by Morgan Wylie
“RYLEN! Stop!” Lucius commanded his leader and his friend. “They are safe,” he began, coming up behind Rylen just as Rylen’s body crumpled to the ground. Lucius caught him and lowered him gently, but released him as his body began to seize seemingly to rid itself from the poison. Rylen refused to open his lips as the magic fought for release, he contained it and would until it took him into the darkness from which it was birthed.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Mather could follow a trail much better in his wolf form, but right now he could’ve followed the trail in either form. The scent he followed was so fresh and strong, it made him ache in places he didn’t know existed. She had been right where he paused not long before, maybe only an hour ago. Two other scents mingled predominately close to hers… too close. A growl erupted in his throat. She had either been pulled or carried, the scents were so strongly woven together. Poppy. Just the scent of her brought forth images in his mind; images of her bright green eyes, her porcelain skin dotted with freckles and kissed by the sun, and her curly orange hair piled high on top of her head, crazy wisps flowing wild and free.
Nose to the ground, Mather followed the scent until it stopped at a large, heavy old wooden door with giant cast iron fittings and hinges. This building was small and strongly fortified with various stones, tan and brown in color. He pushed his muzzle up against the door, but it didn’t budge. Mather was large in his wolf form, but even putting his whole body into the door wouldn’t open it. Poppy was behind that door, he knew it even more than he could smell it. Stepping back a fraction he examined the door and then looked around spotting a window, taller than a man standing and higher than he should’ve been able to jump through. Mather took several steps back, and with an unnatural growl even for an angry wolf, he put all his strength into his back legs and he leaped, scaling the stone wall until he made it up and through the window, shattering the glass. He let out an involuntary whimper, a sharp edge from the broken glass had sliced shallowly the skin on the side of his underbelly. Not willing to take the chance of someone catching him off guard, he didn’t even inspect the wound, but instead ducked low. Using all his senses, he took stock of all that was before him.
The room was more of a storage shed, but it was secured quite well with the heavy, barred door. Poppy’s scent was all over the room as if they walked her around it several times.
I found Poppy’s trail, he communicated to his brother. I’m following it into an abandoned shed not far from where you are. Probably a trap.
Tread carefully, Mather. Rylen is no longer with us, Lucius sent back.
What does that mean?
No time. Go, find Poppy. I’ll find you.
That was all the go ahead he needed. Mather respected his brother and knew that he acted in Rylen’s place in this situation, but nothing was going to stop him from going after one of their own, imprisoned against their will if he had said otherwise.
Focus. Find Poppy. He repeated the command in his head over and over.
Mather’s nose worked overtime, attempting to distinguish which scents were the freshest and where they led. After several circles around the room, Mather’s instincts took over and he felt a pinch in his chest as he found the right trail to follow. He let it direct him down a long, dark and cold, makeshift hallway made of both stone and compacted dirt held up by boards of plywood and scrap wood. A slight breeze came toward him, carrying fresh air indicating another exit of some kind at the unseen end. The foot path would be challenging for a human to maneuver over with the rough stones, loose gravel, and broken boards, but he was agile and comfortable navigating rougher terrain as a wolf.
Reaching the end of the path, he slowed his pace and crept cautiously toward the edge that opened into some other room. If there were people in there, he wanted to be aware of where they were. He stopped completely and perked his tall pointed ears to listen to what lay beyond the hallway. Breathing… he heard three sets of breathing rhythms all escalated with anticipation or excitement. He smelled Poppy. She was there. He slowly stalked forward out of the shadows, no doubt that he could handle two guards even if they had guns.
Indeed, two men with guns stood on either side of a cage with thick bars of steel that he had no way of opening in his current form. Perhaps Poppy would know how to free herself. He saw the men raise their guns in warning. With his sharp eyesight, he saw the sweat dripping off of each of their brows and the stains of sweat running down the center of their shirts and underarms. Based on the scents he was getting from within the room it would soon wreak of fear. But what he unmistakably saw were Poppy’s bright green eyes staring directly back at him, and she was angry.
