Shadows of Rebellion

by L. M. French

  She sat with her back facing me and I made eye contact with Emerick over her shoulder. Somethings up with the priest. Bay wants the door barred until their back.

  He gave an almost imperceptible nod. Her shoulders tensed and I ducked back before she could turn around. No reason to tempt another lapse in judgment.

  I did a quick sweep of the front rooms before heading up the stairs that led to the main floor. I slid through the door quietly, checking to be sure no one was waiting on the other side before closing the door and leaning my frame against it. No one was getting through the door without going through me first.

  Most natural born wolves didn’t come with a lot of add-ons. I was wolf-borne but not to the Daenali.

  I was Horde.

  Or at least I had been right up until the death of my mother, the Red Raven. Before the war, the Horde and the Daenali existed on different ends of the shifter spectrum, embracing our natures was a matter of cultural philosophy that our packs had never seen eye to eye on.

  After my people disappeared, I was one of a few Horde left behind. When Bay had found me, I’d thought we’d kill each other. Both just barely old enough to know our dicks had a purpose but not old enough to not run blind into a fight with another wolf. Now my wolf had a permanent bald patch on his hind leg and his wolf had a scar above his right eye where I’d nearly blinded him.

  It was Kojak who’d found us in a bloody heap and dragged my sorry carcass back to pack lands. It had taken years but I’d found acceptance there and the Daenali were no longer enemies but pack.

  Bam!

  The kitchen door swung open and a very pissed off, very green wanna-be goddess stormed in.

  Awesome.

  Veda

  EMERICK’S VERSION OF an omelet was a massive half-moon of egg, chock full of bacon and potatoes, and loaded with cheese. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, and I’d eaten so much it hurt. I kept going because yum..

  I resolved to put the incident with Ozias in the same box as my bond with Phin and my unsettling reaction to Bay. My inner therapist tried pointing out that all these things had something in common, so I shoved her in the box with them. My defense mechanism applauded my superb decision-making skills while common sense didn’t see the point in arguing. As far as my personality aspects went, it was sort of a majority rules situation. I had bigger issues to deal with than my apparent late blooming.

  Emerick’s eyes floated upwards surveying the ceiling but I knew he was wondering about the ongoing visit with the priest.

  I rolled my eyes. “You could just go up there. There’s no gates down here so it’s not like I can go anywhere without you or one of the others seeing me.”

  He shook his head. “I have my orders. I’m where I’m needed.”

  Well, that made one of us. I needed to contact Frank. He knew about the Ivory situation, but I should probably explain that I would need to take a few personal days to deal with the whole fire-setting, power manifestation issue.

  I sighed and rubbed my eyes. There were too many questions and not enough answers. I needed to find Myra. She knew something about what was happening to me, she said as much in my dreams when she’d offered me what I knew now wasn’t a Travelers stone. I was still angry about the manipulative way she-

  My head snapped up as I remembered her words with horrifying clarity, “He’s like Sailas, powerful, and he knows much about your kind.”

  She was working with someone. Someone powerful if she was to be believed.

  “Veda?” My eyes snapped up at his sharp tone. Emerick was on his feet and tensed for a fight. “Come on, babe, talk to me.”

  I knew my words didn’t make any sense, but they tumbled out anyway. “I forgot. She’s working with someone or for someone.”

  “She? The woman in your dream?”

  I nodded. “Myra.”

  “Did you get a look at them? A name?” He scooped our plates up and dumped them in the sink without scraping them. I tried not to cringe, but my inner domestic goddess was judgey as fuck.

  “Veda?”

  Right. Focus. “No name, I didn’t see anyone. She said there was someone who knew about... me.” I swallowed. “She said he was like Sai and knew about what I could do.”

  Emerick’s eyes studied me. “’He’ is specific. So, we’re looking for a male.”

  I spread my hands. “It would seem so.”

  His head tipped slightly, and his eyes got a faraway look in them. He was talking to one of the others telepathically. Now I did cringe. Bay would think I had been deliberately untruthful. Fantastic.

