by Cali Mann
I paced across my room, kicking my feet through the piles of clothes. I was so bored. Glancing at my phone, I didn’t see any blinking light. I hadn’t heard from the guys in a while. Had they found my mother? Were they okay? Would our bond let me know if they weren’t? I hoped so.
With a kick to the end of my bed, I snarled. I just felt so useless, cooped up in here. I couldn’t even visit Sciro. I’d tried, but as they’d said, the walls wouldn’t let me pass in spirit form. Some kind of spell was laid on them. I rubbed my cheek. I’d certainly had some rocking dreams of him though. A blush crept up my face. Blood drinking and sex were a potent combination, if my fantasies were anything to go on. Dream Sciro had pleasured me in every way, other than actual intercourse. At least that had helped pass the time. I smiled.
The nightshirt I’d worn last night was stuffed in the garbage can next to my desk. I’d thrashed so much in my sleep that I’d somehow torn it. I hoped my suite mates hadn’t heard me.
I flopped down on my bed and pulled over the book I’d been trying to read. It figured that the one I hadn’t remembered to return to the library was a boring old history book. That had been what put me to sleep last night.
My stomach growled, and I wondered when they’d bring food. The kitchen staff rolled carts up and down the halls, delivering meals to everyone’s rooms. We could hear the squeak of the wheels as soon as they got to our floor, and it took forever for them to reach our door. It must have been being cooped up in this room without being able to stretch my legs, but I felt tired and worn out, as if I’d run marathons. I hoped there was beef on tonight’s menu.
I pushed myself to my feet and headed over to the mirror that hung on the wall. It was plain with simple lines that didn’t suit the elaborate rose wallpaper, but it had come with the room. I stared at my shadowed eyes. Why was I so exhausted? I rubbed my forehead and sighed. At least the eyes in the mirror hadn’t turned red and ghostly since I’d been locked up.
The guys needed to come home soon. I wanted them near me. Not just because I knew it would keep me from going crazy, but because my whole body felt off kilter without them. My skin itched, my hunger raged, and my dreams were out of control. And with peace settling between Monica and I, I didn’t even have anyone to rage at.
Shoving open the door, I peered around the lounge, but it looked like the others had retreated to their rooms as well. I marched over to the fridge and yanked it open, hoping I’d saved a soda or two. All the way in the back lay a single can. Reaching in, I curled my hand around the cold tin and pulled it out. A sigh escaped me when the cap pinged as I opened it. Leaning against the back of the couch, I took a swallow. The liquid fizzed across my tongue.
“Save me any?” Monica asked, peeking out of her room.
I shook my head.
“Ah well, I’ll have to have Dad send us some more.”
“Would you?” I pleaded, only half-joking. It really was the stuff of life. I was that bored.
She nodded. “Sure. Hey, where are your boyfriends?”
“Mm,” I muttered, pretending to be mid-drink.
Monica laughed. “Didn’t they get tested first?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Charlie tell you that?”
“Yup. So, spill.”
“No idea.” I shrugged. “They aren’t supposed to visit anyway.”
“Adrian could make it happen if he wanted to.”
“Yeah, I don’t know.” I tried to look innocent, but Monica clearly wasn’t buying it. “Do you know when it’ll be our turn?”
“Charlie said at the end of the week.”
I swallowed hard. Then I frowned at her. “Why didn’t you test out early? Your Dad is on the Council, too.”
Her mouth twisted. “The Grays are a bit lower on the totem pole than Adrian’s family. We don’t get all the benefits of being an old Council family.”
“Oh.” I never expected Monica to admit that to me, although Adrian had hinted at it once or twice. I wasn’t sure what to say to her. ‘I’m sorry’ didn’t really cut it. I grimaced as a headache roared to life behind my eyeballs. “I’m not feeling so hot.”
“Yeah, you look like shit.” Monica jerked her head toward my room. “Lay down and I’ll ask the food service to bring you some soup.”
I frowned, wincing at the pain that shot through my skull. “Is it time?”
