It stopped, sniffing the air, its beady eyes focusing on me, and I prayed it would turn and go the other way. It scratched the ground and I dropped the boar clamped between my jaws as the latest one charged me.
Get behind it, Caleb directed and I obeyed, leaping over the charging boar. Attack it from behind.
I twisted, nipping at the boar’s hind leg, hearing it squeal as my teeth broke bone.
Gut it.
My claws tore through its belly, feeling a hoof shatter one of my ribs but I didn’t stop, knowing this was my only chance. I kicked with my back legs, sending it slamming against a tree, a loud crack telling me its spine had snapped.
I collapsed on the ground, blood seeping faster from where the tusk had gotten me, and each breath was harder than the last as the bone from my shattered rib pressed on my lungs.
Shift, Caleb instructed, shift before you bleed out.
I blinked, the trees blurring as the pain started to fade.
Dru, a voice yelled. Dru, shift now. Dru, please. His panic plucked at me, sharpening my focus. If you don’t shift you’ll die.
That didn’t sound so bad, I thought.
It’s very bad, he replied desperately. I need you. Paige needs you.
Her name sent a jolt through me, and a hiss escaped me as pain pierced through the numbness.
That’s it, come on, Princess. Fight. Strength filled me, first a trickle and then a flood as I felt the force of his will through the connection we shared. Do not leave me, he ordered and my nose twitched at the command. You don’t like that? Do something about it, he dared, reading my emotions easily.
Anger spiked through me, the shift starting as my body struggled to heal itself, but when my body twisted, tendons and bones snapping, the pain overwhelmed me. A whimper escaped me as my mind fought the agonizing pain, unable to tell where it came from, and my connection to Caleb grew weak.
Give it to me, the words were barely a whisper but I clung to them desperately, lost to the pain, as I finally let go.
***
Minutes, or maybe hours later, I woke up, curled on the ground, my side throbbing, my skin slick with blood. I sat up gingerly, favoring the side with the shattered rib, knowing it hadn’t healed properly. The clearing looked like a war zone, with blood splattered everywhere, and I stood, swaying slightly as I made my way to the dead boar. Satisfaction surged through me at seeing them dead and I flipped one of them over with my foot.
Hazy memories drifted through my mind as I stared at the bloody tusk of the boar. I shivered, remembering the cold numbness that had spread through me, and the deep voice that had kept me from drifting away. I poked through my thoughts but couldn’t sense Caleb.
“Caleb?” I said aloud, not sure how to make him hear me. Caleb? I tried again, internally this time. There was no answer and I fought a sense of unease. “Maybe I’m too far away,” I told myself, the words echoing in the clearing. Paige?
OH MY GOD, where have you been? She shrieked and my eye twitched at the volume. It’s been hours. I was worried sick. She paused and my gaze swept the area, trying to ignore my growing concern. Are you okay?
Yeah, I replied automatically, my thoughts elsewhere, until I bent down and pain spiked through me. I might need a little healing, I amended, breathing shallowly as black dots danced in my vision.
Seriously, what happened? Worry bled through our bond as I forced myself upright.
I killed dinner, I answered, downplaying how dangerous the hunt had actually been. Now I just have to figure out how to get it home.
Then why do you need me to heal you? She hummed suspiciously. Usually you can heal yourself.
One of my ribs broke, I said dismissively, pulling some vines out of the trees to tie up the boar’s legs. I was going to have to drag them out because there was no way I was leaving any meat behind. Can you go check on Caleb? I asked, deflecting her attention from me.
Why do I need to check on him? You’re the one that’s hurt.
And when I get back, you’ll fix me up. Until then, go check on Caleb, I responded tartly, cradling my side as I leaned against the tree, fighting the urge to throw up and pass out at the same time. Pain was a familiar companion, but it never got any easier.
You’re worried about him, she decided, understanding dawning. You care about him, she accused and I closed my eyes, hating to admit she might be right. He’d saved my life, taken away the pain so I could shift, and the fact that he wasn’t there when I’d woken up….it terrified me.
