by Leela Ash
Behind her, a roar exploded. “Bree! No, wait!”
The beat of wings, slowly and ponderous, sounded. Instinctively, she zigzagged, fearing that, at any second, the predator would pounce upon her.
Trees! Cover! Flee!
There! Across the road! Trees!
Bree abandoned her evasive maneuvers and simply bolted, skimming along the lawn like a furry bullet. Across the grass, leaping the ditch, onto the road and…
Like a star going nova, the world exploded into light. An all-consuming brilliance that devoured fear, destroyed thought. Helpless, frozen, Bree stared at it. Unable to do anything as the light swept toward her.
She heard a screech of car brakes… and the predator pounced.
But not on her.
Chapter 9
Okay, that had gone badly – even for one of his notoriously awful ‘rescues’.
Slouched in an easy chair, Finn studied the woman he’d ‘saved’. Bree was curled in a ball on the couch, shivering uncontrollably. Every now and then, her nose twitched violently. A sign that her Hare was rattled too.
“Would you like some whiskey?” he offered. “I find it helps in these types of situations.”
“Th-th-these types?” Her teeth chattered. “Does this happen a lot with you?”
“Not a lot… technically. But I’m not a, uh, subtle guy. So, it happens often enough that I know whiskey takes the edge off.”
She didn’t answer.
Her shakes seemed weaker now. Probably a good sign. He considered just handing her the whiskey then decided that moving might not be wise.
“Nielsen,” she croaked. “Is he all right?”
“The paramedics will check him out, but he should be fine.”
“How can he be ‘fine’?” she snapped. “A Dragon squashed his car!”
“Technically, I didn’t ‘squash’ his car. I landed in front of him. He ran into me.”
This detail did not impress his Mate. “A Dragon landed in front of him! How is that not going to send him into therapy for years?”
“Because he’s mortal. And the human brain refuses to see things it doesn’t believe in.” Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he shrugged. “Trust me. I have screwed up lots of times and Shifted in front of a normal person. They will hallucinate, faint, forget… you name it. Do pretty much anything except believe the ‘impossible.’ Last I heard, your neighbor was raving at the paramedics about his engine exploding. Swore he was going to sue Cadillac for selling him a defective car.”
“Oh.” Still queasy, she pondered his answer. Then her eyes lit with indignation. “Wait a second! I’m human too! Why could I see that thing?”
“That ‘thing’ was me. Saving your life. Hares are delicate. Getting hit by a car would kill one.”
“Oh really?” The madder she got, the less she shivered. Finn guessed that was an improvement, even if it rankled to be called a ‘thing.’ “You wouldn’t have had to ‘save’ me if you hadn’t stampeded me into the road!”
That was too much! “I had no idea you were going to do something as hare-brained as… as… uh.”
Bree’s eyes narrowed. “Hare-brained? Seriously?”
“Sorry I, uh… heh.” He scratched his nose, hoping to hide the way his lips curled into a smile.
Her lips were twitching too, though. “Hare-brained. Is this what I have to look forward to?”
“Hopefully not, no. With practice, you’ll learn to control your Hare. In fact, why don’t you try Shifting now?”
“Because I can see you. You have this… this energy. And sometimes, out of the corner of my eye, you look like a Dragon.”
“Shifters recognize each other, yes. Why would that stop you from Shifting?”
Bree burst out in incredulous laughter. “The moment my rabbit spots you, it’s going to fly straight into that plate glass door. I don’t want to go splat like a bug on a windshield.”
Huh. She had a point. Hares were pretty flighty.
“Nope. I’ve had enough excitement for one night.”
“How about that whiskey then? I could use one myself.”
As he promised, a couple shots of single malt calmed them both. Bree found a blanket. Wrapped in it, she listened quietly as he told her about the Shifter world. About his Flight and their enemies, the Fangs of Apophis. About the rebirth of the Wellsprings.
“So, the pool is one of these Wellsprings?”
“Yes.” He poured himself another shot and offered to refill her glass, but she was still nursing her last one. “Gateways to the Other Side, the source of our Shifter souls.”