“Naw,” she said with a laugh. “But they know me.”
“Thanks, Monica,” I said and headed back to my room. Please let the guys have rescued my mother and be on their way home. I needed them.
22
Adrian
It really was amazing how much Hailey’s mom looked just like her: the same hair, the same green eyes, and the heart-shaped lips. I glanced around at the other women, each one beautiful in her own way. “Hi,” I said. “I’m Adrian.”
“I’m Kwan,” one of them said, stepping forward. Her black hair lay long and silky across her shoulders, and she was shorter than I was by about a foot, but I could feel the water power emanating from her.
I grinned. “Nice to meet a fellow water shifter.”
“Agreed.” She smiled back. “And a mer-creature as well.”
As we’d told Hailey, you couldn’t really tell by looking what kind of shifter one was, but sometimes especially strong elements sought each other out.
“My daughter’s mates?” Abigail asked, finding her voice at last. “But how can that be?”
“She’s—” Brenton started but stopped when I shook my head. Despite our time limitations, I felt like we needed to take this slow.
“Hailey has three mates,” I said quietly.
“It was more common in olden times,” Kwan said. “For shifters to mate more than once. Modern times have constrained us.”
I nodded, grateful for her scholarly explanation.
“Why are you here?” The black woman stood from the stool she’d been sitting on, her face set in hard lines. She didn’t trust easily.
“We are here to rescue you,” I said, smiling as charmingly as I could. “And you are?”
“Her name is Neera,” Kwan said.
Neera hissed. “You don’t know anything about these young men, and you are telling them everything.”
“I know that I would take any opportunity to escape our prison or die trying,” Kwan said.
“I agree,” a blonde woman said from by the wall. Her frame was thin and frail. She barely looked like she had the energy to stand, but when she glanced my way, fire glowed in her eyes. “My name is Judith.”
“Judith has been with Kaiden longer than any of us,” Kwan said. “They grew up together.”
I blinked. It was hard to imagine the scourge of the shifter world having ever been a child or even a teenager. “As I said, I’m Adrian. This is Brenton and Terrin.” The guys nodded. “Aileen is Brenton’s mother and an old friend of Abigail’s.”
“Why is that one here?” Neera asked, her eyes narrowing at Lacey.
“She’s been good enough to lead us to you,” I said.
Neera scowled.
“I want to know more of my daughter . . .” Abigail began.
Brenton’s mom squeezed her arm. “And you will, but first we have to get you out of here.”
“All of you,” I said. Terrin frowned at me, but I couldn’t leave any of them behind, not to be held captive here until Kaiden was done with them. “It will be cold though, so wear your warmest things.”
The ladies set to work as quickly as they could, gathering up anything of value and layering outfits. I clustered with the guys near the door.
“Can you carry all of us?” Terrin whispered to Brenton.
“I’ll have to,” Brenton replied.
“They haven’t got anything for surviving in the cold,” I said, surveying their bundling efforts. “But we can’t leave them to walk to town. They’d be recaptured instantly.”
Terrin grimaced. “We’re endangering the whole mission.”
“If we have to,
” I said. “We’ll let Brenton fly them to Thornbriar, then we’ll wait, since we have the gear, for him to return and take us.”
“Seems the wisest course,” Brenton said.
“We should have considered this,” Terrin growled, not used to having his plans go awry.
I knew it wasn’t because my brother didn’t care about the other women. He always cared about innocent lives. Sometimes too much. It was just that we hadn’t accounted for these extra rescues. We’d come in with one plan—save Hailey’s mom—and that was it. We were idiots.
“We have to do this,” I said. “We can’t leave these women here.”
Terrin nodded. “Of course, we can’t.”
“I know, brother. I’d have liked to have been better prepared.” I cast my gaze to the ceiling. “Do you think the guards are still unconscious?”
“That’s the hope,” he whispered. “If we can get out quickly, we’ll avoid another confrontation. I think we could take them, even with their guns, but I’d hate to test it.” He eyed the women, lingering on Judith. “And with their state of health, I’d rather not risk it.”
