Chapter 8: Gavin

Chapter 8: Gavin

That sulfurous smell on the wind was an omen. I knew the kinds of monsters it belonged to, and I couldn’t allow them to roam the forest, whether it was Dalesbloom’s territory or my own. Avoiding David had given me time and space to sort out my thoughts, but everything I’d resolved was scattered to the wind when I realized there were dragons here. I had to plunge back into the territory where all my problems lay and potentially face David again. But before that, I had to deal with these dragons.

I was patrolling the perimeter shared between Grandbay and Dalesbloom when I detected the dragons’ brimstone stench. There was actually a quarter of a kilometer between our territories, which meant the source of the smell was close to the edge of Dalesbloom; and knowing dragons to be rivals of wolves, I took the initiative to chase them off. They usually stayed far away from the Gunnison area—three packs were a serious threat to encroaching shifters—so it concerned me they were so close. Thankfully, usually vulnerable humans were kept away from the park’s campsites by the warning the park rangers sent out. I howled for my packmates, Aislin and a man named Niko who were patrolling within the kilometer, then took off after the smells.

The atmosphere morphed as I submerged myself in Dalesbloom territory. The air took on a sweet, overripe smell; that was its usual smell, but it was particularly unpleasant mingling with the stench of burning.It made the air taste more like rot. When I stopped to gather my bearings, I glimpsed imprints in the dirt, just faintly illuminated by the moon: one cloven toe per foot, preserved without scent and bigger than an elk’s. The compulsion tugging me forward was otherworldly.

Violent noises woke the forest, draconic hissing and the whimpering of a wolf in distress. A subtle white glow made silhouettes out of dark trees and bodies moving around each other. I opened my mouth and breathed in the metallic scent of blood, and worse: Jesper’s bitter notes of fear. Leaping out of the bushes and into the glade, I finally saw what was happening inside Dalesbloom: three dragons were harassing a unicorn, a mythical shifter I’d never seen before, and the runt had gotten in the middle of it. Even for the first time seeing her as a wolf, I knew it was her by the magnetism of our intended bond, a feeling so powerful it made me dizzy. The back of my neck stung from the gashes on hers. Her leg was in the teeth of a dragon, tormenting her while the others surrounded the legendary unicorn—altogether, the sight immediately activated my protective instincts.

Dragons only brought pain to the Grandbay wolves. They had killed my parents. I couldn’t let them take any more lives, least of all the runt; letting her die would give me a chance at a new mate, but could I live with the guilt haunting me? It was less compassion and more panic that drove me toward the dragon attacking Jesper.

I flung myself at the dragon, snarling viciously as I hit its flank and jammed my teeth into its thigh. The dragon dropped Jesper and screeched, lashing its hip to the side. Its teeth snapped at my fur, but I let go of its thigh and whipped my head around before it could grab me, dragging my teeth across its face. Hissing, the dragon bit at the air and flared its wings, unwittingly giving me my next target. I struck at its wing, crunching on its elbow joint and severing the thin skin between its fingers. My weight pinned the dragon down on its side and it struggled, flailing helplessly trying to bite me, before it pushed me away and leaped to safety with its ravaged wing.

I bristled at the dragons, baring my teeth in warning while Jesper trembled in the grass beside me. I had her now, and I lunged at the dragons with the threat not to fuck with her again. They all flinched back. The unicorn reared up and kicked at the nearest dragon, thrashing its long, piercing horn, before it leaped away from the dragons and toward me. I advanced in place of the unicorn, warning the dragons not to get closer while the unicorn trotted around Jesper.

What Jesper had been doing with a unicorn, I didn’t know; but I couldn’t waste time watching them. The dragons weren’t going to let their prey go so easily. They feinted at me, all three of them now focusing their hostility on me. Rage made me swelter, but the imminent threat of three dragons shrouded the flame inside me, dousing my confidence. They struck at me faster, slithering around me, until one of them grabbed my paw. I descended on the dragon in a feral flurry and the other two swarmed, enveloping me in shredding teeth. I felt it all around me, and I was overwhelmed with the terror of death for the first time. They weren’t stopping and all I could feel was pain.

Ringing out of the forest came ferocious barks warning the dragons. Aislin and Niko crashed into them, distracting their snapping jaws from me. They took one each, leaving me with the dragon with the broken wing. Blood gushed through my fur and my flesh festered with pain, but one-on-one I could handle, even in this state. My tongue lashed across my mouth before I darted at the dragon’s other wing.

My packmates and I wrestled the dragons until the unicorn barged between us, splitting the darkness with its glowing horn as it thrust its point at the dragons. They shrieked and backed away, dripping as much blood as we were. I breathed hard and summoned my small remaining strength to bite at them again, forcing them to retreat, or else I would have continued the onslaught. They understood the threat and held their distance, and I remained a steadfast barrier between them and my packmates guiding the unicorn and Jesper away to the perimeter. I stayed until they were out of sight and it was just me and the dragons. I stared them all down, growling, standing tall and feeling stronger in spite of my wounds.

They turned away, writhing over each other as they forfeited the fight.

My body was heavy. Adrenaline drained into fatigue as I turned and loped after my pack, the unicorn a beacon. I stalked behind them, keeping guard in case the dragons returned, and studied them. Aislin, Niko, the runt. A unicorn. I had no idea what I was going to do with them.

Pressing into Grandbay territory, I reconsidered taking Jesper based on the way she scrambled my brain when I dedicated too much thought to her. It would look bad to Catrina. David would question my intentions. But the sensation I felt when I stood over Jesper, claiming her from the dragons… It was intoxicating.

