by R. E. Butler
“Ready?”
She let out another snort, and smoke puffed into the air. Her scales twitched as she grinned her most dragonish smile.
Kevin cocked his arm and threw the branch high into the air. She flapped her wings and lifted into the air. She aimed a stream of fire at the branch, turning it to ash mid-air. With a happy trill she blew another stream of fire and lowered herself to the ground. Folding her wings against her back, she nudged her mates.
“I can’t believe how good you’re getting with your fire,” Kevin said.
“When we’re able to shift, we can go hunting with the others,” Brian said, resting his hand on her head. “I can’t wait.”
She hadn’t known much about shifters before she came to Ashland. Most shifters couldn’t change forms until they reached sixteen. Kevin was two years away from shifting, and Brian was three.
The scales on the back of her neck tingled suddenly, and she sniffed the air. Something was wrong in the woods, but she didn’t know what or why she felt strange. Then she heard Jilly scream for help, her voice high with fright.
Someone had hurt Jilly?
Letting out a growl, she looked at her mates, and Brian said, “Treasure?”
She jerked her head toward the woods.
Kevin frowned.
Jilly screamed for help again, and Treasure took to the air.
“We’re with you. Be careful,” Kevin said.
She flew toward the woods, zeroing in on Jilly’s frantic sobs as her mates ran beneath her. They reached Jilly and the other pride members. The group had shifted back into their human forms. Wyked and Fate lay on the ground, their eyes glossy with pain. Treasure smelled blood and something bitter, and as she hovered over the group, she saw that both males had dark patches on their skin – Fate on his shoulder and Wyked on his chest – that expanded over their skin. Their bodies jerked, and they grunted in pain.
Something caught Treasure’s eye, and she peered through the trees. With her sharp dragon eyesight, she could make out four people hiding in the darkness. It wasn’t the people themselves that she was seeing; it was their auras. In the darkness, there were four auras that glowed the colors of muddy brown and dirty yellow, tinged with deep red. Her mother had been adept at reading auras, and Treasure knew that the dirty auras were a sign of murderous intent and evil, highlighted with rage.
She was certain they were to blame for Wyked’s and Fate’s injuries.
With a furious roar, she pushed forward toward the figures, weaving in between the trees, the branches slapping her body as she moved. The figures were females, all wearing black. They wore black caps and had streaked their faces with black makeup to blend into the shadows. One of them held a gun and wore goggles. The females screamed in fear as Treasure bore down on them. The bitter smell she’d scented over Wyked and Fate was heavy on the females, and she knew without a doubt that they’d harmed her friends.
Clicking her firestarter, she bellowed the closest thing to a war cry she knew and lit up the woods. Her fire was hotter than she’d ever blown before, building with her fury. The females screamed as they burned. Treasure roared in anger and blew another, hotter stream of fire. Their bodies turned to ash swiftly as the fire engulfed the trees around them.
“Treasure!” Kevin yelled. “Come back! We need your help.”
Treasure looked at the piles of ash in the fire. Four lives snuffed out. Inhaling deeply, she drew the fire from the trees back into her lungs, extinguishing it, and preventing the rest of the woods from catching fire. The fire dissipated in her lungs, and she exhaled the smoke, blowing the ashes into the air.
Wheeling around, she followed her mates back to Jilly and the others, hopeful she could help in some other way. She might have gotten revenge on the ones who had hurt Wyked and Fate, but that wouldn’t save their lives. If she could help, she would. For Jilly. For her mates.
For her pride.
* * *
Jilly couldn’t stop crying. Fear and anger twined inside her as she watched her mates. She could lie to herself and say they’d recover, but she didn’t believe it. Not really. They were dying before her eyes: the black patches that had spread from the darts in her mates’ skin grew larger with every minute, as if someone were pouring dark paint on them.
Hanai and the other panthers had shifted to human form. Hanai inspected the darts and the wounds. “I don’t know what it is, but it smells bitter. It’s working fast.”
“Can’t you do something?” Jilly asked.
“I’m sorry. If I knew what it was, maybe I could help, but whatever this is, it’s taking over their bodies swiftly and they could…be gone before I even figure out what it is.”
Tears streamed down Jilly’s face. She could think of nothing worse than watching her mates die.
Dionne sobbed in Dag’s arms. Jilly wanted to comfort her, but she couldn’t make herself move. She was rooted to the ground with her hands on her mates. She looked at their faces. Their eyes were shut and their mouths pulled into thin lines as the poison caused them pain.
She lifted her head at the sound of something exploding, and she saw a huge fireball in the distance. There were faint screams that stopped abruptly, and then there was only a strange silence that settled over them all. Wyked and Fate struggled with the pain that engulfed them.
“Let’s get them to the hospital,” Ethan said. “There isn’t anything we can do for them in the woods.”
Jilly choked on a sob and wiped at her tear-stained cheeks.
Jackson, who had changed into his human form, let out a growl. “There’s someone watching us.”
Holden, who was still in his mountain lion form, echoed Jackson’s growl, and the two raced into the woods.
“Please don’t leave me,” Jilly whispered to her mates. “I just got you. Three years isn’t long enough…you promised me a lifetime of happiness.”
