Suddenly, Lara could see the full picture now as she realised the gravity of the situation. Their escape from the shifter prison was all a ploy. They were never truly free at all. It was just one big experiment. She could feel anger bubbling up inside her, how dare they treat her like this... how dare they treat Archer like this. Like they are nothing more than the animals inside them, like they are monsters and not humans at all. How dare they treat their mating bond like it’s just something to be experimented on.
Experiment she thought suddenly as she recalled Dr Seville mentioning that they were now ready for the next part of the experiment. Next part? What did he mean by the next part?
The sun had set completely now, and the dark hues of the night saturated the clearing in front of them. She looked up at Archer, his black shirt hugging his broad shoulders and strong arms as she followed him towards the trees that lined the forest, away from the street lamp that lit up the parking lot. She knew this forest, it was one of the biggest forests in the county and it followed the entire highway from Riverstone to Brunsville. She had probably even been through these woods in those two months when she was stuck as a panther. As they approached the tree line, Lara sensed they were being watched and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as her panther hissed ferociously at the woods ahead of them. Something was happening. Before she could scent a threat, Archer stopped walking and abruptly looked ahead. She followed his gaze and watched as dark figures began emerging from the shadows of the trees, they looked just like the guards from the shifter prison. It looked like Dr Seville brought backup.
Dr Seville turned around and Lara was able to see he was holding a gun in his hand as it rested, casually by his side. She could feel a panic attack slowly building as she realised she was trapped between two guns and the likelihood of surviving this scene was slim to none. A cold numbing sensation rippled through her body. It was then that she felt Archer’s hand reach out and grip her own, the warm and soft touch of his skin made her body respond and the anxiety she had felt suddenly subside.
She lifted her eyes to his face, but he was fixated on Dr Seville. A warmth pooled in Lara’s chest at the idea that in the midst of all this, the guns, the threats and the darkness, he instinctively knew she needed comfort. He knew to reach out to her and even though she didn’t think she could, she fell for him a little bit more.
“You might be wondering what the next stage of the experiment is.” Dr Seville said, as he moved his hands, and the gun with it, behind his back. “There are rumours, that a broken mating bond also breaks the mind of the shifter of which it occupies, but no one has had an opportunity to prove this…until now”. The doctor glared at Archer, there was an unapologetic evilness about his gaze that made Lara shudder. Something behind the doctor caught Lara’s eye as she looked to see the guards take a few steps forward, now with guns trained on them.
“It’s quite simple really, I’m going to see how this so-called mating bond works when it’s no longer reciprocated. Imagine how easy it would be to eradicate shifter-kind if all we need to do is remove one half of a mating pair and the other half destroys itself” Dr Seville sniggered loudly before composing himself. He looked between Archer and Lara as he lifted his arm from behind his back to aim the gun at them both, moving it slowly between them “Now, which one of you shall it be?”
Lara froze. She could feel Archer tense beside her as she watched the hollow barrel of the gun swing in her direction and then Archer’s. She didn’t know what to do. What could she do? If she attempted to shift, Dr Seville would shoot Archer and if Archer shifted, he would shoot her. There was no way out. Lara closed her eyes tightly against the scene in front of her. If she was about to die, she’d want to go thinking of a better time.
“Wait!” The sound of Archer’s voice stopped any further thoughts as she opened her eyes. Archer had taken a step towards Dr Seville, blocking her from the barrel of the gun. “You don’t need to kill anyone to destroy a mating bond. If we are separated, it should have the same effect. Let Lara go and I’ll come with you. You can do all your tests on me, I’ll even replace my father as your little lap dog.”
Lara’s breath caught in her throat. She could hear the anguish in Archer’s voice, but he maintained a calm demeanour, making his argument all the more convincing.
“No” Lara whispered before she found her voice “No, you can’t! Archer no!” She was yelling now, tugging at his arm. His face was emotionless as he kept his eyes trained on Dr Seville, who was glaring back at him with narrowed eyes, clearly considering the offer.
