“How’d you know? I’m a regular James Bond,” Dad said.
“Not exactly who I was thinking, but okay.” She missed the easy, fun conversations with her dad. They used to joke all the time. It was a step in the right direction.
“Actually, the map is seared into my steel trap of a brain.” He thumped his head with his finger. “We’ll connect to one more highway here in a few minutes, and then it’ll be all back roads.”
A coughing jag erupted from Cheveyo, and she turned to check on him. Aunt Sarah had her hand to his forehead.
“How’s he doing?” Reagan asked.
“He’s struggling. I’m not sure how much more I can do. Winona has a better effect on him, but she can only do so much.”
“She gives too much,” Cheveyo said.
Aunt Sarah’s eyes widened, and Reagan knew the woman felt guilty for what Cheveyo heard.
“She loves you,” Reagan said.
“And I her. That is why I do not want her weakening herself for me.”
“You won’t be able to stop her. You know that,” Reagan said. She knew nobody could stop her if she was determined to save one of her loved ones.
“I am an old man. The young should not diminish to save the aged.”
A look passed across his face; one she couldn’t quite figure out. She felt uneasy, but details weren’t communicating to her brain.
Conversation gave way to more depressing country tunes.
“Can you find something less—”
“Oh my God, Steve, look out!” Mom yelled.
Reagan turned to see what was causing such alarm just as the van made impact, sending her toward the front seat. Dad’s body was thrown sideways, blocking Reagan from sailing through the windshield. Skidding several feet, metal screeching on concrete, the van began tilting, finally landing on its side and coming to a stop. Disoriented and pulsing with adrenaline, Reagan kicked the cracked front windshield out, crawled through, and transformed. She didn’t take time to consider an easier method, assuming evil stood just outside the van. Although she felt more pain than normal, she shook it off.
“Help! We’ve been hit!” She sent the call out as a general plea, not knowing who might be close enough to hear.
Two wolves edged toward her. She wasn’t going to stray too far from the van, so she crept around it, determined to keep everyone inside safe. Snarling and teeth gnashing rang in her ears, and she knew more were coming. Indecision attacked. Should she lead the wolves away and hope reinforcements came quickly? She dismissed the thought, knowing she couldn’t take the risk of leaving everyone in the van vulnerable. For all she knew, everyone inside might be unconscious, sitting ducks for the enemy.
Outnumbered, attacking head on didn’t make sense. She closed her eyes and concentrated on heat, remembering the sensation of her exercises with Nana. Feeling warmth rising in her, she opened her mouth and shot flames toward the demons circling her. When the first caught on fire, the others yelped and ran. Not sure how many flame-throwing episodes she could manage without severely draining her resources, she took in her surrounding for more predators. Instead, she spotted Papa and Winona.
With a sense of relief, Reagan faced the van and reared up on her hind legs, hoping to see into the passenger’s side window. Mom lay sideways, not moving. Panicking, Reagan scratched at the side of the van, desperate to get someone’s attention. She couldn’t open the door with her paws, but if she transformed, she’d have to climb onto the side of the van and try to open a door from a bad angle. She wished she could’ve simply communicated with them, but nobody inside appeared to be conscious.
Remembering the two back doors opened like an ambulance, she ran around, took the handle into her mouth, and whipped her head to one side. Nothing happened at first, but the more aggressive her actions, the more the handle gave way, finally coming off in her mouth, allowing the door to pop open a bit. She wedged a paw inside, swinging the door into the air. Letting it fall on her back to hold it open, she poked her head inside. Everyone, except Cheveyo, started to move.
“More are coming!” Papa’s voice filled her head.
Reagan saw movement from Nana.
“Nana, can you hear me?”
“Yes, dear,” Nana sent back. She turned to acknowledge Reagan verbally as well.
“Tell everyone to stay in the van until we can secure the area.”
Nana nodded, and Reagan jumped back and let the door slam shut. She didn’t want to leave an easy access point. Coming around the side, she saw Papa and Winona fending off two more demon wolves. Reagan joined in just as Sasha, Ricardo, Madeleine, and Rowan came into view. They surrounded the two wolves and made quick work of them, grabbing legs and pulling in different directions until they tore the beasts apart.
