Shadow Walker (16 page)

Casey growled and began removing her shoes and coat. “Thanks for the reminder.”

Amber turned her back while they disrobed and set their clothes aside. They were standing just inside of the forest in the rear of the Sorenson property, hoping none of the bodyguards had seen them walk out this way. She winced when their groans of pain erupted in unison behind her. Both Casey and Aaron were beginning their transformation. With her sensitive ears, she could hear their bones and sinew breaking, and then reattach. The process was slow and painful. Casey’s was a little faster than Aaron’s, but she’d also had a few more transformations behind her.

When all Amber heard was heavy panting behind her, she turned to see a black jaguar and a silver coated wolf staggering to their feet. She nodded and closed her eyes, allowing the ripple to move through her muscles. With the pain channeled, the change didn’t hurt so bad and in some odd way felt good, to her anyway. The fire burned through her muscles and almost seemed to rejuvenate her in the winter when the cold air and snow helped diffuse it some.

The Tigress eyed her pupils.
“Ready?”
she asked them both.

They nodded and followed her deeper into the forest. She was their teacher, and they were ready to learn.

* * * *

Dean knew he was confusing the poor cab driver but had no choice. He’d learned from Amber the Sorenson mansion had its share of bodyguards who looked like they’d give a Were a hard time. There was no way he could have the cabbie drive up there and drop him off like he belonged.

So he had the cabbie take him two and a half miles down the road and drop him off.

“Here? In the middle of nowhere?” the cabbie asked, confused.

Dean laughed and motioned toward his backpack. “Trust me. I have all I need inside. I’m meeting some friends. We’re camping out here, and they’ve got the rest of the equipment.”

The cabbie frowned but pulled over when he saw the extra hundred dollar tip.

Pulling out his phone, Dean checked maps of the area from military satellites. It was about a twenty-minute hike to the rear of the Sorenson property. Depending upon which way they’d gone, there was a chance of intercepting them along on the way. He could only hope that his coming was completely unnecessary.

Making sure his knife was strapped to his thigh and his gun was in the holster, Dean set out into the woods.

* * * *

Amber was surprised with the ease Aaron was accepting his fate. He was as relaxed to work with as Casey in Were form.

Aaron had mastered the movements so far. He was able to climb with ease and even jump to neighboring trees without losing his hold. It had taken her a while to do that when she’d been younger. But then again, Aaron was a proficient climber in his human form. It was second nature to him by now.

The main thing she was trying to do was to keep them busy and away from civilization until they were comfortable with themselves. She had no doubt of there not being a problem were they to come across someone, they had far more control than they gave themselves credit for. Until they were more confident with their new abilities, the best thing she could do was try to build their confidence.

The wind changed direction. A different scent was in the air. She stopped cold, and so did the Silver Wolf. It took a moment for the jaguar to catch the scent and stop.

“What is he doing here?”
the wolf asked the tiger.

The Tigress turned to see Dean wading through the trees.

He stopped short and raised his hands upon seeing them, slowly letting his pack slide to the ground. A little nervous, maybe a little more than stunned, he looked back and forth between the tiger and the wolf.

The Tigress stalked toward him. Shifting when she came near, she clothed herself against the damp, cold air.

A moment later, she was in his arms, taking in his scent. His mouth found hers. She was lost in him. She wasn’t sure quite how long it took for reality to return, before easing away.

“What are you doing here?” Amber asked, a touch out of breath.

He smiled, stroking a strand of hair behind her ear. “We felt an extra set of eyes out here would be helpful.”

She frowned. “Why?” The Tigress growled an echoed response inside.

“There is a possibility that Elan may have followed you.”

Hurt, replaced the moment of joy she’d felt before. “I would have scented him. I have worked alongside him long enough to know—”

Dean placed a finger to her lips. “We’re concerned. This didn’t come from Braedyn, Amber. It came from my boss. We’re all concerned. Braedyn and I wanted this to be a getaway for the two of you, but with the new Were mixed with the possibility of Elan…the risks were too strong for us to consider. Please…don’t be angry. For what it’s worth, Braedyn had mixed feelings about sending me. But Casey’s and your protection is his first concern.” He looked past Amber to the Silver Wolf. “
Never
underestimate that man’s love for you, little sister.”

