Green shadow, p.12
Green Shadow, page 12
Surprised by his lack of reaction, I hesitated, and it left me open. The assassin was quick to take advantage. Fire burned along my side, following the trail his blade carved into my skin.
I tried to ignore it, to keep fighting. But my vision began to blur, and my muscles started to go numb. Stumbling as my limbs ceased to work, I attempted to right myself. At this rate, I’ll be more of a hindrance than a help. I had to get myself out of the way.
Lurching to the side, I managed five steps before my legs gave out. The burning flowed up my blood vessels, aiming for my heart. Poison.
My knees hit the ground as a bellowing roar erupted from the area I’d just vacated. The screech of a hunting bird about to eviscerate her prey answered it. Quinn and Monica had turned the tables.
Time became fuzzy, and I don’t remember how long I knelt there, trying in vain not to topple to the ground. Eventually, all was quiet, and Quinn came over. He placed a hand on my shoulder.
“How are you holding up?” His words came to my ears, muffled. I strained to make them out.
Opening my mouth, I tried to speak. But only gibberish came out.
Quinn tilted his head to one side, his eyes narrow. Then, cursing, he rummaged around in a pouch attached to his belt.
Finding what he was looking for, he pulled out a vial. Uncorking it, he poured a few drops onto my wound.
By the first dragon! That shit hurt. “What is that?” I barked, my breaths coming out in ragged gasps.
“Something strong enough to allow you to speak real words again,” Quinn replied blandly.
The wound stopped bleeding in front of my eyes, and the edges started pulling back together. It was the most potent healing potion I’d ever encountered. “Who the hell made that?” I asked, but Quinn gave me a ‘shut up’ look, so I clamped my lips together.
Standing, my legs grew stronger. Soon I could walk over to what was becoming a large gathering of people. Alpha Orison, not content to let us handle the care of one of his shifters, had gathered his Beta and Delta – the Terran version of Protector and Enforcer – plus a few fighters and stormed the backyard.
“The assassin cut his losses when they arrived,” Quinn said as we walked over to the group. “Whoever the bastard was, he managed to evade the perimeter the Alpha set.”
Frustration rose within me, and I had to dig my fingernails into my palms to keep from snarling into the night. Damn, we were so close to finally getting some answers.
A large man with a bushy brown beard and shiny bald head stalked over to us. His eyes were a warm brown, and he moved with an air of restrained power. There was no doubt who was at the top of the food chain.
“Quinn, long time.” The man rumbled out.
“Bern, I’m sorry we didn’t clear it with you. We were under the impression that all the members of the Alpha Triad were aware of the situation.” Quinn responded far more diplomatically than I would’ve guessed.
“We’ve only had the bare updates. My teams have increased their patrols, but no one knows how to make the pool of people at risk smaller. We are spread too thin,” he said. This Alpha clearly didn’t care who his people mated as long as they were happy and kept the peace.
A thought hit me, something Mackenzie had said during the summit. So, while Quinn filled the Alpha in, I talked to Monica.
Devon hovered at her shoulder, radiating tension. But gave me a grim smile when I approached.
Nodding to the man, I turned my focus to Monica. “Monica, has anyone from a group called the Purity Movement been in touch with you recently?”
The Summit had forged a tentative peace between the Mythos shifters, the Terran shifters, and the Vampires. I had hired Mackenzie to be my plus one for the event. Intel I’d received suggested that an attack would take place. Everyone had laughed, but I’d been right.
During one of the evenings when we’d socialized with members of the other Mythos Tribes, Mackenzie had used facts to educate a couple of gryphons spewing purity shit. She had mentioned the group. The memory of her using facts as a weapon sent a wave of fondness through me.
That was the point I’d decided I would do anything to make her mine. The events of the following night changed all that, and my brain struggled between the two different persona. Which one was the real Mackenzie?
“No, I can’t say I have.” Monica’s shoulders were as tense as her mate’s.
I deflated. Disappointment surged through me. I’d been so sure I was on to something.
