A sense of relief washes over me as we walk toward the rift and the tunnel. That is one less task we have to concentrate on, which lifts a weight off my shoulders, and I feel like I can focus on finding Nox now.
“Colbie, stay in the middle of the group so we can protect you if the ferals find us,” Micah instructs as the guys surround me.
“If anything happens, let us deal with the ferals. Only shift as a last resort. You don’t have the experience to fight in your animal form, even though they will instinctively protect you like it did when we were attacked yesterday,” Hunter adds.
“She seemed to do alright yesterday,” I point out, feeling a little annoyed, but I also know they are right. I need to focus on getting better in all my forms as well as learn some self-defense in human form. I love that they want to protect me, but I want to be proactive in the same thing. I also acknowledge I don’t have those skills yet.
“She did, but shifters are different than the ferals. Shifters have reason and logic and are calculating. Ferals run on pure animalistic instinct. They will act first without pausing to think,” Gem explains gently. I can feel how conflicted he is about harming the ferals.
“Do we have to kill them? Can’t we just incapacitate them until I get the book to fix them?”
“All of the guns are loaded with tranquilizers today. I took care of it while you were getting changed,” Micah tells me, and I smile at him, grateful for his forethought.
“But we won’t hesitate to use the other weapons if it comes down to you or them,” Liam warns, and I feel nauseous. I’m just going to pray we don’t run across any of them.
It’s a half hour walk across the open plain to the base of the rift, then another half hour through a craggy canyon with dense vegetation before we get to the tunnel entrance. There is a guard station, but it is currently unmanned. Lena said the faux alpha had his people stationed there since he invaded the village, and she needs to reassign her own people to operate it, but it might take a few days.
The hour journey is spent in silence, the seven of us not wanting to draw any attention to us, but I can’t help feeling like we are being watched the whole way. Just as we pass the guard station and prepare to enter the dimly lit tunnel that leads to Eryx, the vampire kingdom, a snarl echoes around the canyon. I stiffen and feel the guys, who were already on full alert, turn in the direction the noise came from. They fan out in a semicircle in front of me, their weapons up.
I watch in horror as a creature barrels out of the trees, my mouth dropping open in shock and surprise. I assumed ferals would be in their animal form, but this one looks like it’s stuck mid-shift. It is upright but hunched over like its spine is twisted, and its hands are clawed. Its clothes are shredded, and I can see fur sprouted all over its body. The feral’s face is twisted, like it got stuck, and it has a snout, but the eyes are still human, and that’s what makes me feel sick. The sheer agony in its gaze almost brings me to my knees. I also can’t tell if they are male or female.
They don’t seem to comprehend they are in danger, continuing to rush at us while snarling and spitting as Micah raises his gun and fires. The tranq dart lands in its chest, and the feral stumbles but keeps coming. Two more darts hit its torso from Liam’s and Brodie’s weapons, and it finally stumbles before it goes down hard.
We wait to make sure it’s definitely out before Gryffin approaches and flips it over. It’s unconscious, but I can see from the rise and fall of its chest that it’s still alive.
“What are we going to do with it?” I ask, feeling incredibly sorry for the creature. They can’t help that they have become this.
“I think we will just leave it to nap. We will be long gone by the time it wakes, and it will just get aggressive and agitated if we take it back and put it in the cells under Zalfari,” Hunter replies as he scans the area for more trouble.
“We will round them all up once we have the book and you have full access to your powers, then we can fix them all in one go,” Gem assures me, running a comforting hand up and down my spine. I’m pretty sure he needs as much comfort as I do, so I turn into him and wrap my arms around his waist. He and I both sigh as we soak in the reassurance.
“How can anyone be so cruel?” I ask him, and he shakes his head.
“I don’t know, but it’s definitely not limited to a specific species. Cruelty is found throughout the kingdoms, and we just have to do our best to punish those responsible,” he mumbles into my hair.
“Come on, let’s get going. I want to be in the secret passage when that thing wakes in case it tries to track us, and I don’t know how long it will be down,” Micah urges, and we start moving toward the tunnel.
Unlike the huge entrance to Hunter’s hoard, which can fit a dragon, this one is much smaller and only big enough for a large pickup or SUV to get through.
“It’s to limit traffic so neither nation can flood into the other in case either decide to go to war,” Liam explains behind me. He and Brodie are bringing up the rear with Gem and Gryffin at my side, and Hunter and Micah take point in front.
Despite my enhanced eyesight, I struggle to see more than a few feet in front of us. A ball of flame bursts to life in Gem’s hand, and he tosses it into the air where it hovers, keeping pace with us.
“That’s handy,” I tell him, admiring his magic.
“It sure is. I just have to concentrate to keep it where I want it so I don’t accidentally set anything on fire.”
Gryffin chuckles. “Like you did at that party in college. Remember that? Burnt down half the frat houses. The parentals were livid because they had to pay for it to be rebuilt.”
The other members of the bond group, apart from Micah, hoot with laughter.
“I thought Evie was going to have a coronary when they were called into the neutral zone by the dean,” Hunter agrees.
“Why was that again? What caused you to lose control?” Liam asks in a teasing manner, and Gem turns and glares at him.
“You know how hard it was for me to gain control of my fire when I first shifted. I’d only been doing it for six months by then.”
“Funny thing, Colbie. When mythicals first shift, they are warned that heightened emotions are a trigger for their new magic and that they should avoid situations that could cause them to lose control.” Brodie has a teasing tone, and when I turn to look at him, his eyes are twinkling with undisguised glee.
