by Abigail Owen
She backed away from the wolf, trying hard not to limp from her injuries. She heard another growl just behind her, and with the excruciating throbbing in her hindquarters, she knew she wouldn’t be able to defend against two fit wolves. Instinctively, Ellie jumped into the air and morphed into the falcon. She soared away, managing to just evade the wolves’ snapping jaws. She thanked the powers that be that it was her back leg that had been injured and not her arms, which were now giving her the gift of escape.
Ellie swiftly flew to a height above the tree line so she could locate all the wolves. Unfortunately, she’d only stunned the wolf she’d thrown against the tree. Four of the wolves were still in or around the clearing where she’d just been fighting them. One, however, had not paused for the fight, continuing to track his intended prey.
She hastily searched the ground for Nate, Adelaide, and Lila. They were close to the house, but not quite near enough to gain the attention of the occupants inside. Ellie gained as much height as she could and then moved into a stoop, gaining speed as she descended toward the lone wolf. Flaring her wings at the last minute, she shifted back into a jaguar and crashed into it with all the force of her weight. She had the satisfaction of hearing the beast yelp in pain as both Ellie and the wolf rolled, finally coming to a stop at the edge of the field behind the house. The same field Alex had seen her in only the night before.
Using her keen jaguar hearing, she could tell that her three friends still needed more time to get to the house. They were just far enough away that they wouldn’t be able to outrun the wolves in time.
Pushing to her feet, she faced the wolf and crouched into a defensive position with her ears laid flat back and her teeth bared. The wolf snarled in response, slowly stalking toward her, his ears pinned, hair raised on his broad back.
As she slowly maneuvered into the tall grass, keeping the wolf in her sight at all times, the other wolves emerged from the darkness, eyes gleaming, one of them limping.
Ellie kept her body between the wolves and their intended prey. She backed up, doing her best not to visibly hobble so as not to show sign of weakness. The wolves would coordinate and attack as a pack now. She knew what was coming… it was just a matter of how long. She’d fared better than she’d expected to so far, but much of that had been luck and the element of surprise. She had a sinking feeling that both of those things were no longer in her favor. The worst was coming any second.
Chapter 21
Griffin sped his motorcycle as fast as it would go as he mentally followed the insane fight his twin was engaged in.
Who the HELL takes on a pack of wolves single-handedly?
He shook his head, terrified he was too far away to be able to do anything about it, and squeezed the gas even harder. He’d been at home sleeping when he’d heard her scream. Ellie never called him like that. It could only mean that she’d run into serious trouble.
He was still too far away for them to be able to share their powers or for him to project his defensive shield around her. Cranking up the engine, he pushed the bike past its limits, and possibly past his ability. He didn’t know if he was going to be able to get to her in time. Just a few more minutes, and he’d be close enough.
“Hold on, Ellie, I’m coming,” he tried projecting to her, hoping that she’d hear him somehow.
As he hit the invisible boundary of distance needed in order to be able to access each other’s powers, he leapt from the seat of the motorcycle and into the air. Now a falcon, Griffin quickly gained the height he needed and focused in on where the fight was taking place.
*****
Alex heard the cacophony of a terrible struggle outside. As he headed downstairs to investigate, the girls and Nate burst through the back door.
“They’re killing her!” yelled Lila. She was white with fear and panting heavily. “She’s keeping them away from us and they’re killing her!”
“Who’s killing whom?” her father, Hugh, demanded. He dropped his book and jumped from his chair.
“Ellie!” Adelaide answered, her eyes seeking Alex’s as she said the name. She doubled over, panting hard. “There’s a pack of wolves…” She pointed to where they’d just come in.
When Alex realized who she meant, his heart stopped beating and bile rose in his throat. Without a second thought, he was out the back door and running toward the fray. As he sprinted across the clearing, all he could see was a furry blur and teeth. “I can’t see her!” he cried to Nate, who had followed him.
