Clipped Wings: A New Orleans Shifters Novel
Page 16
“Let’s get this party started.” Leaning over to give Cora a deep, passionate kiss I reminded her, “You watch your back out there and if you get in any type of trouble, you high tail it out of there. Am I clear?”
Cora smiled up at me and patted my ass, “Yes, sir.” Then the little minx saluted me and started for the back gate.
The sun was starting to set as we all shifted into our animal forms and headed towards the bayou.
When in animal form, we all have a telepathic connection to one another. This was going to help as we sniffed out the hunters. Entering the bayou, I looked to my side and saw Chayton flying close to me, he blinked and darted off to the right.
Gage had his nose to the ground trying to pick up a scent and Claire had hers to the sky, trying to do the same. Scanning the area after dark wasn’t the easiest, but it was doable. The two on the ground had night vision due to the type of animals they were. Lynx, were in the cat family, so being able to see at night was a definite perk.
Out of no where, I heard a buzzing fly by my head. Looking for Chayton I mentally reached out, “What was that?”
Chayton flew closer to me and scanned the area, “Think we have company guys.” he mentally sent to the whole group. Down below, I was able to pickup on three men hidden in the trees. One was reloading his weapon and the other two were watching what Chay and I were doing.
My enhanced hearing came in handy as I was able to pickup what was being said in the trees, “Hurry up, Ian. You’ve missed once, you cannot miss again.” Ian looked like a teenager and he was struggling to pull the string tight in the crossbow.
Ian lost his grip on the crossbow barely catching it before it hit the ground, and his mentor started shouting at him like a basic training drill sergeant.
Mentally reaching out to the ground support I said, “Gage, Claire. I have three humans, one with a crossbow, about five hundred feet ahead of you to the right. They’re hidden in the willow branches.”
Gage and Claire both shot out like a bullet toward the area. Claire stated that she would circle around to surprise them from behind.
Flying close to Chayton to get his attention, I led the way to where they were headed. I could see Gage but didn’t see Claire. “Chay, do you have eyes on Claire?” I could see him scanning the area before he responded that he saw her behind Gage by a few feet. Relief flooded my body.
Gage stopped about a hundred feet away, “I have them in my line of sight. This looks like a training exercise. Only one has a weapon and he is struggling to load it. I’m going to spring on them before he gets the chance to do so.”
Lowering his head aggressively, Gage moved slowly toward the group. Looking quickly over his massive shoulder, he saw Claire hunched down in a predatory position that cats get when they are hunting prey. She blinked and nodded her head to let him know that she wasn’t far behind.
Taking a running start, Gage leaped right in front of the hunters, causing them to yell out and scatter. The one with the only weapon they had, dropped it and sprinted toward the opening of the bayou. Gage trailed him, purposely nipping at his heels and then backing off.
From above, I could see one of the other hunters take off toward the right; I followed. There had to be a vehicle close by. Surprised enough that they scattered instead of fighting, they’re other weapons had to be stored in whatever car they had parked nearby. I assumed he was headed there to arm himself and the other one.
Telepathically letting them know that I was following the older hunter, Chayton kept an eye on Gage and Claire. I was right, they had an arsenal in the truck that they got here in. Swooping down I attacked the hunter’s head before he was able to get into the bed of the truck and grab whatever weapons or magic bombs they had; he swatted at me. I laughed internally as I ducked and maneuvered his failed attempts to dodge my attacks.
I got a good chunk of his ear in my last attempt. Screaming Fuck he locked himself in the cab of the truck. I perched on the hood and watched as he looked for something to stop the bleeding.
Remembering that we need one of these guys to get more information from, I hopped down and shifted into my human form. Trying the handle to the truck, he’d locked all the doors and with wide eyes, started the engine. “Fucking coward! Gonna leave your buddies here huh? Way to be a man!” I shouted through the glass.
Shifting back into raven form, I took to the sky and reached out mentally to the rest of the team for an update. Gage said he had the one he’d been chasing by the leg and was dragging him back to the meet up spot as we spoke.
Chayton did a fly over and didn’t see anyone else. He said the third guy must have found a way out without being seen. We caught one! Telling them that I would be there soon, I sped up to meet up with the rest of the group. I felt good about our hunt but wanted to make sure Cora was alright too.
Cora was standing over the hunter, pistol in hand when I got there, while Gage paced back and forth just behind her. It had been decided that Gage would be more intimidating in his wolf form, not to mention he could outrun the man if he tried to get away. From the looks of his leg he wouldn’t be running too fast. The hunter, Ian, was trying very hard to reason with Cora to let him go and that he would have people looking for him.
Leaning down to sneer at him she said, “They will have to find you first. This is a huge swamp, if you know what I mean.”
Landing and shifting back to human form, I looked up at the sky for Chayton as he landed next to me and then shimmered back into his human shape too. “You shot me, you asshole. That hurt.” Chayton kicked the hunter in his thigh causing him to yell out. Gage growled and leapt landing over him to silence the sound.