I nodded. Gathering the women up, we stumbled up out of the cellar and tiptoed back down the hall. How were we going to get across the lawn with not only ourselves but four women in tow? Surely there were guards other than the ones we’d knocked out; and what about the staff? It was late but they couldn’t all be in bed.
“Please,” Lacey whispered. “Take me with you.”
“No,” Terrin hissed.
“If he finds out I helped you, I’m dead,” she said, tears in her eyes.
Terrin paused, glaring at her. “There’s no guarantee you won’t betray us.”
“Come on, guys,” Brenton said. “We don’t have time for this.”
Ignoring him, Lacey’s hands settled on her hips, and she scowled back at Terrin. “I know what you are.”
“And what’s that?” Terrin asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Shifters.” Lacey’s tone was firm. “And I’ll tell the world. I’ll expose you.”
I snorted. “No one will believe her anyway.”
Terrin frowned, considering.
“We don’t—” Brenton began.
“Come then,” Terrin said with a shrug. “It’s your funeral.”
Her brows inched closer together, but she followed us.
The rooms around us were still. The kitchen staff seemed to have gone to bed. I pushed open the back door and peered across the quiet lawn. It was silent. Too silent.
Terrin pushed to the front of the group and took a whiff. A deep frown settled across his face. “We’re going to have to fight. They’re waiting for us.”
“Well, we’re more than a match for them,” I said. “We’ve got two siren calls.” I glanced back at Kwan, and Kaiden’s smallest mate nodded. “And a dragon, a vampire, a rock creature, and you.”
“The bullets can still kill us,” Terrin muttered.
“All we need to do is distract them,” Brenton said. “The sirens sing, I shift and get everyone aboard, and then we take off.”
Judith pushed her small frame to the front of the group and stared down her patrician nose at us. “I’ll be your distraction.”
“No, madam—” I started.
Her frown deepened. “I’ll take the bullets in rock form and you run.”
“You aren’t impervious,” Brenton said. “There are places you can be hurt. And fire shifters don’t heal easily.”
Judith gave a small smile. “I know how to protect myself.”
“But we won’t be able to come back for you,” Terrin began.
“Then, I will let the bullets in once you are safe,” she said.
“No, there’s no need for anyone to sacrifice themselves,” I said. “We’re shifters. They are mostly humans. We can do this.”
“We need to get the women out first. All of them,” Brenton said, glaring at Judith. “And the guys can lead them away into the woods. Terrin and Adrian can run faster than any human.”
“That’s six for you to carry,” I asked. “Will it be too much?”
“No.”
“Okay,” Terrin said. His voice lowered as he laid out the plan. We’d each play to our strengths. Siren calls for distraction and dragon flame for cover. Everyone stuffed their ears, and we stepped out on to the lawn.
Instantly, we were surrounded by armed guards dressed in black with large guns aimed at us.
I began to sing, hearing Kwan’s lithe voice join me, and the guards remained impassive, watching us.
A man stepped through them, clapping. His auburn hair and stocky build matched Brenton’s. Laughing he asked, “You didn’t think we’d fall for the same trick twice?”
He pointed to his ears stuffed with cotton wool. “I’m going to remove them, but don’t try anything or the men will shoot.”
Brenton’s mother stepped forward. “Let us go, William.”
“And why would I do that, sweet wife of mine?” he asked, arching his eyebrow.
“Because I’ll burn you,” Brenton said, stepping forward.
His dad smirked. “Now you grow a backbone? What is wrong with the two of you?”
“What’s wrong with us?” Aileen asked.
“Kaiden is the best thing that ever happened to this family, and we don’t need you to go mucking it up over some misplaced sentimentality.”
“Sentimentality? She’s my friend,” Brenton’s mom roared, her body stiffening as she shifted. Her small form bulking into that of a rock creature. Judith followed her, and the two of them stepped forward, blocking us from the guns.
William raised a hand. “Don’t make me do this, Aileen.”
