The Shepard's Agony (25 page)

Elaine was shocked to silence and Bill’s eyes softened.

“Larry briefed me on the situation, so yes, I know. Even if he was yours, that’s exactly the reason why you can’t invoke it.” He hesitated. “I’m sorry.”

To his credit, he did actually appear sorry, but that didn’t help David at all.

Gwen wasn’t sure how to react. She could invoke Lunar b
ut that would mean leaving her pack. But, what would she do if Bill decided to have David killed? She couldn’t let them do it no matter what they said.

She looked at him, he was rubbing a fist to his stomach and grinding his teeth
. He needed a dose of potion again. She looked out the window, the sun had completely set, it would be a matter of minutes before the moon came out.

“Bill, we need to do this another time.” Gwen got up and went to Shepard.

“Young lady, sit down!”

Gwen halted, it had been years since anyone called her that
. She had to gather her courage before she could speak. “The moon’s coming out, you’re not going to do any good—”

“
I’
ll decide what’s best for this pack.”

“
By
killing
him?” There, she said it, and now everyone in the room was staring at her. It was strange how she felt proud of herself and really small at the same time.

Then the lights went out.

“What—?”

Shepard and Jacob knew what was happening. “Get down!” He threw himself over Gwen, the both of them landing hard on the floor just as the room exploded with bullets.

Everyone hit the floor
, splinters from the wall showering over them. Gwen held on tight to David and tried to control the fear raging through her. How did he keep so calm?

Just as
Gwen thought the bullets wouldn’t stop, everything went silent and dust clouded the room.

“Everyone all right?” Larry called.

No one answered. Gwen swallowed hard and forced herself to speak. “Fine.” At the sound of her voice
, everyone cautiously got to their feet.

Gwen tried to get up but David’s weight held her down. “Wait!”
she called, putting more strength into turning him over. “David’s not okay!”

Jacob found them in the dark and kneeled to inspect the damage. He was awake, but his breathing was rough and he was clutching at his chest.

“
I can find
any bullet wounds.”

“What?” Gwen pushed a stray hair out of her eyes and felt his forehead and his face with her palms, ready to panic if anything was wrong. “David? Can you hear me?”

He nodded, arched his back and groaned through his teeth. She didn’t see the problem until he opened his eyes. They weren’t the eyes of a
human
, but of a wolf. He was changing.

“Oh my God.” She stroked his face. “I’ll get you some more potion, just sit tight.” She wasn’t sure if it would even work so late in the change, but anything was better than nothing.

“
I’ll go with you
,” Evey volunteered.

“
No one is leaving
,” Jacob said sharply.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at him.

“Who do you think you are, giving orders?” Larry demanded.

“You don’t know how they work, I do. Right now they are waiting outside for you to come out so they can pick you off. We must stay here, together.”

“
Our pack master should decide,
” Eric said.

“Good idea,” Larry said. “Bill? What do you think?”

Everyone turned to the wheelchair and paused in silence. It was turned on its side and both Doc and Bill were still
lying on the floor.

Dread filled Gwen’s stomach. “Bill?”

Eric leaned down to inspect the bodies, touched their necks to feel for a pulse and shook his head. They were both dead.

Gwen’s hands shoo
k and she held back a sob. Her pack master was dead. Now wasn’t the time for it, she still had David to think about.

Jacob’s right, don’t leave the room.

Gwen gasped and stared into his eyes. He was fighting the change, sweating and jerking. She ripped a piece of her shirt away with her teeth and used it to wipe at his brow.

I’m not leaving the cabin, I’ll be back in less
than a minute.
She leaned down and softly kissed his lips before creeping out of the room on all fours. Everyone was huddled around Bill, so no one saw her leave but David.

No.

Chapter Fif
teen

I am sooooo stupid
,
Gwen thought, crawling so low to the floor she was almost on her belly.

It was a stupid thing to leave the room that held the most safety, but she needed to get David his
potion
. Every drop counted, and as long as she stayed quiet and close to the
floor
, there was less of a chance she would be seen through the windows.

Just as the thought left her,
a beam of light searched through a window above her head. Gwen held her breath and pressed herself against the wall. They were out there, either searching for a way in or trying to find bodies. Either
way
, she hoped they would go away.

Don’t see me, don’t see me, please don’t see me
,
she prayed.

Eventually they
left
. Gwen took in a gulp of air, but she still didn’t move.

You’re almost there, just a little farther.
She needed to get into the kitchen, but her body refused to obey her commands. There was a screen door in the kitchen. All they had to do was take a look inside and she would be one dead wolf.

They won’t come in the cabin. They’re waiting for us to come outside. Now go.
Gwen slowly crawled forward, every creak in the floorboards made her heart
jump
. Finally, she was in the kitchen and she wanted to cry.

It was a complete wreck, bullet holes littered the walls and there were splinters under her hands. The worst part was that the pot that had the potion in it had been thrown to the floor, the potion spilled everywhere.

Gwen crawled closer, her hands and knees wet in the potion, and turned the pot around to look inside. Not even enough for a mouthful was left and it was dented sharply in several places where stray bullets had hit.

David was on his own and Gwen’s heart broke with fear.

A twig broke outside. Not a significant sound
, but
brought
her back to alertness.

