by Olivia Gayle
He caught a few bullets in his torso and one pinged off his bear’s thick skull, then he was on them, pushing them back inside the house. Logan wanted to kill them all for daring to tangle with his mate, but when Abby reappeared, still holding her gun, he realized she wasn’t going to leave his side for safety.
So instead, he left them sprawled on the ground and backed out, slamming the door behind him.
“Here, use this!”
His mate pointed to a thick stoneware flower pot holding a tree. Logan grabbed it with both paws, scooting it against the door to block it from opening out, then turned to nudge Abby away.
“Yeah, I’m going, I’m going.”
Bullets tore through the door and walls, piercing Logan’s thick hide. His bear bellowed in anger, but used its body to protect his mate as they ran after the others. Logan was surprised to see his stepfather in human form.
“They stuck him with whatever reverses the change,” Abby said, seeming to read his mind. Or, she’d just followed his gaze. “We wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t taken out most of them, but he’s too weak to fight.”
The lion slid the woman across her back to the ground and began changing back just as Aidan did the same. They clasped each other, Aidan’s thick arms holding his mate close.
Logan started to do likewise, but Abby was shaking her head. “I need you in this form,” she said. “There’s more of them around the front.”
The roar of a large engine came from around the house, and everyone jumped. “We need to get out of here!”
“If we keep moving her like that, she’s going to die!” This came from Damon, who was kneeling at Meredith’s side. For the first time, Logan realized the extent of the human woman’s injuries; she was barely clinging to life, a large hole ripped through her abdomen. That she had survived such a wound was a testament to her strength, but she wouldn’t last long.
“Your father has a cellar nearby,” Derek yelled, casting about wildly. “He uses it to store wine and the occasional prisoner. If we can get inside, we—”
The heavy sound of gunfire came from their right, and Derek cut off abruptly. Beside him, Ever screamed, and Logan stared in shock at the small dot that had appeared on the older man’s forehead. Beside them, the back door to the mansion blasted open, and men began pouring out, guns drawn and in front of them, but Logan only pulled Abby in close, shielding her as best he could with his body.
Derek blinked once as a thin rivulet of blood tore a dark line across one brow. Then, like a marionette with its strings cut, he crumpled bonelessly to the ground, revealing the large, bloody exit wound in the back of his skull.
The air around Logan shook, vibrating in anticipation. An inhuman cry split the air, overshadowing the whistles and revving engines as one of the large human vehicles came around both sides of the house now. Beside him, Abby shivered, clinging to Logan’s side as if understanding that something much worse than the soldiers was coming.
Then, everything went eerily quiet.
Abby’s hold on him relaxed as Logan’s brain fogged over. All of his anger, anxiety, and worry melted away, leaving him an empty observer of events. His companions were the same, tension draining out like someone had pulled the stopper on all their emotions.
The bullets had stopped, and everything was still. Logan knew what was happening, but through the haze of power he couldn’t bring himself to care.
His mother appeared a moment later from around the house. Gone was the dragon form he’d seen take out everything from the air before. This creature walked on two legs, but was unlike anything Logan had ever seen before. Sleek silver hair covered her naked body, her legs below the knees elongated like a wolf’s, with huge paws for feet. Her fingernails had grown to an almost grotesque degree, and were already dripping with blood and other bodily fluids. She was terrible and beautiful at the same time, something from humanity’s horror stories dating back millennia.
One by one, she methodically extracted each human from their vehicles and tore them apart. Their comrades didn’t react, even when it was their turn. Logan watched dispassionately as she took out first the human crew of one vehicle, then those of the next. Nobody on the killing field except for her could move; nobody cared enough to do so. Her power was like a blanket, keeping them all, human and Shifter alike, from having any kind of conscious thought.
