Shift (17 page)

Besides, they’d probably cut me down long before I made it into the nursery. Assuming the kid I grabbed didn’t do it herself. I’d seen how fiercely even the little ones fought.

In the room, Kaci and I waited through the departure of both Brynn and the young cock who’d brought an armload of worn paperbacks. Then I closed the door and sat across from her on the bed. But before I could say anything, she burst into tears, her chest heaving as if she’d been holding back sobs for the better part of an hour.

“Kace…” I started, leaning forward for a hug, but she shook her head and wiped tears from her cheeks roughly with the pads of both hands.

“I’m sorry.” She hiccupped and her breath hitched, but though her eyes still watered, no more tears fell. “I know you have to go, and I understand why. And I know you’ll be back for me. I just…I don’t want to be here alone.”

I could almost hear the sound of my own heart breaking. “If there was any way I could take you with me, I would. I’d fight them, if that wouldn’t get both of us killed. But it would.”

She nodded, wiping unshed tears from her eyes with the tail of her shirt.

“Two days,” I swore. “I’ll be back in two days, with either the proof they want, or enough cats to turn this place into a great big bird slaughter. I swear on my life.” She looked skeptical at that, so I amended. “Okay, on Marc’s life.”

She didn’t smile, but she gave me a single, solemn nod.

“It won’t be that bad. Just stay in here and read, and try to forget about everything else. I’m sure they’ll feed you here, so you only have to come out to go to the bathroom.”

“Just like last time.”

That took me a moment, then I realized she’d been under a similar house arrest when we’d met. “Yeah. Just like last time. Only without the whole run-for-your-life-in-the-woods finale.” Hopefully.

“Yeah.” She blinked and wiped away more tears.

“Okay, what else…?” I closed my eyes, running through all the potential tips and warnings I could arm her with. “Um…don’t Shift. They’ll see that as a sign of aggression. And if you have to leave this room, don’t go near their kids. If they’re anything like us, they’re fanatically overprotective. Other than that, just keep to yourself and try to relax.”

But the tension in my jaw and the sharp bolts of pain shooting through my temples said I needed to take a bit of my own advice.

“I trust you, Faythe.” She blinked up at me, her vulnerability almost as obvious as her blind faith.

Another chunk of my heart fell away, and that one actually hurt. “Thank you, Kaci.”

As I left her room and closed the door at my back, I sent up a fervent prayer that her trust in me wasn’t sorely misplaced. Because like everyone else in my life, Kaci deserved better than I could give.

“O
kay, so how does this work?” My voice came out clear and strong—a minor miracle, considering it was hiding anger, fear, and near panic as I stared down at the world from the front porch of the Flight’s nest.

Beyond the edge of the porch was a two-hundred-foot drop, ending in a broken, boulder-strewn gravel road below, rendered scarlet in the light from the setting sun.

That’s right; the porch ended in nothing but air. It was a sheer vertical drop guaranteed to stop my heart before I even hit the ground. That thought terrified me so badly I couldn’t make myself let go of the support post I gripped with my good hand, my knuckles bone-white against the unvarnished, weather-aged wood.

“You go down the same way you came up,” Brynn said from my left, and if I weren’t skeptical that a thunderbird could have a sense of humor, I’d have said she was almost grinning.

“Yeah, well, I kind of slept through that part. Wanna spell it out for me?” Another glance over the edge made my stomach pitch. “There’s an elevator, right? Or a tunnel with a zillion steps carved into the middle of the mountain. Maybe under a trapdoor in the kitchen?” I’d take a long, dark, insect-ridden tunnel over another thunderbird-powered flight any day.

That time I was sure I saw Brynn stifle a smile. She was laughing at me on the inside. I knew it.

“No elevator. No tunnel. There is only Cade and Coyt.” Brynn slapped a hand on one monstrous triceps of each of the huge cocks who’d stepped up on either side of her.

I almost choked holding back laughter at that thought.

“So, you’re Cade, and you’re Coyt?” I glanced from one impassive, craggy male face to the other, and when neither answered, I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter, I guess.” Then I shot a grin at Brynn. “Those are some big…birds you have there.”

She frowned. So much for that sense of humor. But before Brynn could reply—or I could form a sincere-sounding apology—light, scratchy footsteps echoed from inside, and a small figure raced through the open doorway on mostly avian legs.

It was the little diaper-clad girl from the nursery, long brown hair now falling down her back. “Mama, catch me!” she shouted gleefully, and her arms Shifted rapidly into a diminutive pair of wings. She flapped furiously, and managed to put nearly a foot between her tiny feet and the ground before she started to sink. Brynn’s eyes widened in alarm. Her arms shot out and she snatched the child from the air before she got near the edge of the porch, then settled her on one hip, unfazed when the small wings reformed into human arms.

Brynn was a mother! And suddenly I saw her in a completely different light.

