by Haley Weir
He watched as her spine straightened. Matilda's shoulders squared and she pulled herself up to lean against the rock at her back. The impassive mask that slid over her face made him cackle. It was so similar to the one Michael had worn the day they met on the mountain. "There's no point in convincing you to let me go or trying to escape, so what happens next?"
“We wait for Michael to receive an email from my creator.”
Matilda crossed her arms and closed her eyes, looking completely at ease despite having been abducted. “You know he’ll kill you, right?”
“He can try.”
“Michael lost to you once, he won’t lose again. You’re just the dragon to his knight and I’m the princess in the tower. The story always ends with the dragon being slain and the hero walking away with the girl,” she said with a shrug. “What exactly are you, anyway? You don’t look like anything I’ve ever seen before.”
“Have you seen a lot of shifters?”
“Not in person, no. But I read. You...there’s something about you.”
“Trying to gage my weaknesses so you can tell the bears?”
She shook her head. “I’m just trying to figure this all out. Your boss hates shifters, but he needs them. He carries the gene himself or else Corey wouldn’t be a jaguar. And you...you’re the experiment, aren’t you? His Frankenstein’s monster soldier ?”
“I am. Yes.”
“So, why does a man who hates shifters surround himself with them? Why would he risk tainting his wife with their blood and whatever else he takes from them just to keep her alive?” She asked. Niko did not question Hydra in the way that the others did. It was not his place. Therefore, he had no answers for her.
“Ask him yourself when the day comes that he reigns over us all.”
“He could have taken power a long time ago. With the shifters he had in captivity, Hydra could have trained them the way he did with Corey...an army that’s nearly invincible. Heck, I can just imagine covert missions with lizard people camouflaging with their surroundings. That would have been way cooler than a Franken-monster...no offense.” Tilly opened her eyes once more and he saw the humor in her gaze.
“Why did Michael Adair choose you?”
“Hell if I know,” she laughed. “It just sort of...happened. I think he fought with it in the beginning, but then just sort of gave in to it. I’m a little more hesitant than he is.”
“Why?”
“Because I want a choice in whom I end up with. There’s no harm in playing the field until your comfortable with someone you’re willing to settle down with. Forever is a huge step and I need to be certain that I spend it with the right person.”
“You have strange romantic notions,” Niko growled.
“Not by humanity’s standards. Come on, you have to remember what it was like. To be human, I mean. It couldn’t have been so long ago that you’ve forgotten.”
“I chose to forget everything but my pain. I am not human.” Niko stood up and looked down upon the path that led to the mountain. He saw hikers and heard them bickering about being lost. “I’ll prove it.” Niko jumped from the overhang, falling down the side of the mountain. He slid once the drop transitioned into a slope. The creature made his way down the stone until he landed in a crouch and roared menacingly at the humans. They screamed at the top of their lungs, the sound traveled through the trees. “Go. Warn Michael Adair that I am waiting.”
The humans scurried and Niko looked up the face of the mountain and saw Matilda staring back at him. She wore an expression of utter disbelief. He did not care if the secrets of Haden Springs came tumbling down around the great bears that protected the town. Niko wanted results and the best way to get them was by using fear.
He wanted the town on edge, to turn against their protectors and send the bears right into the arms of Alexander Collier. Shifters did not belong in the world of man. They needed to be leashed and controlled by a firm hand so they didn’t breed and spread their filth across the earth. Niko was that firm hand, the unnatural alpha to lead the pack of shifters under Hydra’s command. And Michael Adair fit into that somehow.
Niko returned to Matilda and shoved her down to the ground when she attempted to confront him. “I do not care about the exposure of their kind.”
“Your kind as well! Do you think the humans are going to see a difference? Do you think they’ll care that you aren’t a natural shifter? They’ll only see monsters, something they don’t understand, and they’ll think your a threat to their survival. Humans will exterminate all of you,” she warned. “Fear isn’t power, it’ll be your downfall.”
“So be it. There must be order.”
