Death Be Shifted (The Terra Vane Series Book 6)

by Katie Epstein

  My lip curled. “Are you saying that just to make me feel better?”

  He kissed my head. “Maybe.”

  “Thanks, Kaleb. And thank you for the notion of me writing up what I felt in the visions. It may not help Torroro, but it might.” I gave him a look of apology. “I know it sounds stupid, but it’s like letting a lion out of the zoo then killing him for doing what comes naturally. He’s not like the other prisoners.”

  “I know. It’s why…” He stalled.

  “Why what?”

  A crack sounded in the trees. Zax, his dragon shifter senses on alert, put a hand up for us to stay quiet.

  Rustling. A branch crunching. Labored breathing. Someone or something approached.

  The trees on the opposite side of the grove where we waited shook and swayed. Something moved among them.

  Mayra sat up straighter, her hands out before her, palms up. Only the moonlight lit the way, Kaleb having doused the lanterns and hidden them beside us. I watched Mayra close her eyes, whispering, and warming up the spell.

  The bushes shook more, changing direction. A movement came from the trees to the east of us. Kaleb stood on guard.

  Slowly taking out my Pulsar, I wrapped my hand around it, ready to fire if needed. An agent’s standard weapon, it felt familiar, like home. I’d missed having it as my backup, unable to use it on Earthside.

  The breathing increased. Zax covered Mayra as Kaleb and I edged out. We stayed hidden behind the trees but got as close as we dared.

  Mayra’s whisperings increased in momentum behind us, chanting the spell for the magical net to form.

  Then we saw him.

  A scaled creature poked out his leathery head, assessing the area. His long, forked tongue flicked out, sensing his way, careful as he crawled out from between the trees. Eyes shone titanium yellow, becoming glowing orbs in the bright moonlight that still hovered during the early hours of the morning. Dawn wouldn’t be far behind. The sky had already turned a deep blue, giving us the visibility to see the newcomer’s body was the shape of a human, covered in green scales. Hairless, his nose only slits, I saw enough of his profile as he approached the hole to identify him as Torroro. I’d only seen a photo in his case file, but it’s a face I wouldn’t forget.

  Jagged limbs, Torroro moved like a reptile, his head moving in quick, darting motions. His clawed hands, razor sharp and serrated, dug into the ground as he crept in quietly, seeking the kill he craved.

  We remained silent watching Torroro approach the hole, his tongue flicking out again to test the atmosphere.

  Go on, I urged in my mind. Get closer.

  He did so, tentatively touching the soil bordering the hole with his tongue. He threw his head back when he scented the blood, snapping his fanged teeth together in anticipation.

  Disappointment filled me at the sight of his lack of humanity. I saw it then, his hunger taking control—no regret shining in his eyes. But it would soon return after he’d killed and sated his appetite. I knew he’d sob, filled with regret and pain he couldn’t rationalize—that he couldn’t understand.

  At the thought, I readied myself to fire in case he tried to run away. I’d take him out if needed, seeing him for the danger he was. But if we could capture him instead, give him one last shot at having a life in the shifter hold, then I’d take that, too.

  Keeping my weapon aimed Torroro’s head, I heard the words Mayra whispered over and over. “Forment in rete. Forment in rete. Forment in rete.”

  Torroro crawled into the hole.

  “Captarent. Captarent. Captarent,” Mayra continued, lowering her hands. A shine, something as thin as thread, appeared over the hole. Mayra’s magic manifested into a beautifully woven web. When she moved her hands down, the net moved with her slow and careful as it sought its prey.

  Snarls and whines came from the hole, a loud call of pain from Torroro as he tried to escape through the ground. But Mayra’s shield held. Thuds sounded against the hard walls, echoing through the early morning. The reptile shifter scrambled, trying to come to the surface, but his claws scraped and scratched against the magic. The movements picked up the pace. The net disappeared into the hole.

  Mayra moved her hand in a circular motion, winding an invisible force. “Vinctum. Vinctum. Vinctum.”

  Torroro fell silent.

  “Do you have him?” I whispered. She nodded briefly, never faltering from her chants, her hand still circling. She took a huge gasp of breath. Her eyes flickered open.

