Dysfunctional-Relationships-Are-Us.
For the first time in a long time, though, I was struggling. My shock and energy were fuel for the demon. It was beating at the cage. How could my father have kept this from me? The fact I had a sister out there. A more innocent looking pup I’d never seen. She’d been terrified in the hall. I could smell her fear and I wasn’t the only one. They were going to tear her apart. I wondered where she’d grown up. Had she known of her shifter abilities? Surely our bitch of a mother had at least clued her in. The first change was rough and if you didn’t know it was coming … well, it would probably feel a lot like dying.
In wolf form my thoughts and emotions were simpler, which meant I knew without any doubt that I hated Lienda and was pissed with my father. But I wasn’t sure how to feel about the sister, Mischa.
I needed more information.
A familiar scent flooded my nostrils, and even though I couldn’t see anything I knew he was out there. Vampire was distinct, sort of a mix of dark, rich spices. Tantalizing with a hint of danger. Then as I rounded the corner, there he was leaning casually against a tree.
Maximus Compass.
“You about done yet, Jessa babe?” His pose still looked relaxed, but tension was radiating off him.
I knew that with his vampire speed he’d have caught up to me immediately. He’d been letting me have my run.
He straightened. “Time to change back, Jess, you’re needed in town. We’re having a little trouble with Brax. You might have to stop him before he kills your parents and burns Stratford to the ground.”
Shit. Braxton didn’t lose it much, but when he did … well, things got messy fast.
I decided not to shift back yet; I was quicker in my wolf form. I circled around and took off the way I’d just run.
Maximus kept pace with me. “It’ll be faster if you let me carry you,” he said.
He was right, and the only reason he hadn’t just scooped me up was my wolf would have attacked him. Something he knew from experience. But it was okay if he gave me the choice. Without breaking stride I jumped into his arms. I decided not to shift back, no need to be naked. Sure, I wasn’t shy of my body – I was a damn shifter, we were always naked – but I didn’t need Maximus carting my naked butt around.
I closed my eyes as he took off, his speed fast enough to blur us to anyone watching. I always got a bit motion sick when travelling at vampire speed. The journey into the forest, which had taken me fifteen minutes, was over in seconds. Back in front of the town hall, Maximus dropped me to all fours, before turning his back – in deference to my own personal preference for privacy. I called on my energy and shifted back to human form. I stretched out my limbs and shook off the moment’s disorientation as colors and light flooded my vision.
I strode ten feet to reach one of the many clothes-bins that littered Stratford. Reaching in blindly I grabbed the first couple of things my hands touched, looking down I nodded. This would work. I shoved the white t-shirt over my head and pulled on denim cutoffs. They were a little big but I just rolled the band over once, exposing a line of tanned midriff.
I hurried back to Maximus. On the way I noticed the main double doors were blocked by a large scaled tail. Black with hints of blue tipping the edges. Braxton was the size of a house in his dragon form, and he was wedged in the entrance. Dragons were the most powerful, rare, and scary, of the shifter forms. By size alone they dominated the supernatural races.
As I reached Maximus, I grabbed his arm. “We’re going to have to use the side entrance.”
We moved fast. I could hear screaming from inside, but the lack of magic in the air told me it hadn’t escalated too far. Yet.
Reaching the door I scrambled with the handle; the damn thing was locked. Maximus reached around me and snapped the silver clasp, before cracking the whole door right off the hinges.
“I could have done that,” I shot out as he threw the metal aside. He just grinned, flashing a little fang. Showoff.