by Meg Ripley
“That doesn’t make me feel much better since I’m not sure what that situation is.”
“I know, dear. I know. And I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?” Lane whispered as a tear leaked from the corner of her eye and ran down toward her hairline.
Edi pressed her lips together. “I can’t stop thinking about it, so I might as well tell you. I’d seen some activity over near that old science camp last week. I didn’t think much about it, because we know there have been people coming and going from that area for years and they’ve always left us alone. Now I wish I’d said something, because I’m sure it has something to do with this invasion.” She was crying now, too, her soft face creased around the eyes as she sniffled.
Yes, Edi should’ve said something. The younger dragons could’ve gone to investigate, and if they’d known humans were in the area, they would’ve taken extra precautions. But Lane knew Edi wasn’t getting any younger, and her mind didn’t quite work the way it used to. She also knew that every single one of them had grown more and more lax the longer they stayed there and the longer the humans left them alone. They acted as though there weren’t any threats, and clearly, that wasn’t true.
“It wasn’t your fault,” she reassured her. “It’s all right.”
“I see you’re awake!” boomed a voice.
Lane sat up and then immediately laid back down, overwhelmed by nausea. It didn’t matter since the speaker strode across the room and stood over her, his white lab coat swinging around his legs. Several armed men were gathered around him and moved in unison, never letting the man get more than a step away.
“Sir, I’m not sure you should be so close to them,” one of them offered.
“Hush, now. These are my test subjects, and we’re all going to have to get used to working in close quarters. Well, as close as this big old cave can get.” He laughed heartily, and several of the soldiers offered obligatory chuckles as well.
“Who the hell are you?” Edi asked. “And what are you doing in our home?”
The man laughed again. “I’m Dr. Brian Blake, and this isn’t your home any longer. The U.S. Army has contracted me to find out exactly what you are, how you work, and what we might be able to do with you. Fortunately, it looks like the first part of our experiment has worked well, which was to see if we could tranquilize creatures stronger than ourselves without killing them.”
“Listen, we’re not just some animals you can poke and prod in a lab,” Lane countered. She knew her argument meant little, considering she was just lying on the floor trying not to puke, but she hated this man.
With his gray hair and kindly smile, he looked like a friendly family physician. But there was a dark glitter in his eyes that told her otherwise. “Oh, but you are! I mean, you’re not even human!” He laughed again.
Lane failed to see the humor. “How would you even know?” They’d shot her while in her human form, and she doubted she’d have shifted while she was sedated.
His smile was a hard one. “You’ve already proven it to me by waking up. That dose we gave you would’ve killed any normal woman. And since you’re one of the first to come to, I can assume you’re also one of the strongest.” The doctor turned to his entourage. “Get her into the mobile lab. She’s going to be a fun one.”
Edi was shoved out of the way as two armed men dragged Lane to her feet and hauled her out of the cave. More men were busy widening the entrance to the cavern and she was dragged past them, outside, and into a large metal shipping container that had been turned into a workstation for the doctor’s evil plans.
Lane was too weak to fight as they tossed her onto a hard bed. Heavy straps pinched her skin as the men tightened them down, almost keeping her from breathing. “What are you doing, assholes?” she growled. It wasn’t fair. If they hadn’t gotten her with that sedative, she could’ve shifted and torn every single one of them to pieces. She took a little joy in envisioning their blood covering all the white sanitary surfaces in the room.
Dr. Blake wasn’t perturbed by her name calling. He whistled to himself as he fiddled with some equipment set up on a table off to the side, and when he turned to her, he gleefully tapped a yellowish liquid in a hypodermic needle. “Just a little something to get us started on the road to figuring out this metamorphosis thing you creatures do.”
She tried to flinch away as he approached her with the needle, but there was nothing she could do. The straps held her too tightly, and her body was too weak. “Don’t do this,” she begged. It had to have been a nightmare. It couldn’t possibly have been real. And yet she felt the pinch of the needle as it pierced her skin.
Lane howled as the drug flowed through her body. She could feel it funnel through her veins and it burned like acid as it washed over her cells. Her muscles convulsed uncontrollably, shaking the bed. A high-pitched noise filled her ears, and she wondered what it was for a moment before she realized it was her. Lane was no longer in charge of her own body.
Her skin split and formed scales, but instead of rising to the surface and remaining there, they sank back down into her flesh. Each one felt like a hot coal being pressed into her body. She felt her back rip open where her wings usually emerged, but they stayed tightly curled inside while her blood turned the sheets a dark red.
“Well, well. This is interesting.” Dr. Blake had set up a video camera and was writing notes rapidly on a clipboard.
“Stop!” Lane screamed. “Stop this!” She’d always been the one to decide when to shift. She’d always been in ultimate control. She gritted her teeth and tried to regain her jurisdiction over her body, but it was no use. She was stuck in a mid-shift state, and there was no getting out of it.
“Tell me what you’re feeling,” Dr. Blake said, stepping up near her head.
Lane glared at him before turning to the side and retching, the contents of her stomach splashing onto his pristine lab coat.