  Mayra’s irises had disappeared. Her eyes white. I took a step forward and looked at Kaleb and Zax in appeal. Mayra’s voice rose in pitch. “Vinctum. Vinctum. Vinctum!” Fists scrunched, she raised her hands slowly, and my mouth dropped open when the delicate net of power floated above the hole with Torroro wrestling inside of it.

  “Oh wow.”

  Shifting her hands to the side, Torroro floated with the movements. Mayra’s body shook. Zax placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “Keep going, Mayra. You’ve got it. Not much longer now.”

  Nodding at Zax, I moved into the grove. Kaleb grabbed the chains. Zax stayed with Mayra.

  Torroro whined when he saw us, his eyes filled with humanity once more, silently pleading with us set him free.

  “I’m sorry, buddy,” I said, my weapon aimed at his forehead while Kaleb readied the chains to wrap around him. “It’s for your own good.”

  Still entangled in Mayra’s magical net, Torroro floated about a foot off the ground. Kaleb shook out the long piece of chain and slung it over Torroro’s chest.

  “Let’s get you tied up,” Kaleb told the shaking reptile shifter. “And get you back where you belong.”

  The gentle reassurances seemed to calm Torroro somewhat, understanding our intentions if not our words. He lay still, letting Kaleb wrap the chain around his body. But I monitored those claws of his, holding my breath with Kaleb’s hands so close to him.

  “What the hell is going on here!” a voice boomed from the trees. Nocturnal birds fluttered; a yelp sounded from Mayra. Torroro fell, thudding against the floor, leaving empty chains in Kaleb’s hands.

  Then all hell broke loose.

  31

  Torroro disappeared off into the trees.

  “What the hell!” I shouted.

  “What is going on here!” Theodulf Cipher bellowed from the edge of the grove. Eli smirked from beside him, and Brent, wide-eyed, stood at the side with a bunch of his wolves.

  “What the—” I spluttered, looking at Kaleb then back at Theodulf as he marched over.

  “I demand an answer!” Theodulf screamed, his silk robe draping in the mud.

  “You just…” I couldn’t get my words out. My voice was so high I’m sure dogs could have heard it. Or the many wolf shifters back at the cabins.

  Kaleb growled, coming up to my side. “Let’s go see if we can track him.”

  Mayra came running over with Zax in tow. She looked tired, entirely spent, and unnaturally pale. She placed a gentle hand on my arm. “Do what Kaleb says, okay? We’ll stay behind and wait for you.” She pushed me, knowing I rode too close to the edge to hurting someone. She pushed me to run with Kaleb. “Go!”

  Not knowing what direction to run, I ran anyway, Kaleb by my side. Even I heard the bellows of Theodulf shouting, “Split up! Let us find this beast.” And then the crashing of paws in the shrub and howls resounding in the night as the men shifted into their wolves. Kaleb stayed in human form to run with me.

  Pushing hard, I forced my way through the flowering branches. I shouted to Kaleb, “Where the hell are we heading?”

  “I don’t know,” he panted, “but I have a whiff of a trail. Let’s start with that.”

  I sensed his rage, even as we ran, but I fed off it, trying to balance my anger.

  They must have seen us holding Torroro, chaining him up. Yet Theodulf had made a point of stepping out of the trees and shouting, regardless. He wasn’t even the Alpha on these lands, but the underhanded prick of a mo
ve meant something more was going on. I seriously doubted pride was the only factor to drive Theodulf against the jurisdiction of the IET.

  Cole’s threats about his father having a file on me grew more serious at that moment, and I had no clue how to wade through the emotions riding me hard on how to handle it. But first things first, we had to see if we could locate and capture Torroro before he burrowed into the soil to hide his tracks.

  “He could be anywhere!” I shouted, but Kaleb didn’t answer. He remained focused on the trail, following his nose, and I fought hard to keep up with him.

  “Goddamn it!” Kaleb roared, coming to a standstill among a break in the trees. He sniffed the air, the ground, and shifted into his wolf to assess the area. I looked around best I could, but saw nothing. I heard nothing either, other than the snuffling of Kaleb’s furry nose as it scoured the ground.

