My heart jumps to my throat. “What if it’s a-” I begin.
Landon shakes his head. “It’s not.”
As if on cue, the figure at the end of the alleyway reaches into its coat and withdraws a gun, lining up a shot as casually as if we were on a battlefield and not the middle of a city street. “Boots!” Landon yells, pushing me out of the way seconds before a bullet ricochets off the brick wall behind me. Adrenaline takes hold of me then, and I scramble for that cool blob of energy at the pit of my stomach that I’ve come to recognise as the source of my shifter magic. In spite of the fact that, as a hybrid, a bastard experiment performed by the humans in an attempt to learn the secrets of shapeshifting, I have access to all five shifter forms -- wolf, witch, siren, vampire, and dragon -- I’m still stumbling to learn to use my powers. This obviously isn’t helped by the fact that I’m no longer taking formal lessons, and although I’ve come a long way since starting at the Academy, it’s still a struggle to focus when I’m under stress.
The human -- at least, I think it’s a human -- at the end of the alleyway begins to advance on us, firing another shot that glances off the tough scales on Landon’s shoulder. He lets out a hiss and barks out another command using his siren song. “Get away from us!”
The figure pauses for a moment, bristling, and I can see them struggling not to obey. Landon and my friend Hazel are powerful shifters, and assured in their abilities, but that doesn’t make them all-powerful. It doesn’t make any of us all-powerful.
Moving with difficulty, it continues its forward push, and I see that the figure is a woman. She isn’t dressed in Academy colours, nor is she distinguishable from any other human we’ve seen around the city, but the mere fact that she’s not running in fear at the sight of Landon tells me she’s one of two things. Either she’s a pro-human terrorist or an agent of the Academy who’s been sent to retrieve us, and neither option looks great for me and Landon. Gripping the pistol with both hands, she unleashes a flurry of bullets, barely managing to shake off Landon’s command. She’s had training to combat shifters, that much is clear.
Before I can protest, Landon is moving in front of me, shielding my body with his own, grunting a little at the harmless but still painful impact of the projectiles. “A little help here, Boots?” he asks.
“On it,” I say, and summon my siren form. Moments later, my skin is glistening with scales like Landon’s, a surge of new power rushing through me as I get access to the form’s abilities. “Let’s hope she’s bi,” I mutter, glancing at my fellow shifter. “Count of three. One… two…”
“Leave!” we scream in unison, the combined force of our siren scream enough to send a shockwave rippling down the alleyway. It catches her full-force, and this time, she isn’t able to resist for more than a few seconds. The look she gives us is one of pure hatred even as she turns around and walks robotically away from the alleyway, her movements stiff and controlled as if she were a puppet on invisible strings.
We wait until she’s disappeared into the Boston night before either of us dares to breathe again, slipping back into our human forms. There’s a long pause and I realise Landon is still shielding me. His body radiating heat that envelops me like an embrace against the cold night air. “Landon...” I say, my heart fluttering in my chest at the sensation of his form against mine.
“Oh. Oh!” He glances down and pulls away from me, getting to his feet. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay.” I smile up at him as he extends a hand and helps me to my feet. “I… appreciate it.”
“Don’t mention it,” he tells me, winking, and I reluctantly let go of his hand so he can pick up the dropped grocery bag. “Shit. I think we bruised the apples.”
I sigh and stoop down to help him. “They should still be edible ,” I say, stealing a glance in the direction the human went. “Do you think she was with the Academy?”
Landon presses his lips together. “I don’t know,” he admits. “We’d better take side streets back to the motel, though. Just to be safe.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” I agree. “The others are going to need to know about this.”
The siren shifter gives me a grim nod, and together we make our way back down the alleyway and onto a narrow path that runs parallel to the main road. It’s going to take us a while to find our way back, but I feel safer with him by my side than I would on my own, especially if there are more humans on our tail.
Besides, I think grimly, setting my jaw as we round a corner, running is what I do best.
Chapter 2
Somehow, we manage to find our way out of the tangle of streets, following the winding roads and alleyways nearly all the way to the river which glistens ominously under the moonlight. It’s quiet out, and that’s almost disconcerting, given how much has happened over the last few days. We were never supposed to get caught up in some sort of war between species. Though you might not be able to tell on the surface, the world feels like it’s coming down around us. People -- innocent people -- died in the attack on the peace talks, and it feels like we’re running headfirst into a conspiracy we can’t escape.
Josie, one of the two witch shifters who tracked me down when my abilities first manifested, seems to think President Hawthorne was behind the attack. A way to strong arm the school board into allowing him to continue his experiments. Whether he was behind it or not, though, he got what he wanted out of it. I cringe inwardly as we cut across an abandoned intersection at the thought of what the school must be doing to the other students right this second. We have to put a stop to this, I remind myself. This isn’t just about you anymore.
Eventually, Landon and I arrive outside the rundown motel. We’re on a desolate street bordering the river, lined with boarded up buildings and closed down shops. It’s not the most savoury area, but it’s out of the way, and so far, the Academy hasn’t found us. We walk in through the reception area, passing a man dozing at the front desk, and work our way to the back of the building, where we’ve taken two connecting rooms using what money we had on us. Hazel, Ruby, and Xander are in one, while me and the guys are in the other, the bed stripped of pillows and blankets, which we’ve scattered around the floor. It looks more like a den than a motel room at this point, but considering we have nowhere to go and next to no resources, our options are pretty limited.
Landon holds the groceries while I fumble the door open, and I’m surprised to see that the light is on. In spite of the early hour, it looks like everyone is up and gathered in the cramped suite, including Hazel and the twins; she’s perched on the edge of the kitchenette table, leaning absently against Xander without even looking like she realises what she’s doing. The two of them are talking as if they’re in their own little world, Ruby watching with an amused look on her face from the corner by the door. It makes me smile a little, in spite of our situation. I’m happy if she’s been able to find a connection with someone. And as for me and the guys…
Silas, the tall dragon shifter, is sitting on the edge of the bed, his broad shoulders hunched forward as he watches the near muted TV . On the screen is continuing coverage of the attack at the convention center, as well as several banners speculating the cause of the bombing. If they only knew.