by May Dawson
And then suddenly, my body was on fire. I thought it was my father's spell as pain swept through every muscle, deep as bone, and I couldn't help screaming in frustration and in agony.
He cried out too, and suddenly his arm was covered in blood and I couldn't pull my hand loose from his forearm. It was like we were attached to each other. He dropped the gun in the grass, and I almost stepped on it.
My claws were sunk deep into his forearm.
His eyes were wide when they met mine.
I couldn’t shift. Not now when I could get my hands on the gun if I could just focus.
The change swept over me.
The world went red.
In the distance, I could hear Callum trying to talk to me, trying to soothe me, but I couldn't make out his words, just the sound of his voice. There was chaos too, loud voices and the sound of a rifle bolt being yanked back.
But mostly, all I could hear was the sound of my own bones breaking, my muscles swelling and popping and knitting back together, and the terrifying, inhuman rasp of my own screams.
Chapter 20
Finn
"You're cheating," I accused Maddie as I swept my cards up from the dusty tabletop.
She threw back her head and laughed. "I'm nine! I don't know enough to cheat."
I gave her a long, mock-suspicious look that made her smile widen.
"You're a hustler," I accused, knowing she would take it as a compliment.
She widened her bright blue eyes at me innocently. She and Piper had some of the same habits. I wondered what Maddie had picked up from Piper and what Piper had picked up from Maddie. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought they were sisters who had grown up together.
It didn’t matter how they were born; they were sisters now. Just like how Logan, Arthur and I had to decide we wanted to be brothers. For most of our childhoods, we were supposed to avoid each other. None of our mothers were very happy about the old alpha's bad behaviors.
I shuffled the cards, my fingers agile, and dealt another round.
Sometimes I thought we were still figuring out how to be brothers now.
Sometimes, my brothers were raging assholes.
But I still couldn't wait to see them again. I might even hug Arthur if we all survived this, just to see that uncomfortable look flash across his face.
She picked up her cards and tapped them against her chin. The expression on her face was thoughtful. "What're you thinking about?"
I shook my head. "Not much going on in here."
She pursed her lips playfully. I was impressed by her resilience. She was all smiles and laughter when we were here, although when we'd left the cave on our scouting mission, she'd been quiet and serious.
"Then you're probably not a good candidate for my sister," she said.
"Uh-uh." I leveled a finger at her. "You already played that card once. You’ve got to play your hand more carefully, little shyster."
"I'm just saying, Piper is always thinking," she said. "When she stares off into space, she's usually figuring things out."
"Good," I muttered. "Hopefully she's figuring out how to get us all out of this one."
I hated being disconnected from my pack. Maddie and I had snuck out earlier, making a long, dangerous walk back to more occupied pack lands. Kneeling in the bushes, we'd watched as a truck lumbered past us on the road. Two shifters rode in the bed of the pickup truck, carrying rifles.
I'd caught a glimpse of dark hair and big shoulders. Logan. Relief had spiked through my chest. Then he turned to say something to the other man, and the wind blew his dark hair back from his face. His hair was too long, his face squarer and not like Logan's after all. I caught Maddie's shoulder with my hand, giving her a warning look, even though I was the one who had felt the dangerous spark of relief. She stared back at me, her blue eyes wide. She didn't realize I'd been on the verge of putting us both in danger.
I had to be careful. My nature was to be a bit reckless, counting on my wits to save me in the end. Normally, I would've snuck off to find Piper and my brothers, and the thought that they might need me while I hid was driving me nuts. But I knew what all of them would want me to do, anyway. They'd want me to look after Maddie first. She was counting on me.
An unfamiliar scent reached my nose, a hint of stranger. I jumped to my feet as my nostrils flared.
Maddie dropped her cards on the table and immediately rose to her feet too, as if she were poised to run. Pride swelled in my chest. She was so alert and bright.
I glanced around the room quickly, debating trying to hide the signs of our presence, but it would take too long to hide the canned goods and the cards and the unrolled sleeping bags. Instead, I nodded to the hallway before I began to pick my way stealthily across the floor. She followed, her feet silent on the cave floor.
When I stuck my head out, there was no one in the hallway. I could feel them more then scent or hear or see them, as if my subconscious was weaving together the faintest hints; the intruders were still making their way up through the winding trails of the caves. They were between us and the only way out.
Well, not the only way out for Maddie.
Bringing her down toward them put her in too much danger. I'd have to trust her pluck for the climb. And I'd hold them off as long as I could, to keep them from getting out of the caves and reaching her.
When I gestured her further into the caves, she frowned but followed anyway.
As we followed the cool, vaguely damp trails through the cave, my shirt clung to me as if I'd begun to sweat. I looked back at her, but she was picking her way steadily along; if anything, her petite frame made it easier for her to duck through the low places or squeeze through the narrow spots. It wasn't the quick hike, the tight spots or the need to choose every step carefully so I wouldn't make a sound that was making me sweat, though.
Their scent was still in my nose. At least two of them. But my sense was there were more.
More than likely, I was moving as quickly as I could toward the spot where I would die.
I'd do my best not to, of course, but the most important thing was to hold them off while Maddie escaped. There was no way out for me except past their bodies.