The Silver Wolf whined and stepped closer to her brother. Moving very slowly, the wolf laid her head against Dean’s side.

With a grin he knelt down, putting his hands into her fur and hugged her.

“Easy there big brother, she still hasn’t managed to control her pain. Even her hair hurts,” Amber cautioned.

“I’m sorry sis.” He released her and looked into the eyes of the wolf. “You are amazing.”

Another soft whine emitted from her. She leaned forward to brush her cold, wet nose against his.

Dean laughed and stood, wiping the moisture away. His gaze went to the black jaguar and he nodded. “Dean Maynard, Casey’s brother. Nice to meet you, Mr. Sorenson.”

The jaguar nodded but kept his distance.

Amber walked over and put a hand on his arm. “Aaron says hello.”

He sighed. “I know you need to get back to this. I’ll go closer to the house.”

“I swear to you, I’ve not caught Elan’s scent,” she insisted.

“I believe you, I do. But it wasn’t just Laveaux who felt this way. Dad felt it, too. It was too big of a chance not to take.” He looked in her eyes. “Amber…”

Fisting her hand, she held it at her side, to remind herself not to go off on him. “I understand, but it still hurts. I was given a job to do, and now it looks like I haven’t been trusted to do it.”

“No. Everyone has underestimated Elan, that’s how he’s managed to get this far. We feel it’s safer to err on the side of caution than to be blindsided again.” He grunted and tugged her to him, resting his forehead against hers. “I wish you could feel what I do. I
can’t
lose you,” he whispered, closing his eyes.

A lump rose in her throat. Moisture stung her eyes. Pulling back, cradling his face in her hands, she breathed, “I can’t lose you, either.” A single tear slid down her cheek, and she kissed him again.

He brushed it away with his thumb. “Please don’t be angry because I did this out of love.”

She sniffed and tried to swallow the ball of emotion. From the corner of her eye the Silver Wolf nudged the jaguar and the duo backed away. “I understand your reasoning.”

“Go, do what you need to. I’ll meet you back at the hotel after the sun rises.” Leaning in, Dean’s mouth found hers once more. “I love you,” he murmured against her lips.

Those words crumbled what fragile hold she had. A soft sob escaped her. She curled her hands into his jacket. “I—” Amber clenched her jaw. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Not in the middle of a forest with other’s able to listen in.

A gentle smile curved the edge of his mouth. “I’m an empath, remember? I know how you feel even if you can’t say it. That’s all that matters for now. Now go do your job, and I’ll do mine.”

She drew away from him and stepped back, shifting back into the Tigress. A smile lit up his features. Turning, Amber did the second most difficult thing within a week—walk away from Dean once more.

* * * *

Watching his girlfriend turn into an enormous tiger was kind of awesome, Dean thought, making his way to the rear of the Sorenson property. His head and stomach still felt a little off from porting with Laveaux. There was just no way to get used to that.

And Casey, she was gorgeous! He’d been around enough Weres that it didn’t affect him to watch their change…but to see his sister in form…there were just no words to describe it.

Shaking his head, he put a hand to his right temple where a dull throb had turned into a feral pound. The residual after-effects of teleportation.

The sounds of the evening were muted, but it was normal considering three major predators were in the area. From satellite imagery, Dean was able to spot where the bodyguards were stationed, and was surprised when glancing at his phone, to find the three missing. The door to the guard shack was open, and the light was on, but it was empty.

Dean frowned and tried to get into the security feed. The camera on the left side of the guard shack showed a dark pool of something that began and ended out of range. Zooming in on the cute little fountain, there was a body sitting at an odd angle, face first in the pool. Another was draped across the arms of the cherub. A third was still missing.

“Shit.” Pocketing his phone, he set his pack down and reached for his Glock.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I can cut your arm off before you pull it from the holster.”

