Avenging Autumn (5 page)

Suddenly, the world sharpened around her. Colors became more vibrant, each blade of grass distinguished from the next. Sounds became clearer. Her ears twitched toward the voices of those who remained human and walked down the road toward the vehicle, though she guessed they were at least a mile away by now. Scents were no longer simple smells, but instead messages which told her the history of the creatures that had passed by this way. She stretched her new muscles, long and lithe, and shook out her fur. The pain faded, replaced by a coiled strength which burned through her body.

Mia realized she wasn’t alone. She swung her head to find a mountain lion watching her, his coal ringed amber eyes intense. She padded up to him, and they touched noses.

They were complete.

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S
AHALE AND TOCHO held the young soldier between them, pushing him forward if his walk started to slow.

Autumn walked directly behind, Chogan at her side. She’d chosen a small handgun from the selection Wenona had brought out, and the weight of the weapon sat comfortingly in the waistband of her jeans. The paranormals followed—Daisy walking between Marcus and Angie. In the woods on either side, she heard the sounds of bones breaking, followed by howls of pain, as the shifters changed. Sahale and Tocho would also be shifting, just as soon as they reached the soldier’s vehicle. She and Chogan would lead the way with the soldier, Todd Newby, in the vehicle he’d come here in, Chogan holding a gun to his head while Autumn drove. As soon as they made sure Todd had told them the truth about where he’d left the truck, the paranormals would double back and follow in Lakota’s old truck. Angie would have to drive—she was the only one who’d been old enough to have learned before Vivian had incarcerated them.

Autumn held her sadness as a tight, solid ball in the center of her chest. Her throat felt constricted, her heart heavy. Just the thought of her father brought tears to her eyes, though she blinked them back, not wanting anyone to see her weakness. Then there was Blake. Of everything that had happened, somehow his paralysis felt the most unfair. She hated even thinking negatively, as if that would anger the gods, and she’d lose him once and for all. She should be thankful he was still alive—and she was—but she knew he was in emotional pain, if not physical, and that he felt useless and frustrated.

Autumn hurt for him.

Either side of their small group, the crack and rustle of large animals moving through the undergrowth filtered through. Those who had shifted already were running alongside them, finding freedom in their animal skins. She wondered where Mia was, and how her friend had coped with her shift. It was the first time she’d gone fully from human to beast, and Autumn imagined it would be a frightening process. Still, Mia had Peter to take care of her now, and Autumn was happy for her friend, if perhaps also a little sad. Mia had always relied on Autumn to be there for her—they’d relied on each other their whole lives—and now someone had taken Autumn’s place.

Autumn prayed she wasn’t making a mistake by insisting upon this mission.

They were completely unprepared, with the exception of the shifters and the firearms. She could be leading them all into a trap, but she was relying on her unwavering belief that the only thing Vivian Winters should be was dead.

They stepped onto the main road. Things had started to get back to normal since the retreat of the army from the city, though many people were still cautious. The world they lived in had changed, and people were taking tentative steps, like dipping their toes into crocodile infested waters. Even so, a number of cars sped past the small group, and they did their best not to appear too conspicuous as they hustled the soldier along the side of the road.

“There,” he said eventually, nodding—as both his arms were held—toward the shape of a vehicle parked close to the tree line.

Autumn nodded. “Okay, he was telling the truth. Daisy, I’d like you to come with us in this vehicle. I think your talents might come in useful if Todd starts to make things difficult for us.”

The soldier’s eyes widened. “Why, what are her talents?” He frowned at the vulnerable looking young woman, probably wondering what on earth she was able to do to a full-grown man. “And I told you I won’t cause you any problems.”

“We’ll call this insurance,” Autumn said. She turned her attention to Marcus and Angie. “Go back and get Lakota’s truck. We’ll never all fit in this one. We’ll wait for you here until you get back.”

“Sure.” Both Marcus and Angie turned and began a slow run back to the house.

“Sahale, Tocho,” she said, addressing the other two shifters. “I assume you’ll both want to shift now?”

“Too damn right,” grinned Tocho.

Sahale threw her a salute. “See you on the other side.”

