Lowering the gun, she said to the wolf Brian, “Sorry. Moving target. Got the hang of it now.” Her anger hadn’t left with the bullet, but instead solidified in her heart. These bear people may have started this war, but she intended to finish it. She wanted to kill every one of those men who attacked her based on only rumor. Yet, somewhere inside, she knew she’d become as blind as them if she did.
Her wolf bowed his head and leapt out the window. Within minutes, he was back, lowering his front end. It took her a moment to realize he wanted her to climb aboard. She didn’t really want to leave. She wanted to put an end to this war tonight. But, she also trusted Brian and Tony. If they thought it better to leave, then so did she. After all, they’d been around this shapeshifter world a lot longer than her.
She frowned. “I can ride a horse. Wolf remains to be seen.” She climbed aboard.
It was an odd sensation and very unhorse-like. Whereas a horse’s barrel-like body was broad and somewhat rounded, suitable for a rider to grip with his legs, the wolf’s chest was narrow and deep with a finely tapered waist behind it. It took a few strides to situate herself, but by the time they reached a full run, she pretty much had her seat.
A large wolf, not as big or as dark as Brian, loomed to her right and she took aim. “Firing.”
She let go with the bullet and Brian stumbled to the side with a loud, “Oof.” The other wolf dropped even as she grappled to stay seated, fisting huge chunks of her wolf’s neck fur. Searing pain from her wounded ribs shot through her body and, for a moment, she honestly thought she’d be sick. Brian had been right; she was still plenty injured.
“Sorry,” she said with a grimace. “No more shots to the side. Straight on or straight behind.” Glancing back, she saw the smaller wolf flailing to rise. Then she saw a streak of white attack it. Give him hell, Tony.
Olivia had two shots left in the revolver, and she contemplated changing them now. Just as she decided she would, a big albino buck deer appeared only ten feet in front of them, head lowered and antlers ready. Brian reared back and rocked to the right, almost unseating her. She wrapped her legs tighter. They kept turning around the buck until he was directly behind. He pivoted with them, pawing grooves in the deep loam and keeping them always facing the points of his antlers. He charged, digging his feet deep into the frosted forest floor. She let him have it. This time went much better; no stumbling steps and one dead deer.
Tony joined them, and they raced through the woods. She reloaded and tucked the .357 into the front of her waistband and settled low over Brian’s shoulders like a jockey. It seemed that they were running in that forest forever, but when they met up with a highway, they turned to run beside it, taking to the trees again when traffic approached. Both Tony and Brian seemed tireless, but she worried. Though mostly healed, Brian had those recent injuries, and carrying her added weight had to be wearing him down.
Tony led the way, like a white ghost, racing toward their destination, which Olivia suspected terminated at Miss Atwood’s orphanage. They veered away from the highway and paused at a secluded spring for a quick drink. Warm water bubbled from underground, heating the clearing enough so that no snow covered the dry glade. The trees also showed bare bark and needles on the half that faced the spring.
Her suspicions about Brian were confirmed. Whereas Tony looked tired, Brian fell back on the moonlit brown grass, huffing hoarsely. His wolf face was haggard and he kept his eyes closed. She turned her gaze on the tiger, who seemed to know her concern. Nothing needed to be said. He got to his feet and loped away into the forest. She watched over Brian, smoothing his soft fur as he slowly drifted off into exhausted sleep. She didn’t think he’d hear a whole army of bears, or whatever, from three feet away. Even though without a coat and cold, she caught herself nodding off, so she marched around until her head cleared. Then she stood at the edge of the clearing, leaning against an aspen, rubbing her arms and watching her wolf.
She wondered when he’d become her wolf. It had to have been in the woods, when she watched him defend her. Or, had it been in his house, before he’d ever shown his other self to her? Or had it been in the hospital, when she woke and he’d been watching over her. Yes, she decided. That had been it. Was she falling in love? She felt no silly giggles bubbling inside, no heartache clinging to the edges of her dreams. She felt no overwhelming desire to blind him to all women but her. Watching others who claimed to be “in love” had taught her these were the signs. She had none. Yet, they somehow fit together. And she couldn’t see her life without him. Was that love?