Only when she had finished her mission, only when Logan’s nose told him that no human but Meredith remained alive anywhere nearby, did Eleanor finally turn toward their group. Logan twitched once, briefly cognizant enough to worry for his mate. But even that thought was washed over, and he stood powerless as his mother brushed past him and stood over the body of her mate.
She fell to her knees beside Derek, the fur and claws slowly receding as she pulled at his limp form. Logan watched, completely detached, as she screamed and wailed, holding his lifeless body in her arms, her face contorted in despair. He couldn’t feel a thing as his mother laid over the love of her life, hugging his body close to hers and rocking as she grieved, sobbing wretchedly over her mate’s corpse.
After a time, she laid him back on the ground and sat back on her knees, sparing her sons a momentary look before she bowed her head toward her mate. Logan could do nothing as, with one razor-sharp clawed finger, his mother slit her own throat, bleeding to death before his eyes. She did it twice to get past the healing factor, but Logan just stood there silently and listened as her body convulsed, heart stuttering once, again, and then stopping forever.
Then, only then, did his emotions come back to him, and the crash of them all at once left him a devastated ruin.
Chapter 21
“We weren’t the only ones hit. Several Shifters in the Portland and Seattle communities disappeared overnight, and whoever attacked also tried to take on Haven. That one backfired on them pretty badly though, according to the reports coming in.”
Abby looked between Warren and her mate, who was staring vacantly at a nearby stump, then shook her head. “We’re going to need more time.”
“Of course.” Warren seemed to be holding up under the loss of his mother, but if loving Logan had taught her anything, it was that the more stoic they were, the greater the hidden emotions. The Enforcer’s face could have been carved from granite, but at least he was still able to function.
But, then again, he hadn’t watched helplessly as his mother committed suicide right in front of him.
Nearby, Ever was standing over her mate in a similar fashion. Aidan had retreated into bear form after being released from Eleanor’s mental hold, as if somehow his animal form might be a barrier against grief. Ever guarded him protectively, glaring at anyone who came too close and refusing to let anyone but her tend to him.
Abby had a feeling she and the other woman were going to be very good friends.
Beside her, Logan stirred, then squeezed her hand. Abby looked at him, then followed his gaze.
Damon paced beside Meredith’s body, a bundle of nervous energy as the doctors worked on the human woman. Logan caught his mate’s eye, then pointed towards the group with his chin. “Can you see how she’s doing, please?”
It was the please that made her melt. “Of course,” she said, laying a gentle kiss to the top of his head, but held off for a moment just hugging him close. There were no words she could say that would comfort him, nothing she could do that would take away the pain.
But she could go and see if one of his close friends would last the night.
Damon’s head snapped toward her as Abby approached, his eyes blazing bright blue as if ready to protect Meredith at any cost. When he saw who it was, though, he looked away, then resumed his pacing as Abby knelt down beside the older woman. “How is she?”
“Bad.” The woman who said it looked younger than Abby herself, but she was learning that appearances meant little around here regarding a person’s age. “The blast she took severed her spine and made mincemeat of her insides. I don’t even know if she’ll
survive surgery - hell, I’m surprised she’s still alive now.”
“Doc, you ever been told your bedside manner sucks balls?”
Meredith’s words were soft, but Abby grinned down at her. “How are you doing?”
“Oh, you know. Been better.” The older woman gasped in a breath, holding it as she swallowed. “How’s he doing?”
“Logan? He’s holding it together, but just barely. And Damon here won’t leave your side.”
At the sound of his name, the wolf boy maneuvered his way to her side, hovering over Meredith as if not sure what to do next. “You won’t die,” he said in a firm voice.
Meredith’s laughter was wet. “That’s not something you can determine, kid.”
Damon’s whine sounded just like a wolf’s, looking from one person to the next. “Fix her!”
Abby bit her lip, tears pricking her eyes. She put her arm around his shoulders. “They’re doing everything they can.”
He looked up at her, tears shimmering in his bright eyes. “I have to do something,” he muttered, looking about wildly as if trying to find the answer.