“At what cost?” She stood back up and brazenly shoved him. Niko saw red. He pinned the pitiful female to the ground by her throat, jaws clamping to hold her still without killing her. Matilda had enough brains to stop fighting. Niko released her only when he wasn’t sure she wouldn’t do something stupid that forced him to lose his temper. She scrambled back on her hands and a wretched sob tore from her mouth.
“If you would have triggered my rampage, I wouldn’t have stopped until everything near me was dead. Tread carefully, Matilda Riker, or else I’ll be sending your body home to your family.” He sat on the edge of the overhang and waited.
***
His meeting came to an end when Lori stepped into the enclosed room with a worried look on her face. She leaned in to whisper into Michael’s ear. “My husband just called. He said a few hikers reported a monster on the mountain. Michael, something is happening. Whatever it was that they say, it wanted you to know that it was waiting.”
He pushed through the people in the room and ran to his office. Michael pulled out his phone with shaking hands. Four missed calls from the school appeared on the screen. He punched in the numbers and waited for someone to answer. “Hello? I’m calling for Tilly Riker. This is her roommate, I’m just checking in to see if-”
“Miss Tilly hasn’t shown up to work today. We called her phone several times, but no one answered. It isn’t like her to miss school so we began to worry. Your number was recently listed for an emergency contact.”
Michael hung up and grabbed his jacket. His heart banged wildly against his ribcage as he rushed to the parking garage, not bothering with the elevator. He took the stairs, running until he was afraid his knees would give and still he pushed on. Michael waited until he was in the car with the engine running before he called his brother. Brock answered on the first ring, panting into the phone. “Michael? What the hell is going on? I just got a call from the sheriff. People are freaking out.”
“He took her.”
“What? Took who?”
“Tilly,” Michael barked. “Niko has Tilly. She never showed up for work this morning and has been missing sense. The hikers said that Niko sent me a message saying that he’s waiting for me. I don’t know where he is exactly, but I’m sure he’ll let me know as soon as I get to the mountain. If anything happens to her…”
“Slow down, alright? Nothing’s going to happen to Tilly. I’ll make the calls. Just get to the mountain. We’ll be right behind you.”
“I’m calling Corey—” Michael slammed on the breaks as the jaguar ran out in front of his car. Corey looked bad. His jaw was at an awkward angle until he lifted a hand and popped it back into place. Yellow eyes glowed at Michael and he jumped from the seat. The jaguar lunged. People screamed as Corey shifted. Chaos erupted in Haden Springs as Michael wrestled the large cat to the ground. “Corey! Stop! We have to save Tilly.”
A loud hiss came just before the jaguar sank its teeth into his arm.
“Corey, listen to me! This is a rampage. You can pull through this. Don’t make me hurt you...I need to get to Tilly.” Michael rolled them over so Corey was beneath him. He was forced to knock Corey out and dragged his body into the backseat. Michael climbed back into his car and tore through the streets toward the mountain. Sirens blared behind him, but he didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was getting
to Tilly.
Halfway up the mountain path Corey began to stir. He sat up a hand holding his throat. “What happened?” he croaked. “I...I blacked out and…”
“Something triggered a rampage. I need to know what kicked all of this off.”
“Shifters. Lots of them,” Corey revealed. “They were feral and went on the attack. One of them recognized me. I think they were transported in the helicopter I saw a few days ago. It must have taken them this long to reach town. They were bloodthirsty.”
“Are they still loose?”
“Last thing I remember is the sheriff standing next to me. I had to shift in order to protect him and his deputies. I...Michael, did I hurt someone?” Corey’s expression was so stricken that Michael didn’t know how to answer. He hit the button to allow his ally to move to the passenger seat. Corey groaned and stretched his long legs. Those silver eyes turned to look at him. “You said Tilly was taken.”
“Niko has her. That’s where we’re going now.”
“Then we need to finish this once and for all,” Corey said with conviction. “We need to take my father down. You and me. No one else can do it.”
“I need you to keep a clear head. I can’t have you going rampage again.”
