by Kim Fox
She rushed back to Quint as he opened his eyes and coughed. “Ow,” he said. “That was unpleasant.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed the top of his head. “We have to get out of here.”
He winced as he pushed himself into a sitting position. He needed a second to recover but they didn’t have one.
He looked up at her with determination in his eyes. “We have to get Sue first.”
Quint walked down the hall with his arm wrenched up behind his back. Lystra was holding his wrist, glancing up at the silent alarms like she was staring at a ticking time bomb.
They turned the corner and an agent was leaning on the wall smelling his fingers. He stood up straight and smiled when he saw Lystra. Quint recognized him. He was the one who always stole Quint’s dessert and ate it in front of him.
“Hi Lystra,” he said, with a greasy smile.
“Hi Frank,” she responded, smiling back at him. “I need you to open Sue’s cell for me.”
He frowned. “Did Logan approve this?”
They stopped in front of him. Lystra rubbed Frank’s bicep. “I’ve been thinking a lot about that dinner,” she said. She leaned in towards his dandruff coated hair. “I’m in,” she whispered.
He grinned.
“Now can you open the cell? For me?”
He hooked his fingers in his belt. “It’s against regulation for only one agent to have custody of two prisoners.”
“Well you’re here,” she said, rubbing his arm. “You’re so strong. I know you won’t let anything happen to me.”
He stuck out his chest and nodded his head. “I wouldn’t. But I still can’t open the door. Why don’t I call Logan?”
“No that’s oka-”
The alarm blared through the hallway, cutting her off.
Frank dropped his hands and reached for his radio. Quint flew forward and grabbed his shirt. Frank’s eyes went wide as Lystra snatched his keys from his belt and Quint shoved him into an empty cell.
His body slid across the floor of the cell. It burst into a black panther before it hit the back wall.
Quint slammed the door closed as a large thump shook the door from the inside. Quint could hear angry growls, hisses and scratching from inside the cell, even over the loud alarm.
Lystra cursed as the first key that she tried on the lock was the wrong one. Quint glanced down the halls as she tried another one.
The lock clicked open. She swung open the door and the largest man that Quint had ever seen was standing inside. His fists were the size of anvils. He was even bigger than Keene, if that was possible.
And he was staring at Lystra with pure hatred.
Quint jumped in front of his mate with his hands up. The giant towered over him. Quint gulped.
“It’s me,” he said. “It’s Quint. We’re here to break you out.”
Sue glared at Lystra. “Only one thing here is getting broken.”
Quint swallowed hard. He didn’t think that he could stop this guy.
“I have a rule that I’ll never hit a woman,” he said, his voice like thunder. “But I have no rules against hitting dragons.”
Lystra rolled her eyes. “We don’t have time for this. We’ll break you out of here if you show me where my son is.”
Sue looked to Quint.
“She’s with me,” Quint said. “You two need each other. We all need each other.”
He stepped out of the cell, ducking his head under the tall door frame. He glanced down at Quint and then back to Lystra. He flexed his arms. His biceps looked as big as Quint’s torso.
Quint gulped.
“So how do we get out of here?” he asked.
Lystra took off down the hall. “This way.”
The enormous giant ran after her, each step making the floor of the hallway vibrate.
I almost had to fight that guy!
Quint exhaled in relief and followed them.
Quint followed Sue and Lystra down the staircase. His chest was fine now, just a slight pain from the knife wound but nothing he couldn’t handle. Lystra had saved his life.
“In here,” Lystra yelled as she burst through a door. Sue followed her.
Quint was the last one through. He smashed right into Sue’s back. It was like hitting a brick wall.
They were in a garage. It was empty except for two motorcycles and three SEA agents.
Here we go.
Quint flexed, bringing his bear to the surface but he wouldn’t come. The injection was still flowing through his veins, preventing him from phasing.
But it didn’t matter.
Sue ran over in his human form and let out a flurry of fists and feet. The three agents were unconscious on the floor before Quint had the chance to look around for a weapon. This guy was going to come in handy.
Lystra hit the switch on the wall and the garage door opened to the dark, night sky. There were headlights in the distance. Lots of them. Agents patrolling the area in response to the alarm. They weren’t going to have an easy getaway.
Quint jumped on a motorcycle and started the engine. “You can ride with me,” he said to Lystra as Sue sat on the second one.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “You’re going to need some air support.”
She curled in on herself, her beautiful black skin turning a light gray. The smooth skin hardened, replaced with scales. Large purple wings exploded from her back and stretched out, tearing her uniform in pieces. She turned back and her face was that of a dragon. Her eyes were a flaming orange and thin wisps of smoke trickled out of her nostrils. Her teeth were long and fierce.
Quint watched with a gleam in his eye. He couldn’t wait to show her off to the boys back home.
He tapped Sue on the arm. “That’s my mate,” he said proudly.
Lystra’s dragon screeched. She flapped her wings and rose into the night sky.
Sue started his bike and cranked on the throttle. “Let’s get your new cub.”
