by Fran Tullo
Spinning slowly in a circle, she scanned the surrounding area, eyes narrowed as she tried to pinpoint the feeling. When she did, she took a couple steps back to the shifters, watching the woods where she could feel the energy from. “We’re not alone, boys. Game faces.” Her voice was a rough whisper and she waited only long enough for both of them to nod before carefully making her way toward the woods away from the campsite.
She only got about a hundred feet before a low roar shook the snow from the trees. Sharp cracking sounds echoed through the trees as footsteps trundled across the frozen ground. Lexi spun the axes a little, balancing them in her hands as she watched the trees start to shake from the thundering steps. Two loud cracks announced the arrival of a creature the Red had never seen before, and after one glance, she was sure she wouldn’t want to meet it again.
The towering brute was obviously, at one point, some kind of shifter. Despite all of her experience and knowledge, Lexi was hard-pressed to put a name to exactly what kind of shifter, but there was a little too much human in it to have ever been completely animal. She judged its height to at least eight feet tall, and its shoulders were massive; nearly three times the width of its hips. The red eyes seemed to glow in the low-hanging sun, and patchy white fur covered the skin and trailed down the thin muzzle. A muzzle, Lexi noted, that was filled with razor sharp teeth. Thick claws sprouted from the beast’s fingers and toes. Overall, the creature looked like a demented, mutant albino weasel, and she wasn’t looking forward to having to get close.
“Well, shit. This place is so not getting 5 stars on Yelp… terrible vacation.” A snort from behind told her the boys were in place, so there was nothing more to wait for. She darted forward, axes whirling just before she got to it to put some momentum behind her swings. Her first axe swing connected with the creature’s thigh, and the bellow it elicited was so loud it hurt her ears. The sudden pain made her fumble her second hit and the beast took full advantage with one large arm that swatted her in the ribs and flung her back several yards.
As she landed, she heard Jace and Braydon yell. It took her a couple seconds just to catch her breath, but when she could finally look up, she saw the leopard going toe-to-toe with the giant, while Jace darted in and out of its reach, slashing at its legs. Even though the creature was ignoring the hits from the werefox, Lexi could see the bright red blood pooling at its feet.
With a snarl of her own, she ran back in, ignoring the sharp pain in her ribs as only years of practice could allow. There was definitely at least one broken, but if they couldn’t deal with the beast, it wouldn’t matter. She leapt into the air as she reached the battle, swinging down and lodging one of her axes deep into the creature’s shoulder. She was prepared for the bellow this time and her second swing on the way down cut through its chest. It wasn’t a mortal wound, but the giant wasn’t exactly prepared for it either and it flailed out, trying to get the smaller things away from it.
Both Jace and Braydon were forced to fall back and Lexi barely rolled out of the way of one huge foot as the beast snarled at them before turning tail and running back into the woods the way it came. Lexi cursed and started to go after it, but Braydon grabbed her arm. “Let it go for now.”
“That son of a bitch has my axe!” She was furious, wrenching her arm from his grip and turning again, only to come face to face with Jace.
“And it’ll have your god damned life if you don’t stop right now. We can hunt it later, and I’ll get you a new freakin’ axe. Don’t be stupid, Lex.” The serious, sharp tone in his voice pulled her up short and she blinked at him before sighing heavily.
“Fine… but I don’t want a new axe. That one is… well, it’s special to me, so we’re damned well gonna find the thing and get it back.” She winced as she stepped back, every bruise making itself known and timed with the throbbing in her rib cage. “Are you guys okay?”
“Eh, I’ll have a hell of a shiner later, and maybe shouldn’t sleep much tonight, but I’m all right,” Braydon said, gingerly touching an eye where he’d gotten caught by the back of the beast’s hand. “You definitely got the worst of it. We need to wrap those ribs before we can get you back on the snowmobile.”
She waved him off lightly, glancing around at the campsite. “What the hell was that thing? Is that something common in this frozen wasteland? Any other weird monstrosities living up that you’re keeping to yourselves?” As she grumbled, she took a couple steps away, just far enough to ascertain the same magic signature as before.
Jace shook his head as Braydon headed to the vehicles to grab their first aid kit. “Hell no. That was not natural and certainly not indigenous. I’m not sure what it was, but it kinda smelled like a wolf. A really rotten, probably dead for a couple weeks, wolf.”
Turning back to him, Lexi wrapped her free hand around her ribs, unwilling to let go of her remaining axe just yet. “Well, shit. That means it’s probably being fed by the damned witches. That’s just great… a shifter pet to go with shifter abductions.”
Braydon walked back over, handing Jace the heater to set up while he tossed the tarp back on the ground. “Ok, you, sit. And get that shirt out of my way.”
“Bossy,” Lexi muttered as she sat down carefully, trying not to gasp at the shooting pain in her chest. Definitely broken. Setting her axe beside her, within easy reach, she gingerly lifted her shirt, cursing at the bright bruise that was already blooming. “Well, that sucks…”
“I heard Reds heal almost as fast as shifters,” Jace commented, sitting next to her and helping her hold her shirt up. “So that… isn’t actually as bad as it looks, right?”
