Jennifer Ashley: Wild Wolf

Oison ripped himself from Graham’s bloody grasp, and Graham fell to his knees.

Misty screamed at the plants, and pointed at Oison. “Take him , take him !”

The plants moved sinuously toward Oison, the vines that had held Graham prisoner now seeking the Fae. But too slowly. Oison spun out of their way, his black eyes filled with rage, and brought his sword down on them. The vines he severed shuddered, then turned brown and crumpled away.

Oison went for the source of his frustration—Misty. Across the cave, Dougal tried to rise, tried to help. Graham forced himself to his feet, dizzy and dying. But he’d stop the bastard from hurting Misty. No matter what.

The cave shook again, the earth emitting another groan. Rock and sand poured from the ceiling, hitting the flowers and obsidian, the Shifters and Misty, Oison. Dust rose to coat the air. Graham heard Oison cursing, which told Graham the tremors weren’t of Oison’s making.

The sheet of ice that held Reid cracked with the sound of a gunshot. Graham turned to it as the ice fell away in huge chunks, not so much exploding as pushing outward and shattering on the cave floor.

As the ice splintered into needlelike shards and more rock from the wall fell, Reid walked out from the rubble. His clothes were shredded, he had blood all over him, and he was mad as hell.

Reid shouted something in a language that was guttural and harsh, unintelligible to Graham. Oison, on the other hand, whipped around, his sword raised. Oison had stark fear in his eyes, which Graham would enjoy if he didn’t feel so crappy.

Reid went for Oison. He bounded across the cave on his runner’s legs, hands outstretched, those odd-sounding words pouring from him. Oison met him, swinging his sword. Reid shouted again, and the rocks that had blown out with the ice rose up at his command.

The plants were still going for Oison as well. They tangled his legs as Reid’s rocks came down on top of the Fae.

Oison swung his sword at Reid, and rocks clanked against the blade. Oison whirled his sword again, and disappeared. Reid snarled something and disappeared with him.

The rocks were still spinning in midair. They stopped abruptly as soon as Reid vanished, raining down onto the cave, clacking against the obsidian.

“Time to go,” Graham said. “Misty, help me with Dougal.”

Dougal was still rolling in pain, his moans turning to wolf howls. He’d shifted again to human by the time Graham and Misty reached him.

“Come on.” Graham thrust his arm under Dougal, lifting his nephew to his feet.

Dougal jerked away. “No, I have to help Matt.”

“We’ll both help him. But we need to move.”

Graham had struggled to learn the exact combination of compassion and command to bump Dougal out of his despair. Dougal finally nodded and let Graham help him around the writhing vines.

The plants had drawn back from the two cubs, encircling them but not touching them. Misty leaned down and picked up Matt’s limp body.

“He’s alive,” she said in relief. “But he’s hurt.”

“I should have made them stay at Misty’s,” Dougal said. He hung on to Graham, his face wet with blood and tears. “Damn it.”

Misty cuddled Matt close and lifted Kyle, who was a whimpering ball of fur. “I don’t think these little guys would have listened.”

“We’ll never get out.” Dougal rubbed his hand over his face, crazed with fear. “He’ll trap us here.”

Before Graham could answer, Misty said, “Yes, we will. We’re family. We can do anything.”

Dougal blinked at her. “What are you talking about? We’re not pack.”

“Doesn’t matter. Graham brought you up, and he’s Matt’s and Kyle’s honorary father. And I’m his girlfriend. Close enough.”

“And you’re going to accept his mate-claim,” Dougal said with conviction.

“Can we talk about this outside this cave?” Misty tucked the two cubs firmly against her, gentleness itself. “Time to run, I think.”

Graham chuckled as he helped Dougal, half supporting himself on his nephew at the same time. “Hear that? Misty, for once, doesn’t want to talk.”

“Suck it up, Graham,” she said.

Graham’s laughter echoed against the cave walls, which were still too damn eerie for his taste. He made himself follow Misty’s cute butt through the darkness to the ley line, wherever it came out, and decided he’d follow that gorgeous ass anywhere.

They came out in the basement of the unfinished Shifter house. The ley line, Misty surmised, must decide its own direction, or else they didn’t know how to navigate it. She hoped Reid, chasing Oison, was all right.

Misty emerged into the basement, blinking at full afternoon sunlight. They must have been in the cave for hours. Kyle shivered in her arms, Matt too limp.

Graham and Dougal supported each other behind her, both of them growling in irritation. The sound gave Misty heart. When Graham and Dougal were arguing, they were fine.

But they weren’t. Dougal had been cut by Oison’s sword, Graham still under his spell. Matt was hurt, possibly dying.

She climbed awkwardly up the ladder first, supported by Graham. She had to hold Matt, and had Kyle clinging to her shoulder, so the going was slow.

When she reached the top, she knew there was something very wrong in Shiftertown. Shifters were everywhere, and humans milled among them, wearing black fatigues and carrying automatic weapons.

But these weren’t DX Security men. She didn’t recognize any of them, and behind them, in the heat, she heard sirens and saw flashing red and blue lights.

“Damn,” Graham said softly, and he disappeared back down into the dark basement. Misty started to follow, but too late. One of the humans had seen her, and they were running her way.

"What the fuck?” Graham said in the darkness behind Misty.

Misty stood straight at the top of the ladder, holding on to the cubs, trying to pretend she hadn’t been down in a hole under a Shifter house, a hole that wasn’t supposed to be there.

The human soldiers reached her, along with Diego and Eric. “Misty,” Eric said in a loud voice. “There you are. See?” he said to the soldier in the lead. “Here she is. You all right, Misty? Where’ve you been?”

“Umm.” Misty looked around, trying to assess the situation before she answered. “I was looking after the cubs?” She let the statement end with a questioning note. Eric nodded once, subtly, and Misty put on a smile. “You know how they like to run off.”

Diego was looking hard at her, his eyes, so much like Xav’s, holding warning. What kind of warning, Misty had no idea.

“Yeah, they do like to play,” Eric said. “And get into so much trouble. You know how kids are.” Eric gave the lead soldier his laid-back smile. “Thanks for bringing them home, Misty.”

“Not a problem.”

Eric had glanced into the basement, his eyes flickering when he saw Graham. He moved his body a little, barely changing his stance, but Misty knew enough about Shifters now to realize he must be saying something to Graham without opening his mouth. Shifters were masters of nonverbal communication. Misty wished she could read the signals, because she was swimming in the dark here.

One of the armed men turned to Eric. “What’s down there?”

Eric shrugged. “Don’t know. I’m not into construction. Where the plumbing and electricity will go, maybe?” He gave the perfect impression of a man who might be strong but kind of slow.

“Sir?” The man turned to Diego with a lot more deference.

Diego also shrugged. “Same answer. I really don’t know. You’d have to ask the construction team.”