Shifters of the Wellsprings: The Complete Paranormal Collection

by Leela Ash

  “I warn you, you’re going to be disappointed. If you’re not sensitive to magic, there’s not much to see. But I can explain our research to you.”

  To his relief, once they entered the woods, Clarissa stopped draping herself over him. She stuck close to one side of the path, letting him put a good couple of feet between them.

  Soon, the little lane opened onto a tiny glade. Owen saw a low stone border – the remains of a well house? – and a wrought iron bench…

  …then something shifted under his foot.

  Click…

  Reflexes kicked in, both draconic and human. Owen spun, shielding Clarissa. Even as he did, his Dragon was in full attack. Talons, claws, scales rippled across his body.

  BOOM!

  The ground exploded.

  Gravel sprayed like shrapnel around them. It tore through his pants and shirt. If Owen had been just a man, it would have flayed the skin from his bones. Fortunately, he was a Dragon. Even in his fully human form, the Great Serpent cast its shadow on him. Rocks bounced off his body as if from plate armor. Clarissa wasn’t as lucky. The Witch Hare screamed in terror as stones sang through the air around her. Yet, thanks to his honed, protective instincts, most slammed into him, not her.

  A quick scan revealed no enemies. Owen spun toward the fragile woman. “Are you all right?”

  “What was that?” A thin trickle of blood dribbled down the Hare’s face.

  “Land mine. Small one.”

  “What?”

  Had the blast deafened her? “Anti-personnel land mine,” he repeated.

  “What?” She blinked… blinked again… and suddenly, her eyes rolled back in her head and she crumbled.

  With a curse, Owen caught her before she hit the ground.

  No time to look for clues now. He scooped the unconscious Hare into his arms and sprinted back to the Warren.

  An hour later, after he completed a full survey of the property, he returned to find Clarissa in bed, surrounded by doting Witch Hares.

  “How do you feel?” he asked as he pulled a seat close to her. He wore what could, politely, be called a ‘toga’. No Witch Hare was even close to his size and he’d been forced to search the property with a sheet wrapped around himself.

  “Bruised, but I’ll survive. Thanks to you.” She gave his hand a grateful squeeze.

  “It was nothing.”

  “Nothing?” A fluttery, weak laugh escaped her. “You saved my life. I am in your debt. Forever.”

  That last word was weirdly somber. Like she meant it as some sacred pledge. Her intensity, her painful earnestness, made him strangely uncomfortable.

  “It’s my job.” He pulled his hand free and leaned back just out of reach. “I’m glad I was there to protect you. Though, I have to say, it was a surprisingly weak charge.”

  Around him, the Hares startled. “Weak to a Dragon, perhaps,” Clarissa scoffed, “but it would have killed one of us.”

  “It might have. Elisi, you need to make sure that everyone stays inside this afternoon.”

  “Are there more?” Clarissa’s assistant shivered.

  “Yes.” His voice grew grim. “Two more near the Wellspring. One over by the barn.” Murmurs of horror met his words. “Luckily, they’re metal, not plastic. I’m heading to Shasta now to get a metal detector. I want everyone to remain here, where it’s safe, until I’ve checked the grounds thoroughly.”

  “Who would do this?” Elisi whispered.

  But they all knew the answer to that. “The Fangs of Apophis.”

  Normally, that announcement would have made his heart sing. If the Fangs were here, battle wasn’t far away. And nothing made him feel alive like a fight.

  Yet, now Owen felt himself seethe with anger. If battle wasn’t far away then it was too damned close to his family. For the first time, he felt the weight of his protective duties. Battle wasn’t just an opportunity for glory and fame. It was a risk, a danger to those he loved.

  He would find their enemies and stop them. That prospect had always set his soul soaring with fierce glee. Today, unlike every other time, it filled him with a sober determination, not delight.

  “Look, here’s what I know so far. These devices are relatively weak. They would kill or maim a Hare, but most Shifters would survive the blast. The Fangs could have planted something much larger, something that could take out a Wolf or a Bear. But they didn’t.”

