by Judy Teel
He nodded to me as if to say, "you next." I backed up, shaking my head. "Really?" the angle of his head seemed to say.
Yeah, pretty sure I wasn't a kangaroo too.
When I didn't pull anything out of my own freakish stomach tote, Dragon Guy shrugged and started to glow. If the clothing he'd tossed on the ground wasn't clue enough, that sure was. He was some kind of Were and I was about to be treated to the full monty. Yeah. I was done.
Spinning around, I lumbered deeper into the village, and past the fountain to the entrance. Gathering up my stuff, I bounded up the cliff for the forest to get a little privacy.
I didn't linger in 4-D this time, but I didn't rush back down once I was dressed and armed either. I got down on my stomach and commando crawled to the edge of the cliff to determine the position of my mystery protector.
I peered down the ragged drop of rocks and saw the guy from my first shift, the fountain and Jesse's attack sitting on the wall below me. He looked up and directly at me, even though I was well hidden in the laurels that edged this part of the bluff.
"We need to talk," he said, his voice carrying clearly through the unnatural quiet that had engulfed the forest.
* * *
"What are you?" I called down, scooting back a little deeper into the laurels while still keeping an eye on him.
He swung his legs to the other side of wall so that he didn't have to twist his head around to look at me. "Demon-Were, like you."
"You're nothing like me."
"You're half practitioner," he said. I was not comforted by how much this guy seemed to know about me.
He bent over and picked a bright yellow flower from where a cluster of them grew near his feet. "I can help you refine your form, if you want." He lifted the flower to his nose and took a deep breath, his eyes half closed as he savored the scent of it.
I studied him, taking full advantage of my current position. He looked like he was in his late twenties or early thirties, which made the "if" part of him being my father even bigger. He had sharp, determined features and his build was lean and muscular, both of which reminded me of myself, though I hated to admit it. His hair was sandy-brown, where mine was dark enough to be almost black, but when he looked up, it was like looking in a mirror as his deep, twilight blue eyes locked with mine.
But even that didn't prove anything. Maybe he wasn't a Were. He might be something else.
"You don't trust me," he stated, looking up at the sky and smiling as if the presence of a few sunset splashed clouds were the height of happiness. "If I wanted to hurt you, would I have saved your life? Three times."
"I know a vamp back home who tends to do that, and I wouldn't trust him as far as I could behead him."
The man laughed, a low, warm sound that seemed familiar. I pushed away the crumb of hope trying to take root in my chest. What better way to gain an orphan's trust than to pretend to be her father?
"Pop on out of here. And take your freakish attack bug with you." Scooting back, I pushed to my feet and turned, planning to make a quick exit.
One blink the woods was empty except for me, the next and the guy stood in front of me with his hands up. I drew my gun in a reflexive Were-fast movement, glad I'd had the foresight to unclip the safety strap after I'd fastened my holster to my thigh.
"There's nothing in that weapon that can hurt me," he said. "But it's not my intention for us to fight."
"I've beaten your kind before."
He raised a brow. "My kind?"
"The name Aedodra sound familiar to you?"
The puzzlement on his face, compressed into a frown. "We were created because of the creature that claims that name."
The chapter I'd read had mentioned something like that, but I'd been too focused on finding a way to stop the pandemic than on thinking about my possible history. "Were-Demons, protectors of the innocent. I've heard," I said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in my voice.
"Then you know some of your heritage." Seeming pleased, he started to lower his arms.
I waved the gun at him. "Keep 'em up."
His smile deepened as he raised his hands higher. "You're very cautious. Like your mother."
My finger tightened on the trigger. "A guy that I suspect is kin to Aedodra once claimed to know my mother too. You're digging yourself in deeper if you think you can win me over with crap like that."
"Pan is here?" There was no denying the pleasure in his voice this time. "And his sister as well?"
"Maybe."
The man laughed, surprising me. "Even as a baby, your mouth turned down exactly like that when you were disgusted. Your eyes and hair haven't changed either."
"There it is. If you tell me that you're my father, don't be surprised if I shoot you."
