“You eat all dat can-dee.”
“I was hungry.”
“You ain’t da only one, you idiot.”
Bang!
Something slammed down, and then scuffling sounds. “Umph.”
Thud
. Yelp. Growl. Snarl.
“Knock it off,” the female snapped. “If any of dem doggies is around, dey will hear you making all kinds of racket. Heye, he, he, he.”
Good point.
There could be wolves close enough to save her, or at least one, especially since the sentinel who monitored traffic headed into Los Lobos, had vanished. An idea formed. Change, make a run for it, and howl for help. But how did one change after being stuck as human for years?
Do what came natural. She’d felt her coyote last night, and maybe, just maybe she could set her free. She had to try something.
Liv closed her eyes, reaching deep for the animal inside her. Her skin itched and burned, akin to sitting on a pile of fire ants. As a child, she’d shifted once. Funny how it felt the same. Unpleasant. She gasped, glancing down at her all too human hand. Well, attempt number one certainly was worth it. Liv—one, coyote—zero.
She’d felt her last night, and now, she’d seemed to have stepped back into the shadows. There, but not willing to make an appearance. She just needed to be coaxed.
Come on. I need you.
Liv pushed again, and her legs and feet shimmered, like she stood on hot asphalt and the heat warped her image.
Pain!
Searing. Tearing. Liv Gasped and rolled to her knees, panting.
Oookay, not as easy as I remembered and a hell of a lot more unpleasant than sitting on an ant pile.
Why had she forgotten the pain? Maybe her coyote recalled it and it was why she went into hiding? Liv grit her teeth and focused again. White-hot light flashed across her vision. “Ahhhhh.”
Like a rubber band stretched to its limit, her control slipped and she snapped back to where she’d started. Sweat beaded on her forehead. The taste of blood clung to her tongue. She collapsed on the floor on her side and sucked in a deep breath. Still human.
I can do this.
“You hear sometin’?”
“It dat human in der. She secure and not going anywhere.”
Now, or never.
If she were going to make a run for it, she couldn’t wait any longer.
Come on out. You’ve no time to play around.
Harder this time. Her clothing fizzled and fur replaced it. The zip ties fell off her legs.
Crack. Pop.
She arched. “Oh Go….” Her vocal cords seized, tightening, changing, no longer capable of words her sentence ended with a growl. Bones elongated. Sharp canines dropped down and blood ran from her gums.
Pant, pant, pant.
Liv rose from her belly and stood on shaky legs.
Holy shit. I did it.
“You sure dat a human in der. I thought I heard—”
“If you don’t believe me, go look. Did she smell like a doggie, other dan dat wolfie agent all over her?”
Stomp, stomp, stomp. Click.
The lock turned. Liv snarled and crouched down, ready to spring and run for the garage, where they’d left the door open when they’d dragged her in. She’d have to gamble they didn’t close it and freedom sat less than fifteen feet away. Fast and wily, coyotes tended to be the escape artists of the canine community. Hard to hunt. Hard to catch and even harder to find. Hopefully, her nature worked to her benefit. She may not have the power of a wolf, but what she lacked in strength, she made up in dexterity.
Straight to Los Lobos. Forget fleeing. The demons were already on pack land. She needed to warn Drew, give them time to prepare for what arrived at sunset.
The door opened. Liv sprung, dodging between Dreadlock’s legs. His giant hand grabbed air, ruffling the hair on her scruff, his fingers closing a fraction of an inch from snagging her by the tail. Still, he’d gotten a handful of hair from the tip. Too close for comfort.
Run. Run. Run.
The other male jumped in front of her.
“Get her!” the she-demon roared.
Liv bounced off the counter as the female dove for her. She jumped sideways and twisted midair, landing in the middle of the bitch’s back, launching into the bay, and running for freedom as fast as she could go.
A snarl behind her, the pounding of padded feet, not human boots, came up on her quick, urging her to move faster. At least one had shifted. Liv didn’t dare look back to confirm, but picked up speed, heading for the forest, her best chance for escape. She leaped over a log.
Pain. Something sharp snagged her back leg, damn near tearing it from her body. She yelped.
