Chris ignored the pain in her face, and forced herself to her feet. She wobbled as she took a step, and the room spun in her vision, but she was determined that Ryder wouldn’t leave here alive. She raised the machete, but her shadow on the wall gave her away. Ryder turned and leapt at her just as she brought the machete down with all her strength. She went down under Ryder, turning her face away from his jaws, but he didn’t bite. He did nothing but pin her to the floor with his weight. She shoved him off, trying to ignore his staring eyes as his head lolled.
She scooted backward on her butt, her eyes fixed upon the machete where it had lodged in Ryder’s neck. She had hit him so hard that she had nearly decapitated him. He was dead. Thank the Lady he was dead! She raised a shaking hand to her face. The pain was making her feel sick and dizzy.
Probably concussion.
Let me fix it.
“Can you?” she said, slurring the words. “I’d appreciate it.”
Heat flared within, and her eyes bugged at the sudden pain that roared through her. It felt as if her head was going to explode. For an instant, fur covered her face, and she felt the bones of her jaw shift back into position. The heat faded and with it the pain. She touched her cheek and found it healed.
Chris worked her jaw from side to side. “Thanks.”
Marty isn’t dead.
“No?” She got to her feet and went to check. She felt for a pulse and found one. It was thready and fast, but there. “Marty?”
He groaned.
“Come on wake up, Rebecca needs you.”
He groaned again and his eyes flickered open. “Ryder?”
“Dead.”
He nodded and winced. “Oh Lady I hurt. I think I’m dying.”
He will die very soon if he doesn’t heal himself.
“Probably for the best considering,” she said callously. “I think Rebecca is hurt. Maybe dead, I don’ know.”
“What!”
“Ryder got her before I could do anything.”
“No!” Marty howled in grief, already his eyes were changing.
She stepped back as the Change took him, and stayed out of his way when the black-coated wolf he became ran out of the room. She glanced at Ryder one last time before following Marty out.
Rebecca was alive. Marty—healed but naked now that he had changed back to Human form—was tending to her. She had broken both legs when Ryder threw her down the stairs. Thinking Marty dead, she hadn’t tried to heal herself and had simply waited for Ryder to finish her off—the Lady’s will, she said. Her legs had healed by themselves, healed crooked of course. She couldn’t stand.
She is weak, no matter that Marty says different.
Chris nodded. Rebecca deserved the pain she would receive when Marty got around to breaking her legs to set them properly. Her mate could have died while she prayed to the Lady for help. Chris shook her head at the thought and headed for the door. Behind her, Rebecca cried and Marty stroked her hair, mumbling consolingly.
Descending the porch steps, she took a deep breath of pine-scented air to flush the stink of blood and death out of her lungs. She looked toward the lake. It really was a great view.
Want to go for a run?
Can we hunt?
She nodded. If you want to. Do you think Farris would like to join us?
I think he will hunt us down if we don’t go back and ask him!
She laughed; it felt good.
* * *
Epilogue
The night was dark and chill in the city and most people were thinking of their beds, but not Chris. She was waiting for someone. The alley across the street from Area 51 was the perfect vantage from which to watch the club. Her breath smoked, hanging about her head in the cool night air, and she shivered. She tucked her hands under her arms and leaned a shoulder against the wall.
“You know, I think we should get a bike.”
?
“A really fast bike.”
How fast?
She grinned. “Oh, I don’t know—one-ninety plus maybe.”
Is that faster than Lawrence’s Viper?
“Oh yeah, and the acceleration is way better. Interested?”
Can we afford it?
She chuckled and shook her head. “You sound like I used to.”
Can we?
“We should be able to pick up something decent if we cash in my insurance policy. Ryan will know someone we can talk to. What do you think?”
I like to go fast.
Chris nodded. She had always enjoyed it too. “I know you do. It’s settled then.”
She turned her attention back to the club, keeping watch for Loco. Stephen gave her the tip that Loco would be here tonight, but so far, there was no sign of him. Stephen was reliable, but no one could be right all the time. It looked as if this was one of those times. She checked her watch and decided to wait another hour.
What are we going to do about Flint?
She shrugged.
You do still carry Ryder’s badge in your pocket.
She did. It was her talisman against nightmares. Whenever she looked at it, she remembered that Ryder couldn’t hurt her anymore. He was dead and buried, buried by Marty in the woods at Sanctuary.
“Dave said Flint left while we were out of town.”
We could find her again and ask her what Ryder meant. Do you think she knows?
“She knows all right. I knew from the first she had her own agenda. I just didn’t know what it was.”
Do you now?