Seb had always said one day, I'd find myself in trouble I couldn't get out of. It was funny that I'd done so many stupid things in my life, and now it was doing the right thing that could be the end of it.
"I need you to do the climb I told you about," I whispered to her as we emerged into the cavern. Grabbing her small hand in mine, I tugged her behind me to the strange formation that led up along the wall, forming what seemed sort of like a chimney, often enclosed but sometimes open to the room. "Just keep climbing. They won't be able to follow you in there. When you reach the top, cross the ledge and keep going through that cave. It will take you out."
She shot me a dark look. "If they can't follow me, you can't either."
"I know," I said. "I'm sorry."
The way she looked at me was full of fury, but she didn’t know me well enough yet to grieve me too much. She was just upset about being left alone yet again. First Piper, then Kai, and now me.
We were trying to protect her. We had no choice. But that didn't mean we weren't leaving scars she'd have to deal with later.
Being scarred is still infinitely better than being dead. That's one thing I learned from my own childhood.
"Don't stop and don't come back no matter what you here," I whispered to her. "I'll do my best to get out of here and make it to you. Do you remember the orchard we passed when we were on our way out here?"
She nodded.
"Get back there. I'll look for you in the trees, okay?"
"You really think you're gonna come find me?" she asked.
"I'll do my best."
"Not an answer," she said, her bottom lip suddenly round. It looked as if she was on the verge of tears. She threw her arms around me, squeezing my shoulders. As I hugged her back, I was already thinking about when I could
disentangle myself without hurting her feelings. My heart was pounding, and I was terrified she would be too late escaping up that chimney, that she'd watch me as they came and I fought for my life.
But she was already stepping back and turning away. She swiped tears from her eyes as she headed resolutely for the chimney.
"You can do this," I whispered to her.
"If you did it, I'm sure I can."
It made me smile as I turned my back on her, to wait for the wolves that were coming. She struck little rocks loose as she began to climb, which bounced and skittered across the cave floor, but from here I could also hear the roar of the ocean. The sound of the waves should cover her movements.
Sunlight flooded the cavern from the long crack in the wall. I’d sat there with Seb as we watched the stars blink to life above the vast ocean. It felt like we were suspended between the infinity of space and what might as well be the infinite ocean. It always made me feel so small. Our lives didn't matter. Not to the enormous universe, spinning around us.
There was a rattle of rock at the edge of the cliff. I resisted the temptation to turn back to see where Maddie was. Hopefully by now, she was hidden behind the rock wall where they couldn't see her.
When Joan strode into the room, my shoulders almost sagged with relief.
"It's just you," I said.
"Hello to you too." She crossed her arms over her chest. It was her usual brusque demeanor. But there was something off, and my nostrils flared again, trying to scent who was with her. I knew she wasn't alone. I hadn't recognized her scent, so maybe something was wrong with me.
"What's going on?" I asked her.
Two shifters I never met before filed through the narrow cave entrance and stepped into the expanse of space, flanking her. Strangers. Their overbearing scent must have hidden her familiar scent from me. But that was lucky, maybe. If I'd known it was Joan, I might have taken Maddie toward her, trusting that she cared about Maddie and that she was a member of my own pack.
And my instincts now told me that she couldn’t know about Maddie’s escape.
"Where's my daughter?" she asked.
I shook my head. "I don't know."
"Don't get between a woman and her daughter," she said softly. I hoped Maddie hadn't heard her. If it had been just Joan in front of me, I might have thought Joan meant no harm. But I didn't like the look of the two big guys. One of them was the dark-haired guy I'd glimpsed with the rifle, the one I'd thought was Logan for a second. Maybe they had been out looking for us.
"Are you working for the witch?" I asked, my voice coming out even.
"He thinks so." She flashed me a quick smile that was more of a baring of teeth. "All I care about is my daughter."
"And our pack?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"Sure," she said, with the easy note of a lie. "Where is she, Finn?"
I stared back at her without answering. Her nostrils flared, but no understanding dawned on her face. She didn't recognize Maddie's scent.
"How'd you find me?" I asked.
"Caught your trail," she said. "I know how much you care about that princess." From the way she sneered the word, she must mean Piper, not her own daughter. Maybe she really believed she was the only one who cared about Maddie. "I figured you're a loyal idiot, you wouldn't be hiding unless you had a reason."
"Thanks," I said dryly. It was true, I'd be out trying to help my pack and my brothers if it weren't for Maddie. In my book, that didn't make me an idiot, but maybe I was.
"Get him to tell me," she said softly to the two men.
"Can't do it yourself, huh?" I asked. "Feeling sentimental?"
"You're not worth anything more than your mother ever was," she said. "Don't think I care about you."
The mention of my mother made the rush of blood in my ears quicken. As I turned to watch the two shifters closing in on me, I pushed away the voices that rose in my ears from years of schoolyard taunts. "I heard she burned down your house herself." "I heard she tried to kill herself when she realized she was pregnant with the alpha's son. Didn't realize she was getting twice the misery or I'm sure she would have tried harder. But she fails at everything, just like you, doesn't she?"
