Surviving Today

by Mande Chambers

“Damn straight I came prepared.” Brian pulled out a black rubber bracelet and waved it in the air. “You know, you could have asked nicely.”

  “Playing nice isn’t in my wheelhouse right now.” Megan nodded at the mini human shooting daggers at her with his narrowed eyes. “That little hooligan over there needs to learn how to control the energy he stirs up in the atmosphere, but his ass is grounded to the farm. I don’t feel like playing the Where’s Levi game across seven continents. Playing hide and seek with a smartass kid is just not on the agenda today.”

  “I learned from the best,” Levi mumbled. “And you can’t ground me!”

  “Watch me,” she told her son.

  “You know, they consider Europe and Asia one continent now, so really its six continents,” Brian pointed out. “Nice Where’s Waldo reference, though.”

  Levi turned to Charlie. “Uncle Charlie, do something!” he whined.

  Charlie held his hands up. “Yeah, right, kid. Even I’m not stupid enough to cross your mother on this one. You’re on your own here, short stuff.”

  Levi stomped his foot and crossed his arms over his chest. “This so isn’t fair!”

  Yes, her elven-year-old stomped his foot like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. He even managed to pull off the whiny, high pitched voice, too.

  Megan rolled her eyes. “And cue the preteen angst.”

  “Drama King,” Brian said, entering the lock code into the bracelet. “You’re lucky they made a separate bracelet for superhumans who happen to have more that teleportation as a power.” He groaned. “Really?” He swore under his breath, grabbing a hold of Levi’s wrist. He slapped the bracelet onto Levi’s wrist before the kid could muster up enough energy to jump. “Seriously? Yeah, he is definitely your offspring, Nox.”

  “I hate you all,” Levi groused as Brian let go of his wrist.

  “You’ll live,” Megan, Charlie, and Brian said in unison.

  Levi then proceeded to repeat the swear words, in order, that Brian had used.

  “My bad,” Brian mumbled.

  Megan shot Brian a sideways look. Then she focused her glare on her son. “Levi Rhyder Whitfield! If you don’t watch your language, you will find out very quickly why these grown men avoid ticking me off.”

  “Besides, if you aren’t paying your own bills, you don’t have the right to use that type of language,” Charlie added.

  “I’d listen to your mom, little man,” Brian warned, failing to keep the amused smile off his face. “You really should respect adults.”

  “This is so unfair.”

  “Life’s unfair kid. Deal with it.” Brian looked a Megan. “Go get some sleep and let this sink in. I’ve got this.”

  She nodded. “Thanks.”

  She scanned the yard. When no one was looking, she jumped. Collapsing face first onto the bed, she made sure her mental walls were up and encrypted with such security, the NSA would be green with envy, and disappeared into the oblivion of an exhausted sleep.

  Megan opened her eyes to find a black and russet colored wolf sitting next to the bed, watching her. She blinked a few times, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

  She reached a hand out, rubbing the over a hundred pound wolf behind the ears. She rolled her eyes at the low, deep growl he responded with. He was such a temperamental bastard. She scooted over, patting the empty space beside her.

  The wolf jumped up onto the bed, laying on its side, its head on the pillow. It then proceeded to shift into a fully clothed man. “I know that you know that I am still human, even in wolf form. You also know there is payback for petting me like a dog.”

  “But, you’re just so cute and cuddly. And a lot less annoying as a furry, four legged creature,” she replied, reaching over to rub his short red hair. “I thought you were supposed to be outside helping Levi.”

  Jay pulled her hand off of his head, shooting her a warning look. He brought it down between them. “Halia’s got it. He’s surprisingly good with the kid.”

  “Scary, isn’t it?”

  “Extremely.” He raised an eyebrow. “You looked like you were having a very interesting dream. Care to share?”

  She shook her head. “Not really.”

  Before he could say anything else, there was a loud commotion outside the open window. Megan and Jay stiffened. His brown eyes met hers. She nodded, letting him know she felt it, too.

