by Alyssa Day
"Oh, no you don't, you nasty whore!"
Savannah whirled around at the sound of that horrible voice again; pure evil with a hillbilly twang. Sure enough, BD's mother was running down the hall toward her.
"You've caused enough trouble for my boy. I'm not letting you cause anymore," she shrieked. She was holding an axe—where did she get an axe? —and she kept screaming, louder and louder, as she came closer and closer toward the cafeteria and the children. Axes and kids—not a good mix.
Savannah didn't bother calling out a warning.
She simply shot the bitch.
The woman kept coming, because bullet in the leg was apparently not enough to take down an enraged falcon shifter with mommy/son issues. Savannah raised the shotgun and shot her again, at almost point-blank range, hitting the woman exactly where she'd aimed. Even a shifter couldn't survive a shotgun blast to the heart.
When the woman crashed to the floor, Savannah stepped back and turned around to see a roomful of children and several adults staring at her with wide eyes.
"OK. Everybody calm down. The mean woman isn't going to hurt anybody anymore. We're going to be safe here,” she told them in what she hoped was a reassuring voice.
"No kidding, because you're a total badass," one of the older teens said admiringly, grinning at Savannah.
"Maybe not yet, but I'm learning," she said grimly, before turning to face the corridor, shotgun ready. Protecting these people might well be the last thing she did as a human, or even the last thing she did in her entire life, and so she was determined to make it count.
She only wished her family could see her now.
For the first time, ever, in a fight, Jake wasn't sure he was going to end up on the winning side. His side was steadily dripping blood where the bear had swiped him with one massive paw, and BD Junior, although still fighting in human shape, packed a hell of a punch. Every time he dodged one, the other one got him. He wasn't entirely sure he was going to survive.
Savannah.
Just the thought of her brought on a renewed burst of energy, and he swung around to face the bear, but this time, instead of his daggers, he called water to him. The magic of Atlantis came easily to this call, freezing the water and shaping it into a spear.
"I've had enough of you," he snarled, raising the spear to his shoulder. BD Senior roared, which was just what Jake wanted, because this bear spread his arms out to the sides when he was roaring, so Jake had a clear shot at his heart. With every ounce of strength he still possessed, he hurled his weapon in a direct shot toward the bear.
And the spear struck home.
The bear's roar turned into a yelping sound and then another roar, but the noise stopped abruptly, and the bear, his muddy eyes still fixed on Jake, crashed heavily to the ground.
Jake blew out a breath, and then a scream that sounded like that of a raptor plunging through the air was Jake's only warning before Junior crashed into him--but it was warning enough. Jake flipped BD onto the ground and called his daggers into his hands again, and then he jumped up and stared down at the defiant shifter. "I don't want to kill you. You deserve it, but I'm going to let the human authorities take you away. Hopefully they lock you up in a cage, and you can spend the rest of your life considering your sins. You don't force the Transition on humans, you son of a bitch."
"While I'm in a cage, I'll be thinking of you spending the rest of your life watching your girlfriend turn into a bird and think about me every time she does," BD sneered, wiping the blood off his mouth with the back of his hand. "If she even survives it."
Jake wanted so badly to kill him that his hands cramped around the hilts of his daggers, but he stopped himself. "Actually, after this day, neither one of us will never think of you again, you sick piece of trash.”
Jake heard clapping, and turned his head to see Pine, the werewolf prince and Interpol operative, who loped up to stand next to Jake and looked down at BD "One of our guys will take this piece of shit. I'd rip his throat out, but he might have intel on other rogue factions," he said casually. "Anyway, Atlantis, you're needed elsewhere. We've got it."
A stocky man with a beard ran up carrying a pair of handcuffs. "I've got him."
Jake rolled his eyes. "Are you people idiots? The minute he shifts to falcon, the cuffs will fall off and he'll be gone."
"To answer your question, no, we're not idiots," Pine said, suddenly whipping around and hurling a knife through the air and into a couple of wolf shifters who'd gone full furry and had been ready to leap on them. "Those handcuffs have been magically treated. He won't be able to shift while he's wearing them."
The other man was already snapping the cuffs on BD, so Jake turned around to plunge back into the fight.
"It would be awfully nice if the rest of your Atlantean people would get here,” Pine said grimly, after pointing at two more shifters headed toward them.
"I was just thinking the same thing. Luckily, here they come now.”
Jake pointed at a shimmering oval which was materializing at the top the stairs. Denal jumped out first, followed by a woman who must be April. She had bright red hair, wore leathers, carried a bow, and a quiver showed over her right shoulder. Several of the palace guard, both men and women, followed. Not as many as Jake might've liked, but hopefully more than enough. Atlantean fighting prowess was second to none.
"About time you joined the party," he shouted.
Denal grinned and leapt off the roof to land lightly on his feet in the middle of the thickest of the fighting, and the rest all followed, except for April. She remained on the steps and pulled out arrow after arrow, her bow twanging and every single arrow hitting a target.
"I might be in love," Pine called out to Jake after he broke one of the shifters necks with a sharp crack. "Who is that? And she has red hair. I love red hair."
