by Olivia Gayle
“Who’s freaking what?” Meredith came back through the door to the control room, followed closely by Damon. The older woman had a small arsenal slung across her shoulders, and looked from the girls to the monitors. “Did I miss anyth—Holy shit, is that a fucking dragon?”
“Yup.” Ever was grinning from ear to ear. “Aidan told me that both his mom and dad were able to take on any form they could think of, including ones that aren’t from the natural world. I mean, I believed him and all, but I didn’t understand the extent of it until now!”
“Holy shit.” The older woman was speechless, while Damon passed by her, cocking his head to one side as he examined the monitors.
“What’s a dragon?” he asked, looking up at Meredith.
“You’re looking at one, hon,” she breathed, clearly awed by what she saw.
Abby managed to tear her eyes away from the small screens to examine the other woman. “Where’d you find all that?”
“Oh, this? Damon’s nose found them, and I managed to pick the lock to get inside. Here.” She pulled out two semi-automatic pistols wedged under her belt and handed them to Abby. “For now, at least, you’re as human as I am, or close enough since you can’t change into anything. This’ll be your claws if we get any trouble here.”
“Shit!” Ever’s exclamation drew everyone’s attention as she fumbled for her radio. “Aidan, come in, you there?”
Abby watched in real time through a monitor as the other woman’s mate move to his car and picked up the radio. “I’m here, what’s happening?”
“We have more inbound, this time on the ground. It’s a whole convoy, and they seem to be stopping along Park and Ferris. One of them has something on a trailer, I can’t make it out…”
All of a sudden, half of the screens across the board blanked out, startling everyone. “Aidan,” Ever continued over the radio, her voice shaky, “we just lost eyes on half the town.” When there was no response, Ever’s voice rose. “Aidan, are you there?”
Silence met her words, and then, one by one, the last half of the monitors went down. Now, they weren’t just not showing a picture, but actually off, as if someone had flipped a switch and blown power to the house. “What’s happening?” Abby demanded, staring at the blank screens in horror.
“From all I’ve read, I’m guessing an EMP. Never seen one in person, but the effects match up. Doesn’t matter though, we’re useless and sitting ducks in here.” Meredith unslung two long guns from around her shoulders and handed them to the girls. “You know how to use these?”
Abby nodded but Ever shook her head. “We need to find Aidan and the rest,” she demanded as Abby racked the shotgun she’d been given.
“Cool your jets, we need to be ready before we head out there. Shift into whatever it is you become and we can get moving. You too,” she added, looking at Damon.
The wolf-boy didn’t argue and his Change was immediate, while they had to wait a few seconds for Ever to finish hers. Abby wasn’t surprised by the large lion that took the girl’s place; she’d had a feeling Ever would be a predator. Meredith took those seconds to arm Abby to the teeth, including two handguns she wedged into the girl’s belt. “They’re both racked with one in the chamber and ready to go. Just be careful not to put your finger around the trigger until after you’ve pulled it out.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Abby murmured, swallowing.
“We’re going to be fine, we’re just not safe here anymore. If they’re this coordinated with their attack, chances are they know where the main hub is and are going to take it out.”
“How do you know so much?”
“You spend enough time living subsistence, deep in the wilderness, you meet all sorts of folks. Doomsday preppers really like Alaska and the northern reaches, and sometimes, if you get them in the right mood, they’ll share their knowledge. Now come on, we need to get moving.”
“But where are we going?”
“To help your men, at the very least. I’ve been sick of being cooped up in here anyway, out of the way because they think me old and weak.”
Abby doubted anyone thought that of the tough human woman, but didn’t say anything.
“Okay, are we ready?”
Damon’s response to Meredith’s question was to growl, but a second later Abby caught a whiff of something new. “Um, I think we’ve got company.”
Meredith cursed. “Human?”
“Yeah.” Abby was still trying to learn to distinguish what smelled like what, but she did recognize some things. “At least a handful, and they have guns too.”
