"Giselle, but I'm guessing your instructions didn't make it to her ears. Why would you try to keep something like this from me? I take it someone is coming here; that's why you're all out working laying traps and doing whatever else it is you do. Why keep something that important from me? I'm not a fragile little girl that can't handle the truth, you know."
"I know." Rowan squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, before wrapping an arm around Eva and pulling the shorter woman to her. "I'm so sorry. As the day progressed, I thought about how worried you might be if you woke up and found the house empty. Then I thought about how upset and shocked you'd be if things went wrong and we got attacked. You don't deserve to have me filter things for you, and I'm sorry I tried to do that. Believe it or not, I was actually on my way to tell you the truth. The guilt was eating me up. The last thing I want to do is remind you of your ex."
Eva rested her head against Rowan's shoulder, but Rowan pulled back. "I'm sweaty."
"I don't care." Eva leaned back in and breathed in the mix of sweat, deodorant, and a scent that was uniquely Rowan. "Thank you for apologizing. I did feel a little like you were trying to control me."
"I'll never do that again." Rowan lifted Eva's face and pecked her cheek. "That's a promise. Sometimes, I forget that you're a wolf shifter yourself, and you've dealt with a lot worse news and kept your chin up. I won't underestimate you."
"Thank you." Eva disengaged and looked up at Rowan. "You know, that was the quickest disagreement I've ever had with a girlfriend."
Rowan laughed. "Same here. I guess we're good together."
"That we are. Now, fill me in on what's going on, and what I can do to help."
Rowan held out an arm. "How about I show you? I'd love to pick your brain on a few things."
Tears threatened to fill Eva's eyes, and her throat burned as she pushed them back. Rowan was going beyond what was necessary to make Eva feel like a part of the team. No one had taken such care with Eva's feelings. It was always a matter of her getting over them and getting back into line. Either as a daughter or a submissive girlfriend.
Rowan Fanan, I hope you're ready for a mate, Eva thought. Because there's no way I'm letting you go.
"Sure," Eva said, taking her girlfriend's arm and heading back down the mountain with her.
11
The following morning, Rowan and the clan sat around the kitchen table as Jade and Mara reported back on their findings from their scouting missions. After laying a few traps, Mara had returned to the safe house for an extended nap before taking on her nighttime scouting duty. Rowan hated seeing her good friend look so tired, but she hoped Mara would adjust to the interrupted sleep schedule soon.
Rowan knew that the bears were only the first onslaught. The Whiteheart clan would have to be on full patrol and alert for at least a few more days, until they sent a clear message to the Darksong and every other clan, before going down the mountain to establish their new home.
"Other than the crass conversation about what they'd like to do with us, frustration over having to wait two days to attack was the main topic of conversation." Mara sipped her coffee and folded her arms, no doubt trying to force herself to stay awake.
"Thank you for that report, Mara." Rowan leaned forward on her elbows. "Were there any close calls? Or was there anything out of the ordinary?"
Mara inhaled and squinted. "No. I don't think so. It was pretty quiet after they went to bed, the poor princesses."
The ladies around the table laughed, as did Rowan. She wished that Brooke had been around for their first meeting as an entire clan, but there was nothing she could do about that. They needed at least one person on patrol at all times.
Rowan was just happy that she'd seen the need to make Eva feel like more of a team member a lot sooner. It was foolish not to due to biases based on the peaceful life Eva had led before joining the clan.
Rowan was glad she'd come to her senses before resentment grew between her and her girlfriend. A break up would be horrible, but a break up with Eva would destroy her. Rowan knew that for a fact.
"Alright. We all know what we need to do when they attack. Jade, are your arrows ready?"
"Arrows?" Eva asked, turning to Rowan. The open interest in her eyes warmed her heart. Eva may not be a fighter or have the stomach for it, but she certainly had the brains for it.
The day before, she had come up with some interesting solutions for how the Whiteheart could defend themselves. Including an ingenious idea to create a false path that would lead to a few extra traps. Rowan had always known Eva was smart and a team player, but it was wonderful to have her get involved as far as she was comfortable.