Devon started to shuffle from foot to foot, guilt wafting off him. It brushed up against my senses with a sour note. Turning to him, I repeated the question. “Have you had any interaction with a member of the Purity Movement?”
“No! Why would I?” Nerves had his voice cracking.
“You’re lying,” Quinn said in a low tone. Coming up behind me.
“I’m not!” Devon glared at Quinn as if his bravado could outmatch the abilities of a gryphon. Fool.
“Do you know what a gryphon’s powers are?” Quinn asked.
Monica’s hands rose to shield her mouth as she released a low gasp.
“Wait, you’re a gryphon? I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” Devon slumped in defeat.
How the hell did the fool not know? All gryphons had predominantly golden eyes laced with one or two other metallic colors. So Quinn’s golden-silvery-bronze eyes should be a dead giveaway.
Without prompting, he sputtered. “They approached me a couple of weeks ago and offered me a way to sever the bond. They told me that human-shifter mating’s didn’t work, that I should get out now while the bond was still new.”
Poor Monica’s eyes began to shine with unshed tears.
“What did you tell them?” My voice held more growl now. Bonds were sacred to shifters.
“That I’d think about it. Monica and I have been fighting a lot lately, and I just wanted to know my options.”
“At any point, did you tell them you wanted out?” I demanded, using every inch of height I possessed to make the man cower.
Devon looked back and forth between Quinn and Monica. Hesitation evident in his eyes. Closing my eyes, I pinched the bridge of my nose. The man was screwed no matter what he said. Because Quinn would know the moment, he lied.
Head hanging, he whispered one word. “Yes.”
Elation coursed through me. This was it, the missing link. If we could tie each murder to a meeting or encounter with the Purity Movement, it would give us people to watch and information we could trace.
That sense of joy died when I caught the absolute devastation on Monica’s face. I didn’t need to be an empath to see the pain and shame that filled her. Holding out my hand in silent invitation, I offered to take away a portion of her hurt. “Let me help,” I said gently.
My siphoning power wasn’t a secret, and I was glad she understood what I was offering. Reaching out, she took my hand. Gently, I leeched some of the hurt and shame away – not all of it, but enough for her to get through the next few hours without losing it and doing something she would regret.
Letting the emotions pass through me, I felt as they settled into the heart of my power. Then because that asshole Devon needed to pay for the pain he’d caused, I projected them back at him. Tears gathered in his eyes, and his shoulders bent under the weight of the emotions I made him feel.
Satisfaction coursed through me as Devon let out a small cry. It was wrong, and I wanted to say that it didn’t make me feel good to make him hurt. But that would be a lie. A shifter’s worst fear was a loving mate becoming resentful of the gift.
“Thank you for your help,” Monica whispered. Her voice was scratchy from withholding her tears.
“I’m sorry things turned out the way they did,” I replied.
Giving me a fake smile, she shrugged her shoulders. “I should have known this was coming. We rushed the mating, I thought Devon knew what he was getting into, but in his mind, being mates was equivalent to being perfect. No difference of opinions, no fighting, everything in happy harmony.”
I snorted. “A bond doesn’t make you perfect. Instead, it connects you so that you know you’re not alone even when things aren’t perfect.”
That got me a watery smile. “Alpha Orison can take things from here,” Monica said. “If the killings are connected to the Purity Movement, he can use that to narrow down the pool of targets and provide better protection.” Hands fidgeting, she started toward the house.
Reaching out, I put a hand on her arm. “If you need help, contact me through Catch and Release.” It took only a moment of thought to pull a business card and pen out of my pocket. I wrote a number on the back and handed it to the woman.
Eyebrow raised, she asked, “What’s this?”
“An option.” After all, I knew of one shifter capable of breaking bonds, especially if the person, or people, were willing.
And Annabelle deserved a chance to do some good with her magic.
