Instinct tells me to protect her, to keep her safe and not leave her vulnerable in her human form. But that’s on me and the promise I made, it’s got nothing to do with her ability to protect herself, and she’d go for my throat if she knew my thoughts right now. Alpha or not.
My gaze drops to her left hand, to the two missing fingers that are a stark reminder of her fucking strength and bravery.Promise me you’ll keep her safe, Lynx.The memory squeezes my heart, like it does every fucking time.
She catches me looking and shakes her head sharply. “Don’t. Not if you want me to do this without killing the fucking lot of them when we get there.”
It’s a tempting thought. One I have constantly. But we can’t. There’s always too many of them and the risk of capture is too great. We can’t help anyone if that happens.
Beth looks at me, chin lifted, fucking defiant as always. I look to Mal for his input, but he shrugs, his eyes telling me it’s my call. For once I have to push my instincts aside and follow my head. “Fine. We’ll shift as planned.”
She grins, smugness radiating from her.
I narrow my eyes. “The second you start to fall behind, we shift back.”
“I won’t.”
The three of us strip, shoving our clothes into a rucksack that Beth shoulders with ease. I bite my tongue to stop myself asking if it’s too heavy. I value my bollocks too much for that.
“No unnecessary risks.” I pull Mal in close enough to lay my hand at his throat. Needing the connection before we do this.Then Jet. “Get out fast if it all goes to shit.” Then Beth. “We can’t save everyone.”
I hold onto her the longest, willing my words to hit home, because that last one is always the hardest to swallow. Even after all the runs we’ve done, it still tears my fucking soul apart to leave shifters behind.
I step back and meet their eyes once more. “Be safe.” Then I close my eyes and draw on the power lying dormant inside me. The magical energy sparks to life. Warmth flares bright and sharp behind my ribs before barrelling throughout my body. White-hot heat floods my veins, my bones, like I’m engulfed by a raging wildfire, and for one agonising moment as my body breaks and twists, the pain is almost too much. But then it’s gone so abruptly it used to leave me dizzy and disoriented for my first shifts.
Now I shake it off with barely a raised pulse.
Everything snaps into place as my awareness of our surroundings sharpens. Mal’s tawny wolf stands alongside me, and we both watch as the black jaguar saunters over, all smug feline grace, like we have all the time in the world.
Beth laughs. “Fuck, Jet. I forget what an arsehole you are when you shift.”
He flicks his head, baring his teeth at her. She rolls her eyes but doesn’t complain when he takes position on her other side.
Then we’re off, picking our way through the forest on near silent feet. Animals scatter, sensing danger, but they’re safe tonight. The only things we’re hunting walk on two legs, not four.
True to her word, Beth easily keeps up with the pace we set and it feels like no time at all before we hear the distant sound of shouts and cheers coming from up ahead. A growl bubbles in my chest, lips curling back into a snarl as I can’t help but picture what that means.
Lights appear through the trees, illuminating the surrounding area enough to bring us to a halt. According to the information we have, there’s an area around the back of the camp that’s not as well lit. The floodlights partially blocked out by the vans they use to transport everyone here.
The noise coming from the clearing is loud enough to cover any sound we make, but there are people out in the woods. I can smell them, hear the crack of twigs and branches as they move about.
Beth drops down into a crouch between me and Mal. She points up ahead through the trees at the lone guard that’s made the mistake of wandering our way. His gaze sweeps the forest, but even with the moon as bright as a fucking spotlight, we’re well hidden enough that his human eyes won’t pick us out.
But he’s a problem if we want to get closer.
The gun in his hand won’t kill us. Not easily anyway. Even if those bullets are silver, it takes a precision shot to end our life. But any wound will put an end to our night.
Unfortunately, the row of vans are parked to the left of him. He’s too close, and with no trees to cover our approach, we’d easily be spotted.
Beth silently slips the rucksack off her back and sets it on the ground, then whispers, “You shift and change. I’ll take care of him.”
Trust her.
That voice in my head sounds a lot like Bale. He always said Beth was both clever and cunning. Like sister like brother. So I nod, digging my claws into the earth to prevent myself from blocking her path when she crawls about twenty feet away from us before silently getting to her feet.
We watch as she pulls her T-shirt half out of her jeans and tears the neck so it gapes open, revealing the swell of her chest. She then scoops a handful of dirt and leaves from the forestfloor. With quick, practiced movements, she rubs dirt and debris into her hair and along her collarbone, then finally over the knees of her jeans.
She glances our way, frowning when she sees we’re all still shifted. “Change,” she hisses, then faces forwards and proceeds to make as much noise as possible while staggering out of the protection of the trees.
I shift back, gritting my teeth to keep silent through the change, human eyes now focused on Beth’s every move.
