Shapes of Autumn (Boxed set, books 1 - 5)

by Veronica Blade

  Energy swirled between Dathan and Zack but before I could ask them what was up, Dathan rounded on me and lifted my chin with an index finger. “Ulric won’t hurt your parents yet because he needs them alive to manipulate us. Keep your cool.”

  I nodded, although the wrenching in my gut screamed at me to stop wasting time. “I will. But we need to get going.”

  “The garage is thick with scents of werewolf and shape-shifter.” Dathan positioned himself in front of the door so I couldn’t push past him. “I know you, Autumn. You don’t want to kill shape-shifters who’ve been glamoured into fighting us. Anyone you don’t recognize is likely one of Ulric’s men. Kill them. Everyone else, just try to temporarily incapacitate them.”

  “That’s going to burn time,” Renzo growled. “But we don’t have a choice.”

  “We have extra knives on hand to paralyze them.” I glanced between Dathan and Renzo. “If for some reason I can’t quickly get to their heart, any advice on the most efficient way to neutralize someone without killing them?”

  “Cut off their limbs, break their necks—anything that forces them to heal and takes them out of the game.” Dathan nodded once, then stepped aside.

  I gripped the handle and shoved the door open. Dathan slipped in front of me and led the way. We crept through the dark structure, keeping our noses in the air for any shifts in scents, our ears alert for any movement.

  The sound of footfall on dirt and rustling fabric reached us and the next instant, we were surrounded. Dathan spun, watching our backs and we formed a circle around Havers. A quick assessment told me Dathan was right—Ulric had gotten to our entire army. And now we’d have to fight the ones he hadn’t already killed. Adrenaline roared through my limbs, making them tremble.

  “Give up now and come quietly, and we won’t have to hurt you.” Egon raised his sword and tipped the edge toward Zack.

  There’s only ten of them. We can handle this, Renzo said, his back bumping mine. And when I say we, I really mean Dathan.

  Dathan chuckled into our heads. You just make sure nothing happens to Zack or Autumn. One...

  Oh, hell. This was it. I slowly reached for a dagger, reminding myself that I was more powerful than Egon or any of these shifters. I just had to stay focused.

  Two...

  I let the life essence of each one of them seep into me, become one with mine. Without looking, I knew where each one stood. I knew that Egon was perspiring and the shape-shifter to my right struggled to keep his heart from hammering out of his chest.

  Three.

  I ducked as Egon sliced his sword through the air then I sank my dagger into his heart. As he plunged backward, his arm flailed and I grabbed the sword from his hand, twisted and cut it through the air to land in a shape-shifter lunging toward me. It penetrated his heart, paralyzing him.

  Dathan had already taken down three guys and they lay on the dirt, blood oozing from an open wound. Renzo was fighting two shifters and Havers was trying to get a bead on one of them. “Havers!” I grabbed one of the knives from my waistband and tossed it to him.

  I flinched when I spotted Zack feeding on a shape-shifter. What the hell? Zack dropped the guy, then circled around to find another opponent. But we were the only ones left standing.

  Dathan wiped his mouth and grinned. “Been a while since I had warm blood straight from the vein.”

  Zack had the same, apparently. I stared at him, my eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. “W-was that more efficient?”

  “I just learned how to glamour... which can only be done when feeding. Better than hurting them.” Zack shrugged. “So, yeah, looks like I’ll be well fed by the time we’re done.”

  I swallowed, my breath unsteady. This was not something I wanted to think about right now. “Okay. Let’s move on.”

  Renzo forged ahead through the parking structure and the rest of us followed.

  “Although werewolves are kind of bitter.” Zack’s eyes ping-ponged from me to our surroundings.

  He was doing what he had to do, but I had an inkling that it bothered him. I glanced away to pay attention to where we were going, my gaze circling the structure for any movement.

  “Ew. Too much information, Zack,” Havers said, staying close to Dathan.

  “They’ll be more clever next time,” Dathan said. “Maybe even try to pick us off one by one.”

  “Then we’ll stick together.” Renzo halted. Ahead of him was a line of around twenty shape-shifters. Our former army, including Sean, Yvonne, Kieran and Haji.

