by Leela Ash
…until he bent to peer in her open window. “Can I help you?”
“Uh, no.” Nosey neighbor – or villain? Well, at least he wasn’t going to shoot her with her hands full. “I’m just waiting for someone.”
“I see.” He backed up a step, still studying her. “You the courier?”
Oh heavens, he was a Fang! Fear washed over her, setting her heart hammering. Even in its grip, though, Ash saw the opening her enemy had given her. “Yes, I am the courier.”
Those squinty eyes of his swept up and down the street. “Where’s your driver?”
“Checking out your place. He’s a Wolf. They can’t sit still for five minutes.”
The man chuckled – confirming he was a Shifter. Probably a Rat. Nothing else was quite as ugly. Despite his ‘friendly’ smile, his eyes darted up and down the street. Proof that she hadn’t won his trust… yet. “Describe the package.”
A question she could actually answer! “It’s a leather shield about the size of a dinner plate. White. Has a mark on it that looks like a Dragon.”
The last of the Rat’s suspicions faded away. “I didn’t open the package but that sounds about right. C’mon in.”
Dazed, Ash stepped out of the car and followed him. So this wasn’t a trap? She actually was going to just walk in and take Lucas’ relic?”
The front door opened onto a little foyer, dim and unlit. No sign of Lucas – or any other Fangs. Her guide turned right into a living room full of tattered furniture and a stained carpet. As she followed him, she carefully left the front door ajar. Hopefully Lucas would spot that.
She could really use some back-up because of course, things had to hit a hitch.
Right about now.
The Rat plunked his food down on an empty bookshelf and turned to face her. “One last formality. What’s the code word?”
Oh hell. Guess ‘Nemo’? But what if she was wrong?
Better to stall. Ash reached for her phone.
And suddenly there was a gun in the Rat’s hands. Pointed at her.
“Phone!” she squeaked. “I’m getting my phone! I… don’t recall a code word. I need to check my orders.”
“Reach for it slowly.” All of his doubts had come crashing back. That gun didn’t waver as she pulled her phone out of her purse.
With shaking hands she swiped through her apps, buying as much time as she dared.
“Well? Time’s up.”
“Sorry, they didn’t give me a code word. Look, Nemo sent me, if that helps.”
It didn’t. “I don’t know no Nemo.” The gun’s muzzle rose to point straight at her face.
“Hey, I’m sorry! Someone screwed up. But you know I’m legit. If you don’t believe I’m the courier, open the package. Who else would know what it looks like?”
“The people it was stole from.”
Okay so he wasn’t an idiot. Dammit.
“Do those people know your address?”
“Might be they could find it.”
“Then what? They send a Wolf and a mortal to recover it? Not the Dragon who owns it?”
“Eh, good point. You ain’t exactly strike force material.” Finally, finally, his arm dropped and a worried frown creased his homely face. “Dragon, huh? Happy to be rid of the damned thing, then. I hear they can track their crap if it gets stolen.”
Not exactly true. Dragons could tell when they’d lost something – but not where it was. The Rat didn’t need to know that, though. “Yeah, the sooner we get going…”
Movement, behind her. Ash spun as the Rat raised his gun again.
Lucas stood in the living room doorway, frozen with indecision.
“This is Tom!” she yelped. “Tom the Wolf. My driver!”
Sadly, Lucas wasn’t playing along. Slack-jawed with disgust, he gaped at the air just to the left of the Rat. “What the hell is that thing?”
What was what? There was nothing there!
Then it hit her. Lucas was a Shifter. Unlike her, he could see other Shifters’ souls. And, from what she’d heard, Rats were hideous. Dog-sized monstrous vermin with scaly tails and yellow teeth sticking out of their greasy maws. As one of the Lost, he’d never seen a Rat before.
Unfortunately for them, this Rat knew how weird that was. No one worked for the Fangs without bumping into a Rat. Probably every day of their lives.
This time the villain didn’t hesitate. The first shot rang out as he whipped his gun up, ricocheting across the living room floor.
