Shiftless: Tuatha Series Book 1

by Linton Bowers

  I joined my women already feeling better. Not one hundred, but better. “Lets go get my turtle,” I said.

  Miranda and Tabitha both gave me an odd head tilted look. “What?” I asked.

  “Nothing,” Tabitha said.

  “We're good here,” Miranda said.

  I tilted my head back and sniffed. With my wolf still active I could pick up a faint trace of Rodriguez’s earthy scent. I turned in the direction and pointed. “We need to go that way. Miranda please take the lead,” I said.

  “You got it boss,” Miranda said. She passed me Tabitha and kissed me on the cheek before taking her place at point.

  With my arm around my serpent we followed my wolf deeper into the forest. Each step brought me closer to Rodriguez and her scent grew stronger.

  Chapter 24

  The sun hung low in the sky when we found the old concrete structure. The windows were long gone as were the doors. What was left was a mere skeleton of what the building had once been.

  “What’s the plan?” Miranda asked.

  “For now I think we use what’s left of the light to gain information. Then we come up with a plan of attack,” I said.

  “I think that's a great idea,” Tabitha said.

  “Thanks, Tabitha.” I beamed at my serpent. “Lets circle around that way and scope this place out.” I pointed to my left. “Keep your eyes open and, Miranda keep that sniffer working overtime.”

  “You got it boss,” Miranda said. “So far I can tell the amalgamations were here and recently, but not where they went.”

  “Ok, good to know. Lets go,” I said.

  My energy levels had risen a good deal since eating… well, yeah. I had my serpent mark active, or as I was starting to think of it, my serpent gate open. As a result there was a constant trickle of energy feeding into me from the slow digestion process. I decided to share and willed the gate to work both ways.

  “Oh,” Tabitha hissed. “That was unexpected.”

  “Sorry,” I said “should have given a heads up. Miranda, some energy heading your way.”

  “Okay,” she relied.

  I willed the wolf gate open and sent a little of the energy to Miranda. While the supply I was getting and sharing was tiny, it was better than nothing. The loss was felt though as I grew a little sluggish.

  “That’s kind of refreshing,” Miranda said. “Thanks, Terry.” The smile on her face was well worth the loss.

  “You’re welcome, Miranda.”

  We continued on. The side of the building we came to next had a large chunk missing from the wall with spears of rebar sticking up. Shadows from the dying light only gave me a few feet of visibility into the building. The patch of floor I saw was dingy, cracked, and broken tile that used to be white. The walls on the inside matched the concrete exterior with a little less water stains.

  We rounded the building to the next wall and saw the first sign of an actual door. There was a metal door frame and metal doors that probably slid open and closed automatically at one point in the building’s history, but were now just frames with one shard of glass sticking up in the left side. The windows were gone and besides the door nothing else distinguished this side from the adjacent side. We continued on.

  The last wall was the least revealing. It was a solid slab of concrete with no windows or doors. We quickly moved to our starting point.

  “I’m open to ideas,”I said.

  “Well, I didn’t see or smell anyone around,” Miranda said.

  “Yeah,” Tabitha added. “I got no heat signs from inside either. I don’t think anyone is home.”

  “Did you just say heat?” I asked.

  “Yes. Weresnake, remember? We see just like our animal counterparts. I think my heat sense has gotten better since the whole amulet thing too.”

  “Damn,” I said. “I should have guessed about the heat thing. I’ll have to keep that kind of stuff in mind for the future.”

  “Don’t sweat it,” Miranda said. “You’re new to this and I think your strength makes me forget that sometimes. We’ll do a better job of volunteering information that might help. Agreed?” Miranda turned to Tabitha.

  “Yeah we will,” Tabitha added.

  “And back to your original question, Terry,” Miranda said. “I think we should go in.”

  “I was thinking that too.” I said as I turned to Tabitha. “Objections?” She shook her head. “It’s settled than. I like the broken wall for our entrance. I think it will give us the best view of what is ahead of us while going in. Since we don’t know the layout it might give us our best advantage.”

