Moonlit Feathers (14 page)

"Do you think that we'll be able to fight them all? I know you're also a big coyote, but the guy who attacked me and kidnapped me was huge, and strong. I... You saw my living room. I just don't know how we'll be able to take them on alone." She sighed and leaned her head back against the headrest. "I'm not saying we won't, but it'll be tough, and we're both already kind of tired from all the walking earlier."

"We'll do it. We...you...have what they want, and they won't know I'm there." I laid my hand on hers. "Let's play into what they think will happen. They know you're scared, and that you'll give them the talisman. They don't know you have help. If we can keep them believing that for a moment, then I can jump out when things start happening, and we'll have the element of surprise."

I held up another talisman my grandmother had slipped into the pocket of the jeans she'd given me. "You can give them this one and I'll hold onto the real talisman."

"What if they realize it's not the real one? I'm pretty sure a wizard would know the difference." Frowning, she turned to look at me, and drew in a breath before letting it out slowly. "I'm not doubting you. I just want to be prepared in case things go downhill. I don't want them to catch us off-guard."

She was right, of course. I didn't know if the wizard would be able to tell between the two. He obviously knew what the real talisman did, but could he sense the magic in one versus the lack of it in the other? It made sense that he might. If that was the case, then I didn't want to be throwing Morgana to the wolves. We needed to have a better plan than this. "You're right. I don't know if he'll be able to tell the difference. We should be prepared, just in case."

She rubbed the back of her neck and looked thoughtfully out the driver's side window beyond me. "Well, I guess it depends on where you're at. If you can try to take out one of the guards while I'm talking with the wizard, then we’ll only have to deal with the wizard and the other guard. He only has two that I saw, but both of them were pretty darn scary." She looked back to me. "But whatever you do, please...please be careful. I... I don't want you to be hurt. I care about you."

I slid over in the seat and wrapped my arms around her. "It'll be okay. I know it might be tough, but we'll get through it." However, from what she said, and what I knew about these people so far, I wasn't as confident on the inside as I showed her. I wanted to comfort her, but I was secretly scared that something might happen to one or both of us if we weren't careful.

Morgana nodded and rested her head against my shoulder. "I just wish I could believe that." She trailed her hand over my chest for a moment, then slid away and hopped out of the truck. She pulled off my old clothes and set them back in the truck, folding them neatly as she did. When she looked up at me, she had a faint smile on her face. "Guess we should get this done with, then."

I nodded and followed her lead. By the time I'd gotten my clothes off, she was already in raven form, and she’d strutted around the front of the truck to stand nearby. I leaned down to touch her midnight black feathers, but she lightly tapped my foot with her beak, as if in reproach.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm shifting." I shook my head at her and took a couple steps back to give myself enough room to change, and enough room between us so my coyote didn't do anything stupid in the time it took me to regain my senses after the shift.

Once I'd completed my change, I barked at her, and she threw herself into the air. I turned and let my coyote chase after her. If I had any chance of keeping up, the beast was going to be better at this than me. His instincts were more honed on the chase, even though we both knew she was not our prey.

We traveled like that for a while. Morgana's flight pattern seemed more erratic this time, likely because she was trying to figure out where she'd come from, and inspecting the surroundings from just above the trees. I was having a harder time tracking her than ever before, and my coyote snipped at me. He wanted me to fade back into the background while he took control of the situation, but I never wanted my animal to have more control of my body than I did.

My grandmother had warned me of such things, instructing me about people who had gone insane in Native American lore by turning more beast than human. They had cannibalized others because they had forgotten how to be human. She'd been my rock through learning about my new form, keeping me sane and grounded. Of course, life with her hadn't always been easy, but it'd been better than with living with my parents and siblings. She'd shown me true love, regardless of what I looked like.

