Nodding, Mystia linked her hand with his before both of them vanished.
Staring at the vacant space where Brady had stood, Vasile pondered all he learned and contemplated a course of action. Spinning on his heels, he strode to the front door, intent on using his vast resources to help his old friend.
~/~/~/~/~
Peering into the underbrush to his left, Smokey found the glowing eyes of Ivan’s mountain lion staring back at him, waiting for the signal to attack. Then swiveling his head to the right, he found a pair of gleaming wolf eyes focused on him. Satisfied, he looked up through the branches of some huge pine trees, searching for Hawkeye, but the sky was empty. Huffing quietly, he turned his attention back to the three men in front of the cave where Kevin’s parents were holed up. Studying his preys’ body language, he deduced that the man on the left was the leader, while the other two were carrying out his orders.
Gesturing with one of his paws to Ivan, Smokey pointed out the man he was going to kill.
Ivan nodded, impressed by the giant paw with razor sharp claws.
Suddenly a hoarse screech broke the silence as a Red-Tail Hawk dive bombed the clearing at the mouth of the cave, causing the men surrounding it to scatter and duck. Before they could recover, a thunderous roar froze them in place.
Smokey’s bear rushed forward, his paw aimed at the leader, his four-inch claws easily piercing the man’s back. Ignoring the ear-splitting scream of pain, he clutched his prize then, pausing for a moment, he tore the man’s heart out. Swinging around, he saw Ivan’s mountain lion momentarily incapacitated by bear spray. Smokey’s eyes glowed red with anger as he aimed a paw at the man with the spray, his claws sinking deep into his stomach, eviscerating him. Scooping out his victim’s guts and scattering them on the ground, he then moved on to the next target.
Though all three men had now been killed, Smokey’s bear was still in a frenzy. Anger pulsed through him, demanding further revenge against those who dared hurt Kevin’s parents. Lifting up his head, Smokey’s bear roared again, silencing the forest as he broadcast his displeasure. Finally, after several more bellows, Smokey forced his bear into a shift and reclaimed his human form, his body still filled with adrenaline. Opening and closing his fists, Smokey slowed his breathing, calming himself. Standing in the clearing, he surveyed the bloody scene before turning to Ivan. “Anyone injured?”
Smirking, Ivan’s eyes lingered on the bodies of the men lying on the ground. “I’m assuming you don’t mean them. In that case, nope, other than a few scratches, everyone’s fine.”
“Smartass!” Before Smokey could say more, he heard Elen calling his name. Whirling around, he ran toward the cave, his gut tightening at the sound of panic in her voice. Once inside, he blinked several times until his eyes adjusted to the darkness, then spying Elen kneeling next to Harte, he rushed over to her. Dropping down beside her, he asked, “What happened?”
“He’s been shot and I can’t stop the bleeding, Gabriel.”
“Lemme see.” After Elen removed her hand from the blood-soaked cloth, Smokey gently lifted it, inhaling sharply at the still-bleeding wound. With the amount of blood Harte was losing, it was impossible for him to be moved. Replacing the bandage quickly, he said, “Here, press down as hard as you can.”
“Gabe, he needs to shiftnow. His heart has already stopped once.”
“I know…” Lifting his right hand, he extended a claw before cutting open his left wrist. Waiting a second until blood flowed from the wound, he put the open cut tightly against Harte’s mouth. “C’mon Harte…drink,” he muttered.
“Will it work?” asked Elen, trying to hide her fear.
“I don’t know…he’s weak.” Reaching down, with his right hand, he pinched Harte’s nose closed, hoping the lack of air would cause him to open his mouth. Waiting for Harte’s survival instinct to kick in felt like hours for Smokey, who was running through other options in his mind. But suddenly he felt a tugging at the cut as Harte started swallowing his blood. Removing his fingers from the man’s nose, Smokey was relieved to see the rise and fall of Harte’s chest as his breathing became steady.
Harte drank for several minutes before Smokey gently pulled his wrist away, licking his cut to seal it. “That should be enough for it to work,” he murmured, leaving the part ‘if it’s gonna work’ unsaid. There wasn’t any reason to stress out Elen anymore than she already was, especially since she was critical to her husband’s survival.
Glancing at the man she regarded as her second son, Elen softly said, “Thank you for coming, Gabriel.”
“No thanks needed,” Smokey smiled. “Kevin would kick my ass if I hadn’t.”
A shadow passed over Elen’s face at the mention of her son. “You haven’t found him yet.”
Placing his large hand over Elen’s delicate fingers, Smokey squeezed lightly. “No, but I will…promise.”
Lowering her head, Elen shut her eyes, unwilling to let anyone see her tears. Ever since she first called Gabriel about Kevin’s disappearance, the constant dread she felt in her gut caused her to fear the worst about their miracle child. And that was exactly what Kevin was. When she chose Harte, she resigned herself to never having any children because of their difference in species. To say her parents were upset was putting it mildly, but she stood her ground. He was the only man for her and in the end her parents gave their blessings to the mating.
Her life with Harte was everything she wished for as a young girl and more than she could’ve ever imagined. Handsome, gentle, loving…all described the man she’d given her heart to, but he was also so much more as she discovered when Kevin was born. That’s when she found out about his deep well of strength that he’d kept hidden from the world.
Once their son shifted into a unicorn, Elen became a nervous wreck, positive someone would find out and report them to the High Council. Unable to sleep, she paced the floor night after night until one evening, Harte took Elen into his arms and, holding her close, told her of his plan to protect Kevin and herself. From then on, her panic attacks ceased…until Kevin disappeared.
Blinking back her tears, Elen inhaled deeply, summoning her mental fortitude. It was now her time to be the strength her husband and son needed. Looking up, her gaze shifted to the cave opening. “Is the man…the one that shot Harte…is he…?”
“Dead? Yeah…they all are. Did you know them?”
Shaking her head, she stared at Smokey. “No, I didn’t see them…but Harte might have. We heard a noise outside, thinking it was you, he went to greet you.”
“Is that when they shot him?”
“Yes…I dragged him back here where I thought we’d be safe from their guns.”