  “It seems like the best place for a trap,” Miranda said. “I agree with your assessment, but we need to be wary.”

  “I agree,” I said. So you and Tabitha go in side by side using your senses to find any danger. As much as I hate to say it I will be right behind you in case things go sideways.”

  “Don’t feel bad about it,” Tabitha said. “It’s a sound strategy and makes best use of our skills. I would be more concerned about you trying to protect Miranda and me instead of using our abilities. Don’t be afraid to make the calls that use us in the best way possible. We understand.”

  “Thanks, Tabitha. That makes me feel a little better.” While it was true I still felt like shit for having them go in first. I would have to learn how to use their senses so I could take more of the risk on myself. Miranda and Tabitha were my women and my pack. I would do whatever it took to keep them safe. Rodriguez too.

  I led the way to the wall with the broken section. As we went Miranda sent me a message. “Don’t let it get to you, Terry. Thanks to you Tabby and I are more than capable.”

  “I know, Miranda, but you are both still vulnerable. The wounds Tabitha suffered are proof of that.”

  “And you may be as well, Terry. We all need to walk on eggshells going forward. Just don’t discount us because you want to keep us safe,” Miranda thought to me.

  “I hear you and will do as you ask. You and Tabitha are capable and I will not forget that. Thank you for pointing this out to me,” I thought back.

  We crept up tho the building moving as fast as we could without making noise. I pressed myself against the wall next to the opening. My pack piled up next to me. I slid forward and peeked in then pulled back. I saw nothing and nothing tried to kill me. I looked again taking my time to really see if there was any danger.

  “Coast is clear,” I whispered.

  “You should use your inner voice,” Tabitha said.

  “Good call, Tabitha. I wouldn’t want to be heard by something. We’re moving.”

  I stepped out of the way and pointed at Miranda waving her forward. Tabitha followed her in. This was the part I didn’t like at all. My women were taking the lead and placing themselves in eminent danger. A second later I entered the building and put a wall between me and the outside.

  Tabitha and Miranda spread out taking careful steps and looking everywhere all at once. They covered every inch then gave me the thumbs up. Without waiting they moved to the door leading farther into the building and waited on either side.

  I placed myself to the left of the door behind Tabitha. She was looking into the next room and not moving so I waited. I chose to watch our backs thinking that was just as important as the job my women were doing.

  Daylight quickly faded to dusk as I watched. Nothing stirred as there was no wind. The most unsettling part was the complete lack of life. No animals, which we assumed were either eaten or ran off, and no insects. Other than the freak brigade the dear carcass I… My stomach churned at the thought.

  “Moving,” Tabitha thought.

  She slipped around the corner. Miranda’s spot across the doorway was already vacant. Time for me to be as brave as my women and have faith in their abilities.

  I stepped around the corner and pressed my back against the wall. We were in a hallway that followed the length of the building. Our position was pretty much dead center. Miranda and Tabitha move
d away from each other at a snail’s pace. As the old Marine from Avatar said my women kept their heads on a swivel.

  I did likewise, but for slightly different reasons. While Tabitha and Miranda sought out danger, I watched them to make sure they didn’t find it. If they did, I wanted to be able to react in time to make a difference. I Kept imagining one of them being pulled into a doorway and being torn apart before they knew what happened. That image made me as sick as the thought of eating… yeah.

  “You okay, Terry?” Miranda thought at me. I saw her stop and look back. I had become a liability.

  “Fine, Just a dumb thought. Carry on.”

  “Listen to you sounding all tactical and military,” Miranda thought back.

  “Focus guys,” Tabitha thought.

  “Sorry, Tabby,” Miranda replied.

  My Head snapped around at the sound of something skidding across the floor. Tabitha was waving at me to stay back. I did, but every fiber of my being and every ounce of my soul wanted to rush to her.

