Chapter Seven
The second those rocks began to fall, Finn’s heart threatened to burst out of his chest. He lunged forward, away from the wolves and away from even Navi as he bolted toward the entrance. He needed to get out of there. Couldn’t escape.
Once he’d seen the trail leading to a cave, he’d dived straight in, because otherwise he wouldn’t have gone. Fear would have paralyzed him, like it had the countless times his parents had trapped him in those motel rooms. Ice crawled through his veins, ruffling his fur. In the wake of the explosion at the mouth of the cave, both wolves he’d been tangling with abandoned the fight. Both of them darted in that direction. Navi bypassed the other shifters, racing toward the tumble of stones and rock, as if somehow the massive panther could stop them from falling.
Finn paced back and forth, trying to stave the fear choking him and his wolf alike. No escape. The rocks had barred the entrance, sending billowing gusts of dust and grit to roil around the space. Instead of running to help the shifters knock away stones and fallen debris, he backed away until he hit the cave wall. The coldness of the stone leeched into his spine. All too fast, the space grew much smaller, the air thicker. He thrashed, both he and his wolf unable to quell the buzzing in his mind that turned into a roar.
The Landsliders might’ve been desperate to tear them to shreds mere moments before, but all three had abandoned the pursuit the moment the stones had started tumbling. They focused on kicking rocks out of the entryway, trying to find a gap in the barrier. By the frenzied way they clawed, they hadn’t expected to get buried in this cave. He stamped his paws and dug into the ground in front of him.
Had to escape.
Had to find a way out.
Except each time he tried to place a paw forward, his vision swirled. Fuck. He was so fucking weak. So fucking useless. Every effort to lunge snapped back on him, until he crouched against the wall, paralyzed.
Navi’s massive paws sent stones flying and she slammed her body into the larger rocks, the panther moving any bit of rubble she could away from the entrance. The woman turned into a relentless battering ram when she dove toward the barrier over and over to hammer away at the stones and grit barring their escape.
What a pointless effort. They’d die here. They’d lose what oxygen remained and end up bloated bodies on the cavern floor. He’d be trapped here for good. The hysteria bubbled inside him and low growls emitted from his throat unbidden.
Navi’s deep silver eyes fixed on him for a moment. Even as the other three shifters continued hurling themselves into the wall of loose stones and rubble, she padded away from it. In his direction.
Finn tried to surge forward as frustration burned him from the inside out. Fear restrained him like a collar around his throat.
Navi approached, her steps silent as the crunch and creak of tumbling stones sounded in the background while the other shifters fought against the landslide. She nudged him with her forehead, the gentle contact jarring. Finn tried to suck in deep breaths though he panted on reflex. She nudged at him again, the heat and power radiating from her as she nuzzled him in a tender way he’d never expected from the sharp, lethal woman.
The feel of her fur against his and the sheer weight of her presence provided a balm to his nerves. Even though every glance to the closed-off entrance ahead sent a jolt of terror through his veins, he managed one step forward. Then another. His wolf responded to her with a gut-wrenching pull he’d never received from another soul. Her status as Tribe didn’t have anything to do with it—Navi reached him in a way no one else ever had.
Finn took another couple of steps toward the cave-in, keeping his gaze down while he tried to focus on his paws, each movement forward. Navi remained by his side, her sleek form rubbing against him as she urged him ahead. He kept his snout down, sniffing the ground as he went, trying to catch a wisp of fresh air despite the staleness and dirt threatening to overwhelm. Even though Navi could be putting a massive dent at the cave-in, far more than the Landsliders managed, she stayed back with him. Navi kept in contact the entire time, slowing her approach to match his tentative steps. Her presence, her touch offered the one thread of sanity he clung to while his wolf howled and the animal side of him fought to frenzy.
He followed the length of the cave-in to the far left, away from where the other shifters threw themselves into digging. Here, his nose pricked with the tickle of fresh air. If he could cling to that, maybe he could push past this useless fear and his fucking freeze-up. Some beta he made. No wonder he wasn’t alpha of the Red Rocks.
Focusing on the thread of air, Finn dug.
Rocks flew underneath his paws as he channeled the anxiety, the dread and the choking shame into the motions as they turned frenetic. Navi joined him, but instead of throwing rocks like before, she slammed her paws to the ground. At first, nothing happened. The sight of her intense concentration distracted him from the skittering sensation threatening to tug him under.
