Damaged Pack Shifters: The Complete Paranormal Collection

by Leela Ash

  With a happy chuckle, she stamped off to get a small bowl of clean water and a washcloth to clean Kathy’s ears.

  Hours later, Drake was still thinking about what Klyana had said to him. Her words worried him and wounded him and he really didn’t want to dwell overly much on why they made him feel as bad as they did.

  His thoughts cut to how Kathy had wrapped herself around him in his bed and mewled with pleasure as he stroked deep inside her with his penis. He wanted her again; even now, just thinking about her made a low pressure to begin to build in his loins. He wanted her as he had never wanted anyone else.

  He’d had his fair share of women in his entire life and yet none had affected him this much. And now, Klyana thought it was important that they keep hatred alive for the greater good?

  He rose to his feet, pacing restlessly beneath the arbor in the garden. He had to talk to Kathy as soon as she woke up, he decided. He wasn’t even sure what he wanted to say, he just knew he felt something he had never felt before when he thought about Kathy.

  Just then the front door opened and Kathy strode out, dressed in black robes a lot like Klyana’s.

  He stared, almost finding it impossible to believe that Kathy had recovered and was standing right in front of him. He shook his head as though to clear his vision and she turned around and looked at him.

  Before he knew what he was doing, he was running, his long legs easily eating the distance between them. He reached her at the front of the house and grabbed her hands, taking her palms in his.

  His eyes searched hers and with a whoop of joy, he pulled her into his arms. “You’re alright.”

  She stood stiff as a board in his embrace, neither returning his hug nor pushing him away.

  Her silence and stillness warned him, and he pulled back to frown at her, “Everything okay?”

  She looked up at him out of flat lifeless eyes as though all the animation had been leached out of her. “Klyana told me what happened,” she said softly. “Thank you for healing her. I apologize for the imposition.”

  He shrugged, still smiling. “It was nothing.” Then a thought niggled, and he frowned, “Why so formal? Is everything alright?”

  Kathy’s smile didn’t reach her eyes as she replied him, “What could be wrong? Come on, we have a tear to mend. And once we’ve done that, you can fly Klyana and I home to our settlement.”

  He searched her gaze, wondering why his heart was thudding so fearfully in his heart. Why did what she was saying feel like goodbye? Why did he feel as if the entire world was against him?

  “Kathy, why do you seem…”

  “Different?” she interjected, cocking one eyebrow. “Well, because I’ve come to realize I was a fool. Dragons and witches can never be friends. I was a fool to trust you and I was an even bigger fool to lie with you. The moment my back was turned, your kind showed up and almost skewered the only mother I’ve ever known, to death.”

  He stared at her in silence, his heart twisting in his chest as he watched her. She wasn’t wrong, he thought. He would feel exactly the same way, were he in her shoes. That didn’t mean he had to like it, however.

  He glared at her, “I had nothing to do with the attack, as you well know. I was otherwise…engaged,” he finished, lowering his voice meaningfully.

  To her credit, she didn’t look away despite the tell-tale blush stealing up her cheeks.

  “That can never happen again,” she told him with quiet dignity. “Whatever this was, it should never have happened. It is over.”

  Then she turned on her heel and strode off towards where Klyana was huddled with Joshua and Drake, looking at a map.

  As he watched her go, Drake suddenly realized he had made love to countless women in the past and walked out of their lives without a backward glance. Not because he was unfeeling but because try as he might, he’d never been able to commit to anyone.

  Now for the first time, a woman had done the same to him and it wasn’t a good feeling. It wasn’t just a bruised male ego or hurt pride, he realized. Whatever this thing he had with Kathy, he wasn’t ready to have it end yet. He wasn’t ready to let her go.

  Almost as though she felt his gaze on her like a physical touch, she tossed her hair and jutted her chin out at a stubborn angle.

  Her mind was made up, he thought, looking at that stubborn chin. He could hardly beg her to change her mind, he thought with a shrug as he turned and strode off towards the garden at the back of the house.

  If she hadn’t ended this he would have, eventually. Things had worked out for the best.

