by Leela Ash
Derek and Bo were staring at the mouth of the cave in shock. Luke followed their gaze. Drake was awash in bright white light; standing arms spread wide in the very center.
“Is he all right?” Luke demanded as he morphed back into human form.
An arrow whizzed by, very close to his head and he ducked just in time. It smashed against the glass covering of the cave and fell to the floor.
The brothers turned horrified gazes towards the direction the arrow had come from.
Nabradia stood in all her glory, an amused smile canting her lips to the side while her hands were folded midriff. Twelve Archstone Warriors flanked her on both sides and Luke immediately recognized Ronan, Chirhiss, Jake and Robin. Only Sam was missing from the five leaders of the Archstone warriors.
Luke cocked his eyebrow at the wicked witch, “Nabradia. Haven’t seen you since you went all Indiana Jane on my sister-in-law. Have you come to apologize?”
She threw back her head and laughed, the sound throaty and devoid of humor. Luke felt chills slip down his spine.
“Keep talking boy, and I’ll turn you into a Mukachoo so you can eat your brothers,” she muttered.
“I would like to see you try,” Derek growled.
Luke threw him a surprised glance and read the certainty in his gaze. Derek turned his head just then and looked straight at him and without words being spoken, Luke knew that his brother was more convinced than ever that this wasn’t Nabradia. Or if she was, then this Nabradia didn’t have any power at all.
Maybe she had lost it in the Dragon’s Pits?
Nabradia licked her lips, then stretched out a hand, “I don’t want to be nasty this time. Hand over the compass.”
“Like hell we will,” Luke spat.
An arrow whizzed through the air and this time it nearly imbedded itself in his foot. He sidestepped and it fell to the ground. The portion of soil it entered immediately blackened and caught fire.
It was the Fiery Vengeance, he realized. It was one of the deadliest spells a witch could cast and it would have killed him in an instant. This was definite proof that this was Nabradia right in front of him. Only Nabradia had ever been known to have been wicked enough to wield that particular magic.
Luke glared at the person who had shot him, “You’ll pay for this Chirhiss.”
Chirhiss glared right back, undaunted. “You fuckers are gonna pay for the damage you did to our crops.”
He aimed the next arrow at Derek at the same time a blast of fire flew from the mouth of the cave and consumed his bow and arrow. He saved his fingers by a hairsbreadth.
Every head snapped to where Drake stood in the doorway of the cave, “Anyone touches any of my brothers again, I’m gonna burn them to a crisp.”
Nabradia detached herself from the group of men around her and walked forward. Luke was watching her with narrowed eyes. He had heard that witches could only get within twelve feet of the cave and no more. Nabradia strode right up to the entrance and tilted her head as she looked up at Drake.
“Well, cowboy? Where is the compass?” she asked, barring her teeth.
Drake drew back his lips over his teeth and waved a hand towards the interior of the cave, “It eluded me. But you’re welcome to try your luck.”
She walked up to Drake, her movements slow, sinuous like a cat and seductive. Drake kept walking backwards until they were both standing just inside the cave. Luke saw the surprise flash in Drake’s eyes.
Then Nabradia lifted a hand and patted Drake’s pockets, “Either you’ve been a very naughty boy or that that’s a compass in your pants pockets,” she said.
Drake grabbed her hand and shoved her away and she went sprawling deep inside the cave. Two of her warriors rushed to rescue her but they body-slammed an invisible wall and fell over backwards. Luke exchanged glances with Derek and Bo; the book they had found said only dragons or those of dragon birth could enter the cave. And Nabradia had entered easily. No witch magic could penetrate the magic of the ancient dragons who had created this cave. It meant then that this Nabradia was either a dragon or of dragon birth but either way, she wasn’t a witch.
Who was she?
She rose to her feet and glared at Drake. “Hand over the compass or your brothers die!”