“Okay, change of plans, we’re making our stand here.” Muttering curses under her breath, Meredith scanned the entryway, trying to debate the best course of action. “Alright: Abby, you and me up the stairs. We’ll take the high ground, you two pick them off as they funnel in. Just, be careful alright?”
Adrenaline was making Abby shake, and she took deep breaths as she ascended the stairs. “Keep that for close quarters,” Meredith said, pointing to Abby’s shotgun and handing her a black rifle. “Aim for the head, arms or legs. Chances are their torsos are protected, and we don’t have enough ammo to waste.”
The new gun was heavier and more tactical, with bells and whistles beyond Abby’s general knowledge. Some of her apprehension must have shown on her face because Meredith put a hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be fine, trust me. Look through the scope, red dot on the bad guy, pull the trigger.”
They both laid on the old wood floor, positioning themselves behind the rifles and aiming for the door. Damon and Ever had both disappeared, hiding to take advantage of any surprise they might have.
Abby had noticed the first time she’d come through the front door that it was a lot beefier than most. When the first blow came, it didn’t even budge, but Abby nearly leaped out of her skin. Something battered hard against the door, over and over again, and it took the blows like a champ.
On the fifth one, however, Abby heard the smallest crackle of wood splintering. Meredith checked the chamber of her bolt-action rifle to make sure she was loaded. “Get ready,” she whispered as that cracking grew louder with each successive blow.
Then raised voices outside started shouting, and there was the muffled snap of gunfire. “What’s going on out there?” Meredith asked, looking at Abby.
Inhaling deeply, Abby stretched her senses as far as they could go, but couldn’t tell what the humans were fighting. The battering ram on the door had stopped, but someone crashed through a front window high at the front of the building. A man cried out as he fell, then Damon caught him midair, snarling quietly and dragging him out of Abby’s sight.
The screaming stopped quickly, and Abby shivered, wondering what she’d gotten herself into.
With a groan, the front door gave way, and three human men sprawled out on the ground of the entryway. More streaked inside, but before Abby could aim and pull the trigger, a giant Polar bear came rushing inside, flinging itself on the men with guns. The action propelled the entire group past the stairs and under both Meredith and Abby’s positions.
“Shit. Stay here.” Meredith picked up her gun and hurried down the steps, slinging it over her shoulder and pulling out two pistols. Damon met her at the bottom of the stairs, staying by her side as she peeked outside the door, then stepped out into the light.
It didn’t feel right, laying down while everybody else did the dirty work. Abby shook herself, pushing down her fear as she clambered to her feet, keeping the gun close to her chest as she crept down the stairs. Below, the sounds of men and polar bear had ceased, and as she reached the bottom of the stairs both it and Ever’s lion crept out of the shadows.
Abby squinted at the big white bear. “Derek?”
The animal Shifted, becoming a very naked but familiar human man. “I was sent to come get you all. Eleanor and the boys are mopping up what’s left of the attackers. We lost communication but they seem to be pulling back and retreating.”
“Where’
s Logan,” Abby asked then, as Ever’s large nose butted her hand, she added, “and Aidan?”
“At the front, taking down the stragglers. Eleanor’s taken care of their air support so they’re fleeing on foot. Easy prey, but we’re still missing people.”
“We can’t let them get away.” Meredith came back in through the doorway, shoving another magazine into her handgun. “It’s all or nothing with these bastards, you can’t let…”
Blood sprayed out from the older woman before Abby even realized somebody outside was shooting at them. She collapsed in the doorway as everybody ducked for cover except Damon, who dove for Meredith. He was human by the time he got to her side and, heedless of the bullets, pulled her to one side, shielding her with his body.
“I thought you took them out,” Abby yelled at Derek over the hail of bullets.
“I did!”
Abby looked at the dark-haired man, then frowned. “You’re bleeding pretty badly, you okay?”
