by Zoe Chant
“It’s his special power. Most mythic shifters have one. He’s watching out for our mysterious lightning-throwing friend, and also making sure no surprise bears or hares or anything else decide to make our day even more interesting.”
“Oh. Um.” The way he was bashing at the root was setting her teeth on edge. She had to say something. “Wystan, you want to leave this one to me?”
His Pulaski whistled through the air with inhuman strength, finally cleaving through the gnarled wood. “I can handle it.”
“I didn’t mean to imply that you can’t. But it’ll go faster if we share out the work.”
“I may not have any useful powers, but I’m still a shifter,” Wystan snapped. “I am considerably stronger than you. And don’t stand so close to me.”
His unexpected attack made her blink. It was so out of character for him that she was more startled than hurt.
Before she could come up with a response, he sighed, letting his tool drop. “My sincere apologies, Edith. I’m appallingly cranky. It’s something of a strain for me to be around people who have recently been…” He cleared his throat. “Er, intimate. It’s a unicorn thing.”
“Oh! Like in the legends, where unicorns can only be approached by virgins?”
A blush crept up his pale features. “I’m not that badly affected. My father used to be crippled by migraines in this sort of situation. I just get a bit irritable. Normally I’d manage it better, but I’m not my best self today. I didn’t get much sleep. Joe is not the most restful person with whom to share a cabin.”
Edith glanced over at Joe, who was working with Fenrir to drag cut branches safely away from the fireline. The sea dragon also wasn’t his usual self, going about his tasks without a word of complaint or a single terrible joke. She’d thought he was just focusing on the job, but now she realized his dark skin was ashen with more than just fallout from the wildfire.
“He doesn’t look like he slept well either,” she said.
“Nightmares, I believe. Though about what, I don’t know. Whatever he was yelling was in sea dragon language.” Wystan rubbed his forehead. “I suppose the attack last night has put us all on edge.”
He was right. The whole squad was acting strange. Fenrir was trotting around with his usual alert energy, but his tail was low and wary rather than waving like a flag. The fur on his neck bristled under his harness. And as for Blaise…
She barely seemed to be aware of any of them. She’d been laughing and relaxed at the start of the job, but her confident air had evaporated as the line lengthened. Now she hacked at the ground with single-minded focus, as though the forest floor had done her a personal injury.
Maybe Blaise was just tense because she too had figured out that they weren’t cutting line fast enough. But in that case, why hadn’t she said anything? In training, she’d never hesitated to comment if she felt someone wasn’t performing their best. Everyone respected her.
Yes, Edith decided with a twinge of relief. Blaise should be the one to quietly point out to Rory that they needed to change their strategy. She was a confident veteran firefighter, and a shifter. He would listen to his old friend.
She sidled over to Blaise and cleared her throat. The other woman didn’t look up.
“Blaise.” When Blaise didn’t react, she tentatively put a hand on her arm, stopping her swing. “Blaise? Can we…”
She trailed off. Blaise’s bicep was as rigid as iron. She was gripping her Pulaski so tightly, Edith could see her hands shaking. Her breath rasped between her teeth.
Edith knew only too well what an imminent meltdown looked like. She grabbed Blaise’s tool, wrenching it away. “Blaise!”
Blaise’s eyes were wide and unfocused. Flames reflected in their dark depths…even though she was facing away from the approaching fire.
“Burning,” she said dreamily. “Burning.”
“Rory!” Edith shrieked.
He was at her side so fast, his chainsaw blade hadn’t come to a complete stop. He took one look at Blaise and threw the tool aside. He snapped his fingers in front of her slack face.
“Look at me,” he commanded. There was something odd about his voice, an awful jarring note like claws scraping over a blackboard. “Look at me.”
Blaise’s head turned like a puppet on a string. When she spoke, she sounded both more and less like herself. More, because at least it wasn’t that alien sleepwalking drone…and less, because her voice had gone high and tight with fear.