The two men strode away, heading into the forest to join the other shifters.

Autumn put out her hand. “Keys?”

“They’re in my pant pocket,” the soldier said.

Chogan’s eyebrows lifted. “I’ll get them.” His hand delved into the other man’s pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “Got ’em.”

He handed them to Autumn.

“Right, you sit with Todd in the back—I’m sure the gun Chogan is holding will be enough to stop you from doing anything stupid. Daisy, you sit up front with me.”

“Hey,” Todd said. “I already told you I’m not going to try anything. Seriously, this isn’t worth my life.”

“We’ll be the judge of that.” Her heart felt like concrete solidifying, a crust initially that had grown deeper and harder as time went on. This was the man responsible for delivering her father’s hand to her. As much as she knew how Vivian used people, she couldn’t bring herself to forgive him for that. Part of her wanted to see the soldier dead, too.

Movement rustled in the trees and undergrowth on their side of the road, and Autumn turned as a number of big cats emerged from between the trees. She was pleased to see them—especially Mia as a black panther, and knowing her friend had completed the transition safely—but it felt strange for there not to be any wolves among them. Chogan had remained human, while Blake was unable to shift. The wolves had been her first introduction to shifters, and it was disconcerting not to have either of them in wolf form by her side.

Branches cracked overhead, and she glanced up to find two massive birds alighting in the trees’ canopy. Tala and Nadie. It was good the two friends had stuck together. Whatever bad feelings she’d harbored toward Tala previously had all but vanished. So much else had happened since then. Tala’s abduction of her almost felt like it had happened to someone else.

Though she was eager to get moving, they needed to wait for Marcus and Angie to return with the other vehicle. They’d left at a run, but she didn’t know if they’d have been able to keep up that pace, and the house was several miles back.

Chogan must have sensed her frustration. “Don’t worry. They won’t be long, and waiting ten minutes won’t make any difference.”

Even so, she paced around the vehicle, clenching and unclenching her hands. The nudge of a soft, warm head against her back made her jump. She turned to discover Mia standing directly behind her. Even though she was now in animal form, Autumn had known Mia long enough to understand what she was trying to say.

“Okay, okay, I’ll calm down,” she told the big cat.

The animal purred, not the constant vibration of a housecat, but the chuffing that only came on an outward breath.

“Can I?” she asked, reaching out to Mia’s head. It felt strange asking to touch her friend, but she had a sudden urge to run her hand over that smooth, sleek head.

Mia ducked her shoulders and stepped closer. Autumn’s fingers made contact with the big, rounded head, and she ran her fingers through the velvety fur. A smile touched her lips—the first she’d experienced for some time—and she trailed her hand down Mia’s neck and across her long, strong back.

“You’re almost as beautiful in cat-form as you are in person,” she smiled.

The roar of an approaching engine made her turn, and she spotted Lakota’s old truck grumbling its way up toward them. Perhaps they should have made a different choice in vehicle. The old truck had covered some big distances over this last week, and she hoped it would make this one without breaking down.

The truck pulled up next to them, and Marcus leaned out of the window. Angie sat in the driver’s seat. “You guys ready to roll?” he shouted.

“We’ve only been waiting for you,” she replied. She headed to the soldier’s vehicle and climbed behind the wheel. The others took their positions, while the animal shifters prowled along the side of the road. They no longer needed to stay hidden. While a month ago, the sight of them would have most likely been disbelieved, now everyone knew exactly what a shifter was, and while the sight of the massive animals still garnered plenty of attention, people no longer disbelieved their own eyes. The birds took to the air, following with an aerial view. Hopefully, they’d be able to warn them of any challenges which may lie up ahead, though Autumn hoped they’d have a clear run between here and wherever Vivian had holed up now.

Leading the way, they headed up the freeway. The route seemed to be straight, and they settled in for a long drive.

Several hours went by, the road passing without event. Autumn could almost forget a gun was pressed against the side of one of the men in the back, and that big cats loped through the forest and interspersed fields to one side of them. They could have been out for a Sunday drive.

