A dry cough worked up his throat. “What was that thing?”
“I’ll give you one guess.” A strong whiff of her ozone-and-feathers scent had my inner wolf salivating. “Conjures thunder, rivals Thor with her accuracy for hurling lightning, and didn’t make the journey with her master.”
“Bea.” He spat a curse on his way to what must have been Moore’s office then returned with a pair of thick-soled rubber boots. “Here. Put these on. They’ll ground you. It won’t help if she dive-bombs you again, but it will keep you from getting fried.”
I hesitated with the boots in my hands. “What about you?”
A quick search failed to turn up a second pair. Zed owned waders, but his must be in his office across the way.
“I’ve got warg healing on my side.” I shoved the boots at him. “You wear them.”
“I can take blood from you and borrow warg healing.” He pushed them back. “You’re too fragile to risk. Your body is working overtime to heal. All the medicinal magic Enzo’s been pumping in you takes a toll too.”
Before our spat devolved into me knocking him down and cramming his feet into his boots, Moore burst through a side door. Job followed him in and locked the door behind him.
“What in God’s name is all that racket?” Moore demanded, darting around to make sure his shop was still standing. “It sounds like a live chicken getting zapped in a microwave.”
“I’m not going to ask why you know how that sounds.” I lifted the boots. “Are there more where these came from?”
“Not here. My spares are at home. Zed’s are in his office or maybe his truck. Why?”
“That chicken you heard? It’s flying around the add-on, and the microwave part is where she hurls lightning bolts when she gets her feathers in a twist.”
“Not that thing again,” he growled, remembering our last run-in with the thunderbird. “I just had this built.”
“How do we defuse the microwaved chicken?” Job asked in a flat voice that gave no hint of how ridiculous our conversation must sound.
“We need to distract her until we can reach Tiberius.” A task that sounded about as fun as a voluntary root canal. “He’s the only one who can control her.”
“Zed, you good?” I checked with the wolf as he shook out his fur. His answer came in the form of a hoarse bark. “I’m going to open this on three. Moore, you get in there and secure the rear door. Job, you secure the front. We need to trap her and get her the hell out of range of anyone who might be looking this way. Right now, she’s a flashing neon light pointing to the prince’s hiding place.”
Behind me, Isaac waited patiently for his assignment.
“Isaac, you’re putting on the boots—”
“Damn it, Dell—”
“—and then you’re covering my ass. Since you’re the one who’ll be jumping out in front of the microwaved chicken, you need the protection more than I do.”
He might have the ability to borrow from me to heal himself, but it wasn’t a given he could get blood in time or that it would be effective against the kind of electricity Bea discharged like molting feathers.
Zed whined to call my attention back to him as Isaac stuffed his feet in the boots.
“You’re on the offensive. Chase her around, snap your teeth, keep her off Isaac so he can keep her off me.” I checked with Moore. “How do I get Tiberius out?”
“There’s a standard handle on the cargo bay. Pull it and hydraulics lift the panel overhead. We secured it last night to make sure no one got the urge to investigate any funny noises, but I left it unlocked after we arrived. You shouldn’t have a problem opening the compartment.”
“Okay, guys and wolf.” I clapped my hands together. “We all know the plan. Let’s make this happen.”
I counted down then kicked open the door. Bea wasted no time. She dove for my head, talons extended, target locked on my face. She must have been waiting for the opportunity to finish what she’d started all those weeks ago. She and I had never seen eye to eye, mostly because she wanted to scratch mine out.
Zed leapt for her, head-butting her in the chest and knocking her off course. He gave chase while she pumped her wings to zip out of his range. With the coast cleared, the rest of us zoomed into action. Moore and Job split off and went their separate ways. I lunged for the RV, Isaac right behind me.
The rattling squeak of rollers sliding down tracks as the doors closed gave me an adrenaline boost. Soon we would all be trapped in a tight space with a very pissed-off bird. I would prefer to have Tiberius to shove at her before that happened. The pack moved in perfect choreography, and I reached the cargo bay unscathed. And then I dropped every curse word I knew in rapid succession.