Chapter 14
Lucan
Having gone all night with no sleep, I needed food to compensate. If the haggard look Quinn could no longer hide was anything to go by, so did he. The gryphon and I stepped into the guild’s massive cafeteria, and saliva pooled at the corner of my mouth. Hunger surged through me at the wonderful smells coming from Tony’s domain. But before we could order, Chris came rushing in, blood spotting her shirt.
Everyone in the room surged to their feet, and Tony emerged from the kitchen, a cleaver in hand. My fatigue vanished as adrenaline raced through my system. My empathic senses snapped out, ready to catch any threat coming my way.
“Lucan. Quinn. With me. Now!” She didn’t wait to see if we’d follow before turning on her heels and dashing out.
Glancing at Quinn, I brought my magic in line. Together we sprinted after Chris. Our longer legs ate up the distance, and with Chris leading the charge, the three of us burst into Curtis’s office.
The man in question sat slumped over his desk. Blood dripped from his nose and ears. The clean-cut guild leader was nowhere in sight. Curtis looked as if a rampaging bear shifter had hit him. Spinning away from Quinn, I scanned for threats. There was nothing here. All was as it should be. I relaxed, the tension melting from my muscles, and exhaustion hit me again. It was all I could do to power through.
Rushing to the seer’s side, Chris began to smooth his ruffled hair with her fingers, a dagger gripped in her free hand, white-knuckled and ready.
Lifting his head off the desk, Curtis leaned into the woman’s touch. He allowed the comfort for several seconds before gathering his reserve and straightening.
Calm gray eyes met ours, “Quinn, I have a hunt for you.” He scribbled notes on a piece of paper and held it out to the gryphon.
Taking the report, Quinn read it over quickly.
“You will need to take this one alone.” He stated.
The news took me by surprise. Quinn hadn’t done a solo hunt since we paired up, and an uncomfortable weight settled in my stomach, and I wondered who would watch his back.
“Come get the rest of the details.” The paper contained only the bare bones of the job. Quinn walked around the desk, not concerned with what would happen.
Extending a bare hand, Curtis offered it to Quinn. The stoic man took it without any hesitation. As the process started, a myriad of emotions passed through the gryphon’s eyes. The one that lingered longest was pain.
I debated for a moment about using my magic to help. I’d already walked a gray line tonight when I used my offensive capabilities to hurt Devon, and the guilt rising within me made me regret the action. Could I be trusted to make the right decision regarding my power?
But seeing the lines of pain on Quinn’s face deepen, I decided that, in this case, it was better to ask forgiveness than permission.
Gripping the reins of my magic tightly, I directed my empathic senses toward Quinn. The pain registered, and not stopping to second guess my choice, I latched onto it and slowly took it away. The agony roared through me before settling into the core of my magic.
The lines around Quinn’s mouth eased, and his legs shook less. Then, meeting my eyes, the gryphon nodded, acknowledging what I’d done. Pride swelled in me; I’d made the right call.
Even with my help, tears gathered in the gryphon’s eyes.
When the transfer finished, Quinn wiped his eyes and, without a word, sped from the room. It wasn’t shame for the tears that drove him from sight. Instead, it was the need to process what Curtis had given him.
During a transfer, the bits Curtis gave were like a puzzle smashed into pieces of sight, sound, smell, and tactile cues. They included the past, present, and future, and they had to be processed quickly, or they’d fade. So in the first few weeks of work, Curtis trained me in several memory techniques to help organize the information.
Of course, even with the tricks, the memories would fade naturally in a week or so. If any lingered, Curtis could purge them. It helped to know that the horrors he occasionally had to put in our heads didn’t have to stay there.
The Guildmaster took a long, shuddering breath. Transference was the active aspect of his ability, and, like all magic, it cost him each time he used it. “I’m sorry I don’t have much time to explain, but speed is of the essence.”
Approaching the desk, I closed the distance between us, not wanting Curtis to exert himself by talking loudly.
“I’ve had my first glimpse of her.” He didn’t need to elaborate on who ‘she’ was. There was only one person it could be.