“Interesting…” Dr Seville mused as he tilted his head, looking between Archer and Lara “But no, simply separating you won’t give me the maximum results I require”
Time slowed to a standstill as Lara tried to comprehend what was happening. Dr Seville lifted his gun, but before he could aim, something gripped her arm tightly and pushed her back and suddenly her view of Dr Seville and the barrel of his gun, was blocked. Time sped up again as she realised Archer had pushed her behind him, she couldn’t see anything but the taught material of his black t-shirt against his broad shoulders.
*Bang*
Archer’s body jerked abruptly the instant she heard the gun shot, a cold pang of fear ran through her as she didn’t need to find out what happened, she already knew.
“NO!” Lara screamed out as Archer fell to his knees. She rushed to his side just as her body was yanked back by a strong arm around her waist. She couldn’t take her eyes off Archer, regardless of what was about to happen to her. She watched as he gripped his chest and pulled his hand back to show the dark crimson shade of red saturating his palm. He turned to look at her with what could only be described as apologetic eyes, before he collapsed to the ground.
Lara screamed his name as she tried to reach him but the arm pulling her back was strong and prevented her from getting any closer. She watched with tears rolling down her cheeks as Archer reached his bloody hand out towards her along the grass, just before he closed his eyes.
Suddenly, Lara’s body was yanked back again. She twisted around and was faced with Zane’s cold, yellow eyes staring back at her, the edges of his mouth lifted to a smirk that showed the sharp fangs protruding from his gums.
“Let me go!” Lara yelled as she struggled against his tight grip around her waist, adrenalin pounding through her veins. “Archer!” she screamed in desperation, she needed to go to him.
“Maybe we should see if the mating bond can be replaced” Zane sniggered, his eyes burning into her as she continued to struggle before he leaned in and ran his tongue along her neck.
“Now, now Zane, there’ll be time for that later once we see what the broken bond does to her. Put her in the car, we’ll take her back to the lab” Dr Seville said casually as he turned back to talk to the guards, who obviously weren’t needed anymore as backup.
Zane turned Lara around and pushed her in the direction of the silver car, the barrel of his gun hard against her back. She glanced down to Archer, lying on the ground, blood pooling out to his side. A sob left her lips. She knew he had healing abilities but from the amount of blood that was leaving his body, she knew deep down that there was no coming back from this.
They reached the silver car and Zane opened the door and pushed her into the backseat, she fell forward catching herself on her hands. He lifted her legs and pushed her so that she lay along the length of the backseat. She quickly turned around, her back against the cushion of the seat as Zane climbed in over her. He placed the gun on the floor of the car and pinned her hands down at her sides. Fuck! Fuck! Lara thought. “Let me go!” she screamed as she fought against his steel grip but to no avail. She started kicking her legs against his stomach, but he barely flinched. She could shift right now if she knew how to communicate with her animal, but she could only sense her panther distant inside her mind, wallowing in the loss of her mate.
Zane’s eyes were pure gold now as they bore into her, he raked her body with
his gaze and a shudder of revulsion ran through her. She needed to do something before he did. She pulled her leg back and thrust it as hard as she could at an angle to ensure contact with the seam of his jeans, between his legs. It worked. He immediately let go and gripped his crotch, stepping back outside the car and doubling over himself, gasping.
The sound of yelling made Lara take her eyes off Zane for a moment and look behind him to where Dr Seville had been talking to the guards, only they weren’t there anymore. They were scattered across the clearing, their backs to Lara as they aimed their guns at the darkness of the tree line. Lara followed their line of sight and thanks to her panther night vision, she saw a dozen or more silhouettes of large cat-like creatures stepping out from the shadows. A large black panther was leading them. Dad she thought. It was her father and his pack.