As though on cue, the Archstones shot a poisoned arrow aiming at Bo’s foot. It hit him fair and square and he yelped and fell onto the floor writhing in agony.
Nabradia grinned, watching Drake blanch even as Luke and Derek rushed to grab Bo’s foot to staunch the flow of blood which was immediately rotten blood.
They aimed at Luke next and Drake shouted, “Okay, dammit.”
Luke looked up in shock. “Drake, don’t give it to them.”
Drake didn’t bother looking at him. He handed it over to Nabradia almost at once and she grinned. As soon as her hands touched the compass, she threw back her head, laughing.
She exited the cave as though she were walking on air. Then she joined hands with all twelve of her warriors forming a chain.
Chirhiss looked straight at Luke and growled, “We’ve got our eyes on you.”
Then they all disappeared into thin air.
Luke blinked as he ripped off some more material from the edge of his shirt to clean Bo’s wound. Bo was crying in an agony of pain.
“That bitch got me shot,” Bo growled.
Drake rushed out of the cave to join his brothers. Luke asked the question uppermost on his mind, “If she isn’t Nabradia, how was she able to get twelve people to disappear with her?”
Silence fell as they all digested the information.
Then Drake looked up and voiced the obvious conclusion, “She is Nabradia then because only a witch could do that. Now we need to get that compass back from that bitch.”
With a sigh, he turned back into his dragon form and they all clambered onto his back again for the ride home. Bo kept groaning the entire way and Luke and Derek kept him sandwiched between them.
“Drake will heal you once we get home Bo. Just hold on,” Luke soothed.
“Try to hold on Bo. We’re almost there, man. If Drake healed you now he would not be able to fly us out of here.”
Bo sighed and leaned back against Luke, his face paper-white.
* * *
“We don’t need flowers here,” Marissa insisted glaring at the landscaper. “The natural ambience of the forest is enough. We just need to ensure a safe road that cuts a swath through the forest and towards the waterfall… and a few exotic trees to line that patch of land over there because we are thinking of creating an artificial beach.”
“Luke also said something about creating a line of shops so people could buy ice cream, souvenirs and such things when they come to see the waters,” Jack supplied.
The landscaper was nodding with every word and as soon as he could get a word in edgewise, he interrupted, “I won’t be able to do much until Luke gets here. This is a man’s job, plus he’s a painter and…” his voice trailed off when Marissa gave him a gimlet-eyed stare.
“I go back to the hospital by 4pm and I’m not about to waste my entire day because you cannot work without Luke. So you had better figure out a way to get some work done now, or I get another contractor,” she decreed.
The man shuffled his feet and then tugged at his cowboy hat before stomping off to go torture his workers.
“You little bully,” Jack laughed twinkling at her.
She shrugged, “I can’t abide men who think the ‘little woman’ can’t make any concrete decisions unless a man is around.”
Jack chuckled, “He’s lucky my Megan wasn’t around, or worse, Jeanine. They would have skewered him with their tongues.”
She looked off towards the cascading waters. It really was a thing of beauty and now that the Salem witches were no longer residing across the waters, it promised to be even more beautiful.
“This place is going to be paradise on earth by the time we’re done with it,” Marissa laughed.
“
Jack? What do you think about starting up some sort of skydiving in the area?”
He looked impressed, “Very interesting. The topography on the other end of town would be good for this.”
“And what about mountain climbing?” she asked her eyes wide with excitement.
“I think there is a tour group within town that does that already,” Jack replied.
“I can’t wait to hear what Luke thinks of the changes we’ve made,” Marissa said, smiling even though it felt a bit forced.
Jack looked at her, his gaze sharp and astute. “Is everything okay?”
She tapped her chest lightly, “I’m not sure Jack. I just feel very sad all of a sudden.”
He frowned, “Sad?”
“Yes,” she said. “Do you think something is wrong? I mean with Luke and the others?”
Jack looked at her, “I am not sure. Maybe I can try to find out.”