Her answer was a stone flying toward his forehead. He batted it away with a snarl and ordered, “Fire.” He motioned with his arm to command the deafened guards.
The guns roared, spitting automatic shots at us. Pulling Kwan and Lacey with me, I held them behind the rocks. Without my siren’s call, I felt useless. Not like a merman transformation would be much good here.
The guns flashed. Stones pelted toward the guards, and several fell. Hailey’s mom, Neera, and Terrin slipped behind their lines, breaking necks and knocking out guards as they went.
Brenton moved to attack, and I grabbed his arm, shaking my head. “Take these two and get them out of here. Then come back for the rest.”
He nodded and took Lacey and Kwan back through the house. As soon as they had disappeared, I darted out into the fight, grabbing a fallen guard to use as a shield. I used whatever I had—my fists, loose rocks—to disable the gun men. Their guns didn’t work as well in such close quarters, and we gained on them slowly.
Then I heard Aileen’s scream and realized the mistake I’d made. Terrin, Neera, Abigail, and I clutched our current victims and our gazes turned back to the two rock creatures.
William stood behind Aileen, grinning widely. He’d shoved a knife through her neck, right between the plates of rock. Of course, he would know one of the few vulnerabilities of the rock creature. Her mouth flapped uselessly, gushing blood. “Now I think that settles this. Let’s all go back inside.”
My jaw dropped as I gaped at them. He’d killed his own wife. What kind of man? “Fuck.”
Judith recovered first, raising her stone arm to swing at him, when a bullet came out of nowhere plowing into the back of her neck. She stumbled and fell.
“Shit, you idiot,” William growled, tossing Aileen’s body away. “That was one of the mates!”
I couldn’t help peeking back at the guard who’d done it, and his face was green. He was a crack shot to have hit just at the point of vulnerability from so far away. Must have been an experienced soldier, but he fell to his knees screaming. I blinked. I had never seen blind devotion like this. Did Kaiden hold all their families captive? How did he inspire such loyalty?
Terrin, Abigail, and I backed away, holding our captives in front of us. The gun shots ranged over us, but we used the human bodies t
o shield ourselves.
“It’s no use,” William shouted. “We’ll catch you.”
Behind me, I heard a roar, but I didn’t dare look away from the advancing guards. Then, over our heads, dragon fire swept through the guards and through William. One minute, they were there and the next, ash swirled in the air.
Another anguished cry pealed out behind me, and I spun. Still in dragon form, Brenton cried, huge tears that splashed down onto the forest floor. My heart squeezed, and I ran forward. Terrin, Neera, and Hailey’s mom followed on my heels.
23
Sciro
I heard Hailey crying in the corner of my cell, and I resolved to ignore her. Maybe if I did, she’d go away and I wouldn’t betray my brothers any more than I already had. My stomach growled. I’d just eaten. How could I be hungry? I grimaced. Because I wasn’t hungry for food.
A sniff echoed in my overly sensitive ears. Shit. Did she even know she was here? Or did she think she was crying in her room? Unwillingly, I muttered, “What’s the matter?”
“They come for me tomorrow.” She hiccupped. “I die tomorrow. And the guys still haven’t returned.”
She sounded so broken, I found myself walking over to where I heard her movements. Sinking to the ground, I reached for her. My hands stroked soft skin and the lightweight fabric of her night shirt. She leaned her cheek against my palm, and I could hear the thud of her heart. It was one of the few things that convinced me she was real, and she was here.
“Hailey,” I said gruffly. “You need to go back to your room.”
“Can’t I just sit here a little while?” she asked, nuzzling my hand.
I closed my eyes. “Like you did before?”
“I haven’t seen you in weeks, Sciro. Not since before the others left.” She sighed. The weight of the world was in that sigh.
“Tomorrow?” I asked.
She nodded.
I couldn’t see it, but I could feel the slight waves of air. My senses were all on high alert when she was near. It was like being a super-vampire.
“I don’t want to die,” she said, her voice tiny and small.
