oversized shirt that she wore.

  He noticed, “Sorry. We’ll get you some clothes that fit at the first opportunity.”

  “It’s fine,” she murmured before looking straight ahead. “Thank you for not taking me back to the cells.”

  “If I’d have known…” he didn’t finish the sentence, just accelerated the jeep.

  Shrugging negligently Aries smiled ruefully, “I’ve stayed in worse.”

  He glanced at her, “Cells?”

  “No,” she shook her head, “but I’ve been running for a long time. Sometimes when I ran out of money…” she too let her words die off.

  “How did you know you were being chased?”

  “I was approached twice in a very short period of time. It wasn’t random I was being targeted. I realized something was wrong so I packed up and moved, but the trouble followed.” Her gaze shifted out the side window, “I’ve been pretty lucky. There’ve been too many narrow escapes.”

  “Where are you from?”

  She turned to eye him cautiously. “The North.”

  “Where?” He demanded watching her out of the corner of his eye as she laced her fingers through her white streak of hair. He smiled at the nervous tick.

  “Here.” She finally responded quietly.

  Shock was evident in Conn’s tone. “Montana?”

  Aries shook her head, “Here,” she stated again. “I grew up in Great Falls. I’m from this specific area.”

  Conn’s brows drew together and he frowned at her. Her revelation raised a great deal of questions.

  “So,” she changed the subject, “do only Walkers have those halos?”

  Trying to focus on her question it took Conn a moment to respond. “Yes.”

  “You’re sure?”

  He eyed her curiously, “Yes. Why do you ask?”

  She shrugged on slender shoulder, “Just wondering.”

  He growled, “I can smell your deceit Aries.” He watched her quickly lace her white streak into a small braid and he could tell she was deep in contemplation. “Spill it,” he commanded.

  “I’m not sure if I…” she swallowed hard.

  “What?” he demanded.

  “If I can trust you or not.”

  His brows hiked, “Because of you I’m on the run from my own commander. I’ve taken you from CEO StoneCrow, and I’ve robbed you from Mason EnemyHunter, who I might add has paid a small fortune for you. On your behalf I have single handedly pissed off the three most powerful Walkers and you’re not sure if you can trust me?”

  Aries winced at the incredulity in his tone. “I’m sorry but if you knew what I knew you wouldn’t trust Walkers either.”

  Conn locked up the brakes and threw a hand across her chest to keep her from slamming forward as the jeep slid to a screeching halt. “If I knew what you knew!” He was facing her, “What do you know Aries?”

  She shook her head and jumped when he barked at her.

  “What do you know?”

  “Th-the man that’s been chasing me…”

  “Yes,” Conn prodded.

  She looked up at him, her eyes dipping to his halo. “He wears one of those.” She pointed to the halo around his neck.

  Conn watched her for long moments. “You’re certain.”

  “It’s not something I’d mistake, or forget.”

  Tearing his eyes from hers, Conn gripped the steering wheel and accelerated the vehicle. “Christ, the only thing worse than the Megalya is a rouge Walker.”

  “The what? Megalya?”

  An angry growl escaped his parted lips and Aries swore she saw fangs peek out from between his full lips before Conn rolled his shoulders and seemingly forced himself to relax.

  “Megalya are our only known enemy. Humans would be terrified of us if they were ever made aware of our existence, but Megalya actually actively hunt us. They are evil, and they are our only threat.”

  “Hunt you? What do they want?”

  Conn looked at her and Aries could tell he was debating on how much to tell her.

  “Conn?” she prompted.

  “Well, you are going to need to know.” He flicked his gaze out the driver’s side window then focused again on the road ahead of them. “We’re not sure where they come from. Hell, we’re not sure where we come from.

  Some, like Monroe StoneCrow, think we’ve been genetically engineered. Other Walkers, like RedKnife KillsPrettyEnemy believe we were created this way, that our ancestors have always been Skin Walkers.

  None of us truly know our origin, but what we do know is that there are differing stages of Walkers. Stage one Walkers are typically newborns, they’re just learning to shift and are still unsure how to use their abilities. Stage two Walkers are capable of shifting to one form for a limited amount of time, it’s how we are as teenagers. At stage three, Walkers are able to shift freely to the form of a few different animals.

  I’m a stage four Walker, which means that I can shift to any form I choose and stay that way for as long as I like. Lastly, there are Indigenous Walkers. They’re extremely rare. RedKnife is the only indigenous Walker that we’re aware of.”

  “W-what can he do?”

  “He too can shift to any form for any length of time, but it’s also rumored that he can control the elements. There’s a great deal of mystery surrounding Walkers, but RedKnife is the rarest form. We’re still not sure of all he’s capable of doing. Monroe thinks he may be immortal because he’s the only Walker to ever be captured by the Megalya and survive.”

  “So, the Megalya hate Walkers and hunt them? Why? What does that prove?”

  “They’re not trying to prove anything Aries. The Megalya are killers. They can absorb our powers by drinking our blood. They prefer to decapitate Walkers once they’ve stolen our abilities so that they can take our halo as well. It’s the only way to forcibly take a halo from a Walker.”