“Remember that when you see Hydra’s monster with your mate.”
Michael’s jaw clenched so hard he heard it click. “I’ll kill him...no, I’ll rip him apart piece by piece until there’s nothing left of him. If Hydra thinks this is the way to get my attention, then he’ll be surprised when he actually gets what he wants. And if I die, then I’m taking them all down with me.”
“I’m with you.”
“I know you are,” Michael replied and pressed the accelerator to the floor. Corey spoke on the phone with Anders and the others. The town was demanding answers for the attacks. Dorian and Brock helped the sheriff round up the feral shifters and locked them away in the holding cells at the sheriff’s station. Sapphire, Destiny, and Lori were in charge of watching over them while Jenny worked with the deputies to calm everyone down. Dorian and Brock then started their own journey toward the mountain.
Michael reached the end of the road. Corey followed his lead and exited the Charger. The bear calmly removed his jacket and button down. He set them on the hood of his car as though he had all the time in the world. Corey was already bare from the neck down, so he waited patiently, watching the steady movements of the leader. Michael slammed both of his fists against the ground and reared his head back in a deafening roar. That sound...that was the sound of the protectors.
It invoked hope as much as it instilled fear. Corey dropped into a stance beside Michael and joined in his battle cry.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The most terrifying sound Tilly had ever heard echoed through the mountain. She stood up on trembling legs and cast a look toward her captor. Uncertainty lingered in his gaze. That was the sound of Michael Adair. The realization that he was coming for her sent a shiver down her spine. Tilly came to stand beside Niko and looked down. She saw nothing but the tops of trees. Niko, however, must have seen something beyond her line of sight. He reached for his gun belt and squeezed the grip of his pistol; unholstering it so fast she nearly missed it.
“Make one sound and I shoot you,” he snarled, lifting the gun to press the muzzle against her temple. Tilly saw him then. Michael appeared where the hikers had stood before. He was partially shifted with glowing eyes, sharp claws, and bulging muscles. Michael seemed larger than the trees, looking like the king of the forest with Corey by his side. The sleek, cunning feline circled his friend like a loyal guard.
Niko’s already furled lip curled in disgust. “Foolish.” He holstered his weapon, realizing that he was outnumbered when the other bears arrived. Niko improvised by grabbing Tilly by her throat and dangling her over the edge of the overhang. She tried to claw his hand away from her neck, mouthing Michael’s name as a soul-deep fear called out for him to save her.
Tilly looked between her swinging feet. When she blinked, Corey was gone. She blinked again and one by one the shifters disappeared. Darkness spread behind her eyes and Tilly had to suck harsh breaths in through her nose to stay conscious. Suddenly something tackled her out of Niko’s grip and she was careening toward the bottom of the mountain. Tilly was so afraid that not even a scream came from her lips.
The figure wrapped around her morphed into arms and legs and Tilly recognized Corey’s gaze. He spun as they hit the ground, taking the blunt force of the impact and sparing her the trauma, but Tilly still felt a rattling in her bones. She climbed off of him and checked the damage, tears streaming down her face as she saw the blood trailing from his ears. A bear shifted right in front of her and Anders collapsed beside Corey.
“That was stupid,” he said roughly. Tilly could tell both men were in serious pain. Anders sported cuts and vibrant bruises along his neck and shoulders, but he still checked Corey over. He began listing things out loud and Tilly realized it was a catalog of what had been broken in the fall. “If you survive this...I’m buying you a drink.”
“That’s...if...we’re...allowed in the bar,” Corey replied, blood spilling over his lips.
“Shut up. I’m trying to say that I trust you, asshole. We can be friends now, stop trying to impress us so much by throwing yourself at things. Last time it was a brick wall.”
“What?” Tilly exclaimed. Her throat felt raw and her lungs still burned.
“When the bookshop had been burned down, Destiny was inside. Corey managed to get them out by jumping across to the other building and using his claws to slow the fall, but only after he smacked right into the brick. It’s a good thing he heals a lot faster than us.” Anders apologized under his breath and lifted Corey from the ground. “I need you to go start Michael’s car. The keys are still inside. We need to get him to the hospital as fast as we can.”