  He focused on me again smirking. Evidently, I was broadcasting my anxiety. “Worried Daddy’s gonna punish you?”

  “I think I can get away with stabbing you.”

  Two days ago, his comment would’ve left me a blushing ball of rage. I wouldn’t have known Emerick’s teasing was a way of soothing you, putting you at ease. Now I just rolled my eyes when he grinned.

  “Grab your stuff. We’ll be moving out when the rest return.”

  “Moving where?”

  He shrugged. “Off-site somewhere safer. Bay wants us ready to move so you might want to pull on shoes while you’re at it.”

  Emerick moved around me and headed up the staircase. My eyes drifted upward to stare at the ceiling. What was happening up there? It had to be bad if Bay didn’t think we’d be safe at Fulcrum.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Bay

  We’d left the priest and priestess seething in the sitting room. They were determined to “collect” Veda and nothing short of physically throwing them out would get them to leave. It was tempting and Phin had practically begged to drag the old bastard out by his robes.

  I stormed through the kitchen with the single-minded goal of getting Veda off-site only to come up short. The kings consort stood blocking the way through, her skin tinged green in her obvious anger.

  “Sestie? What’s happened?” We needed less drama not more, but she didn’t anger easily or often. Whatever had driven her to her current state would be dealt with. Or so I thought.

  “You’re going to fight them on this, aren’t you?” Her tone was incredulous.

  “We’re still searching for Sai and she’s a part of that. We need her if we want to find him.”

  “But her seal is gone. You know as well as I do without that seal she’s worthless.”

  Phin hissed and I shook my head. I’d said as much before. Fuck I’d said worse but for some reason when I heard the words from Sestie’s mouth I felt my beast unfurl. Did it make me a hypocrite? Yes. Did I fucking care? Absolutely not.

  “She’s no more worthless than you, Consort.” I taunted softly.

  The hue of her skin deepened and her eyes narrowed. “I demand you turn her over and focus on finding your king.”

  Pike rolled his eyes, oblivious or uncaring of the dangerous rasp of her voice. “You have no authority to order us to sit, stay, or rollover.”

  “I will-”

  I stepped deep in her space. “Do not finish that sentence or you’ll find yourself bound and gagged and awaiting Sailas in a cell.”

  I looked over her shoulder and made eye contact with Ozias where he stood in front of the basement door. Was she downstairs?

  He shook his head softly. She tried but she was already on the leafy side.

  Fucking hell. Just what I needed. A pissed off fertility goddess to go with the angry priest and priestess. I could feel a headache forming and that pissed me off since wolves didn’t get sick.

  I snarled at her like I did the young pups in our pack. “Get control of yourself and go home. When we find Sai-”

  “If” she spat.

  “When we find Sai, you’ll be informed. Do not come back here and do not approach the sentinel again. Are we clear?”

  “I’m going to make you regret this.”

  Not fucking likely.

  “Looking forward to it. Jericho, escort her outside.” The ‘goddess’ re
quired a connection to nature in order to teleport. She couldn’t dematerialize in or on man-made structures. In my mind, it made her useless as fuck in the modern world.

  “On it.” Jericho wiggled his eyebrows at Sestie. “After you, malady.”

  “I will shrivel your balls, and you will be an impotent eunuch the rest of your miserable existence.”

  Jer laughed. “Sai would fix me.”

  She shoved past him and he grinned saluting merrily as he followed her out.

  “That went dark quick.” Pike observed conversationally.

  “Doesn’t it fucking always.”

  He clapped my shoulder before following Phin and Oz through the basement door.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Veda

  I was tucked in the backseat of a black Expedition with Emerick and Jericho sitting on either side of me like bookends. Phin sat with Pike in the third row while Bay drove and Oz rode shotgun. The atmosphere was riddled with tension.

  Out of the blue Jericho’s fist flew past my face so close I felt air sting my nose hairs before I heard a meaty thwack against the side of Emerick’s face.