About forty-five minutes after he left, Tony reappeared in man form, dressed in cowboy duds. He swung a bulging fast food sack in one hand and clothing in another. She hadn’t even heard him walk through the woods. Disgusted with herself, she flopped down on the ground near Brian.
Tony tossed a coat at her. He chuckled. As if knowing her thoughts, he asked, “Do you expect to be able to hear like we do?”
“I expect to at least be a decent lookout, but apparently, I can’t even do that. Anyway, if I’m supposed to be this mythical griffin, shouldn’t I hear better than I do?” She gently pulled on the parka, favoring her ribs, reinjured from the sideways shot that sent Brian stumbling. Maybe she’d even re-broken the mending seams. Her kidney still felt bruised, but no worse.
Reaching into the bag, Olivia snagged the first burger she found. She was naturally carnivorous, but when tired or in need of comfort, beef was the meat of choice. And this burger, though subpar, tasted fantastic right then. She closed her eyes and let the heavy grease and burnt leather flavor roll around her tongue. Heaven.
“Your abilities will most likely change when you do,” Tony said.
She opened her eyes. She knew he meant to be reassuring with his words, but they only drove deeper the assertion of her nightmare other self. She thought he sensed her despair and they were silent a few moments, listening to Brian’s heavy breathing. Well, at least she was listening to Brian, because she apparently couldn’t hear anything much farther away.
Eventually, Tony said, “You handled that gun really well.”
Catching what she thought was a hint, she pulled the .357 out of her waistband and held it out to him. He waved it off. “Keep it for a while; you may need it again.”
That brought up a topic that had been bothering her. “Why don’t the men after us use guns?”
“Tradition. Arrogance. As a shifter, you feel immortal.”
“But, you aren’t. Injuries carry over to the other form. Dead as animal is dead as man, right?”
He nodded, locking his gaze with hers. “Just don’t get dead. Either way.”
She didn’t like the sound of that, but she still re-tucked the pistol and finished her burger, eyeing the bag again. She reached for it to snag another charred beef delight. Spasms of pain shot from her side, snatching her breath away. She slowly retreated from her intended quarry.
Tony, who no doubt had heard the catch in her breath, reached over and plunked the burger bag into her lap. “Bones heal slower than soft tissue for our kind. We need both you and Brian to return to healing, but first we have an errand. Then we need to move farther away.” He looked off into the distance. “Shifters usually remove their dead. It causes too many questions in the autopsy room. Hopefully the police won’t find out about the skirmish at my cabin. I hope I can go back there someday.”
“Me, too.” She loved that place. She shoved the food bag out of her lap; the pain had removed the last bit of her hunger. She needed more of Brian’s magic drink, but they’d left the last of it at the cabin. “I don’t suppose you have any aspirin in your pocket, do you?”
He shook his head and stood. Picking up the bag, he dropped it on Brian’s wolf flank. “Rise and shine, sleepyhead. Here’s breakfast.”
Brian lifted his long, lupus head and shoved it into the bag. He snuffled and rooted a moment and then emerged with a sandwich, chewed it and swallowed it, paper and all. As he ate, he slowly chan
ged back into man. He sat and reached for the clothes Tony brought for him and worked his legs into the jeans. Then he reached into the bag for a second burger which he unwrapped this time. Cramming half of it into his mouth in one bite, he stood and finished pulling on his jeans. He grinned at Olivia, his cheeks gopher full. She gave him the best smile she could muster. Adrenaline is a wonderful thing. It can make a person feel invincible, even when badly or mortally injured. When it wore off, however, the reality of injuries sucked.