“Listen…” I let go of the post—risking my fear that either Cade or Coyt would shove me off the porch—and turned to fully face Brynn. “I know you have no reason to trust me, but I am going to get your proof and help you avenge Finn. And I
will
be back for Kaci. But I need to know she’s safe here until I get back. You can understand that, right?” I smiled pointedly at the girl on her hip and resisted the urge to touch the smooth skin of her now human—and chubby—cheek. Even human mothers were testy about stuff like that.

“You’re the kitten’s mother?” Brynn asked, obviously surprised.

“No.” Damn, how old did she think I was? “Her mother’s…dead. I’m all she has right now. Is she safe here? With you?”

Brynn hesitated, then nodded, rocking her daughter gently on one hip. The child’s beak became a mouth and she stuck one thumb into it. “Of course. We wish the girl no harm. But if you fail, we will stand by our word.”

I nodded uncertainly; that was probably the best I was going to get. “Thank you.” After a deep breath and a moment to collect myself, I glanced up at Cade. Or maybe it was Coyt. “I’m ready, boys.” Though truly, I was anything but.

Without even a glance at each other, the male thunderbirds Shifted almost simultaneously and rose into the air at the exact same time. Fortunately, the porch roof was very high, no doubt to accommodate just such a takeoff.

The upside to having no luggage is that there’s nothing to accidentally drop when a giant bird swoops and grabs you by both arms, then dangles you over the earth from a height no cat was ever intended to experience.

From two hundred feet up, would I land on all four feet?

“Oh, shiiiiit!” I shouted, no more able to close my mouth than my eyes. The ground raced toward me, then the second bird grabbed my ankles in midair, halting our plummet. The birds flapped in unison, and we bobbed for a second—jarring my entire body—before soaring down again at a terrifyingly sharp angle. Three flaps later, they let go of my arms. I fell the last yard or so to land hard on my feet.

I squatted to absorb some of the impact in my knees, and to avoid falling over face-first; I couldn’t afford to catch myself with my bad arm and risk hurting it worse.

I straightened just as the flyboys landed in tandem in front of me, and though they both watched me with evident disinterest—maybe even outright disgust—neither said a word.

“Jeez, could you two hold it down? I’m getting a headache from all the witty banter.”

They only blinked.

We stood in a narrow valley between two small mountains—foothills, if I had my guess. When I turned, I saw that the nest was at one end of the valley, built on an outcropping jutting from the juncture of two hills. Behind Cade and Coyt, far beneath the nest, the gravel road ended in a huge pile of rocks, obviously fallen from the hills. Probably knocked down on purpose, to make the path to the nest inaccessible to humans. Which made choosing a direction a real no-brainer.

“So…where does this road go?” I gestured to the gravel trail leading away from the nest, and finally one of the flyboys spoke.

“North.”

“Wow. Thanks.” I squinted at them, shielding my eyes from the setting sun, and noticed that I was virtually eye to eye with both thunderbirds—they were the tallest I’d seen yet. “Could you at least tell me where we are? How am I supposed to get to Appalachia if I don’t even know which way to walk?”

“We’re in New Mexico,” said the bird on the left. His partner hadn’t even bothered to Shift his beak. “East of Alamogordo.”

Now
that
, I could use. “Thank you.”

“Two days,” the vocal bird warned. Then they both took off, their powerful wings blowing hair back from my face.

I turned to watch, again shielding my eyes from the sun, until they landed smoothly on the front porch. They didn’t look back, and no one came out to watch me leave. I was truly on my own, for the first time in my entire life.

Wait, is that right?
While I was in college, my father always had someone watching me. Even when I’d been kidnapped by Miguel, I’d had my cousin Abby for company, and my brother Ryan to manipulate and spy on.

Now I had nothing. No company, no plan, and no transportation.

Fortunately, I had my cell, and already knew there was reception on the side of the mountain.
What are the chances I can get a signal in the valley, as well?

Two bars. It could have been worse.

I walked as I autodialed, and again my father answered on the first ring. “Faythe?”

“Yeah.” My boots crunched on gravel, and the rumble from my stomach reminded me that I hadn’t eaten in…it had to be nearly fifteen hours. “I’m on some tiny gravel road in front of the nest, somewhere east of Alamogordo, New Mexico. Any idea how far it is to the nearest town with a car rental place? Also, I need a plane ticket to Kentucky. As near as you can get me to Malone’s property.”

“Whoa, slow down….” Leather creaked as my dad sank into the armchair in his office. I wanted to be there with him. I wanted to be planning things behind the scenes, instead of hiking my happy ass across New Mexico alone in search of the nearest Hertz. Not to mention a restaurant. Fortunately, I’d visited the birds’ bathroom before I left.

“I don’t have a lot of time here, Dad.” Twigs snapped beneath my feet when I stomped over fallen branches, gone brittle with age.

“Faythe, you cannot go looking for proof of Malone’s guilt in his own territory.”

I kicked a broken stick out of my way and stepped over a rain-filled dip in the road. “They’re going to kill Kaci in less than forty-eight hours if I don’t.”

“You really think they’ll go through with it?”

