by Alyssa Day
What a colossal, infuriating, waste of time.
"Humans can be incredibly frustrating," he growled, slamming his fork down on the table.
Savannah glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow. "On behalf of humanity, I thank you."
"You know what I mean. We've done our best--"
"--without giving them any real information," she reminded him.
"I know. Which is why we're sitting here eating breakfast like all the other sheep, while waiting to hear from Denal and Atlantis."
"Do sheep really eat eggs? It seems oddly incestuous, for some reason." She took another bite of eggs and then asked if he'd heard anything.
"No, I can't get anything. Not from Denal, not from Lucas, and not from Atlantis. It's driving me crazy. I have no idea if or when P-Ops or Interpol is coming to help us, and there must be two hundred humans here. I'm good, but even I'm not that good. I can't protect two hundred people all on my own."
This time she put her fork down and narrowed her eyes. "You're not on your own. You have Griffin, and you have me. You'll always have me."
Despite everything they were facing--in spite of all the uncertainties--his heart warmed at her words. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
"Don't think I don't appreciate how lucky that makes me," he murmured. "If we had time, I'd try to show you just how lucky."
She smiled and kissed him, but then drew back. "What should we do next?"
"I think--" At that very moment, the communication pathway to Atlantis burst open, and a cacophony of hundreds of voices, all jumbled together, sounded in his head. He focused, intent on trying to pick out individual voices and silence the ones he didn't need to hear. After a few moments' effort, he found and isolated Denal.
Denal: Is anyone there? I need to talk to anyone on my team. Griffin, Jake, Lucas--what's happening?
Jake: I'm here. Where in the nine hells have you been? Why did Atlantis go silent?
Denal: We were attacked by demons.
Jake: Very funny.
Griffin, jumping into the conversation: I don't believe he's joking. The chatter on the communications pathway contains ample confirmation. How did demons get into Atlantis? Alaric's magic wards should've stopped them cold.
Denal: That's a conversation for another time. Fill me in on what's happening there? And where is Lucas?
Jake: We don't know. We can't reach him, either. And Griffin didn't tell you this, but they shot him. He's better now and pretending still to be injured until everything is in place. Savannah and I tried our best to get some of these humans out of here, but nobody will leave. We're just waiting for the signal that any kind of backup is here. Interpol, P-Ops, Atlantis, a freaking kids' soccer team. Anybody at all. We don't have much time. It's already mid-morning, and the shifters could start attacking anytime. They certainly don't have to wait till midnight or the full moon or any of that happy Grimm Brothers nonsense.
Denal: We're on our way. The portal is open again. For some reason, it closed when the demons attacked. I've got several guards coming with me, but not as many as I'd like, because many were injured in the battle and are in the healing temple now. April's coming with me, too. She's a hell of a fighter.
Jake: April?
Denal: She's the newest member of the team.
Jake: That's great. I'll be glad to meet her, if we live through this.
Griffin: If you're done with pleasantries…What about help from the humans? We have not been able to contact the werewolf, Pine, but I did see him. I believe he recognized me, as well. Or least he knew I wasn't on the shifter side when he saw them dragging me into the store room.
Denal: We heard from Pine, or at least from one of his contacts, and Interpol should be there in an hour. Unfortunately, the P-Ops back up won't be coming. They're all involved in some huge bust in California.
Griffin: California?
Jake: It's on the other side of this country; too far away for them to arrive here in time.
Denal: So, sit tight for an hour or so. Then will all be in place, and we'll signal you when we're going in, so we can mount a coordinated effort. After we clear up this mess, we'll find Lucas.
Jake: Savannah is here, too.
Janelle: Savannah?
Jake: She's mine. And she's been attacked. If we can't get Alaric here to help, she's either going to die or turn into a falcon sometime today.
Denal: Why don't you get her out of there? If she's caught up in the battle and gets hurt or killed, it won't matter if Alaric makes it or not.
