Page 20

*Cayden*

I t’s been two days since I arrived at the Hunters Bow Pack, and I have been made more than welcome by everyone that I have met.

Alpha Adira informed me of how she became the Alpha to the pack, and her past pack's destructive behavior. Dragons have mates, and we recognize each other instantly. It’s a beautiful moment, and not once have I seen or heard of dragon mates rejecting each other.

‘Too precious.’

“Yes, they are precious, Brymrag. I wish we could find ours.” Brymrag huffs smoke in the back of my mind as he turns his back on me and settles down. “It’s not my fault we haven’t found her yet. Maybe she is human, and that’s why?”

‘Don’t care if she’s human, just want my mate.’

I hope he’s not going to sulk all day now because every time our mate is mentioned, he is miserable afterward. If I could find her, I’d grab her and fly home. Not a thing could stop me. Even if she wasn’t ready, I would kidnap her and cherish her until she forgave and accepted me.

Walking beside Alpha Adira, I am on alert, along with Brymrag. He is excited to finally find the men that murdered Blaflono. Turning to look at Leo when he speaks, “Cayden, I have had nothing to do with dragons, so is your sense of smell as good as or better than my lions or Thorn’s leopard?”

“I would say we have a slightly better sense of smell, but not by a huge amount. Cats, on the whole, have an immense sense of smell, which is needed, of course, for hunting, marking territory and that could be up to two miles in distance. Tigers, mind you, are believed to have the best of you all.”

“Oh, don’t anyone repeat that to Rom or we’ll never hear the last of it,” Thorn chuckles.

“He has fit into his role so easily. I’m surprised you have all settled to pack life when you are all basically loners. But a lion pride, Leo, is a good thing if it’s managed correctly,” Alpha Adira states.

“Agree, unless of course you have some total idiot running the show, then chaos ensues. Hierarchy often causes trouble, as one thinks they should be the top dog, or cat in this case.” Leo stops walking and we instantly respond and stretch out our senses.

“I smell four,” Thorn murmurs, keeping his voice low.

Alpha Adira has her eyes shining with her wolf at the forefront, agreeing. “Yes, four.”

Stella, who has been quietly walking in the rear, shifts into her wolf and takes in a huge lungful of air, then spins and bolts in the direction we’ve just come from.

I look at Alpha Adira, who is staring in the direction Stella just took.

“Cayden, four in front and two behind. Stella has them in sight, she’s going to wait and if she gets an opportunity, she’ll take one out, then the other.

We four need to move forward. Stella is mind-linking, so I know what is happening.

” I give Alpha Adira a nod in understanding.

We turn and continue quietly walking in the direction we had been.

Fifteen minutes later, we stop as we hear a scuffle not far behind us.

Waiting on Alpha Adira’s command, I can feel myself getting edgy, needing to do something positive because all this walking is getting irritating.

My dragon wants action, and I have to agree I do too.

Stella walks towards us, with none other than Robbie. Alpha Adira takes in a deep breath, but before she can speak Robbie grins, “Sorry, Alpha, but I couldn’t just sit doing nothing. I have some clothes, just shorts and t-shirts, but you may all want something.”

Stella smirks. “He has an array of weapons, too. Like a kitchen carving knife and pepper spray.”

“Hey, I took out that shifter didn’t I?” Robbie, who is a human and seems to be an exuberant one at that, has me smirking at his visual display of how he took out the shifter.

“That’s enough. If you are to continue with us, Robbie, you behave and do as you’re told.” Alpha Adira gives Robbie a very stern look, which sobers his antics fast.

Thorn, who had gone up ahead, returns, and keeping his voice low, reports, “Four setting up camp, just ahead, maybe a mile. If we wait a while we can move in on them come nightfall.”

“Okay. Let’s take a rest while we can. Maybe devise a plan of action, too. Did you get the layout of the camp they are making?” Alpha Adira asks Thorn.

Giving an ‘of course ’ look, Thorn nods and sits with his back against a tree and closes his eyes.

“Brymrag, stay alert while I rest my eyes.” I also take a seat against a tree, close my eyes, and allow my dragon to listen for or sense danger.

Night has fallen, owls are hooting, and other animals are scurrying around in the undergrowth. I am awake and eating some kind of oat bar that Robbie has handed out. It seems his rucksack is holding more than some clothing and weapons.

We discuss strategy and once we are all aware of our positions, we start to move toward the camp.

The hunters are stupidly eating, drinking and making merry.

They are loud enough to wake the dead and seem to have no worries about what could be outside of their camp.

Threat wise, that is. They do not know they have an angry dragon about to fry their asses or they wouldn’t be laughing so much!

Reaching the camp, I am standing behind a tree with deep shadows around me.

I only open my eyelids half way as I don’t want any glow from Brymrag to announce us.

My eyes flick from one of the human hunters to another, and when my eyes stop at one, I know I have found one of the two I’ve been looking for.

Six isn’t a bad count for the day, Dudley.

No, it’s not. Maybe we can have a historic count this time.

You’ve not had a dragon in a long time.

