10.

Cameron

“W e’re missing something ,” I complain.

Something is wrong. Whatever the situation is, it’s even more wrong than we suspected. When Ryker called us, we knew they actually needed help. So, where are they? Why would they ask for our assistance and then ghost?

Could their enemies really have wiped them out before they got here?

We explore the outside of the walls, but we're unable to find anything that offers us access. Why aren't there any doors? There are no openings. We think we can guess which side is the “front" and which is the "back," but this is purely based on location, and angle to the woods.

Eventually, we make it all the way around the clan headquarters. There we find the rest of our group, plus Reece and Sabrina, who seem sweaty and out of breath. My guess is that they made a very important stop on the way: a sexual side quest, perhaps. She rushes to Wilson, pulling him close, and kisses him.

"I'm glad you're here," she says. He murmurs something to her, sweet nothings, perhaps, and then stands up straight.

"Has anyone found anything?"

"We think we have the force field turned off," Julie says, holding up a little device. Instantly, every shifter shifts. All of us. We move in unison, like we've practiced this a thousand times before. Even though we're a wonderful group, and an incredible clan, we have spent so much of the last four years feeling safe and secure that we've forgotten what it's like to fight. Now, as I leap into the air, I'm reminded of the fact that my team is always with me.

We're more than just a group of shifters. We're a family now. We're warriors, and we'll do whatever it takes to move forward.

Wilson leads, and the rest of us follow closely. Sure enough, the force field is down, so we're able to fly over the gate, and we land on the other side. Lawrence and Lee keep flying. I know they're going to circle, and they're going to do reconnaissance from the sky. The rest of us will start on the ground. The humans wait outside. They’ll be safer out there.

None of us shift back just yet. We’re silent as we look around the empty space.

Where the hell is Clan Thunderstorm?

Those of us on the ground – me, Wilson, Donald, and Reece, who has jumped over the walls – begin moving from building to building. We listen. We’re quiet.

There is nothing here.

No one.

Like our own home, Thunderstorm is designed with multiple buildings present. There are spaces for living, including cutely decorated houses, and there are community spaces, too. They have a shop. They have a medical office. They have a tech center.

They don't, however, have any dragons.

At least, not until we reach a very small building that's been painted purple. This is a home that is very loved. I'm certain of that. We approach the house, and somehow, we all realize that this is the house that's going to hold answers.

This is the house where we find the truth.

Lee and Lawrence are circling us in the air, staying close. They must not have found anything dangerous or scary. If they had, they wouldn't have remained by us like this. They would have alerted us to the danger somehow.

Since they haven't, it's safe to assume that whatever we're going to find inside is the only threat. Wilson shifts into his human form, and he gestures to me to stay close. The two of us will lead. I shift back, too.

We pause on the porch long enough for us to notice that like in Fablestone, this clan has little baskets on the porch. I reach for the lid of the basket and open it. Sure enough, there are clothes inside. Wilson and I each grab a pair of pants, but Donald and Reece remain in their shifter forms. They don't need to say anything. They'll wait outside. We didn't bring weapons with us because shifter bodies are the ultimate weapons.

The girls each have a small weapon with them, but the truth is that I don't want them to have to use them. Humans shouldn't have to fight the battles of shifters. In this case, I don't want anyone to have to fight at all. My hope is that we'll walk into this house, open the door, and discover that nothing is wrong. The shifters are fine. They've simply moved.

Only, Wilson and I both smell the fear wafting out of this house.

When we step inside, the fear seems to be even worse.

"Is anyone here?" I call out. I clear my throat. "It's Cameron and Wilson." There's no point in trying to be stealthy. I guarantee that whoever is inside isn't a poacher. If they are, knowing who we are isn't going to matter.

No one comes out, though.

We clear the house, but there's nothing.

No one.

“I really thought someone was here,” Wilson says.

“Me too.”

“Not going to lie, man. I’m starting to doubt myself.”

“You don’t need to,” I say. “You’re a good clan leader, Wilson. There’s no one I’d trust more to keep us in one piece.”

“I appreciate that,” he says, but I can tell he’s frustrated. We came all the way here, and not only have we not been able to help our friends, but we haven’t even been able to find them. Together, we cross the living room, and we start to leave. We’ll have to look somewhere else.

And then, as we step out onto the porch, I realize something.

"Did that living room floor sound strange to you?"

Wilson nods. He noticed, too. Dragons are excellent hiders. We're known for hoarding gold and treasure, but you don't get to be a hoarder if you keep your things in plain sight. You've got to keep them hidden, tucked away. That's the way you keep your treasure safe.

What if a dragon tucked its treasure away?

We head back into the living room of the house. This time, we pace back and forth until we find the spot that sounds hollow. There's no hook, no carpet, and no visible opening to a trapdoor. Then I move the couch, and we find it. I pull open the door and peer down.

"Come on up," I say.

"We don't want to hurt you," Wilson agrees.

For a minute, I think that we're going to have to go down into the space, but suddenly, a very brave, very beautiful human woman comes out of the darkness. I don't know her, but I know her kind. She's got a mark on her neck: a dragon's mark. She's a human mated to a dragon, just as so many of us are.

"We've come to help," I tell her.

"You heard Ryker's call."

"Yes."

"They took him," she says. "They took all of the dragons."

"Are you okay?" I ask her. I don't know how long she was underground.

"No." The woman sits on the couch. "I'm Ryker's mate. Meredith. He put me down there when the poachers came. It was only a few dragons who were taken at first. Ryker was certain he knew who was hurting them and capturing them, but then he realized he'd misunderstood. There was someone on the inside who was working with the poachers. That was why they were able to get the force fields up."

"Why was there a force field?" I ask. If there were no dragons inside, it doesn't make sense.

"Shifters can leave the force field, but they can't reenter," she explains. "So, the group that came was snatching humans and holding them just outside of the walls we put up. If a dragon went to get their family, they couldn't come back inside. They were separated, and they were scared, and they were captured."

"Are all of the dragons gone?" Wilson asks.

The woman shakes her head.

"They're hiding in the Caves of Thunderstorm."

"Where are those?"

"About a mile from here," she says. "We managed to hide away all of the kids and quite a few of the dragons. I'd say we got about half of them before the poachers came and took the rest."

"Ryker's message?"

"The poachers came right after he called you. He shoved me downstairs. Told me to be quiet. I know they took him," she says. She looks at us with fire in her eyes. "And I'm going to find him. I'm going to save my mate. Do you understand me? I'm going to do whatever it takes."

"Come to Fablestone with us," I say. "We can protect you there."

"This is my home." Meredith stands up a little straighter, and she pushes her shoulders back. "I'm going to stay here, and I'm going to defend Thunderstorm. Please take me to the caves. I need to get my clan."