"Yeah," Jade said, leaning forward. "I use a crossbow while on Rowan's dragon."
Eva's eyes popped out. "I've got to see that some time."
Everyone chuckled, and Rowan instinctively reached out and placed a hand on her girlfriend's thigh. The table grew silent. Rowan searched each of her teammate’s faces for the source of discomfort that killed the happy mood.
"What's wrong guys?"
Eva giggled. "I think the cat’s out of the bag, honey." Rowan followed Eva's eyes as her girlfriend looked down at her thigh. Rowan cringed as she pulled her hand away.
"Sorry," she said grinning sheepishly. "I know you wanted to tell them properly."
Eva took Rowan's hand and kissed it, before placing it in her lap. "It's okay. We're never here at the same time anyway."
Rowan turned to her friends and smiled. "So guys, what do you think?"
"I couldn't be more happy for you," Mara said, getting up to hug both Rowan and Eva.
Jade hummed in agreement. "I had my suspicions, and I'm glad I was right. You both deserve to be happy."
Giselle shook her head and raised her hands in a surrendering gesture. "I did not see this coming. Seriously, guys. How did any of you call this?"
"Some of us pay close attention to other people's actions and behaviors," Jade said. "We can't all be self-centered."
Giselle rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you're still mad about yesterday."
"You accused me of disturbing the beehive that attacked you!"
"They attacked right after you swung by to check on me," Giselle said, forming her fingers into air quotes.
"I was trying to be nice to you. I felt bad that you had to dig that hole all by yourself!"
Mara shook her head and shoved away from the table. "These two won't stop. I'm going to get some rest. Congratulations, darlings."
Rowan parted her lips to respond, but her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out with a frown. The only people that had her number were present except for Brooke, who was on patrol, and her mother, who was enjoying life away from Rowan's father. Only one of them had reason to call.
"Hello."
"They're charging up the hill," Brooke's voice said, frantic over the phone. "I fell asleep for a second, and they're halfway up now, and gaining fast. They should be on you in fifteen minutes."
"Fuck!" Rowan rose and placed a fist on the kitchen table. A sudden coldness hit at her core, and her breath came faster. The group of bears was ruining her plans yet again.
"What should I do?" Brooke asked, her voice laced with panic. "I fucked up so bad, Rowan. I only shut my eyes for a second. The next thing I know, they all took off. They're coming fast. Should I try stop them?"
"No; you're out of position. Do your best to get back to the house, and get your sword. After that, you can join Mara and Giselle on the ground. Until then, we'll run a four-person op."
Rowan hung up with shaky hands and did her best to calm down. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as the reality of their situation settled upon her. They were being attacked and yet again, they weren't as prepared as she would have liked.
"I'll go get my crossbow," Jade said getting up.
Rowan okayed, then turned to Giselle and Mara. She had no words of encouragement to offer. They had all been caught unawares, and they'd hav
e to make do with the advantages they had.
"We still have our traps laid and that should help some. Mara, I know you're tired. Would you prefer to fight in your human form? Perhaps using one of my swords?"
Mara shook her head. "I'm good. My bear is ready to go. Besides, I'm horrible with a sword. You know that as well as I do."
Rowan smiled. "Okay. You two will have to handle things for a while as Jade and I try to pick them out from the sky. I know it's not ideal, but we can do this."
"Hell yeah we can," Giselle said, rubbing her hands together. "This is what we trained for. Let's go kick some big bear butt!"
Mara leveled a gaze on Giselle, who took a step back before rushing out of the kitchen, peeling her clothes off as she went. "I'll, uh, see you out there."
"Good luck," Mara said to Rowan. "You'll be safe here," she said to Eva, before leaving the kitchen as she peeled her clothes off.
Rowan turned to Eva and pulled her girlfriend into a fierce hug. "I need you to stay in your room until I come back for you. That will buy us time to get back here in case things go wrong."
