Page 81 of Shifting Fate
Dallon
We sat huddled together in Tashi’s minuscule bathtub for what seemed like hours. I kept my knees propped up in front of me, my arms resting on my kneecaps. The gun trained at the locked door, I keened my ears for the sound of footsteps.
The house was quiet. So quiet that I could hear my pulsethwooshingbetween my ears. It served as a reminder that I was still alive, and so was Tashi.
Oh, Tashi…
I didn’t want to bring it up again, because she’d finally stopped shaking, but damn. My sister was kind of a badass. She’d one-shotted that Dreadhunter, pow, right in the kisser. I was so fucking proud of her, it wasn’t funny.
When Rhine had first given her that gun, I wasn’t worried about her handling it. Not one bit. Between the two of us, she’d always been the better shot. I was more worried about her actuallyusingit. She might’ve loved The Walking Dead and violent video games, but Tashi was a complete wimp when it came to blood in real life.
Now she was covered in it.
She never once let go of me, although her death-grip on my waist had loosened a few notches. Her chest was pressed flush with my back, her short legs stretched out on either side of my hips. I could feel each breath she took, the way her heart rampaged with every beat.
After what seemed like an eternity of us sitting frozen solid in the tub, listening to our packmates fight for their lives, she finally relaxed enough to lay her head against my shoulder.
Soon, we were cloaked in silence. The only sound I could hear was the soft rasping of our breaths. No more roars. No more shrieks. No more gunshots. Just silence.
It worried me. Did we win? Did we manage to stop the people who wanted us dead? Or were Tashi and I the lone survivors, hiding in this porcelain crypt? They would come for us. Sawyer had said once that the Dreadhunters would raze entire colonies of shifters, slaughtering their families and burning their homes to the ground. What if…
I swallowed hard. Nope. Wasn’t gonna think about that.
A low creak had my hackles standing on end. It was followed by muffled knocking, and then several loud bangs as someone tried to kick the door in.
Behind me, Tashi whimpered.
Footsteps creaked down the hall. Slow, shuffling steps. I squared my shoulders and aimed at the doorframe. I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot whoever tried to hurt us. Despite the fear lodged in my throat like a wad of cotton, I was prepared to protect my sister.
My heart thumped loudly in my chest.Thud-woosh. Thud-woosh. Thud-woosh.
Tashi started crying. “I don’t wanna die,” she whimpered, trembling. “Please, Dal…” I gritted my teeth and shushed her.
The doorknob rattled, followed by a curse. Panic spiked through me, flooding my entire body with an icy-hot sensation—and then sweet, sweet relief when the intruder called out, “Dallon? You in there?”
“Jesus Christ,” I hissed, scrambling out of the bathtub. I flipped the lock and flung the door open to see Gage, his shoulders hunched and his hairy-bear chest matted with blood, but he didn’t look harmed. Just concerned.
To my shock, he threw his arms around me and squeezed. “Fuck, I’m so glad to see you,” he groaned out. “Shit, man. I was so scared you were dead. You just disappeared! Is Tashi with you?”
“Yeah, she’s okay. She killed that Dread in the kitchen. Blew his head clean off his shoulders.” I smirked weakly. “Told you she had good aim.”
“Christ.” Gage peeked into the bathroom, flipping on the lights. “You alright there, Tash?”
She bit her lip and shook her head, very small-like. Timid. Frightened. My chest ached for my little sister, for what she’d been through. I didn’t want to think about it, but that’s all I’d been doing for the past who-knew-how-long—thinking about what that Dread bastard was gonna do to her.
Her clothes had been torn, and scratch marks reddened the skin around her shoulder and neck. My stomach soured and a growl rumbled through me, startling us all. I rubbed the back of my neck. “Sorry. Stress.”
Gage grimaced, but nodded. He got it. “The battle’s over. We won, but there were…casualties.” The look he sent me sent a prickle of dread shooting through my veins.
I choked on my next words, “Arias—”
“He’s okay,” he reassured me, then paused before adding, “His dad died, though.”
“Shit.” I let my eyes fall slowly shut. Arias and Jaeger didn’t have the best father-son relationship, but they were still family. It would still hurt.
Gage’s shoulders slumped. “Fuck, I need a beer. C’mon, let’s get back to the pack-house. Rhine and Tegan are worried sick about you two. Like I said, I was preparing myself for the worst.” He clapped me on the back with his beefy paw, though it was far gentler than usual. “Tash?”
“I-I’m coming,” she squeaked, scurrying after us. She grabbed my arm, clinging to me once more. “Don’t leave me alone.”
“Don’t worry, sis.” I gave her hand a squeeze. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”
That’s what I kept telling myself, anyway.