Savannah tugged on his sleeve, and his gaze met hers. A fierce wave of protectiveness heated his skin with a flash fire of determination. He would save her.
Jake: She stays with me. Will you try to get Alaric to come with you, so we can at least try to stop the Transition or, better yet, reverse it?
Denal: Nobody knows where he is. He and Quinn are off on one of their private investigations. But I'll do my best. I'll see you in a little more than an hour. Keep your heads down and stay safe until then.
They signed off the communication, and Jake shut down the pathway, so he wouldn't keep getting bombarded with voices.
He suddenly realized that Savannah was clutching his forearm in a death grip. Her eyes were enormous in her face, and she looked pale underneath beneath her honey-gold tan.
"What is it? Is it something bad?" she whispered, glancing around. Many more people were coming in for breakfast now, and they couldn't afford to be overheard.
Jake faked a huge yawn and stretched, and then he aimed a leering expression at Savannah and winked for the benefit of anyone who might be watching them. "That was a great breakfast, but the first session isn't for another hour. Why don't we go brush our teeth?"
"What? Oh, sure," Savannah said, glancing around. "Teeth. We totally need to brush our teeth. Let's go."
They dumped their paper plates and utensils and then sauntered over to the stairs, smiling at anyone who looked their way. When they reached their room, Jake scanned it again for listening devices and removed two new ones that had been planted while they were at breakfast.
"Damn shifters. One of them must work in an electronics store."
Savannah went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth, and Jake walked over to stand in the doorway, watching her. Damn, but she was beautiful.
And these might be the last few hours she was alive.
Suddenly, his need to hold her—to claim her—drove him past the bounds of restraint. "Savannah. I need you," he rasped, and the instant she put down her brush and held out her arms, he pulled her to him and kissed her so deeply that he hoped she could feel his heart. Could hear his soul singing to her; singing songs of forever, and always, and eternity.
He wanted her to know that he would give his life for her, but it didn't matter because the death she faced was one he couldn't protect him from, and it was killing him, inch by horrible inch.
Alaric had to come through.
Savannah tightened her arms around his neck. "Tell me."
He nodded, scooped her up, and carried her over to the bed. "We wait." He filled her in on the three-way communication.
"I'm worried about Lucas," she said, her strikingly blue eyes troubled. "Do you think…"
"I hope not. He might just be injured or even asleep. Who knows with Reisen's kid?"
She trailed her fingers down the side of his face, down his neck, and to his chest, where she started unbuttoning buttons. "Reisen's kid?"
"To the nine hells with Reisen," he groaned, and then he pulled her down so that she was lying on top of him on the bed, every inch of her long, lean body touching his, and he thought about never holding her like this again and he wanted to scream or cry or break something.
But then she moved her hand, just a bit, down past his belt, and he forgot everything but her—her touch, her skin, her scent, her taste.
Gods, did he need to taste her.
"Savannah, I need…" he said again, and this time
she replied.
"Jake. I need, too." She sat up and pulled her shirt over her head and the sight of the lace covering her breasts was nearly enough to drive him mad, so he did the only thing he could: he kissed her.
He kissed her everywhere.
"I don't want to die, but if I'm going to, or if I'm going to turn feathery for the rest of my life, I want my last good memory to be of you," she said softly, before brushing tears off her cheeks. "I want my last memory to be of being loved."
"It won't be your last memory," he said fiercely. "I won't let that happen."
"Kiss me again, Jake. Kiss me for forever."
"Forever," he said, reaching up to unfasten her bra. "I can do forever."
Her lovely, delicious breasts fit in the palms of his hands, like they were made just for him. He took his time with each one, kissing and sucking, even gently biting the tips, until she was moaning and writhing in his lap.
"More. I want to see more of you. Lose the clothes," she demanded, moving off him so he could stand, and he laughed and complied.