Eva whimpered. "Please don't talk like that."
Rowan lifted a hand to stroke her girlfriend's hair. She'd always been the first to jump into battle without a care, but it was different now. She was leaving behind the woman she loved.
"I have to. I need you to be ready for any outcome." Rowan pulled back and stared into the hazel eyes she loved so much. She wiped away the stray tears that had escaped and lowered her head to kiss Eva gently. "I'll be back in no time."
Rowan turned and found Jade waiting for her, her eyes averted. "You ready?"
"Yup."
"Alright. I need you to hang on extra tight. I won't have a lot of runway."
Rowan walked out of the house and into the large clearing in front of it, without looking back once. The sight of Eva's wet face twisted her insides, and she honestly felt a strong pull toward aborting the whole mission and taking Eva on the run with her.
But she knew that kind of life wouldn't be right for either of them. They both needed a clan, family, and stability. So Rowan clenched her jaw and made a silent promise to herself to risk all she could to bring an end to this feud as quickly as possible.
Rowan turned to Jade and stared into her green eyes. "I need us to end this quick, so I'm going to fly pretty low. Fire as many shots as you can. Mara and Giselle will be at a disadvantage until Brooke joins them."
Jade nodded solemnly, clearly understanding Rowan's reasons for breaking protocol. Rowan stepped out of her clothes and chucked them to the side. She shut her eyes and initiated her shift.
The usual crunch of bones and pain of moving muscle didn't faze her this time. Adrenaline thrummed through her veins, as the promise of battle made the dragon blood in her sing. It was time to show the bears and the Darksong that sent them, that the Whiteheart clan could do more than defend itself.
They were a force to be reckoned with.
Once in dragon form, Rowan lay on the ground and stretched out her right wing for Jade to mount. Once she felt her friend was securely on her back, Rowan took a massive jump, flapping her wings as hard as possible to gain altitude.
When she was airborne, she circled the mountain, needing to gain speed and acclimate to the strength of the wind. After that, she flew to the East face where she knew the bears would be.
Rowan angled her wings to slow down a little. She needed enough speed so that any archers or shooters the bears might have to man the skies, wouldn't hit her. But she needed to be slow enough for Jade to be able to fire decent shots that would hit their targets.
Once Rowan was dangerously low, she felt Jade move on her back. Rowan looked down and saw a good half dozen bears already engaged with Mara and Giselle who formed an impressive two-animal wall on the main path, taking advantage of the mountain’s steep face to shove their enemies back down.
Rowan heard the distinctive thwack of Jade's arrow and saw one of the bears in the back half of the pack fall to his side, roaring in pain, dragging another bear back down with him. Rowan quickly circled back and positioned both she and Jade for another shot.
This continued for a good ten minutes. The bears quickly caught on to the attack from the sky and tried to hide in the foliage surrounding the path to the top. That didn't stop Rowan and Jade. They merely readjusted, and with Jade's excellent marksmanship, the half-dozen bears that were at at the back of the pack were quickly neutralized. A good number of them, by falling into the traps the team had laid the day before. Each trap had a pointed sword planted in the ground. There would be no coming back from that.
Rowan felt a gentle pat on her back. That was Jade's signal that she was out of arrows. Rowan turned around and flew back over the spot where Giselle and Mara had been. She was pleased to see her friends had taken down three bears and the three that remained looked exhausted.
Rowan and her friends would have a tough time burying all the bodies later on, but they needed to before any humans found them and called the police. Rowan couldn't imagine having to explain how all those men died.
Where's Brooke? she thought.
Rowan circled the mountain once more, this time needing to slow down before she attempted to land in the open space in front of the safe house. While the area was large, it was just wide enough for a skilled dragon to take off and land.
As Rowan flew, she felt Jade pat her back once more, a lot more aggressively this time. Rowan couldn't talk in dragon form, but she knew that Jade was trying to warn her of something. It just sucked that Rowan couldn't hear Jade's voice this high up, with the wind rushing in her ears.
