Clipped Wings: A New Orleans Shifters Novel

by C. J. Snyder

  Happiness and relief flooded my whole body. Smiling, I pointed it out to Kangee, who let out a loud whoop and then picked me up and spun me around. Giggling at his happiness I laughed with him, “Ok put me down, I have something to show you guys.”

  Once he put me back on my feet, I reached into my bag and pulled out the book.

  “I walked back down to the Wiccan shop. It was weird, there were only a few people in there, and when I was done looking for what I found there wasn’t anybody in there. It was oddly quiet; no one on the streets, no cars, no music.” Walking over to the table where they all sat, I put the book down in front of Gage and continued, “Is it ever quiet like that in the morning? The shop was empty, no one was at the front desk yet the door was unlocked. Did I mention that it was weird?”

  The entire group was looking at me like I grew an extra head, “What?”

  Gage started flipping through the book and Kangee reached up and felt my forehead as if to see if I was running a fever. When he realized I was ok he looked into my eyes to get my attention,

  “Baby, we searched that whole area for you. There were people everywhere, music playing, that little shop had a “closed” sign hanging on the inside of the door.”

  I had no clue what was going on, but this felt like a dream.

  Suddenly needing to sit down, I went over to the table and pulled out one of the chairs. My mind was spinning with this information but no coherent thoughts came.

  Shaking my head and looking around at the others I just closed my eyes to try and sort this out.

  Thoroughly confused I asked, “So, are you telling me that I was in some sort of time slip?” Nervous laughter erupted from the group. Presley was the first to speak up after it died back down.

  “We don’t know. But whatever happened, it wasn’t natural.” I opened my eyes and watched her go over to where Gage was. She peered over his shoulder, “So, what’s this?”

  Gage was still flipping through the journal, “The key to everything. It has history and names. Everything we need to get them.” He started taking photos with his cell, flipping pages so quickly as if it was going to disappear in front of him.

  Gage was only about a quarter of the way through the book when it started to smoke a dull gray cloud slowly rolling out of the pages.

  Immediately backing up, we all started yelling and looking around for something to smother it. Kangee found a dish towel and attempted to smother the smoke before it became a flame and we lost everything.

  Sparks started appearing with every toss of the towel.

  Kangee took the journal and tossed it quickly into the grill for fire protection and not a minute too soon as the book was suddenly engulfed in flames. We’d had all the answers and like a click of your fingers, they were gone.

  “Well that sucks,” said Gage. He looked like he just lost his favorite toy. Then he immediately started scrolling through his phone.

  While he frantically looked through the pictures he had taken, Chayton moved to the grill. He looked at the charred mess on the grate and finding a twig laying nearby picked it up and started poking the once upon a time book.

  “It looks like magic played a part in this. The book isn’t ash but every page is charred black.

  There’s no way we’re getting any more information from it.”

  Kangee stepped up to stand by Gage. The Presley still looked shocked, and Claire – wait where was Claire?

  “Kangee, where’s Claire?” I asked. I hadn’t noticed before because my mind was confused.

  I really need to focus here so that I can help them out.

  “Claire said she would be over later. She said something about not sleeping well and needed to rest.” He told me.

  Looking over Gage’s shoulder Kangee asked, “Man do you think you got enough pictures to help us at least research these guys, Gage?”

  He looked doubtful to me and I didn’t know how to make things better.

  Presley went to Gage and wrapped her arms around his waist.

  She was feeling his frustration too I think. We all looked at him for some answer and there he stood, silent.

  When he looked up he cleared his throat and said, “I’m not sure. I did get some of the newer entries in the first few pics I took before going back to the beginning. I even felt like I recognized a name or two. But honestly, I’m not sure about anything at this point except there is really powerful magic at work here. With Cora’s account of when she was gone this morning and what happened with the book, yea, very powerful magic. And we are somehow smacked in the middle of it. The Elders are not going to like this at all.”

  ∆∆∆

  Chapter 20

  Kangee

  Making that call to the elder circle was exhausting. They had so many questions and they hated every answer I had for them. This needed to come to an end, tonight. But I had a feeling somehow it wouldn’t. Sitting outside with the rest of the crew, we waited for Claire to show up and she was late as usual.

  Gage printed out the photo’s that he was able to salvage from the now burned book and we had a few names. He was currently on the phone with his dad and sending him the pictures by text so he could contact the Scottish clan to see if they know anything further. Going through the photos with Cora next to me, we were able to figure out why they hunt at night and why they were killing off shifters.

  “So, they are killing you guys while you are in shifter form so they can use your blood or DNA to test it on humans?” Cora asked while tapping her fingers on the patio table.

  I could feel my mouth tighten in a deep frown, “Seems that way. Maybe trying to make hybrids or some type of super solider.” In mounting frustration, I pushed the papers across the table and slammed my open palm down. “They don’t have to kill us to get our blood. Why the killing?”