When he was fully nude, he knelt in front of her and pulled off her boots and jeans and the lacy underwear that made him so crazy, kissing her kips and neck and breasts while he did it. The taste of her filled his mouth with delight—sunshine and flowers and sugar and her, in the end, only and always her, and he was addicted to her and always would be.
"Jake," she said. "Let me--"
"No. Let me." With that he gently pushed her legs apart and looked down at the honey-gold triangle that hid such wonders. "I'm glad you locked the door, because I'm going to lick you and suck on you and taste you until you scream my name, and then I'm going to plunge my cock home into your sweet, hot, wetness until you don't remember anything but me. Me, and how much I love you and will always love you."
He bent his head to her and licked her until she started panting and grabbed his hair, moaning, and then he sucked her clit into his mouth and she screamed, stuffing her fist in her mouth to muffle the sound.
"Now," she demanded, grabbing his hair. "Now. I need you in me, now."
He laughed and pushed her back on the bed. "Never have I been so happy to hear any request."
He kissed her while he touched her and kissed her while he centered his body above hers, and kissed her when he drove into her, making her gasp and clutch his shoulders. Her skin was fever-bright and so hot she was almost glowing. The Transition, coming on faster and faster. If Alaric didn't come…but, no. He pushed the thought away and instead caught her breath in his mouth and prayed to any gods who were listening that this would not—could not—be their last time together.
"I love you," she said, her beautiful eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "Forever and always, no matter what happens today."
"I love you, my brave one, mi amara, my beloved," he said, over and over and over. "Never leave me. I will never leave you."
Her back arched as she took her pleasure again, and he came so hard that he saw little lights flitting around his head. And then he heard a massive explosion.
"That was new," he said fuzzily. "I actually heard an explosion. I think you broke my brain--"
"Jake! That was an actual explosion!" Savannah pushed him away and jumped out of bed. How did she have so much energy after that amazing bout of lovemaking, when…
"An actual explosion?" He jumped out of bed and yanked on his clothes and then flinched when a thunderous bolt of communication smashed into his mind.
I'M BAAAACK. LET'S KILL THESE FUCKERS.
Jake almost dropped his shirt, and then he looked at Savannah, who was staring back at him. "Oh, boy. Lucas is back, and it sounds like he brought the berserker to the party."
Savannah gulped and then pulled his head down to hers for a hard kiss. "Here I am all dressed up in my party clothes. Let's go join the fun."
He'd been afraid she'd say that.
Jake raced down the stairs with Savannah just behind him, only to find that his worst fear had come true. Lucas was back, and he wasn't being quiet about it. He'd used magic to blast through the heavy front doors to the compound, and he'd smashed them down so hard that two of the shifter guards had been trapped beneath them.
Correction: what was left of two shifter guards.
Oh, well. Less for them to have to deal with, especially now that they were on their own, since Denal hadn't arrived with the backup yet. He scanned the courtyard and saw a man crouched midway up the staircase. He was wearing a T-shirt, and both of his arms were covered in tattoo sleeves of running wolves.
"Hey,” Jake shouted, waving at the man.
When tattoo guy looked over and gave a thumbs-up, Jake saw that he had two different colored eyes. All right. He must be Pine, so hopefully Interpol was on the way. "We're starting the party now!"
Pine nodded and jumped down into the courtyard. Jake looked for Lucas in the crowd, and quickly found him already engaged in a fight with three bulky guys who were probably shifters, because the true H Prime folks must be the ones milling around in confusion.
"Damn it, Lucas," he shouted, but then he saw Lucas's eyes. They were bright, blazing red. He'd gone full-on berserker, which meant that none of them might survive this.
Damn, damn, damn.
Griffin ran out of the store room just then and started tossing energy balls into the group of men and women advancing on Lucas and, now, Pine, who'd leapt into the midst of the fight and was standing back-to-back with Lucas.
Jake whirled around, grabbed Savannah, and kissed her. "Stay here, out of the way of the fighting," he ordered.
She raised her chin and flashed a wild smile "Not a chance. I'm going to get those kids."