  Muddy brown leaves surrounded puddles in trudged upland. The bordering inclines met the grass and fauna covering the forest floor. Trees bowed or reigned majestically with glossy, green leaves creating tunnels and havens of solace. But they also provided plenty of places for Torroro to hide from us.

  Kaleb shifted back into his human form and roared in frustration. “I’ve lost the trail. His scent. He’s disappeared.”

  “Shit.” I leaned against a tree, knowing the forest was too large for us to investigate by the acre. Especially when Torroro could be somewhere deep in the soil beneath us. “Your dad…”

  “Don’t,” he bit out. “Don’t you say anything to me about him right now.”

  His eyes flared amber, but I knew he wasn’t angry with me. His rising temper meant he had his suspicions, too, both of us barely functioning from the fury at Theodulf Cipher’s audacity.

  I said nothing while Kaleb took a few deep breaths to rein in his brewing temper. Whereas I’d had to stop myself from using my weapon on the son of a bitch Alpha, Kaleb had tried with all his willpower to keep his wolf at bay to prevent him from tearing out his father’s throat.

  Leaving him to it, I assessed the forest some more, hoping to get a pull. A tug. Anything.

  My shields.

  Of course!

  “Kaleb,” I turned to him tentatively.

  “Yeah,” he muttered, his arms reaching up to steady himself on the tree. He focused on the ground beneath him, taking another deep breath.

  “I can drop my shields.”

  “No!” He turned on me, his eyes still amber. Both he and the wolf struggled with the emotions churning inside. “You’re not putting yourself in danger like that. Not now. Not with…” He hesitated, closed his eyes briefly. “Not with certain people around.”

  “I don’t mean to connect in, you know, that way. But maybe to see if I can get a vision or something. Anything might help. Right?”

  He looked pained, rubbing his face, and dropping to sit on the forest floor. He leaned against the trunk. “I have no right to tell you what to do,” he said through gritted teeth. But I could tell he wanted to. I knew how much he struggled with his need for dominance, the need for me to adhere to his orders. Maybe before we’d deepened the connection, he could pull it off. But with the added mix of his wolf wanting to claim me, his need to protect must have gone into overdrive.

  I kneeled next to him. “Hold my hand. I’ll only lower the outer layers to see if something comes through. I won’t drop them completely. Not unless we both agree for me to do so. Okay?”

  “I’m not the boss of you.”

  “Yeah. I know. But you’re my guy. You care for me. You know how much trouble I’ve gotten into before now.” I lowered my voice. “And you know there is a threat against me. I won’t do anything stupid unless we’re both in agreement. Deal?”

  His eyes shifted into their usual blue. “Are you compromising?”

  “Oh, here we go.”

  “No, no. Hang on.” He got to his feet, his hand staying enclosed around mine. “This is a moment to remember. You. Terra Vane. Compromising. I never thought I’d see the day.”

  I shoved at his shoulder, pleased to see his temper had simmered away. “Shut up. I can compromise.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “With me?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s killing you, isn’t it?”

  I hesitated. “Yes.”

  He laughed. “Then I’m taking the win. But only lower a few shields for now, okay? We need to be careful.”

  “All right. Keep hold of me.” Closing my eyes, I took hold of Kaleb’s other hand and envisaged my shields, the warmth of him invigorating me as they peeled away so effortlessly. Keeping many of the blue layers, I tried to focus on Torroro.

  Scared. His eyes. So different to when he foraged for food. I remembered him from his mother’s vision, how he chanted about how bad he was when the prisoners forced him to bite into Dill Hemingway. The way he’d rolled in pain when the guilt hit him when he lost the animal and reclaimed part of his human side. I dared to let another shield fall, poking and prodding, as I thought of him in the water, so desperate to make Ethan another meal.

  Nothing.

  I focused on the hot spring. The lake. Varden River. I concentrated on Torroro’s confusion, his fear, his pain. I remembered his mother; her love for him, her worry, all the time chanting, Torroro, Torroro, Torroro, resounding in my head.

  Then I heard it.