“There’s not a doubt in my mind.” I shoved hair from my face, where it had come loose from my ponytail. “They’re not like us, Dad. They’re fanatically loyal to their Flight members, but won’t put themselves out on anyone else’s behalf unless it will directly benefit them. They don’t care if Kaci lives or dies, but they know we do. And they know they’re only as good as their word. They’ll go through with it.”

His pause was heavy with thoughts I could only begin to imagine. He had to think about all of us. About what would be best for the Pride. Kaci was just one member, but she was
ours
, and she was defenseless. “Okay then, we have to get her out. If they won’t negotiate, we’ll have to go in by force.”

I shook my head again, though I knew he couldn’t see it. “Won’t work. There’re too many of them. And if we invade their home—where their children are—they’ll fight even more fiercely. Unfortunately, they’re not limited by space in their own home, like they would be in ours. Their nest is cavernous, with plenty of room to swoop and dive. And, anyway, we can’t get up the side of the mountain in human form, and in cat form, we can’t carry weapons.”

Glass clinked over the line.
Scotch
. I could certainly have used a drink right about then. My father sighed. “I didn’t say it would be easy. But it’s better than taking Malone on.”

“I’m not talking about fighting him, Dad. Not yet. This is a total covert op. I’ll be in and out before they even know I’m there.”
As soon as I figure out what I’m looking for…

“No. You’re too vulnerable on your own.”

“So send me backup.” I stepped over a rotting log lying across the gravel road and silently cursed the fading daylight. I wouldn’t be able to travel very well or very quickly in human form, but if I Shifted, I couldn’t carry my clothes or my phone. And it was cold in the foothills in February, yet I had nothing but my jacket to keep me warm. “Put a couple of the guys on a plane. I’ll wait for them.”
If I ever find an airport
…

“Marc and Jace are already on the way.”

My initial massive surge of relief was eclipsed almost immediately by confusion. “How did you know where to send them?”

“We didn’t know where they took you and Kaci, but we figured it’d be out West. So as soon as I got the call from Mateo, I sent them north through Dallas, then west on 120. They’re waiting just this side of the territorial boundary.”

“I already gave them their new heading.” Michael spoke up from somewhere—probably from behind our father’s desk. “They’ll be there in about three hours, but we’ll need you to narrow down your location a bit by then, so you can give them better directions.”

“No problem.” Surely I could find a landmark, or road sign, or something by then. If I ever got off the gravel road and onto something a little better traveled. “What about Teo and Manx? And Des? They’re okay?”

Please, please, please let them be okay
….

“They’re shaken up pretty badly, and Carey Dodd and Mateo have some deep scratches, but there’s no permanent damage. Teo says they only sent four thunderbirds after you. One took Kaci, and a second and third took you when you went after her. He and Dodd beat the fourth with a crowbar. Manx was upset that she didn’t get a piece of the action.”

“I bet.” I’d never seen Manx fight, because she’d been pregnant when we…found her. But I understood her frustration over missing the fight. Unfortunately, without a weapon, or claws, even if she’d had time to Shift and someone to watch the baby, she could do little to defend herself beyond biting anything in her path.

“They killed the bird who stayed behind.” My father sounded both proud and amused. “Teo called to tell us what happened, and Dodd called a tow truck to pick them up, and once he got Teo and Manx to safety, I sent him back to pick up Marc and Jace.”

“Where are Manx and Teo now?”

“Dodd drove them to Henderson and helped Teo get cleaned up and bandaged in the hotel. They’re fine for the moment.”

Thank goodness
. I’m not sure I could have handled it if anything had happened to Des. Or to Manx, for that matter.

“Speaking of hotels…” my father continued. “I don’t suppose you’re anywhere near one?”

I huffed and squinted in the dim light. “Not unless the Wicked Witch is renting out rooms in the gingerbread cottage. I’m on a gravel road in the middle of the woods, in the foothills of some small mountain range.”

Concern and anger thickened my father’s voice, like he needed to clear his throat. “Okay, what’s your status? Did they give you any supplies?”

I rolled my eyes. “They didn’t even give me a hearty farewell. I have my black leather jacket, my hiking boots, my cell, and my wallet. Which means I have ID and about thirty bucks in cash, if memory serves.”

“No water? Food?”

“Nothing but the memory of my last meal.” My mother’s chili, the night before.

“I’ll tell the guys to stop for supplies,” Michael said in the background.

“Are you dehydrated? Injured?” My dad’s words were clipped short in anger now, but his fury wasn’t directed at me. It was for the thunderbirds who’d dropped me into the middle of nowhere without a thought for my well-being. And likely for Malone, who was responsible for this whole clusterfuck in the first place.

“I’m thirsty, but intact.” The only marks on me—other than my broken arm—were deep bruises from the thunderbirds’ talons. “I can manage a bit of a hike, so long as I know someone’s coming for me.”

That knowledge kept my anger and frustration from blossoming into despair and panic. Even if the idea of Marc and Jace cooped up together in a car did make my stomach churn with dread. “So, we’re going after proof?”