Isaac kept his eyes on the moving target. “What’s wrong?”
“Microwaved chicken over there welded the lock shut and part of the seam too. She must have tried tearing off the door.” The bird had some tracking skill to pinpoint his location. Not just in the cargo bay, but in this realm. “There are claw marks. When he didn’t come out right away, she must have worried he was trapped and did what she does best and fried it.”
Meaning the prince had no way out until we made him one.
“Is there another way to access this?” I called to Moore.
“No, the other side is propane tank storage. There’s a wall there.”
“Tiberius?” I yelled then pressed my ear to the siding.
A muffled “Yes” made it through.
“Bea’s out here, and she’s about to fricassee us. We’ve got to get you out of there before she brings the whole place sizzling down around our ears.”
“Tell me what to do,” he yelled.
I love it when they say that.
“We’re going to work on this from the outside. Use what leverage you’ve got and do your best to kick out the panel.” I straightened and gestured at Moore. “Bring a crowbar. Two if you’ve got them.”
Job covered him, running interference between Zed and Bea while he ducked inside the shop. Moore emerged a minute later with black crowbars fisted in each hand. He ran to me, passed one over and—
“You’re not allowed to lift more than five pounds.” Isaac plucked the metal from my hand. “You’re sure as hell not allowed to leverage your weight against a sealed metal door.”
Growling at him, I wanted to snap back that I would do what I damn well pleased if it meant keeping them safe. But that’s what Reckless Dell would do. Level-Headed Dell was learning to delegate, that she didn’t have to do everything herself in order for it to get done.
Level-Headed Dell picked a piss-poor time to show up to the party.
“Fine,” I snarled, unable to conceal my annoyance at myself for what I’d almost done and Isaac for pointing it out to me. “Get in there.”
I stepped back and let the guys work. Already the RV shook from the force of Tiberius’s kicks. The seams in the door bowed and hinges groaned, but the welded area stuck fast.
“Duck!” Job hollered at me.
I hit the deck seconds before a blue-black blur ruffled my hair.
Bea was lucky I didn’t still have that crowbar. I’d played softball for years, and I was ready to knock that nuisance out of the park.
Zed brushed past me, our faces at the same level, and swiped his tongue across my cheek.
“That was disgusting.” I wiped off the drool. “Who knows where your mouth has been?”
A flash of fur, and he darted off again, humming through the bond about chestnuts roasting on an open fire.
The urge to gag was strong, but I kept down my gorge. I mean, Zed had been on the attack since shifting. No way had he had time to pause and lick his chestnuts. A twinge worked up my spine when I stood, and my neck didn’t thank me when I had to swerve aside to avoid the guys creaming me. Job had picked up a broom from somewhere, and the straw tips smoked from contact with Bea’s bad temper.
Finally, the metal gave with one last groan, and Tiberius ducked under the buck
led hatch. He was careful to keep a hand on the siding as he yelled, “Bea. Come.”
The holy terror squawked and threw on the brakes midair, wheeling around at the sound of his voice. She threw herself toward him, ignoring the arm he held extended in favor of smacking against his chest and sticking like they were opposing patches of Velcro. He made soothing noises while she chirruped with glee at having been reunited. The rest of us, charred and sore, glared at the mythical bird with the same intensity as we might study a bucket of original recipe dropped in our laps.
I anchored my hands on my hips and tried to summon Level-Headed Dell back again. “Care to explain?”
“My aunt separated us after Bea took exception to my being held prisoner.” He scratched under the bird’s sharp, black beak. “She didn’t tell me where Bea was being held, but I knew it couldn’t be far. They were depending on the precipice to conceal us both. The storm that lured you to us was her doing.”