  There was an unauthorized wolf on the property. Not only that, but there was also an unfamiliar superhuman presence on the property.

  Megan felt the moment the rest of the shifters shifted into animal form.

  She jumped off the bed and ran to the window, Jay close behind her. In the open area in front of the barn, right in the center of the mass of superhumans, was a massive wolf. It was larger than a normal shifter and its hackles were up.

  This couldn’t be good.

  Mixed in with the superhumans were two wolves, who placed themselves between the unknown predator and the superhumans. Corbin was the solid black one and Brian was the brown and white one.

  Beside her, Jay shifted. He ran off to go join the others. Megan turned to follow him, but the phone vibrating in her pocket stopped her. Pulling the device out of her pocket, she read the screen. Swiping a finger across the screen, she answered the call. “Mia, this really isn’t a good time.”

  “Is Jerome there?”

  “What? Why would Jerome be here?”

  “He shifted into a wolf and then he teleported. We have no idea where else he could’ve gone,” was her best friend’s high pitched response. The woman was nearing hysteria.

  “Mia, did you just say that my eight-year-old son shifted, then jumped?” Megan asked for clarification purposes.

  “Yes!”

  “Would he happen to be a massive russet colored wolf?”

  “Yes…”

  “I’ll call you back.”

  Megan dropped her phone onto the bed and jumped. She materialized in front of the frightened, snarling wolf.

  Shit.

  “You need to calm down boy. I know you are scared, confused, and feel threatened, but no one here is going to harm you.” She kept her hands up and in plain sight.

  “Speak for yourself, Megs. That’s an unknown wolf,” Charlie said.

  “We know nothing about it,” Scott added.

  Megan glanced over her shoulder. “Evans, Beres, Halia, shift back. It’s fine.”

  The three wolves shifted back into human form.

  “That’s a hostile wolf, Megan. What are you doing?” Brian demanded.

  “That”—she pointed at the snarling, drooling animal in front of her, mindful to keep her finger out of chomping range—“is a frightened eight-year-old boy. He just shifted for the first time and has no idea what is going on. Back off.”

  Realization dawned on Jay’s face. “Megs, how did he get here?”

  “According to Mia, he teleported.”

  “He what?”

  “What did you honestly expect?”

  “Not that.”

  “Wait. It’s impossible for a shifter to have abilities!” Corbin exclaimed.

  “Who’s the wolf, Megs?”

  She met the wolf’s chocolate colored eyes, keeping her hands up in peace. “It’s Jerome. He shifted and teleported to the first person he thought of.”

  “Shifter’s can’t jump,” Brian reiterated.

  “His mom,” Julian said in understanding.

  “Well, that definitely answers the million dollar question on everyone’s mind for the last nine years,” Logan muttered.

  “Not necessarily, jackass,” Jay returned.

  “He’s a wolf Beres!” Scott yelled.

  “Yes, thank you, Raleigh. I have eyes. Anything else you’d like to point out, Captain Obvious?”

  “I’m not a shifter,” Scott said. “How else would that be possible?”

  “You’d be surprised, Mr. I’m Not Who or What I Pretend I Am,” Jay muttered.

  “Again, the kid is
a shifter and he teleported,” Corbin pointed out loudly.

  “Yes, thank you Sergeant Repeat.”

  “We are in uncharted territory with inherited abilities here,” Charlie threw in.

  “Yeah, but still,” Julian cut in. “He should be one or the other. Superhuman or shifter. Not both.”

  The child wolf howled, then growled.

  Megan looked over a Jay. “There is only one way to make him shift back.”

  Jay paused, in the middle of saying something to Julian, and stared at her. “Megs, no. I’ll do it.”

  She smiled. “Thanks, but it’s time.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah.”

  Jay turned back to Julian. “It’s possible to be both,” he returned. “You just need to pay attention.”

  “How?” everyone else chorused.

  “Simple,” Megan said loudly. “If you all would shut up long enough to let me get a word in, I would tell you.”