“She’s the black jaguar in the middle of it all!” Nate shouted.
Alex gave a brief nod, immediately accepting the bizarre explanation. He didn’t have time to devote thought to all of the implications, although a small part of his brain was thinking, What the hell?! He knew he’d have to deal with it later. Right now he just had to get her out of there.
Realizing that Dexter and Ramsey had followed them as well, he rapped out instructions. “I’m going to freeze them!” he yelled. “Once they’re still, get in there and get her clear. Then I’ll take care of her and release them for you to hit ‘em hard.”
Alex didn’t bother to see if the others had even heard him, let alone agreed. As soon as he got close enough, he stopped running, took a deep breath, and focused all his power. Instantly, the five wolves froze in mid-motion. Holding them there, he watched as Nate, Dexter, and Ramsey moved in. Nate, being the strongest, pulled the massive onyx cat out from under the wolves and over to where Alex stood. He didn’t flinch, his focus solely on the wolves. He had never tried to hold a metamorph still before, let alone five of them. Once Ellie was clear, he released the pack and turned his full attention to her, confident that Nate, Dexter, and Ramsey would handle the wolves. He would need his power to help Ellie.
*****
Just moments before Alex froze the wolves, Griffin reached the clearing. From the air, he’d been able to see his jaguar-sister battling five huge timber wolves. But, unfortunately, he was still too far away to project his defensive shield around her. Diving toward the action, Griffin briefly considered calling to Ellie through their mental link but dismissed the idea, not wanting to distract her even for a second.
A sound of the mighty jaguar’s scream had split the still night air, and Griffin had known a second of the blackest rage and utter despair. He was going to be too late. There was too much movement for Griffin to be able to make out exactly what was happening, but he knew one thing for certain… His sister was going to die and there was nothing he could do to save her.
But suddenly, the wolves had frozen in mid-fight as though they’d been turned to statues. He saw a tall, blond boy run into the midst of the solidified fray and pull Ellie out, leaving her with another male. Griffin recognized Alex, Ellie’s te’sorthene.
*****
Dropping down to his knees beside Ellie, Alex ignored the fight raging in front of him, trusting Nate, Dexter, and Ramsey to keep the wolves off them, and choosing instead to keep all of his skill focused on Ellie. He would’ve tried to hold the wolves still and let the guys kill them right then and there, but he needed every ounce of his power to help Ellie now.
Weakened from her injuries, Ellie shifted back to her human form. She was bleeding badly from the multitude of gruesome-looking gashes all over her body—the worst on the back of her leg. He could tell she had several broken bones, judging from the odd angles of two of her limbs.
But she was still breathing.
Alex used his power to staunch the blood pulsing out of the gash in her leg. But it was tricky. He had to try to stop the blood only on the surface of the vessel, making sure that the blood in her body continued to pump. If he was off even just a little, he could kill her.
Adding physical pressure to two of the bloodiest gashes, Alex waited for the fight with the wolves to be over. He needed Hugh, but he knew his adopted father had stayed behind to protect the rest of the family.
Ellie’s eyelids flickered. “Alex?”
“It’s me…You
’re okay now.” He smoothed the blood-matted hair back from her face and bent to give her a quick kiss on her forehead.
“Lila, Adelaide, Nate?” she asked in a broken whisper.
“All safe. You just concentrate on not dying on me.”
*****
Realizing that he could talk to her now without distracting her, Griffin pulled slightly out of his dive and thought her name.
“I’m still here, Griffin,” she answered him silently.
“I’m coming to you, Ellie.”
“No!” she protested. “Protect the family first. If you can get to her, tell Charlotte to come to me.” She knew that Griffin would understand exactly why she was asking for Charlotte.
*****
Alex watched as Ellie closed her eyes again. She looked so pale and so much blood was seeping from her body. He raged inside at his utter helplessness. There had to be something else he could do.