Knowing he was in a bad position, Ian looked up with a bloody smile, “Kill me then. I won’t tell you shit; I’d rather die.”
I walked over and leaned down to look him in the eyes, “That, my friend, can be arranged.”
Ian spat blood at me before sitting all the way up, “Yah, well get on with it then.”
Reaching down and attaching zip ties to his hands to make cuffs, I hauled him onto his feet and started dragging him back toward the edge of the bayou and home. He was struggling to stay upright because of the job Gage did to his leg but I didn’t care.
Smiling I looked at Gage and said “Ya did a real fine job on his leg bro. Think you could help him move his ass a little so we can get home?”
Gage growled low and stepped closer to Ian. When that one would slow down or stumble, Gage would nip his behind making sure he kept up. I swear he was smiling while he did it!
With me on his left, Chayton on his right, and Gage following behind, we trudged back through the bayou.
I asked Cora to make the phone call to Gage’s dad, who was able to contact the elders for questioning. We did our part; they can handle the rest.
When we got to the edge of the bayou Cora reached out to touch my arm, “Kangee, where’s Claire? Shouldn’t we wait for her?” She had holstered her gun and now wrung her hands with worry.
I looked over the group and then back toward the bayou, “That, my love, is a damn good question. When did any of you see her last? I last saw her behind Gage waiting while he prepared to scatter them.”
No one had another answer. No one remembered seeing her after that.
“We can’t leave without her Kangee.” Cora said still worrying her hands.
“We have to get our friend here; I tugged Ian’s cuffs causing him to trip; back to the elders. It’s not safe for us to stay out in the open like this with him. Gage was growling louder and Cora looked like she was going to say more when I cut them both off.
“We’ll let the elders send out hunters to find her. We’re not going to leave her alone.”
As we finished our trek back home, I’m sure everyone was thinking the same thing….
Where IS Claire?
∆∆∆
To see what happens next turn the page for a sneak peek into Claire's book.
Snared
Why can’t I see anything? It’s so dark. My night vision should be kicking in so I can see my surroundings and I can’t see anything at all.
The last thing I remember is running through the bayou after the group of ‘Hunters’ we were trailing. Gage was ahead of me by just a few yards and I could see the bird boys overhead when I looked up. Gage alerted me telepathically that he got one by the leg and then everything went black.
Though something is covering my head, the dank, musty, smell of wet wood drifts to my nostrils, making my eyes water. And goosebumps form on my arms from the chill.
Where the fuck am I? Trying to calm my mind and listen for any clues to my location, I tilt my head to the side. Nothing but silence. Attempting to move my limbs again, I realize they are attached to the chair that I am in by something that is not affected by the inhuman strength I possess. Suddenly, I hear footsteps approaching.
“Oh, you’re awake.” A deep, cultured male voice with an accent that I can’t quite place, penetrates through the headcover and assaults my ears. He’s pacing around the chair; I can hear the fall of his heavy footsteps as he makes his way behind where I am seated. My blood is pumping loudly in my ears and my adrenaline is on high alert.
His hands land on the back of the chair and he leans closer to my right ear. I can smell his cologne – woodsy and vanilla.
His breath is hot against the exposed skin of my collarbone as he leans in to whisper.
“You can’t snap these restraints, Claire, so don’t even try. They are holding you with powerful magic that works against your shifter magic. If you can be a good kitty and I’ll take off the head cover.” He shoved the back of the chair, making my head snap forward and my chin hit my chest. “And if you’re a really good kitty, I’ll give you a room of your own and some treats.”
The urge to snarl and hiss at him was strong, but somehow, I resisted. Moving my head to the source of his voice to show him that I wasn’t scared even though I was shaking with terror, I asked, “Who are you and where am I?”
His footsteps moved again to a position right in front of me. I followed the sound with my head and I swear I could hear him breathing as if he was leaning in my face to do so.
Chuckling deeply, he’s right in front of me now, so close if my legs weren’t tied down I’d be able to kick out and smash the son of a bitch’s face in. “I am someone who can bring an end to you. I am something no one of your kind has ever dealt with before.”
Placing both hands on my tied down arms, I could feel cold electricity emitting from his skin where he was touching me. Leaning in close again he says in low gravely tone, “You are far from home, that’s all you need to know.”
He squeezed my forearms before letting go and walking away. I could only hear a heavy door latching somewhere in the room leaving me to my thoughts and the darkness.
Don’t know what was scarier, being inside my head or the knowledge that I was trapped somewhere with a madman.
Need to know what happened to Claire? Look for her book titled “Snared” coming summer/Fall 2020.
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Please check out my other titles:
Gage’s Obsession
Snared – Coming Summer 2020
Acknowledgement
Thank you to my loving Husband for supporting me. This has been an adventure so far!
Thank you again, to my loving Mom for reading over the contents and making sure it makes sense.
Last but not least, Thank you to my wonderful Mother in Law who is my editor and finisher of thoughts.
I couldn't have done any of this without you guys.