He whipped out his cell phone biting his lip as he dialed first Luke, and then Derek. When none of them responded, he looked at Marissa. It seemed as though her heart were in her throat.
“Luke isn’t picking up and neither is Derek.”
“Jack—” she cried, grabbing his forearm.
He looked around. The workers had been hard at work and had achieved a good deal. He looked back at her. “Let’s go home Marissa. You’ll feel better once you see him for yourself.”
She withdrew her hand, “Him?”
Jack sighed, “Everyone then. Once you see everyone,” he amended.
With a nod, she let him lead her towards his car.
The Archstone Shifter who had been perched as a bird in the trees adjusted his perch and changed back to his human form. He dialed a number from memory.
“She just left the Coyana Waters,” he said, the words short and succinct. Then he added chillingly, “You know what to do.”
13.
Marissa’s nerve endings were prickling again. She shifted uncomfortably in the plush leather of Jack’s car. He was extremely wealthy and had a penchant for luxurious cars so her discomfort wasn’t anything to do with his car.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded as he drove. “Don’t tell me you’re like Megan who gets uncomfortable every time she sees this Mercedes Benz because she thinks it’s expensive enough to feed the animals in her new shelter for a year.”
Marissa knew he intended for her to laugh but somehow she couldn’t dredge up any humor whatsoever. She shook her head and looked at him, “I’ve been having this weird feeling of being followed for weeks. It just got intense.”
She expected him to laugh it off but he looked serious all of a sudden. “Could that be a fallout of the attack you and Luke escaped?”
She shook her head, “I had that feeling even before the attack.”
He nodded. “In that case, don’t ignore it. Humans have a sixth sense for danger and shifters have an even more heightened sense for it.”
That’s what she thought too. Her eyes began to scan the forest they were passing, employing the tunnel visions wolves used in hunting. She saw them almost at once. Six Archstone shifters were perched at various points in various trees.
She looked at Jack, “You can see through solid objects right? My tunnel vision shows about six Archstone Shifters up in the tree. Can you check for more?”
He looked grim at the prospect and she knew why; using his gifts always left him with almost crippling headaches.
He slowed to a crawl and did a quick sweep. Then without warning he stepped on the accelerator and the powerful car shot forward propelling them onto the highway.
Marissa looked at him in alarm, “What?”
“They’re not six, they’re sixteen. And they’re attacking.”
As soon as the words left his lips, she spied a pack of wolves howling and rushing after the car, their supernatural speed helping them to cover the distance in a matter of seconds.
“Fuck!” Jack spat.
Marissa looked at him, “We have to fight. We can’t keep running. My car was abandoned the other day thanks to them and I only just towed it yesterday.”
Jack threw her a worried look, “There are sixteen of them Marissa, and just two of us.”
“Yes, but Joshua trained us,” she argued. Joshua was the best shifter-mentor in the whole world. Everyone knew that.
Jack sighed and muttered under his breath, “Luke is gonna have my head for this.”
One of the shifters was now running neck for neck with the car. It stretched out a claw and scratched Marissa’s side of the car viciously. She flinched.
Jack screeched to a halt without warning and erupted from the driver’s side. As he moved, he changed into his mountain lion form, already sailing through the air to meet the enemies mid-air. Marissa jumped out of the car too, changing to her own wolf form and snarling at the bear charging towards her. She charged towards the bear as it rose up on its hind legs and without stopping to think, she sank her sharp white teeth into the soft underside of its belly.
The bear howled, the sound a terrible rendition of white-hot pain and then it sank onto the floor, changing into its human form with blood gushing from the wound.
She snarled as another white wolf came charging forward, howling for blood. Probably the bear’s mate, she thought as she joyfully sank her teeth into the back of the wolf’s neck and bit down hard.
She heard Jack howl with pain and her heart nearly stopped in her chest. Enraged, she swiped her claws at another mountain lion’s face, targeting the eyes. She watched blood gush with satisfaction. At least three shifters were already dead or seriously wounded on her side of the car.