“Your bedside manner sucks, fox boy.” Lexi gritted her teeth a little as Braydon efficiently started wrapping up her ribs. “Yeah, we heal pretty fast, but it’s still a friggin’ broken rib, and it still hurts like a bitch.”
Braydon’s fingers were clinical and as gentle as they could be, but she couldn’t help the hissing as he probed the wound. “Probably more like two, but we’ll check at the clinic when we get back. That should get you back to the compound, but no hot dogging on the way home. From either of you. I don’t like the idea of that thing still being out there and I definitely don’t want to run the risk of some dumb Red puncturing a lung and dying on my watch. Can you imagine the paperwork?” His voice was dry, but there was humor in his eyes behind the concern.
“Yes sir, doctor sir. Can I put my clothes back on? It’s cold as hell.” When he nodded, Jace helped her pull her shirt down and adjust her coat over the bandages. “Let’s get the hell out of here. I need warm food and some sort of prep before we go back after that thing.”
As they walked back to the snowmobiles, Lexi was already planning. The witch had protection… at the very least, a very large, probably rabid guard dog, along with whatever spells and tricks they had learned or created. This wasn’t exactly going to be the cakewalk she had been hoping for.
“First, we need to figure what the hell the shifters are being abducted for. There has to be some ritual… it’s too many disappearances to just be someone looking for rare meat.”
Jace gagged a little, making a face at her. “Seriously? That was your first thought?”
She shrugged before carefully pulling herself back onto her snowmobile. “I mean… cold weather, no real farming, and missing shifters? Yeah, definitely thinking there’s a Donner Party going on in the deep snow. Now though… there’s something else going on.” She sighed softly, staring out into the trees where the mutated creature had disappeared. “Something really not good… I need to do some research tonight.” She was suddenly thankful for being able to sleep on the plane… this was turning into a way bigger deal than she had been anticipating.
Chapter 8
Lexi
The trip back to the compound was a silent, somber affair. Despite what she was, Braydon and Jace insisted on keeping her between them as they drove. Paranoia was high, with all of them watching the woods as if the creature would return. It was
definitely one of the longest rides Lexi had ever been on, especially as the sun set and darkness loomed just outside the glow of their headlights. Every breath and bump hurt, so much so that by the time they finally crossed the gate of the compound, she was covered in sweat despite the frigid temperatures.
By the time she parked and got up the energy to drag her leg over the snowmobile, Jace and Braydon were already parked and by her side. Braydon wrapped an arm around her waist gently while Jace ran a little ahead, opening doors while he talked to the doctor on his cell phone. They quickly herded her to the clinic and she’d never admit it out loud, but she was extremely grateful for the help. Her legs were shaky as they got inside and Braydon didn’t comment, but he gently picked her up to put her on the table.
The examination and rewrapping of her ribs didn’t take long. Lexi was exhausted, drifting in and out as Jace and Braydon hovered nearby, answering questions for her. The ability to heal fast was a good one, but it took a lot of her energy. She seemed to remember a treatise in one of her books about the healing being very similar to a shifter’s, except without the added bonus of shifter stamina, which is why it was so energy consuming? Something like that.
“What, sweetheart?” Jace’s voice pierced the fog in her head and she leaned forward a little, just far enough to rest her head against his shoulder. She was vaguely aware of the doctor behind her, wrapping her ribs again. “Lexi? You still with us? You’re rambling…”
She blinked and tilted her head just far enough to see his jawline. It looked like a box… a fuzzy box. Boxes shouldn’t be fuzzy…
“Heh, guess it’s time to shave… what the hell did you give her, Doc?”
Give her? Ah, crap… She pushed herself up with difficulty, straining to focus on the doctor’s words. It was mostly murmuring, but she caught ‘mild sedative’ in the string of noise and cursed. “That’s… hmm… s’bad. Not… I won’t die, but… gotta treat me like… like shitters… no, shifters.”
The murmuring got a little louder, and then Jace was there again, gently lifting her off the table. “Lex, the doc gave you something to help you sleep. He treated you like you were just human. We’re gonna get you to bed, and then we can figure out research tomorrow, ok?”
Lexi’s head fell back against his shoulder and she whined a little. “Gotta catch the… gotta kill ‘em.” The thought that she hadn’t heard Braydon’s voice in a bit made her struggle slightly, trying to look around the room. “Mmm, Bray… where’s Bray?”
A hand on her back made her settle. “I’m right here, little Red. You’re ok.” She could practically feel them communicating over her head. “We should take her back to our place. One of us will have to stay awake with her tonight.”
As her head settled on Jace’s shoulder again, she giggled to herself. Not sleeping alone, no sirree…
The last thing she remembered was Jace’s heavy sigh and feeling his head shake a little. Then the darkness covered her.
Chapter 9
Jace
As the Red snuggled into his chest, he looked at Braydon. The giggling would be cute on someone else, but on Lexi, it was just… off. Weird. He wasn’t completely sure he liked it. He grinned anyway, because he could admit he did like her leaning on him. Braydon snagged a blanket from a nearby pile and wrapped it gently around her.