  So why did it feel remarkably as though his heart was breaking into a million pieces in his chest?

  12.

  The wind was hollow and alive as they all climbed out of their cars. Jeanine and Megan had chosen to remain at home and Derek had stayed with them but everyone else was here: Drake, Joshua, Bo, Luke, Jack, Klyana, Kelly, and Marissa. Kathy smiled inwardly, pleased with herself that she had finally gotten everyone’s names down pat.

  It was a sad smile though and barely reached her eyes. It felt as though she had taken her heart with her own hands and torn it to shreds.

  They had driven up to the highest point of the town. Weirna, known as The Angle to humans, was surrounded by rocks and mountains and Kathy thought it was a rather breathtaking view.

  Her heart was not in the moment, she realized as she looked around. Saying those words to Drake had hurt her more than she could have dreamed was possible, because she’d already given her heart to him. She wasn’t even going to dwell on how his lovemaking had changed her forever.

  She bit her lip to hold back tears and smiled stoically when Joshua claimed her attention to point out something on the map. She didn’t notice Bo watching her closely until Joshua turned to speak to Klyana and Bo dragged her to the side.

  “Why are you determined to convince yourself that there can never be anything between you and Drake?” he asked without preamble.

  She stared at him, “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t act dumb. Tell me,” he commanded.

  Kathy stared at him wanting to tell him to go to hell and at the same time conscious that all the fight had gone out of her.

  “It’s really none of your business, you know,” she told him.

  “Pretend it is and humor me,” came the succinct response.

  “At the risk of stating the obvious, I’m a witch and he’s a dragon. A witch has no bigger enemy than his kind. I can never be with him. Plus, even if I could, I have to leave today anyway, which means it’s a moot point.”

  He stared at her in silence, before saying, “Is it? And what happens when you start expecting?”

  She blanched, “Expecting what? We cannot have a child together.”

  Sweat broke out on her brow as she said it. They hadn’t used protection, she recalled now. How could he have been so careless? It had been her first time so she could be forgiven for being a tad irresponsible, but he? He had to have at least a hundred notches on his bedpost, why hadn’t he used protection?

  Nice work Kathy, shift the blame why don’t you? An inner voice sneered.

  Bo nodded meaningfully, “You can have a child together, and you will. I can hear them,” he added, jerking his head towards her stomach.

  Kathy wanted to slug him. Both hands protectively flew to her stomach before she could think better of it. “I don’t know what kind of game you think you’re playing Beaufort or why you think it’s funny, but I don’t like it.”

  He studied her as though she were an embarrassingly naïve student. “I don’t see anyone laughing, Kathy.”

  “Babies of witches and dragons turn out to be shape-shifters as you well know. That’s why a union between them is never allowed. Now stop scaring me,” she ordered.

  “No games. I can hear a baby the moment it’s conceived,” he lied baldly. “So, congrats.”

  With that bit of thunder suitably released he turned around and strode off to go stand with Jack and
Luke, leaving a distraught Kathy in his wake.

  Kathy swallowed her panic with great effort, forcing a smile as Klyana walked up to her, “Are we ready? How do we heal the rift?”

  Klyana’s eyes searched hers, “Can you do this Kathy? Do you hate Drake enough for your agreement, even in hatred, to force the hand of the keepers of the gates?”

  Kathy lifted a hand to Klyana’s cheek, “Seeing you lying there in a pool of your own blood unleashed a part of me I never suspected was hidden. In that moment I could have killed Baxter and just about any other dragon if Drake had not stopped me. You have nothing to worry about Klyana; dragons are the worst creatures on earth and I hate them all.”

  Klyana sighed, unconvinced. But she nodded, “Fine. Let’s do this.”

  There was a small crack in the earth with a rim of red around it at the very peak of the mountain.

  “That’s the first crack,” Jack said, lumbering towards them. “We had to track all the tears and find the one which most closely resembles the fist of the Head Gatekeeper. See the cracks spreading out like fingers? They resemble his fist, according to folklore. This has got to be the very first crack. You seal it, you seal the others automatically.”