  Clarissa waved away his concerns. “They probably didn’t expect any warriors. This is a Warren, after all. Though, that does mean that they don’t know you’re here.”

  “Maybe, but here’s the really odd part. They’re shaped charges, not indiscriminate weapons. Like they want to kill one person, not lots.”

  “So you’re saying that someone is trying to assassinate me?” The queen’s eyes grew wide.

  “Or me,” Elisi added. “As chief researcher, I visit the Wellspring site every day.”

  “I don’t know.” Owen rose to his feet. “Maybe I can find more clues this afternoon. After I get that detector.”

  “Wait.” Clarissa caught his hand as he turned and, with a surprisingly strong grip, pulled him down onto the bed. “I have seen strange people in town. Ugly ones. They may have been Rats. I couldn’t get close enough to tell.”

  Rats. Owen’s nose wrinkled. The most loathsome Shifters. Spies, assassins, poisoners – and servants of the Fangs. “I’ll watch for them. Thank you for the warning.”

  She leaned in, her musky perfume still strong, despite the day’s mishaps. Her lips, warm and soft, met his.

  Startled, Owen jerked back.

  Clarissa ignored his surprise. “Thank you,” she murmured, her voice low and husky. “I hope, someday, I can repay you for saving my life.”

  He retreated then, before she could spell out exactly how she planned to do that.

  Chapter 10

  By the time Owen made it home, the sun had set. Ariel waited for him, reading a book. When he came through the door in his make-shift toga, she burst into giggles.

  “What happened to your pants?”

  “They were blown up by a land mine.”

  Her laughter lasted for one more second – until she realized he was serious. Then she sprang to her feet and darted over. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. The pants didn’t survive, though.”

  She caught his hands and scanned his face, anxiously searching for any sign of a lie.

  The worry in her eyes raised odd, protective urges in his heart. What would it be like to come home to this, every night? To a woman, to a family, that cared for him?

  “Seriously, I’m okay. It takes a lot more than a weak land mine to hurt a Dragon.”

  “There’s such a thing as a ‘weak’ land mine?”

  “These ones were strange.” Reluctantly, he pulled free of her gentle grip. “Let me get out of this sheet and I’ll explain. Then we need to talk about security. I’m afraid the Fangs of Apophis have agents in town.”

  A quick trip upstairs and back. On his return, he found homemade cookies and a pitcher of fruit water waiting for him. Quickly, he described the strange events at the Warren. Ariel listened, somber but unafraid.

  God, how he adored her! So many women would panic, beg him to leave town, demand that he take care of everything. Ariel wasn’t terrified. From her questions, short but insightful, he knew she was already planning what she needed to do to keep his family safe.

  Their family. She loved them as much as he did. It seemed selfish to claim the children for himself alone, when she gave her heart to them every day. Her love, her devotion, made her the mother his children deserved.

  His Alpha was right. Ariel McDunnah possessed a noble spirit. Why oh why couldn’t his Dragon just Claim her?

  “Did you find any clues about who these agents might be?” she asked.

  “No. Though the Hares thought they’d seen Rats in town.”

  “Rats… oh!” Ariel’s jaw dropped in shock, then she began to sputter
furiously. “I am an idiot! I am such an idiot!”

  “What’s wrong?” He placed his hand upon her knee, sliding a bit closer to her.

  “There was a strange man watching us today. I think he was a Rat Shifter.”

  Enemies here? Near my children? My woman?

  With a growl that echoed in Owen’s own throat, his Dragon rose. Power coursed through his body. His blood burned and light flared in his eyes, setting them afire. His skin and hands remained human, but his Dragon simmered just below the surface, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

  “Tell me.”

  Under his burning gaze, Ariel paled. Few could stare into the eyes of a seething Dragon and not flinch. Yet, her courage did not waver. She related the day’s events, how she’d found a squalid trailer in the hills behind their woods.

  “I knew there was something wrong about him, but I’m only Kin. I can’t recognize Shifters when I see them. Then when you mentioned Rats, I knew what I’d missed.”

  “I’m going to take care of this, now,” he said, rising to his feet. “Lock the doors.”