A crunch. Teeth punched into her joint, and the flesh above it, spearing bone. A burn raced up her hindquarters. With a couple whips of its head, the beast who had her, flung her to the ground. As she rolled to make another run for it, she faced a snarling face, black nose, gray fur, yellow eyes with blue flames exploding around the irises. Hot breath, stinking of stale candy bars and death washed over her face, dampening the fur. Drool dripped from hyena’s chin in long lanky strands, stretching toward her. “He, he, he, hey, hey, hey.”
Shit.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Someone walked through crisp leaves until they stood over her, glaring down. “If you try to run again, doggie, I’ll let him eat you, regardless what Ajani want. He, he, he, he.” The woman grabbed her by her scruff and lifted her to look her in the eyes. “You understand me?”
Liv growled, showing her teeth.
Loud and clear, but I won’t make it easy.
The woman swung around and strode back into the garage, carrying her like a pocketbook by the skin of her back. The demon opened the door and tossed her inside the office. Liv hit the wall and yelped. Lights exploded across her vision, and sharp pain radiated from one of her ribs, on her bad side. When she tried to stand, her back left leg dangled, useless. Liv collapsed back to the floor, turning to examine her wound. Blood dripped onto the linoleum from the puncture wound. Well, so much for making a run for it.
***
One hour before….
Xan watched until the taillights on Liv’s vehicle disappeared into the distance. At least she wouldn’t get caught in Ajani’s path when his monsters overran Los Lobos. He lifted the phone to his ear and dialed a second time.
“You have reached the voice mail of Drew Taos. You know what to do when you hear the beep.”
Looked like he had no choice. Since his ride onto pack territory went south, and at least five miles of rugged terrain sat between Liv’s home and Los Lobos, he would have to shift to warn the Alpha, giving him enough time to prepare for the attack.
He wouldn’t have believed changing into his alpine possible if not for last night. Liv brought more than peace to his heart; she’d found his wolf and coaxed him from the abyss he’d fallen in.
Xan walked several feet into the woods before stripping down. He didn’t have a choice. Letting Liv go was the hardest thing he’d ever done. The second hardest would be bringing forth the white timber wolf he hadn’t seen in over three years. A wolf who’d refused every attempt he’d made since he’d escaped his captors.
Lucky for him they had a full moon tonight. It could be no accident the demons chose this particular evening to attack Los Lobos. They wanted the wolves to shift. They wanted a fight—thrived on it. He glanced back at the now-vacant road and braced his hands against the rough bark of a large Cottonwood. He sucked in a deep breath and called his Wolf. At least Liv didn’t have to see this first shift. He had no idea how he’d react or if he’d lose control. Not being moon dependent, a side effect of his hybridism, gave him an advantage, but shifting without it hurt like a son of a bitch, and his Wolf was in a mood—a shitty mood.
Plus, he didn’t get the magical clothing that followed him wherever he went. Yeah, hybrids went Wolf in the buff and returned the same way. Nothing anybody in Los Lobos hadn’t seen. First, he’d go to Gee’s Bar. It had always been the central point of the shifter town.
The first jolt struck, running from his hips to the base of his skull. Xan gouged deep grooves in the bark as his claws extended. Damn. It never hurt this bad before.
Get out here, asshole.
His Wolf snorted.
You asked for it, Nancy.
Fuck you. Just get out here.
His muscles locked, and the ripping and tearing began. Xan tipped his head back and howled. Knees popped backward and he screamed, still capable of human sound, but barely. It ended in a fierce growl. One more push.
Xan’s vision went black, and the beast burst free.
Where to, Princess?
Let’s see who’s on call.
He threw his head back and howled, reclaiming the animal he’d thought he’d lost, and if not for Liv, Xan knew he’d never have found him.
Somewhere in the distance, a Wolf returned his battle cry. Not Drew, not his Alpha, but the Enforcer who never strayed too far from their leader.
Great. Mr. Personality.
It would be the one Wolf who’d rather see him dead.
Well, he could also help fight off the pending attack. Beggars couldn’t be choosers.
Xan reached Gee’s Bar when he smelled it. The soft scent of his coyote mate carried on the wind.
Liv?
He’d told her to leave the area, but the scent seemed stronger, fresh, after he’d told her to leave. Obviously, she hadn’t listened.
Had she gone to her office? He curled his lip back.