He sneered his disgust as he stepped back. “Well, that answers that.”
The light fixture overhead moved in and out of focus as Lane’s body completely gave up. She succumbed to the darkness for lack of any better option, because at least it didn’t hurt as bad as this. Lane spared a thought for Edi and the others, praying they wouldn’t have to experience this. The last thing she heard was the sound of her blood dripping onto the hard floor.
3
Ash slowed his rental car and double-checked the address. The building he’d pulled up in front of didn’t look like much. This entire neighborhood seemed to be composed of low, adjoined buildings that huddled together. Right between an antique store and a children’s used clothing shop sat a squat white building with a ratty For Sale sign posted in the window. Three steps led up to a tiny covered porch, but that was about the extent of the charm. To the left was a battered garage door.
“Here goes nothing.” The package that had arrived shortly after the mysterious phone call contained not only the plane ticket, rental car information, and the time and address for the meeting, but a garage door opener as well. Ash pushed the button, surprised when the rickety door actually rolled up.
He pulled through, his instincts telling him to remain on the lookout. Just because someone called and claimed to be with the elite SOS Force didn’t mean this was a safe or smart thing to do. He was in a strange city where he didn’t know anyone, and whoever had contacted him knew who he was and what kind of skills he had. It was either going to be the start of something really exciting or a dangerous situation.
The building was dark inside with just a few yellow lights exposing the concrete walls. Ash slowly pulled forward as the garage door rattled back down behind him. Like an explosion of daylight, overhead LEDs flicked on to the right. They showed him into a nice parking garage, complete with an epoxied floor. He pulled into a space and got out. A few other cars were already there, but there were no signs or people to tell him where to go next. He took his chance on a small door at the end of the row of parking spaces.
He found himself in a hallway that smelled of fresh paint and new carpet. He prepared himself for the worst as he moved down it, bracing himself when he opened the door at the end.
A man with dark hair and a serious look on his face sat at the end of a glossy conference table. His dark eyes met Ash’s, studious and wary.
“Are you the one who called me?” Ash asked.
“I was about to ask you the same thing,” the man responded. “I got a call myself.”
Ash glanced around the room. It was just the two of them. “Where’s everyone else? There are plenty of cars out there.” He thumbed over his shoulder to indicate the direction he’d just come from.
The dark-haired man shook his head and leaned forward on the table. “Don’t let all the drywall fool you. These buildings are much bigger than they look from the outside. There’s a lot more space here than you’ve seen if you’ve just come from the garage.”
“Sounds like you know something I don’t.” Ash gripped the back of a chair, but he wasn’t ready to sit. He preferred to be at the ready.
“Only because I’ve flown over this city more times than I can count. I think it’d be easier for me to find an address from the air than from the street.” He hesitated only a fraction of a second before extending his hand. “The name’s Max, by the way.”
“Ash.” He gripped the man’s hand and immediately sensed there was an animal lurking inside him. Another shifter, he noted. Interesting.
“I see I’m just in time for the introductions,” drawled a voice from behind them.
Ash and Max both turned to find a tall cowboy standing in the doorway. He smiled at them through his short beard as he bobbed his Stetson in their direction. “Name’s Vance.”
“Are you able to tell us why we’re here?” Ash challenged.
The cowboy advanced into the room and stopped across the table from Ash. “Can’t say myself, but that guy on the phone said it was something about a job.”
“Yeah, that’s what he said, but this isn’t like any other job interview I’ve been to.” Granted, Ash hadn’t needed to look for a job for a long time, given his military career. He couldn’t help but be wary of the situation.
The three of them turned expectantly as yet another man entered the room. His short hair had a faint red tint to it, and he adjusted his laptop bag as he looked at the men gathered there. He tucked his phone into his pocket as he poked his head in the room. “I guess this must be the right place?”
Ash shrugged. “As far as we know.”
“It’s the only logical conclusion, anyway. Name’s Jack.”
The rest of them murmured their introductions as the man sat down.
When yet another man entered the room, Ash was ready to start the process all over again. This guy had shaggy hair and a stubbly beard, but his piercing eyes quickly scanned everyone in the room. “Good. You managed to find the place. I guess that’s one test down.”
Ash immediately recognized his voice. “You’re the one who called me.”
The man shrugged. “Someone had to do it, and I got stuck with the short straw. But yeah. Here’s the deal. We need you. I’m not going to beat around the bush or ask you a bunch of stupid human resource questions to see if you’re worthy. We already know you have the qualifications we need.” He pointed to Max. “Night Stalker and current helicopter pilot for Luxury Air Tours.” His finger swung around to Jack. “Grey Fox and techie who changes jobs more often than he changes his underwear because all the big tech companies keep luring you out of your current contracts.”
Jack looked slightly embarrassed but acknowledged this with a nod of his head.
Next, the man pointed to Vance. “Green Beret, which doesn’t take much explanation.”
Ash stiffened when the finger swung his direction.
“Only recently retired from the Delta Force, where you took out more terrorists than the civilians were even aware existed.”
“Flint, you were supposed to wait for us!”