That was not the expression he had hoped to see, perhaps her excitement of having a knight in furry armor there to free her from her captors, yes, but not anger. He growled at the men, at the situation, and even at her.
Spunky little Poppy, stood up straight and placed her delicate hands on each of her nicely shaped hips. She cocked her head at him with a raised eyebrow as if she understood what he was growling at. Perhaps she understood him more than he’d like her to at this point. Perhaps she saw him when he didn’t realize anyone would. He stalked forward at an angle in order to see both guards as they aimed their guns at him. Mather sat and tilted his head to the side, stuck out his long, lolling tongue and wagged his tail.
The men both looked at each other confused, then back at him. He ducked his head and went down into an almost laying down posture.
“It’s just a big dog, Jack,” one guard said to the other.
“I don’t know, he’s still really big. Big dogs can still do a lot of damage to people,” the other guard said.
“Look, he’s wagging his tail. I think he’s friendly. Aren’t you boy?” the first guard said in that tone people use when pacifying an animal.
They lowered their guns and even took a step toward Mather, still crouched down playfully cocking his head back and forth as dogs do. Another step forward they moved closer. Mather put his head to the ground and buried his muzzle with his paws, his tail still wagging.
“I think he wants to play, Jack,” the first guard said as he knelt down on the big puppy’s level.
“I’m not saying he doesn’t, Bill, but I still don’t trust him. Be careful, man.”
Bill, the first guard, extended his hand cautiously, but when Mather let the man pet him he held still eyeing Jack as he too moved even closer. “See, Jack. Look he just wants to be pet. I bet he wants to play, too.”
I do. Mather lunged at the guard closest to him and pinned him to the concrete ground. His head hit hard, knocking him out. Leaving him, Mather stalked the other guard who moved carelessly backward, knocking things over as he caught himself from tripping.
“Ni…ice doggy. I don’t want any trou…trouble,” the guard stuttered.
Well you sure are asking for it, taking our people, but this one… this one is mine. He looked over at Poppy, gripping the bars in each hand watching him intently then back at the guard who was eyeing his gun placed on the table just to the side of the wolf. Mather growled, showing sharp canine’s as he backed the guard into a corner. The guard backpedaled so fast and so hard he was practically climbing the walls. Mather turned his head back to the table and spotted the gun the guard was looking for. He backed up several steps to give the guard a clear shot at reaching his weapon. That was only fair. Mather took even more steps back, signaling with his head toward the gun.
“He wants you to have a fair fight. Grab the gun,” Poppy explained almost as if she was bored.
The guard frowned as he looked to his prisoner. “Can you understand him?”
“No, but it didn’t seem that hard to guess, if you aren’t worried about being eaten, I mean.” Poppy shrugged.
Without further prompting, the guard inched his way from the stone wall until he was close enough to the makeshift table of plywood sitting atop a barrel. He then leapt to the table, grabbed his gun, and spun away all in a single
sloppy move. His hands shaking enough to almost knock the gun out of his hand, he fumbled until he had a firm grasp, then aimed it directly at Mather’s head.
For the tiniest brief second, Poppy’s eyes widened in alarm seeing the gun and the wolf only mere inches apart. To her shock, the wolf saw her and stuck his tongue out toward her. She rolled her eyes and moved back from the cage, gesturing for him to get on with it. The guard shifted his eyes warily between her and the wolf.
“Now I hear bullets don’t actually take a wolf like you down,” the man paused and looked to Poppy as if she was going to affirm the rumors. When she didn’t, he continued, “but I figure they would still slow you down enough for me to get away or call back up at the least.”
Poppy cleared her throat and jutted her chin up to the back corner of the room. Mather followed her line of sight and saw the security camera with a red blinking light. Guess your back up doesn’t feel like helping you right about now.
“They’re coming. Just you wait,” the guard said without conviction like he didn’t quite believe it himself.