Jeeps and motorcycles came down on the boys like an army of piranhas. Lystra watched them from above. She inhaled deep, dove down towards three jeeps and let loose. She engulfed the vehicles in flames.
She cut right and turned back as the jeeps exploded behind her.
Lystra glanced down at Quint and Sue. She had to protect them. At all costs.
A truck was bounding down the road, catching up to them from behind. She tucked her wings in and plunged down, spinning, unleashing fire on it. It burst into flames.
She stretched out her wings and soared back into the air.
She was finally doing it. Finally getting payback.
Quint and Sue were almost at the main road.
A pair of motorcycles were driving towards them up ahead. She huffed out a cloud of smoke and swooped down to barbecue them.
six
Lystra stood on the side of the road. Completely naked.
Sue and Quint covered their eyes like gentleman as she slipped on her SEA uniform. Quint had grabbed it on his way out of the garage.
The uniform was made specifically for shifters. It was a tear away fabric that would seal back up once it was put back on. The agency couldn’t have a bunch of naked humans running around the offices so they developed these convenient suits.
Lystra’s hands were shaking. The compound was just up ahead. Micha was just up ahead.
They had rode the bikes for about an hour and a half through back, country roads.
“It looks like an old farm house,” Sue explained, “but there’s several floors underneath the ground.”
It was still dark but that didn’t mean anything. The shifters on guard could likely see in the dark.
“And agents?” Quint asked.
“Lions. That’s what it was the last time I was here,” Sue answered. “A lot of lions.”
It was going to be rough.
“Thanks for showing us Sue,” Lystra said. “I don’t expect you to come in.”
He jerked his massive head ba
ck. “And miss the fight? I’ve been locked up for months. My bear has been itching for a fight.” He stepped off the bike and it sprung back up. Lystra suspected that the suspension would never recover. “And plus. I hate cats.”
Lystra exhaled in relief. It would be much easier with him. She had seen him fight before. They could definitely use him.
“We should walk the rest of the way,” Quint said. “Catch them by surprise.”
Sue rolled his shoulders and shook out his hands. “We’ll draw them out. You sneak around back and find your son.”
Lystra swallowed. They couldn’t fuck this up. Micha’s life depended on it.
Quint’s heart raced as Lystra sprinted around the farmhouse out of view.
“Don’t worry,” Sue said, punching his shoulder. Quint swallowed a whimper. “She’s a fucking dragon bro.”
They walked down the path to the farmhouse. “Come on,” he waved. “This is going to be fun.”
Sue smiled and swung his hands impatiently, like a kid waiting to get into Disney World.
“Maybe we should do this quietly,” Quint said, when they got into the driveway. There were several cars and trucks parked. “Pick them off one at a time.”
Sue grabbed a motorcycle and lifted it over his head, as easy as if it was made of paper. He walked in front of the farmhouse and launched it through the big window over the porch. Alarms blared and huge lights lit up the entire farm, sounding like war drums as they clicked on.
Sue yanked off his shirt. His enormous muscles were jacked and ready to go.
“Sorry. You were saying?” he asked with a wink.
His body convulsed and swelled as white hairs sprung out of his skin.
Quint turned back to the house. Lions were pouring out of every window and door. The polar bear beside him roared. I think I finally found someone to beat Keene in bear blasting.
Quint let his bear come.
seven
Lystra slid behind a tree, careful to stay downwind, as lions poured out of the compound. She held her breath and waited.
She could hear lions roaring and crying in pain over the alarms. It sounded like a war zone. I hope they’re okay. She wanted to go help. Phase into her dragon and light up the cats but she had a more important task.
The last lion had ran out the door and took off around to the front of the house. Lystra was ready.
She sprinted to the door and slid inside. It was deceiving. She was expecting the inside to look like an old house but it looked like every other Shifter Enforcement Agency building with computers everywhere and offices scattered around. The carpet was gray and faded. There were cheap paintings on the walls. It looked like any other company except they were in the killing business.
Lystra sniffed the air. She could smell him. Micha. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. He was so close.
She ran towards the smell. It took her to a staircase. She flew down the steps, two at a time, on the look out for any stray lions that were still lurking inside.
The stairs took her to a dark hallway. Micha’s smell was getting stronger. She ran down the hallway following the scent of her boy. She could recognize it anywhere. Sweet and musty.
Lystra stopped in front of a door. It had a sign beside it that said: Prisoner 36901.
Her inner dragon was riled up, now that she was so close to him.
She took a deep breath and opened the door. She walked into a small room with an old TV, a tiny bathroom and a little bed with an angel curled up in a ball, sleeping.
Lystra’s heart panged. She hadn’t seen Micha sleeping in over three years. She knelt down beside him and slowly pulled the blanket from his body. He was clutching a toy truck in his tiny hands.
Lystra leaned over and kissed the birthmark on his neck. He shifted in his sleep and groaned.
She wanted to let him sleep but it was time to go. He could sleep later. In her arms. Lystra shuddered. It was almost too good to be true.
She scooped him up in her arms and he opened his groggy eyes.
“Mama?” he asked.