Mixed feelings rose within me. On the one hand, I was happy there was a lead, but part of me squashed that joy, wondering how I would speak to her when I got there.
My dragon core didn’t share my misgivings. Instead, he surged forward, hope a shining beacon lighting him from within.
Before I could worry more, Curtis gave me a sad smile. “You won’t be in time to rescue her.” The shard of hope that had begun to blossom shattered into a thousand pieces. At the same time, a tiny bit of relief surged within me. But then, my face went blank, horrified at that small emotional betrayal.
My dragon snarled at my relief, but oddly, he didn’t push it further. Instead, he accepted that I was unsure and gave me room to deal with things independently. But his despair rose with each minute, with no signs of stopping.
Curtis’s face became firm. “But you still must go, and Connor needs to go with you. You will need his gift.” Nodding, I didn’t speak. I could not form the words past my dragons pain and my indecision. Part of me feared the unfair words that would spill out of my mouth should I try.
Accepting a piece of paper with the details, I left without a word. The place where my one-sided bond rested, throbbed with heart-wrenching agony. Clutching my chest tight, I stumbled down the stairs and out the door. Making it to my motorcycle, I shrugged on my jacket without conscious thought. Within seconds, I was speeding off in a random direction.
As my dragon’s grief reached a crescendo, I could no longer contain him. If I denied him physical form any longer, I risked going feral.
Holding off as long as I could, I tried to put as much distance between the city and me as possible. When my dragon emerged, he would unleash an onslaught of power that would make my bonding ceremony with Curtis look like a child’s temper tantrum.
Increasing my speed, I zipped through the streets. Time no longer flowed the same way. I went on until I couldn’t. Until the magic inside of me begged for release. When I hit the tipping point, I abandoned my ride and managed to get far enough away to let my shift take hold and not destroy the only property I had left.
Unable to control the transition, my clothes tore free as my frame expanded. My skin hardened into scales and darkened to a glossy onyx. Veins of electric blue ran like rivers through the black. I was vain enough to know the color combination created a striking image.
Burning flooded my eyes. They would be glowing the same electric blue as the veining in my scales. Nubs shot out from my shoulder blades, lengthening, expanding, and unfurling into two magnificent wings. Nothing felt better than the glorious freedom of the sky, and for a moment, I wanted to take off and never return.
Spikes ruptured from my vertebrae, spanning my spine from head to tail. I did a whole body shake to help them settle. My sight altered; the world became more vibrant. It was as if I lived with a bag over my head while in my human skin.
It took five minutes for my shift to complete—slower than my record but still admirable, considering my size. Even with the help of magic, going from a six-foot-tall man to a fifty-foot-long dragon could never be an instantaneous process—anyone who could was a charlatan or had access to an obscene amount of magic.
The closest I’d come was the near-instant shift I’d managed when Mackenzie was about to be crushed by a crumbling building. And to achieve that speed, I’d needed to initiate my end of the mate bond and draw on her power.
A thought cut through the haze of my dragon’s grief. I’d drawn a significant amount of magic to change forms that fast. Perhaps I was partly to blame for her being unconscious for days afterward.
Draconic instincts surged forward, threatening to overwhelm me. My dragon side was not a separate entity, not some alien consciousness in my mind I needed to bond with. He was me, or at least a more animalistic version of me. We still weren’t in accord about Mackenzie, but I was happy to let him come forward. Coordinating seven limbs simultaneously during flight was a bitch.
Fully settled in my dragon form, I flared my wings and pumped them a few times. Then, let out an earth-shattering roar that held every ounce of the frustration, rage, and feelings of inadequacy I’d locked away for months. My magic radiated off me in waves. I didn’t direct it, letting it undulate out in all directions. Anyone caught in its path would be crushed by heightened feelings of anger, despair, and fear.
I thought I was alone. That there was no one around to share my pain. But I was wrong. Four people determinedly slogged through the onslaught, and my magic curled and bent around them. They stopped a few feet away, not interrupting my raging at the universe. Silently offering their support.