Checking on him will give you something to do so you won’t badger me until I’m back, I retorted, kneeling so I could tie the boars together to make them easier to drag out of the forest.
Uh huh, and what do you think might happen to him in his jail cell? Paige questioned sardonically and I paused as several possible scenarios played in my mind, freezing on one where Gran stood before him, her eyes glowing brightly as she tried to separate the wolf from the man. Okay, that would be bad, Paige admitted, some of the sarcasm draining from her voice. I’ll check. She paused. Do you need me to come help you?
No, I answered instantly and there was a second’s worth of hurt before the emotion was muffled. No, I need you to check on Caleb, please, I requested, trying to smooth the unintentional hurt caused by my knee jerk reaction. The idea of Paige out here, in the woods….I looked down at the dead boar and let out a shaky breath. Paige was powerful but she wasn’t a killer, a fact that could easily get her killed.
I will, she promised softly and I breathed easier. Be careful, Dru.
You too, little sister, I murmured, finishing the knots. Every step promised to be a special hell, but I was determined to get my kill home since it would feed them for at least a couple of weeks. I wrapped the vines around my wrist and started walking, my arm flexing as I met resistance and the boars bumped over the ground behind me. I kept my other arm tight against my side, trying to keep from jostling the shattered bone that hadn’t been able to heal with the shift.
I hadn’t made it a dozen steps when I had to stop, sweat breaking out on my lip. I slumped against a tree, each breath a struggle as the vines I was using as a rope dropped from my wrist. Weakness sent a tremble coursing through me. I brushed the back of my hand against my mouth, swallowing hard.
This wasn’t normal.
That was my only thought as my knees gave out and I collapsed on the ground, my rib no longer my concern as my strength drained from me. I managed to roll onto my back, desperate to see the sky above me, if these were to be my last moments. I stared through the bare limbs of the trees to where the stars glittered in the night sky. Something ran down my temple and my finger shook as I touched the skin. My finger came away wet and I stared at the droplet as another ran into my hair, and realized I was crying.
I didn’t understand what was happening to me, nothing Gran had ever done had come close to the paralyzing weakness that had overtaken me now, but as I lay there only one regret overwhelmed me.
Caleb.
His name whispered across my mind as the night sky blurred above me.
Dru.
My breath hitched at his faint response.
You’re here, I murmured, as the tight band squeezing my chest eased.
Wouldn’t be anywhere else, he answered glibly, too glibly as his voice caught. What do you see?
Stars. They’re blanketing the sky.
Are they as stunning as you?
Far more stunning than I could ever be, I replied, warmth curling through me at his compliment.
Somehow I doubt that.
Apprehension crept in as I noted how pale his voice sounded. Caleb, I urged, panic piercing the lethargy taking over my body. What’s wrong?
I need to break the connection between us, he mumbled indistinctly. It might….hurt a bit.
Why? I cried, struggling to sit up but too weak to move more than a couple of inches. What’s happening?
Nothing, he tried to reassure me, but his voice faded in and out. You’ll b
e safe.
What about you? The stars magnified as tears pooled in my eyes, my body growing numb while I waited for his reply.
White hot heat seared through me, arching my back as my brain felt like it was being carved into pieces and I heard Caleb’s voice in the clearing, clear as a bell, “Stay safe, Princess.”
“Caleb,” I gasped, the worst pain of my life hitting me as it felt like my head was being split open. I rolled over, puking into the damp leaves, my mind terrifyingly silent. I laid there for several minutes, each heartbeat sending agony spiking through my head, until one heartbeat it hurt a little less, then another, and my fingers managed to curl into my palm.
“Caleb,” I didn’t recognize my voice, it was so rough and hoarse, and thought I must have been screaming without realizing it. “Caleb.” He didn’t answer and my temple throbbed in time to the beat of my heart. I sat up, swaying as some of my strength returned.