“Ellie?” He tried to get her to talk, keep her with him until Hugh could get to her.
“Griffin…” she murmured. “No,” she said, a little louder. “Protect the family first.” She mumbled something else unintelligible. She wasn’t making any sense.
Alex’s anxiety level ratcheted up another few notches. Clearly Ellie was delirious. She was losing too much blood, and she needed Hugh now. Alex tried harder to stop the blood coming out of the gash in her leg, terrified he’d stop the wrong part of her body. Jaw clenched, sweat dripped down his face with the effort, he held on, praying she wouldn’t die.
*****
Griffin landed between Ellie and the wolf pack and morphed back to a human. Starting with Ellie and Alex, he threw his defensive shield up around everyone but the wolves. This included the house, as he wasn’t sure who was where. This took a tremendous amount concentration and control, as he had to split his shield into several areas without allowing the wolves in.
With the small amount of concentration he could afford to devote elsewhere, he mentally called for Charlotte. He knew she had heard him as soon as he saw a small figure appear beside his sister’s prone form.
*****
A deafening silence fell over everything. All Alex could hear was Ellie’s labored breathing—like she was inhaling liquid—and the thunder of his own heartbeat. Beside him, the sound of a pop announced Charlotte’s arrival.
“Can you get us back to the house?” he asked without looking up from Ellie.
“I don’t think I can,” Charlotte’s voice trembled.
Ellie fluttered her eyes open. “I can. Take my hand, both of you,” she instructed, so weak her voice was barely audible. “Griffin can’t hold this many shields for much longer.”
Sensing the urgency, Alex and Charlotte didn’t bother with questions and both took her hand. With a pop they were suddenly next to Dexter, Nate, and Ramsey. The three, who had been fighting off the wolves, were now standing and looking bewildered that the wolves didn’t seem to be able to touch them, even though nothing visible was preventing them from doing so.
“Tell them to grab hold,” Ellie’s voice sounded in Alex’s head.
Never taking his eyes from her face, although Alex could see she was getting noticeably more fragile every second, he shouted the instructions to the others. As soon as his brothers touched her, another pop sounded, and they were all inside the house with everyone else.
“Now, Griffin!” Ellie yelled, before slumping into Alex’s arms, slipping into unconsciousness.
A horrendous sound broke over the house, like a clap of thunder when lightning struck close.
And then silence.
Chapter 22
Griffin had held onto his shields with difficulty. By the time Charlotte had reached Ellie, he’d been physically shaking with the effort. As soon as he’d seen Ellie and the two people with her disappear, he had finally been able to drop the shield around them. He’d kept track of Ellie mentally as she’d appeared next to the group of three guys who’d been fighting the wolves. It had taken only a second for them to touch Ellie and then she’d disappeared again, allowing Griffin to drop the second shield. All of the remaining people in the field had been making their way quickly to the house where Griffin could feel Ellie had transported herself.
Griffin had backed up as he followed them. As he moved, Griffin had gradually manipulated his shield. While still keeping the wolves at bay, he had slid the shield, paper thin, under their unsuspecting paws, even slightly under the ground they were standing on just to avoid their suspecting his actions.
“Now, Griffin!” he’d heard Ellie scream from inside the house. She must be too weak to use her powers to tell me mentally, he’d realized.
With an incredible jerk, creating a sound like thunder, he’d slammed the shield up in the air like a giant catapult. The wolves had gone flying. Griffin, satisfied that the immediate threat was handled, had turned and ran into the house.
*****
“Give me some space to work,” Alex heard Hugh quietly tell the others. He still hadn’t lifted his eyes from Ellie’s face. As Hugh knelt beside her, Alex held her limp hand between his own.
Come on, baby. You’ve got to keep fighting, he thought, trying to will her some of his own strength. You’re safe now. Just keep fighting to stay alive.
