“Good, then let’s go. Hunter and Micah will be getting antsy, and I want to know if they found the equines.”
He shifts, as does Brodie and Gem. Gem takes off into the air, a loud screech echoing through the small clearing. I see him fly through the trees, his flames contained against his body so he doesn’t set them on fire, but he circles around before he is out of sight, waiting for us. I guess we’re not taking any chances again.
Gryffin shifts, but I hold up the backpack. “Are we taking this with us?”
He shakes his big tiger head, but I hear Liam’s voice in my head.
No, Brodie and I polished off the jerky and water, and we won’t need it once we get to the village. I don’t want you getting tangled in it. We need to run fast if we are going to get to the village before dark.
I toss the bag back inside the cabin and pull the door closed before stepping down into the snow and shifting into tiger form. It’s a little smoother now, but there’s still a bite of pain. As soon as I stretch, Liam and Brodie move out, and Gryffin flanks me again. We move fast, almost in a full-on sprint, Gem keeping pace above. There is cloud cover now, and the forest seems darker and even quieter than before. All of us are on high alert, but nothing jumps out at us again, and we finally breach the edge of the forest. I pause, staring in awe at the mountainous Aramis Rift that seems to stretch forever, looming above the plain we need to cross. My tiger eyesight can see the village in the distance, and there’s nothing between us and it that I can spot.
The four of us start across the plain. Gem flies low in front of us, skimming the surface of the snow, and his body explodes. The snow melts, creating a path for the four of us to run along, unencumbered. We move a lot faster, mud flying up behind us as our paws thunder across the plain. We’re still on high alert, but we can see for miles on either side. Unless the enemy is buried beneath the snow, there is no sneaking up on us.
We make good time, and just as the sun sinks below the rift, we approach the outskirts of the village. We shift into human form and look around the quiet, eerie community.
There is no sign of Hunter or Micah anywhere, but there are a couple of piles of ash, and some of it swirls around our feet with a gust of wind.
“That’s not good,” Gem mutters after he lands and shifts, crouching down to study one of the piles. “Yup, this is the work of Hunter’s dragon, and they used to be shifters.” He wrinkles his nose and stands up, brushing his hands off on his pants.
“So where are Hunter and Micah now? I don’t see any blood, so I doubt they are hurt.” Liam scans the surrounding area, and my own gaze follows, looking for a hint of my two remaining mates.
“Do you think something happened to them?” My heart races, and it isn’t just from exertion. I’m worried they were attacked when they arrived, but there doesn’t seem to be any sign of a fight. Nothing is on fire, so Hunter’s dragon didn’t lose his shit.
“This way. We’ll check out the town council building, and if they aren’t there, then we’ll go door to door and see if anyone else has seen anything. If there is a curfew in place, then everyone is behind closed doors this close to dusk.” Gryffin takes the lead, the rest of us following behind him.
Brodie grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. “It will be alright. Neither Hunter nor Micah have said anything telepathically to us.”
“Can’t you ask them where they are?”
“Neither of them is responding,” Liam replies, and that makes me even more worried. “But they may just be distracted. Sometimes it’s hard to concentrate on two things at once, even for shifters like us, who have been doing it for a long time. Micah’s new to the connection, so it’s even harder for him.”
That sounds reasonable, but it doesn’t lessen my concern. Streetlights come on, and I take in the quaint little village. It’s picture perfect, with snowy streets and cute, old-fashioned lamp style lighting. The houses are adorable but spacious, with large yards giving everyone their privacy while still maintaining that village ambiance.
We reach what looks like a town square. The houses give way to shop fronts, and in the middle is a large building with a fountain out front. The fountain is stunning, with gorgeous colored lights lighting up the water and a gorgeous pegasus statue that has streams of water coming from its outstretched wings. Behind it is a large, three-story building with arched windows in the second and third floors. I can see lights on through some of the windows, but there is still no sign of anyone.
“Come on, hopefully someone will be in there. It’s the alpha’s house.” Gryffin turns back to us, and my mouth drops open. I thought it was a council building, but it’s a residence. He must see my surprise, because he chuckles. “The bottom levels are all public space, but the top two are personal living quarters for the alpha. I wonder if the alpha had a family. I didn’t see one when I was here before, but he may have kept them hidden from me.”
He doesn’t hesitate to approach and open the door, and when he does, there are finally signs of habitation. Voices can be heard from inside, some are shouting, and I hear the sound of crying as well. Brodie and I exchange a worried look and follow Liam, Gem, and Gryffin inside the building.
The foyer is empty of people, but we follow the direction of the noise and find two large doors thrown open. When we stop in the doorway, we find an enormous meeting space full of males and females of all ages as well as children. I blink in surprise. There must be at least three hundred people in this space. All of them look dirty, unkempt, and tired, and some of the children are whining about being hungry.
None of them notice us. I see Micah and Hunter in the middle of the group, talking to a woman flanked by three men. She has Hunter’s hands in hers, and tears are streaming down her face.
“What is going on?” I mutter to Gryffin, who looks as bewildered as I do.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” he says and moves into the room. People part, allowing him through, all of them eyeing him with no small amount of suspicion or fear. Silence falls as more people notice our presence. The rest of us follow behind him, and I hate the wide-eyed terror that starts to appear on the faces watching us.
Micah notices us and gestures us over.“Gryffin, Colbie, good, you’re here.”
“What’s going on? Why are all these people here? Where did they come from? I don’t recognize any of them from when I was last here.” Gryffin sounds bewildered and frustrated.
Micah scoffs. “You wouldn’t. When we arrived, there were a few guards left behind by the alpha. They attacked us as soon as Hunter landed and didn’t last very long. We found all of these people locked in the extensive cell system below the building.”
Gryffin’s mouth drops open in shock before his brow furrows and his eyes narrow in anger.
“How did they end up there?” he demands as Hunter turns his attention to us, bringing the four people with him.
“Lena, may I introduce to you the new shifter queen, Colbie Karridge. Colbie, this is the true alpha of the village, Lena Stormfront and her mates, Johan, Christos, and Santos.”