“Rory,” Blaise gasped. “It’s too close. Help.”
“You are in control. You will not shift unless you want to.” Rory gripped Blaise’s face between his palms, his golden eyes locked on hers. “You will not shift. You are in control.”
A shudder went through Blaise’s whole body. She relaxed at last, slumping forward. Rory caught her in a hug.
“It’s okay,” he said, his voice softening back into his usual deep, warm register. “We’re here. We’ve got you. Do you need to get off the fireline?”
“No.” Blaise stepped away, back straightening. “I’ve got it locked down again now. Thanks for the assist.” She turned to Edith. “And thanks for realizing something was wrong. Even though you didn’t know what.”
“No problem,” Edith said, relieved that Blaise seemed to be back to normal. “What was it, a panic attack?”
“Something like that.” Blaise reclaimed her Pulaski. “Let’s get back to work. We’re running out of time to get this line finished.”
“It’s too late already,” Edith blurted out. “We aren’t going to make it.”
Rory blew out his breath, his mouth setting in a grim line. “We’ll just have to step up the pace.”
His physical closeness made the mate bond glow brighter in her heart. The steady warmth bolstered her courage.
“It’s not going to work, Rory.” She took his hand, a little thrill shooting through her just from that small contact. “Can we talk?”
“Five minute break!” Rory called to the rest of the squad. He let her draw him aside. “Are you holding up okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m barely working up a sweat, to be honest.” She lowered her voice. “But I’m the only one who’s holding it together. I don’t know why, but no one is working effectively. Look at them.”
His jaw clenched. She could sense that he accepted the truth of her words. Her stomach churned with his worry and…guilt?
“Why do you think that this is your fault?” she asked, confused.
“Because it is.” He took off his helmet, raking a hand through his damp hair. “I’m the squad boss. And more than that, I’m the alpha. It’s a shifter thing. Like in a wolf pack.”
Edith frowned. “I thought that whole alpha-beta-omega status theory had been discredited.”
“For regular wolves, maybe. But it’s true for shifters. We tend to be strongly hierarchical. And you’ve seen how we share thoughts. Emotions bleed through too. I think I’m throwing everyone off their game. Because…because I’m distracted.”
She felt as though someone had whipped the ground out from under her feet. “You’re distracted because of me.”
He looked miserable. He also didn’t deny it.
It was her old crew all over again. Once again, her very nature made her the weak point. She’d been so caught up in her joy over mating Rory, and her relief at finally having all their mutual secrets out in the open, that she hadn’t stopped to consider what it actually meant to be the only human on the all-shifter crew.
No wonder he was half out of his mind with worry. He loved her—she’d never doubt that—but the fact remained that he’d seen her in full meltdown. He knew how much she struggled with things other people found trivial.
She was a liability.
“Do you want me to go?” she forced out, through her tightening throat.
“No!” He grabbed hold of her shoulders, fingers digging in as though he thought she might try to slip away. “That would just make it worse.”
>
“But I’m holding you back.”
“I need you here.” He shook his head savagely, face contorting. “My instincts are all confused. You’re in danger here, but if you’re somewhere else I won’t be able to protect you—“
“Rory,” Callum said.
Rory whipped round without letting her go, so fast that her head spun. “What is it?”
Callum pointed at the sky in answer.
There was a smudge of cloud on the horizon. It shimmered oddly, like a mirage.
Rory’s hands spasmed on her shoulders. “It’s coming.”
Chapter 32
“That’s the thunder creature?” Edith asked. Rory could sense her surge of apprehension down the mate bond. “But I can see it. Kind of.”
“Really?” Wystan shot Edith a sharp sideways glance. “That’s interesting. People who are mated to shifters can generally see through our invisibility tricks. Our friend over there might be one of us after all.”
“I don’t care what it is,” Rory growled. “Callum, any unusual activity in the forest?”
Callum shook his head. “No animals at all. Only living things around are us and C-squad.”
