I dove downwards, croaking loudly. They all looked up, my cousins with relief, and the others with confusion. Ravens weren’t exactly a local species. One of the men raised a gun.
“No!” Vaughn wrenched the gun out of the agent’s hands. “We’ll explain later. Don’t shoot.”
I landed on his shoulder, panting with exertion, and leaned against his shoulder-length black hair. Birds have a fast metabolism, using up lots of energy when they fly, and I hadn’t stopped to eat anything along the way. I’d also flown at pretty much top speed the whole distance and hadn’t been in great shape when I started. In other words, I was exhausted.
Hannah and Evan followed Vaughn as he strode into the house with one hand cupped around where I perched on his broad shoulder. My cousins are both big men, good looking and tough, and they’re all ridiculously protective of me—the youngest and the lone female in their midst. Today, I didn’t mind that a bit.
We went into an office of sorts, where Evan glared down the other men until only one was left. Twin beds were pushed up against the wall piled with miscellaneous gear, and computer equipment sat on two mismatched desks and a folding table.
I’d met Charlie Rivera before, so I knew this was he. I flew into a corner behind a dresser and changed. I’m so short, only the top of my head showed above it when I straightened.
“Can somebody toss me something to wear,” I asked. Then I grabbed the cabinet as my knees wobbled. “Whoa. And a chair.”
Evan’s shirt came sailing over the dresser top. He was the biggest of the bunch, which meant his shirt came all the way to my knees. I pulled it on and buttoned it up, then stepped out from behind the furniture and sank into the computer chair Charlie had just vacated.
“They’ve got Will,” I said, trying and failing to catch my breath. “He said…his GPS…is activated…” Black spots swam in front of my vision, something that had never happened to me before.
“We’ve got the signal,” Charlie assured me. “That’s why we were getting ready to move out.” He shook his head and grinned at Vaughn. “So different species, huh? Haven’t seen anything like that since Afghanistan.” That’s right—Charlie had seen Vaughn change in the military. I thought I’d heard that story before, but it didn’t matter now. Vaughn’s a panther, very good at sneaking around in the darkness and gathering information.
“We’re all different,” Evan rumbled. “And if you don’t want a pissed off grizzly bear in your house, stay on the subject.”
Charlie shot him a laughing salute. “What can you tell us about the compound, Carys?”
“There are maybe ten buildings,” I told him. I’d done a brief fly-around before I’d taken off. I described what I’d seen with a tongue that barely seemed to work. Instead of catching my breath, I was having more and more trouble breathing.
Finally, Charlie nodded, satisfied that I’d told him everything that would help. He cocked one eyebrow at me. “Are you coming with us?” If I hadn’t been in love with Will, I’d have found his suave, Hispanic good looks attractive, but right now he was just someone who could help.
“No.” I tried to shake my head and saw more black spots. “I—I can’t.”
“Flying tires them out,” Vaughn added. My oldest brother Gavin was a hawk, and between us, we’d managed to convince the others of that much at least. “You should remember that.”
I looked at my cousins, trying hard to ignore the tightness in my chest and lightness in my head. “Why…are you…here?”
“My grandfather had a funny feeling this morning,” Hannah said. “When he couldn’t reach Will, he called me. We chartered a plane and came as soon as we could. Honey, are you all right?”
Just then a sharp pain cut through my belly, and I felt moisture on my thighs. No! Helplessly I looked up at Hannah. “I think…having…miscarriage.” I fell over sideways, clutching my stomach.
One of my cousins caught me, and I heard Charlie yell, “Hope, get your ass in here right fucking now!” just before I passed out.
* * * *
I came around slowly, but without the discomfort of the last time. My eyes didn’t want to open, so I lay there, listening and feeling what was around me, like I had earlier in the SUV—and I’d seen two big black ones on my way out, so I knew my logic had been correct.
This time I was on a bed, with blankets over me. I could smell the spices of Hispanic cuisine, but not from the same room. In here, I smelled tropical flowers and heard the sound of soft native flute music.
A warm, soft hand picked up one of mine, chaffing it gently. “Carys? Are you awake?”