“How did she know where to find you?” Butler, Tennessee, was a long way from their home. Or not. They had spent a few months squatting at the stone house. Maybe she had returned to her old roost like a homing pigeon and started her search from there. “I’m glad you guys are reunited and all, but anyone could have followed her here. She’s not what I’d call inconspicuous.”
“She’s bound to me.” He urged her onto his forearm, and she went without protest. “Inclement weather calls to her. When she was a hatchling, she would get swept up in storms and blown out into no man’s land. She’s a rare and valuable asset, as far as my family is concerned. But she’s also my friend. I paid one of the banshees to sing our fates and weave their harmonies.”
I bobbed my head like I had a clue what he meant. Banshees announced deaths, that much I remembered. I’d had no idea they had any precognitive powers or that they could bend them to intertwine souls or fates or whatever harmonies signified.
Isaac appeared more impressed with Tiberius’s explanation. I would have to quiz him on the particulars later. Until then, I had more pressing matters to handle. Such as the bird’s accommodations during the trip. “Where will she stay? We can’t have her attacking me while I’m behind the wheel.”
“Are there any empty cabinets onboard?” He kept scratching under her chin.
“I’m sure there are one or two.” Surely Zed hadn’t crammed every nook and cranny with food and supplies. Then again… “We can clear out one if you need the space.”
“Bea will sleep if she’s enclosed. The darkness soothes her. She’ll have to be released daily so that she can recharge.” He didn’t elaborate on how that was accomplished. “But otherwise, she will remain in her personal space so long as no one attempts to invade it.”
“Not a problem.” That bird was one nasty piece of work. “Just make sure I know where you stash her so we don’t have any accidents.” Gesturing toward Tiberius, who stood outside the RV without repercussions, I questioned Isaac. “Does this mean the spell doesn’t work as intended, or that the spell’s intent was reworked?”
“We didn’t expect to have to cram the prince in the cargo hold.” Isaac appeared unimpressed with the situation too. “Enzo had to modify his spell in order to accommodate last-night’s sleeping arrangements. Tiberius can technically leave the RV, but he must maintain contact with it.”
“What happens if he breaks contact?” That seemed important to know.
“The magic yanks him out of his current location, and the spell resets.”
Catching his meaning, I nodded. “It sticks him back in the cargo hold.”
That might come in handy later. Too much teenage sulking and I could always shove him down the steps and banish him to the hold. Upon reflection, the idea of having a means of containing him—and Bea—appealed to me more than it should have if the prince’s worried frown was any indication.
I gripped the edge of the curved metal and gave an experimental tug that zinged down to my tailbone. “Moore, is there any hope of salvaging this door?”
The plan was to go invisible the whole way, but plans changed and magics failed. We had to be prepared for any eventuality.
“None,” he answered flatly.
“I might have a piece that’ll work,” Zed croaked, voice raw from the change he had completed while the prince reunited with his pet. “It’ll be an obvious patch. We don’t have time to match the paint job.”
“I care more about function than looks.” I was that way in pretty much all aspects of my life. “We might need to disappear the prince again before this is over, and a trick is only as good as the magician. I can’t have faulty props giving away my trade secrets.”
“I have some white gloss mixed up from a job I finished yesterday.” Moore examined the RV with an eye toward design. “It will match the base coat, but Zed’s right. We don’t have time to break out the stencils or color match the purple. Still, a quick coat of white will make the repairs stand out less.”
“Let’s do that then.” I checked with Isaac, who nodded. “We didn’t plan on leaving until tomorrow anyway, so this won’t set us back past our original timetable.”
Plus, Moore had a point. This RV was brand-spanking new. Most salvaged items from Zed’s collection were rusted over, scuffed or weathered, if not all three. Using the hatch as is would cause it to stick out like a sore thumb against the sparkling exterior. If we ended up stashing our most valuable cargo down there, we didn’t want the obvious patch job drawing undo attention.
