Page 31

Hellen knelt silently within a tangle of huge partially submerged cypress trees.

The sheen of blood tainting the water’s surface, the stench of rotting flesh, and the acrid smell of the temporary preservation of animal pelts let her know the otherwise beautiful scenery of the small cove she’d discovered in the backwater of the swamp was exactly the place she was looking for.

She could hear the muffled voices of men in the distance as they called out instructions, or called for help sealing up crates.

Hellen clenched her jaws as tightly as she did her service revolver, ready to obliterate any of them, whether they noticed her or not.

This was nothing short of cold blooded killing.

These animals had been ruthlessly killed, and there was no excuse for it.

“Hey! Make sure you don’t leave any of the drugs visible!” a voice ordered.

“I got plenty of skins on top of them!” another voice answered.

“Somebody make sure he’s packing this shit right!” the first voice ordered.

Hellen could hear movement as several people went to do exactly what the man who was in charge had ordered.

She took that opportunity to move closer to where they were located, taking every opportunity to stay sheltered within the ancient cypress trees.

She realized almost too late that she was moving in the same vicinity as those the men had working security, when one of them almost stepped right into her path.

At the last moment she found herself silenced and yanked beneath the murky water.

“Hold still!” Lucien’s voice shouted in her mind.

Realizing she was being held from behind by her mate, his hand pressed tightly against her mouth, she stopped struggling and allowed him to control the situation for the moment.

Paying attention to receding vibrations and splashes in the distance, she knew the male who’d almost stumbled across her, was leaving the area.

Slowly, Lucien surfaced with her still in his arms. As soon they were above water, she shoved his hand away from her face.

“What are you doing here?” she whispered harshly at him.

“The fuck did I tell you about in this shit together?!” he asked her, his nose practically pushed against hers.

Hellen glared at him, her eyes showing just how angry she was.

“They’re shifters, Hellen! They’re not human, at least not all of them! They can be as fucking dangerous as we are! You could have gotten yourself fucking killed.”

“You’re about to get your fucking self killed if you don’t let me do my fucking job!” she snarled at him.

“These are the same ones that got the drop on me, Hellen. Have you not figured that out? These people do not fucking play! You can’t do this alone.”

“I can…”

“No! You can’t!”

“I won’t be alone! My coworkers will be here with me. We’re all trained for this.”

“You’ll all end up massacred. You’re going to get them all killed right beside you.”

“Then what do you suggest I do? I can’t allow this to continue.”

“I don’t. And we’re not. But you have to allow this to be handled before your people show up. Unless you’d like to advertise to them all that shifters exist.”

Hellen stood her ground, her eyes deadlocked with Lucien’s one good one. The expression on his face made no secret of the fact that he was furious. She opened her mouth to speak and he shook his head, holding one finger up and canting his head like he was listening to something.

Just about thirty feet away, a familiar call caught her attention.

Her head whipped toward it, waiting, listening…

Then she heard it again — a high-pitched call, and she knew.

That was no red-shouldered hawk. That was her father.

And if he was calling like that, it meant that he wasn’t the only one.

He’d brought the clan. Hellen slowly turned her head to glare at Lucien. “You brought them,” she accused.

“What the hell is that?” one of the men they were stalking demanded.

“Who cares? We’ll kill it, too,” another answered.

“No, you brought them. You knew you shouldn’t have been here alone. You knew what it was about. That’s why you left a note and thought you’d sneak away before any of us figured out what you were doing. Kind of chicken-shit of you, Hell. I figured you for more courage than that.”

“I’m here alone! How much more courage do you need?”

“That’s not courage, that’s stupidity. Courage is knowing when you should ask for help. You knew this was not acceptable, and it was not even slightly smart to go off on your own, and you did it anyway.”

“I’m trying to get enough information to get back to my bosses so that we can stop them and save the animals.”

“I am your mate!” he just barely managed not to shout.

“I was trying to keep you out of it to protect you, too.”

He blinked slowly as her meaning sank in. “You’re saying I’m not capable?” he asked.

“No! I’m saying you’re not fully healed. It’s not worth risking your safety right now. Another couple of weeks, maybe. But not now.”