“Elan Walker, I presume?” Dean raised his hands and turned to face Braedyn’s younger brother. The resemblance was uncanny, except Elan’s eyes were black, and he had chopped his long Native American locks off since his escape.

“You’re correct.” He lowered his sword and narrowed his eyes, looking him over. “I can smell that bitch
all over you
.”

“Hurt her and I’ll see you dead,” Dean ground out through clenched teeth.

Laughing, Elan shook his head. “I’ve not tortured her enough yet. She’s so emotionally scarred, I’m surprised you’ve managed to make any headway with her. Now, I can hurt her and the Silver Wolf without even having to lay a finger or paw on either of them.”

Wondering how far he could get before Elan shifted, Dean’s scalp prickled with sweat despite the cold. The lightweight armor he wore would be nothing against the teeth of a werewolf.

Elan grinned and lowered the sword. “Are you going to run? Make it a little challenging for me?”

His heart pounded as he watched Elan’s black eyes flare bright gold. The shift was fast, quicker than Dean could pull his gun, and the wolf was on him. There was no use in running, he wasn’t bred that way. Bracing himself for impact, he hoped getting a few good licks in would slow him enough for Amber and Casey to get away.

When the sun began to dawn, Amber led the duo back to where they’d left their clothing the night before. She shifted back to human form while Aaron collapsed into unconsciousness. Casey managed her painful shift and slowly pulled on her clothes. “Are we going to leave him here like this?”

“No, he’ll come around in a minute or so. It’s easier to shift back this way. All he’ll feel is the residual pain from it.” She gave Casey an apologetic look. “I’m sorry hon, I know it’s painful.”

She ran her hands through her blonde locks and let out a trembling breath. “Just one more night.”

“That’s right.” Amber watched Aaron begin to rouse.

He groaned, drawing his knees into his chest.

“Come on, get dressed, and I’ll give you some of the painkiller.”

Dragging himself to his feet, he dressed. Not caring about his nudity, the pain overrode any sense of decency. “Please tell me it gets better than this,” he said, turning to them.

“It does, it just takes time,” Amber assured them and tossed them both a packet of medicine. “Unfortunately I don’t have any water, it goes down better—”

They ripped into the medicine and took it dry.

“Or you can do that, too.” She gave a small grin.

“Dean’s waiting on us,” Casey said grimacing, trying to swallow the gritty substance.

Amber led them through the rear of the Sorenson property and entered the garden. The fine hairs on the back of her neck bristled. The scent of blood struck her. She began to run, panic speeding her course.

“Please no, please no…” became her mantra. She batted branches from her view and quickened her pace. Lacking the patience of two legs, Amber shifted into the Tigress and bound through the garden.

At the center lay a body. Her legs turned to jelly, and she stumbled. Tears clouded her vision and she let out a roar of pain and defeat before shifting back.

“Dean,” she whispered, feeling for a pulse. It was weak and thready. There was hope. “Hang in there,
please
.”

His chest was shredded. He was covered in blood and Elan’s scent.

The Silver Wolf appeared at her side, almost collapsed, then raised her head and howled. Chills ran down Amber’s back while she cradled Dean’s head against her chest.

* * * *

She was stunned. Vaguely, Amber remembered watching Casey’s quick and seamless shift back to human form and attempt in vain to heal her brother. The back-to-back transformations had maxed out the healing ability of the Were-Goddess. Casey whimpered when her kiss did nothing, no electric spark.

Dean lay unmoving, except for the very slight rise and fall of his chest.

Time seemed to loop together. She partly remembered Braedyn being there with Peyton and another Were. A black panther with a Haitian accent.

“It’s time to let him go, Amber.” It was Peyton, she registered.

A growl erupted from her. She clung to Dean’s coat.

“The ambulance is here. Let them take him,” Braedyn urged.

“I’m
not
leaving him.”

“No one is asking you to do that. But let him go for a moment so they can get him into the ambulance. You can ride. I’ll come too to keep you company,” Peyton insisted.