“Gate, huh? So those things that are coming through – are they Shifter souls?”
Finn nearly dropped his drink. Even his Dragon snapped to attention. “There’s something coming through your Wellspring? Into this world?”
“I think so.” As so many women did, she grew flustered when the full force of his Dragon’s attention fell on her. “I mean, I’m not sure.”
Her hesitation vexed his Dragon and he felt his eyes burn with its annoyance.
Let me handle this, will you? Otherwise, we’re going to be chasing a damned Hare all around this place.
It subsided, grumbling. “Tell me exactly what you saw,” he urged Bree.
“There was a mist and figures in it. Tall, thin. More like pillars than people. Some were light, others shadowy.”
Didn’t sound like anything he’d ever heard of. “Are they still there?”
“I think they followed me home.”
“They’re here? Now?” Nothing appeared to him – but Hares were Witches by nature. Sensitives who saw things no other Shifter could see.
“Not now. They left when you came. That’s why I was so nervous when you got here.”
His Dragon gave a soft, protective growl. Finn agreed. Nothing good fled a Dragon.
Except, well, Hares. Watching the way Bree still clutched her blanket, he felt the touch of doubt. Maybe a Dragon would intimidate small spirits from the Other Side. Besides, Bree was his Mate. If these ‘ghosts’ meant her harm, he would have sensed it.
As he had at the restaurant.
“Did anything odd happen at lunch today?”
“I saw a shadow. A black puddle. It crept across the floor and then seemed to… to…” Her eyes locked on his and she trembled. “You won’t believe me.”
“I’m a Dragon. I don’t have trouble believing strange things.”
Her laughter, bright and relieved, made his heart skip a beat. “You don’t know how good it feels to hear that. I thought I was going mad.”
“So, what did this shadow do?”
“It seemed to possess Daven. His eyes went dead black and… well, he can be a jerk, but he’d never hurt me. Like he did.”
“And it fled when I showed up?”
“Yes. By the way, how did you know something was wrong?”
And there it was. The ugly, sad elephant in the room. The one bit of Shifter lore he’d give his soul to avoid.
Should he call it a hunch? She’d believe him if he did. Maybe someday, years in the future, she’d learn about the Rite of Claiming. He’d be long gone by then, though, and this pathetic ‘Mating’ as well.
That was the coward’s path. He had a lot of flaws, but a lack of nerve wasn’t one of them.
Bree deserved the true.
And he deserved another shot before he did this.
One of her eyebrows rose as he gulped his whiskey down. “I’m guessing this is a touchy subject?”
“You could say that. Did you have a particularly vivid dream Friday night?”
“Yes! How did you… oh! Oh my!” With a squeak, she clapped a hand over her mouth. He poured himself another shot as, one by one, the pieces of the puzzle fell in place for her.
“So, we’re Mates? All that stuff about eternal love and soul mates… that’s true?”
“No. And yes. I did Claim you. That means I can sense when you’re in danger.”
“Th
at’s why you came running back?”
“Yes. That shadow – unlike these ‘ghosts’ in your house – meant you harm.”
“So, we’re, like, married or something.” She twisted the ring on her left hand.
Her engagement ring.
“No.” Ignoring his Dragon’s mournful keen, he leaned forward. “I meant what I said, I don’t believe in Fate. We have free will, no matter what people tell us.”
Bile rose in his throat, a reflection of the fire burning in his agitated Dragon. Finn swallowed, forcing it down. He was in charge, not the great serpent.
She kept fiddling with that ring. The expensive, gaudy proof of their problem. “Why did that happen?”
“That’s my Dragon’s way of telling me it likes you.” Not exactly true. In fact, his Dragon seethed with fury at his flippant words. The Rite of Claiming revealed the other half of a Dragon’s soul – not a hot babe he might get along with. Yet, his light tone seemed to put Bree at ease. And that was worth upsetting his Dragon.
“Wild sex means ‘I like you’?”
“Yeah.” They both laughed, even though he could feel the anger of his stewing soul.
“So, we don’t have to… I don’t know. Be an item?”