Terrified, Ash dropped to the ground and scrambled behind a chair. But Lucas…
Lucas was amazing.
His Wolf took control, without doubt, without flinching. Even as the Rat’s gun rose, he was dropping. Shrinking, fur flashing across his body as he Shifted. No time to change out of his clothes this time. His clothes were shredded, even as in one swift leap he crossed the room. This was the man who had rescued her at Yuma. The hero, the warrior – let’s face it, the animal - who’d stolen her heart.
Bullet whined overhead as Lucas sprang for his enemy. The Rat shrieked in terror as the Wolf plowed into him. A cry that rose into a shrill scream of agony when Lucas sank his teeth into the man’s wrist.
The gun skittered across the floor as the Rat wailed and beat futilely at the shaggy monster that held him.
Ash cringed and covered her eyes. Lucas was going to tear his throat out. She knew it. She knew what Wolves did. She…
Thud! The Rat’s wail cut short – and was replaced by a soft whimper.
Ash peeked one eye open.
Lucas knelt naked in human form, hand balled in a fist. The Rat twitched beneath him, a shiner already starting to swell shut.
“You… hit him?”
The Wolf missed her point completely. “He tried to shoot me! What was I supposed to do?”
“Well, I thought you’d… I don’t know. Rip his throat out or something.”
“Rip his throat out? Do you kill people often?”
“No! I’ve never killed anyone.”
“Well neither have I.”
That could be a problem. A feeble moan drew their gazes back to the twitching Rat.
What were they supposed to do now?
A couple things were obvious. Ash retrieved the Rat’s gun while Lucas made sure he didn’t have any other weapons. Then, while the Wolf loomed over the man, she searched the house until she found a large padded mailer. Sealed, no address. A quick glance inside confirmed that yes, this was Lucas’ ring. Or, well, the shield-like thing it had turned into.
The relic’s presence seemed to calm the Wolf, though he left it inside the envelope. The clothes she found kind of fit him too…so that didn’t hurt either.
Once all that was taken care of, only the difficult question was left.
What to do with the Rat?
Information first. Fixing her sternest glare on the man, Ash said, “Who are you?”
“Ralph.”
“Ralph the Rat?” Lucas’ lips twitched.
“Yeah. Ralph Waters, jerk.”
“You work for the Fangs of Apophis, right?” Ash tried to steer the interrogation back to useful subjects.
“Yeah.”
“Why?” She’d heard rumors of blackmail and kidnapped Kin.
Ralph’s story was simpler. “They pay well. And why shouldn’t I? Shifters treat us Rats like crap. ‘Oooh, yuck!’” he warbled, glaring at the Wolf with his one good eye. “ ‘What’s that icky monster?’” he mimicked.
“Shut up,” Lucas growled. “I’ve never seen one of you freaks before.”
“That’s rich. Dog-Boy calls me a ‘freak’. Anyway, that’s why. If I’m going to get treated like dirt, I might as well get a decent paycheck.”
Could they not stop arguing? “Anyways… so you stole this relic from the Sedona Warren and…”
“No I didn’t. Somebody else took it. I got a message with the package’s location. Picked it up, then got sent here and told to hold it until the courier arrived.”
<
br /> So Ralph wasn’t some super thief. This could still be an inside job.
Seeing that his death wasn’t immediately imminent, the Rat risked a quick question. “How’d you find me?”
What was the harm in telling him? “We got an anonymous email that said the artifact was at this address.”
“That Nemo guy you mentioned?” Ash wouldn’t confirm that, and Ralph scowled. “That makes absolutely no sense. Who would sell me out?”
Lucas snorted. “If treachery bothers you, maybe you should work for the good guys.”
“Har har.”
Honestly it didn’t make much sense to her, either. Then again, it wasn’t her problem.
The Rat was. “Lucas? I think we’re done here. And we have to… you know.”
“What?”
Seriously? He was going to make her spell it out? “We have to, um, kill him.”
Ralph grew still and tense, watching them with a terrible focus that made her stomach knot.