She heard wings and Treasure’s roar, and her cousins, Kevin and Brian, ran to them. “Treasure can help,” Brian said.
“How?” Jilly asked. “She’s a dragon and a fairy, not a healer. Hanai can’t help them, and neither can I.”
Her fears were coming true. She’d always worried about losing her mates. They’d given her back her emotions and a second chance at a happy life, and the one thing she’d never wanted to think about was what would happen to her if they were gone. They were her whole world.
Treasure changed forms in the air, her fairy wings keeping her aloft and slowly lowering her to the ground.
“I’m a healer, too. It’s my family heritage,” Treasure said.
“We’re wasting time,” Ethan said.
Treasure knelt in between Wyked and Fate and looked steadily at Jilly. “Trust me to help. You saved my life. Let me return the favor.”
Jilly kissed her mates, stifling a sob, and nodded. “Please save my mates.”
Treasure’s wings stretched out behind her back, the iridescent blue and pink highlighted by the moonlight. She rested her hands on the dart wounds and spoke softly in a language that Jilly didn’t recognize. As she spoke, a golden light shimmered over her head. It reminded Jilly of a halo, as if Treasure were also part-angel and not just a dragon and a fairy.
The golden light covered Treasure’s head and moved down her slowly until every inch of her body glowed. She smiled at Jilly and leaned forward, pressing her glowing hands firmly against Wyked’s and Fate’s wounds. They grunted in pain, but then Jilly saw the golden light moving into their bodies. The glow lit their skin from within, following the black marks and somehow removing them.
“Treasure, stop!” Kevin said.
“I can’t, not yet,” she said, her voice ethereal.
A dark dot appeared on Treasure’s thigh. Jilly looked at it, not realizing what it was until another drop appeared, and she saw that Treasure’s nose was bleeding.
“Treasure, you’re going to get hurt,” Brian said.
“If it were one of you,” she murmured, “I’d want someone to
help.”
“Damn it,” Kevin said. “Jilly, tell her to stop. It’s sapping her strength.”
Jilly opened her mouth, but before she could speak, the light within her mates glowed even more brightly, and their bodies convulsed. There was a brilliant flash of light, and Jilly shielded her eyes. When she peeked through her fingers, she found her mates in their panther forms. They both rose to their feet and moved to Jilly with happy purrs, and she released the tears she’d been holding back.
Capturing them around their necks, she drew them close.
“Oh, you’re okay! I thought I was going to lose you both.”
They yowled in answer.
“Thank you, Treasure,” Jilly said.
The young girl smiled, and Jilly saw that her nose was still bleeding.
“They probably need to be in their shifts to finish healing. That was some nasty poison. I found the females who did it. They smelled of mountain lion and poison,” Treasure said.
James and John looked into the woods. “Where are they?” James asked.
“Ash,” Brian said as he knelt next to Treasure and gave her his jacket. “She killed them.”
Treasure let out a sigh as she put on Brian’s coat. “I had to. They were evil all the way through.”
Rhett joined them, along with some of the other pride members.
“Treasure!”
“It’s okay. I’m okay. I’m…good.” Her head lolled to the side, and Rhett lifted her into his arms.
“What happened?” he asked. “I was on the other side of the territory when I saw the fire. We raced here.”
“She saved Wyked’s and Fate’s lives. Females shot them with poison darts.”
“What?” Rhett demanded.
“They’re dead,” Brian said.
“Yeah,” John said, “but Holden and Jackson said they felt like we were still being watched.”
“I’ll go find them,” Eryx offered.
“I’ll come with you,” James said.
Rue knelt next to Jilly and put her hand on Wyked’s head. “I’m so glad you’re all okay.”
“Me too,” Jilly said.
“I’m going to take Treasure home,” Rhett said. “Boys? You can spend the night on the couches while she rests.”
“Go pack a bag,” Grant said. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”
“Thanks!” Brian said.
Jilly said, “Hey, wait!”
“Yeah?” Brian asked, turning around.
“Did you know that Treasure could heal like that?”
“She said it was part of her fae heritage. But it’s dangerous. She could get so caught up in healing someone that she could make herself very weak, or even die from the energy drain.”
“That’s why you told her to stop?”
He nodded. “The nosebleed is the first warning.”
“Tell her that I’m forever thankful for her.”
“I will. You saved her life. It’s only right that she was able to return the favor.”
Jilly watched the young males walk with Rhett as he carried Treasure back to the boarding house. “I think we need to name one of our daughters Treasure in thanks.”
“One of them?” John asked, his voice tinged with humor.
“Yeah,” she said with a chuckle. “I want to have a big family so you have lots of grandcubs to spoil.”
“I can’t wait.”
She couldn’t either.
Turning her attention to the woods, she said, “Since Treasure killed them, we don’t know why they came after my mates, or how they knew we’d be out here tonight.”
“It would have been nice to get answers,” John said. “But I think it’s pretty clear that they could have taken out more of us with these darts. That they only hit Wyked and Fate is pretty telling.”
She shivered. “Revenge on me.”
