Wild Things (BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance): Shifter Lovers Romance (11 page)

Finally,
the steps ended at a shallow shelf. Gabriel waited for her.

“There
are ladders that are left out, pulled up when there was an attack.”

“So
there are no ladders. Then there was an attack?”

“Yes.”
He looked across to the other side. From here, even she could see that some of
the buildings were badly damaged, smoke casting dirty shadows above, and
shuttered windows everywhere she turned. Other buildings looked oddly
fortified, windows shuttered, the doors with shiny bits of metal
attached. 

“If
I can get to one building, I can tell if they fought and died here, or if they
fled.”

“Can
you do that?”

“I
could when I was younger.”

The
cliff rising in front of them, seemed completely sheer. Gabriel reached up,
feeling along the wall. To her amazement, he pulled himself up, somehow finding
finger and toeholds in the rock. She watched, as he finally reached the plateau
above, hoisting himself onto the rock and disappearing from her sight. Suddenly,
she felt very alone and very, very exposed. After what seemed a small eternity,
Gabriel stuck his head over the edge.

“Stay
there. Don’t try to follow me.”

And
then he was gone.

She
wouldn’t have any idea how to follow him, much less the strength. Or the right
shoes. Instead, she looked across at the buildings on the other side of the
opening. From below, the buildings had looked small, but here, seeing them
almost on the same level from where she stood, she realized they were really
much larger, more complex. Only the smaller buildings sat on the edge of the
ledge. Further back, the buildings were taller, several floors high, rising up
in the shadowy darkness of what really were caves. It was peaceful in a way
she’d never experienced, silent save for the singing of a soft breeze.

It
was all stunningly beautiful, almost as intricate in appearance as her own
palace, but in a different way. She struggled to put words to the grandeur of
the city. It was elemental, primal…organic. It fit with its surroundings. And
it made her palace seem artificial, contrived. Superficial.

A
pebble hit her shoulder. Gabriel must be coming back. She looked up the cliff
face to where he’d disappeared, expecting to see his face. But there was
nothing. Another rock hit her, and she looked further up, to the very edge of
the canyon. Someone—or something—was climbing down.

She’d
taken half a breath, ready to call his name, but stopped. If it hadn’t seen
her, she could climb down the stairs and hide…
somewhere
. She took a step
and froze. A shadow moved along the base of the stairs. She watched in horror
as a shifter, a muscular yellow cat wearing body armor, advanced into the
canyon. As she watched, a sleek black cat joined the first. Those were the
Ottway’s men then, the cats. What was above her, had to be an alien. But how
many more of those were there? She’d lost count.

With
a low growl, the black cat advanced into the open circle. It lifted its head,
sniffing the air. Then it turned, padding toward the base of the stairs.

She
needed to hide. But where? Turning in a circle, she already knew the truth. She
was on a ledge, exposed, trapped. The cat could easily climb to where she was.
And the alien was obviously adept at climbing down, like a lizard would be on a
sunny, stone wall.

Panic
swept through her.
Where was Gabriel? Had another of the aliens gotten him
?
But she would have heard a struggle, she was certain. As she tried to stand
still, to keep from attracting attention, she heard a scrape above her. It must
be the alien; it had finally reached her.

“Senna.”

She
looked up. Gabriel was above her, expression tense, pushing a wooden ladder
toward her. Before it even touched the ground she grabbed it, started to climb.
Above her she heard a shriek, and a shower of rocks pelted her head and
shoulders. She closed her eyes, ducked her head, but kept climbing. Behind her,
she heard a rippling growl, but there was no way she was going to look to see
how close the cat was. There was another sound from above, a guttural gibbering
that sent the hair on her arms on end. At that, she did look up. The alien
clung to the rocks, claws dug in, black eyes staring at her. Its lips were
pulled back, exposing rows of jagged dirty teeth. Behind, she saw its tail, swishing
back and forth. She grabbed frantically at the next rung, pulling herself up,
arms shaking with the effort.