“Damon…”
Then below them, Meredith’s body bowed upwards, blood spilling from the sides of her mouth. “She’s going,” the female doctor exclaimed as Meredith collapsed limp to the ground, then began to do chest compressions in the vain effort to keep her alive.
“No, no, no, no…” Damon repeated the word with each panting breath as people surrounded the dying woman. He looked at Abby, desperation etched all over his face, then grabbed up the human woman’s arm and brought it to his mouth.
“No!” The doctor stopped the compressions, reaching to push Damon away from Meredith’s side, but the boy just dodged her. “You’ll kill her for sure if you do that!”
“She’s dying already,” Abby snapped, praying this would work. “This may be her only chance!”
“But if he isn’t her mate, there’s a nine-in-ten chance this won’t work. Becoming one of us isn’t as easy as your human books made it out to be, there’s rules you have to follow…”
When Damon bit Meredith again on the shoulder, then above the older woman’s left breast, the doctor trailed off as if realizing the futility of arguing. Damon however didn’t stop, biting at any part of her body he could reach. When the medical team just sat there, watching it all happen, Damon lifted his head and snarled at them. “Keep trying to bring her to life!”
The lady doctor didn’t seem to appreciate being told what to do, but she restarted the chest compressions as Damon moved down Meredith’s body, biting through clothing and puncturing the skin. He then switched, lightening-fast, to his wolf form and continued his ministrations, until Meredith’s body was almost covered in bleeding punctures.
“If she hadn’t already bled to death before now,” the doctor muttered under her breath, but didn’t stop.
“Danica,” one of the other doctors at Meredith’s head said to the doctor, “she’s not breathing.”
“Shit.” Danica continued the chest compressions, pressing harder. “Come on, you old lady, make me a liar with this boy’s idea. Come on!”
Damon stopped what he was doing and switched again back to human form, taking one of Meredith’s hands. “Please,” he begged, kneading her hand desperately, “come back to me, I can’t…”
Meredith’s body bowed upwards again, her intake of breath a loud and wet wheeze. She coughed, small flecks of blood flying through the air, then heaved another gasping breath.
“Fuck.” The doctor looked from Damon to Meredith. “I can’t believe that worked.”
Damon didn’t seem to hear her, still holding the older woman’s hand. “I told you that you wouldn’t die,” he murmured, laying a kiss to her palm.
Meredith’s eyes didn’t open, but after a few wet and stuttering inhalations, her breathing slowed to something almost rhythmic. “Is she going to be okay?” Abby asked, looking worriedly at the doctor.
“I don’t know,” Danica muttered, checking the woman’s heart with a stethoscope. “That wound on her abdomen is still really bad and she’s lost a lot of blood.” She gave the hovering wolf-boy a narrow look, then sighed. “But I think he’s bought her a chance, if she can survive the Change along with these wounds.”
“She’s strong.” Damon rocked in place over Meredith, holding her lip hand tight against his chest. “She can do anything.”
“Uh-huh.” The doctor looked dubious about that comment, but shook her head. “There’s nothing more I can do here until we get her to the hospital. Excuse me, I have a few others I need to go see.”
“Of course.” Abby stepped back and turned to go tell Logan the news, and was startled to find him right behind her. She let out a surprised laugh, then sobered up immediately as she reached up to touch his face. “You okay?”
He didn’t reply, and she really hadn’t expected one, but his large hand covered hers and he turned into her touch, kissing her palm. Abby’s gut tightened, and she suddenly wanted to cry at the tenderness she saw in his eyes. Weaving her arms around his body, she hugged him tight and whispered, “I love you.”
It didn’t occur to her until she felt him stiffen that she’d never said those words aloud to him before. But he immediately relaxed again, bringing his thick arms across her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. Once again, he didn’t speak, but she felt the emotion pouring out of his eyes, and read the response there.
I love you too.