“No. Not if we don’t want to.” With all his heart, he prayed he was right.
He might not be – if there was any truth in the old stories. A Mate was half of a true Dragon’s soul. What man could live with only half a soul?
He didn’t know. Maybe he’d find out.
Round and round went that ring. “I like you. I think,” she added. “Not that I know you much, but… You know I’m engaged, right? So, I can’t…”
“I know. I’m not looking for a Mate either. So, we’re in agreement.”
Or, rather, two of them were in agreement. His Dragon still longed to challenge Daven and drive that unworthy male from his Mate’s life.
“Okay, good.” Was she relieved – or sad? Damned if he could tell. Women were hard to read. “Hang on! If that dream was real, why did my stupid rabbit flip out when it saw your Dragon? Wouldn’t it remember you?”
“Ask it.”
Bree’s nose wrinkled. “I don’t want to talk to a Hare,” she whispered. “It feels… oh!” A flash of shock crossed her face. “It’s… stomping. Stomping inside of me!”
He chuckled. “Get used to that. You’ve annoyed your Shifter soul – and it’s going to let you know. From now on, internal debates will be a regular thing. I argue with my Dragon all the time.”
“As for your question,” he shrugged. “You probably startled it. You were frightened, and your Hare got overwhelmed by that.”
“So, it really is Hare-brained,” she groaned. “Arrgh. There it goes, thumping all around.”
The whiskey had done its job, melting pain and grief into a gentle melancholy. Reminding him that yes, his life was still a mess. But when wasn’t it? He’d get through this, just like he’d gotten through everything else.
Bree pushed her shot glass away. “Well, you’ve successfully flipped my life upside down. What now?”
“Two things. First, I need to call my Flight. Your ‘ghosts’ have given me an idea.”
“Sure. And then?”
“Then we pay a visit to the pool.” She paled. The urge to pull her into his arms, to protect her, swept over him. “I will make sure nothing happens to you. Remember, I can sense when you’re in danger. The minute there’s any risk, I’ll get you out.”
“Okay.” There was a distinct lack of enthusiasm in her tone. Not that he could blame her. She didn’t really know him, or how protective Dragons truly were. He’d die before he’d lead her into danger.
“Let’s start with the easy part. I assume you’ve got Skype or something like it on your computer?”
She did. While she got it set up, he called Brandon Lorde and filled his Alpha in on the developments. “You said Tess Morland was at your Wellspring, yes? Could you get her in front of the computer?”
Lorde frowned. “Is it important?”
“Very.”
“All right then. I’ll wake her.”
Eh, right. He’d forgotten they were on the East Coast. It was past midnight there.
Bree waved him toward the computer, but he shook his head. “You need to do this. There’s a woman I want you to look at. She’s a Shifter, an odd one. I want to know what her soul looks like to you.”
Several minutes later, a disheveled woman wearing nothing more than a man’s t-shirt staggered in front of the screen, yawning. Bed-head only improved her beauty. She looked like a Hollywood diva, unjustly awoken, not a new mother who’d been dragged out of bed in the middle of the night.
“My, my,” he chuckled. “Asleep before midnight? How far the Bad Girl has fallen!”
Tess flipped him the bird mid-yawn. “Screw you, Finn. Wait till you have a baby that won’t sleep through the night. You’ll be passing out at noon.”
Beside him, Bree tensed. Her head twisted from side to side as she stared at the screen sideways.
“You gonna introduce me to your Hare friend?”
“Oh, right. This is Bree Williams. One of the Lost, like you used to be. Tonight, she learned she’s a Witch Hare.”
“Ha! That brings back memories!” An impish grin lit the other woman’s face. “Nothing like having your life explode, is there?”
“Bree, this is Tess Morland. She’s the Mate of one of my Flight. And she’s a very unusual type of Shifter.”
She squinted at the screen and nibbled on her lip. “I can’t see her Bunny or Dragon or whatever she’s supposed to have.”
“Most Shifters can’t. Do you see anything, though?”
“Yeah. She’s haunted. There’s a white shadow hovering around her.”