Time slowed down as Lara watched chaos descend in to the clearing, lit only by the reflection of the moonlight and the dim street lamps from the parking lot. She could see the panther’s launch their attack, taking on the guards, slashing and clawing them as one by one, the men fell to the ground. Dr Seville turned and began walking in her direction, his eyes fixed on the silver car that Lara was currently leaning out of. He stopped and looked around him in a clear attempt to make sure no one was following him before he began speed walking towards the car. Coward Lara thought to herself. It was then that something shiny caught her eye on the floor of the car where she sat. Zane’s gun. She looked over to see Zane, still cupping himself and coughing and before she could convince herself otherwise, she reached down and took a hold of the small, heavy hand gun.
The sound of someone yelling interrupted Lara’s train of thought. She turned to see Seb standing near Archer’s body, still lying motionless on the ground. “Zane!” he shouted, as if the name was familiar to him. His eyes were glowing pure gold and his face looked flushed with anger. Zane had been tending to himself, still cupping the seam of his pants as he paced back and forth, trying to rid himself of the pain Lara had just caused. He had been so focused on himself, that he seemed oblivious to the events unfolding around him. So, when Seb called for his attention, he suddenly noticed the scene around him, he raked his gaze around the clearing, before turning to Seb’s direction. Lara could no longer see Zane’s face, but she couldn’t mistake his voice over the human cries and animal growls in the background.
“What do you know, it’s the traitor from the Asterwood Pack. How’s the moral compass working for you now, Rogue?” Zane spat out at Seb.
“You’re the traitor, Zane. You and the rest of those lowlife wolves. I’ve been hoping to run into you again, to finish what I started years ago. I don’t know what you have to do with all of this” he motioned to the battle in the clearing around them “but I don’t care too much either, this ends now”. Seb growled out the last word, and before Lara could comprehend what they were talking about, he began running towards Zane. The sound of growling and the popping of bones joined the distant echoes of fighting as Seb landed in front of Zane as a giant tawny coloured wolf. His lips were pulled back in a vicious snarl and his fangs dripped with saliva. In what felt like an instant, a black wolf exploded out of Zane. He was slightly larger than Seb and clearly used that to his advantage, staring down at Seb to intimidate him. They stared at each other as they paced back and forth for a few moments before blasting into a blur of fur, claws and teeth.
Lara looked down to the small gun in her hand that Zane had left on the floor, it would be useless against Zane from this distance and getting any closer would mean risking getting caught up in the ferocious battle in front of her. There is one human it could work on she thought and looked up to see Dr Seville still hurriedly walking towards her. His eyes lowered as he fumbled with his hand in his pocket, presumably looking for his car keys. Lara stepped out of the car and lifted her arm with the gun, aiming at Dr Seville. He looked up and stopped in his tracks, alarm and fear swimming in his eyes. Not so brave anymore Lara thought when suddenly, a soft female voice interrupted her thoughts “Allow me”.
Lara glanced over her shoulder to see Jen coming to stand next to her, her hand out for the gun. Lara lifted her eyes to meet Jen’s and she gasped, they flashed a bright gold for a mere moment before returning to their natural colour. It seemed the animal inside Jen wasn’t completely gone after all. Lara placed the gun in Jen’s hand and nodded in approval. As Lara turned towards Archer, the sound of a single gunshot ran through the air, shocking the entire clearing to silence. There were no more battle cries, no more growling and snarling, nothing. She looked up at Seb, now in human form, standing over Zane’s lifeless body. A quick glance around told Lara that only her allies remained standing, everyone else was either unconscious or dead.
Lara slowly turned her head back to see Jen, standing stoically, her chin lifted bravely and her hand resting by her side, still holding the gun. Dr Seville was lying on the ground, a perfect round hole visible between his eyes as blood began seeping from it. Lara was instantly met with the image of the blood pooling from Archer’s chest as he lay motionless on the ground. A wave of nausea hit her and as much as she didn’t want to see him in that state, she needed to go to him. She turned back and bolted through the clearing to where his body remained still on the ground.