Three other men filtered into the room, looking much more authoritative than Flint. “I apologize for the behavior of my associate,” said the one who appeared to be the leader. “I’m Dr. Drake Sheridan. You’ve already met Flint, and this is Hudson and Garrison. As you know by now, depending on just how coherent Flint’s been, we’re the Special Ops Shifter Force. We’re shifters and have served in Special Ops units, just like you. We’ve been operating out of D.C. for the last few years, dealing with various issues among shifters that their local conclaves aren’t capable of handling. It’s been a successful operation to date, but there aren’t enough of us to take care of everything. That’s where you come in.”
“And what makes you think we’d even be interested?” Max challenged.
“You’re here, aren’t you?” Flint replied as he flopped into a chair. He pulled a folding knife out of his pocket and began to spin it between his fingers.
“Hard to resist seeing what this is all about after getting a mysterious phone call and an even more intriguing package in the mail,” Vance drawled.
“Curiosity killed the cat?” Flint asked, one eyebrow up.
“Stop,” Drake growled.
Ash watched the interaction between them, fascinated by the dynamic between the four men. He could sense that same animal force inside each of them, just as he had with Max, Jack, and Vance. But there were clearly some major differences among those in the room, and it would be interesting to see how it all worked out.
“I’m not so sure about this,” he hedged. “I was just about to put a down payment on a ranch up in Alaska and retire to the quiet life.”
“And I’ve already got a big operation I’m taking care of. My life is pretty full,” Vance agreed.
Drake folded his hands on the table. “If it’s not you, then it’s someone else, but we think you four are the best candidates to get our Dallas unit started. We’ll work in conjunction with you, especially at first while you’re learning the ropes. It won’t be the same as your military experience, I can tell you that. And yes, it’s a time commitment. It’s something you have to be sure of. But there are shifters all over this country who need your help. We know you can give it to them.”
“Tell me some more about this building,” Jack said, holding his phone in the air. “I can’t get even the tiniest bit of a signal.”
The man Drake had indicated as Hudson smiled. “That’s the way we like it. We can’t risk anyone interfering with our communications system here. There’s too much top-secret information. I’ll be going over all that in detail with you later as part of your training.”
“We have quite a bit of that set up, actually,” Drake said. “Hudson here runs Taylor Communications, and he’s been in charge of all our technology. He’ll go over all our systems with you. Garrison handles all of our engineering issues, and it was his construction company that took this old building and turned it into what it is now.”
“Don’t worry,” Garrison said with a smile, “I left the outside that way on purpose.”
“I’ll be doing complete physicals on each of you to make sure you’re in top shape for your missions,” Drake continued, “and Flint has, I’m sure, put together a rousing presentation about all the weapons available to you.”
Flint grinned.
Ash’s brain was working quickly, trying to keep track of it all. Drake the doctor. Garrison the engineer. Flint the weapons specialist. Hudson the tech guy. Okay. Simple enough. But then there were the other three men who he would now be working with. Who were they all, really? Could this actually work? Was he making the right decision by giving up the idea of his ranch?
“The first step is to get the telepathic link between the four of you established,” Garrison said. “You’ll need as much time as possible to get used to being in each other’s heads, just like a regular clan or pack. I’ll show you to the living quarters at the back of the building where you can rest up from traveling, and then I’ll be back to get you
later tonight.”
As Ash followed him through a door, he wondered just what the hell he’d gotten himself into.
Drake seemed to be the one in charge of the SOS Force, and Hudson was obviously the comm specialist. But it was Garrison who had taken charge when they stood in a field in the middle of nowhere several hours later. He’d offered no explanation of what was about to happen or how it would work on the trip out there when he’d loaded them into a van and left the city proper.
The stars were brilliant overhead as the newcomers watched each other and the original SOS Force members carefully. Someone had prepared wood for a fire in a small ring in the center. Garrison arranged Ash, Max, Jack, and Vance around it. “Just as any other group of shifters is able to speak to each other inside their minds, it makes sense for the Force to do so as well. It still only works when you’re in your animal forms, so you can have your privacy when you need it.”
“Just how do you propose to do that?” Jack questioned. “Somehow, I imagined we’d be taken to a lab and have chips implanted in our brains or something.”
Garrison gave him a dark look. “I’m afraid it’s more primitive than that. This is an ancient ceremony for my people, one that’s been handed down through the generations. We are few and far between, and much of our knowledge of magic has been lost over the years. This particular spell is a simple and yet very effective one.”
Ash pursed his lips as he listened. He looked up at the big sky overhead and once again thought about that ranch he’d been about to buy. Part of him regretted getting on that plane and going down there, but maybe the universe had other plans for him. Why else would he have gotten the phone call from Flint right after he’d decided to buy the place? He could still hear Old Jim’s words echoing in his head, telling him to take the chance while he can. This was it. He was committed.
Garrison had produced a knife and held it reverently in his hand. The blade curved backward and the handle curved in the opposite direction. “Your blood must flow into each other. You must cut each wrist to expose yourselves to your new brethren.” He handed the knife to Max.