He groaned, but there was nothing more he could do for now. He needed to join the fight before Jake and Griffin got themselves dead. He ran down to the courtyard and immediately saw BD heading toward Lucas.
"Come at me, you asshole," Jake screamed, and BD immediately jerked his head around and started running straight for him, balling his hands into fists as he ran.
Jake heard a horrible roaring sound off to his left, but he couldn't take his eyes off BD or he'd be dead on the ground and no noises would ever matter to him again.
"This is going to be fun!" He ran at the shifter, calling his daggers to his hands when he saw BD reach behind his back and pull out a gun.
"Unfair advantage," Jake called out, just before he leapt across the remaining six feet of space between them and slammed into the shifter. "I'll take that."
He snatched the gun out of BD's hand and called to his magic. A ribbon of water answered and lifted the gun up and away from the courtyard before carrying it over the wall.
BD watched in disbelief and then turned to stare at Jake. "What the hell are you?"
"I'm the man who's going to end you," Jake said, and then he raised his daggers to kill her miserable bastard who'd dare to infect Savannah.
That's when the freight train shaped like a bear smashed him into the ground.
11
A sudden, searing flash of heat rushed through Savannah's body, followed by an intense sensation of vertigo and a coppery taste in her mouth. She leaned against the wall for a moment, trying to shake it off, knowing what was happening—no longer able to deny it.
The Transition.
It was hitting her hard. At this rate, there was no way she could last till the moon came out. Or was that even a thing? She realized she didn't know nearly enough about the life she might be entering. Or, more likely, wouldn't be entering. Death was far more probable, after all.
"No time to feel sorry for yourself, Hastings," she growled, startling a woman running up the stairs. She reached out and grabbed the woman's arm when she tried to get past. "Come on. I need help. We've got to get those children out of the way. Now!"
When the woman, clearly in shock, yanked her arm out of Savannah's grasp and sat down right there on the step, mumbling to herself, Savannah gave up on her. No time, no time, no time. She had to get to the children.
>
She already knew that neither Griffin nor Jake could reverse the Transition, and there was little chance the famous Alaric would show up in time--even if he knew anything, which Griffin had said he didn't. So, to hell with that.
If I'm going to die, I'm going to go down fighting.
"Children! Children, to me," she commanded in her best and strongest She Who Must Be Obeyed voice when she reached the courtyard. Children responded to authority. Usually. Savannah hoped this would be one of those times.
"To the cafeteria! We can hide out there till this is over," she yelled as she ran along the edge of the yard, dodging all the fights that were breaking out. She gathered up the smaller children and pulled them along, sweeping up one toddler into her arms, and then another, and waving to the older children to follow. "If you're old enough to grab one of the little ones, do it. Do it now!"
Some of the teenagers among the group heard her and must have understood, because they started urging the younger ones to follow Savannah, and then they picked up scattered toddlers whose parents must be part of the H Prime versus shifter fights. Some of the women and a few men joined in, slowly and in a dazed and scattered fashion at first, but then hurrying to gather the rest of the kids when the fighting in the courtyard intensified.
A body flew through the air and landed on the ground directly in Savannah's path, but she simply jumped over him and kept going, glancing over at the thickest part of the battle, which was of course where Jake and his friends must be. She saw silver-blue balls of energy smashing into people, so Griffin must have recovered enough to enter the fray.
When she reached the cafeteria, she waved everyone inside, staying by the doors to keep an eye out in case trouble might be headed their way. She saw a line of backpacks and duffel bags against the wall of the corridor outside the cafeteria and ran over and started ripping open zippers. There had to be weapons somewhere, with this group.
She hit pay dirt with the third one down, which contained guns and ammo, and she smiled grimly when she lugged it back over to the doorway. They'd wanted her to be good at shooting, after all--now they were going to see the results. If any of those shifters dared to come try to force the Transition on defenseless children, they were going to have to go through her first.