Nah, I’d rather not. Mather lunged simultaneously as a shot was fired, sinking his teeth into the guard’s arm until he felt bone and shook until the man dropped the gun. The bullet had grazed his side which wouldn’t have bothered him much normally, except it was where the broken glass had pierced him earlier. He whimpered at the shock of pain jolting through his body. He heard Poppy gasp from behind him, but he had business to finish. Mather reacted out of his pain and tore into the guard’s neck, severing both carotid arteries causing the man to bleed out and die in seconds.
Wiping the blood off his muzzle, he heard Poppy calling him from behind.
“Mather, you have to get out of here,” she said with her back facing the direction of the camera. “I know there is no sound on that camera, but they can read lips.” She looked back at him over her shoulder. Mather moved over to where she stood at the cage door. He nudged the lock on the door with his muzzle and growled.
“Don’t bother, you won’t be able to open that door even if you had hands. No, don’t…” she faltered, “change.” Where a giant wolf stood in front of her one moment, there was now a giant masculine man… a very naked masculine man standing directly in front of her. He crossed his arms, accentuating his upper body’s definition even more while leaving everything else quite exposed. Poppy’s mouth hung wide open. Catching herself, she quickly shut her jaw and looked away, but then decided he was the one to spring up in front of her—literally—so why should she tear her eyes away, he was obviously not shy so she shouldn’t be either. To prove her point, she offered an appreciative once over. She admired the specimen of a man in front of her from his chaotically strewn dark hair and his groomed yet bushy beard down his stocky, solid build that was chiseled with pure muscle all the way down to his bare feet.
“What do you…” he cleared his throat, his voice scratchy. “What do you mean I won’t be able to open the door?” he asked, staring directly into her eyes.
“I mean, it’s made to look like a key lock, but it’s actually electronically controlled from elsewhere.” She sighed, knowing what was coming next.
“Then you open it, Poppy. Get yourself out of that damn cage.” Mather placed his hands on his waist and scowled at her.
Her voice was low, “I can’t, Mat.”
“Can’t? Or won’t, Poppy?” Mather now growled at her.
“I can’t leave yet, Mather.”
“Why the fuck not?” He didn’t pace or clench his fists. He simply stared at her, boring holes into her very soul.
“I agreed to stay,” she said facing the camera.
Mather slammed his hands on the cage bars right at the sides of her head. To her credit, she didn’t flinch or back down at his outburst. “What?” he ground out through his teeth. On the verge of losing control, his teeth began elongating and his fingernails began to sharpen.
Poppy then subtly tilted her head to the side and amended her statement. “There are others here, Mat,” she whispered quickly. “I know where they are. I have computer access. Tell Tom to be ready.” She placed her hands on top of his still gripping the bars of the cage she was locked in. “I’m safe enough.”
“You. Are. In. A. Cage.”
“I have to do this. Let me do this, Mather,” she pleaded with him to understand. “I might be the only one who can get to them by being on the inside.”
“We have another ally that can do that,” he spat.
Poppy frowned, but didn’t question him. “You have to go now, Mather. Please leave me here… for now,” she added and placed the palm of her hand on his cheek, his bushy beard warm and inviting against her skin. He leaned into her hand briefly.
“For now,” Lucius spoke from the entrance to the room, standing still in the dirt hallway. Mather, of course, would have known his brother was there, but Poppy seemed slightly surprised at seeing him there. She dropped her hand.
“You expect me to actually leave her here? With them?” he said looking straight at Poppy, though addressing his brother. “She’s in a cage, Luc.”
“Can you handle it, Poppy?” Lucius asked her directly.
“For now. I can help the others, Lucius.” Poppy stood straight and sure.
“All right. For now, Poppy. You are our eyes and ears. Mather, Rylen won’t make it much longer if we don’t get him to the Lair.”
Mather turned to question Lucius about Rylen, but he had already gone. He growled and turned back to Poppy.
“Go. Rylen needs you,” Poppy said with concern.