Job recoiled from the idea of sanding and painting, folding his arms over his chest like that might protect his dress shirt. He was nowhere near as fancy-pants as Enzo or Theo, and not for the same reasons. No, Job’s hesitance to dive in and damn his wardrobe sprang from having a job that required nice clothes while not paying enough to fund replacements lost to paint spatter…or lightning bolts for that matter.
“Since I’m lousy with tools,” he said, inching toward the exit, “I vote I head into town and pick us all up a hot meal.”
Seeing as how wargs were at least seventy-five percent stomach, the motion passed unanimously.
Chapter 17
The night passed without further incident, and the next morning we had ourselves a patched-up RV with a functioning cargo bay minus a few stripes of the purple persuasion. There was also a miniature lightning storm in the cupboard, but hey. What can you do? All in all, I felt good about what Zed and Moore had accomplished. I doubted the rental agency would feel the same, but accidents happened. Just usually not involving birds capable of conducting electricity or teens magically confined to motorized vehicles. But that’s what insurance is for, right?
Thanks to Bea, our great escape now had a kink. It’s not that Zed couldn’t throw open the bay doors. It was that if he did, there would be nothing there. And if we were being watched, which seemed more than likely, again, thanks to Bea, that’s the kind of thing they would notice. Vanishing an entire RV that never left the hangar was a Vegas-magician-level trick.
That sparked an idea. “Isaac.” I found him tapping away on a screen covered in code. “Are you up for a scouting mission?”
“Sure.” He set the tablet on the ratty seat of an even rattier lawn chair and extended his arm. “Any volunteers?”
“Pick me!” I jumped up and down and then regretted the jarring discomfort. “I like you all blond and wolfy.”
A prick from his spur, and he melted into his wolf aspect. Shaking out his fur, he padded over and licked my bare legs. I wasn’t about to squat down and receive a tongue bath. Minty-fresh man breath did not minty-fresh wolf breath make.
“Do a quick lap around the property. Pay specific attention to the trees and the old cellular tower. I doubt they can tell one wolf from another, so you should be safe for a quick run.”
“I’ll go with him.” Moore shucked his clothes and surrendered to the pain before I could rebuke him.
Moore was like that. I used to hate it, used to hate him. But the whole point for most of us in leaving the Ch
andler pack was to come into this one without the emotional baggage. This was a second chance, a fresh start. What kind of beta would I be if I knocked his legs out from under him? The insubordination would have to be dealt with, though. I couldn’t let him think he could steamroll me, even if his intentions were good.
“Make it snappy, boys.” I joined Zed where he leaned against the RV. “I’m getting twitchy.”
The change wasn’t quick by anyone’s standards, but once Moore shook out his fur, the two wolves darted through the door into the shop and then shot out the bay doors into the parking lot.
“So, this mission of yours.” A wiry arm encircled my shoulders, and Zed hauled me close. “Where are you headed first?”
“Gulf Shores, Alabama.”
“I’ve been there a couple times. Took the ferry from Gulf Shores to Dauphin Island.” A shiver rippled through him. “It’s terrifying being on a small, flat boat full of heavy vehicles. All that’s between you and the ocean is the grate you drove over to load. There’s one in the front and one in back they raise and lower like drawbridges and a waist-high rail runs down the sides.”
“I didn’t know you had a thing about water.” Cam was an aquaphobe for good reason, but this was news to me.
“It’s not the water that bothers me. It’s what’s swimming around in there. A dog-paddling wolf already has two strikes against him. All that splashing draws attention from predators, and when a shark looks up and sees this shaggy thing treading water, it’s going to think seal. Sharks love to eat seals.”
“So the real problem is you’re galeophobic, a shark-a-phobe.”
“I wouldn’t call it—” He paused, considered. “Yeah. Basically.”
“Good to know.” On the other side of all this, I was going to get Isaac to help me set up a projector so we could all head down to the lake and float in inner tubes while having a Jaws marathon. “I’m seeing this whole new side of you.”
Dog Eat Dog World: Limited Edition Bundle (Black Dog) Page 214