  Aries turned ashen as her mouth fell open. She gaped openly at Conn and felt her stomach lurch. One hand clamped on her belly and the other covered her mouth, “God, please be joking.”

  Conn frowned at her, “I’m not. But you don’t need to worry, they’ll never get near you.”

  Near me? It took her a second to register that he thought her reaction was caused by concern over her own safety, when truth was that she was actually worried about Conn and the halo that hung around his neck. She watched him for a moment, wanting to question the vehemence in his tone, but opted against it. “If they take your powers by drinking your blood, then what do they gain by taking your halo?”

  “Nothing!” Conn spoke through gritted teeth, “It’s a fucking trophy to them.”

  Aries blanched. “You said it’s part of your mating ritual. When you give it to your angel doesn’t that put her in danger of the Megalya hunting her down?”

  “She’s in danger by mere association with our kind. Many Walkers aren’t mated for that very reason. We don’t want our angels in harm’s way. Only a Walker can gift his halo and only he can take it back. Once it’s gifted to his angel, even she wouldn’t be able to remove it. While it does put her in danger of being hunted by the Megalya, it offers her protection and power as well.”

  “Power?”

  “Not like a Walker’s, but there are some advantages to mating one of us.”

  Aries huffed out a great breath, “And some clear disadvantages.” She lifted a hand to wrap around her slender throat. “Would the Megalya decapitate a Walker’s
angel to get his halo?”

  Conn’s mouth pressed into a grim line before he gave a curt nod.

  “How do they even know about Walkers? How do they know where to find you?”

  “We’re not sure how they find us, but we’ve found them. They have a laboratory in Calgary. Monroe’s actually planning a raid on the facility sometime in the very near future. He thinks Walkers are being held there, experimented on. Tyce has offered my team’s services.”

  The thought had Aries’ blood turning to ice in her veins. These Megalya sounded viscous and she didn’t want Conn or his men anywhere near them. She wanted to protest his inclusion in the raid, but couldn’t come up with a logical excuse for her concern other than the fact that she was worried about him. I can’t admit that.

  The remainder of the ride was silent. Aries absorbed the information Conn had provided and it was a lot to take in. Megalya, stages of Walkers, an experimental laboratory in Calgary, it was all too much. Mostly, she wondered how, when the time came, she’d convince Conn and his men to stay in Montana rather than risking their lives to raid the Calgary lab.

  Chapter 18

  After what felt like an eternity of traversing up a snow-covered mountainside, Conn pulled the jeep to a halt, cut the engine, and exited the vehicle.

  Aries watched in appreciation as he stretched his large powerful frame. Her eyes traveled over the large expanse of his back, down his tapered waist to rest on his perfect muscular ass.

  When he turned to eye her, she quickly looked away and feigned interest in their surroundings.

  With the motor off, the cold wind cut through the jeep and had Aries wrapping her arms around herself. She didn’t have a coat and seriously wasn’t looking forward to trekking to wherever this so-called bunker was located. She clicked open the door and made to push it open, but looked up when she felt resistance.

  Conn’s breath fogged the glass as he towered outside her door. “Wait here. It’ll take me a minute to dig out the entry. Start the jeep if your cold.” He pushed her door closed and Aries could only watch as he stalked toward the mountainside.

  She cringed when he sunk to his hips in deep crunchy snow and refrained from starting the jeep to warm herself, feeling guilty at being nestled in the still slightly warm confines while he was out in the cold. She shook her head. She had no idea how in the hell he was supposed to dig out that much snow without a shovel.

  He forced himself to struggle forward a few more steps then Conn finally stopped and lifted his head. He looked left then right and Aries watched his nostrils flare. What is he smelling? The question died instantly when he dropped to his hands and knees and nearly disappeared into the deep snow. Seconds later, it looked like the snow had caved in on him.

  Aries threw her door open and had one leg out when she saw a massive white bear grow before her eyes in the exact location Conn had just been. Gasping she jerked her door closed and the noise drew the bear’s large head around as it eyed her.

  One lone scar cut across the bruin’s face and marred the soft looking fur. Conn!

  The bear turned back around and lumbered its massive form a few feet up the mountainside before it rose on its hind legs to its full height then dropped with full force, pushing shoulder deep into the snow. Slowly at first, then more rapidly, the bear began paddling with its large paws, sending snow shooting up between its back legs as it dug through the snow. The bear backed up slowly, digging all the while until a long trench down the mountainside began to form.

  Pushing herself higher in the seat, Aries tried to see over the bear’s massive form to try and catch a glimpse of the hidden bunker. She saw a door above the bear and was concentrating on it when she almost missed the bear begin to shrink. It slowly melted into the snow and white fell away from strong shoulders to reveal bare muscular flesh. Aries could only gape as Conn knelt waist deep in the snow. A ripple of color crept up from where the snow hid his lower half and she watched in wonder as Conn’s clothes regenerated on his form, covering him in the exact clothes he’d been wearing before he’d shifted.

  He stood and approached the vehicle and Aries had to force her mouth closed, knowing she was staring at him like he’d just grown two heads.

  He opened her door, “You ready?”