“I don’t know.” He seemed confused, and Abby wondered if it was blood loss. “I got shot by something syringe-like out there, and I can’t feel my bear now at all.”
“Logan had something like that happen to him. It wears off.”
“Not soon enough.” Derek gritted his teeth against obvious pain. “Eleanor and the boys should be on their way, we just have to survive until they—”
More gunfire cut them off, large caliber bullets eating through the walls of the house. Abby thought she screamed, but couldn’t hear herself over the hail of bullets. Logan, she cried out with her mind, willing him to hear her and come rescue them.
Chapter 20
“We’ve got one of them alive!”
Aidan threw the Sheriff’s car radio into his truck, cursing under his breath as he turned toward Warren’s call. “I need to go find Ever,” he said through gritted teeth.
It was a feeling that Logan understood perfectly.
But Warren shook his head. “No, we need you here. Send someone else to check on them.”
Both Aidan and Logan growled at that idea, but Warren stood his ground, crossing his arms and glaring at his younger brothers. “They can take care of themselves, at least for the moment.”
“I’ll go, and bring them here.”
All three men turned to see Derek, their stepfather, staring at them solemnly. Warren rolled his eyes, but Aidan and Logan nodded. “They’re up at the mansion and nothing electronic is working. They’ll be blind in there.”
Derek just nodded, then Shifted into his Polar bear and took off at a fast lope. Logan watched the white shape dart between the buildings, trying to contain his bear that desperately wanted to go after their mate too.
Of anyone who might have volunteered, he knew his stepfather had the best chance of completing that mission solo, and they didn’t have enough bodies to mount a rescue yet. Logan knew first hand how heavily fortified the mansion was and had to, for the moment, trust that Derek would bring them back safe.
The polar bear disappeared from view and, reluctantly, Logan followed his brothers to see their prisoner.
Benedict was standing guard over the unconscious human, arms crossed and glaring down as if that would wake the man up faster. When he saw them approaching, some of his glare relented but he still looked troubled. “Our patrols have been very efficient at dispatching our invaders - perhaps too efficient. Every one of them we’ve found so far has been dead, even the ones we know for sure were only wounded. Something’s wrong here, and I need answers.”
“Did you ever locate the helicopter that took Samantha?”
Benedict’s lip curled up in thinly veiled anger at Aidan’s question. “No, she hasn’t been found, and we’re missing several others too.”
“Others?”
“One of your deputies, Mac Wallace, was taken into a helicopter before her husband’s eyes, and we have a number of people unaccounted for.” He scowled down at the human at his feet. “Not to mention the number of dead.”
“How many?”
“Twenty last I heard, and that number’s only growing as we get more wounded. Not everyone’s old enough for a strong healing factor, plus all the non predatory Shifters we have who aren’t equipped for fighting…” He cut himself off, then sighed, lowering his arms to his sides. “And we lost Roy. His last words were asking about his daughter.” The old shifter shook his head. “My idiot son was supposed take care of them, bring them here to safety.”
“I was there with him,” Logan reminded the other man. “He did well, but we were outgunned and outmaneuvered. There wasn’t any more we could have done for them.”
“Maybe.” Benedict let out a frustrated breath, and Logan could sense the worry in the old tiger. “How did our town get to this point?”
“I’m sorry I failed again, but I suppose you’re used to that by now.”
Logan turned in time to see Julian stomping off toward the wounded. Benedict groaned, rubbing his face with one hand. “I can’t seem to do right by that boy,” he murmured, shaking his head.
Aidan stared after the retreating figure, grimacing in sympathy, while beside him Warren cursed softly. Logan scanned the triage around them, taking a mental inventory. Arcadia had long had a higher population of prey Shifters - those whose animals were either too small to fight or vulnerable in some way. Most had appreciated the strict town laws, believing they would be safe here.
In one day, that trust had been shattered.
“He’s waking up.”
The man on the ground groaned, then levered himself up to a sitting position. Logan frowned. “Shouldn’t we restrain him?”