She snapped her head to the screen door, but the shadowy figure she expected to see wasn’t
there
. Just the moon smiling down on her before the clouds swallowed it up.

Then the window just above her head crashed and smoke seeped into the room.

Gas can.

Throwing all ideas for stealth out of her head, Gwen clumsily crawled her way out of the kitchen as fast as she could, but the gas was quick and she’d already breathed it in. Her movements were slowing and she was getting tired, which made her huff and puff in more of the gas.

Gwen was about to fall over when thin, steel-like hands grabbed her under her armpits and hoisted her into the air. She felt a wet cloth press onto her face and she fought against it until she realized it was water.

She could breathe easier.

She felt herself being dragged away from the gas
, but even with the cloth over her mouth and
nose
, her strength didn’t
return
. And, as much as she tried to
move
, she was dead weight to whomever was carrying her.

She was pulled out the front door, down the
porch
, and laid on the grass. The second the cloth was removed and fresh air
hi
t, she coughed and gagged. She turned over, thinking she was about to throw up but nothing came out. She just breathed, grateful for some air.

Then
, she realized where she was. Outside, right where the hunters wanted her.

She struggled against the hands that held her down but even with her strength
returning
, the person above her was stronger.

The hands with a vice grip clasped onto her wrists. “It’s alright, calm yourself. You’re safe now.”

A h
unter shouldn’t have been trying to reassure her.

She could hear a struggle and she stopped moving. Above her labored
breathing
were feet stomping in the grass and dirt, shouting and the grunting as punches were thrown and dodged.

She tried to look
up
. When her hands were released, she shoved her hair out of her face so she could see. The last of the two hunters were on their knees. Jimmy and Di were standing behind
them
. John, who was still in his wolf form, was sitting next to them, looking quite pleased with himself while Eric and Larry tied Garrett and Andrew Shepard’s hands behind their backs.

Gwen looked up to see who’d pulled her from the smoke, expecting it to be David and shocked to see Jacob
kneeling over her instead.

“How is he?” She grabbed his sleeve and he looked down at her. She was almost too afraid of the response.

Oh God, what if it was too late.

He then smiled at her. “Ask him yourself.”

She wanted to shake him into giving her a straight answer until a hand touched her shoulder. She turned sharply and saw David’s smiling face, eyes normal.

“I’m fine.”

She launched herself into his arms and cried.

***

“
They were hoping to smoke us
out
,” Larry said. “It would have worked
until
those three came back.” He nodded towards Jimmy, Di, and
John
. Gwen could sense his
reluctance
toward be grateful to the former hunter and the traitor.

There were bed sheets on the grass, covering what Gwen knew to be the bodies of Bill and Doc. Bill had been hit because
he
hadn’t been able to drop to the floor for cover like everyone else and Doc with him when he tried to shield his patient.

Gwen couldn’t bring herself to be grateful that their bodies were spared and would be getting a proper burial, she would rather they had lived instead.

John had since turned back into a man and needed to raid one of the cars that had been left behind for some
clothes
.
He
was currently standing around wearing a pair of loose jeans but no shirt. He sensed her emotional distress but didn’t move toward her.

Gwen could feel his eyes on her while she held onto David, disappointment rolling off of him in waves, but she was pleased that there was no aura of smug satisfaction coming from David, just warmth from being with her.

David noticed John’s eyes on them as well, and he held her just a little bit tighter
. Gwen squeaked out a tiny laugh, wiped her
eyes
, and faced him.

He looked perfect, she looked like a wreck, but she needed to do this now so he knew.

“I made my choice, and it’s not him.”

Relief flooded his face before it darkened again.

Gwen was on edge. “What is it?”

David shook his head and opened his mouth but a scream interrupted
him
. They both turned to see what had happened.

Di was knocked down and John and Jimmy were hanging onto a struggling Andrew while
Garrett buried his fangs into Evey’s Neck. Jacob was there, trying to pry him away from her without much success.

“
Dad, stop!” David ran to them and grabbed him.
Garrett spun and hissed at him, fangs long, blood on his lips and cheek.

David flinched
back
, but didn’t run. “What happened to you?” When he found Jimmy bitten and took him from the barn, it was more disappointing than
shocking
because he was taught to expect it to happen one day.
But
, to see that it had happened to his father was something else entirely.

Garrett
dropped Evey and she crumpled into Jacob’s
arms
. The older Shepard’s eyes softened at the sight of him and then the moon came out again.

David felt the change coming again, he groaned and his knees buckled.

“
David?” Gwen asked. She knew what was happening, felt the moon’s pull on her as
well
, but wasn’t affected by it the same way that he was. What was going on?

Then
, she knew. Evey.
Every
, who was now unconscious on the ground and being tended to by Jacob.

The moon vanished earlier and Gwen couldn’t explain it when she saw it. It had to
have been Evey using her majick, keeping the moon at
bay
. Now she couldn’t help them anymore.

David’s eyes changed again, he clutched his stomach and tried to hold back the rumble in his
throat
, but the growl pushed out on its own.

Garrett
jerked away at the sound, his face fallen. “They got
you
, too.”

“
Dad,” David wanted to plead with him to give up. They were completely surrounded and Andrew was on his knees watching helplessly. There was
nowhere to run.

Garrett
turned and ran into the cabin.