A moment later, tendrils of water emerged from the cracks in the ground, pooling beneath her paws. If his tunneling hadn’t become automatic at this point, he would’ve stopped in mid-dig. Not like I should’ve been surprised. She was Tribe—it was a matter of time before she used the elemental magic the shamans had bestowed on her. The water gathered into a pool around her paws and she pushed the liquid forward. Rivulets trickled around the stones in front of them, the water finding a way through the cracks their claws couldn’t latch on to.
Finn caught on to what she was attempting. Where she loosened the stones, he focused his dig, sending more pebbles sailing behind him, even though his paws chafed and his claws had been pared down. He let out a howl, drawing the attention of the other shifters. They wasted time slugging away at the thicker part of the rockslide when their efforts could be put to better use. With how slick the water grew around him, he stumbled several times and mud stained his fur while he continued to slog away at the pile of rocks.
Navi gave them a way out.
The trickle of water slipped through the stones, finding the path of easiest resistance, which meant the more he focused on that section of rubble, the faster they could get to fresh air. The faster they could escape this prison.
Ragged breaths escaped his throat in pants as he launched into the task of digging himself out, his vision tunneling straight ahead to the stones in front of him. He breathed in the grit, the stale air and the edge of nickel and copper woven through the stone. Under the strain of the flowing water, smaller stones tumbled away, clearing the path. Navi crouched in front of the pile, her eyes closed in concentration and her paws pushed forward as she coerced the flowing water. If he hadn’t seen those powers with his own eyes, he’d barely have believed in them.
The water flowed with more urgency as more of the stones spilled out of the way, the smaller ones tumbling past him to the ground. Finn’s skin beneath his fur prickled and he drank in the fresh air. As it circulated through his lungs, the sharp gasp of outside took the edge off his panic. A creak sounded as larger pieces of granite and shale rolled past him, a few clipping him in the side. The water burst through and the rockslide shifted.
Finn didn’t duck. Instead, he wedged himself into the spot before more stone could crush into place. Rocks pelted his back, but he shrugged off the pain, digging with a fury. The first crack of moonlight spilled in from the cave-in, tremulous and silvery. The water stilled when Navi took a step back, no longer shoving it forward with her powers. A moment later, she joined him in slamming her body at some of the bigger rocks barring their way. The other three shifters set to work beside them, a circle of grunts and whines sounding through the air, followed by the thunk as more debris hit the sides of the cave.
As several of the larger rocks crashed out of the way, the gap leading to the outside widened. Finn dipped his muzzle through, kicking off with his back paws to push himself out. More rubble cascaded from the opening while he thrashed through the pile-up, ignoring the scrape of stone. The urge to escape drove him with such a ferocity he didn’t care. The moment his front paws hit the earth outside the cave, he dug his claws in and kicked again to vault through.
Once he stood under open sky studded by thousands of silver stars, Finn’s heart quieted, and his adrenaline cooled. His ribcage shuddered as he drew in steadying breaths. Out here, he could be bold, he could be brave—a whole horizon of possibilities.
A minute later, Navi leapt through the hole, pebbles spraying in the wake of the force. She landed to the ground with the brunt of her weight, causing clouds of dust to roil around her.
The wolves squeezed out one after the other and the black bear pushed through even as more stones clattered out behind him.
Except Finn already stepped in front of the shifters in a crouch, muscles tensed for a fight. He let out a low warning growl.
The wolf closest to him mutated, fur rippling and the form changing when he shifted into his human form. The other one hunched down to do the same, transforming back onto two feet. If they bothered to shift to their weaker sides, that meant they wanted to talk.
Finn settled to begin the shift despite the complaint from his wolf who wanted to remain in this form a little longer. If he always indulged his wolf, he’d rarely be on two feet. Over the years, Finn’s wild side had commanded more and more attention, and with the way the restlessness had ridden him lately, he shifted to clear his head. His limbs elongated and, as he returned to his human form and the adrenaline faded, the abuse he’d put his body through began to make an appearance. Bruises coated his arms, his nails were bloody and chipped and his hands chafed raw.
Navi took the cue and shifted too, from the sleek form of her panther to the curvaceous woman he couldn’t keep his eyes off. He hadn’t forgotten what she’d done for him in the cave, not for a moment.
“Don’t even think of moving,” he called out, flexing his arms in front while he settled back in his human body. After freezing inside the cave, he was finished with feeling like a sack of shit. Time for action. “I can guarantee I’m faster and I won’t hesitate to shove you inside the tomb and seal up the exit.”