Morgana slid through the trees in a descent that made me worry she'd hit a branch or tree trunk, but she deftly navigated the forest with grace. I pushed harder to keep up with her, carrying the small red duffel bag with our borrowed clothes in it, and took care to slow as she did. I wanted to keep pace with her, but not get too close in case she made any quick stops.

She shifted into human form as her feet touched the ground, and I stopped suddenly, nearly mowing her down from the high momentum I'd built up. My paws no longer hurt, probably due to my enhanced healing in my coyote form.

I dropped the bag and joined her in human form.

"Ready for this?" she asked, worrying her lower lip. I could definitely relate to her anxiety.

"Let's get this over with." I gave her a quick kiss, then dropped down to the bag to get our clothes out. We dressed quickly, made a few last-minute plans with our new knowledge of the building’s layout, then we parted ways.

I only hoped I'd be able to keep with it and take out the guard she'd mentioned without making too much noise. If I didn't get to him before he shouted his alarm, then we might be screwed. Particularly since they had us outgunned. From the wreck they’d made of her home, I didn't doubt their capabilities.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Morgana

As I walked to the front door, I felt my shoulders slouch further forward. I rolled them back a time or two, easing some of the radiating tension. My nerves were fraying, but I had to keep calm, and stay on track with what I knew we were doing. It'd be fine. It really would, right? I shook the negativity from me, and knocked.

No one answered for the longest time, and I almost wondered if I'd come to the wrong cabin. They did look pretty similar. I glanced around, catching a few familiar sights. Then again, I'd been pretty dazed when I'd been here, and when I'd left.

The door opened behind me, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. The man—Jasper, I thought—leaned against the doorframe, staring at me intently.

"So, you did as you said you would, eh?" He looked up at the sun, which was out in force. It was probably two o'clock in the afternoon now. I didn't have a watch, since I was always afraid I'd lose it when I needed to shift forms quickly. Sometimes I carried one when I was with big clients, but it was more an accessory than a staple of my wardrobe. "Quicker than I'd guessed you would be. Not bad, girlie." He reached out to grab my shoulder, but I ducked out of the way. "Stop that shit. Get inside, so we can pay you for your trouble."

"Why can't you just pay me here?" I looked inside the house, but the windows were all covered in dark blackout curtains, and my eyes were used to the sun outside, not the darker room. I couldn’t see what they had in store for me.

"Because we don't like to do business on the doorstep. Now, come on." He grabbed me this time since I'd been too busy trying to focus inside. He squeezed my upper arm hard enough that I thought it might bruise later, and I bit back a cry. In the distance, I thought I heard a soft growl, but Jasper didn't seem to have heard it.

I looked back out the door a moment before he closed it in my face, but I didn't see Cody. Maybe it had just been the wind, but I kind of doubted it. I'd heard his growl a few times now, and... My heart pounded in my chest. All thoughts were cut off when I caught sight of Kevin. His face was bloody, his mouth gagged, and he was tied to a sturdy-looking chair. When he saw me, he let out a soft whimper.

I tried to jerk away from Jasper to go to Kevin, but he held onto me too hard. Even if I tried to fight him, he wouldn't let me go. "What did you do to him?" My throat tightened, and I struggled for a little bit longer, until I realized it just wasn't going to happen.

"We did what we had to do to get information out of him. You know how that goes, right?" Jasper chuckled, and he shoved me down to the floor. I grunted from the impact, and he pulled my hands behind my back, pressed his knee into my spine, and tied my hands. I jerked and wriggled again. I'd learned a few lessons when it came to making people struggle to tie you up, things that had worked before. When they couldn't tie you their best, they made mistakes. Mistakes meant more slack, which meant an easier time slipping from them later.

What I hadn't intended was for Jasper to smack me in the back of the head with his fist. Darkness dimmed my vision for a few moments, and I sunk into unconsciousness. When I woke up again, what seemed like only minutes later, McGuire and Jasper were in the room. They were paying attention to Kevin, and not really bothering me.