Suddenly all the memories flashed into my brain and I cried out, throwing my free hand down over my abdomen.
“Your baby is safe,” the voice said. “So are you. Think you can open your eyes for me now?”
I blinked and managed to separate my stuck-together lashes. The woman sitting beside the bed was smiling at me with comforting warmth in her serene expression. She was beautiful, with high cheekbones, full lips and big brown eyes. Her copper-brown hair waved softly to her waist, and I wanted to hate her on sight, except she’d just said the one thing in the world I most wanted to hear.
“I’m Hope Rivera,” she said, anticipating my question. Her accent was pure southern California. “Or Esperanza, if you ask my grandmother. I’m Charlie’s sister, and the resident medic for this misbegotten crew. We caught everything in time, pobrecita, and both you and the baby are going to be just fine.”
“How…?” I didn’t see any tubes or machines, or other hospital-type equipment. “How can you be sure?”
Her smile twisted into a warm, wry grin. “You have your gifts, I have mine. I can’t fly, but I can heal.” She shrugged her shoulders, as if to say I should believe it or not, my choice. If I was surprised that she knew about the Maddox shifting abilities, it didn’t register until later.
“You—healed me?” I didn’t understand it, but I wasn’t going to argue with a gift from the gods—I’d have fought every demon or devil I could think of, or kissed their asses to save my child. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. They weren’t going to let me go on the extraction mission anyway. As an empath, it’s hard for me to be around the fighting.”
“That crew? I’m constantly amazed that even Hannah gets to go. Talk about a bunch of male chauvinists.” I moved to sit up against the headboard, and instantly, Hope was there, putting a fluffy pillow behind my back.
“Oh they tried to leave her here, on communications duty.” Hope’s big brown eyes danced merrily, then narrowed. “I thought she was going to throw a chair at your cousin Vaughn. That one is the worst, I think.”
“You haven’t met my brother Gavin,” I told her, rolling my eyes. “Or Will. When I first joined Guardian, he spent months yelling at me every time I tried to take a field assignment.” I stifled a sob, wondering what they’d done to Will when they came in and found me missing. How would he explain that?
“They’ll get him back.” She patted my hand. “It’s what they do, and they’re the best. Plus they have your family to help. I’m sure a grizzly bear and a panther come in handy in a fight.”
“Yeah.” I leaned aback against the pillows. I didn’t hurt anywhere, but I had all the energy of a half-drowned kitten.
Hope brought me a plastic cup of water, which helped somewhat. I handed her back the empty cup and asked. “So this healing—how does it work?”
“I don’t know. How do you explain your shape shifting? I just know what needs to be fixed when I touch someone, and I can visualise it happening. In your case, you were too fatigued, and there was a drug in your system making things worse. I convinced your body to reject the drug, repaired the dehydration damage in your uterus, and managed to infuse some fresh energy into you so your body quit trying to miscarry. It was enough, but you’re going to be a little weak for a couple of days.”
I looked at her then, noticing the lines around her eyes and mouth. “Energy from you.
Thank you, Hope.” I owed her more than I could ever repay.
“No problem,” she said. “It’s what I do. I recover it very quickly.”
“How did you end up down here with your brother?” I figured Charlie was just as bad as the rest, wanting to keep the women safe at home.
“I was already down here, visiting relatives when Charlie showed up. I had this weird feeling I might be needed, so I stayed, despite his objections.”
“Well, I’m so glad you did.” I yawned and blinked. “How long was I asleep?”
“Only about forty-five minutes,” Hope said, nibbling at her lower lip.
“The compound wasn’t that far away,” I said worriedly. “They should be there by now.”
“They didn’t leave until they were sure you were okay,” Hope said. “So they’ve been gone maybe half an hour.”
Were any of them coming back? Fresh nausea rolled in my stomach.
Hope stood. “Wait right there. I’ll go see what’s up in the office-slash-communication room.”
“Thanks.” I’d have gone with her, but I didn’t know if I had the strength to stand, and I didn’t want to undo her hard work.