Moisture ran down my face and I swiped angrily at the tears that dared to fall, but when I looked at my hands, one was covered in blood. I reached up, touching the corner of my amber eye and when I pulled my finger back it was coated in blood. I touched my blue eye, but came away with only a single clear droplet.
“What did you do?” I muttered, struggling to my feet, my naked body coated in sticky blood and leaves. “Caleb, what did you do?” I screamed, but my voice was gone, the scream barely a whimper and I stumbled, falling against a tree as my feet wobbled. My body felt awkward, heavy, and almost useless, each motion as new as if I’d just learned it. I stepped forward, determined to find Caleb and force him to undo whatever it was he’d done, unable to deal with the empty echo of my own thoughts, his comforting presence far more apparent now that it was gone.
A snapping branch brought my head up, and instinct took over. I scuttled backwards, grabbing the dead boar and using the darkness to hide me as I curled into the hollow of a dead tree.
“You heard it.” I recognized Strickland’s voice and settled deeper into the tree’s trunk, curious as to why he was out here and who was with him.
A voice I didn’t know blustered, “Some animal dying. Why are we searching for it?”
“I don’t want to find it,” another voice squeaked, sounding suitably creeped out.
“If there’s something out here I want to know what it is, besides that didn’t sound like no animal,” Strickland answered. “It sounded human.”
“Again, I don’t see why we need to find it.”
“There’s traps out here,” Strickland reported. “One of ‘em might have caught something.” He paused and I held my breath. “Like a wolf shifter.”
The other man grunted, but his steps fell more heavily on the ground. I glanced at the two boars I’d killed and quickly untied the vines wrapped around them. I dragged one further away, smearing blood along the ground, then positioned the other one on the edge of the clearing.
“What if it escaped? And attacks us?” The scared one questioned, his voice so high I winced. “I don’t want to become no werewolf.”
“It doesn’t work that way, boy,” the other one sneered. “Now shut up before you piss yourself.”
I crouched, easing backwards, my gaze sweeping the area to make sure there was no sign of my presence. The vines caught my attention and I hurriedly shoved them deeper into the hollow. My breath hissed out as I heard them come closer and I looked for another place to hide.
My gaze caught on a low hanging limb and I swung myself up before I could change my mind. My rib protested, but there was no time as they came into the clearing. Silently, I braced myself against the trunk of the tree, trusting the darkness and their stupidity to keep me hidden.
“If there’s traps out here, how do we know we won’t step on one?” The kid’s nervous question stopped them in their tracks and the older one shoved the younger one in front of him.
“Why don’t you go first then?” He ordered as Strickland brought up the rear, his gaze wary. The kid stumbled into the clearing, his panicked gaze darting everywhere as he panted, practically hyperventilating. I tucked myself closer to the tree, afraid he might actually catch sight of me with the way his head was bobbing.
“Where is it?” The older man snarled. “A wolf can fetch a good price even if it’s injured."
Strickland came up when he realized there was no injured wolf about to attack. My lip curled at the sight of him and this evidence of his betrayal. It wasn’t hard to determine the two men were hunters and it appeared he was working with them.
“I don’t see anything,” the kid commented, his voice quavering. “Can we go now?”
Strickland pushed to the front, his gaze determined. “Something made that noise and I want to know what.”
“Go ahead,” the other guy muttered, yanked the kid back. “If it isn’t a wolf shifter, I don’t care.”
He poked Strickland in the chest, his voice full of warning, “Just make sure you deliver what you promised or we’ll have a problem.”
“What’s that?” My attention jerked back to the kid, afraid he’d spotted me, but he was pointing at the edge of the clearing where the boar’s tuck was barely visible. “Is that a demon?”
The older guy rolled his eyes, shoving him aside as he stomped over to the dead boar. “No, boy. Your momma needs to quit filling your head with that foolishness.” He kicked the dead animal. “Here’s your human,” he sneered to Strickland. “It’s a dead pig.”
“What killed it?” The kid asked, glancing around fearfully. “What could kill that?” I closed my eyes, cursing the damn kid and his incessant questions. Clearly, he was the only one with a brain.