“What about the others?”
Anders didn’t answer. Tilly took off at a dead run and slid across the gravel beneath her feet when she came upon the Dodge Charger. She turned over the key in the ignition and then ran past Anders. “I need to help Michael,” Tilly tossed over her shoulder. He called after her, but she couldn’t just let them die for her. Not when she had so much to tell Michael. The path to the overhang was narrow, but Tilly followed the footprints that morphed into paw markings in the mud.
Thunder rumbled overhead before a flash of lightning echoed the emotions that raged in her heart. She climbed and climbed, arms straining to hold her up as she made her way to the top. What she saw nearly stopped her heart entirely. Brock held Niko as Michael tore through the monster only for him to heal instantly. Niko threw Brock and the bear nearly fell over the edge. Luckily, he crawled up before he could fall and rushed to his brother’s aid. Claws slashed and three gashes bloomed on Michael’s chest.
He was forced to shift back, but continued to fight as if nothing had changed. Brock came over to her. “What are you doing here? You were supposed to go—”
“I have an idea,” she cut in before he could finish scolding her. “We need to push him over, but not near the base of the mountain on the other side where the river is rushing toward the valley. He’ll be swept downstream and hopefully it’s force him out of his rampage and away from town.”
Brock looked skeptical, but when he saw Michael struggling to hold Niko back, his mind was made up for him. Tilly gave a curt nod and they rushed Niko. She jumped into a drop kick and Brock caught him with a shoulder tackle. His center of gravity was thrown off and Niko went hurling over the cliff and toward the rushing water below. Rain began to fall as Tilly crawled to the edge. Niko struggled against the waves as the river carried him downstream.
Michael yanked Tilly off of her feet and kissed her until she was breathless. Her hands clung to the slick muscles of his shoulders, as she tasted the rain upon his lips. He pulled back and growled at the bruise forming around her neck. “He touched you,” Michael rasped. “He put his hands on you...I wish I ha
d killed him.”
Tilly held him close, resting her head against his heaving chest. The sound and constant thrum of his heartbeat calmed her in ways that nothing else could. Michael groaned when she shifted and Tilly looked at the wounds on his torso. “Let’s get you to the hospital. Anders will want to look you over.”
“Actually, I’m not going back to town with you.”
She moved out of his arms. “Why not?”
“Because I’m leaving. Corey’s too injured to come with me right now, but he’ll meet me at our destination when he’s taken care of. I need to get to that helicopter before Hydra realizes that Niko is missing. This is our chance to take him down.”
Tilly didn’t like the idea of Michael going off on his own into enemy territory, but she couldn’t fight him on it. The fate of the town and perhaps the world rested on his shoulders. What she could do was to help him carry that burden. “I’m coming with you.”
“We talked about this. You were already in danger.”
“And clearly you planned part of this before I was taken, so I’m entitled to a say in this. You said you wanted to give me a choice. This is my choice. We do this together, Michael,” she stated firmly. “You’ll need a bargaining chip anyway.” Tilly didn’t wait. She picked up Niko’s bag and sifted around the contents, pulling out a map.
Michael grabbed her wrist and she kissed his cheek. “Please...don’t do this.”
“You need me. Everyone else is occupied and I’m not letting you do this alone.”
She tugged him along, feeling the rain weigh her jeans down as she walked. They trekked far, but she stopped here and there to check his healing progress. Michael simply stared at her as though he had never seen her before. When they reached the helicopter, the rain stopped. Tilly climbed inside and found a bag stuffed beneath one of the seats. She tossed it to Michael and he pulled out two uniforms with Hydra’s symbol on the left breast. “At least it’s dry,” she retorted.
Michael covered his nudity with the black trousers and shirt before helping Tilly into hers. They left behind her soaking clothes and strapped themselves into the helicopter. “Do you know how to fly one of these?” He asked and Tilly glared over at him.