  Wordlessly, she turned to climb down knowing that her slippered feet were in for one artic walk. Instead, Conn reached into the vehicle and slid one hand under her knees and the other behind her back before pulling her into his chest. Instantly, she noted how warm he was. Must have been the exertion.

  “It’s okay, I can walk.” She dropped her arms that had instinctively wrapped around his neck, but Conn only lifted her higher.

  “Too cold,” was his lone response.

  She was carried up the plowed path and through the opened door that was dug into the mountainside.

  Inside the bunker he set her down and the first thing she noticed was that the interior was dark and muggy. It smelled like wet earth. The thick iron door clanged closed behind her and Aries reached out blindly for Conn.

  “The light’s will be on in a minute.”

  Her fingers brushed against cloth and she gripped it with both hands. When the lights flashed on she winced against the sudden brightness and instantly released her hold on Conn’s shirt.

  Turning she took in her new temporary home. The bunker was not what she’d expected. She’d envisioned some dilapidated underground fallout shelter, but this was defiantly not dilapidated.

  The room was long and narrow, resembling the inside of a few train cars placed end-to-end. The front door opened into a small kitchenette with stove, fridge, and cupboards. To her right a small table with two chairs sat against one wall while the other was lined with shelves upon shelves of provisions. Food mostly, but there also appeared to be clothing and first aid supplies as well.

  To her left, the kitchen ended and a wall with a single door bifurcated the bunker.

  Conn pointed to the door. “Bedroom’s in there. Bathroom too.”

  Aries swallowed, “One bedroom?”

  “One bedroom. I think we can manage.”

  Aries crossed to the door and pushed it open. A large bed sat against one wall. Further in the room the bunker was cut-off by another wall with another single door that led to what she assumed was the bathroom. The walls of the bunker were plain, but the structure was clearly built for necessity not comfort.

  “I’ll start dinner. You can rest if you like.”

  “Speaking of, how are we…” she flushed at the juvenile question before it was even asked. After all, they were two adults. They could share a bed, couldn’t they?

  “You can take the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

  Slightly offended that he’d so easily dismissed the idea of sharing a bed with her, Aries’ brow furrowed. “How very magnanimous of you,” her tone dripped with sarcasm.

  “Is it lost on you that I’m out here against the wishes of CEO StoneCrow and against direct orders from my commander?”

  Aries didn’t miss a beat. “Is it lost on you that I’m out here against my wishes. If you recall, I was doing fine all alone in the jungle.”

  “Doing fine?” Conn scoffed. “You call living in that shit hole doing fine?”

  Indignant, Aries glared at him. “I was doing fine. I was alive wasn’t I?”

  “You wouldn’t have been for long.”

  “You don’t know that. You don’t know what I’m capable of, or what I’m capable of surviving.” She blinked back tears, “You have no fucking idea what I’ve already endured. And why?” She threw her arms in the air, “Because of your people. Because Mason thought I was somebody that I wasn’t.” She turned her back on him and stormed to the bedroom. “You should have just left me the hell alone in my ‘shit hole’!”

  Conn followed her and caught the door before she could slam it. He entered the room just as angry and slammed the door himself. “You know what Aries? I’m tired of tiptoeing around this subject with you so let�
��s get one thing clear right now. Skin Walkers are not just my people.” He jabbed a finger in her direction as she scrambled up on the bed and pulled a pillow over her lap as she frowned darkly at him. “They are your people too. Whether you like it or not beautiful you are a Skin Walker. It’s time you get used to the idea.”

  Her frown faltered at the declaration and gave way to shock. “I am not a Skin Walker,” she challenged without any true conviction.

  Enraged, Conn stomped toward her and ripped the pillow from her grasp, threw it against the wall then grabbed her arms and forced her back on the bed. His face hovered inches above hers, “You’re a Skin Walker and we’re not leaving this bunker until you come to terms with that fact.”

  With her heart racing, Aries fought the swell of fear that threatened to overwhelm her. She was terrified, not of Conn, but of his words. It can’t be true!

  He loosened his grip on her and his scowl softened as he slowly stood and backed away. “I’d never hurt you Aries.”

  She slowly sat up but didn’t look at him. “I don’t know you.” She lifted her eyes, “I don’t know any of you. And I don’t know what you hope to gain by saying that I’m a Skin Walker. Everything’s happening too quickly.” She turned her head to the side. “I just want to be left alone.”

  “Understood,” Conn turned to exit, but her words halted him.

  “Not by you! By them! I just want them to stop chasing me, to let me be.” She fidgeted nervously with a loose string on the comforter that covered the bed, “Sometimes I wonder if…”

  He still had his back to her. “If what?”

  She closed her eyes and her shoulders slumped. “If I stopped running, if I just let them have me, maybe it’d be easier to just get it all over with.” She felt the bed move and looked up to find Conn sitting on the foot of the bed staring at her.

  “You can’t give up Aries. You can’t ever give up.” His tone was soft but demanding.

  “I know,” she shrugged negligently, “I just wish…”

  “That it was easier?”

  She laughed, “That I could just rest a minute.” She looked up at him as he stood, “Do you think that’s too much to ask?”