  I slowed my breathing, getting a read on each of them—Haji shifting his weight, the rapid heartbeat of the shape-shifter closest to me, a female werewolf zeroing in on Havers, Yvonne’s fingers twitching around a dagger, Sean holding his breath.

  “I realize you all have no choice but to attack.” Dathan inched forward, his fingers twitching. “We’ll try not to kill you.” One... two... three.

  As I lunged at the female werewolf, I shifted into a bear midair. My jaws clamped onto her shoulder and I jerked my head side to side, nearly disconnecting her arm in seconds. She screamed, stabbing me with her free hand. I threw my weight on her, my fangs shredding her knife-wielding arm. Satisfied she was neutralized for a while, I rolled to avoid an incoming knife from behind and shifted back to my human form. The blade plunged into my hip. Sean. I shoved my palm into his nose and retrieved the knife from my waist, sinking it into his chest.

  Two down. My hip already healing, I vaulted into the air, reaching for another knife from my waistband. I plunged it into the Haji’s back just as he was about to stab Havers, then pivoted and jumped on Kieran as he struck at Renzo. Grabbing his head with both hands, I wrenched it around and he dropped.

  “Sorry, Kieran.” I leapt off him, my eyes searching for my next opponent just as Renzo neutralized Yvonne. She collapsed to the floor, a handle sticking out of her chest.

  I released all the air in my lungs seeing my team still standing.

  A vertical index finger over Dathan’s lip told us to be quiet. It’ll take Ulric a moment to figure out which side won that battle. His gaze found mine. Let’s find your parents.

  An eerie quiet filled the large space, making the whole thing seem even creepier and scarier. I stole past the cars behind Dathan, peering between them in our hunt for Ulric, our necks straining to see all around. We neared the last row of cars in the corner, and the energy in the space changed, becoming thicker and charged. I froze.

  “At last,” the man said, drawing out the last two letters. “We’ve been waiting.”

  Dathan stepped around me and moved to my left, bright lights momentarily blinding me. My eyes adjusted and then the air stuck in my lungs.

  The stranger, who had to be Ulric, was crouched against the wall holding a blade to my mom’s throat. Except she had no throat. Crimson drenched the collar of her once baby-blue T-shirt and her head hung limply on her shoulder. An extra big splotch of crimson covered her abdomen and acid curled in my gut at the sheer amount of blood. My dad stood a few feet away, his arms hanging at his sides.

  “One slip of the blade and she’s gone.” Ulric’s eyes glinted with a hint of insanity as he grinned at us. “Eli here is awfully glad you two could make it to the party.”

  Two? I glanced over my shoulder but there wasn’t anything there other than walls, rows of cars and the beams above. To our right was the giant elevator we’d used to move the Navigator from the underground tunnel. The door was open. I didn’t have to wonder how Ulric got in.

  Where did Havers, Renzo and Zack go?

  “I have to say, I’ve been monumentally impressed at your ability to evade me these centuries.” He sent my dad an odd look that seemed a mixture of respect and loathing. “The last fifty years, I’ve been following so far behind, I wasn’t sure if I was on the right trail. You’ve caused me a good deal of trouble. The sweeter the kill.”

  “How are you going to kill all four of us, Ulric?” Dathan asked, inching forward. “The re
st of your men can’t access the parking lot. It’s just us.”

  “The rest of my men? Why would I need to bring my own army when I can borrow yours?” Ulric hummed and his eyes flicked to mine. “Egon has been so helpful, by the way.”

  Egon? I reminded myself that Egon hadn’t meant to hurt anyone. He probably wasn’t even aware of his actions.

  My lids felt droopy, my mind fuzzy. Then that dissipated, replaced by an urge to attack Dathan that nearly consumed me. My hands fisted and I turned toward him.

  I can feel him trying to control your mind. Don’t let him, Dathan said, his gaze riveted to Ulric. You can block his thoughts. Focus.

  That son of a bitch! I pushed Ulric out of my head and closed myself off, grateful I’d had plenty of practice with mental gymnastics the last few months. I gripped one of the knives in my pocket and stepped into Ulric’s line of vision. “Nice try,” I growled. “It may have worked on whoever let you in. Won’t work on me.”

  One side of Ulric’s mouth skewed and his gaze wavered, making him seem less confident than a moment before.