“That seems likely.”
“Those females are such shitty bitches,” Rue said. “They’re lucky they’re dead.”
Jilly wanted to find their ashes and stomp on them for good measure. Her mates purred, the vibrations in their chests tickling her.
“I almost lost you guys tonight,” she said. “I’m glad you’re still with me.”
They both pressed their noses to her throat, and she laughed as her skin prickled.
“Let’s go home,” she said.
Back in the yard, she found her clothes and dressed swiftly, as did the others. She rejoined her dad and Rue. “Have Treasure or one of the boys send me a text to let me know when she’s awake and ready for company. We’ll want to thank her personally for her help.”
“If we find out anything from Holden and the others, I’ll let you know.” John kissed her cheek, and Rue hugged her.
“See you tomorrow,” Jilly said, waving at Callie and Ethan.
“You bet. Sleep well,” Callie said.
Jilly, her mates, and the clan members who had been hunting with them parted ways with the pride and headed to their territory. Jilly opened the door to their RV and said, “This was an emotional and crazy night.”
Dionne nodded. “I’m thankful for that little dragon. I almost lost my sons tonight.”
“She’s amazing. I’m thankful for her, too.”
“Rest well,” Dag said.
Jilly let her mates into the RV and joined them, shutting the door and dropping their clothes on the kitchen table. “I’m freaking exhausted. I guess sheer terror will do that to a person.”
They yowled in understanding, and she followed them as they padded back to the bedroom. She stripped and climbed into bed between her panthers, throwing an arm over Fate as Wyked moved close and pressed his muzzle to her shoulder.
“Love you both,” she said, and then yawned. “Love you so much.”
Chapter 14
Honor wiggled in the driver’s seat of the van, trying to get comfortable. She was parked alongside a road that skirted the edge of the males’ territory. She prided herself on being able to handle most any situation, but this one right here had her stomach in knots. Ever since they’d hit Indiana, she’d been feeling odd. Gretchen and Julia had noticed something was off with her, but she hadn’t been able to put it into words. She could only describe the feeling as one of longing, but that didn’t mesh with what her brain was telling her. What could she possibly be longing for anyway? She had everything she could ever want – a nice house, the females, and the safety of living out in the middle of ass-nowhere.
Maybe that was the problem. They were back in the states, when that was the last place she wanted to be.
Although…something about this place felt like home.
Letting out a disgusted snort, she shook the idea of home and family from her mind as swiftly as it had appeared. Females did not mate with males and start families; it just wasn’t done. And aside from Melody, and now Jilly, no females Honor had ever known had been interested in a relationship of any sort.
“I need some air,” Honor said, pushing open the driver’s door and climbing out. She stretched her arms and rolled her neck, but the odd antsy feeling was still there, hovering in the background of her mind.
Gretchen rolled down the passenger window. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I just wish that Tanya and the others would freaking hurry. This place is…”
“Is what?”
“I don’t know. Never mind,” she said, shaking her head and waving a hand dismissively at her.
Someone screamed suddenly. It was feminine and full of pain and terror. Where she should have felt no emotions, the sound pricked at her subconscious and made her heart ache.
“I think that’s it then,” Julia said from inside the van. “They should be back soon.”
“Yeah,” Honor said.
“Then we can get the hell out of here and back home,” Gretchen said.
A roar so full of fury and malice that it made Honor’s blood run cold, rent the air.
“What the hell was that?” Julia said.
Worr
y settled over Honor as the roar sounded again. She glanced at her watch and back at the females. “I’m going to get Tanya and the others. I don’t know what that was, but it doesn’t sound good.”
“Why do you have to go?” Gretchen asked.
“I just do. Stay here and keep the van running. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Julia climbed into the front seat behind the wheel and said, “We’ll be ready.”
With a last look at them, Honor turned and raced into the woods. She stopped from time to time and scented the air, easily picking up the females’ scents. She wove through the trees, intent on getting to her females and getting their butts safely back to the van and on the way out of this damn town.
She heard the roar again, and she skidded to a halt to clap her hands over her ears as the deafening sound echoed all around her. She peered through the darkness, the full moon lending a pale glow to the woods. She saw four figures crouching in the shadows. She opened her mouth to urge them to leave, when something dark appeared above the females. It hovered in the air for a heartbeat before there was a clicking sound, and then a stream of fire lit up the night.
Tanya and the others screamed as they were caught up in the flames. The heat was so great that even at a distance, Honor felt it. The dragon blew out another stream of fire, and Honor watched in horror as the four females’ voices were cut off abruptly and their bodies dissolved into ash.
Her mind stalled at the scene. She stared at the still-burning trees and at the dragon that hovered over them.
A male shouted, “Treasure! Come back! We need your help.”
The dragon inhaled and seemed to suck the flames into itself, and then it disappeared, the sound of its flapping wings growing faint as it moved away.
Honor stood frozen. She’d never seen anything like that before. She couldn’t stop staring at the place where the four females had crouched in the darkness. That dragon had snuffed out their lives as easily as blowing out a candle. She knew she needed to get back to the van and get out of this damn place, but she couldn’t make her legs move.