“We’ve taken all his weapons,” Benedict said, folding his arms again and glaring down at the soldier. “He’s harmless.”
Logan still felt apprehensive though as the man coughed, holding his ribs, then turned his gaze up to the shifters standing over him. “Oh great,” he murmured, obviously annoyed. “I’m never going to live this one down.”
“You’ll be lucky to live through what I have planned for you.” Reaching down, Benedict hooked his hand inside the jacket of the other man and hauled him up until they were nose to nose. The soldier was the same height as the old tiger but thicker, and his toes scrabbled for purchase on the soft ground.
“Why did you come here? Who sent you and how did you find us?”
“Fuck you.”
Quick as lightening, Benedict rammed a fist into the soldier’s injured ribs. Air, as well as small flecks of blood, wheezed out of the human’s mouth, his eyes bugging out as he struggled for breath. “I asked you a question.”
“Actually,” the man whispered, gasping in for breath, “that was three questions.”
Logan winced as two more blows rained down on the soldier from the irritated shifter. The human was breathing fast, obviously in a lot of pain, and Aidan stepped forward. “What did we ever do to you?” he asked, looking the man in the face.
The human coughed, then spat blood to one side. “It was never what you did, but what you could do.”
Warren shook his head. “Go get mother,” he said to Aidan, who nodded and started toward the triage area. “She can get the rest out of him.”
“Oh no, no!” The human began struggling in earnest now, but wasn’t budging from Benedict’s hold. “I’ve heard of your mind games, what you can do…”
“What have you heard?” Warren demanded, but Logan’s eyes fell to the soldier’s hands that were fiddling with a watch around his wrist.
“You won’t take me alive.” He sounded almost gleeful at the prospect, and Logan didn’t have time to do anything but act. He grabbed Warren around the waist and spun his brother away from the two other men just as something softly went click.
Heat seared across Logan’s bare back, the blast propelling himself and Warren through the air. They landed on the nearby asphalt, hard enough to knock the wind out of Logan. His ears rang loudly as he shook his head, trying to clear out the cobwebs. By his side, Warren stirred,
groaning and rolling over onto his back.
“Dad, no!”
Julian sprang over the two brothers, and Logan turned to view the grisly scene. What he saw was horrifying.
Benedict wasn’t dead, at least not yet. The arm that had been holding the human aloft was gone, blown off by the blast. His face was unrecognizable, a flat, burned and broken black-and-pink surface. Only the mouth was visible, open and making some of the most wretched noise Logan had ever heard.
Julian cradled his father, unabashed tears streaming down his face. “Help!” he screamed, looking wildly about. “Please, somebody help us!”
Two figures broke away from the triage area and ran past Logan as he stood up onto his feet, breathing hard. The close call was too much; all he could think about was that, somewhere out there, his mate could be facing others this suicidal, and there was nothing he could do to save her.
He turned and locked eyes with Aidan, and knew immediately his brother was thinking the same thing. Not bothering to say a word, he shifted into his bear form, wincing as burns along his back he hadn’t realized existed expanded and split to allow the hair to come through. He didn’t wait for the Change to finish but took off in the direction of the mansion, Aidan on his heels.
His father’s old house was in the center of town, surrounded by an ironworks gate and hedges. It was faster to come from the back given their starting point so that’s what Logan did, smashing through anything that got in his way. The wind shifted direction, bringing with it the scent of a large number of humans and vehicles, all coming from the direction he was headed.
Logan picked up the speed, and his bear needed no extra urging.
He was just coming to the black iron fence surrounding the backyard right as five figures spilled out of the back door. The lion was carrying somebody across its back, and the small figure at the back was shooting through the still-open doorway as the others fled.
Abby!
She turned her head as if she’d heard his call, just as men dressed like the soldier from earlier appeared in the doorway. Logan roared to grab their attention, crashing through the wrought iron gate and barreling straight toward them.