The news should have been a relief. Instead, his tension only increased. His griffin paced like a caged lion, every hair and feather on end. Somehow he knew, knew, that his mate was in terrible danger.
He came to a decision. “Everyone pack up. You’re pulling out.”
“What do you mean, ‘you’?” Blaise said, eyes narrowing.
“I’m staying to face down that thing.” He unclipped his radio, passing it to her. “Call Buck and let him know what’s happening. Then go back and meet up with C-squad. Tell them we’re abandoning the fireline up here.”
Edith cleared her throat, looking a little tentative. “We could still save the forest. That’s what I was trying to tell you a minute ago. If we focused on rough cuts and combined forces with Seth’s squad, we could-“
“Edith, it’s too risky.” He turned her to face him again, locking eyes with her. He knew she didn’t like it, but it would stop her from arguing. “This could be another distraction. You can’t fight fire and look out for ambushes at the same time. It’s best if you get to safety.”
“But I’m worried about you.” He could tell the effort it took her to shape words without looking away. “I know I can’t help, but the others can. They should stay.”
“They can’t.” If only the alpha voice worked on her. She could already be on her way to safety. “I need them all to protect you.”
*Then pack should stay together.* Fenrir showed his teeth. *All together.*
“I have a really bad feeling about this, bro.” Joe had a haunted, strained look. “I can’t explain why, but I know you’re going to need backup.”
“I’ve fought this thing before,” Rory snapped, irritation rising. “I can handle it alone.”
“We don’t know that.” Blaise matched him glare for glare. “It could have just been sounding you out before, learning your patterns and probing for weaknesses. It certainly doesn’t look at all hesitant now.”
Blaise was right. The cloud was coming in fast, growing thicker and darker by the second. He was running out of time.
“Go with Edith.” He put all his force into the alpha command. “Protect my mate.”
All five of them closed around Edith like a fist. She stared around in confusion at the sudden wall of muscle circling her.
“Rory,” she started.
He had to make her leave. The alpha voice didn’t work on her, but he hardened his tone anyway, cutting off her half-formed protest. “You have to go, Edith. Now. I can’t fight if I’m worrying about you.”
She flinched as though he’d snapped a whip in her face. His heart broke at the way she crumpled, shoulders and head bowing in a huddled, defensive posture as she turned away. He knew from the mate bond just how much his words had hurt her.
Almost, he called her back. It took all of his willpower to clench his jaw, shielding his emotions so that she wouldn’t feel his regret. He would apologize to her later.
Right now, he had to protect her.
He focused on his approaching enemy. Despite the speed of its approach, it was still miles off. He had a little time to prepare.
He slipped off his backpack, relieved to be free of the heavy weight. He tried to loosen his muscles. He’d been cutting flat-out for hours, working hard enough to tax even a shifter’s stamina. He was uneasily aware that he wasn’t at his freshest.
He took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders. He could do this. He had to do this.
He couldn’t let anything hurt his mate.
A twig crunched behind him. He bit back a curse.
“I told you—“ He cut himself off as he turned. It wasn’t Edith, or any of his squad.
“Seth.” Wonderful. This was all he needed. “Didn’t Blaise tell you to clear out?”
“Yes.” Seth’s mirrored sunglasses reflected the dull red light of the approaching fire. “But she said you were staying up here.”
“I don’t have time for a debate.” He barely held back the alpha voice. It wouldn’t help to reduce the man to a sniveling wreck again. “Buck put me in charge. I’m ordering you to leave.”
Instead, Seth came closer. He licked his lips. “I already sent my squad away. Now yours is gone too. It’s just you and me.”
The back of his neck crawled. If he’d been in his griffin form, his hackles would have raised. “Seth, whatever idiocy you’re thinking of committing, don’t. Last chance. Get out of here.”
Seth took another step forward, as if he hadn’t spoken. His voice dropped to an oily hiss. “I’ve been waiting for this.”
His griffin snarled, straining against his control. Kill! Tear out its throat!