He was vaguely aware of someone taking her other hand. Glancing up, he saw it was Griffin, who looked almost as pale as Ellie. A stab of confusion pulsed through Alex, but he pushed it aside. Instead, he turned his attention back to the girl who’d somehow come to mean more to him than he’d ever realized.
What a time to figure out that you’re in love with the girl, he thought with wry desperation.
Hugh continued to work beside him, his face set in determination. It usually only took a few minutes at most for Hugh to heal anything. That was his power…his gift. Ellie’s injuries were extensive, so naturally it would take more time. Alex let go of her hand for a moment to cover her with a blanket. Everyone watched in total silence as Hugh poured his healing energy into Ellie’s still form.
*****
Though no one else could see it, Hugh saw a golden glow coming from Ellie’s body. It shown brightest where she was the most injured. He moved his hands over that concentration of light and poured his power into that area until the light turned white. Then he would move on to the next brightest spot. Over and over and over he did this, healing Ellie’s injuries one agonizing place at a time.
“Hugh?” Alex’s voice broke through Hugh’s concentration
“There’s a lot to fix, Alex. She’s still with us. Give me some time.”
*****
At Hugh’s words Alex fell silent. The tension in his voice told Alex and the others what they needed to know, that Ellie was in very bad shape. Helplessly he stared at the precious girl whose hand he still held. Alex leaned forward to whisper in her ear. He didn’t know half of what he said to her. He talked mostly about how she needed to fight, that she couldn’t leave him. Not now.
*****
Ellie gradually regained consciousness. At first, all she was aware of was a warm, tingling sensation coursing through her body. As the lovely heat seeped through her, she heard Griffin’s voice calling her name. Softly at first, and then louder and louder.
“Stop screaming at me, Griffin,” she finally thought. That was when she became aware that Griffin was beside her, holding her hand. She felt a great tension leave his body when he heard her voice in his head.
“Welcome back,” was his hushed response. For her reserved brother, the wealth of feeling in his voice said it all. Ellie still remained trapped in the warm darkness of semi-oblivion. She couldn’t open her eyes or talk. She frowned in concentration. Clearly Griffin had been worried about something.
“What happened? Why can’t I open my eyes?”
Griffin stayed silent so long that Ellie started to worry. A slight frown marred her brow. “Don’t force me to open my eyes and look at you, Griff,” she attempted to tease.
“I see your s
ense of humor has survived intact,” Griffin responded to his sister’s thoughts aloud this time. He was relieved to see the slight curve to her lips indicating her amusement. After watching for the past hour as his usually vital, vibrant sister looked like a corpse, Griffin could forgive her anything at this moment. Beside them, Alex’s head jerked up.
At the sound of Griffin’s voice, Ellie became aware that Alex was also there, holding her other hand, and that he’d been talking to her. And then she realized that she’d been listening to him talk for some time. Her frown deepened as she tried to remember his words. She had a feeling they were important.
“What do you mean?” Alex asked Griffin.
Ellie also became aware of the other voices in the room. They’d been there all along, but she only now realized that as they all went silent.
“I can hear her thoughts,” Griffin explained softly.
“Is she okay?” Adelaide asked.
Ellie waited impatiently for Griffin’s response, as curious as the rest of the room.
“Answer the girl, Griff,” Ellie finally prodded him. Not wanting to be rude to the others in the room, she managed to say her question aloud this time. She heard someone choke back a laugh.
“I guess that answers that,” Griffin murmured, amused, giving her hand a squeeze.
“Well, I’m glad you’re satisfied, but I still don’t know what’s going on. And my eyes still don’t want to open,” Ellie replied in a sleepy huff. Her speech was slightly slurred and it felt like cotton wool was stuffed in her mouth.
“Feisty little thing, isn’t she?” another voice in the room commented.
Just then, Ellie became aware that she could control the warmth flowing through her body. Concentrating on it, she forced it to become more intense. And then she felt the hands on either side of her face jerk and realized someone other than Griffin and Alex was touching her.
