Shifters of the Wellsprings: The Complete Paranormal Collection

by Leela Ash

  Best to check. That Dragon would spook every Wolf in the Pack if it kept up those acrobatics.

  As she strolled over, Casey hissed something to his Dragon. The great serpent settled to the ground, but its tail continued to whip back and forth furiously.

  “Lily.”

  At least they’d gotten past the ridiculous ‘Ms. King.’ “What’s up?”

  “Nothing that concerns you.” Swish, swish, swish went the Dragon’s tail.

  “Wrong.” She pointed at his irate spirit. “You think our Wolves can’t see that? It’s like having someone pet your fur backwards. By lunch every person in the Spread is going to be at each other’s throat. So, spit it out. What happened?”

  Teeth gritted, he glared at his Dragon. It stared back, lips curled to reveal a maw full of six-inch fangs. Made Lily glad her own spirit animal was a lot less intimidating. “My Alpha called. A thief broke into our Lair.”

  She couldn’t help it: her jaw dropped, and she gaped about Casey like a startled puppy. “Someone broke into the Lair of a Flight of Dragons?!? Holy crap! The balls on that guy!”

  Her shocked admiration annoyed him. “More like ‘brains’ – or lack of brains! The man must be a complete moron to anger us.”

  “So, what’d this ‘moron’ take? Your tv? The penny jar in your kitchen?”

  “No, of course not!” Dragons didn’t like being nipped. Which made the game all the more fun. “He penetrated the Sanctum, where we keep the Flight’s most precious belongings.”

  “Okay that doesn’t sound like a ‘moron’ to me. That’s a guy with brass balls. How much was the stuff worth? Maybe we can find him that way. There aren’t too many fences who’ll handle big-ticket items.”

  “That’s the strangest part.” His Dragon took to the air again and resumed its restless spinning. “He stole almost nothing. The Sanctum is full of priceless artifacts, yet he walked past all of them and took only one thing: a clay pot.”

  “Magic?”

  “No. The pot itself was nothing special. It held some cornmeal, turquoise dust, and a small carving of an eagle.”

  “Like a Zuni fetish?” she asked. The Dragon nodded. “Was that magical?”

  “No, though it was sacred. A token of respect, given to my Flight by the spirit of a holy mountain.”

  “But it didn’t do anything?”

  “It showed respect.” Both man and Dragon growled.

  “Calm down. I’m just trying to figure out why a thief would want it.” The warning from Rex Fairburn’s meeting echoed in her mind. “You remember what the First Flight said? With the return of the Wellsprings, old artifacts are developing magic powers. Or, well, regaining their old strength.”

  “If you believe the ‘First’ Flight,” he sniffed.

  “I do. Because my necklace used to Shift with me.”

  Not much he could say against that. Casey shrugged. “Point taken. Though this fetish has done nothing unusual.”

  And that brought them right back to square one. “What about the cornmeal and ground turquoise?”

  “Bought from a store.”

  “Why?”

  “To honor the fetish.”

  Honoring… rocks. Wow, the Flight of the Snows was a bunch of weirdos. “So, a guy sneaks into the home of the most dangerous, lethal creatures on this planet. He ignores all their riches and only takes a worthless pot full of junk and a rock that doesn’t do anything. Does the pot at least look cool?”

  “No. It’s plain and in a cabinet out of sight. We wouldn’t even know that it was gone – except that Dragons know their Lair. We can sense when something is missing.”

  At that, her Wolf bounded to attention, ears pricked up. “But you guys didn’t feel it being taken? You know what that means, right? Your thief not only had balls and a plan, he had magic to hide from you. This isn’t some random meth-head trying to get his next score. This is bad.”

  In fact, it sounded like those damned Fangs of Apophis again.

  “I know.” Casey hung his head, dejected.

  Geez, it didn’t take much to knock the wind out of him! Lily rolled her eyes. “So, you willing to ‘live on the edge’ and borrow someone’s bike? Or are we driving all the way to California in that stupid car of yours?”

  His Dragon’s endless whirling finally ceased. It plunked to the ground, lowered its head, and sniffed gently at her. “Why would we go to California?”

