Page 41 of Shifters Unifying
“We don’t know.”
“Can’t you tell?” Salali demanded. “Surely, there’s some way to tell.”
I sighed. “We found a pile of contorted bones, unbroken, but twisted in inexplicable ways. The other bones we found had been splintered, shattered, and spread over the ground like mulch mixed with the leaves. There were no identifying marks anywhere. No traces of who they had been.”
A howl began at the rear of the amphitheater and a cacophony of animal sounds joined the wail. Bears roared, cats yowled, raccoons screamed, wolves bayed, each adding their own unique form of grief until it sounded as the whole of the Louisiana woods mourned as one. Even Salali joined in by her barking in alarm.
Soon, a burst of wind signaled a draw of shifter magic, and rainbow hues spread through the gathering place, smearing the air in colors. None shifted, but they held their magic gently until the sounds intensified, unifying us and shattering our hearts to expose the soft places inside.
We were in this. Together. Or we would all die as these shifters had.
My eyes slid closed.Emma.She was the only soft part of me. I reached toward her through our bond, relishing the vitality ofher as it spread through me. She was alive, and I meant to keep her that way.
Images flashed through my mind… Emma’s hair across her pillow, the smile on her face, and her glimmering tattoo. It was no accident that she’d been drawn to multi-color body modification. It had been her calling card as the premier vet in Willow Creek, and she embodied the whole of our magicks now. She meant so much… to all of us.
As the last lonely lament faded, I opened my eyes. “There’s not enough left to tell the final stories of any of our brothers and sisters last moments, but I give you all permission to visit the location and retrieve your dead… if you are able. Olivia can disclose the coordinates.”
I allowed a long moment for my offer to sink in. “Additionally, we face a new form of enemy from Acheron. While we explored the secret location, we were attacked by a darkness we’d not seen before. Each moved cross the ground like a shadow, rising from beneath our feet, changing from two-dimensional to three-dimensional. Shadow mages, and in a way, shadow shifters. They were impervious to our attacks. Nothing we did seemed to injure them or impact them.”
“How did you come to stand before us?” Torbin asked. “How did you escape safely?”
When I paused to gather my thoughts into a feasible answer, Olivia stepped forward. “We were only able to best them because Logan took them on himself. Somehow, he found a way to destroy them.”
“How?” Salali asked. “Surely, we must all learn this trick of his.”
I smoothed my hand over my chin. “It’s no trick. I broke one of the first rules we learn as young shifters. I simply drew enough magic to kill myself and them at the same time, expecting my death to be the final result.”
Gasps answered my confession, and the group leaned toward me as one.
“Reckless.”
“Insanity.”
“Foolishness.”
“Foolhardy.” Torbin snorted. “A foolhardy decision by a rash alpha.”
Shaking my head didn’t quiet them, so I gestured at them. “It was the only way I could ensure Emma’s safety… and yours. Never doubt my loyalty to seeing this through to the end. But if shadows chase you, run and don’t look back.”
Olivia’s mouth turned down in a frown. “Tell them.” She mouthed without lending the words her voice. “Tell them about you and Emma.”
I had no doubt about what she meant. She wanted me to disclose that Emma and I were fated mates, but our bond was a soft place Emma and I shared. The rest of the world wasn’t invited into our private link, and I wouldn’t share it willingly.
At the tiny shake of my head, her mouth snapped closed, and her upper lip curled into a snarl. She would give me her opinion later but in private. She was still my beta.
Salali paced nervously from one side of the amphitheater to the other. “Do you recommend we all risk ourselves in the same way?”
“Only if it’s necessary,” I said. “However, for now, my need is more immediate.
Salali stopped short and arched an eyebrow. “What is your request?”
“To keep our multimorph safe, I need to know what you know.Sheneeds to know what you know,” I amended. “If you notice anything strange or any foul stench of any kind, you must send word. Acheron isn’t gone. He’s exposed his previous encampment, allowing us to examine the grim reminders of hiscruelty to our kind, and he’s gone into hiding once more. He must be nearby.”
“Anyone know anything?” I pressed. “A stick out of place, a smell that made no sense. There must be something.” My pleas faded into a heavy silence.
Heavy footsteps at the rear of the amphitheater sliced through the quiet, and the throng turned as one. A large black panther sauntered into the Gathering Place. As he slipped inside, the form contorted into a naked Marcus Steele.
Marcus made his way toward me at the front without stopping. “I have information about Acheron’s new location.” He kept his voice low. “And I’m willing to share what I know on one condition…”