"Well now Kevin, tell us—do you have enough magic to use the talisman? Don't you want to save yourself and your little girlfriend here? Don't make me think you’re useless. I hate uselessness. Useless things are of no consequence, and to be honest, right now I don't feel charitable enough to keep you alive, unless you can do something for me. It's simple. Just use the talisman, and get free," McGuire taunted Kevin as he paced back and forth in front of him.

I could hear the eager breaths of Jasper close by. It seemed that he was enjoying the situation, maybe a bit too much. I felt my hands and tried to move softly. Jasper had tied my hands so tightly that my blood could barely circulate. The knots were pressed into my joints, digging into my skin. I ran a finger over them tentatively, feeling how much room I'd have available. Slowly, I began working on the ties. To a normal human, they were too tight to budge. To tie someone up properly is a matter of countering movements and the effort to undo them. The ties Jasper had made were tight and straightforward. They merely restricted my movements, trying to keep my muscles from shifting. A sharp jab to one side nearly broke the skin as the cords dug further into my arm, but I managed to get a section of my wrist lose.

Kevin's eyes darted to me for a moment before returning to the angry wizard in front of him. "Maybe you should’ve thought about that before beginning to torture me. Right now, I can barely stay awake. You know how the magic works, do it yourself. I know what happens when wizards are pushed too far, and I'd rather not explode in this chair," he said, trying to keep his voice confident.

McGuire pointed at me over his shoulder. "Well, maybe if we beat her up a little, it'll change your mind." The words clearly had an impact on Kevin. A look of resentment crossed his features as he slowly nodded his head.

"Fine, asshole. Give it to me," Kevin said, sounding defeated. The wizard handed him the talisman, and the effect was something I hadn’t expected. A smell of tribal magic filled the cabin, and Kevin was knocked backwards against the wall. His eyes glazed over, and I bit my lip to stop myself from crying out his name.

A chuckle came from McGuire. "And that's why I'm not the first one to try things out, Morgana. I believe you brought me the wrong thing. That means one of two things: either you betrayed me and gave me the wrong object on purpose, or you got the wrong talisman. Somehow, a woman of your skills, I think you betrayed me. Jasper, get rid of her. We'll find it on our own."

With just one wrist free, I couldn't resist as Jasper pulled me up from the floor and dragged me outside. A truck pulled up as I was dragged along the ground around the building. "Hey Jasper, he got what he wanted?" Rudy yelled from the open window.

"Not yet. It's up to us," Jasper replied without stopping.

It hit me then. Regardless of what talisman I'd given them, they still intended to hurt me. The constant friction from the dirt had dragged the cords from my loosened left wrist upward, allowing me limited motion on that hand, but it didn’t help me much as Jasper pushed me firmly against a tree trunk in the back.

"Now, take it like a nice little lady, and you won’t hurt so much." A darkly charming smile played on his lips. It promised false hope, but I didn't fall for it, and spat on the ground. "Have it your way," he said, and backhanded me.

It felt like a truck had hit me. My vision swam for a few moments. I didn't know how much more I'd be able to take.

From the front of the house, a surprised, high-pitched noise came before it was cut off quickly. Jasper didn't notice. He brought his leg up for a kick.

I tossed my weight to the right, pulling myself away from the tree. The kick connected with the tree with a mighty thump, but I’d dodged it in time. The force of it probably would have cracked my ribs. A thud came from the yard, gaining Jasper’s attention. He turned and yelled for his friend.

The impact had dislocated my right shoulder, and I writhed on the ground, slowly able to move the loops of cords enough to bring my hands in front of me. Jasper was quicker than I’d anticipated, though. He charged me as soon as he caught me breaking free, grabbing my hands and lifting me from the ground. "Pathetic. It's going to hurt now, stupid," he said and punched me with his right hand.

He kept punching me. I tried to keep my muscles pulled taut to keep him from doing permanent damage, but if I stayed at his mercy for too much longer, I was going to die.