He glanced over his shoulder, ready to go find her. Instead, clothing hit him, forcing him to turn back to the bar. Gee stood on the boardwalk. “Get changed.”
His words had more than one meaning. Xander snatched the jeans in his teeth and followed the bear inside. Looking around the empty bar to ensure he had no human witnesses, he closed his eyes and shifted, calling his human form back much easier than it took become a Wolf. He stepped into the denim and buttoned the fly. “There are demons coming. We have until sundown, no longer. I wanted to warn the Alpha, and I figured this would be the best place to start.”
“He already knows.” Gee jerked his head toward the door to his office. “This way.”
Xan scooped the shirt up and followed. Inside, wall-to-wall, sitting, standing, leaning against the walls, taking up all open space, was the pack. Drew stood in the middle. “Agent Xander Davis. I need to know everything you can tell me about these Ilimu.”
“They want revenge.”
“How can you be certain?”
“I killed the leader’s mate.”
“Self-defense?”
“Yes.” He glanced around the room, searching for Liv. “Where’s Liv? I sent her away, for her safety. But I could swear I smelled her a moment ago.”
“You need to sit down.”
“Why do I get a feeling you’re going to tell me something I won’t like?”
“Our sentry contacted us half an hour before. They’ve got her, at the old gas station. Her scent is a trick to draw you out in the open. She’s not here in town.”
“Then why are we sitting here?” Xan turned toward his Alpha.
“Because we can’t just walk in there and take her.”
“The hell we can’t. She’s my mate, and I’m not waiting around here while they do God knows what to her.”
“We have to work together—as a pack. No lone Wolves here, including you. I need to know everything you know about them so we can figure out how to beat these things.”
“Right. Have fun.” Xan turned and headed for the door. “I’m going to get my girl.”
Gee stepped in front of him, crossing his arms.
“You do what you got to do. I can’t sit here for this powwow. They will kill Liv.”
“Sit down.” Drew kicked a chair across the floor. It hit Xan in the thighs. He curled his hands into fists and whipped around to stare at the Alpha, growling low in his throat.
“You don’t want to go there.”
Xan held his gaze a little longer before sitting and diverting the cold hate to the floor. Getting killed by the Alpha would not help her. “I can’t wait for night. We can’t fight them as Wolves. They’re too strong, unpredictable. Their pack numbers around fifty.”
“Our scout reported she only saw nine today, said some of them shifted into crows and flew toward Los Lobos.”
“That would be Ajani, his general and lieutenants. The most dangerous. They work by infiltrating villages or towns…packs, and they’re damn good at it. They are also opportunistic killers. They kill at the first chance provided and replace the victim by taking on his identity, his financial portfolio and any other assets they desire. It’s very hard to see or smell a difference. Next to impossible. They have a chameleon-like ability to change their physical makeup. But if you look them in the eyes….”
“He’s right,” Gee said. “I met one of these things a long time ago. By the time I figured out what it was, it had murdered half of a Lakota village while they slept.”
“We have to take them on before night. They have a weakness. Once they change in the day into a human or animal, they must remain in the same form until sunset. It’s why they gave you twelve hours to turn me over. In the dark, their powers are unlimited. You need to make some traps, lure them in, and kill them before dusk. After that, they’re able to shift into anything they like at will. They prefer hyenas because of the bone-crushing bite, but they don’t discriminate. They’ll take on any form to gain an advantage. As hyenas, they don’t go for the throat, they dismember their victims.”
Gee nodded. “Some of them are ravens, and it will be hard to trap them. We’ll need a backup plan, and I have an idea, even if it goes against everything I believe in.”
“We will handle this as a pack. We know they’re responsible for the deaths in Wyoming. The sentinel at the gas station picked up the scent of the kill on them. She said they didn’t hurt Liv, so they must want her alive to use as bait. If you go into this situation half-cocked, they will execute her. They are trying to lure you out. Once they have you, she’s dead, and I don’t think they’re done with the rest of this pack either.”
Drew sat on the edge of the desk and glanced over at Ryker before turning back to Xan. “You said they’re encroachers, taking over by infiltration. I believe they want Los Lobos, and I’ll be damned if I hand it over to them. So, start talking. I want to know every detail you can recall about them. If they only take a shit on Sundays, I want to know.”