  There was a resounding silence as all eyes turned to her in curiosity. The silence didn’t last long, though. She did the last thing anyone expected.

  She shifted.

  Finally.

  It was about time the bitch shifted. If he’d had to listen to the incessant bickering and drama unfolding down below anymore, he would have gladly taken his own gun and shot himself in the head.

  “Go! Go!” he whispered into the small mic attached to his mouth. “Deploy it now!”

  His partner jumped, materializing in the middle of the scene below. He removed the pin from the canister, dropping it to the frozen ground.

  Then he jumped and rematerialized up in the safety of the hills again.

  The green gas spewed from the black canister, spreading through the open area fast, sending out pulse waves as it spread to every superhuman, warlock, and shifter in its preset perimeters.

  Within minutes the eleven adults and two children, one still in wolf form, were out cold.

  “They’re ready for transport. Kids go to a different facility. Directions are in the truck, preprogrammed into the GPS.”

  CHAPTER 38

  January 2001

  Shanna blocked the blow, letting it glance off her forearms. Kicking her leg out, she caught him smoothly behind the knees. She locked her leg around his left leg, knocking his legs out from under him.

  Patrick hit the mat, rolling fluidly to his feet. He took a blow to the kidneys, blocking a punch headed for his jaw. He grabbed her around the waist.

  She stomped on his instep, elbowing him in the nose. When his grip loosened, she spun around, catching him in the gut with her knee.

  He let her go with a grunt.

  She pivoted, bringing her knee up again to catch him in a much more awkward place. He caught it before it could connect, shooting her a sideways look as he tossed her to the mat. She hit hard, rolled, and was on her feet in time to block a kick to the throat with her hands.

  Patrick barely managed to keep his foot out of her grasp. She attempted to catch her breath. She swore, catching his arm as it was wrapping around her neck. She flipped him onto his back on the mat.

  He landed with a whoosh of air. Before he could take a breath to yell he quit, he was rolling to avoid her foot coming down on his neck. His eyes widened as he grabbed the side of her foot, twisting it until she lost her balance and landed hard on her back beside him.

  Patrick stared up at the wood ceiling, trying to remember how to breathe.

  Shanna sat beside him, breathing just was heavily as he was. She guzzled water from a nearby water bottle. She tossed him the bottle as she laid back.

  He caught it with a groan of pleasure and finished it off.

  Sparring was a great way to work off frustration. She was too exhausted to feel anything but incredibly sore. It had been two months since that fiasco back in November. D was still oblivious and, as of two weeks ago, they had officially been together for one year.

  Patrick’s little deal had worked. She hadn’t cut herself in almost two months. And, scarily enough, her inner demon seemed to be completely satisfied. No more bloodlust.

  Yeah, honestly, she didn’t want to put too much thought into it.

  The guilt about what happened that night was eating her alive, but she knew it was honestly for the best if D didn’t know.

  Shanna groaned, rubbing her ribcage. Sometimes it really wasn’t a good idea to spar when upset. Especially when there were charms surrounding the gym that prevented supernatural healing. She touched her jaw, wincing. If, by some miracle, it wasn’t black and blue, it definitely was going to be tender to the touch for while thanks to a defensive punch from Patrick.

  She blew a strand of hair out of her face, studying him out of the corner of her eye. He was sitting with his knees drawn up, his arms wrapped loosely around them. He was still breathing hard, sweat dripping down his face and his scraggly dark brown hair was matted to his head.

  He looked cute.

  Too cute.

  Yeah, some habits were really hard to break. Even after centuries of knowing better. Maybe she was more human than she gave herself credit for…

  “Remind me never to piss you off again,” he managed between breaths. “I take back everything I have ever done to you over the past fifteen hundred years and however many lifetimes. I’m so sorry.”

  She smiled. “It was a good workout.”

  “Workout hell.” Patrick rubbed his lower back. “That was more like an all-out fight. You didn’t hold back on a single punch or kick. I’m sore in places I forgot existed.”