  Standing up so fast that the chair went flying backwards, I started pacing the backyard, “So, they have to put us down in our animal form. Which means any type of attack we do; we have to be super careful and avoid arrows.”

  “Hey guys, sorry I’m late.” Claire came through the backyard gate and over to the table where the papers were scattered. She picked up a couple going over the contents. Her voice dropped to a concerned whisper as if someone was standing around the corner waiting to make a move, “Where did you get these?”

  Cora walked over to her and picked up another one off the table, giving it a quick glance, “I found a book at the Wiccan shop. Gage grabbed some photos of it before it went up in flames.”

  Claire started grabbing all the papers and stacking them in a hurry, “No, no no. You guys can’t have these. They need to be destroyed. Everything that has to do with these people, need to be destroyed. They will hunt us all for this evidence.”

  Claire walked over to the grill and opened the lid. Before she could toss them in, Gage grabbed them from her hands and growled at her, “They are already hunting us anyway. We need all the help we can get.”

  Shrieking at Gage and trying to get them back, Claire stomped her feet like an insolent child, “You have no idea what you’re doing, Gage.”

  “Then why don’t you enlighten us, Claire?” he said grabbing a hold of her elbow and leading her over to the table and then plopping her into a chair and standing in front of her, daring her to stand up again without providing some answers to what she knows.

  To my utter amazement, she looked like she was about to break down in tears. Her eyes were red and watery, her face was flushed, and her chest was rising in falling rapidly.

  Everyone in the yard came over to circle the table and waited for Claire’s explanation. She looked up at everyone and sighed in resignation.

  “Fine. You want to know? Fine. But you aren’t going to like it.” she said crossing her arms over her chest in a defensive manner. Then taking a deep steadying breath she began a story I think will haunt me for a long time.

  “My family was slaughtered by these monsters. I was only a child, around ten, when it ha
ppened. My family was record keepers. We have records of every shifter, every clan, and every location going back hundreds of years.” She shifted her arms and hung her head before continuing, “We have vaults all over the globe full of information. They want it all. When my parents wouldn’t give up the location of the vault that we were responsible for, they tortured my father right in front of mom, forcing her to watch.” Claire sniffled and wiped at her eyes, “Mom had me hide in a wine cellar that was hidden inside of the kitchen island.”

  Leaning forward and resting her head in her hands she continued, “I can still hear my mother scream when they sliced my father’s throat. Then they turned the house inside out looking for any information that may lead them to the vault location. When they realized that my mom wasn’t going to give that up, they murdered her the same way they did my dad.”

  She swiped at her eyes to get the stream of tears off her face, “My clan was the last of the Lynx shifters. I am the last of my kind and they have been looking for me ever since they found out that I survived the attack.” Cora walked over to her and wrapped her arms around Clair’s neck to try and comfort her. Claire sighed, leaning back against the chair and for once accepted the friendly act of love.

  My gut clenched and I felt as if I might heave. “I’m so sorry, Claire. We didn’t know.” I said reaching over and placing my palm on her arm to give it a squeeze.

  She looked up at me with tear filled eyes, “How could you of known? I’ve kept this secret for almost nine years. Moved here to blend in and blocked my emotions so well, that I went numb to them all.” Grabbing a rouge napkin on the table, she wiped her nose. “The hunters care nothing about our lives. They want our magic. I heard them talking as I was hiding, and they are experimenting with shifter magic in regular humans. They want super soldiers and maybe even breeding with shifters – although they’d have to capture someone alive in order to do that.”

  Humans want us for breeding hybrids, well isn’t that just fucking great. Hell, we’re still young. We don’t even know how our magic works sometimes; let alone trying to harness it in another species. None of us in this yard have the experience the elders do.

  Cora went in to get Claire something cold to drink to help with the hiccups that come along with emotional upset. Setting the soda down in front of her, she squeezed Claire’s shoulder to show support.

  Chayton, Gage and I needed to come up with a plan. “How are we going to do this, guys? We need a solid plan ASAP and I for one don’t know where to start. But I can tell you we are not losing another shifter to those guys!”

  For the first time in my life, I was really scared. I feared losing my family, my life and most of all; I was scared that Cora was going to be caught in the crossfire and I’d lose her as well. My fated mate and the love of my life, I’ll be damned if I lose her. And she’d be damned if I made her sit on the sidelines while we hunted the hunters.

  Chayton sighed heavily with anxiety, “Well, we will need to set a trap. Kangee and I can take to the air but stay high enough that their arrows and bolts can’t reach us. Gage and Claire can cover the ground. Presley, you need to stay here – I don’t want you in the crossfire.”

  Gage, about to put in his two cents, excused himself when his phone rang saying it was his dad.