It wasn’t like his animal to be so bloodthirsty. He shook his head, trying to push back the odd, growing rage. Seth was emptyhanded, not even armed with a shovel. The man couldn’t possibly hurt him.
“You’ve made this easier than I expected, sending them all away like that.” Seth’s mouth stretched in a thin, close-lipped smile. He was almost within arms’-reach now. “I thought I’d have to catch her alone. Take her in order to slip past your guard.”
“Okay, we’re done,” Rory announced. He switched to the alpha voice. “Back off.”
Seth lunged. It was so utterly unexpected, Rory was taken completely off-guard. The man moved fast as a snake, far faster than any human should be able to move.
Seth’s weight crashed into him. They both went over, Seth on top. His cap and sunglasses flew off.
Rory stared up into glittering red eyes. Small horns bulged out from Seth’s distorted forehead. Seth’s lips peeled back to expose needle-like fangs.
“Now your strength will be mine,” the creature hissed, and sank its teeth into his neck.
Chapter 33
Edith knew it was the right thing to do. She knew she was just a distraction. She knew she couldn’t help him.
And yet, she also knew that this was wrong.
It was wrong, all wrong, to be walking away from Rory. She had the oddest sense of being stretched, as though there was an invisible elastic band between them. With every step, her discomfort grew.
“We should go back,” she blurted out.
Callum stared straight ahead, striding so fast she could barely keep up with him. “Can’t.”
“But Rory needs us.” She tried to stop, but she was stuck in the midst of the squad. She had to keep going, or get run over. “I don’t know how I know, but I do. We have to go back.”
Callum shook his head sharply. His steps never paused. “Can’t.”
“Joe.” Edith twisted round, seeking an ally. “You said yourself that he needed help. I’m begging you, go to him.”
Joe twitched, grimacing in a parody of his usual easy smile. “I wish I could. But Callum’s right. We can’t. None of us can.”
“It’s the alpha voice,” Wystan sa
id, his face as white as his hair. “Rory’s special power. When he uses it, we can’t disobey.”
“Not for a while, at least,” Blaise spat out. Her fists clenched, shoulders rigid. “That short-sighted, arrogant, overgrown…when this finally wears off, I swear I will roast him.”
Edith stared around. There was something unnatural about their gaits. It was like they were being forced along at gun-point. Fenrir kept snarling and shaking his head, paws stumbling as though fighting against an invisible choke chain.
“Well, I’m not a shifter.” She planted her boots in the ground. “I don’t have to—ooof!”
Joe swept her up like a snowplow. She found herself being practically carried along, her feet barely making contact with the ground.
“Stop it!” She struggled against Joe’s chest. “Put me down!”
With a slight twinge of guilt, she kicked Joe hard in the shins. He let out a pained grunt, his grip slackening for a second. She twisted free, dancing frantically away from them all.
“I’m terribly sorry.” Wystan advanced on her like a quarterback, ready to tackle her. “We don’t have any choice. Rory ordered us to get you to safety.”
“No he didn’t,” she gasped, back-pedaling further. “He told you to go with me. And I am going back to my mate!”
All the shifters froze.
“Is she right?” Joe asked, glancing around at them all. “Does that work?”
Callum’s eyes lit up. “Yes. It does. Try it.”
Wystan straightened, rocking a little as though testing uncertain ground. “The alpha voice is very literal. I’m only feeling compelled to stay near her. Edith’s right. He ordered us to protect her, not to forcibly carry her off the mountain.”
*Clever, clever Stone Bitch!* Fenrir frisked around her like a puppy, his tail windmilling madly. *Yes, lead us, lead the pack!*
Blaise grinned, showing all her teeth. “Edith, I could kiss you. Let’s go.”
They pelted back the way they’d come. Edith led the way, following their own trampled trail through the dense undergrowth. Her heart lightened with each step.
Even if she couldn’t help Rory herself, she could bring him help.