  “Sorry, Terry, I kicked a rock. No big deal,” Tabitha thought.

  “No problem,” I thought back.

  We continued on like that throughout the building. Moving slowly with me taking up the rear and half a second from having a heart attack. We found nothing but dust and rotted out furniture. I saw enough to guess this had been an office building and I wondered who would build such a thing in the middle of nowhere.

  Before I knew it we were back in the hallway leading into the room with access to the outside. It was a relief and cause for concern at the same time.

  “This blows,” I said.

  “Strange,” Miranda mumbled. She was looking down the hall and not at me. Not that I needed her to be looking at me. Really, my ego wasn’t that big. “What’s up?” I asked my wolf.

  “The Scent of the Amalgams is strong here and more so down there,” she pointed where she was looking, “but no sign of them. I don’t get it.”

  “Maybe they just passed through?” I asked.

  “That may be the case,” Tabitha added. “But there was still some residual heat coming from over there when we arrived. It’s gone now, but it should have been closer to an exit if they just passed through.”

  “Then we follow. We have to figure out where Rodriguez is. We will not give up. If I have to tear this place down with my bare hands then so be it,” I said.

  “How do you want to proceed?” Tabitha asked.

  “Let’s start with where the scent is the strongest. Maybe it’s time to see how strong I really am.”

  We moved down the hall to where Miranda said the scent was stronger. We went into a room that had to be some sort of cafeteria as it had a counter along one wall with a rusted out sink. Miranda moved around sniffing.

  There wasn’t much to see. Other than the counter there was dirt, tile, and lots of dust. The dust did show a lot of movement in the form of foot and paw prints. But that was the same throughout the building. It was time to change up my tactics.

  I opened my wolf gate and let the power of my lover fill me. So many different smells hit me at once like a bullet train. I stumbled under the onslaught of it all.

  Tabitha grabbed my arm and steadied me. “Are you okay, Terry?” She asked me.

  “I think so. It was just so much to take in. I don’t know how Miranda does it.”

  “Miranda is used to it,” my wolf said. “You will get there if you keep using the all mighty sniffer. Keep at it. All this input will help you to learn to sort it out faster.”

  “Yeah, okay,” I said. Closing the gate seemed like a good idea, but if Miranda was right, and I didn’t doubt her, this would help.

  I took a test sniff and once again my brain hurt from trying to process the information. As my wolf suggested, I kept going with another small sniff. That time I picked out something that reminded me of meat amongst the noise. The third sniff brought something I had smelled before. I caught something earthy that brought a memory of Rodriguez scowling at me to my mind.

  “No way,” I said.

  “What is it?” Tabitha asked.

  “I think…” I took in a deep sniff and there it was again. “I have Rodriguez’s scent.”

  That got Miranda’s attention. She stopped what she was doing and came over. “You sure about that?” Miranda asked. She shared a look with Tabitha that said they had doubts. “Try again and concentrate on just that smell.”

  I breathed in and focused on the scent of the turtle cop. I had it. It was strong to my right. I turned and followed. I reached a spot right next to the sink where the smell became strong. A step away and the scented started to lessen. I stepped back to stand where it was strongest.

  Tilting my head back and standing on my toes I noticed the scent getting weaker. Following the scent I dropped to my knees and stopped when my snoz hit the floor.

  “You okay,Terry?” Tabitha asked.

  “Yes, and I think I know where Rodriguez is,” I said.

  Chapter 25

  A growl left my throat as I pulled deeper from the wolf gate. At the same time I willed open the serpent gate and pulled. My right fist came up higher than my head then slammed it into the ground shattering the tile I hit. A spider web of cracks spread to the surrounding tiles.

  “Hey, Terry, why do I feel so weak all of a sudden, and why are you beating the floor like it stole from you?” Miranda asked.

  “Found her,” I mumbled. My fist hit the ground again. Chunks of tile and concrete shot off in every direction. A cloud of dust rose up around me. I struck again giving it everything I had.