She grimaced. “You know I have some guesses, but that’s all they are. I think OSI sent Ryder after someone at Collard. That’s my guess. When he screwed up so spectacularly, they sent Flint to cover up the mess.”
Do you still want to know the truth?
“You know I do, but…” she sighed, “Ryder is dead, Smoke. What good is the truth to either one of us now? You’ve heard the expression: curiosity killed the cat?”
We are wolf, not cat.
“Smart arse, you know what I meant. Besides, the truth isn’t all that great when you come right down to it. It can hurt. I say we let sleeping dogs—or wolves if you like—lie.”
If that’s what you want.
“I think it is… for now at least.”
It was after one in the morning when Loco showed up in a cab. She decided to wait until the car left before confronting him. Loco paid the driver and the cab drove off, but before she could do anything, a shadow near the club came to life and greeted him warmly. She stared. It was Tina! It was obvious she had no fear of Loco. She ran to him and they kissed.
She shook her head in disbelief. “Hear that splash? That’s my plan going down the drain.”
She doesn’t look like she needs rescuing to me, Smoke said in amusement. She knows exactly what she wants and how to get it.
She nodded silently. “She doesn’t need us.”
She watched the young lovers walk arm in arm through the doors of the club, and did nothing. She shoved her hands in her pockets and walked away.
TC would be pleased to hear the outcome had been peaceful. It meant his truce with the Alley Dogs would continue to hold. No one had heard from Trigger or Cruz, and she didn’t expect anyone ever would again. They were probably buried in the desert somewhere outside George AFB. She wouldn’t ask, but she bet Pederson could show her exactly where, Jonas too.
The streets were empty, not a cab in sight, but although it was a chilly night it was pleasant enough for a walk. The stars and a sliver of moon were clearly visible in a cloudless sky. She stopped to stare, wondering what Ken would have said the stars held in store for her future.
A long life, a strong mate, and a very fast motorcycle!
She laughed.
A car turned into the street and slowly approached. The headlights dazzled her, but the familiar rumble of its motor gave her a thrill of anticipation. It pulled up next to her.
“Need a ride?” Lawrence said, leaning out of the viper.
She
smiled and crouched beside the car to look at him. “Where you headed?”
“Wherever you want.”
“Yeah?”
He nodded. “You want to drive?”
She laughed. He didn’t need to bribe her into his car. She trotted around the viper and got in the passenger seat.
“You drive,” she said, putting on her seat belt.
Lawrence kissed her, his lips tasting of Farris and the world faded. For a time, there was only the feel of his lips upon hers, but finally he pulled away a little. He smiled and caressed her cheek gently with the backs of his fingers. “Where to?” he asked, his voice gone husky with desire.
“Somewhere we can be alone.”
“I know the perfect place,” he said, and turned his attention to driving fast.
The viper leapt ahead, and Chris smiled.
* * *
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The Devan Chronicles:
The God Decrees
The Power That Binds
The Warrior Within
Dragon Dawn
Destiny’s Pawn*
The Merkiaari Wars:
Hard Duty
What Price Honour
Operation Oracle
Operation Breakout
Incursion!*
Countermeasures*
No Mercy*
The Shifter Legacies:
Way of the Wolf
Wolf’s Revenge
Wolf’s Justice*
Wolf’s War*
Rune Gate Cycle:
Rune Gate
Chosen
* Forthcoming from Impulse Books UK
About The Author
http://www.impulsebooks.co.uk
Mark E. Cooper lives in a small town in the south of England, where he writes most mornings and evenings. His background is in mechanical engineering where he spent over thirty years working for Ford. He loves reading science fiction, epic fantasy, or urban fantasy and particularly likes strong female characters overcoming dire situations and tough obstacles. He can often be found laughing to himself as he listens to an audiobook on his iPod while typing like a fiend.
His hobbies include Shelby Cobras—he built a Dax replica of the famous car with his best friend in the early 90s—reading, and maintaining his blog. He is now the author of over ten titles written in the genres he loves to read.
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Copyright
First published by Impulse Books UK August 2015
PUBLISHER’S NOTE:
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Cover design: Dawn Smith (www.darkdawncreations.com)
Copyright © 2015 by Impulse Books UK LTD
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
A CIP Catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-1-905380-63-3
Printed and bound in Great Britain
Impulse Books UK
Acknowledgements
Special thanks go to Dave Milne, Michael Russell-Mott, Irene Blackburn, Thom Fitz gibbon, and John Bradley for all their help in making this series better than any one person could alone.
Shifter Legacies Special Edition: Books 1-2 Page 88