He coughed, trying to hold back his laugh, though his eyes still danced with humor. "All right. I'm the man who your mother summoned from a spell that entrapped and protected my people for nearly 10,000 years. We fell in love and after I initiated her in the delights of a man's touch, you were the result."
"Eww! Gross." I scrunched up my face and glared at him.
"Does that answer your question?"
"It makes me feel like I've been smarmed by a greasy teenage boy with BO," I said.
His grin broadened, showing a row of even white teeth. "Only the daughter of Mehkhem and Julia Nebra could say such a thing while pointing a weapon."
"Keep in mind the shooting threat before you open your mouth again. What was that thing that appeared by the ruins?"
Mehk's joviality collapsed like a deflating balloon. "The Tor'nysoos." He spat to the side, his expression dark. "Created by Aedodra to destroy the other races."
I let my surprise roll around inside me and kept my face neutral.
He held my gaze. "It's been dormant for thousands of years. Your first shift awakened it."
"My first shift?" I protested, and then something Aedodra's brother had once said echoed through my mind — Bringing your natural form into this world triggered a vibration that rippled across time and space. That signal will awaken something that hasn't walked this dimension of Earth for thousands of years.
A cold slap of guilt and anger hit me in the chest.
"The Tor'nysoos felt the pull of a living Demon-Were and tore through the barrier," Mehk continued. "For now, it can only form in this dimension for brief periods of time. But as it gets stronger, it will be able to hold its solid form longer." His blue eyes watched me intently. "It was designed for slaughter. It doesn't need much time to do that."
"Has it been using the Suir aosar to attack the Weres?" I asked, remembering what I'd found when I went into the fourth dimension.
His brows drew down. "Brute strength and instinct is all it knows. It kills in the physical world and will keep killing until every Were and every practitioner is dead."
My blood chilled as I tumbled that around in my mind for a moment, and then remembered the smattering of strange information I'd uncovered during the murder case Cooper and I had worked that past summer. "Those interdimensional bastards," I muttered as pieces I hadn't understood fell into place. "They manipulated me into triggering exactly what's happening now."
Mehk raised a brow.
"Laswell and his sister," I said. He watched me curiously as I thought back to the rich practitioner's weird garden and the statues in it. "Possibly Pan and the goddess Diana?"
He shook his head.
"Goddess of the hunt? Um...god of wine and revelry?"
Mehk's expression cleared. "Maker of Weres. Humanity's champion."
"I thought so." I lowered my gun and Mehk let his hands dropped to his sides.
"Your concern about the Suir aosar attacks...are you talking about the half-formed Were?" he asked.
I brought my gun back up. I couldn't believe I'd forgotten about Jesse. "What did you do with him?"
Mehk pulled in a long breath and then released it. "He's been following you since you left Cha'dana." He looked out into the forest
and his gaze lost focus for a moment.
A soft step to my right and a large black and tan wolf emerged from the shadows. He sat down, his yellow eyes watching me patiently.
My stomach did a flip of alarm and I took a step back, keeping both of them in my sights.
"He doesn't remember the attack," Mehk said. "He only knows that he's drawn to you."
"Why?"
"Partially your Demon-Were scent, but also because you were the last human face that he saw."
I looked at the wolf. "Jesse, can you understand me?"
He cocked his head, interest flaring in his intelligent eyes.
"Do you remember your brother, Noah?"
He blew out a soft huff of air and then scratched his ear with his hind leg.
I pointed my gun at Mehk. "How could you have done this to him?"
"You'd rather he died like the golden wolf did?"
I sucked in a breath. Ryker was dead. "Turn around and start walking," I said aiming at his chest, the screams of those who had died echoing in my mind as Cooper's loss echoed in my heart. "You might be able to help the rest of them."
* * *
When we reached the Bone Clan compound, the sun had set and the gates were locked until morning. The torches mounted on posts along the inside the wall were being lighted. When Bald Guy turned and saw Mehk and then Jesse, who'd padded silently along behind us, he yelled at the other guard to get Cooper.