"She's the newest of Poseidon's Warriors, and she could probably kick your ass, so I'd stay away if I were you." Jake rammed both of his daggers back and up behind him, plunging them into the two shifters who'd been trying to sneak up on him.
"Luckily for her, I'm not you." With that, Pine too off, battling his way toward the staircase, where some of the shifters were trying to get past the Atlantean guards so they could get to April.
Jake had more important things to worry about right now.
Savannah.
He'd seen her herding the children to the cafeteria, so she could protect them. Just like her to think of others even when she must be going through the worst of the transition right now. He clenched his jaw so tightly it was a wonder his teeth didn't shatter, and then he threw a dagger into the throat of the wolf shifter racing to intercept him.
He needed to get to her, and there were enough other fighters out here that the tide was turning in their favor. The shifters who were left were starting to retreat and abandon the battle. April was cutting them down one by one with her bow in a methodical and deadly fashion.
Damn, she was good. He was glad she was on their side.
Four of the shifters suddenly ran for the staircase, clearly intent on taking April out. Jake started toward them, but Pine was suddenly there. The badass werewolf prince leapt over the shifters and landed on one of the lower stairs, then laughed and made a "come and get me" motion with one hand. The shifters were only too happy to do so, and they attacked. April took two of them out with arrows before they could get to Pine, who easily dispatched the other two, and then he ran up a few more stairs and said something to April, who hauled off and punched him in the mouth.
Jake didn't care what they did. The battle was under control, or at least enough so that they didn't need him. He ran for the cafeteria and Savannah, but just then a blast rang in Jake's ears and a sharp pain struck the back of his leg. He stumbled but managed not to fall. When he looked down, he realized he'd been shot, but he didn't give a damn. A bullet in the leg meant nothing when Savannah was in danger. He started to run again, just before another train smashed into him and knocked him to
the ground.
Yet again, it wasn't a truck, but a shifter. BD Junior, handcuffs dangling from one wrist, leapt over Jake and raced toward the building.
Savannah and the children were in there.
He jumped to his feet and ran to the cafeteria, but what he saw there stopped him cold. BD, on his knees and bleeding, flung one hand out in front of him and hurled a small black box, which slid really fast and really far across the shiny, slick floor of the room.
It wasn't just a small, black box, of course. That wouldn't have made people start screaming.
It was a small, black, ticking box.
As Jake and everyone else watched in horrified shock, the bomb—for that was surely what it was—came to a stop in the middle of the room, right into the center of a cluster of children. Right in front of Savannah.
Jake's heart fractured in his chest.
"You killed my parents," BD screamed. "So now you can all die."
Jake wanted desperately to kill him, but there was no time. "Everybody out," he shouted, and the kids started toward the door, but there were too many, far too many, and they were running into each other in their panic, and he didn't know how many minutes or even seconds were on that countdown clock.
Time slowed to a painful kaleidoscope of light and sound and terror—terror for Savannah. Jake leapt over BD and started toward the bomb, knowing he'd never make it in time, but he still had to try. He looked at Savannah, who was on the far side of the room, and she smiled at him; a smile so sad it crushed his soul.
"I love you," she called out, and he somehow heard it, even over the screams. He lunged forward to throw himself on the bomb and protect her, and that's when his wounded leg collapsed beneath him and he hit the floor, head first.
Nobody ever told you that time and light and sound crystallized into iridescent shards when somebody threw a bomb at you.
Savannah's options ran through her head in a split-second. There was no time to get the children out. She could throw herself on the bomb, which had stopped at her feet, but would that be enough? Or would the force of the bomb turn her bones into shrapnel that would kill everyone in the blast radius?
She'd gladly make the sacrifice to save these children--to save Jake, who was staring at her with so much love and despair in his eyes that her heart was breaking. Another wave of fever blistered through her, and Savannah instinctively started to fight it, to hold off the Transition again, but then—in that very moment--the best option of all snapped into her mind, fully formed.
Savannah Hastings might not be able to do enough about that bomb, but a falcon could grab it and carry it through the window and out over the river.
Jake started toward her, but his leg gave out, and he fell to the floor. She realized his pants leg was dark with blood. He must've been shot, oh, no, oh, please, God, no. If she did this and then he died, anyway… He tried to pull himself up again, but there was no time.
No time to be rescued.
Only time to be the rescuer.
She looked at the children, some running out of the room and some sitting on the floor crying, and suddenly there was no decision to be made. She had no choice.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes and focused. She didn't know what she was doing, but surely if the Transition knew she welcomed it, it would come to her.
Please, please. Take me and let me save these children, she prayed, hoping that whatever gods the shifters worshipped were listening to her. I'm ready. Make me a bird, already!
A volcanic blast of heat slammed into her, threatening to melt her flash and turn her bones to ash. She cried out and fell to the floor, and then she crawled over to the bomb, which now read 45, 44, 43…and fell on it. If the Transition didn't work, if she couldn't shift, then this would be her final attempt.
Distantly, she heard Jake scream her name, but it was too late. Pain like she'd never felt before wrenched at her bones and threatened to rip her joints apart. Her legs ached like giant monsters were shattering them with hammers.