Papa shifted and ran to the van, hopping on the side and pulling the door open. Reagan could see him reaching inside and grabbing something but couldn’t make it out until he held it up to his ear. A cell phone.
Waiting for instructions, and averting her eyes form Papa’s naked form, she and the rest of the pack surrounded the van and kept an eye out for more trouble.
“I’ve called for backup. They’ll be here as soon as they can, but for now, we need to get this van upright.” On the last word, he returned to wolf form.
Reagan wondered why he’d need a phone. If he needed support from their camp, he could communicate with them telepathically.
Papa motioned for her to join him on the driver’s side.
Sasha and Ricardo joined in and struggled to get the leverage necessary to turn the vehicle. With some effort, they finally made headway. Once they were able to get under it a bit, everyone pushed. Madeline and Rowan were on the other side to make sure the van didn’t go too far. After wobbling, it settled.
Able to take in the surroundings for the first time, Reagan noticed they had little cover. It was a bold attack from the demon wolves. Would they dare send more? Staying in wolf form was a risk, but less of one than transforming back and being at a disadvantage. Not to mention, a group of people standing around naked would raise alarms, too.
“We should move the van off the road,” Papa communicated. “Reagan, see if Nana can ask your dad if he can get it to start.”
After a few exchanges with Nana, Reagan reported that the car wouldn’t start, but her dad was going to put it in neutral. Everyone outside would have to push it to some covering, which was only a few feet away.
Reagan’s pulse quickened, both from pushing a large vehicle with five grown adults in it and concern that more demon wolves would show up. Even worse, deep in her gut, she knew the day wasn’t close to being over. Rafe’s demon guard had purpose; their attack wasn’t coincidence.
“How’s everyone doing?” Reagan asked Nana.
Before an answer came, Dad got out of the car, rifle in hand. He went around to the back, grabbed a backpack, and tossed it to Reagan. Clothes. Not sure what to do, she looked at Papa.
“I just got word. Backup is close.”
A low rumble caught Reagan’s ear. Papa went to the edge of the forest and everyone followed. Coming down the road were five Harleys. Not quite what she was expecting for backup. Instead of waiting for Papa’s word, she went back to the get clothes. On the way, she noticed Winona, Sasha, and Madeleine had already transformed. Reagan did the same and then met the others around the van.
Winona and Jessica had Cheveyo propped up between them. His eyes fluttered, but never opened.
“I had to call in a favor from an old friend to borrow the bikes,” Papa said.
Grateful for the cavalry Papa had called in, she watched as they moved closer. They didn’t even bother to put their kickstands down, instead, motioning for their passengers.
Winona and Madeleine helped Cheveyo to the first one.
Leaning toward Papa and keeping her voice low, Reagan asked, “Will he even have the strength to hold on?”
“It’s taken care of,” Papa said.
Reagan could
see the ladies helping Cheveyo onto the motorcycle. Then, the rider handed them some rope and seemed to be giving instructions. When they stepped away, Reagan saw the plan; Cheveyo was tethered to his driver. All they could do was pray it would work. They took off, followed by Aunt Sarah with another rider.
At first, Reagan thought the rumbling she felt came from the motorcycles pulling away. Then, something told her to spin around. Squinting to decipher the image in front of her, her brain said it was a gray wall coming toward them. Two sides of her battled for supremacy. Stay human or go wolf. Her friends seemed to hesitate, too, although the three remaining bikers chose wolf form, kicking the bikes—spinning tires and all—into the forest.
Fear ransacked her body. At least twenty gray wolves raced toward them. Backing up while calculating her next move, she saw her father grab one of the motorcycles and motion for his wife to join him. He sped off down the road. She hesitated. Should she do the same? She’d never driven a motorcycle. Not wanting to waste another second on indecision, she picked Nana up like a small child and headed into the woods. Reagan wouldn’t be able to go very fast without transforming, but adrenaline coursed through her. Fight or flight. For now, running was safer.
