39. Dirge

THIRTY-NINE

Dirge

W e made quick work getting to the mouth of the cave, despite the pandemonium. Bears were everywhere, towering over us as they raced out into the night to defend their ancestral home. Children cried and women sobbed as the cave itself shuddered every time an explosive detonated. More than once, we had to dodge chunks of falling crystal, and we weren't successful all those times. Reed was bleeding, Brielle had a scrape down her entire forearm, and everyone's eyes glowed with the force of our wolves.

Gael held up a hand, stopping us at the cave mouth. After a quick look and another tooth-rattling explosion, he waved us forward and darted into the night.

I called on my wolf, leaning on his superior night vision as we sprinted over the rocky ground. We made it back to the path through the rocky outcropping without incident, most of the fighting happening on the other side of the caves. Apparently, the ODL had used their fae connections to appear inside the forest, giving themselves the element of surprise.

Though why they were starting with bombs instead of inspections, I didn't know. We were forced to slow as we weaved through the narrow walls of stone, but I never let go of Shay. Keeping her safe was my number one priority, even if it meant wiping the ODL off the face of the earth.

Frankly, if this was how they reacted, maybe it was time to wipe the sons of bitches out for good. The night grew marginally quieter the farther we got from the caves, but steady explosions still caused the ground to tremble under my boots.

Perhaps that was how Gael missed it, the pebble plinking down from above. It was understandable, really, though the ODL soldier that followed it was harder to miss.

"Gael, watch your back!" I shouted even as I threw myself in front of Shay, halting the pack mates running behind us.

The vampire ODL soldier flashed his fangs with a hiss, then dove at Gael while he was still midturn. Wolfsbane was the only truly deadly substance to shifters—at least that we knew about—but vampire venom? It burned like a bitch and would put you on your back for a solid week while your wolf worked it out of your system. We didn't have a week.

My own fangs descended as I moved to intercept, fingertips shifting to claws without conscious thought. I swiped at the vamp's neck, aiming for a kill shot. Gael spun in time to get his arm up and block the attack, but only just. He ducked under the vampire's lunge, clothes exploding off him as he took fur.

I missed the vampire by less than an inch—they were fast motherfuckers—as he leapt into the air, high overhead and out of reach even from my over-six-foot frame. But what went up must come down, and he angled for me, jaws extended as he fell.

Braced for the impact, I caught him around the waist as he tried to topple me. He managed a vise grip around my head, but I'd planned for that. Letting his momentum carry us, I flung us to the solid rock underfoot, letting my superior weight drive the air out of his lungs. He didn't have to breathe, but the sudden lack of sensory input was still enough to distract almost anyone. He was no different. He froze as he gasped, dragging in a lungful of air on instinct as I pinned him. Before he could try to buck me off, Gael was there, wolf jaws clamped around the vampire's throat.

It took a few rips, but he succeeded in severing the vampire's neck, sending the bloodless head flying over the rocky wall and out of sight.

Gael's wolf spat and grunted as he tried to get the taste of vampire out of his mouth. The blood wasn't harmful, but it was nasty, especially to the wolf's heightened senses.

"Let's move!" I barked the order with alpha command as I spun, finding a pale-faced Shay standing not five feet back, clutching Leigh for all she was worth, the rest of the pack at their backs. Leigh looked nauseated, but the command had already kicked into effect, spurring her forward as she averted her gaze from the headless body. It would turn to ash when the sun rose, incinerating the black-and-silver uniform right along with the headless corpse.

I softened my expression as I approached. "We've got to keep moving. The bears are strong, but there aren't that many of them. We need to get off this rock before they realize we were here."

Shay nodded, resolve straightening her shoulders. I'd never been prouder of her than I was in that moment. She was quiet, my mate, but she was all steel under her soft curves. She clasped my hand again, and we ran hell-for-leather toward the airstrip. Gael stayed in wolf form, darting ahead on swift paws to scout for more ODL soldiers, but no more boogeymen appeared. The pilot was grim faced, but already strapped into his seat as we dove through the door, copilot at the ready to seal the hatch behind us.

No sooner had the light flashed green and the cabin was sealed than he had the throttle down, and we were moving down the runway.

I ushered Shay to a seat with my hand on her lower back, even the simple contact lowering my heart rate. We'd made it, and as the plane lifted from the runway with a familiar lurch, I breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe. We were all safe.

"Where are we going?" Brielle asked once the plane had leveled off to cruising altitude.

"Away from there, mostly," Gael said, sarcasm heavy as he tiredly pulled on a pair of gray sweats kept stashed in the plane. Shifters tended to have stashes of clothes everywhere. It was well past midnight, closer to dawn than dusk, but still it felt like the day that just wouldn't end.

"We should stay on the move for a while, until we figure out a course of action," Kane said, stroking his mate's dark hair.

Brielle nodded, guilt painting her expression as she turned to gaze at her two best friends. "Are you sure you two don't want to go back? It's me they're after—we've got that confirmed now."

"I'd love it if we could stop flying," Leigh said, already looking pale and queasy, "but how many times are we going to have to tell you that you're stuck with us?"

"At least one more," Brielle said with a watery smile.

Shay was quiet at my side, half-burrowed into my shoulder as her friends bantered quietly. When she spoke up, all eyes turned to her, and I could feel her flinch into my chest as if she could disappear there.

"Any word back from your Aunt Kari on when she can meet?"

Brielle dug her phone from her pocket—luckily, she'd grabbed it on the way out of the caves, because we'd been forced to leave our luggage behind. "No signal yet. But that's a good point. Should we head to Texas? That's where she asked to meet me?—"

"Is it safe to sit in one place? They sensed your powers," Gael interrupted, arms crossed over his chest and wearing a disgruntled expression. "We got lucky this time, but we don't know how long the bears will keep them occupied, or if they'll figure out we were the ones who triggered their wards. We should find a safe house, somewhere remote where we can see them coming. Then we can wait it out and see if they're able to track you or if it was just the ceremony."

"They've never been able to track her before, so I think it's a fairly safe assumption that the presence of the Goddess's magic was the key difference," Reed said.

"You want to park ourselves in Johnson City like sitting ducks on a fairly safe ? Bad idea."

Reed scowled at Gael's haughty tone. "Just because you're head enforcer doesn't make the decision yours. It's up to Kane."

"The Alpha?—"

"Can speak for himself," Kane interrupted the brewing argument. "Right now, we need rest and a moment to get our bearings. We're not making any decisions yet. The plane is fully fueled, and we're all going to try to get some sleep. They can't attack us in the air."

I nodded, appreciating his level head. Shay sighed against my arm, clearly relieved at the diffusion of the testosterone spike. It seemed like she was uncomfortable any time alpha energy ramped up, which was something I should ask her about when we had some time alone.

Like when we'd had that very delicious interlude that had been so rudely interrupted. Best not to think about that, though, or I'd have an awkward boner for the whole damn flight.

But when Shay sighed again, I settled my arm over her so she could get comfortable against my chest. And somehow, with her safe and snug against me, the rest of the world and all its problems faded away. I soaked in her scent, reveling in her perfect softness and warmth, and let my eyes drift shut.

We'd figure out the rest in a few hours.