  “Punch Buggy!”

  I turned wide eyes to Jericho who was grinning and bouncing a little in his seat.

  Laughter strangled me and I glanced over at Emerick in time to see his nostrils flare before his arms shot across me to bang Jer’s face off the window.

  In the space of a few seconds, I suddenly had the equivalent of five hundred pounds of male squabbling and smacking each other across my lap. Phin cursed somewhere behind me while Pike roared with laughter.

  Arms grabbed Emerick in a choke hold while Jericho took a cheap shot making him growl and jerk forward. Just as I thought Em would break Phin’s hold Bay’s voice ripped through the cabin.

  “Em, Oz switch seats now.” Oh good, he pulled over.

  “He started it!” Emerick protested.

  “Now.”

  Phin let him loose slowly and Emerick wrenched the door open before shuffling around Oz to slide in the front seat. Oz climbed in next to me, eyes filled with shared mirth. Both men closed their doors- one with more flair than the other- before Bay pulled back onto the road muttering about fucking wolves.

  Jericho snickered. “Pussy.”

  Phin groaned as Emerick threw himself between the seats to grab Jer by the front of his shirt.

  Oz dragged me under his arm and away from where Jer struggled between laughing and fight Emerick off.

  The car swerved sharply as Bay lost his shit. “I swear to the moon, I will turn this car around!”

  It was quiet for two point five seconds before laughter rolled through the cabin. My sides hurt as I leaned into Ozias’ shaking frame. I was wiping the tears from my cheeks when my eyes were suddenly caught by Bay’s in the rear view. Grinning he winked and I smiled in return-

  Whumph

  I jerked forward violently in my seat as everything seemed to lift. The SUV seemed suspended and the windows blew out spraying glass throughout the cabin.

  A high pitch ringing set up camp in my ear drums and my body jolted when we began to roll. Emerick’s body landed hard on the roof of the cabin his claws tearing through the lining as he tried and failed to stop his momentum.

  He probably should’ve worn his belt.

  I tried to turn my head, but hands had found their way to my shoulders in an attempt to further anchor me against the crash.

  Boom

  One second we were rolling and the next it was if someone had punted the whole truck. I felt weightless for a moment as we were airborne but the “what’s up comes down” theory worked against us and we greeted the earth in a frame bending crunch.

  For a moment I thought we were still moving but as my vision cleared, I could see we had finally come to a stop on the passenger side. The ringing in my ears was becoming painful and I tried to lift my hands to my ears but they were pinned.

  No, not pinned.

  I looked over to realize Jer was holding my hands tightly and shaking his head as he spoke. I focused on his lips and while they were nice lips, I couldn’t read them. The vehicle shuddered and I tensed but it was Bay kicking the door off.

  Pain screamed through my shoulder and hip and I tried to adjust, sliding when the arm underneath mine gave way. Jer tried to pull me closer to him cupping my cheek to keep me from turning. I batted his hands away to glance over my shoulder.

  I didn’t have to hear him to know Jer was cursing. Even frozen I could feel his fury. On my other side Ozias’ form was still, his neck bent at an odd angle his face and chest covered in blood from the giant shard of glass protruding from his neck. His vacant ruby eyes stared sightlessly, and I waited for him to blink. No, no, no, no, no.

  They were practically immortal.

  Daenali wolves didn’t die from a broken neck or glass shrapnel.

  They didn’t die from a fucking car accident.

  My body was ripped violently up towards the door and I opened my mouth to thrash Jericho for the freaking audacity only to realize it was not Jericho and we were likely about to die.

  Before I could consider throwing a punch, I was thrown from the vehicle to land sprawled in the dirt next to it. Rolling on to my back I crab walked backwards as one of the deadliest creatures the territories boasted stalked me.

  The Lovely Din. Loosely translated, their real name didn’t fit human phonetics.