“We’ll get outta your hair, doc. She’ll be okay after she sleeps, right?” Braydon’s worried voice made the grin slip and Jace looked over at the doctor as well, tightening his grip on Lexi a little.
“She’ll be fine. The sedative will work through her system quickly if what she says is true. I’m more worried about the pain killers, honestly. She will be queasy when she wakes up. Light foods only until you’re sure she’s holding them down. Any problems, call me and I’ll be right over.”
Jace nodded and turned for the door. Braydon’s arm went around his waist as they stepped out and he snuggled into the snow leopard’s warmth, keeping Lexi secure in his arms. The walk from the clinic to their apartment wasn’t a long one and it was only a few minutes before Braydon pulled back the blankets on their bed so Jace could lay her down. As the leopard tucked her in, Jace brushed her hair back from her sweaty forehead.
“I’m gonna go make us some food.” Braydon rested a hand on Jace’s shoulder, giving him a quizzical look. “You okay?”
“Hmm? Yeah, I’m fine. Just… damn, Bray. Watching her fight like that. She’s amazing. And I’m starting to hate the fact that she has to leave.”
Braydon sighed, tugging Jace into his arms and nuzzling his cheek. “She hasn’t even been here 24 hours, little Yin. You get attached too easily.” He pressed their lips together in a quick, gentle kiss before pulling away. “Remember, Reds are dangerous. They’re not something you can just… I dunno, keep.”
Jace huffed, returning the kiss with a quick peck of his own before pulling a chair over to the bed. “Maybe, maybe not… but what if she wanted to keep us?” He turned his attention back to the woman in their bed as Braydon turned to leave. From the doorway, he heard, “Shifters don’t last long in a Red’s company. And it’s not always the Red that’s the problem. Don’t get in over your head, love.”
Jace was pretty sure it was already too late for that. He was fascinated by Lexi. The way she moved, the way she fought, the way she played… it was all new and intriguing. He had never seen anyone quite like her. Living in the harsh north, he had seen his fair share of men and women who’d been shaped by their home; cold and sharp as the north wind, deadly as a winter storm. He had also seen people broken by the same thing, frozen through and through before they hightailed it back to safer, more welcoming climates.
Lexi was like a volcano. Explosive and destructive, she also had a softer side that blushed and made jokes. A side that enjoyed a high speed race and another that looked to the locals to actually learn, not just steamroll over them. And that was just what he’d discovered in the few hours they’d spent together. He wanted to know more. He wanted to know everything.
Braydon was right. Reds were dangerous. But he wasn’t completely sure it wasn’t worth the risk.
Chapter 10
Lexi
Lexi opened her eyes and blinked blearily at the room around her. It was surprisingly homey for a guest suite. She was normally put up in lifeless hotel rooms. This was covered in an apparently random assortment of knick-knacks, with blankets strewn over every inch.
Included the sleeping lump on the chair next to her. Blinking again to clear her vision, Lexi smiled at the sight that greeted her. Jace was curled up on a chair, head tucked at a strange angle into the side. A blanket had been draped over him, and a soft throat clearing from the doorway told her by who. “Good morning, Braydon,” she whispered, pressing lightly against her sore ribs as she struggled to sit up.
Braydon set down the tray he was carrying and crossed the room, putting an arm around her back to help her sit up properly. “Good morning, Lexi. How are you feeling today?” His voice was just as quiet, velvet over gravel as he picked the tray up to set it on her lap.
“Better. Still a little sore, but I’ll be up and moving without problems in a couple hours. It just wears me out. And sedatives… well, they can screw up the sleep schedule because they wear off too quickly.” She smiled, picking up the mug of steaming coffee when he motioned to it. “As I’m sure you already know.”
Braydon nodded, returning her smile and picking up his own cup. He glanced over at Jace, who stirred a little but didn’t seem to be waking up before turning back to her. “So, you’re not 100% yet, which means we have some time to do that research, right?” He picked her bag up off the floor and put it down next to her on the bed. “Do you need anything else to do that?”
“Just the wifi password.” She glanced up at him before looking back to the tray, absently picking up a piece of toast. “And… maybe some company that isn’t snoring?”
“I don’t snore,” came muttered from under the blanket. Jace stretched and y
awned, wincing as his neck popped. “Do I smell coffee?”
“You don’t get coffee until I at least get a good morning.” Braydon stuck his tongue out at the fox and Lexi laughed.
“Such a grump…” Jace stood up and tugged Braydon over, sliding his lips over the leopard’s and pulling him closer by his belt loops. Braydon groaned softly, tilting his head and practically melting into Jace’s body as he draped his arms over his shoulders.
Lexi gaped, toast forgotten in her hand as she stared at them. She was well aware that she’d been forgotten about, and somehow, that made the view in front of her that much hotter. Jace gave a little sway to his hips and Braydon’s knees buckled slightly, forcing him to lean further into the fox’s hold.
After only a few seconds, but what felt more like minutes to Lexi as she watched, Jace pulled away. He cupped Braydon’s cheek and gave him a sweet, quick peck on the lips. “Good morning, my Yang. May I have some coffee?”