“Yes baby,” she said, kissing his chubby cheek. She couldn’t help herself. “We’re going home now.”
He wrapped his little arms around her and cradled his head in the nook of her neck. She kissed the top of his head and hurried out of the room.
Quint’s bear howled as a lion sank his fangs into his ankle. They were everywhere. You couldn’t swing a bear paw without hitting two lions.
He twisted his body and stomped on top of the lion’s head. It whimpered and retreated.
Sue was loving it. He had phased back into his human form and was tossing lions around like they were weightless.
“Why should I let my bear have all of the fun?” he asked, after phasing back.
He was swinging a male lion around by the tail like he was competing in the hammer throw. The lion smashed into two others as Sue laughed. He spun around, his massive feet drilling a hole in the ground, and let go of the lion. It soared through the air and disappeared over the roof of the farmhouse.
“We should come here every night,” he said, laughing.
Quint wasn’t having as much fun. Another lion bit into his shoulder. His bear hollered and flipped the lion over onto his back.
There was a growing pile of unconscious lions around Sue. He must’ve had over twenty. Quint only had four.
But there were still lions everywhere. He could still catch up.
An ear piercing screech filled the air. Quint’s bear closed his eyes and grimaced until the shrieking stopped.
A dragon soared over the farmhouse, its wings flapping violently. Lystra let loose a jet of flame into the sky. The lions scattered, disappearing into the trees.
Sue’s shoulders slumped as he looked up at the dragon with annoyance. “What the hell?” he called out. “Why did you scare them away?”
Quint phased back into his human form as the dragon disappeared behind the farmhouse.
He glanced down at the bite marks on his leg. They sealed up, his enhanced healing working overtime.
Blood trickled down his back and he glanced at his shoulder. The bite marks were healing there too, pink streaks cut through his tattoo of a wine barrel. Shit! All of my tattoos are getting fucked up!
Lystra ran around the farmhouse carrying a boy in her arms. They met in the driveway.
“That was fun,” Sue said, rolling his gigantic shoulders. “If you ever need help again, I’m your man.”
Micha was waking up in her arms. He stared at Sue with wide eyes.
“I really don’t know how to thank you,” Lystra said to him. “I owe you my son’s life.”
“No worries,” Sue said. “It was a fun workout. I’m only upset that it didn’t last longer.”
Sue turned to Quint. “Take care of your new family buddy.”
They shook hands. Sue’s huge hand engulfed Quint’s. He swallowed a whimper as Sue squeezed.
“You sure that you don’t want to come with us?” Quint asked. “You’d have a place in my Crew. The guys would love you.”
He shook his head. “I have unfinished business and a girl to win back.”
They wished each other luck and Sue walked back to the bikes. He kicked a lion that was waking up. It slumped back down, unconscious.
Quint glanced at the trucks in the driveway. “We can’t fit three of us on the bike,” he said.
“We’re not taking the bike,” Lystra said. “There will be agents swarming this place in a few minutes.”
Quint glanced back at the forest. The lions were starting to return now that Sue and the dragon were gone. “A truck?” Maybe there were keys in the ignition.
“Not fast enough,” she said. She handed Micha to Quint. He took him and smiled at the groggy kid.
Lystra stripped off her uniform and shoved it in Quint’s arms. He turned his eyes away.
“Hold on tight,” she said.
Oh no.
“And if you let go of of my son I
will burn you alive.”
Her body curled and shook as she phased.
“I guess we’re flying,” Quint whispered to Micha. The kid was staring at his mother in shock. “It will be okay,” he said, to himself as much as to the boy.
The dragon lowered her back as the sound of jeeps came down the road. Quint climbed on her back and wrapped her SEA uniform around Lystra’s neck. He held the two ends in his fist to stabilize himself and held Micha tightly.
The wings started to flap and they raised off the ground. He gripped the uniform as he slid, the rough scales scratching the inside of his thighs.
Micha was smiling, looking over the edge as they rose higher. The lions were back, swarming around below as an army of jeeps flew up the road. One jeep pulled to the side and the driver stepped out.
Logan watched them with hard, narrowed eyes as they flew away. The side of his face was scarred with burn marks.
He looked pissed.
eight
Lystra tucked Micha in under her uniform. She kissed him on the cheek and ran her fingers through his hair until he fell asleep.
She felt weightless. She couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face.
But they weren’t out of trouble yet. They were wanted by the Shifter Enforcement Agency and she surely had a death sentence on her head if she got caught.
But they couldn’t take away this moment. This night.
Her orange eyes lit up the dark cave. She couldn’t remember the last time she was this happy.
She had flown for hours with her two loves clutching onto her back. She didn’t know exactly where they were but they must’ve been out of Montana by now. Probably somewhere in Idaho.
Lystra had landed in a cave on the side of a cliff to get some sleep. They had gone far enough for the night and all three of them needed a rest.
Micha was sleeping, breathing softly through his little lungs. There had been so much time lost between them, so much that they robbed her of, but she was ecstatic and relieved. She was ready to put that time of her life behind her and focus on the future. With Micha and Quint.