“But it’s worth risking your safety?” he asked.

“Something has to be done, and it needs to be done, now.”

Three more quick calls sounded, followed by the sound of Bears, Wolves, a Fox, and a terrifying, deafening screech that Hellen knew all too well. “Oh, shit,” she murmured. “Remi!”

“Alright! That was not fucking normal!” the male giving orders shouted at those working with him. “Find whatever the fuck it is and kill it!”

“You find it! I’m out!” one of them answered, tossing the armful of animal skins he held and running for the boats they had anchored at the shore.

Another high-pitched screech sounded and Lucien reacted immediately. “Stay out of the goddamn way,” he snapped, physically lifting her off her feet and setting her down further back inside the protective overhang of the Cypress and Blackgum trees they were sheltering in.

“You stay out of the goddamn way!” she countered.

“You have no idea what we have planned! You’ve kept us all blocked! All you’ll do is get in the way.”

“Then tell me so I can help!”

He actually bared his teeth as he glared at her and an unending hiss poured from him.

“Didn’t scare me off before, it’s not working now,” she snapped at him.

“Fuck, Hell!” he growled.

“Tell me how to help! What the hell are you doing?”

“First I’m getting you out of the damn way, then we’re trying to release the animals that are still alive, and killing all those responsible. Remi’s burning it all. There will be nobody left.”

“I’ll start releasing animals,” she said, darting away from him as best she could in the hip deep water.

Left with no other alternative, Lucien set out behind her, intent on using his own body to shield her if he had to. As she ran as best she could through the water and soggy ground, she followed the directions from Lucien who stayed right on her heels. “Left! Go to the left!”

She moved to the left, and ran for a few moments before he was shouting instructions again. “See that water oak?! Turn toward it, run right at it. The cages are behind it.” As she ran, she heard the sound of carnage taking place behind her. Roars, screams, gunshots.

There weren’t many animals left, just a dozen or so, and most of them were still caught in the traps they’d been captured in.

Hellen wasted no time as she began to fight the traps clamping down on legs and paws.

Lucien joined in, and in a short amount of time, they’d freed all of them.

Even the two bears who’d been tangled in large nets roaring and baying to be set free.

The sound of engines carried to them as three of the males responsible tried to make a getaway though most of them stood and fought Brandt, Kaid and the clan.

As the boat churned the water, leaving a wake behind as it sped away, the air began to swirl and the trees bent nearly all the way to the ground with the force of the wind, Hellen paused and looked up at the sky as it darkened.

“Holy shit,” Lucien said, taking her by the arm and pulling her further inland without taking his eyes off the huge, black Dragon rising into the sky and blocking out the setting sun.

“It’s Remi,” Hellen said.

“Yeah, and he’s about to clear the area,” Lucien said. They watched as Brandt and the others of their clan in animal form, ran toward them, herding the few animals that were in their confusion running toward the water rather than away from it.

The shifters who were poachers and still standing — of which there weren’t many — froze where they were, looking up at the Dragon flying overhead.

Remi turned suddenly, dipping low, right on the treetops, and opened his mouth to breathe out a stream of fire that incinerated everything it touched.

Remi circled back and made another pass, breathing another line of fire to be sure that everyone in his path was gone, or at least was burning, then he soared out over the swamp in pursuit of the boat carrying the three who’d gotten away.

The sound of Remi’s fire roaring its way to its target four or five minutes later, followed by the sound of an explosion — presumably the boat itself — let them know, it was done.

Brandt, having shifted back to his human self, stood not too far away, his eyes on the sky.

Kaid’s Bear ambled back toward them with Bam not too far behind. Both shifted to their human selves and came to a stop beside everyone else. “The animals are headed in the right direction, at least,” Kaid said.

A naked, bloody Fox shifter walked toward them, his skin scorched, ashes clinging to his extremities as he made his way through what was left.

“Looks like he cleaned it all up,” Shaun said.

“Are you nuts, boy?” Maverik demanded, stomping through the ash and still burning bushes toward the group of them.

Shaun turned to see who Maverik was speaking to.

“Yeah, he’s talking to you!” Havoc snapped, keeping pace with his father.