The two of them tried to edge up around me from opposite sides. Despite her cruel words, Joan glanced away, as if she didn't want to watch.
Guess I'd better give her a show.
The two of them, operating in tandem, rushed me at once. One ducked low for my legs; the other went to grab my shoulders, as if they would throw me to the ground.
It's hard for two to work together in a fight without getting decked; Seb and I have practiced it for years. I launched myself up, jumping out of the reach of the one who hit his knees on the hard rock floor as he tackled air.
The other one crashed into my legs, throwing me off as I somersaulted in the air, so I landed cock-eyed, taking more of my weight on one arm than the other. It threw me off, but I still managed to roll to my feet. My right wrist throbbed from slamming too hard into the cave floor, with almost the full weight of my body driving behind it. Good thing I was a leftie.
Arthur and Logan had made sure no one trained as hard to fight as Seb and I did. I'd thought at first that it was because Arthur liked the chance to hurt me. The alpha's legitimate son, punishing the unwanted twins that his mother despised. It had taken years for me to see the love behind those training sessions, as he corrected my posture or bitched at me over whatever latest transgression I'd committed before he knocked me senseless. His eyes had always lit up when I landed a solid combination on him despite his greater size.
The three of us fought desperately. One of them managed to get me around the waist. His buddy came toward me, that murderous look in his eyes and his fists up, and I threw my weight back, kicking him in the face.
As blood spurted across us all, he stumbled back. I fell on top of the guy behind me, but he clung to me still, and the two of us scrambled over each other, trying to get the advantage. I pinned him down, but I didn't get my head down into his shoulder fast enough, so he managed to get his thumb in my eye. I gritted my teeth against the terrible pressure, his thumb sliding deeper and deeper between my eyeball and its well, his fingernail cutting against the corner of my eye.
I rolled my weight to the right. Hopefully it'd be enough to hold him. Getting my left arm free, I fought the urge to grab his wrist and instead slammed my knuckles into his kidneys, hitting him as hard as I could over and over. He gasped--yeah, that hurt like a bitch, didn't it? Arthur had made sure I knew that--and his death-grip on my face and his thumb pressing into my eye eased.
I could feel the other guy coming up behind me and I tried to roll away, up to my feet. Before I could turn all the way, his belt passed over my face and looped around my neck. He didn't quite have me though. I got my arm up and yanked away the belt, which fell to the ground, the buckle clattering. I punched him in the face, going after his bloody nose, trying to destroy his will to keep fighting.
Suddenly, Joan was right at my side. I threw my elbow at her face. It connected with a crunch.
I barely felt the sharp blade of the knife in my side. It clattered to the ground. But it slowed me down. Suddenly there was blood pouring out my side, and I couldn't quite raise my fist the way I meant to. The punch I threw was weak.
And this time when the dark shape of the belt loop passed my face, I fought it, my fingers catching the leather, but she still dragged me back. Her shoulder shoved into my back as she dragged the belt tight. While I struggled, I gagged as the edges of my vision went black. Shit. That gagging sound was a bad sign. I was suffocating.
"Tell me where my daughter is," she growled into my ear, and she dragged the belt back even tighter. Pain bloomed across my throat.
I made a gasping sound, and the belt was suddenly loose. I landed heavily on my knees, trying to draw in a breath. I had to get up and keep fighting, but my throat was on fire. I stumbled forward, finding myself on my hands, and tried to get
my feet up underneath me.
"He doesn't fucking quit, does he?" one of them asked, his own voice thick, and I realized he was choking on his own blood dripping down the back of his mouth. I was probably going to regret breaking his nose now.
I got my feet under me and stumbled forward, heading for the narrow band of daylight at the edge of the room. My brain was a blur. I had to get out of here, had to help Maddie. Hopefully she had made it out. That was all that mattered.
"Why don't we see if he can fly?" There was a hand on the back of my shirt, and I ducked low, slamming my shoulder into his abs, and he let out an oof. Together, the two of us slammed into the rocks to one side of the sunlight.
"No!" she yelled. "We need him!"
But the other one had his arm around my throat, and I stumbled, still looking for a purchase, another place to land a blow.
Then my feet were slipping on the edge of the rock. I grabbed desperately at their shirts, their arms, as the two shifters pressed me toward the cut. I clung to them, determined to take them with me.
The sunlight was too bright. No more rock above or below me.
One of them swayed and then came with me. He hurtled helplessly toward me as his friend grabbed for him. His face twisted in a silent scream.
As I fell toward the waves far below, I couldn't even scream. My mouth opened, but the sense of pressure on my chest was too intense. I just watched the blue rise toward me.
My life didn't flash before my eyes.
There was nothing but the vast sky above me and the vast ocean below me. There was no movie reel of my life. It was as if I'd never lived at all.
Then her face flashed before my face--those ocean-blue eyes crinkling at the corners when she smiled at me.
So this was death. Maybe it would be easier than I thought.
I slammed into the waves. It felt like hitting concrete. My bones fractured, a wave of pain that kept growing and growing and never crashed against the shore.
Once again, I couldn't even scream.
I tried to swim up, but my arms and legs were impossibly heavy.