Lucas didn’t look any happier. “Well, you’ve got his gun. If you think that’s what you’ve got to do...”
Her? Shoot someone? “I-I’ve never killed anyone.”
“And you think I have? Seriously? I don’t know what you think Wolves do for fun but I don’t run around biting and murdering people!”
“Disposing of villains still feels like a guy chore to me. I don’t think I can shoot someone.”
“I don’t particularly want to kill him either.”
“And I don’t want to be killed,” the Rat interjected. “See? We’ve got some common ground here. Why don’t we build from that?”
Ash pressed her knuckles against her lips, stifling a nervous giggle. If this guy made her laugh she’d never get up the courage to kill him. “We can’t just let you go.”
“Sure you can! Take your package, walk out the front door, and you’ll never see me again.”
“Until the next time you screw us over for the Fangs,” Lucas muttered. Even he was starting to see where this had to go.
“I’ll give you my word not to work for them again.”
“Why the hell would we believe you?”
All three of them sighed. Ash stared sadly at the gun on the table before glancing up at Lucas.
He shook his head. “Killing a guy in the heat of battle is one thing. I could do that. But just walking up to an unarmed man and putting a bullet in his head? That’s something else entirely. Don’t you guys have Shifter jails?”
“Mom’s Warren? No. Maybe I could call the First Flight. They might have something.”
“Hey guys?” The Rat’s tinny whine broke into their conversation. “If you’re not going to kill me right away, can I get a towel for my wrist? I’m bit pretty bad. Bleeding everywhere and…”
Fortunately for everyone, Ralph was not a trained assassin. In mid-sentence his eyes suddenly darted up to the doorway behind them. Lucas and Ash both spun.
Two men stood there, holding guns with silencers.
Looked like the real couriers had finally arrived…
Chapter 12.
Enemies. What a relief!
All this chatter had driven the Monster mad. Kill the Rat. Don’t kill the Rat. No jails, no choices, blah blah blah, TRAPPED, no other option. Just the kind of crap to make a Wolf start biting everything in sight. And why was it his job to murder some idiot spy? Was moving stolen goods a capital crime now?
So when Lucas found himself facing real threats, with real weapons, he almost cheered. Finally! Something he and the Monster could agree on.
All confusion, all those nagging worries vanished in a heartbeat. Fury swept over him as he surrendered control to his Wolf.
They threaten our Mate. They will die!
Our… huh? Never mind. No thinking. If he messed with the Monster’s juju, he’d get them all killed.
Because his Wolf had no doubts. It seized control of his body, twisting him into its lupine form even as those guns swept up. Then he was charging, dodging behind a couch, plowing through an end table as silenced bullets hissed quietly overhead.
Fft! Fft! Fft!
He hit the first goon in the chest, knocking him over with the force of his charge. A callused hand closed on the scruff of his neck… too late. With a single slash of his fangs, Lucas tore the man’s throat out. Blood sprayed, sending a wave of revulsion through him.
But not through the Monster. No shock, no pity slowed his Wolf. These bastards threatened his Mate. For that, they would die. He would protect her, no matter the cost.
Fft!
A bullet grazed him, burning across his shoulder as he spun towards the last enemy.
And found a gun pointed directly at his face. At point blank range. Time slowed as he crouched. He saw the assassin tense, saw his finger squeeze the trigger…
Click! Click click click!
Somebody hadn’t counted his shots. With a curse the Fang flung his empty weapon and bolted for the door. The gun bounced off Lucas’ chest as he loped after him. He caught his ankle as he swung the door open. Screaming and kicking, the man fought back… for a moment. Then the Monster finished him, too.
Outside, tires screeched as a car tore away.
“And… there goes the driver.” Ralph the Rat sounded like he was on the verge of crying. “Probably already on the phone with his handler, telling him how I sold the artifact back to you people. Thanks, guys. I’m now officially an ex-Fang.”
The Monster ignored these chittering Rat noises. Only one thing mattered. Lucas trotted back into the living room, looking for his Mate.