  “That’s where your Lair is, right? We’re not going to figure out what happened if we stay here in Colorado.”

  “My Flight will handle this.”

  “You don’t want to help?”

  His teeth ground together, hard enough for her to hear. “My duty is here. With you.”

  “So, if I go to California, your duty will be in California. Where you can help figure out what happened.” Lily grinned at him.

  A smile he did not return. “No. It could be dangerous. My duty to you comes first.”

  That was a creepy sentiment. Her Wolf’s fur bristled. “For us, the Pack comes first.”

  His chin rose, though a shadow darkened his face. “I’m a Dragon, not a Wolf. Honor and duty reign supreme in our Lairs. You cannot abandon them, even if the Flight suffers.”

  And no matter how much it hurt him. Lily felt a grudging respect. Her bodyguard might be a pompous idiot – but his spirit was true and strong. He’d stay here and guard her, no matter how much it cost him.

  If she let him.

  “Yeah well that’s why Wolves don’t volunteer for ‘duties’ and ‘honors’. That way you don’t have to choose between them and your Pack. So, I guess it’s the bike, then.”

  “The bike?” His frown set her Wolf prancing with delight. He didn’t even see the trap right in front of his feet. “What bike?”

  “The bike I’m riding to California.”

  “We’re not going to my Flight. I already told you that!”

  “I’m going.” She glanced at him over her shoulder as she turned away, eyes sparkling. “You coming too? Or is my babysitter gonna let me do this solo?”

  As she expected, he tagged along.

  Chapter 7.

  In the end, they didn’t take either the motorcycle or the car. One of her Pack dropped them off at Johnson’s Airport – a strip of packed dirt that really didn’t deserve its name. A quick call to the Flight summoned a sparkling clean Piper Cherokee 4-seater that whisked them over to the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

  Her first glimpse of the Aerie (as Casey referred to his home) left Lily speechless. High in the Sierras, surrounded by snow-capped mountains even in the middle of summer, the Aerie sprawled along a ridge. Three stories of broad windows offered breath-taking views down the valley. Statues and fountains graced the small lawn that lay before it, allowing its guests to drink in that luscious view as they took their strolls.

  “How many Dragons are in your Flight?” Lily asked. Hell, most resorts weren’t this large!

  “Eight,” Casey replied.

  “All of this for eight people?”

  Her disbelief seemed to offend him slightly. “Plus, servants.”

  ‘Servants.’ Of course, they had ‘servants.’ “Damn, you guys must be seriously incompetent if you need that many people to take care of you!”

  Ignoring his scowl, she peered out the plane’s window, surveying the land. Five miles of winding private road lay between the Aerie and civilization.

  “Gated?”

  “Yes. With a guard post.”

  No way they’d let some lost tourist wander up into their little preserve! Though it did leave her wondering how the thief made his escape. In the dark, over mountainous terrain, five miles was a long hike.

  At the end of the ridge lay a neat, paved private airstrip for gimp guests like her who couldn’t just Shift into a Dragon and fly in by themselves. A ‘servant’ awaited them. He made a serious attempt to take Lily’s backpack before she chased him off. Let him carry the Dragon’s junk. Wolves didn’t need – or want
– to be fawned upon. Eventually he gave up and led them through the Aerie’s empty, echoing marble hallways to her ‘rooms’. A ‘little suite’ that was as large as her place back at the Spread. And a helluva lot cleaner.

  It even had its own private ‘servants’ quarters’, a small room attached to the suite’s living room. Casey stashed his gear there.

  “You don’t even rate a room?”

  “I am your bodyguard,” he reminded her, with wounded pride. “It would be inappropriate for me to lodge far away.”

  “You think I’m going to get attacked in the middle of a Lair?”

  “No. Though I didn’t expect a thief, either.”

  Eh, good point.

  “Besides,” he continued, “with your manners you may well provoke one of my Brethren into an assault.”

  Was that… a joke? Hard to tell; Casey didn’t crack a smile, but her Wolf’s tail rose anyway. “Glad to know you’ve got my back if that happens!”