  Klyana looked at Drake, “Well, get over here Dragon. You and Kathy will both make small cuts on your palms and slap hands like a high five over the crack.”

  Drake nodded. His eyes seemed vacant when he looked at her and completely leached of all expression.

  Kathy offered a tight nod in response. Her eyes clung to his, unable to look away, as she reached for a knife tucked into the waistband of her long flowing skirt. His eyes flared when she slowly drew a long line on her palm with the knife, drawing crimson blood.

  Then he grabbed a special looking dagger from his own pocket and slashed his own hand.

  They stood on either side of the rift, their eyes locked as they started to raise their hands over the tear.

  Suddenly, a neighing sound like a horse reached them and everyone looked up in alarm. Five dragons were headed straight for them, wings batting furiously.

  Baxter hit the ground, transforming as he came and so did the other four behind him. Kathy recognized Desiree and then three other people whom she didn’t know.

  “I assume you’re not here for selfies,” Drake drawled, casually moving around the tear until he was positioned in front of Kathy. His jaw was clenching and unclenching as he spoke, testament of his fierce anger and fury.

  Baxter growled, “I told you we needed Alfonsus and you ignored me. You’re all gonna pay.”

  Baxter leaped through the air, clashing mid-air with Drake. They twisted and crashed into an underbrush, both clutching fistfuls of each other’s shirts.

  “I’ll kill you for what you did to Klyana,” Drake spat.

  “Not if I kill you first,” Baxter said with a grin dripping pure malice and cold venom.

  Drake swung a punch at Baxter’s jaw. Baxter returned it with even more force, snapping Drake’s head backwards. They rolled, twisted. There was a grunt here, a punch, a kick, then a yelp. Baxter shoved his knee into Drake’s groin and Drake howled.

  Baxter laughed, “Attaboy. Let’s hear that music again.”

  Baxter aimed another kick at Drake’s groin but before his knee could do damage, an invisible force yanked him off and flung him against a tree. He tried to move, only to find himself pinned.

  “What the hell?” he gasped, looking around for the source.

  Kathy’s hand was stretched towards him and balled into a fist.

  He ginned when he saw her, “Your parlor tricks won’t work on me witch. I am the leader of the dragons, worldwide, which means your precious Prince over here is second to me. You can do nothing.”

  “You dared to show your face here after what you did to Klyana?” she growled, the sound almost inhuman.

  Klyana staggered up to Kathy, leaning more heavily on her cane than usual. “My dear…”

  “You won’t stop me today, Klyana,” Kathy said.

  The other dragons exchanged glances and Desiree and one of the other men stepped forward their eyes focused on Kathy’s back as they began to shoot fire at her.

  The fire left her unhurt, to their shocked surprise. Then without looking back at them, she lifted her other hand and shifted it left. The force carried both and slammed them headfirst into a huge tree. They went still.

  She faced Baxter again and he groaned in pain and started to struggle. Kathy pointed a finger at him and her electricity shot out of her hand and burned a straight path from his side up to his armpit. He screamed in terrible pain and she grinned.

  “What are you doing? You crazy bitch. Drake, stop her,” he yelled, a pleading note in his voice.

  Drake looked from Baxter to Kathy, “If you apologize and get away from here, she might let you live.”

  Without hesitation, Baxter looked at Kathy, “Sorry.”

  She tipped her head, considering, then she said, “Maybe if you sounded a little more sincere…”

  She racked up the pain and he almost collapsed.

  “Please,” he gasped. His gaze cut to Klyana. Then he whispered, “I’m truly sorry. I didn’t… mean to hurt you,” he gasped. “I just thought it was the only way to get the first dragon out of Orzok.

  I’m not doing it for me, I’m doing it for all of us. If we can continue the line of dragons, we can protect the world enough to make sure something like this never happens again. We can make sure the Underworld never threatens our world again.”

  Joshua stroked a hand down his jaw, weighing the sincerity of the man’s words.