Brian was helping her to her feet in an instant, concern brimming in his eyes, despite the caked blood from his new injuries, including a really nasty one on his neck. He helped her back to the highway and into their acquired vehicle, a pearl white 1968 Chevy pickup that Tony had swiped earlier. The owner had strangely dropped the keys when faced with a snarling and spitting six hundred pound albino Bengal tiger. The inside had been done fully in cherry red leather. She felt bad stealing it, but not bad enough that she wanted to begin their cross-country journey on foot again.
They turned around and barreled down the highway, the old Chevy rocking and heaving at its top speed of 110, Tony at the wheel, heading toward the camp again. They didn’t discuss their final destination, but they all knew. Miss Atwood would be surprised to get a visit from Olivia. Especially with the company she now kept. It seemed odd to her that this world she’d entered was more real to her now than the one she’d lived in just a week ago. Shapeshifters had become part of the norm for her, and no matter what happened with her griffinness, or not, she’d never be the same again.
Chapter 32
Brian held Olivia close to him as the old Chevy sped down the highway. The owner had taken good care of the antique truck. Its engine purred evenly and matched the whine of the tires below them. The heater worked well. Too well. Despite several adjustments to the controls, the heat continued to pour through the floor vents. Both windows were rolled half-way down by the time they came to the long road leading to Tony’s cabin.
Tony switched off the headlights and slowed to first gear.
Brian craned his neck and scanned the area. Nothing moved under the towering Ponderosas. No vehicle lights shone through the woods, nor did any appear behind them as they cruised past. It appeared they’d eluded their pursuers by doubling back.
“I don’t see anything. You’re good to go.” He spoke softly, and then laughed at his low voice, as if their enemies could hear him inside the truck.
The Chevy picked up speed again, but Tony waited to turn on the headlights until the road curved around an abutment in the mountain.
In the silence, Brian’s thoughts returned to their conversation just before the bears and crew arrived. Olivia was a griffin. Well, maybe. No, scratch that. Probably. Miss Atwood was known as being a tough old gal that was as crafty as they came. If there was a rumor about a griffin, it could have only come from one source. And it was probably true.
His heart surged within him. Olivia was a shapeshifter! She was a natural part of his world. If she rejected him, it wouldn’t be because he was a wolf. Unless she just plain didn’t want him. But, one look in her eyes and he knew that was untrue. It was as if the weight of a thousand boulders lifted. Relief flooded through him. He hadn’t realized how heavy that burden had been. How much he’d held back because he’d, deep inside, expected her to come to hate the creature within him. It was possible that the griffin may not tolerate his wolf well, but that could be taught.
Another thought hit him. There were no others of her kind. She was alone. Even more than he. He squeezed her close to him, looking down when her face turned up to his. He needed to find a way to tell her she’d never be alone. That, no matter what happened between them, she would always have him in her corner.
Before he could speak, she said, “You said the griffins were extinct. How?”
His gaze involuntarily shifted to Tony. His friend’s face turned hard. He kept his focus on the road.
Brian answered. “There was a war.”
“A war? Between who? The griffins?”
He hesitated. Trees flipped past in the headlights of the truck, counting the seconds before he spoke. Finally, he said, “Between the griffins and just about everyone.”
Olivia was equally silent for a moment. Then she quietly said, “Tell me.”
“It was in the day of the dragons—”
“Wait! There’s dragons?” She jerked upright, her gaze like a child’s, brightly searching his.
“Extinct,” came Tony’s voice.
She twisted to look at him. “It was thought griffins were extinct, yet, here I am. Assuming I am one. Couldn’t dragons still be alive too?”
He shook his head, not taking his eyes off the road. “Not a chance. Dragons have been gone since the war, just over a thousand years ago. Compared to that, the extinction of the griffins is a recent occurrence.”
“But still.”
“That long ago, one would have popped up. Like you did.” He glanced at her. Then, the corners of his mouth twitched. “Assuming you’re a griffin.”
She scowled at him and turned back to Brian, effectively dismissing Tony from the conversation. Behind her, Tony’s face lit into a full grin.
Brian would have to speak to him again. The dynamics between those two would have to change if he hoped to live peacefully. That would have to wait until later.