I was considering the best spot for a campout when I saw Cooper charging across the greenway. He stopped four yards from the gate and his gaze tracked over me from top to bottom before moving to Mehk. Cooper studied him. Crossing his arms, he looked back and forth between us for a moment. Finally, he focused on Jesse sitting quietly a few feet behind us. "Can he shift?"
I shook my head and his expression darkened. He gave Mehk his full attention. "What are you to Addison?"
Mehk beamed at me. "Addison?"
"Yeah. So what?" I said, frowning.
"I like it. Better than the one your mother insisted on giving you."
I grit my teeth. "Stop talking about that," I said, as I considered shooting him on the spot. Not to kill, mind you, but a nice near miss with a little grazing sounded like good idea. Having your mother abandon you as a baby tended to leave a few hard feelings.
"What would you know about Addison's name?" Cooper asked.
"Indeed?" Mistress Raevinne boomed. She shuffled up to stand beside Cooper, Miller supporting her on one side and Erika on the other. To his credit, Mehk held his ground as the elderly practitioner speared him with her imposing gaze.
"Alberta was her given name," he said, smiling. "Named after Julia's best friend, Allie."
Mistress Raevinne's mouth thinned into an angry line, but I saw fear in her eyes too. "Who are you?" she hissed.
"You seem to have a knack for pissing people off," I commented, not liking where this was heading. "Maybe we are related."
The practitioner's gaze skimmed over Mehk's leather pants and shirt. "What year is it?"
"Thu solsh jun'urausoin ay shu Hensruss de shu somu nuw mi'in," Mehk said, amusement sparkling in his eyes.
"The sixth generation of the Huntress in the time of the new moon?" Miller said, wonder in his voice. "How do you speak—?"
Mistress Raevinne held up a hand, and Miller shut his mouth with a snap. "Your name," she demanded.
Mehk gave her an elaborate bow worthy of an Elizabethan court. "Mehkhem Nebtra du a'r Dakum-Wara."
"Of the Demon-Were," Erika whispered.
"He doesn't lie," Cooper said, his intense gaze locked onto Mehk.
The breeze kicked up and the foul bite of rotten Jasmine assaulted my nose. Mehk and I spun toward the smell. Just beyond the light of the torches, a spot in the air started to shimmer.
Seeing my alarm, Cooper stepped in front of the practitioners. "Get away from the gate!" I shouted.
"Stop!" Mehk barked, a thread of panic in his voice. "It senses movement."
The air expanded and the disgusting bug-croc nightmare solidified. One of the people behind us gasped. The thing opened its snout and its thick forked tongue darted in and out. My muscles quivered as adrenaline pumped through my blood stream.
Swiveling its head, it tested the air again. Then its back leg twitched and the air around its body rippled as the smell of rotten Jasmine thickened. Then the vibration pulled inward, distorting the monster until it looked like a reflection rippling across a pond. Then it was gone.
"It's getting faster," I said, as the smell faded. I relaxed, turning to see if the others were okay.
"Not yet!" Mehk yelled.
I swung around. An orb of light engulfed him as his leather pants and shirt dissolved. Then his body stretched and morphed in the fastest shift I'd ever seen.
Then the stink of the monster swept over me. In front of me, the air shimmered.
I scrambled back, as a spine-covered insect leg stabbed the ground, just missing me. Behind it, the blur of Mehk's jade-green tail as he swept it under the monster's legs, knocking its feet out from under it. The Tor'nysoos stumbled and Mehk, now fully in his dragon form, leaped into the forest and ran.
He was trying to lead it away from the compound. Exactly what I'd planned to do.
I bolted into the woods, heading in a different direction at top speed, not looking to see which one of us the Tor'nysoos followed. Something big crashed through the underbrush about two hundred yards to my left and heading away from me, which answered that question. Mehk didn't stand a chance without some help.
When I hit the creek, I darted around an outcropping of rocks and ducked down. Unstrapping my gun, I stripped out of my clothes and boots and threw everything into a pile on the top of a rock so I wouldn't lose them. With my heart pounding in my chest, I took a deep breath and focused inward.