  Thump. Thump. Thump.

  A heartbeat. It sounded like a heartbeat. I opened my eyes, trying to take in my surroundings through the transparency of my shields. I could still see them and still hear the thumping. My eyes remained open, still focusing on Torroro, the hold on it hurting my head. But I didn’t let go. I moved toward the sound.

  Thump. Thump. Thump.

  Silence. So I changed direction, Kaleb holding on to my hand and remaining quiet as I pulled him along.

  The thumping got louder.

  Urging the branches and dense bush aside, Kaleb helped me, creating a pathway. We dove deep into the greenery, following the noise, stopping and listening before moving once more.

  A tugging at my feet forced me to stand still. The thumping almost deafened me, the pace of it twice as fast as my heart. Tingles caressed me, my body dropping in temperature. I felt damp, the soil cold against my skin. I needed to stay quiet. To remain still.

  My head pulsed with the pain, so I kept my shields low. But then I looked down, the ground pulsing beneath my feet. Something moved beneath us. When I blinked and looked again, the soil remained unbroken, unmoving, and my shields snapped back into place.

  The thumping stopped. My headache eased. My body heat enveloped me once more, and I closed my eyes in relief.

  When I finally opened them, Kaleb had an eyebrow raised. I pointed to the ground. “He’s beneath us.” I mouthed. Not knowing how deep he’d gone or how we would get him out of there. My mind churned with ideas. The second we tried to dig, Torroro would run again, using the underground as an escape.

  Grabbing a medium-sized rock, I lifted it and placed it where Kaleb stood. Taking his arm, I then dragged him off into the surrounding trees.

  “What is it?” he whispered, keeping my eye on that rock.

  “It’s Torroro. He’s there. Underground. But how do we get him out?”

  “I don’t know.” He frowned. “If we dig…”

  “He’ll run.”

  “What if he already has?”

  I shook my head. “He’s playing possum.”

  “What?”

  “He’s playing dead. Or I should say, he’s staying as still as possible while he hears us foraging around. He’s scared to move should we hear him.”

  “We could go back and get Mayra. See if we can do the spell again?”

  “Did you not see her? That spell almost wiped her out. She won’t be able to perform it again until she’s rested. And I don’t think we have time to go get her, anyway.”

  A rumble of noises in the distance had us both looking up. The rock didn’t mo
ve. “The other wolves?”

  “Yes,” he growled. “They’re getting closer. They’re hunting him too, remember?”

  “Kaleb, if we lose him again…”

  “I know. We can’t risk it. But what can we do?”

  I assessed the ground, knowing even if Kaleb turned wolf to dig, there was too much soft land around us for Torroro to burrow into before we could catch him. A trap would only work with magic. And we had no rope or chains to trap him with, anyway. It’s not as if he would understand much when we spoke, eliminating my attempts to reason with him so he’d surrender and give himself up.

  Wait a minute…

  “Kaleb.”

  “What?”

  “That thing you didn’t want me to do.”

  “What? No.” He shook his head. “You agreed.”

  “I agreed not to do anything unless we were both on board. But what other choice do we have?”

  “And what do you want me to do? Carry your lifeless body while you trail along as Torroro?” He joked, but my face remained serious. “Damn it. You do.”

  “Yes. But not for long. I only need to connect to him long enough to get his body back to Mayra and Zax and let you tie me up with the chains.”

  “And what about what happened before? With the others? Even Mayra thinks what you do is risky.”

  “Maybe so, but not with Torroro. He’s like the rogue shifters. He doesn’t have the cognitive prowess to fight me for his energy. He should be easy enough for me to take over.”

  “Cognitive prowess?” His lip twitched.

  “You know what I mean. I’ll connect to him. The second my body goes limp you pick me up, wait for Torroro’s body to pop out of the soil, then we head back to the grove as fast as possible. Deal?”

  “And if others come along?”

  A howl struck the darkness of the early morning. “They won’t. And if they do, you can say I got hurt by Torroro or something. But if we’re fast, we won’t have to explain a thing.”

  He thought about it. But the movements in the distance grew closer. “Kaleb,” I snapped.