* * *
“Twenty-one dead, six definitely taken and ten still unaccounted for. We’ve completely lost power to the town, all our security measures are in shambles, and we’ve got a mass exodus on our hands. That reporter lady was among the ones taken so, now, we’ve got absolutely no leads.”
Warren listed off the statistics to the small group around him. When nobody replied, he continued. “Haven was hit but remained intact, mostly because they’re ready for situations like this and have Marshall Tucker, the Brahm, patrolling the forests around them. Here in Arcadia, many of our defenses were structured around his presence and…”
He trailed off, looking out a nearby window. “We’re completely defenseless now,” he said in a low voice. “If they send another wave, we won’t stand a chance.”
“Or they could just nuke us from the air,” Amelia supplied in a helpful voice, then shrugged when everybody glared at her. “What, it would be the easiest way.”
“This was a snatch-and-grab operation, pure and simple. Everything else was designed to decrease our numbers.” Warren looked at everyone in the room until his eyes fell on Julian Murphy, and his gaze softened slightly. “How’s your father?”
“Breathing.” Julian’s voice was clipped, his expression distant. “The healing factor isn’t…” He swallowed. “It’s going slow, but he hasn’t woken up yet.” He raised his head and met Warren’s eyes. “Were there any dead from Haven?”
Warren shook his head. “What enemies my father didn’t obliterate, Nadine’s defenses took down. They had some injuries, but not much.” When Julian looked ready to ask again, Warren held up his hand. “We got word an hour ago. Anna is fine, as is everyone else in Haven.”
Julian’s shoulders sagged with relief, as did Aidan’s. Logan let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Anna Landry was his half-sister and Davis’ twin, all of them sharing the same mother. He’d been away when they were both born so he’d never met the girl, but with Eleanor’s death, he felt a kinship with the unknown girl. Aidan had also mentioned in passing she was Julian’s mate, although she’d fought that because of her dislike of the snarky man.
He liked her already, now to just meet her in person.
“What about the human lady and the mowgli?”
Abby glared at Amelia. “Her name is Meredith.”
“Fine, her and that wolf boy.” Amelia shook her head. “It’s plain to see something strange is happening with her. The Change isn’t supposed to work like that.”
“What’s it supposed to be like,” Abby demanded.
“Well, for one, when a human survives being turned, they stay the same age they looked like when they were bitten.” The dark-haired lady folded her arms. “Your old girl is visibly getting younger, losing the grey in her hair and all those wrinkles. That does not happen, like, ever.”
“Maybe you can ask her when she wakes up,” Abby snapped, defending the other woman.
“That’s the plan. Hey, maybe it’s because of that mowgli wolf boy. Do you think he’s her mate?”
Logan could tell Abby was about to jump feet first into this fight, and pulled her against him, giving her a soft nudge with her hip. His mate subsided, but continued to glare at Amelia, who didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. Truth be told, Logan was worried too about what was happening to his old friend. For now, however, they had other things to worry about.
“Is this related to Hendrix and his cult?” Aidan looked dubious even as he said it, and Warren shook his head again.
“I don’t think so. That was a shifter-only group, while this one is human-only, and I think, given their firepower, this is a bigger threat than a bunch of religious zealots.”
“When are we going to rescue the people they took?”
Everyone nodded at Ever’s question, including Warren. “That’s the plan. We need more details, anything that can give us some clues. Davis is already looking through every electronic device we could salvage of theirs, but he’s handicapped without his own gear, which the EMP took out. As soon as we know more, we can plan something.”
“So right now, we sit on our hands and do nothing.”
The impotent rage in Julian’s voice was echoed by several others in the small circle. Warren put a hand on the werepanther’s shoulder, but it was quickly shrugged off. “We rebuild what we can, mourn our dead, and regroup to make sure this never happens again.”
“Where are the people leaving Arcadia going?” Abby asked, intertwining her fingers through Logan’s.