  The floor disintegrated under me. I fell hitting a hard edge with my ass and rolling forward. Step after step brutally introduced themselves to me as I rolled over them. I landed flat on my back at the bottom of a long staircase. As I lay there with every muscle hurting the world spun.

  Two blurry people appeared over me. I felt who they were through our connection before they could they said anything.

  “Terry!” Miranda shouted. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “We have to stop meeting like this,” I said with a grin on my face. My women's gates were still wide open making my recovery take seconds.

  Sitting up and looking around I found that we were in a tight corridor wide enough for me to walk next to one of my women shoulder to shoulder. The stairs behind me went up about two stories. Unlike the building above there was no dust down there.

  “Are you two alright?” I asked.

  “Were not the ones on our asses right now,” Miranda said.

  “I’d like to be the one on your asses,” I said without thinking. It was the kind of thing I’d thought a million times but never would have had the balls to say before all of this.

  Tabitha bend down wearing a large grin and planted a long wet kiss on me. She was still in were-form and my hand grabbed the back of her smooth scaled neck. The thought of us intertwined while she was shifted like this really made me hot and bothered. She pulled an inch away and spoke. “Then we need to get this done so Miranda and I can oblige our alpha’s ...” She looked me up and down while slowly running her tongue along her teeth, “carnal desires.”

  “Ye… yeah,” I stammered. “Let’s do that.” I stood up and brushed off. While there was no dust down there I had brought plenty with me. Once I finished my wolf pressed herself against my side and kissed my cheek. She whispered in my ear.

  “I think your little serpent wants to do us both.” That statement sent images through my mind that made me want to call off the mission and get back to our lair. But I could still smell Rodriguez and that tempered my lust. It didn’t stop me from responding.

  “You are okay with that?” I asked.

  “You are my very own Tuatha. I’m okay with anything that makes you stronger and happy. Besides, your little snake is hot.”

  I gazed into my wolf's eyes and saw nothing but the truth there and maybe the same hunger I felt. I kissed her.

  “We need
to go,” I said. “Rodriguez’s scent is really strong down here.”

  “I can smell her too,” Miranda said. “We need to find her before it’s too late.” Her face took on a somber expression. She wasn’t saying what my nose told me. There was a lot of blood down here and some was Rodriguez’s.

  I nodded to my wolf then lead the way. I went all of three steps before a force hit me. I stumbled but didn’t fall. The effect only lasted a second and was replaced by a pull. Something down here wanted me to find it. I didn’t know how I knew it was a something but there was no doubt in my mind.

  “Terry?” Tabitha asked. “You okay?” Miranda added. They each grabbed an arm.

  “Yeah, but…” I didn’t know how to tell them what I felt. Nor did I understand what it meant.

  “There is one way to find out,” Miranda thought to me.

  “We have to find this thing and discover what connection it has to you,” Tabitha added.

  “This link we share makes life easier sometimes,” I said.

  Tabitha laughed. Miranda raised and eyebrow. “Sometimes?” Her tone said I was in trouble but her smile said she was fucking with me.

  I chuckled. “Let’s solve that mystery, find Rodriguez, report back to Bernard, and go home.”

  My women walked behind me and to my sides as much as the narrow space allowed. They kept their clawed hands on my biceps. It was a comfort to feel their support physically as well as through our bond. I don’t think I could have made it that far without them.

  After a few winding turns we came to a T intersection branching off left and right. Rodriguez’s scent went left while the pull came from my right. I wasn’t sure which way to go for a second.

  I could have asked my women what to do and it would have been simple. But the same way I didn’t want the burden of decision I didn’t want to place it on them. There was no doubt they would willingly take charge, but I was afraid it would set a precedent of me following. That was the life I had lived before Miranda came along. I was Tuatha now. Or always had been but was now aware of it. Whatever. Point was that I would lead and choose my own path.