The
ladder was moving beneath her, and for a dizzying moment, she was suspended,
disoriented. But she realized Gabriel was pulling the ladder as she climbed.
When she was in arm’s reach, he pulled her off the ladder.

“Run.
Hide. Anywhere. I need to shift…I should have already shifted by now.” He’d
barely gotten the words out before his body began to change.

It
was horrifying to watch this close, as his arms and legs began to bend at
impossible angles, the muscles thickening in his thighs, thinning lower on his
body. Then dense, black fur began to grow at an amazing rate, tufts sticking
out through the plates of armor. She could hear the snap and pop of bones, and
muscles, and whatever else inside him, moving and changing, a sound she thought
would give her nightmares. For an instant, she felt his pain, cried out.

His
jaw lengthened, sharp fangs growing out of his mouth, his cry of pain turning
into a wild howl. His curly hair receded, his skull changing, showing big
pointed ears, lined with silver fur on top of his head. An unearthly growl rose
from his muzzle.

Then
it was over, and a sleek black wolf with silver-tipped fur, and dark eyes stood
looking up at her. He whined low in his throat, then growled. She took a step
back in amazement, and the wolf advanced with another growl.

“Yes,
I’m going…” But she was reluctant to leave him. Even if he was going to fight
the Ottway’s shifters, and the alien climbing swiftly down to them, she wanted
to be by his side. But he bared his fangs, and she backed hastily away.

There
was a small door behind her, and she stepped behind it. Gabriel gave her one
last snarl, and then the alien dropped onto the ledge. For an instant, they
faced each other, circling, the alien crouched low, moving with a disgusting
reptilian slowness, black lidless eyes never leaving Gabriel.

From
below, she heard a howl, and an answering roar. Both were close, and she
guessed the shifters had found some way to climb up to where they were. Her
heart was beating in a sickening rhythm. Gabriel could never handle all three
at once. She needed to do something, anything. The only weapon she’d had—the
travel bag, with the bottle of wine—had been left down below.

She
began frantically searching the room she was in. It looked like a storage shed,
or cooking area. Bags of grain sat in the corners, and braided ropes of garlic
hung from the ceiling. In one corner, was a small cooking area, a rammed earth
dome with a tiled hearth, a sooty iron framework fitted inside. The air was
pungent with herbs and spices and the smell of wood smoke. But unless the wolf
was a lychophant, and killed by kitchen herbs, there was nothing here that
could help her.

Outside,
she could hear the sounds of fighting, the thud and crunch of bodies colliding,
growls and the horrific sounds of the alien, whistles and shrieks, and that
insane chattering. She needed to do something, and she needed to do it fast.

There
was a small cabinet in the corner, and she tore open the doors. This was
better. There were pot sticks and wooden spoons. She tore through the contents,
throwing smaller items on the floor. Finally, near the back her fingers closed
on cool metal. She pulled it out. It was a long iron rod with a hook on the
end. She had no idea what it was used for, and she didn’t care. It was strong,
it wasn’t too heavy, and she was out of time.

Flinging
open the door, she stepped into the blazing sun. Gabriel and the alien were on
each other, and she could see rents in Gabriel’s armor, chunks of black fur
littering the ground—speckles of red blood staining the dust. She’d need to do
something, quickly.

The
alien had Gabriel on the ground, claws tearing at the body armor. It had
already pulled away several pieces from Gabriel’s back and shoulders. He was
exposed, vulnerable. The alien was pulling on a section that covered Gabriel’s
stomach.

Gabriel
kicked at the alien’s stomach, claws cutting through the leather the thing
wore, tearing through scales. Something black and sticky oozed out. She’d seen
it before; with revulsion she realized it was the alien’s blood. The alien
staggered back, looking down at itself, then baring rows of teeth as it snarled
at Gabriel.

Senna
swung the iron rod as hard as she could. It caught the alien across the back,
low, just above its hips. The rod vibrated in her hand, all the way up to her
shoulder. She blinked in surprise, fighting to hold on, fighting to keep her
balance. Gabriel was on his feet, eyes moving between her and the alien. He
bared his teeth and growled, and for a moment she wasn’t sure if the growl was
meant for the alien, or for her.