Desperate for advice, she reached out to Papa.
“Stay close!” Papa’s voice exploded in her head. “Lock onto Madeleine. She’ll lead you out. Rowan and I will face this head on.”
“What about Mom and Dad?”
But his voice was gone. She focused on Madeleine and relayed the information to Winona. Reagan hadn’t seen Jessica since they came out of the cave and hoped she was with Sam.
“More demon wolves in the area!” Sasha’s voice issued the warning.
Reagan took a sharp turn, trusting her gut; although she’d locked onto Madeleine, their link wasn’t as strong in human form. It was like tuning the radio when you were almost out of the station’s area; clear words mixed with static. Then, nothing.
“Madeleine, I’ve lost you, where—”
Her plea was stopped short by another wall of demon wolves. If she didn’t have Nana, Reagan would’ve transformed and rammed them. Instead, she made an abrupt turn and bolted in the opposite direction. Within seconds, she was in a clearing and saw several of her pack standing off against wolves and humans she didn’t recognize. Not all had the intense red eyes.
She slowed. Winona, who’d caught up to Reagan seconds before, did the same.
A man Reagan immediately recognized as Rafe’s son, because the resemblance was unmistakable, stood at the center of the unfamiliar pack. Madeleine, Jessica, and Sam came into the clearing.
“It was so easy to find you, sister,” the Rafe lookalike said.
Reagan assumed it was Donovan; although, to be fair, she had no clue how many offspring Rafe had managed over the span of twenty years.
“I am not your sister,” Jessica responded, as Sam pushed her behind him.
“Nice to see you again, too, Sam. And this—” Donovan walked toward Reagan “—this must be Reagan.” He flipped the end of her ponytail, and she swatted his hand away. “And who are these two fine women?”
Reagan would die before she divulged any pertinent information about them. Stepping between him and his focus, she snarled. “Part of our pack.”
He sniffed the air and squinted his eyes. “She is not like us,” he said, pointing at Nana. Pushing his hand by, he touched her hair. She shoved his hand away, and he put the finger in his mouth. Tilting his head back, he closed his eyes. “Ah, she’s definitely not like us.”
“No, she’s not. She’s much more powerful!” Papa’s voice boomed.
Reagan breathed a sigh of relief knowing Papa would help make sure nothing happened to Nana. Wondering where Rowan, Sasha, and Ricardo had gone, Reagan prayed they were on the perimeter and plotting something. Outnumbered didn’t begin to describe the situation.
“Interesting,” Donovan said as he paced. “She might be someone we keep alive. I’m sure my father could use her.” A sickening smirk developed before he let out a deep laugh.
“Over my dead body,” Reagan said.
“Oh, we’ll get to that.”
A chorus of growls sounded behind him.
“My dad will be sorry he missed this,” he said.
Her mind raced. Strength alone wasn’t going to be enough. They needed more. Plus, Nana needed protection. Combining their powers might be their best shot. They’d be sitting ducks without transforming. Maybe if they had the angel sword, but they didn’t. Reagan was grateful it was locked up and under heavy guard back at home base. A bead of sweat traveled down Reagan’s cheek and into her mouth.
“Trust your combined power. With faith, we fight.”
Her ancestor’s voice couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.
Donovan continued to taunt Papa. She hoped he could stall while she put her plan into action. Assuming Nana and Winona had heard Cecilia’s encouragement, Reagan reached out to Jessica and Madeleine.
“We need you over here. We may not have the power of the original six right now, but we have five. It might be our only chance.”
Winona moved into a tighter formation, and Nana reached from behind Reagan to lay a hand on her shoulder. Two down. Two to go.
“Did you get that?” Reagan asked Nana, making sure.
“Yes” was her soft reply.
Jessica, who only had to cover a short distance to join hands, side-stepped over with slow, calculated movements.
“Oh, how cute. The ladies are gathering. They don’t look too fearsome all huddled together,” Donovan said. “I’m sick of games. We can avoid the messy scenario of dead bodies and pain if you’ll just let me take your group of women with me.”