No, the last was that one from Huntsville. He took some killing. Me and Tony got him along with others.

Tony the one that leopard murdered?

Yeah, he was my cousin, in actual fact. We took out a lot of scum shifters over the years.

Alpha Adira steps towards me and gives me a small nod. I’m ready for the action to start. Robbie saunters into the camp like it’s a Sunday afternoon stroll, taking the four hunters by surprise.

“Oh, I’m so happy to have found other people in the forest. I was lost and I can tell you it is scary as hell out there on your own.” Robbie is playing it to the full.

“How the hell did you end up in the forest?” One asks as he gets to his feet. He’s obviously had quite a bit to drink as he’s wobbling somewhat as he tries to give Robbie a threatening look.

“Well, it’s a long story, but…”

Thorn makes the first move, in his leopard form, jumping on one of the hunters. Quickly followed by Leo’s lion and Stella’s wolf. Alpha Adira steps forward in her human form and ignores the screams and chaos her three pack members are causing.

The fourth hunter is the one I want, and Alpha Adira knows it.

She speaks over the sudden silence, “Well, well, if it isn’t the shifter murderer.

Along with his band of merry murderers, I might add.

But, sadly, they won’t be around to assist you any more.

But then neither will you. So dear hunter, meet my dear friend here, Cayden.

” I step out of the shadows and I can see the fear in the hunter's eyes, and smell the piss that has just traveled down his legs. Alpha Adira continues, “My friend, Cayden is a dragon shifter, and oh, he’s the cousin of you know, the one you just bragged you murdered from Huntsville. Cayden is here for his revenge, and he will have it. It is the end for you, and I hope you like the hell you are going to be visiting any minute from now.”

The hunter reaches for a weapon, but he’s not fast enough. I blow a thin stream of dragon fire onto his arm, which, of course, has him screaming from the pain. Hitting his arm to put out the flame that is licking deeper into his muscle and tissue.

“You are condemned to death for all the murders you have committed against the shifter community. A community that has done everything it can to stay away from the human population. All they ask is you leave them in peace. But you found it fun to murder. Now this is my vengeance.”

I quickly note Alpha Adira, Leo, Stella, Thorn and Robbie have stepped away.

They don’t want to be caught up in what comes next.

I allow Brymrag to come forward enough to harden my body, showing scales running up my arms, forehead, and nose.

Taking a lungful of air, I slowly blow out a stream of blue flame encompassing the hunter from head to toe.

He starts to scream, but it’ll not take long for that to stop.

We all wait for the hunter's end, and I wasn’t wrong. It didn’t take long. It wasn’t as satisfying as I thought it would be. But, now, he won’t be hurting any more shifters, and that is worth his ending.

Robbie shouts, attracting our attention. “Babies, Alpha, babies…”

We all rush over to where Robbie is behind a tent the hunters erected. Stopping when we all see a cage. Inside the cage is a tiger cub, wolf pup and a bear cub. All huddled together, and terrified, I’m sure.

Robbie opens the cage and sits in front of the door, crossed-legged, and speaks low and soothingly to them. It takes twenty minutes before the tiger cub crawls forward to Robbie and climbs into his lap. He strokes and soothes it, speaking to it about shifting into its human form.

I walk away because I can feel myself getting angrier. The disgusting bastards killed the children's parents, that I’m sure of. The fear that I’m sensing from them is overwhelming. Robbie is doing a fantastic job with them, calming, encouraging, and loving.

Turning to look at the situation once more, Robbie has all three now wrapped in his arms. Mumbling to them about coming home with us, then being safe, and how sorry he was about their parents.

Stella and Alpha Adira take a child each and as they walk away Alpha Adira turns to me. “Burn it. Burn it all.”

Brymrag rushes to the front and storms over to the bodies, throwing out his dragon fire until they are nothing but ash.

I allow him free rein while he burns everything he sees.

We are lucky that dragon fire can be selective, and we have not set the forest on fire.

Once there is nothing left to see I turn and hasten to catch the others.

We have a long way back since we agreed not to change into our animals.

We eventually arrived back at the pack, and the farmhouse was full of shifters and humans. All stepping forward to help with the children, who have now thankfully trusted us enough to shift from their animal form.

“I hope we won’t need to do any extra field trips, Cayden,” Alpha Adira states. “But I thank you for coming with us. Finding closure for yourself, and vengeance for Blaflono. I wish I could have met him. Everything we have found or heard about him tells me he was a good person.”

“Getting closure is good, and I have searched a long time for that one hunter. I had heard the other was dead, but to get the confirmation was indeed needed. I’m going to head out now, take my time traveling home. I may go halfway, then fly the rest. Let Brymrag have his wings for a while.”

“You are welcome here at any time. We would love to have you come again. You will always be considered a friend. If you ever need us, we will come.” Alpha Adira reaches up, pulls my head down and kisses my cheek. Which has Brymrag puffing out steam with enjoyment.

“If you ever need me, you know how to contact me now. It was truly great to meet you all, and leave with a friendship I never expected.”

Home…come on, Brymrag, let’s go home!