Save him!
Jaeger’s eyes flipped open, the sudden need to jump from the bed overwhelming. He rose carefully to sit in his bed. Suddenly, he heard screams and roars coming from deep within the base. With only a pair of sleep pants on, he plodded out barefoot into an empty hallway.
The night nurse wasn’t at the central desk. The ward wasn’t full, as it was—he was the only one staying at the moment, so he’d become accustomed to the odd sense of solitude in the place.
He scanned the long hall up and down, searching to see if the nurse emerged. When no one appeared, he moved down the hall to the guarded doors.
Opening them, he saw no one.
He moved out a bit and felt something wet underfoot. Kneeling, he saw that it was a drop of what appeared to be blood.
A scent hit him. He wiped the blood from the bottom of his foot and lifted it to his nose.
Gator.
Jaeger heard another scream seconds before his stare landed on another drop. And another… forming a trail down the hallway.
He followed them, sliding along one side of the hallway so he could watch before and behind him as he moved. The sounds grew louder as he approached, finally arriving at the rec room.
The double doors blasted open, and he saw all-out war spilling out into the hallway before him.
Tilting his head, he realized it was one of the young… fighting against an adult male. Wide-eyed in disbelief, he saw the child’s claws digging into the man’s chest. Trapped in his human body, his powers were limited. He had strength, but he didn’t want to harm the young.
He lifted both hands, scales skittering over his flesh and blew a blast of cold air and knocked the child down the hall. It was enough time for the shifter to jump to his feet before the cub raced forward, all claws and teeth.
More fighting spilled out into the hall—more children attacking full grown shifters. He could see the animals defending themselves and not fighting the children.
Jaeger moved through the chaos, searching for Gator.
Finally, he found him.
His limp body hung at the side of one of the smallest of the young. The boy stood on one of the tables in the center of the room, watching the madness around him. Gator was unconscious, his throat in the clawed hand of the child.
Jaeger stepped forward, eyeing the young.
“There you are, Jaeger.”
Jaeger frowned. “Do I know you?”
“No, but I know you.” The boy glanced at Gator and turned back to him. “I knew you’d come for this… human.”
Jaeger hid the shiver that raced down his spine. “So you’ve got me here. Now what?”
“General Lore made you an offer a long time ago. Do you remember it?”
“To aid him in his fight. Does he still think I’ll do that?”
“Fight alongside us this night… and he will spare you and your mate. That is what he wants,” the boy said. “Or you’ll all die—along with everyone else.”
“Why does he want me so desperately? There was another there with me. Lore never made Drake the same offer.”
“He didn’t? Are you so sure about that?”
Jaeger frowned.
“Drake is already in the village, murdering bears in their beds.”
“No,” Jaeger said, but there was a slight hesitation—had Drake been working against them all these weeks?
“When he tried to probe my mind, I planted a seed within his. I unleashed it the same time I unleashed my friends.” The boy smiled. There was evil in it—enough to make Jaeger feel ill.
“Why didn’t you do the same to me?”
“Drake might have the mental prowess to probe minds you do not—but he has a weakness. Trying to get to me, opened himself to me. Deacon was the same. That pregnant mate of his and their babe, along with the other one, are all gone now.”
Jaeger shook his head, the rage within growing. “No!”
“Oh, yes. So what will it be? Will you and yours be added to the list of the dead tonight?”
Lore had already taken everything from him once before. He wouldn’t let this evil thing of Lore’s creation take anything else. It might look like a child, but it was a demon. He looked at Gator, the claws of that monster dug into his shoulder and neck—the blood dripping slowly to the table.
“No!” he roared, letting the shift take over.
The pain was almost unbearable—the metal wasn’t all gone—but enough to allow him to let his wings break free. Claws lengthened, ice-blue scales spreading out over his growing body. His form rose ten… fifteen… twenty feet into the air, his reptilian head hitting the skylights and shattering the glass. Jaeger shot his icy fire at the evil thing, knocking it from the table and leaving a trail of ice shards in its wake.