Suddenly, Tala, in crow form, dropped from the sky in a frantic flutter of black wings and clawed feet. Autumn slammed on the brakes, throwing everyone forward. Angie and Marcus almost ploughed into the back of their vehicle, the wheels of Lakota’s old truck squealing on the asphalt.

“What the hell?”

The bird’s screech sounded in her ears.

“She’s trying to tell us something,” said Chogan.

Snarls and yowls came from the wooded area alongside them, and Autumn pulled the vehicle over to get out of the road. Angie followed suit with Lakota’s truck. She caught a glimpse of several bundles of fur—one of which appeared to be a wolf. They didn’t have any wolves in their group, except Chogan who was with her in the car.

“The shifters are being attacked.”

“What the hell is this?” Chogan demanded of Todd, the gun pointed at the man’s head now instead of his torso. “Is this some kind of ambush?”

“No, man!” Todd cried, holding up both hands in surrender. “I swear this has nothing to do with me whatsoever.”

“Stay in the car,” Chogan snapped at him. “Autumn, you still got your weapon?”

She nodded. “Sure do.”

Autumn moved to jump out of the vehicle, and then looked to Daisy. Would she be safer inside the vehicle, or outside? She didn’t want to leave the girl undefended, and available for Todd to use as a hostage. “Daisy,” she said. “Stay behind me.”

They jumped out, and Autumn ran to where the shifters were being attacked, Daisy close behind. Autumn’s heart was beating hard, her hands slick on the weapon. The level of the growls and snarls grew to an alarming level, and, between the trees, Autumn caught sight of a number of furry bodies lunging at each other, together with the white flash of teeth and claws. She was sure she saw a grey wolf attack the smooth black haunches of Mia, and a couple of other wolves snapped at a tiger.

She reached for her weapon, but she’d never get a clean shot. She couldn’t afford to lose any of her guys, and she was petrified Mia would get hurt.

The two birds joined the fight, though the trees hampered their efforts to drop down onto the attackers. Autumn tried to make out their numbers, and what they were, but it was difficult amid the rolling, tumbling bodies and flying fur.

Why the hell were shifters attacking other shifters?

“We need to get in there,” she hissed to Chogan.

Chogan put out an arm to stop her. “Wait a minute. I think I know these wolves.”

“You do? How?”

“I think they’re the same we saw in the city, the same ones bothering Madison the first time I met her. They’re involved with that gang—The Company of Tooth and Claw.”

Her heart hitched. “The same ones who might have been responsible for shooting Mia?”

“Yeah, that’s them.”

“Shit.”

She looked around, trying to buy herself time to think. Marcus and Angie had followed them out of the vehicles, and their abilities suddenly dawned on her.

“Marcus, can you help?” she asked.

His eyes narrowed at where a wolf was attacking Mia. She spun around lashing out at the other animal with a hiss and her claws out, but the wolf darted away. The tree nearby began to tremble, until one of the branches tore completely clean of the trunk. Marcus’s eyes were locked on the branch, his face stony with concentration. The branch whipped through the air and struck the wolf in the chest, throwing it away from Mia. She darted around in astonishment, and then, realizing her attacker had been hurt somehow, ran to help Peter who was fending off a wild dog.

Marcus lifted another log with his mind, and used it to hit a different wolf, stalking one of the tiger-shifters, square in the chest. The animal yelped and skittered off, confused and hurt.

Autumn pulled her weapon out and aimed it into the air, careful to make sure none of the bird shifters were above her. She pulled the trigger and a shot cracked through the air, startling everyone.

The remaining wolves backed off, and the two groups moved to opposite sides, facing each other.

Holding the gun at her side, Autumn walked forward to stand between them. She faced the group of predominantly wolf shifters, interspersed by a wild dog, and a couple of big cats.

“What the hell is going on?” she demanded.

Movement came from trees behind the new group, and a young man walked out—naked. He was blond, with a scruff of a beard, and a well-muscled chest. He came to a stop in front of the wolf pack, his eyes flicking up and down Autumn’s body.

Chogan stepped in front of Autumn. “I’m going to assume you’re Ollie Pritchard.”

The young man smiled, revealing straight, white teeth. “Oh good, you’ve already heard of me. Nice to know my notoriety is spreading.”