  “I’ll be upstairs beside the children,” she promised. “And tomorrow, I’m going into town and getting a proper gun.”

  A gun wouldn’t do much against one of the warriors of the Shifting kind. Bears and Wolves would be injured by a gunshot; a Dragon, merely annoyed. But Rats weren’t warriors. “Good idea.” He trusted her to make sure a weapon was kept safely away from his children.

  “Good luck.” She stood on her toes and tried to plant a chaste kiss on his cheek.

  He turned, and her kiss fell upon his lips.

  A heat born of passion, not Dragon’s fire, burned through his veins. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her soft, curving body against his. Her lips parted, opening to his kiss. Betraying that her longing matched his. He savored the taste of her, the swell of her breasts fast against his chest.

  Agony though it was, he forced himself to leave that embrace. Voice still rough with desire, he murmured, “I have to go.”

  She, too, pulled away, disappointment plain in her flushed, bright face. “Be careful.”

  One last touch, her fingers stroking his wrist, and she retreated upstairs. To guard herself and his children.

  Owen stepped into the backyard.

  Few mortals could bear to watch a Shifter change. Their minds, used to dull, mundane lives, panicked. Most fled, raving about UFOs and wild animals, unable to even recall clearly what they saw. As Kin, his child would not be harmed by the sight. However, he’d never told them about his secret life – and seeing your father transform into a Dragon was something no child would take well!

  A quick scan showed that all the curtains were drawn. Except the hallway window, where Ariel watched.

  She was full Kin. He wouldn’t hide his soul from her.

  With a wordless keen, Owen summoned his Dragon.

  Energy from the mysterious Other Side filled him. His body expanded, Shifted. Tanned skin glittered with scales. Talons and fangs, sharp enough to shred cars, curved from his hands. He rose, looming over the pool and a great serpentine tail unfurled behind him. With a final shake, two majestic wings burst forth, spreading out over the yard.

  Fully Dragon now, Owen glanced up at the window.

  Would she still be there? Had she fled, fearful of the great beast he held in his heart?

  No. Ariel remained. Wonder and joy filled her face, not fear. She watched, breathless, her lips parted in surprise. Staring at him in adoration.

  He loved her.

  That word came easily, now.

  Owen crouched, then threw himself into the air. Scaled wings beat the air, whipping the pool’s water into a frenzy. With strong, powerful strokes, he rose into the air and sailed toward the place where Ariel had found the Rat.

  No lights betrayed its location, making it hard to find. As he flew into the darkness, however, his Dragon’s eyes took over. Colors faded with the light but the night’s gloom vanished too. The world became a painting in silver and black. Details stood out sharply. Not even the deepest shadow could hide a foe from a Dragon’s eye.

  There. Moonlight glinting off abandoned cars.

  Owen circled, scanning the clearing. Shed, cars, trailer, junk… but no sign of any living creature.

  Wait. Was that a woman’s laughter? Coming from inside the dilapidated trailer?

  He swooped to the ground, landing with a thud that shook the fragile building. At once, silence fell.

  “Rat!” he thundered. “Show yourself!”

  No one answered.

  “Now, or I tear that junk heap in half!”

  “No need for that,” said a whiny voice to his left.

  Owen’s head whipped about. The man stepping around the trailer was indeed a Rat. To a Shifter’s eyes, his form shimmered between a scrawny, ugly man and a dog-sized rodent that was even more hideous.

  Out of reach, the man sidled away, circling him.

  “Walker Smith?” Owen turned, keeping his eye on the devious rodent. The man was shockingly brave for a Rat; he’d expected him to bolt for the woods first chance he got.

  “Yeah?”

  “Why have the Fangs of Apophis sent you to Adeline?”

  “They ain’t. Not that I expect you’ll believe that.”

  They’d turned a half circle now. The Rat began to back away. Owen didn’t follow. He didn’t need to. One leap and he could pounce on the wretched creature anywhere in this clearing. “Why did you plant mines at the Warren?”

  “I didn’t. I don’t got nothing to do with them Hares. Town went to hell when they showed up.”