She returned a few minutes later, a guarded smile on her face. “They’re almost there. If you think you want to listen in, you can come with me.”
I realised as I swung my legs out that I was still wearing nothing but Evan’s shirt.
Hope chuckled, then opened a drawer and handed me a pair of cotton pyjama pants. They were way too long, but I just rolled them up. Then, I let her help me stand, grateful that everything seemed to be in working order. I only had to lean on her a little as we made our way down the hall, with a brief stop at the bathroom. The rental beach house had maybe five bedrooms, which made me wonder how many had gone on the mission.
“Charlie’s team has five men, other than himself,” she told me. “Usually they leave one behind for communications—that’s Ernie, you’ll meet him in a minute. So five of them plus your three cousins.” We walked into the office, at the far end of the hall from the room I’d been in and she introduced me to a lanky young man with freckles, sandy hair and a strong southern accent.
“Pleased to see you on your feet, ma’am.” He handed each of us headsets. “I’ve turned off the mics on those so you can hear, but we won’t distract them with our conversation.”
Hope sat in the other chair while I found an empty corner on one of the beds.
“We’ve parked now,” I heard Charlie say over the headset. “We’re circling the compound on foot, looking for ways in.”
“Guards at the rear gate are out,” another man said a few minutes later.
Ernie typed rapidly on the computer in front of him. “Alarms and security cameras are down.”
“There’s a group of them gathered around a central courtyard.” That was Vaughn. “I’m going in closer.”
There was a rustle from his microphone, and I knew he was changing into his cat form. We wouldn’t hear any more from him directly, but he could sneak up on almost anyone in that shape.
“Okay, front gate is clear.” Hannah’s voice was soft and deadly. “I’m going in first. I think there’s another guard in the gatehouse up ahead.”
“Right behind you, babe,” Evan said.
“We’ve got a hole in the south fence. Two more going in.”
Then came the sound of gunfire—four sharp retorts. “Two bad guys down, good guys fine,” Charlie whispered.
“They’ve got Will tied to a post in the courtyard,” Hannah whispered. “He doesn’t look conscious, but they’re still whipping him. I’m going in—Vaughn already did.”
“Men, do not, I repeat, do not shoot the panther or the grizzly bear,” Charlie ordered. Screams, curses, and the sounds of machine guns crackled over the headset.
“Falco is down,” came a frantic voice. “Looks like a leg wound.”
“I’ve got three of the cartel bigshots holed up in a corner,” said another man. “Bridger’s getting them cuffed.”
“I’m cutting Will down from the pole. Evan and Jake are providing covering fire.” Hannah was short on breath. “He doesn’t look good at all, but he’s still breathing. We need to get him out of here ASAP.”
My heart almost stopped beating in my chest. Hope scooted her wheeled office chair close to the bed and took my hand as we listened in frantic silence.
“Allen is down,” another man said brokenly. “Head shot. He’s gone.”
Ernie bit his lip and turned away, but not before I saw his hazel eyes fill with tears.
Finally, there was no more gunfire.
“I think that’s all of them.” Evan sounded both tired and pissed.
“Hang in there, Nick. We’ll have you to a medic in no time flat.”
“Load the prisoners in one Jeep, the wounded in another,” Charlie barked out orders. “Who’s hurt?”
“Seriously? Only Nick Falco and the guy we came to get. Bridger’s got a graze on his arm, and the big guy caught some flying debris, but he’s fine.”
“Colonel? Which Jeep do you want us to put Allen in?”
“Fuck.” Charlie’s voice cracked. “I’ll have to take the body to the consulate. Put him in the back seat of my Jeep, throw the assholes in the back, trussed up like Christmas geese. Marco, you’re with me. The rest of you head back to the house and get Hope to take care of the wounded.”
“Vaughn, can’t you drive this thing any faster?” Hannah asked, maybe ten minutes later. “Will’s pulse isn’t good at all. Both of these guys have lost way too much blood. And why aren’t we heading to the nearest hospital?”
“La Rosa’s got people in the local hospitals,” one of the men answered. “The organisation is much bigger than we’d originally thought.”