It wasn't going to work. She was going to be one of the majority--one of the ones who died.
I tried, Jake. At least I tried.
She tried to call his name, tears streaming down her face, but the only sound she managed to make was a wild screech. Her eyes flew open, and she looked down at her feathered body.
Her feathered body.
It worked!
Please, God please let this body know how to fly.
She ripped the front of her shirt open with her talons – she had talons – and snatched the bomb with one of her new feet. Before she let herself think too hard about it, because she was afraid thinking would be the death of doing, she took a few running steps and willed herself to fly.
Her new and powerful wings stretched out and caught air beneath them as though she'd done this hundreds of times. She spared a thought of gratitude for Jake and his love, but she didn't stop. Couldn't stop. Instead, she aimed her body and every ounce of her being toward the open window at the end of the cafeteria.
But on the way across the room, her body in unmistakable, unbelievable flight, she looked down and saw Jake on his knees, staring up at her in shock. He was shouting her name, but she couldn't stop. She couldn't think about him now or she might waiver. She didn't want to die, especially now that she'd survived the transition, but she be damned if she would let these innocent people and children die. She headed for the window and soared right through it.
The river was so close. So close. She headed for it as fast as she could go, as fast as her new wings and new body knew how to take her. The edge of the river wasn't safe enough, though. She had to go farther out. Farther from the people. Farther from the people in boats near the riverbank. She pushed on until she believed she was surely far enough; the knowledge that her time was almost up beating in her heart and her mind.
She released the bomb.
And the world exploded.
12
A few minutes earlier…
Jake hadn't realized that he'd actually be able to hear and see his heart explode.
He watched in shock when Savannah collapsed on the floor, shifted into an enormous falcon, grabbed the bomb, and then flew unerringly to the window and out of the room as if she'd been flying all her life.
He took half a second to send enough healing magic toward his leg to allow him to follow he and then ran across the room and hurled himself through the window in time to watch in horror as she soared through the air and out over the river.
"Savannah," he screamed, again and again until his throat burned and only raspy croaking noises came out of his mouth.
She never stopped--never turned--never looked back. Just kept winging out over the river, farther and farther, until the world blew up and nothing but fire and smoke remained—that and a small, winged body plunging gracelessly out of the sky.
Something sharp slammed into his already injured leg and knocked him backward. His back and head smacked hard on the ground, but he didn't care. It didn't matter, nothing mattered, nothing would ever matter again.
Because Savannah was gone
The world faded to black, and his last thought was that he hoped this was death, come to claim him. He was done with a world that didn't have Savannah in it.
Jake woke up and looked directly into the eyes of a falcon the size of an eagle who stood next to him.
"I would like to help you, but she won't allow it," Griffin said, sounding highly irritated.
Jake turned his head to see Griffin, Denal, and Lucas, all standing shoulder-to-shoulder staring down at him, and he grinned. "All three of you big, tough guys scared of a little bird?"
The bird in question, otherwise known as the center of his universe, screeched at him and pecked his arm with her beak.
"Hey! Easy on the injured arm. I think I got shot there, too. Will you let Griffin help us?"
The magnificent bird, fierce and beautiful just like Savannah herself, cocked her head and stared at the mag
e for a long moment and then hopped backward and dipped her beak toward the ground.
"I'll be damned if she's not communicating with you," said Denal. "That's helpful."
Griffin cautiously walked forward, spread his fingers out, and sent a wave of healing energy into Jake's leg and then, for good measure, waved his hands and spread the energy over Jake's entire body. Instant relief followed.
"Thanks, man. I definitely needed that. I can't believe – I can't believe she's alive. She survived the Transition and then she took that bomb…" Suddenly there was a lump the size of a boulder blocking Jake's throat, and he couldn't get out another word.
"That's one of the bravest things I've ever seen in my life," Lucas said, his eyes no longer red. The berserker was gone then, thankfully.
Griffin knelt next to Savannah and slowly held out one hand. She tilted her head and stared at him. "I could not stop the Transition. But I think I can help you, if you want to shift back to human but are unsure how to do it. I have that much knowledge of shift her magic. Will you allow it?"
The bird stared at Griffin and then turned her head to look at Jake. Jake nodded his encouragement. "Please let Griffin help you, if you need it. I'd really like to be able to see your beautiful face right now."
The bird screeched, and Jake held up both hands in protest. "Not that you're not beautiful like this. It's just, I'd really like to see your human face right now. I need to. Please, Savannah."
The falcon took a step toward Griffin and inclined her head. The mage again waved his hands and called the silver-blue healing magic. But this time, it was shaded with a bright purple. Nothing happened for several long moments, and Jake tensed up. "What's taking so long? Are you sure you know what you're doing? Do you even--"
Then he shut up, because something was finally happening. A purple-blue shimmer surrounded Savannah and, moments later, she shifted back into her human shape. Her clothes were back in the building, of course, and within seconds all four warriors tossed their shirts over her. She curled up in Jake's arms and covered herself, and Jake looked up at his comrades--his brothers--and nodded his head in thanks.