A wolf bounded towards her, its fur completely brown as it barred its teeth. Something about the way it tossed its head reminded her of Luke but Luke’s fur was midnight black. Marissa stared straight into the wolf’s eyes, her mutt quivering as she focused. She saw his identity almost at once; this was Sam Vanderbilt. He was one of the leaders of the Archstone Warriors and he was highly skilled.
They carefully circled each other, looking for an opening. He pounced when she least expected, his bigger body crushing her to the ground. She whined and struggled to shake him off but he crushed her all the harder into the hard ground. Her eyes started to roll back in a dead faint when suddenly, he howled in pain and jerked away from her.
She saw the blood oozing from his back and saw Jack trailing him with murder in his eyes.
When Sam saw that all his other shifters were either dead or wounded or had fled, he bounded away into the forest with a howl.
Jack and Marissa changed back into their human forms immediately as well. They were weak and spent and they lay spread-eagled on the road, side by side, panting hard.
“Let’s get out of here,” Marissa whispered.
He nodded and sat up and that was when she saw the huge gash in the side of his neck. To her trained eye, it seemed as though it had ripped his carotid.
Her heart pounding, she yanked his shirt over his head and tied it at his head to staunch the flow then she helped him into the passenger side. He was dizzy from blood loss and quickly becoming incoherent. He even called her Megan and that was when Marissa knew they had a serious problem. Her motions quick and economic, she dragged a bear out of their path and turned the key in the ignition.
She felt a bit dizzy herself from being deliberately squeezed beneath the weight of that wolf.
The car leaped forward covering the distance home.
Marissa half-stumbled from the car, and ran around to help Jack out. He had already fainted.
“Joshua, Kelly,” she screamed.
The front door burst open and Luke bounded out. She was so relieved to see him she almost wilted.
“Luke!” she cried.
He ran to her, “What happened to Jack?”
“He’s been hurt. We were attacked by the Archstone Shifters,” she told him, her eyes hungrily eating him up. He looked unhurt, she noted with relief. She was still shaken from their encounter
with the Archstones. She had almost died. But knowing he was fine made her feel fine too.
Luke muttered several expletives and reached out to lift Jack to lean against him. Marissa supported the other side of Jack’s body and helped Luke carry him inside.
“Where’s Drake?” she asked looking around.
“He’s healing Bo,” Luke said, his face grim.
Marissa faltered, “Bo?”
“He was shot with a poisoned arrow.”
Marissa felt the room whirl. This was surely a day for bad news. “I guess you didn’t get the compass either.”
Luke sighed and explained, “We got it but then Drake had to hand it over or Nabradia was going to have all three of us killed before his eyes.”
Tears misted in her eyes as she recalled that the Archstone Tribe had killed Joseph, the sixth member of the Damaged Pack using poisoned arrows.
Marissa tried in vain to stem the flow of tears as she sank, almost boneless, onto the chair behind her. Luke sighed, his heart twisting as he saw the tears flowing unchecked.
He wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her but he had a feeling Jack would appreciate being attended to first. He had lost so much blood that his lips had gone white.
He dashed into the room to get Drake. Drake had just finished healing Bo and was trying to get some rest himself. Jeanine was still sobbing all over her husband’s chest and everyone else was standing around as though they didn’t know what to do with themselves.
“Drake, we need you,” Luke announced, his voice hoarse.
They all looked up in shock. Kelly and Megan’s faces were tear-streaked already and Luke’s heart twisted at the news he was bringing.
“Jack’s been hurt,” he clarified.
Megan gasped and dashed from the room. Everyone rushed after her, with Drake coming slower.
When they reached the living room, Marissa had unbound the wound on his neck and laid it bare.
Megan was crying more profusely now as she tenderly cupped his cheek. “Jack, baby, look at me,” she sobbed.