  Another servant appeared. She could tell he wasn’t a Dragon because all the staff wore these tidy black suits with white gloves. And they spoke like extras from a horror movie. “Master Briggs, Lord Kennedy bids me offer welcome to you and our lady guest.”

  Master. Lord…

  Bile rose in Lily’s throat. With it came a wild desire to Shift and flee through the halls, biting anyone who got in her way. This place was a crypt. Beautiful yet suffocating, burying everyone under the weight of its dust and age.

  Run! her Wolf urged. Escape!

  And the worst part? Casey still thought she was ‘meant’ to be his Mate. He expected her to join him here, in this mausoleum.

  The thought horrified her. It sent shivers down her spine, worse than a hundred fleas.

  Run! Run, run, run, flee!

  No. Lily forced her mind away from thoughts of the woods, cool, green, and rich with the scent of pine. Sure, this place was a trap. But she was smart. She could walk through it, do her job, and escape.

  Casey studied her, his expression clouded. “Are you alright?”

  “Yeah. Fine.” Guess she hadn’t hidden her revulsion as well as she thought.

  The servant bowed to her. “Does my lady require anything?”

  I don’t know. Why don’t you go ask her?

  Lily bit her lip before the words escaped and shook her head. Her Wolf simply shuddered.

  “Then Lord Kennedy requests the honor of your presence in the Green Room, once you have had an opportunity to freshen up.”

  “This is as fresh as I get, buddy!”

  A whine escaped her poor Wolf. Woods! Free! Run!

  Casey stepped in before a real spat could arise. “Thank you. Please convey our gratitude for His Lordship’s hospitality. We will attend upon him momentarily.”

  Bowing, the servant backed out of the suite. Backed! Like they were royalty and he didn’t dare turn away from them.

  Shivers swept over Lily as Wolf-mind crept close. She gritted her teeth, breathed hard… and kept herself together.

  Until that door closed.

  The moment the servant’s footsteps faded away, she set her Wolf loose.

  Her legs gave way and she fell, fur and fangs springing forth. Dull-clawed paws hit the ground running, scrabbling for traction on the slick stone floor. And then she was bolting, fleeing, flying towards the balcony doors.

  “Lily!” her bodyguard roared.

  No escape! The doors were closed! She leaped into the air, twisting and kicking off from the thick glass that trapped her. Casey dove for her, but the two-legged fool was slow, slow, slow! She dodged his arms, jumped onto the couch and sprang away.

  Skittering into the bathroom… no escape there! As he blundered into the doorway, she ricocheted off the claw-footed tub and darted past him down the hall. One hand snatched at her fur, caught her tail for a second before she slipped free, howling with glee.

  Free! Free at last to escape into the…

  No! This was a bedroom! Another snare of walls and glass! No way out except the door – where he stood now, yelling nonsense and waving his arms. She was trapped! Trapped!

  Something needed to die.

  Lily chose the pillow.

  She leaped on the bed and sank her fangs deep into one of its huge pillows. Teeth tore through Egyptian cotton. Then she whipped her head back and forth, side to side, savaging it.

  Cloth tore. Feathers exploded out, filling the air with snowy down. Snarling she whirled, her short claws ripping holes in the bed spread. And still she worried the pillow, shaking it, tearing it, spilling its feathery guts everywhere.

  When the pillow was thoroughly dead, she dropped its gutted husk and tottered off the bed. Lights flickered and her sleek, Wolfen form Shifted back to human. Exhausted but calm, Lily flopped on the floor and panted.

  In the doorway, Casey stared at her slack jawed. “What. The. Hell?”

  “Sorry!” she gasped. “Little bit of… claustrophobia!”

  “Are you mad?” He inched forward, circling around her as if she was rabid.

  “Nope! I’m good.”

  “You’re ‘good’?” Feathers drifted down past his face.

  “Yup.” Still breathing hard, she managed to sit up. “Thought I’d get that out of my system before I went to talk to your Alpha.”

  He stared. At her, gasping on the floor. At dusting of feathers that now covered the room. At the bedspread, torn and rumbled. Then he coughed. “On further consideration, I withdraw my objection. That was a good idea.”

  “Knew you’d see it my way.” She held out a hand. Casey took it and pulled her to her feet. “So, shall we go see your Alpha?”