Rowan slowed down, and desperately searched the ground beneath her. Once she passed the spot Jade appeared to want her to search, she turned around and flew over it again. This time, she saw what Jade had seen. There on the ground, lying on her side, was Brooke's blue dragon.
Fuck, Rowan said, mentally.
It appeared Brooke had panicked and decided to shift and fly back to the safe house. One of the bears must have seen her and shot her down before jumping into the fray.
Rowan prayed that Jade was strong enough to hold on because she immediately stopped flapping her wings, and they plummeted to the ground. At the last minute, Rowan started flapping her wings again. She continued this cycle until they were close enough for a decent landing.
Rowan landed and hissed as the branches of a few tall trees around them scratched her wings. She stretched out her right wing as far as she could in the tight space, and Jade quickly scrambled off her back and ran toward Brooke's dragon. She looked so small next to Brooke's dragon, and Rowan realized that if Brooke woke up and panicked, she could seriously injure Jade.
Rowan shut her eyes once more and initiated her shift. Back in human form and naked, she ran toward Brooke.
"Step back," she said to Jade. "She might panic and hurt you."
Jade's green eyes appeared watery, and as Rowan stepped closer, she could see why. Blood poured from Brooke's side. Rowan couldn't see the end of an arrow, so someone must have used a gun and shot several times.
"I don't know how I didn't hear that," Rowan mumbled to herself. The sound of bears stomping, growling, and gnashing of teeth still filled the air. Then there was the sound of the wind as it rushed into Rowan's ears while she flew.
It didn't matter now. Brooke was down, and Rowan needed to help her. The first step was for Rowan to reach into the magic within Brooke and try to get her best friend to shift back. She was losing too much blood in her more massive form.
Rowan placed a hand on Brooke's wing and shut her eyes, pushing her magic into her friend's, searching for a link. She quickly found a small, faint throb and held on to that. Using her magic, Rowan coaxed Brooke's magic to help her friend shift back into human form.
The process took a good couple of minutes as Brooke's magical well was empty. Once it was done, Jade quickly ran up to Brooke, having peeled her shirt off and wrapped Brooke’s abdomen.
There were gashes all around her front, and a sob broke out from Rowan's throat.
Her friend was unconscious, her magic practically wiped out, and it was all because Rowan didn't have the foresight to stay on the phone a little longer and tell Brooke that none of it was her fault.
What have I done?
12
Eva sat at the edge of her bed with her elbows on her knees, and her head in her hands. Once Rowan had left, her mind started playing tricks on her. She thought she heard the sound of a smattering of gunshots, and the howl of a wolf.
Eva scoffed. "That's impossible."
No shifter would bring a gun to a mountain where they knew humans vacationed. It was asking for trouble. But then again, that's what the Darksong had done when they first came to ask for Eva to return with them.
I guess the entire shifter world and its rules have been turned on its head, Eva thought.
"Rowan?" a voice yelled from downstairs. Eva jumped up and ran out of her room. She could recognize Giselle's loud voice anywhere.
"She isn't back," Eva said running down the stairs. She walked into the living room and found both Giselle and Mara getting dressed.
Over the last few days with the team, she'd grown used to seeing her friends naked before and after shifting. Now, it barely fazed her. That didn't mean she had the confidence to strip in front of any of them.
"Thank god you guys are okay."
"Same goes for you." Mara shook her head. "This isn't good. I'm pretty sure I saw Rowan head back this way a while ago. No more bears came from the group we were dealing with. Where could she be?"
"And don't forget the gunshots I heard," Giselle added. "It was for a quick second, but I'm sure it was close by. I tried to howl a warning. Maybe she didn't hear me."
Eva drew a sharp breath. "Oh no. I was right. Do you think something happened to Rowan? Will you go out there and look for her?"
Eva felt the color drain from her face, as a cold sweat broke out over her back. If gunshots were heard, that meant that they were directed at the sky. Everyone on the ground was accounted for. Except for one person.
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