We reached an access road with Aislin’s truck parked in the trees. Our clothes were each piled up on the seats; after turning human, I put on my jeans and reluctantly dropped my shirt in front of Jesper to wear, still wolf. Then I looked at the unicorn.

Why had it even stayed with us?

“Ais, you got any spare clothes?” I asked over my shoulder.

She reached into the seats behind her. “Yeah, I have a sweater and shorts. Here.” Aislin stretched over the passenger seat and tossed them at me. I held them before the unicorn before putting them down and turning away.

Their transformations were total opposites: the runt was loud and pathetic as she clumsily forced herself into her human form. I wasn’t even sure the unicorn was still with us until I broke away from my packmates next to the truck to look at them.

Billie Jesper quivered in the darkness, her thin limbs falling out of my oversized black t-shirt, brown hair cascading around her face and hiding her eyes. Beside her, a tall older woman wearing Aislin’s white graphic sweater and grey sweat shorts clasped her hands together, silver hair in loose rings around her face. Wrinkles under her eyes betrayed her age being somewhere in the fifties. My eyes were drawn back to Billie in my t-shirt.

“So…?” Aislin broke the silence. “What the hell was that?”

Billie stammered wordlessly until the woman spoke for her. “I apologize for the trouble,” she said. “Usually I avoid shifter territories, but I’d been chased over your borders by the dragons. I was trying to pass through when she found me.”

The unicorn peered softly down at Billie. My gaze on the other hand was hard with displeasure.

“She tried to fight the dragons,” the woman continued. “When you three arrived, I hoped I could find refuge with you from the dragons. They’ve been hunting me for months.”

My eyebrows rose as I imagined Jesper of all people trying to fight dragons. The unicorn must have mistaken Jesper stumbling into her path for gallantry. The runt didn’t even look up when she was acknowledged. “Why are they hunting you?” I asked.

“I don’t know exactly. Unicorns like me are valuable in many ways,” said the woman. “It’s possible they want to poach me for my horn.”

Though well composed, the woman looked tired and shaken by the ordeal, like she’d been fleeing without rest for a long time. I sighed. “They’ll kill you if they catch you?”

“Most likely.”

I exchanged a glance with Aislin, whose twinge of sympathy formed my decision. “We’ll take you to our pack house and you can tell us more about you, where you came from.” I couldn’t let the dragons take another life, wolf or not. My attention dragged back to Billie. “And you. I’ll have David pick you up from the pack house. Mind your own business until then.”

My words made Billie shrink with obedience that angered me. I craved to meet her eyes again, but she wouldn’t budge.

The woman placed a hand on Billie’s shoulder. “Thank you for defending me,” she said quietly. “What’s your name?”

Billie shook her head. “It’s fine.” I barely heard her.

“I’m Muriel,” the woman introduced herself with a smile. “Muriel Vale.”

Finally, Billie looked up. She saw Muriel’s smile and mustered one of her own, and I soured with envy that Muriel could yield a smile and I couldn’t even get Billie to look at me. “Billie,” she said to Muriel. I watched the exchange with a frown.

“Let’s go,” I said abruptly, turning to the truck. “Aislin, you drive. Niko, in the bed. You two in the back seats.” I gestured to Billie and Muriel.

Billie hesitated as if she was allergic to the air around me. I got into the passenger seat and stared her down until Muriel coaxed her into the truck, and after closing the door, found I didn’t like how Billie’s scent seemed to flood the cabin. I withdrew my phone and pulled up David’s number. It rang three times before he answered, exasperated.

“I have your runt,” I said flatly. “She was involved in a skirmish with trespassing dragon shifters, but she’s fine. Come get her from my pack house.”

“Billie!” David exclaimed on the other line. “What in Luna’s name is she doing with you?”

“I rescued her from dragons. You must already be aware they’re on your territory.”

“I—yes,” said David. “I was about to head outside and look for Billie after I got a text about a ruckus near the perimeter and found her bedroom empty. Good, keep her there. That girl, she’s going to be the death of me. Don’t stay too close to her. I’ll get her out of your hair soon, Gavin.”

“Just hurry. And bring her clothes.” I hung up the phone and leaned my head back, breathing in. It would be easier to breathe once she was gone.

The rest of the drive was silent except for Muriel speaking soft reassurances to Billie. I ignored them as best I could. We pulled up to the pack house and I was the first out of the truck, trudging up to the house to unlock the door. I flicked on the lights to the kitchen and waited for the others while moths and mosquitoes buzzed toward the light. Muriel entered the kitchen with a grateful smile. Billie shuffled close after her, flinching past me as if I’d strike her. Aislin and Niko followed them until I closed the door behind everyone.

In the light, I saw the extent of the damage on everyone. Blood soaking through their clothes, scratches and gashes on their arms and legs. My chest was divided by a couple deep cuts. The back of Billie’s neck was sticky and red. With a tired sigh, I rustled up some washcloths, ran them under hot water, and passed them out.

Billie timidly took the washcloth and peeked up at me.

She looked so terribly small with the cloth in her delicate hands, her sad green eyes dark with trauma from the attack, and yet… her taut mouth held a voice I knew was aching to get out. I wanted to know what she would have said to me if she weren’t so afraid.

It dawned on me how close I was standing to her. With a grunt, I backed away and got a glass of water for Muriel. “Tell us how you got here.”

On taking the glass, Muriel nodded and cleared her throat.