  Presley sneered at Chayton but nodded her head. Looking over at Cora Chayton continued, “I’d love to say the same thing to you, but I know I’d be wasting my breath.” Cora chuckled and nodded her head at that, because she knew there was no way in hell she was staying behind.

  Pacing the backyard again, I started talking out loud about a tentative plan, “We’ll hang out here and then head to the bayou at dusk. We need to figure out a way to trap them once we get them rounded up like the cattle they are.”

  Cora’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, “That’s where I can come in. I’ll man the trap with a loaded pistol. They are human; bullets will hurt or kill, depending where I hit them.”

  Before I could say anything to Cora’s comment Gage interrupted coming back to the table, “That was my dad. He and the rest of the elders are on their way here. They have decided that we all need to be in on this. Like us here, they don’t want to lose another shifter to the hunters. While we wait for them lets outline what we have so far and with their help maybe we can come up with something failsafe.”

  Trap, we needed one. How many times have I watched a movie where they dig a hole and cover it with tree branches? I chuckle to myself that I’m even considering this, the rest of the group looked up from what they were doing.

  “What’s so damn funny, Kangee?” Gage asked frowning.

  I shook my head, “I was just thinking about digging a hole in the bayou and covering it with tree branches to trap them.” That seemed to really break the tension as the whole group looked at me with huge eyes and then burst into laughter.

  “Even if we could do that man, the bayou’s land is too soft for any kind of hole. We’d end up creating a sinkhole and cause way more problems then intended.” Gage stated between fits of laughter.

  I went inside to let mom know the elders were coming and she immediately started setting up snacks and drinks for everyone when they got here. Ya gotta love that woman.

  When I returned, I told the group what mom was up to and like the teens we are we all started smacking our lips. My mom is a great hostess, chef, cook, snack maker. After we laughed a bit about that I tried to get us back on track.

  “If we can’t dig a hole, then I think running them out of town is the next best option and well, if something happens to one of them, there’s plenty of swamp out there. If you know what I mean.” I said with a wink.

  The whole crew nodded in agreement. We had three hours before go time. It dawned on me right then, that we still had no clue who Claire has been texting since all of this started.

  I sat down next to her, “Claire, I think it’s time to tell us who you’ve been in communication with these past few days.”

  Sighing deeply and pushing her phone to me, “Look under text messages and the name of Ervin.”

  Reaching over I pick up her phone; she gives me the password and I go to her text app. The texts were on an encrypted messaging app, but nothing had been deleted. She has been in contact with the current resident of the family vault.

  Before I could react the driveway filled with cars and the elders came into the backyard. Barely nodding at them I read on.

  My eyes went wild, “You know where your family’s vault is?”

  She closed her eyes and nodded, “Yes, I’ve known for the past two years. Ervin reached out to me after hiring a detective to find me. He said that the hunters were on the rampage again in the States and to keep an eye out. He also said that if I had any run ins with them, to let him know.”

  Anger flooded me, “Claire! This is information that would have been helpful way before they showed up and killed my father!”

  Gage’s dad stepped up behind me clearing his throat. I barely had time to take a breath when he put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed silencing me.

  To my dismay, Claire put her head in her hands and started sniffling again. I hate when women cry. Hate it even more when I’m the reason they’re crying.

  “I know. I’m so sorry, Kangee. I was scared, still am.” Wiping her nose again with the same napkin that was bunched up in her fist she looked up at me with sorrow.

  Fuck my life. Now is not the time. “Ok. It’s ok. Let’s go get these guys and put an end to it all.”

  “Good idea son.” said Gage’s dad as he took a seat on the other side of me. He patted my shoulder before letting go, telling me he understood my anger. How did more chairs get around the table? Nodding at the newcomers I was about to go into what our group had come up with when ‘dad’ took over.

  “Gage, tell us what plan you have so far and Chayton I’d like you to organize those pictures for us to look over with you all. Kangee, please go ask your mom if she needs any help getting thi
ngs done.”

  I nodded, not trusting my voice now. Barely able to keep my emotions under control I went into the kitchen to do as I was told. Mom took one look at me and wrapped her arms around me saying softly, “She didn’t know your dad would get hurt because of her silence. She was protecting herself the best she could. Be forgiving son, and think how lonely she must feel with no one she can count on. Take a minute then bring the rest of the trays out for me please.”

  When I went back to the patio everyone was engrossed in discussing our plan and making adjustments to it. Honestly it felt good having the elders around for once. They liked our plan and added a couple things to it.

  There was plenty of hunting experience right here for us to draw on. They offered advice on hunting as if hunting humans was done every day. They would spread out and keep guard over all the clans close to the bayou. They would all be ‘listening’ to what was going on with us so they could help if we needed them.

  As dusk fell everyone but Presley stood up and stretched out, “I’ll hang back,” she narrowed her eyes at Chayton, “But one of you better keep me on an open line with a Bluetooth. I want to know what is going on and if I need to call in reinforcements.”