Shift

Chapter 22

"Nyet, Malen'kiy volk." Raven's said firmly. Seeing him snap a man's neck with ease made me respect what he was capable of. He would be one that I would not fight with.

I stared out the window at the place where I had seen my mother and sister's killer. The Hunters are wrapping up loose ends. My father has disappeared. He gave up the whole charade of being a normal human. Did that mean that he was going to embrace his crazy scientist side?

Raven coaxed me back downstairs where Corey was waiting. He was on the phone, talking quickly and quietly about a cleanup. Raven and I were both covered in blood. Corey hung up his phone.

"Axel is on his way," Corey said quietly. "Why don't you go over to Kota's? Mr. Blackbourne is there."

"She should stick here," Raven growled.

Corey rolled his eyes, "Stay." Raven muttered under his breath about the two words meaning the same thing. Corey gave me a pained smile, "Mr. Blackbourne will want to talk to her, so she should go for now. We need to identify the shooter and then get the house sorted."

Without a word, I walked outside. I wasn't going to Kota's house, not when he was so uncomfortable with it. Instead, I crossed the street to the house where this all started. I sat down and leaned my aching body against Nathan's front door. I watched as cars pulled into Kota's driveway or parked along the cul-de-sac. 

They moved between the two houses. Kota nor Owen emerged from Kota's home. A Jeep Cherokee stopped along the street. When Axel emerged from the vehicle I expected him to head for Raven and Corey, but he headed for me instead. My heart skipped over itself. My emotions warred with each other. Peace, happiness, guilt, grief, and anger rolled around in the pit of my stomach.

Axel didn't say anything as he sat beside me. He only pulled me into his lap and held me. His fingers ran through my hair. "Just so you know, he would like to be with you but he can't at the moment."

I shrugged. I was feeling too much to be worried about where Owen or even North were at the moment.

"Kota has difficulties with Hunters as you are aware. Owen is trying to calm him down." That caught my attention, and Axel noticed. "Kota won't shift back. He's being defensive and stubborn."

After seeing the female with long black hair disappear into the woods behind my house, I wouldn't blame him for being protective of his family. I stood from Axel's lap, wincing with every movement. I started for Kota's house.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Sang." Axel rumbled.

I couldn't find it in myself to care. I kept walking. Sure enough, Kota's wolf met me at the start of his driveway snarling, and snapping his teeth at me. I squatted down and dropped my eyes to the concrete before us. I used to watch documentaries about the Animal Kingdom. Never stare a predator in the eyes.

"It may not mean much, but I would like to stay with you tonight and keep watch over your family." The silence that followed was practically screaming. Kota turned, walking to the garage door before plopping down. His eyes followed me as I sat beside him.

He growled at Owen when he approached us. Owen growled back. "Enough Kota, we'll watch over your family tonight." 

They must have finished whatever they were doing at my house. Three body bags were carried out and placed in a big white van. I couldn't help but wish that there had been four. Gray slacks cut off my vision from where my sister and mother were. I looked up at Owen.

"I am sorry, Sang." His voice was full of empathy. "Are you injured?"

I shook my head. My shoulder was in an incredible amount of pain, but it kept the numbness away so I would deal with it for a little while longer. For now, I would sit with Kota and his silence. Owen informed me that Sean had a shift at the hospital so we wouldn't see him until morning.

Axel, North, and Raven all tried to approach me with conversation, but they quickly got the message that I wasn't in the mood for conversation. It wasn't too long into the night when they had all shifted and set up in various positions around Kota's house. He relaxed a little then.

My blood-crusted clothes were stiff and uncomfortable. My bottom ached from sitting on concrete for so long, though my mother had put me on my knees for longer. I shifted every few minutes trying to get comfortable, and forced myself to stay awake. After a while, Kota huffed and wrapped his furry body around me so I could lean into him.

I must have drifted asleep after a little while. My brain decided to analyze the day, and I couldn't shake the mental images of my mother's and sister's lifeless eyes. Eyes that were nearly identical and would surely haunt me for the rest of my life. I got flashes of Raven snapping the Hunter's neck.

Suddenly there was nothing behind me, and I was falling backward only to fall into a chest with waiting arms wide open. The smell of spice surrounded me.

"Sang," Kota rasped. "You're safe."

My eyes flew open. The sun hadn't risen over the tree line yet. Kota's bare legs were on either side of mine. I was practically sitting in his lap. He clutched me tightly. I leaned my head back against his shoulder, ignoring the painful tug in my own. There were dark spots under his green eyes. His brows furrowed in concern.

"You were crying and shaking in your sleep," he said quietly. "I can go get Mr. Blackbourne or Mr. Toma if you would like."

I shook my head. I didn't want to see either of them at the moment. They would never let me be. They'd want me to talk about what happened, what I saw, and how I was doing. Kota didn't care about any of that. So, I could sit with him a little longer.

And I did, for two hours. Then Sean showed up. One look at me. That's all it took. One look and he knew that something more was wrong than just having seen the only family I knew killed. He strode towards me with determination on his handsome face.

"Sang," he snapped. "Where are you hurt?"

Owen appeared from the other side of the house and stared me down. Had he known that I lied? "She said that she wasn't hurt."

"She lied, Owen," Sean growled. "I swear, Pookie, I thought Owen was the worst patient I would ever have to deal with until I met you."

Kota released me instantly, "You're hurt?" There was concern in his voice.

"Look at your chest, Kota," Sean said. "You've got fresh blood on you."

Kota stared at the bloody spot on his chest. "I couldn't smell that she was wounded around all the other blood."

Kota moved out from behind me as Sean tugged up the back of my shirt. Sean stiffened behind me and growled. "Two shots. One was a graze, the other is still embedded into your shoulder. Why didn't you say anything, Sang?"

"She wasn't supposed to get hurt," I croaked. "I had made it to her in time."

Sean kissed the back of my head, "I suspect that the bullet that grazed your shoulder is the one that killed her. We're going to take you to the hospital to remove the bullet and see how much damage it caused."

So, it was my fault. I hadn't moved fast enough. Marie still could have been alive. She had her whole life ahead of her. I should have followed the woman who left the stinking scent in my bedroom. My father and the Hunters will pay for this.