  “Despite your stolen powers, you’re no match for me,” Dathan said. “Even if you succeeded in finishing off Olivia, we’ll attack. At least one of us will live and you’ll be dead. Makes no sense.”

  Ulric seemed recovered from the surprise of not being able to compel me, snickering quietly. “If by some miracle you survive today, then you’ll die tomorrow. Either way, I would’ve succeeded in doing what I came here for.”

  “And what’s that?” Dathan asked, inching forward as soon as Ulric glanced at my mom.

  “The death of Hannah and Eli. After centuries of pursuit, I’ve finally got them.”

  It’s probably best Ulric not know I’m their daughter, I told Dathan.

  Autumn, my dad snuck a peek at me, you shouldn’t be here. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you too. Back up and run, find Zack, and go.

  How would I go on if something happened to you? Could I live with myself after leaving my parents to die and doing nothing at all to help? I’m not leaving.

  Ulric studied me and the blade slacked at my mother’s neck. “You have an uncanny resemblance to her.”

  How could he be so casual as my mom lay there in his arms barely alive? Fury filled me but I squashed it and lifted a careless shoulder. “So what? You resemble a douche bag teacher I had last year.” Except Mr. Olander’s hair was never greasy. Ulric’s dark blond stringy hair clung to his neck and shoulders like it hadn’t been washed or brushed in days. He hadn’t shaved in forever.

  “You need to show respect for your elders,” Ulric rasped.

  “Yeah?” I asked, as my scalp prickled. I mentally pushed Ulric out. “And if I don’t, what are you going to do about it? Will you choke me to death with your filthy hands? I guess it’s hard to find time to bathe when you’re too busy killing innocent people.”

  Dathan snorted. If nothing else, you’re lessening his triumph.

  Ulric’s face flushed. “You dare to speak to me that way. I could tear her head off in one instant and kill you in the next.”

  “I doubt you’d make it past us. And she means nothing to me so I have nothing to lose,” I bluffed, taking a step forward, and stealthily stuffing my hands in my back pocket. “Can we speed this up so you’ll be one step closer to being dead?”

  “You underestimate me,” Ulric hissed. “Do you think I’d begin battle with her as my only leverage?”

  “What’s your other leverage?” Dathan asked.

  Ulric sneered. “This place is going to blow up, and I’m the only one who knows when and how. If I die, the bomb goes off and no one can stop it. If I live, then I detonate it after I get out.”

  I rolled my eyes and edged closer to him. “If I had a dollar for every time someone’s threatened to kill me.”

  In my peripheral, Dathan stood beside my dad. I could feel the energy radiating off Dathan, and I wondered what he was saying. Keep distracting Ulric, little one, he told me. Quentin and I will take care of the rest.

  Let us handle this, sweetheart, my dad added.

  I couldn’t blame my dad for wanting to keep me from dying, if possible. But I’d already resigned myself to being incapable of staying on the sidelines. “If I had a nickel for every time someone thought they could kill me.”

  Ulric pinned me with a stare. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”

  “Actually, I do.” I gripped the throwing knives in my back pocket, and faced Dathan. “Shall we tell him?”

  “Tell me what? That you have no plan, except to begin preparations for your funerals?” Ulric chuckled.

  Autumn, we’re coming in, Zack told me. On the count of five, distract him. One…

  I’d already been distracting Ulric. My mind raced but I couldn’t think of a damn thing to say. Well, there was one thing I could do.

  Two…

  As Dathan glanced between Ulric and me, I started to turn back to Ulric. What I was about to do was risky. And I could hurt my mom. But it would distract Ulric and my mom would heal.

  Three…

  “You’re stalling,” Ulric said, a smug look on his face. “Nothing you do will change the outcome. But I’m happy to watch you try.”

  “Or maybe we’re stalling because we love your company.” While my right arm was still out of his line of vision, I pulled out a knife, readied it.

  Four…

  As I finished turning back to face him, I threw the blade and nailed Ulric in the neck. His grip on my mother loosened and a blaze ignited in his eyes.

  Five…

  Zack burst into our corner. When Ulric reached up to remove the knife I’d sunk into his neck, my dad leaped on him. Dathan jumped in and they tackled Ulric. I caught my mom before her head slammed against the ground and I dragged her away.