Gator’s body broke free and slid to the floor.
The child rose to his feet and began to shift.
Green scales spread along the beast’s skin as it grew, rising as high as Jaeger. A claw lashed out and hit Jaeger in the chest as Jaeger reached for the same spot on the beast—the heart. They clawed at each other before crashing through the side wall and falling outside into the snowy night.
His wings free to spread, Jaeger opened wide, channeling all the cold around him for strength. He opened his mouth, spewing cold fire and covering the creature in ice. Seconds later, the beast shattered the ice and flew straight up into the air.
Jaeger gave chase, his wings lifting him higher and higher into the night sky. They clashed again. The young dragon dove at him and slashed with claws. As he passed, Jaeger caught the beast in his teeth and used all four sets of claws to pierce the animal’s thick hide.
A roar of pain filled the night. Jaeger adjusted the hold of his maw—and the young dragon was able to slip from his hold.
But didn’t get away unscathed.
Jaeger could see the hulky beast struggling to stay airborne before finally dropping back to the ground. He followed the monster down, putting his body between it and the hole they’d made through the side of the facility.
With all of his might, he shot his ice-fire at the beast, knocking it back long enough for Jaeger to shove his fist into the beast’s chest. He wrapped his hand around the creature’s heart and yanked the still beating organ from the young dragon’s chest.
A cry tore from its lips before it fell to the ground with a mighty crash…
Only to shift back into the form of a tiny, human boy.
What have I done?
Jaeger returned to human form and dropped to his knees beside the boy’s dead body. The young’s glazed eyes stared up at him blankly. He lifted his hand to see the bloody heart still in his hand. Jaeger tossed it to the ground before turning and retching onto the snow.
He turned to see shifters and children walking out through the hole.
The battle was over.
Deacon, Cal, and Drake raced out through the hole in the wall, stunned looks on their faces.
“He was controlling them,” Cal said, walking over to the small boy. He turned the boy’s arm over.
PZ2-102
“He said he was controlling Deacon and Drake, too,” Jaeger said, turning to the two men.
“I felt it,” Deacon said. “I heard his voice in my head—but I fought it.”
“Same here,” Drake murmured.
“He had Gator,” Jaeger whispered, jumping to his feet. He moved through the growing crowd and re-entered the rec room.
Dario sat in the middle of the room, clinging to the lifeless body of Gator. Tears streamed down his face. “He’s gone.”
“No!” Jaeger roared, dropping to his knees. “No!” He dragged Gator from Dario’s arms and pulled him close. He pressed his lips to Gator’s and kissed the man…
And blew his icy flames into the man.
Gator jerked in his arms. Jaeger pulled back and looked down at his human. Gator’s eyes popped open as he took a huge inhale.
“Oh, god,” Dario whispered as Jaeger hugged Gator closer.
Jaeger grabbed the back of Dario’s head and dragged his mate closer.
He had them both in his arms.
And he was never letting go.
* * * *
Running on empty…
Lore positioned the drone over the shield protecting the base. He saw some damage from the distance. As he got the machine closer, he saw soldiers tending the wounded and the children sitting quietly inside.
“No, No, No!”
Senior stood behind him, looking over one shoulder at the screen. “Perhaps you’re no better than Harding.”
“I’m not done yet.”
“We’ll see,” the man said before heading to the door.
Burton Junior rose from his seat, an evil twinkle to his eyes. His father exited as he approached the desk. “Father doesn’t like disappointments. And we both know what happens to those who disappoint him.”
“Threaten me and you won’t like the results.”
Junior smiled. It was enough to give Lore the willies. “You don’t want to do that again, Major General.”
The younger man turned and headed for the door. “I’ll expect a better report next time.”
The door closed with a click. Lore turned back to the screen.
He was almost out of ammunition.
Almost.