  Miles Kennedy was every bit as bad as she’d feared. Tall and regal, with the prominent nose of a Roman emperor, he relaxed in his two-story library. Thick curtains of green velvet hung between shelves – the source of the name ‘Green Room’, Lily guessed. Kennedy rose from behind a gleaming mahogany desk. Black suit, gold cufflinks… even a neatly folded handkerchief peeking out of his breast pocket. From his perfectly coiffed brown hair to the manicured nails on the hand he offered, no flaw or speck of dust dared to show its face.

  “Daughter of our ally, know that you are welcome here, in the Aerie.

  Good thing her Wolf was exhausted from all that pillow-slaughter! A greeting like that would send it howling for the hills. What the hell was wrong with just saying, ‘Hey!’ or ‘How’s it going?’

  Come to think of it, what was she supposed to say now? “Uh… thanks?” was all she could manage quickly. Though she did shake his hand with a firm grip.

  “The strength of the Flight of the Snows surrounds you and shields you.”

  Uh-huh. A ‘strength’ that a thief had just popped like a water balloon.

  “We honor the debt of blood that unites us. Tell me: how may my Flight assist you?”

  Beside her, Casey winced as formalities piled on top of each other. That grimace was like a breath of fresh air. Did he see, now, how stilted and hidebound his Flight had become? Had three weeks with her Pack taught him to be normal?

  If a Pack of crazy Wolves were ‘normal’, that is. Yeah, on second thought, that was probably too much to hope for. But at least her bodyguard was starting to ‘unbutton’ a bit.

  “Actually, I’m hoping I can help you. Casey tells me that you had a break-in. I can help you find the thief.”

  Kennedy blinked. His lips pinched together in a little ‘O’ of surprise, like someone had crept up behind him and pinched him on the butt. Her spirits rose at the sight – and even her exhausted Wolf raised its head.

  Play?

  Nah, not right now. Work first, play later.

  The Wolf’s head flopped back down. Too tired. No work.

  The Alpha recovered from his surprise quickly and, as she’d expected, brushed away her offer. “Your consideration is a testament to your character. Know, however, that my Flight possesses ample power to defend itself and the treasures of its Lair.”

  “Really? Becau
se I heard you lost a pot and the thief got away clean.”

  Kennedy turned a baleful stare on Casey.

  Oopsies. She might be getting her sitter in hot water. Annoying as he was, she didn’t want that. Time to draw the Alpha’s attention back to her. “Hey, Mr. Kennedy. Nice nose you’ve got.”

  “Excuse me?” As she’d hoped, in his confusion he completely forgot her bodyguard.

  “Big. Strong. A nose to be reckoned with.” Lily nodded, delighted by his bafflement. “How well can it smell, though?”

  “I don’t follow you.”

  “My nose works great. It may be smaller than yours, but it can tell me where every person in this house has gone in the last three days. Show me where your pot was, and I’ll take you to where your thief is.”

  Like two statues, the men studied her. Kennedy’s Dragon reared slowly, offended. Lips curved away from teeth as it loomed above her. That silent threat sent a jolt of alarm through her Wolf. But as her spirit animal scrambled to its feet, a shadow rose above it.

  No, not a shadow. A sinuous, elegant black Dragon rose behind her Wolf, spreading its wings wide to shield her.

  Casey’s Dragon. Defying his Alpha. Protecting her.

  Eyes locked, the two great serpents glared at each, filling the room with silent menace. Neither was willing to back down.

  But Kennedy was in the wrong – and he knew it. Nobody, not even Wolves, thought that bullying your guests was good manners. And so, he was the first to glance away.

  “Again, your generosity honors you. However, we do not need assistance.”

  “Can you track your thief? I can.”

  “The thief will be located. This matter does not concern you.”

  “If you just show me where the pot was, I can…”

  “That is impossible.” Annoyance sharpened his words. Like most Alphas, Kennedy didn’t handle ‘rebellion’ well. “None but my Flight ever enters the Sanctum.”

  Must get pretty dusty in there. She couldn’t picture Dragons cleaning up. “Okay, but I can…”