  Shanna laughed. “Yeah, I’m so not going to touch that one. And you’re such a wuss. You’re supposed to be a big, bad Greater Demon. One of the original four. Dude, that wasn’t even our best fight.”

  “I’m living on no sleep. Give me a break here.”

  “My heart bleeds for you. Really.” She rubbed her thumb and index finger together. “You know what that is? It’s the world’s smallest violin. That’s the cost of partying. If you’re going to go out to feed your vice, you really should be man enough to deal with the sleep deprivation that comes with the in the moment fun. Maybe you shouldn’t have brought that girl home last night.” She threw a towel from beside the mat at him.

  He caught the towel. “It’s not my fault the ladies are all over me.” He shot her a disbelieving look. “Did you just gag?”

  “A little. In my mouth.”

  “Ha-ha. Funny.”

  “Thanks. I try.”

  He wiped his face, swearing lightly when it touched the side of his head. “That was a nice kick by the way.”

  Shanna grinned. “Thanks. Too bad it knocked what few brain cells you have left loose.”

  “Hilarious. Did you ever figure out your problem with the male species?”

  “Other than you exist? Sadly, no.” She picked up another towel. “My therapist says it all stems from a long lifetime of negative male parental role models.”

  Patrick leaned back on his elbows. “Wow. I wonder what she’d say about me.”

  “Yeah, don’t get me started on that topic.”

  Patrick’s back stiffened and Shanna’s tattoo started burning on her forearm at the exact moment a voice said, “Carter said I might find you here.”

  Shit. Of course he did.

  Shanna’s blood ran cold as she stopped mopping her face. She pulled the towel away to see D standing at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed.

  Patrick dragged himself off the mat. “D. Welcome to my home. This isn’t what it looks like and you really need to go now.”

  D raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

  Shanna jumped up. “Patrick, I’ll deal with him. You need to, uh, do your thing and tighten up security.”

  Patrick shot her a panicked look. “Shan, if I do that—”

  She cut him off. “I know. Do it anyway. This isn’t a social call and they’re not amateurs. These are professionals and the only chance I have is if the playing field is one hundred percent level.�
��

  “But D—”

  “It’s too late to get him out of here. We’ve got less than two minutes until they breach,” she snapped, cutting him off again. “The best we can do is hide him away and pray they don’t realize he’s here.”

  D’s head bounced back and forth between the two of them like a ping pong ball. “What the hell is going on?” he yelled.

  Shanna flinched. “Keep your voice down.”

  Patrick’s eyes flashed black as he mumbled some words.

  D jumped back against the wall, his eyes saucer like on his face. “His eyes are black!”

  Shanna approached him, hands up in peace. “D, honestly, that’s the least of our problems at the moment.”

  Shanna cried out in pain, holding her left arm. “Damn it. They’re here.”

  This is a dream. Some sick and twisted dream…

  D watched in shocked awe as Shanna cried out, grabbing her left arm. As he listened to her yell out words no lady should ever say, he took in her appearance.

  Her long auburn hair was pulled up into a ponytail, wisps of it framing her face, with wayward strands falling out all over her head. She was dressed in a black tank top with one inch straps and black sweatpants.

  His eyes widened even further, encompassing his whole face, as black ink started appearing on the exposed parts of her arms.

  Where she was grabbing her left forearm, a huge tattoo, that almost took up her entire forearm from below the elbow to her wrist appeared, the skin around it red. It was of a bow. The type of bow you would shoot an arrow out of. There were four symbols at different points outside of the bow, with a symbol inside the bow. He couldn’t make out any of the small symbols. Below the frame of the bow, starting at her wrist and ending just below one of the symbols outside the bottom portion of the weapon, were lines of script.

  The script was curvy and flowing.

  The lines read:

  Ex igne et luce venatorum

  Hunt in nocturna animalia

  Non fracto iure impune.

  Shanna noticed where his confused stare was lingering and went to open her mouth.

  D help up a hand, shaking his head. When she closed her mouth without saying anything, he went back to his inspection of the mysterious ink.