  Baxter threw him a pleading glance, “Come on Joshua. You might not have known me all these years but surely you know no dragon would ever try to hurt his own. I am not trying to hurt your son or anyone else. I just did what I thought was best for us all,” he finished plaintively

  [h1]

  He sounded sincere this time and Kathy released him at once. He crashed to the floor, panting.

  Joshua squatted on his haunches beside Baxter and clapped a hand onto his shoulder, “I know your heart is in the right place and you only want [kM2]to get the first dragon out so you can lead your people better. But I have an extensive secret library which no one, not even my sons, have ever accessed. The writings of Alfonsus himself and a few of his secret orbs and mementos are among my secret collection. Would you be interested in seeing them and letting the dead stay dead?”

  Baxter was wide-eyed as he nodded, “I have heard about such a collection. I thought it was a myth.”

  Joshua grinned, clapping Baxter’s shoulder again before climbing to his feet to tower over the still-bleeding dragon, “Now you know better, son. Drop by the house once you’re on the mend.”

  Drake walked up to Kathy’s side, “How long till the wound in his side heals?”

  Kathy grinned and whispered, “I didn’t hurt him. I let his actions curse him. As soon as he’s truly sorry for them, the wound will vanish.”

  “So it was a hex then,” Drake murmured.

  She nodded and jerked her head towards where Baxter was already seating up, helped by the other two dragons who weren’t unconscious anymore. “He’s already recovering.”

  Drake smiled. The earth started to shake beneath their feet and Kathy looked around in alarm at Klyana, “What’s happening?”

  Klyana’s eyes were closed as she searched for the cause of the noise. Then she opened her eyes, her expression grim, “An army of the dead is racing to the surface right now. They’ll be here in a matter of minutes. Do it now!”

  Kathy and Drake rushed to stand over the tear and slapped their hands together. Nothing happened. They tried again; still nothing.

  Suddenly Baxter stood behind Drake and shoved him aside.

  Kathy’s eyes widened in surprise and Baxter grinned grimly, “I should try. I know you’ve forgiven me, but I daresay you like me a whole lot less than Alcorn over here,” he said tipping his head towards Drake even as he offered u
p his cut palm.

  Her gaze locked on his, Kathy slapped her palm onto his, wondering even as she did so if this wasn’t some sort of trick.

  A bright white light erupted from their joined hands and travelled downwards and upwards before spreading around and disappearing into the air and ground.

  When the light ceased, Kathy slowly drew her hand from Baxter’s and looked down. A smile lit her face when she saw it: the crack in the earth had vanished.

  “It’s done,” she announced. “The tear between the worlds has been healed.”

  A small cheer went up from the gathered people in response.

  Drake caught her up in his arms unthinkingly and twirled her in a circle. Kathy laughed, enjoying his attention, her head thrown back as the wind swept through her tangled mass of hair. Then without warning, he was lowering her to stand on her feet and bending his head to take her lips in a scorching kiss that obliterated her brain itself— or at least it seemed that way.

  His hands tightened around her waist, holding her flush against his broad chest as he kissed her, deepening the kiss, tasting, teasing.

  He lifted his head finally when she was on the verge of a screaming orgasm and she wrinkled her nose in disappointment.

  Drake must have read her mind because he laughed and tweaked her nose again. “Kathy, we’ll have time yet for this okay?”

  Baxter appeared just behind Drake and laid a hand on his shoulder, “Drake? What do you think you’re doing? Remember who you are? And remember what she is?”

  Pain lanced through Kathy at his words, although why she should feel that way was beyond her. Hadn’t she told Drake just few hours ago that there could never be anything between a dragon and a witch?

  But she hadn’t meant those words when she’d said them and even now, they still hurt to hear.

  “This doesn’t concern you Baxter. Please,” Drake said chillingly.

  “There can never be anything between you two even if you wanted it,” Baxter persisted. “If nothing else, what about Desiree?” he continued, nodding meaningfully to where the female dragon was sitting up recovering. Desiree held one hand to her head as though to contain a headache and peered out of bleary eyes at Kathy, Drake and Baxter.