“The Great Griffin Wars,” he began. “It all started with two men and one woman.” He glared at Tony over Olivia’s head.
Tony glanced at him, eyebrows raised. “Different situation.”
Slowly he nodded. Again, it would have to wait until later. He continued the story. “Thousands of years ago, dragons and griffins ruled as supreme shifters jointly. Dragons were known as strong and wise. Griffins as loyal and fierce. They were evenly matched and neither bothered the other. Dragons demanded sacrifice from humans. Griffins just took what they wanted. It had always been that way, would be today except for a woman.”
“It’s a love story, isn’t it? I can tell. I love romances.”
Of course she did. Brian loved that about her. Even though she was terrified of what she might become, she still grasped at fairy tales. He smiled at her. “It is the worst kind of love story. A human woman, who, strangely, no one remembers her name, was pledged as a sacrifice to one of the dragons—”
“They ate people?” She caught her breath.
“No. They stole the women away for their pleasure.”
She blushed. “Well, that’s better, I guess.”
“This woman was one of the most beautiful women anywhere. The dragon was named Bartheleme. And he wanted her more than anything. When time came for the sacrifice, the woman was tied to the sea cliffs near her village. As Bartheleme approached to claim what was rightfully his, a griffin by the name of Efar snatched her from the rocks and flew away. The dragon, being heavier, was slower and never caught Efar.”
“This sounds like a fairy tale.”
Tony said, “Where do you think they come from? Folk tales are based on truth.”
Olivia flicked her gaze toward him, but returned her attention to Brian immediately. “What happened next?”
He grinned, enjoying her attention. He’d tell her stories all day long, every day, if it kept her staring at him like that. “War happened. Between dragons and griffins. Eventually, other shifters joined in. Most took the side of the dragons. Griffins were protective and loyal, but they scared everyone too much with their fierceness. Once they got started, they couldn’t be stopped. One day, there weren’t any more dragons. But the shifters that had fought alongside them continued on until there were no griffins either.”
“Or so they thought.”
He hugged her gently. “Yeah.”
“Could this by why Hall wants me dead?”
“Hall doesn’t strike me as the type of person who would reignite a war because of an ancient vendetta. I think there’s something personal in it.”
She sputtered her lips to
gether. “Great. Just great.”
Chapter 33
It had now been six days since the first attack in Olivia’s apartment. Yet, it seemed a lifetime to her. Everything had changed. Yet, nothing had. The world was still the same, she just saw it with opened eyes.
As she, Brian, and Tony pulled into the driveway of the orphanage, dawn lit blandly across gray clouds. The place hadn’t altered a bit in the few years she’d been gone. Maybe the old chimneys on the main house missed a few more bricks and the ridge of the barn swayed a bit more, but it essentially looked the same as the day she’d left. A few children dressed in thick, well-worn coats were already up and at their chores: milking the two cows she remembered as Jess and Bess, feeding the thirty or so hens and collecting eggs. Several roosters paced the sides of their pen closest to the hens, pausing to crow. Judging from their size, they’d be dinner one day soon. Memories of her doing those very same chores flooded her, and she pulled in a deep breath until a shot of pain from her ribs grabbed and stilled her for a moment.
Melita, an orphan herself and Miss Atwood’s assistant, came out to meet them. Forever the flirt, she beamed directly onto Tony’s presence. She gently shook her head, settling her blonde curls to frame her face. By the time Brian and Olivia came around the front of the truck, the other young woman looked like she was ready to bear Tony’s baby. If only she knew his other form…but then, maybe she did.
“Melita, we need to speak to Miss Atwood,” Olivia said.
“Olivia! I’m so happy to see you.” The blonde woman squealed. That alone made Olivia take a step away from her. They’d never been friends. When Melita moved in for a hug, Olivia extended her hand quickly for shaking. She was having trouble standing and breathing, she would collapse under the pressure of a hug. Anyway, the whole friend thing had to be a show for Tony.
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