  “You expect me to believe that it’s just a coincidence that they were attacked on the same day you spied on my family?”

  “I don’t expect that at all,” the Rat sneered. “I expect you’ll make up some crap in your head and believe that. I expect you won’t pay no mind at all to anything I say.”

  The man stood there, hands balled into fists, defiant. He’d never seen a Rat do that before. They were cowards, traitors. What was he doing?

  Suddenly, he understood.

  He’s trying to get me to follow him. Away from the trailer behind me.

  Owen turned back and studied the ramshackle structure. Was there another Rat inside? He had heard a woman.

  He raised his foreleg and tapped a claw on the mossy roof. The trailer shook. Nothing inside reacted, however.

  But the Rat did. He scampered forward, shocking Owen with his audacity. “Leave my home be. Yer business is with me.”

  Owen ignored him. He lowered his great serpentine head and nuzzled the trailer gently. Even that light touch set the thing rocking.

  Nothing. Not a peep from within.

  A sudden sharp pinch nipped his flank. Owen’s head whipped around. To his shock, the Rat had produced a hunting knife and was futilely attempting to stab his rear leg. Over and over he jabbed, throwing his full weight (such as it was) behind each blow.

  Not a one could penetrate a Dragon’s thick scales. Of course. A fact the Rat must know.

  What the hell? Can Rats go rabid?

  A flick of his tail sent the creature spinning into the bushes. Owen turned back to the odd trailer…

  …and as he did, the door popped open and the world went crazy.

  Rats poured out, scattering in all directions. Caught in instinct, his Dragon drew back and prepared to lash out with its deadly claws. But as the blow descended, horror swept over him.

  Small! They were too small!

  They were children!

  With a deafening roar, he reared back, fighting his Dragon. Wings buffeted, sending dirt and Rats tumbling across the junkyard. A skinny woman, her face scarred with birth marks, snatched up the smallest boy and began to crawl away.

  A predator at heart, his Dragon longed to snap the vermin up. They were enemies! Foes! No matter how small!

  No! We don’t harm children! They’re innocent!

  His Dragon raged with
disgust. There was no such thing as an innocent Rat!

  With every bit of his will, Owen ordered it back. It howled, it snarled, it fought him, roaring with fury, for control of their body. Visions of mayhem flooded his mind. He craved battle, yearned to throw himself into the midst of his enemies and make them pay.

  We do not harm innocents!

  In the end, he won. He was in charge, not his fierce soul. Trembling from the force of that inner battle, Owen sat down heavily in the cluttered yard. Neither knowing nor caring what junk his Dragon form crushed.

  The woman and children had vanished into the bushes. Only the man remained, pale and shaking, that foolish knife still clutched in his sweaty hand.

  Over its protests, Owen dismissed his Dragon. Slowly, he shrank, losing his scales and draconic form, until, at last, he stood in the clearing, one man before another.

  “What’s going on here?” he asked.

  The Rat licked his lips. “I reckon you’re trying to kill me, and I’m trying not to get killt.”

  “I’m not trying to kill you.” His Dragon rumbled a silent disagreement but Owen ignored it. “If I was, you’d be dead. Is that your family?”

  “Yes.”

  Did the members of the Fangs of Apophis have families? Ones they’d give their lives for? Because that was what this Rat had just done, he realized with grudging respect. He was willing to face an angry Dragon to save them.

  That was not the behavior of a Fang…

  “Why did you bring your family on this mission?”

  “I told you, I ain’t on no mission. I got nothing to do with the Fangs. I live here.”

  “You live here. Doing…?”

  “Nothing!” The Rat suddenly realized he still clutched his useless knife like a security blanket. Slowly, he sheathed it. “We just live here. It’s our home.”

  “You and your family.”

  “Yeah.” He folded his arms across his chest and spat. “Used to be a lot more of us. I had twenty or thirty cousins in this town. But they got took and there’s just us now. We hid the best, I guess.”

  “Took? Who took them?”

  “Fangs.”

  “Wait. You claim that you’re the Fangs’ victims, not their agents?”