“You, yeah, you! Shaun! When you’re told a Dragon is going to burn the fucking area, everybody that ran, and all the bodies, you don’t stay there or you’ll be one of the bodies!” Maverik yelled incredulously.

Brandt shook his head. “I didn’t think I needed to clarify that Dragons’ Fire will kill.”

Shaun grinned, his skin reddened from the heat and smudged with ash.

“I ran. I just went back in right away to see if I needed to kill anybody else. And why are y’all yelling at me anyway?

You two didn’t even leave. I saw you hunker down to ride it out.

I even thought, should I drag their ass out, or just tell Hellen they died on purpose? ”

“It ain’t gonna kill us. We’re all immune to Dragons’ Fire,” Havoc snapped, like it was common knowledge.

Shaun’s smile dropped and his head canted. “Wait, what? How’s that?”

“We drank Daniel’s blood years ago. The kids drank it as kids — and didn’t even know we gave it to them for a long time. Dragons’ Fire won’t hurt us. You? You can die from it,” Kaid said.

Shaun didn’t waste a minute. He turned to Brandt. “How do I get some Dragons’ blood?”

“Won’t be from Remi,” Havoc mumbled.

“Nobody thought that it might be a good idea to protect the two newbies, here?” Lucien demanded.

“I’m not even as new as you and nobody told me!” Shaun said.

“We figured you both had the sense to stay clear today. Can we argue about this later? We need to go through the area and make sure there are no more traps set for the wildlife. Destroy what we do find, and then get the hell out of here,” Brandt said.

“Yeah, my people sent me about three miles north, but they were still near the general vicinity. It’s only a matter of time before somebody calls in a fire and they come.”

“Let’s make it quick, then have Remi set another fire, this one meant to last, not just scorch and go out. The smoke will call somebody to the area, you’ll be searching where they sent you originally, and they’ll find nothing but ashes here,” Kaid said.

Lucien nodded and walked away from Hellen without a word.

“Hey, where are you going?” Hellen asked.

“Check the water. Make sure there are no traps there for the gators and beavers and such.”

“I’ll help,” she said, starting in his direction.

He shook his head. “Don’t. I got it. You’re not aquatic.” He just walked away without a look back.

“What’s his problem?” Hellen grouched.

“You fucked up, Hell. Independence is one thing, but you don’t keep shit from your clan, and you especially don’t do that shit to your mate,” Brandt said, giving her a disappointed look before turning his back and following the others in the opposite direction to search for traps.

“I was protecting him!” she yelled after Brandt.

“Bullshit,” Maverik said, stomping past his daughter. “You were protecting you and keeping people from meddling in what you consider your own private business.”

“Dad…”

“No. You take a mate, you don’t have anymore private business. And you certainly don’t go off to fight something like this without at least telling them, face-to-face, like a damn adult, instead of running off after leaving some kind of bullshit note.”

“He’s right, Hell. This is the stupidest thing any of us has ever done,” Havoc said.

“I don’t think so!” Hellen snapped, glaring at Havoc.

“I do,” Maverik called over his shoulder. “If Lucien hadn’t grabbed you, we’d be burying your ass!”

“Does nobody have any faith in me? What do you people think I do when I’m on duty. Do you think I drive up and down the highway waving at people? I was trained for this!” Hellen shouted. “And it was just poachers and recon as far as I knew! I didn’t know it would be like this!”

“Recon means you observe safely from a distance, not that you march your uppity ass right into the middle of every-damn-thing and piss them all off! And it wasn’t just poachers or recon, you knew it was the same ones that left Lucien for dead and you took it on alone intentionally.

Not smart, Hell. Not smart at all,” Havoc said, pausing only to glare at her angrily before he walked off to help the others check the surrounding area.

Hellen gave up arguing and just rested her hands on her hips as she looked down at the ground.

They were right. She knew they were, but that didn’t mean she deserved all this attitude either.

Maybe it wasn’t the smartest idea coming to the area alone, but it was her job.

True, she saw what was happening and got angry, reacted emotionally, rather than thinking her way through it and backing away, but it turned out okay — they all showed up.