“I…” Mather didn’t finish.
Poppy wiggled a finger toward the camera. The red light stopped blinking. She leaned forward into the bars, reaching one of her hands through the slats and gently gripped his long beard. She pulled him into her and kissed him lightly on the lips. He took that as an invitation and returned the kiss, but his was surprisingly deep, greedy, and hungry. They had never done that before, but it soothed his wolf. Whether that was her intent or she was simply grateful he came for her, he didn’t know. Poppy pulled away first and took a step back from the bars.
“You have to go,” she said breathing heavily.
“This,” he gestured between the two of them, “this is not over. And we will discuss this,” he pointed at the cage surrounding her, “when we get you back.” He slumped toward the cage one last time, “Please don’t ask me to leave you here.”
“I am. And next time don’t come rescue me, until I tell you, Mather Jefferson.” Poppy folded her arms over her chest. She flicked her finger back toward the camera, turning it back on.
Mather looked at her one last time and gave a cry of frustration as he beat the cage bars once more. He turned and walked away from her, leaving her with an exquisite view and a tear fell from her eye. He walked away.
He didn’t get far before the first guard stirred as consciousness returned to him. As he walked by the man already down on the ground, Mather stooped and grabbed the man’s arm, snapping it as if it was nothing more than a brittle branch fallen from a tree. The man collapsed, out cold. Mather didn’t look back, but if he had he would have seen Poppy watching only him as once more he transformed from a magnificent man into a magnificent creature.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Mather arrived at the designated meeting place where Enock was standing on one side of the portal entrance and Lucius on the other. The last of the team members, aside from Enock and Lucius, had just gone through the portal, some carrying limp bodies while a few others supported those still alive.
“Let’s go, Mather,” Lucius directed.
Mather was about to go through the shimmery portal, a veil with an image of Vi and the entrance to the Lair on the other side, when he paused in front of Lucius.
Why, Lucius?
“Why did I leave her?” He paused. “Because she asked me to. I trust that she had a reason and the ability to follow through on that reason or she wouldn’t have asked.”
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If they hurt her…
“Yes, it will be on me. It was my call.”
No. It will be on me. Always. Mather began to walk through the portal but before he was all the way through he asked one more question. What’s wrong with Rylen? Where is he?
“Magic poison. He… consumed it, it’s going to kill him. Mai and Benson took him through already,” Lucius said flatly.
Enock watched the half-silent exchange between the brothers, then cocked an eyebrow at Lucius after Mather had gone through the veil. “He found Poppy and you left her?”
“He found her. She asked to be left. Yes, I left her.”
“Let’s hope she had a good enough reason. He’s going to be loads of fun until she is home,” Enock said sarcastically, shaking his head with an almost chuckle as he gestured for Lucius to proceed through the portal. Enock was the last one through.
In the Lair, controlled chaos ensued. Bodies were transported to the medical room for detoxification and examination before they could be taken somewhere to be properly buried. The rest of the team followed Mai and Benson as they carried—half dragged—Rylen into the Throne Room. Inside, several were scurrying about to place cushions from one of the couches against the walls on the floor to create a bed. Rylen would have wanted to be upstairs in his room, but they needed help fast.
Enock paged the medical room on the inter-Lair communications system, “Doc to the Throne Room.”
“Now,” Lucius demanded over Enock’s voice as he passed by.
They inspected Rylen while they waited for the doctor to come. Doc was a trained medical doctor, but he was also beyond human, gifted in all areas of medicine and healing for the body. He had worked in the hospitals for many years until it was determined the PAC needed a human doctor. The Lair needed a medical person with magical knowledge that could treat all their wounds as not all of them could heal supernaturally, and also their random paranormal issues. Rylen offered him a part-time position with them at first to get to know each other and see if it worked out. Doc agreed—he was offered a sum much larger than he had been making at the hospital—and he ended up leaving the hospital after only three months part-time at the Lair. He had been with them for several years now and had found a home. The partnership worked well for both parties.