The
alien made a sound, high and piercing, then turned toward her. For a moment she
didn’t think she’d done any damage, but when the thing tried to walk, it
stumbled, one leg refusing to move, dragging in the dirt behind it. It shrieked
again, snapping its jaws. Spittle flew, hitting her arm. The silk instantly
dissolved, and where it touched her skin it began to burn.

Without
thinking, she set her feet, swung again as hard as she could. The blow caught
the creature across the chest. This time she heard something crack—ribs, she
thought. If it had ribs. It screamed, and black liquid oozed out its mouth,
running from its eyes. It stumbled back on the narrow ledge, dragging the
injured leg, arms waving in her direction, claws slicing the air.

From
behind, she heard a new sound, a low growl. Gabriel answered with a howl of
rage, and then there was a thud, the sound of bodies colliding, someone hitting
the ground. She risked a glance back, and saw the cat had gained the ledge and Gabriel
had it pinned on the ground. They rolled in the dust a few yards away.

She
turned back to the alien. It had taken a step toward her, the leg twisted
behind it. Its breathing had gone shallow and fast, and she knew instinctively
it was badly injured.

With
a yell, she ran forward, shoving the end of the iron rod into the thing’s
middle. It grunted, then made a whooshing sound like air leaving a bellows. It
lumbered back a few steps, long arms pin-wheeling, claws slashing the air. One
swipe caught the silk of her skirt, tearing a swath away. The brightly colored
piece hung from the alien’s claw, then fluttered over the edge.

She
yelled again, pushed hard, impaling the thing and the alien went to the edge of
the cliff. It grabbed the rod in both hands, pulling Senna with him. Stubbornly,
she held on, not wanting to give up her weapon. But the weight of the alien was
too much and she couldn’t pull the iron rod free. At the edge of the cliff, she
finally let go, falling to her knees. The alien fell, taking the rod with it,
screaming as it plummeted down.

Breathing
hard, she watched it land, heard the thud of its body hitting the rocks below.
She’d killed it, but she’d lost her weapon. Pushing back from the edge, she got
to her feet, turning to the battle behind her.

Gabriel
had the cat pinned, using his greater mass and weight to hold the animal down,
his massive chest against the animal’s back, driving the cat into the dust.
Even so, the cat bucked and thrashed, snapping over its shoulder, unable to do
more than pull ragged tufts of hair from Gabriel’s legs. Gabriel grabbed the
back of the cat’s neck, biting hard. Senna winced at the sound of bones
crunching. For a moment, the cat went limp. Gabriel shook the animal, then let
go, stepping warily off of the shifter.

Senna
held her breath. Gabriel grabbed the cat’s tail, tugging it toward the edge of
the cliff. She moved aside, edging back toward the door of the shed. The cat
remained limp as Gabriel pulled it closer, inch by inch. He dropped the tail,
set his head against the cat’s midsection and pushed. The animal went over the
cliff in a boneless slide

She
breathed out a sigh of relief. Gabriel turned, walked toward her. He was
limping and she frowned, mind racing as to how she’d be able to help, what
she’d be able to do. He didn’t seem too badly hurt, but she wasn’t sure how
shifter injuries would affect him as a human. He looked up, whined softly. She
smiled, reached out to touch him.

Something
grabbed her, pulled her back into the doorway of the little shed. A hand
clamped itself around her neck. For a moment she froze, trying to determine if
it was an alien hand or a human one. Then the thing spoke.

“Stop
right there, Gabriel.”

Human
. She struggled to turn around, but the
hand tightened its grip, cutting off her air. With no choice she stopped
fighting. The fingers relaxed, but just barely.

Gabriel
growled, the hackles rising on his neck. His eyes were looking over her
shoulder, glowing almost red. He took a step toward them.

“Stop.
I will kill her. It’s nothing to me if she’s not recovered. Either way I get my
bounty.”