“We were supposed to be the distraction while they circled around and launched an attack after you entered,” the brunette chick who’d been a wolf spoke up. Her thick brows furrowed, causing lines of strain on her otherwise smooth face. “No one made mention that we were disposable.”
A shorter, stout guy with a bulky frame spat on the ground as he approached, his ruddy skin flushed and a nasty bruise marring his stomach. “If they’re willing to sacrifice our lives, we don’t owe them allegiance.” Even as those two spoke, the other wolf shifter remained silent, his features pensive. Finn didn’t trust him for a second.
“Are you taking orders from Mackey directly?” Navi asked, stepping up beside Finn. She crossed her arms over her chest and fixed the shifters with the weight of her intimidating Tribe stare.
The brunette shook her head, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “He’s too high up on the food chain to get involved with this sector.” She opened her mouth again, glancing quickly at the other wolf shifter, the guy who could have bored holes into walls with the intense glare he gave her.
“Don’t look to him for answers,” Finn interjected, drawing her attention front and center. “He’s not going to determine whether you walk out of this clearing alive. Even if you didn’t rat out the Landsliders, do you think they’d keep you?”
The stout guy stepped past her, ignoring both of his companions. “Dale Rossi’s the one in charge of the operations around here. I hope you find him and drive a stake through his heart. He’s been holding my auto shop hostage, but that’s not worth a damn if I’m dead. You’re welcome to raid Jared’s Auto up the road once I gather my stuff and get the hell out of here.” He shook his head, his brows drawn with the grim look on his face.
Finn jerked to attention at the name. He couldn’t place where he’d heard of the guy before, but the mere mention sent a chill down his spine.
The motion happened so fast they didn’t see it coming.
The surly wolf mutated his nails into claws and lunged for the bear’s throat.
As the bear shifter turned to face his betrayer, the claws sliced deeper, right across the jugular. Blood sprayed.
Finn didn’t hesitate. His growl split the air when he lunged. Before the guy could extract his claws and before he could take a step in the opposite direction, Finn slammed a fist to his sternum. He pivoted around to wing an arm around the man’s throat, the motion fluid with his dance. His muscles squeezed tight as he wrapped his arm around the man’s windpipe. Wheezes followed and Navi stepped right in front of them.
Footsteps pounded from behind as the brunette rushed through the bushes to escape, but she wasn’t top priority right then. The bear shifter collapsed to the ground, clawing at his neck while blood gushed from his throat. Once Finn saw where those claws had sliced, he knew the man would die.
“Since you’ve taken away the one solid lead we had,” Navi said, crossing her arms, “you’ll have to start talking.”
“Try and command me,” he rasped, daring her. Finn squeezed tighter around the man’s throat, not giving him an inch.
Navi’s eyes narrowed, clearly annoyed. “Then you’ll die,” she said, her tone frosted over.
Finn quirked a brow, surprised at the change of heart. If the man went back to the Landsliders, he doubted they’d welcome him with open arms. This jackass was as dead as the guy he’d murdered anyway. He clenched his jaw, summoning the nerve while he placed the heel of his hand against the man’s chin with his other arm still wrapped around the guy’s neck.
“Any last words?” she asked, the cold justice in her voice what he associated with Tribe.
The man clung to his stubbornness, not responding. Navi lifted her hand, claws forming in place of her fingertips. Only fitting. Except, she probably had to deliver more executions in her life than anyone should be burdened with—and who knew what age that responsibility had started. The man was one snap away from a quick death in Finn’s hands. He would take whatever weight he could off that remarkable woman’s shoulders.
Gritting his teeth, he slammed the heel of his hand against the man’s jaw. His head snapped and, in the same moment, Finn squeezed tight around the neck with his other arm. The crack resounded through the clearing, the snap reverberating through him.
The man slumped in his arms as the life blinked out of his eyes. Finn let him drop to the ground with a thud. He wished he could feel more remorse over what he’d done, but he had no reservations about the kill or be killed part of survival—one thing he and his wolf were in wholehearted agreement on.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Navi said, her voice quieting. Their eyes met for a moment, the understanding a charged current between them.
“And you didn’t have to help back there,” he murmured, his voice hoarse with seriousness. Navi pressed her full lips together and she tucked a stray piece of her pixie cut behind her ear, breaking eye contact.
He opened his mouth, prepared to reply, when the softness drained from her eyes. “At least this operation wasn’t a total bust.” Her voice returned to the brisk tone of business. “Hope you don’t mind committing some lighthearted breaking and entering. Let’s get heading to Jared’s Auto.”