“The good news is the three we’ve got are all wanted in the US—so the consulate will hold them while extradition is being sorted out,” Charlie replied.
For another fifteen or twenty minutes, I just held Hope’s hand and listened. Finally, Vaughn’s voice crackled over the link.
“We’re coming in fast. Ernie, get your ass off the radio and out to the carport to help carry the wounded. Hope, get fuelled up and ready to go. We’ve got two critical. Five minutes.”
“Guess it’s a damn good thing I let you stay.” Charlie came on and added, “We’re pulling into the consulate now. I’ll call when I have any intel.”
Ernie stood and left the room with Hope close behind. They waited out in the carport, while I sat rigidly beside the living room window, with my lip caught between my teeth until the car rolled into the drive.
As soon as the vehicle stopped, Evan hopped out of the back, leaned back in, and lifted out Will’s limp, bloody body. Most men couldn’t have carried Will’s weight, but even when he’s human, Evan retains a lot of his grizzly bear strength.
Hope hurried ahead and held open the door. “Carys, take him to the room you were in,” she called.
I started down the hallway, hating to turn my eyes from Will, even long enough to lead the way. Out of the corner of my vision, I saw Vaughn and Ernie carry in the other man, but I kept moving, though my pace was still frustratingly slow. Even while I cursed the weakness, I was glad Hope had held some of her own energy in reserve for the injured men.
I pulled the sheet and blanket down, then sat on a small chest in the corner of the room. Evan laid Will face-down on the queen-sized bed and stepped back, next to me. Hope rushed in, followed by Hannah. Hope immediately went to Will’s side, while Evan and Hannah stood on either side of me, each wrapping a comforting arm around my shoulder.
Will was a mess. He was shirtless, and the skin of his back hung in bloody shreds. Several wounds had been sutured with butterfly bandages, but still oozed badly. Huge black and purple bruises covered his face, arms and torso, while small red sores dotted the soles of his feet. Cigarette burns? Even from where I sat, I could see his breathing was too slow and too shallow. Droplets of blood bubbled from the co
rner of his mouth. I tried to move forward, to go to him, but Evan and Hannah held me back. Vaughn slipped into the room and stood next to Hannah, his arms crossed over his chest.
“I’m just going to heal the worst of it now,” Hope warned. “Once he’s stable, I’ll go take care of Nick. Then I can heal them bit by bit until they’re well.”
We all nodded and I bit back a sob. Hope sat next to Will’s battered form and took his hand in hers. Then she closed her eyes. A soft amber glow seemed to surround both of them, and though I couldn’t see any change in the external injuries, I saw Will’s breathing ease and a little colour came back into his face as the bleeding slowed, then stopped.
“Okay. He shouldn’t wake up, and don’t try. I’ve fixed his broken ribs and the punctured lung, then helped kick start the production of new blood. That’s going to have to do for now.” I could see the exhaustion lining her face. She looked at Hannah. “Meanwhile, if one of you wants to change the sheets and clean his back, that would help. Then you might want to clean those cuts on your husband’s face. Down here, even minor wounds get infected awfully fast.”
Evan stepped over to the bed and helped her rise. “They’ll heal as soon as I get a minute to shift. Don’t worry about me.”
“Good.”
Vaughn walked her out of the room, while Evan and Hannah made short work of washing and bandaging Will’s wounds. They changed the sheets on the far side of the bed, shifted him to the clean one, then changed the other side. Fortunately, there was a plastic mattress cover underneath, so the mattress wasn’t ruined. They wiped that clean as well. I was impressed, even though I wished they’d let me help. As soon as they were done, I immediately moved over to the empty chair beside the bed.
Not wanting to risk waking Will, I didn’t touch him, but I lay my hand on the covers just an inch or so from his. Evan kissed Hannah on the cheek, said he’d be right back, and slipped out as well.
“So does he know about the baby?” Hannah stood next to me, putting her hand on my shoulder.
I nodded. “He was happy about it, I think. Before he sent me for help, he said to tell everyone we were engaged.”
Wings of the Raven Page 5