Sam rushed forward, but Papa threw out his arm to hold his grandson back.
“I’m going to enjoy this,” Donovan said as he shifted into wolf form.
Within a flash, Papa and Sam did the same and flew into Donovan.
“Now!” Reagan screamed. From the corner of her eye, she saw Madeleine run toward them.
“Protegat nos, et non transiit militia lux,” Nana chanted.
They echoed the words without raising their voices, afraid to draw any attention. Although Reagan never studied Latin, she understood the words: Let light protect us and let no evil pass.
When Nana raised her voice, the others followed and the chant grew loud. Several demon wolves screeched.
All Reagan’s efforts went into the spell, and she hoped her friends could hold the wolves off in the meantime. Bright light lifted off the ground, moving skyward as it encased them.
“Move into the circle!” Reagan screamed. As she did, she noticed Rowan, Sasha, and Ricardo join the fight from different angles.
As the circle reached about knee-high, Nana screamed and dropped her hand. Following her gaze, Reagan could see Donovan was behind Papa and had him in a choke-hold.
“Close the circle.” Papa choked out the words. “We’ll hold them off!”
Nana lurched forward. Reagan tried to stop her but wasn’t fast enough. Nana threw a fireball at Donovan, but he moved just in time to avoid a direct hit. Racing to help her, Reagan feared for her grandmother’s waning strength.
Donovan lifted his paw and swatted at Nana.
She ducked the first blow and formed another fireball, catching him off guard.
He flipped around to attack, but she was fast and managed to slide under his belly to the other side.
Reagan could see Papa coming up on Donovan’s right. But before either of them could strike another blow, Donovan kicked his hind legs backward, sending Nana flying several feet in the air. Papa made contact with Donovan as Reagan fell to her knees and slammed her hands into the ground. As she hoped, the action created an earthquake-like tremor, enough to have Donovan struggling to get back on his feet.
Papa jumped on top of Donovan while he was distracted and sank sharp teeth deep into his throat. As he tried to get up, he howled in pain. She hoped Papa
would rip his head off—which would’ve been her next move.
A flash of fur caught her eye as she scrambled to get to Nana.
Sam.
He rammed into Donovan and went for the jugular.
Reagan had never been so proud of her brother. Finally, she pulled Nana away.
Papa ran toward them.
Wanting to give Sam as much of an advantage as possible, she lifted her arms to create another quake, but Papa’s voice drew her attention.
“Jackie, please.” He said the latter word several times.
Reagan turned to find Winona and Jessica kneeling next to Papa, who had transformed and was holding a barely responsive Nana.
Reagan scrambled over and joined them. “Oh my God, please, stay with us,” she pleaded.
Nana’s mouth began to move, so Reagan leaned in to hear.
“Winona,” Nana said, barely managing the one word in a raspy soft voice.
Motioning for Winona to come over, Reagan kept talking. “You’re going to be fine. I’m sure Cheveyo can—”
Nana cut her granddaughter off with a coughing jag, and then reached for Winona’s hand. Turning to Papa, Nana said, “I’ll be fine. Go help—” she took a huge breath “—your grandson.”
He hesitated.
“Go!” Reagan said. “We won’t let anything happen to her.”
He still wavered, clearly torn.
“She’s as good as dead if you don’t keep the wolves off of us.”
“Don’t you give up on me,” he said as he leaned in to give Nana a kiss. “I mean it.” On the last syllable, he transformed and raced back into the fray.
As she watched him go, she allowed her head to be placed in Reagan’s lap.
“You girls have amazing strength. Trust each other. I know you can defeat Rafe.”
In Nana’s weakened state, it made sense for her to save her strength and speak to them nonverbally.
“You are our strength. We need you,” Reagan said.
“There’s so much you need to teach us.” Winona pushed back a few strands of hair from Nana’s forehead. “Plus, I finally have a grandmother. We have so much yet to share.”
Tala Prophecy: The Complete Series Page 45