The glow spread quicker this time and the sphere of light popped out around me within a couple of minutes, the flash of light moments after that. As soon as I stood in 4-D, I focused on my other form and willed the shift.
It was the fastest I'd ever shifted and I staggered a step on re-entry, dizzy. Lifting my head, I sniffed the air until the sharp smell of rotten Jasmine burned my nose. I got a bead on the direction and then snapped open my wings.
One of the reasons I'd chosen this spot, was that it was cleared of trees. Concentrating hard, I flapped my wings, building up speed and strength as I re-familiarized myself with my shifted body. Slowly, my feet lifted off the ground.
Exhilaration swept through me as I rose higher, the rock outcropping dropping away below me as I cleared the treetops. To my left was the compound, the small figure of Bald Guy pointing at me, Cooper barking orders as he attempted to corral the practitioners back into the safety of their quarters. To my right, the forest stretched endlessly, broken only by the gray ridge of the cliffs that marked the village ruins.
A roar echoed from the forest below me. I angled my wings and body slightly, aiming for the spot, and sped over the tree tops, the cold evening air whistling past my head. I spotted a blue glow darting beneath the canopy, moving fast, and aimed for it.
I picked up the trail of flattened vegetation and toppled trees leading away from the compound and followed it. Based on the angle, Mehk had planned to cut a direct line to the village ruins, probably to give him more room to maneuver. But before he could reach it, the monster had driven him further West, trapping him against a bluff.
I circled over the trampled area as they fought, keeping high enough to minimize getting the bug-croc's attention but low enough to watch the combatants as I calculated the best way to attack. Mehk's fighting technique was smooth and professional, dodging, ducking and leaping being the bulk of it with an occasional attack, usually involving a sweep of his tail to unbalance the monster. The Tor'nysoos was completely on offense, putting its energy into slice and dice moves. Smart, considering its natural body armor and ability to do serious damage without too much effort.
Except for one th
ing — the Tor'nysoos never looked up.
Pulling my arms close to my body, I tucked in my wings and dove.
The monster's back rushed up at me and at the last minute, I opened my wings like a parasail to slow my descent, brought my back legs forward and slashed at the thing, aiming for the space between the plates of exoskeleton that shielded its body.
As soon as my claws struck, I gave a powerful beat of my wings and soared up as the Tor'nysoos screeched and swung around, jaws snapping, its front legs slashing the air. As I'd hoped, Mehk didn't miss the opening I'd given him. Darting forward, he raked his front claws down the neck of the thing, opening a wound a yard long from jaw to what passed for its chest.
The Tor'nysoos squealed again and struck out, barely missing Mehk's head as he leaped out of range. Oozing thick, brown nastiness from its back and throat, the thing skittered back, the air around it shimmering as it prepared to escape.
I dove again, my claws out — and swooped through empty air. The Tor had already disappeared.
Barely breaking in time to miss the thick trunk of a pine tree, I banked sharply to the right and skidded along the edge of the trampled ground, landing with a messy combination of stumbling, tripping and rolling.
I pulled myself out of the laurel I'd taken down with me and gave myself a shake, scattering a shower of leaves and twigs to the ground around me. Maybe it was a good thing that I'd been outed. I needed to practice.
A flash of light at the corner of my eye told me that Mehk had changed back to his human form. I ducked behind a tree, not sure what to do about the suddenly awkward situation my rescue had put me in.
"You're very shy for a shifter, aren't you?" Mehk observed from the other side of my tree. I looked up at the branches. Nope. Didn't really want to see the guy naked. "You want me to meet you back at Cha'dana?" he asked.
I nodded my head, still looking up.
He chuckled and I heard the soft rustle of his footsteps as he ambled back down the path that his fight had carved from the woods. I relaxed, glad I wasn't going to have that particular image seared into my brain.
The rhythmic crunch of leaves stopped. "The wings, those are new," he said. "You use them well."