As she knelt beside him, she carefully placed her shaking finger against his neck, where his pulse would be. She gasped and let out a sob, there was no pulse. Nothing. Tears welled in her eyes so fast that her vision instantly blurred, and she wiped away the tears with both hands. No. This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening. Suddenly her emotions were overpowering her sense of logic and reason and she came to the decision that he wasn’t dead, he couldn’t be dead. Not when they had just found each other again.
“Archer…Archer, can you hear me?” Lara’s voice trembled as she put both her hands on his shoulders, shaking them. “Archer, you have to come back to me. You have to!”. She was shrieking frantically now “Archer!” she yelled as if it would make a difference. She used her shifter strength to push his shoulder up and roll his body over, it took a few tries but finally she managed to roll him to his back. She sat back on her haunches and put both hands up to cover her mouth as her sobbing became uncontrollable. Lara knew the image of Archer’s pale face would forever be burnt in her memory. She wanted to turn away and not see him like this, but she couldn’t supress the need to touch him, even in death. She reached out and shuddered at the feel of his cool skin under her fingertips, she ran her hand through his hair before moving her thumb over his lips, the same lips she had almost kissed a short time earlier. Only now they weren’t warm and soft, they were cold and turning a light shade of blue.
Lara remembered the night they shared two weeks ago. She wished she could go back to that and have the night end differently. They needed more time together, they should have had more time together. It was not enough. Lara knew then and there that the deep bond she shared with Archer, as brief as it was, remained strong inside of her. She loved him and she realised that no matter what, she always would. She leaned down and gently placed her lips over his own, they felt cold under her warm kiss as she closed her eyes and twin tears rolled down her cheeks.
She sat back and opened her eyes, she felt numb. Suddenly, the feel of something warm on her right shoulder made her look up to see Seb, dressed in torn clothing, with his hand on her shoulder, eyes holding sadness as they looked over Archer’s body. She felt warmth over her left shoulder now and she turned to see Jen’s hand there before she reached up and placed her own over it.
“There’s a rumour –“ A familiar male voice started, Lara looked over Archer’s body to see her father, dressed also in torn clothing, standing a few steps away from them. She noticed the panthers in the distance, one by one receding into the darkness of the forest, before returning her gaze to her father as he continued. “That there’s a rogue shifter who lives in the wild, beyond the east mountains. Some say he possesses the power to heal, possibly e
ven raise the dead”. She openly cringed at the reference to Archer as dead. Her mind was still trying to catch up, it couldn’t comprehend that he was gone, let alone hear the words out loud.
“I…I don’t know if there is any truth to it, but I thought you should know. I’m sorry about your…your friend” Lara saw her father swallow hard and nodded once before turning and following his pack into the lining of the trees.
Seb’s hand squeezed her shoulder gently, she looked up to meet his eyes, he had a slight smile and eyes that held hope as he said “Well, what are we waiting for?”
Chapter 33
It was ironic that they were back in Archer’s car just like they had when they escaped the shifter prison, only this time, it wasn’t Lara lying unconscious along the backseat, it was Archer and he wasn’t just unconscious, he was dead.
Lara looked down to Archer’s head, resting on her lap, he was even more pale now and his lips had turned a darker shade of blue. She ran her fingers through his hair, wishing that she had taken the opportunity to do this when he was alive. His hair still felt soft under her touch and she closed her eyes to pretend for a moment that he was still with her, that they were happily in love and their fairy tale mating bond had the fantasy happy ending he spoke about the night they were together.
“I think I see something. It looks almost like the flicker of a fire” Seb said from the driver’s seat. They had driven for hours to get over the east mountains. Lara wished she could feel as confident in this supposed powerful shifter as Seb did, but the reality was that her grief was overpowering all other emotions right now.
The Lion's Purpose Page 19