“Yes!” Finn crowed in triumph. “I thought so. Lorde! We have Adanai at this Wellspring. They’re active. They’re venturing out into the countryside. And at least one of them was hostile.”
All traces of fatigue vanished from Tess’ face and his Alpha leaned down. “This could be a breakthrough. I’ll gather some Hares, summon the Flight, and we’ll be there tomorrow morning. Tess? We’ll need you too.”
“Right. I’ll tell Darian he’s on baby duty. See you in a bit, Finn. Hey, Bree? Sorry, babe, but the dial on your Crazy-Meter is going to get turned to eleven.”
That was what he loved about his Flight. No hesitation, no delay. They had your back. “I’m going to go check on the Wellspring itself. Bree says it changed two days ago.”
“Don’t. Our intelligence,” Lorde glanced at Tess as she trotted off, “suggests the Adanai have weapons capable of harming Dragons. Wait for backup.”
The delay chafed – but it also meant he wouldn’t need to take Bree out there. That pacified his Dragon.
Once contact information was exchanged, he ended the conference.
Arms wrapped around herself, his Mate sat, a small, frightened bundle of nerves.
Hell, he hadn’t even thought about her. How mad must this all seem? Her first Shift, a brush with becoming road kill, and now a horde of witches and Dragons were going to descend on her home.
All in one night.
He laid a hand on her shoulder. Tiny tremors, too light for him to see, shook her. “You all right?”
The smile she turned on him was too bright to be believable. “Sure. What’s an Ada… Adan…?”
“Adanai. Think of them as faeries. Almost all of them stayed on the Other Side.”
“That other world. Where your… where our Shifter souls come from?”
He caught that correction. Good. She was beginning to accept the impossible. “That’s right. Tess is the only one we know of who Shifted to this world along with our Kinds.”
“And now, a bunch of Hares and Dragons and Tess are coming here? To look at my pool?”
He nodded. Bree rocked back and forth, then nodded too. “I guess that’s okay.”
Ah, hell. Permission. He should have asked for that
first, before filling her home with lunatics. “Sorry about that.”
“But we don’t have to go out there tonight?”
“No.” The relief in her face made him long to pull her into his arms and reassure her that this would all work out, somehow. That he’d keep her safe, no matter how crazy things got. “I’m going back to town. Will you be all right by yourself?”
“No. I can’t stay here alone.”
Her refusal caught him flat-footed. “I could…”
Could what?
Offer to stay here with her? Could he do that? Sleep on the couch like a friend, not a Mate? Abandon her in her bed, frightened and lonely? No, that was a recipe for disaster. He’d never hold himself back. Something would happen. He’d try to comfort her. And… he’d made a mess of everything.
Like usual.
Either she’d resent his advance – or she’d accept it, and he’d break up her engagement. Something she didn’t deserve.
“I could…”
But Bree wasn’t waiting to hear what he ‘could’ do. She was already heading for the stairs to her room. “I’m going to stay in a hotel tonight. Would you wait while I grab some things? You keep those ghosts at bay.”
“Sure,” he said, fighting to keep the disappointment from his voice.
It was the least he could do.
And probably the best thing he could do too.
Chapter 10
The next day, Bree stayed well away from her house. Tucked in a nice Jacuzzi suite at the Prana Wellness Resort, she ate room service and waited for news.
Calls arrived steadily throughout the day. First, it was her private eye, Jenna Magnuson, promising to drop off the completed dossier on Finn Donnelly.
Next, Daven invited her to lunch. She blew him off, claiming she wanted a spa day. Pressure from the Luxe deal… time to think about the wedding… Prana Wellness would settle her frayed nerves. When she hung up, she was glumly surprised at how easy it was to lie to him. And how little that bothered her.
Throughout the morning, Finn rang several times, diligently keeping her in the loop. His Flight had arrived. Six Witch Hares were here. Preliminary examination confirmed that the pool was an active Wellspring, one that showed surprising levels of power (whatever that meant). Then silence – until late in the afternoon when the phone rang once more.