  Renzo pressed a huge barrel to Ulric’s head. “It won’t kill you but it will do a lot of damage. And while your brains are scrambled, we’ll finish you off.”

  “Wait.” My dad’s palm flew up. “There’s a bomb somewhere and only he knows where it is.”

  “Where’s the bomb, Ulric?” Dathan demanded as he used Ulric’s sword against him. “Don’t make me torture it out of you.”

  Ulric clucked his tongue and squeaked out a laugh. “You can’t kill me or you’ll never find Natasha.”

  Ulric had Natasha? He’d covered all his bases to ensure we didn’t kill him. I glanced up at my dad. His face had gone gray and his grip loosened on the sword. “Don’t do it yet,” I said.

  “Where is Natasha?” Dathan demanded.

  “And lose my leverage?” Ulric’s mouth crooked.

  Dathan removed the sword and stepped back. “Unfortunately, he’s right. As much as I’d love to end him right now, we can’t. We also have to get out of here without exploding.”

  “Natasha’s alive. She answered.” My dad’s eyes darkened. “She’s been taken to King Mortimer.”

  My breath caught. Centuries ago Mortimer had kept Natasha prisoner as a rat for years and she’d finally escaped—only to come full circle.

  “Mortimer will use her as bait in case Ulric fails. If he succeeds in killing you both, Natasha dies.” Dathan knelt next to my mom and bit his wrist to open a vein, then let his blood drip onto her neck. “This will help a little with the healing process.”

  “Where’s the bomb?” Renzo butted the gun against Ulric’s head.

  “That bomb is my insurance that I’ll live through this.” Ulric flashed us a maniacal grin. “And if any of you make a stupid move, you have less than two minutes to get out of the building. When my heart stops, the timer starts.”

  The detonator was in Ulric’s chest? Disgusting. And in order for us to get control of the detonator, he’d probably have to die. Either way, we couldn’t stop the bomb from going off.

  “I know where the bomb is,” Havers told us.

  I’d been so wrapped up in Ulric that I hadn’t noticed Havers come in with Zack and Renzo.
“Where is it?” I asked.

  All eyes went to Havers and his eyes clouded over. “Uh… I can’t say.”

  “It’s true.” Ulric snickered. “He can’t say.”

  “Then we have only one option.” My dad swung his sword and it came crashing down. Ulric’s head split down the middle.

  I sprung back, swallowing the urge to gag. Gross. “Geez, Dad.”

  He sliced the sword again, this time horizontal and pieces of Ulric’s skull sprayed. Blood splattered and chunks of long stringy hair soared through the air. I averted my gaze although Zack had already stepped in front of me to block the image.

  One more swipe of the blade removed any part of Ulric’s head from his neck and the rest of him toppled over.

  “Now that he’s dead, can you tell us, Havers?” my dad asked. “And tell us quickly because according to Ulric, we have two minutes.”

  “Yeah. But you’re not going to like it.” Havers gulped, then spiraled to face Dathan. Energy swirled between them.

  Adrenaline roared through my limbs as I waited with dread. Energy swirled around me so someone was telling someone something. I wanted in on it. “We’ve got less than two minutes. Where’s the bomb?”

  Dathan shoved my dad aside and thrust his fist into my mother’s abdomen. She yelped and her eyes fluttered. When he withdrew his fist, he held several sticks that had to be explosives. The bomb had been inside her the whole time? That explained all the blood I’d seen earlier on her stomach. Revulsion blanketed me and I swayed.

  “Run for cover!” Dathan yelled then disappeared in a whoosh, taking the bomb with him. My mom moaned and my dad dropped the sword to scoop her up into his arms.

  “We’ve got less than a minute. This way,” my dad said, jerking his head toward the elevator shaft, the opposite direction Dathan had gone.

  “What about everyone we paralyzed? They can’t move. Zack, undo your glamour on the ones you took out.” I raced across the parking lot to the group we’d fought earlier. As I passed each one—Egon, Sean, Kieran and a few others—I swooped, plucking knives out of their chests. Some were already snapping out of their hypnotic state. “This place is going to blow in a matter of seconds. Run for cover! Take them with you,” I said, pointing at the ones who lay unconscious for other reasons than a stake through the heart.