  This was why my ears still rung. Not the accident- shit not an accident- a sonic boom. The Din could render you dead by simply opening their mouths-anything else was just them playing with their food.

  He smiled at me and tipped the brim of his short top hat.

  Nope, not pleased to make his acquaintance.

  The Din that stalked me wasn’t alone. I counted five more as I crab walked backwards through the dirt. They looked like men but their skin was so white it was almost ethereal and their mouths were open unnaturally wide. Bizarrely they all wore some form of coat and tails, jeans, and shit-kickers. It was like the southern gothic aesthetic had vomited all over them.

  I kicked to my feet to run when Top Hat opened his mouth. Agony crushed my eardrums and my vision wavered. I struggled to stay standing as the ground tilted like a morbid funhouse. Colors streamed around me and I gritted my teeth against the onslaught.

  Dirt flew around us while Pike, ears bleeding, fired round after round into the face of another Din. It wouldn’t kill them, but it might shut them up.

  It was brutal but I let go of my head and reached for the knife at my waist. Hands gripped my shoulders but instead of pulling away, I stepped into the Din’s hold shoving him back. Taking advantage of his stumble I spun whipping the knife across his throat.

  Abruptly the pain lessened, and I went from seeing three of everything to doubles which was less confusing.

  I ran for Phin who was on his knees bleeding from his eyes and ears as he choked a Din. Close but too fucking far. Sai had told me if I ever met a Din to run, find a door and get out. It was great advice if you didn’t find yourself fighting five- no six of them in the middle of a cow pasture.

  “Tear his throat out.” I was screaming – or trying to- it was hard to tell when I couldn’t hear anything.

  The earth shook and I was blown back off my feet as a high pitch screech overwhelmed us. The impact knocked the air from my lungs and I was momentarily stunned, my vision distorted from the assault on my senses.

  I was vaguely aware of Bay and Pike shifting involuntarily, too much adrenaline- too much pain. Their beasts were driven to protect them at all costs.

  I’d landed near a body, a dark-skinned body lying too still and covered in too much blood. I tried to crawl towards Jericho where he lay unconscious when I felt someone grip my hair. I was pulled to my feet in time to see that Phin had lost his hold on the Din he was strangling, and he too was being dragged away.

  “Shift.” My words were for Phin, but he couldn’t hear them anymore than I could. “Shift.” They might
lose their grip if he changed and he could run. At least one of us should get away.

  A weird flickering captured my attention. Looking up the air seemed distorted or maybe it was my vision. Then the distortion swirled, definitely not my vision, and it opened a portal. Oh no. No. No. Fire raced through my blood and I felt Phineas thrash as our connection flared to life.

  I struggled against the grip on my hair and Top Hat appeared before me still wearing the red smile I gave him. His jaws seemed to unhinge, and the screeching ramped up. Finally, the world spun and I felt blood run down my face and everything went black.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Veda

  Waking up post-kidnapping was becoming a nasty habit. This time in a chair, arms behind my back, secured to the frame. My head felt like a dropped watermelon and my eyes burned when I opened them.

  I tried to concentrate past the ringing in my ears but aside from the sound of my own heartbeat there was no other noise to hint at where I was. Slowly I lifted my head from where it hung against my chest and forced my eyes wide despite the pain it sent shooting through my skull.

  Jeez, drinking had never done me so wrong.

  The soft flap of a tarp drew my gaze outward and I watched as the wind pressed in the walls of the... tent? Tilting my head back and around showed they were not tarps but panels of canvas. Purple and cream, blue and pink, grey and green all laced together and held aloft by long poles. The center pole was off behind me to my right and between us lay Phin.

  “Shit.” I’d hoped he’d shifted after I passed out. Now we were both captives. Leverage was on the wrong side of this equation.

  “Shit.” I cursed louder and hellooo hearing. Well, that was something. If I could hear so could he.

  “Phin?” I could barely see his chest expand as he breathed but it probably had more to do with the miles of rope wrapped around his torso. His arms were pinned to his side where he lay with his back to me.