His question made the other men draw up short as they traded wary glances. “Spread out, look for tracks,” the older one ordered and Strickland shot him an angry look, but obeyed.
The kid wandered close to my tree, practically standing underneath it and I prayed he didn’t look up because there was no way he would miss me. “Over here,” Strickland called and the kid shuffled away as I let out the breath I’d been holding. “There’s another one.”
“Two of ‘em must have fought. Killed each other.”
“That would explain the noises we heard.” The older man grabbed the kid. “Satisfied? I don’t like wasting my time.”
“Yeah,” Strickland replied, nodding to the north. “Head that way about a mile and you’ll be off our land.” I gritted my teeth when he said our land. “There’s no traps, but I’d avoid the lands to the south.” My forehead wrinkled as Strickland warned the hunters away from Caleb’s Pack lands. The other men muttered agreements, striding off as Strickland stood over the dead boars, and I held my breath, wondering what he would do next.
He waited until they were out of earshot, then leaned down and picked up a boar, slinging it over his shoulder then grabbing the other one. He lumbered into the woods in the direction of home and I exhaled, relief turning my body liquid. I sat heavily on the branch, trying to process what I’d just witnessed.
“Strickland is working with hunters.” Even saying it out loud didn’t help, the idea was so ludicrous. He’d been Gran’s most loyal solider as long as I’d been alive. The idea that he would betray her seemed impossible, but there was no denying what I’d just seen.
I lowered myself out of the tree, catching my breath as I landed, my rib protesting the movement. I needed to get home, have Paige heal my rib, and find out what the hell Caleb had done.
Chapter Ten
Caleb
Agony racked my body, ten thousand times worse than the first time I’d experienced Dru shift, and I curled into a ball, desperately trying to hold onto my sanity. Finally, the pain started to recede, but phantom aches continued to radiate through me. Muscles cramped as I tried to stretch my legs out and I winced, unable to comprehend that Dru went through this every time she shifted.
I’d never really considered the magic of the shift. I’d always known it healed almost any wound but never realized the hidden effects. Taki
ng the pain from Dru taught me differently and I had a new appreciation for her strength.
I propped myself up on my elbow, searching for my connection to her, and blew out a relieved breath when the warm ember of her life glowed brightly in my mind. I’d almost lost her to a damn boar attack, a risk she never should have taken on her own. Understanding why she had done it didn’t make it any easier knowing she could have died.
I managed to haul myself upright, leaning against the cold stone wall, remembering the way I’d been able to see the fight through her eyes. It wasn’t unusual for pack mates to be able relieve a memory or share an experience, but my bond with Dru wasn’t complete and she wasn’t technically a Pack mate. The strength of my connection to her was on par with the one I shared with Dom and it didn’t make sense, but it didn’t change the fact that she was becoming the most important person in my life.
Footsteps came down the stairs, each one deliberate, and the hair on my arms raised. I stood, recognizing the scent and unwilling to face her from a position of weakness. “It’s good to see you again.”
There was the barest hesitation as she came down the last step and her expression was unsmiling as she spoke, “A well-mannered wolf then.”
“I would consider myself a well-mannered shifter,” I replied, keeping my eyes on her as she moved further into the room, the bars a poor separation as I felt the immense power radiating from her.
“Bow,” she commanded and my spine bent unwillingly. “Struggle only makes it harder on you,” she commented, unable to even pretend sympathy. “You’ll break….like all the rest.”
“Like Dru?” Her power rippled at my question and I took advantage, straightening my back.
The blue of her eyes electrified as she hissed, “You dare speak her name as if you know her?” She stalked closer, pushing her will with every step and my knees buckled. “Her name is Drusilla Primrose Sinclair. She is descended of the original blood and you will not refer to her as Dru.” Her chest heaved and her eyes glittered with rage as power pulsed from her and it was all I could do not to collapse under the force of it. “Insolent pup. You will learn to respect your creator.”
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