She crouched on the floor behind a chair. He darted to her side, sniffing for any blood, any injury. Had they hurt his Mate? He would hunt that car down and kill everyone in it if they had!
“Hey!” Ash croaked. One shaky hand reached out to caress his fur. “You saved me, again.”
No sign of harm. But the scent of fear surrounded her. Lucas whined and tried to lick her. That always calmed a Mate! Instinct screamed.
“No!” she yelped, shoving him back.
Another, sadder whine. What was wrong? Why did his Mate reject him?
Her hand spun in circles in front of her face. “Don’t lick me. You’ve got b-blood all over your, uh, muzzle.”
The Monster didn’t understand why that was a problem. Lucas did – and that drove the first wedge between him and his Wolf. Gently he forced his Shifter soul back, taking control of his body once more.
As he Shifted back to human form, he suddenly noticed the terrible, coppery taste that filled his mouth. A taste the Monster didn’t mind at all.
“Oh hell,” Lucas groaned.
Ralph retrieved his Big Gulp and held it out. The Wolf accepted it gratefully, erasing that awful taste with a swig of Mountain Dew. “Damn, there are certain parts of Shifting you just never get used to.”
Now Ash rushed forward, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a tight, trembling hug. Lucas buried his face in the short curls of her brown hair, losing himself in her sweet, feminine scent.
Joy radiated from the Monster, an emotion he had never felt from it before.
Our Mate is safe. We have protected her. We have driven her enemies away from the Pack.
Contentment, a bone-deep satisfaction, filled him. Nothing had ever felt as right as this moment. This was who he was. This was what life meant him to be.
Too soon, she pulled away.
Ralph hadn’t fled. He sat on the couch, a small lump of misery.
“Why didn’t you run?” Lucas asked.
“Because I’m pretty sure you run faster than me. Besides, where would I go? I’m screwed.” Lucas offered his soda back. Ralph’s eyes rolled at the sight of the bloody straw. “You can keep that.”
Eh, right. He set the cup aside and smiled at Ash. “I don’t know about you but I feel a lot better about letting this guy go now.”
“Me too.” The pride in her eyes made his heart sing.
“Yay. Great.” Ralph didn’t se
em all that excited by his parole.
During the fight, the package had been knocked to the floor. Lucas scooped it up and peeked inside to make sure that the shield (or whatever his ring had become) was safe.
“Guess we can head back to Sedona!” Ash chirped.
A shadow fell across his soul as he sensed a terrible disagreement looming. “Why would we do that?”
“We need to return the artifact and let everyone know what happened.”
Things were so clear to her, so simple. She didn’t have to live with the consequences of this choice. He did. His grip on the envelope tightened. “I’m not going back to Sedona.”
“What? We have to clear our names.”
“At what cost? I can’t risk losing my ring again.” Whole once more, the thought of having his soul rent yet again filled him with dread.
“Mom will do her best, I’m sure.”
“Are you sure her best is good enough? I need this thing.”
Confronted by that ugly question, Ash wilted. Though at least she didn’t make some empty promise like ‘It’ll all be okay.’
“Lucas, listen. You need to trust other Shifters.”
“I wouldn’t!” Ralph sang out. “They’re assholes!”
Ash glared him silent and continued. “Have faith that you’ll get a fair hearing. If you defy them – the Sedona Warren, the Sand Pack, the Flight of the Snows… heck, probably the First Flight, too – you make yourself the enemy of a lot of Shifters.”
“So what?” His chin rose and a wild, untamed rebellion lit his eyes. “I’ve been alone all of my life. Why would I want to make friends now?”
Ash winced, wringing a pathetic whimper from the deadly Monster.
Our Mate. Do not say that to her.
“But you’ve only just found the Shifter world.”
“Which means I won’t miss it much.” Memories of Ringo’s Spread rose in his mind. “Honestly I’m not real impressed so far.”
“Where will you go, though? What will you do?”
“Montana… Florida… Washington… who knows?” Lucas shrugged. “I’ll get by. I always do.”
The misery, the grief in her face startled him. Did she care whether he stayed or went?