Tiny pricks of pain crawled over my skin as my body fought to heal itself from the cuts Chesca's claws had inflicted. As with the last time I had caught the sharp end of those metal tipped weapons, my body was healing way more slowly than usual and seemed to require a ton more energy, leaving me feeling weak and tired.

Thank God the guys are okay.

I could sense them all around me as River and Vali helped me into a jacket to ward off the icy wind, then River wrapped me tight in his arms. He made me feel so safe, so loved, I never wanted to leave.

Sadly, and I suppose unsurprisingly given the circumstances, the reprieve was short-lived as shouting started up and someone came sprinting into the clearing and collapsed at Granny Winter's feet.

“Quick!” The young man panted. “Please come quick! They're taking the pups!”

Panicked cries and shouts went up from the spectators, and suddenly the clearing was in chaos with people yelling and running back towards town, a good majority of them shifting into impossibly huge wolves as they ran.

“What's going on?” I asked, pulling myself together enough to stand a little straighter without River's assistance.

“Yes, James, please take a breath and tell me what you're talking about.” Granny Winter scowled, taking charge of the situation once more.

“Some men, they came in via the mountain road with trucks and weapons, and they started going from house to house, grabbing people and throwing them into the trucks. They're taking the pups, Granny. The little ones!” The man had tears streaming from his eyes as he relayed this news, and the townsfolk still gathered around flew into a panic.

“What does he mean?” I demanded as Nicholai’s body burst into his fox form, confirming that suspicion, and took off towards the town. Granny Winter was left standing before us, her face chalky.

“The children,” she whispered, sounding terrified.

My gut churned with the awful certainty this was connected to me, and I couldn't just walk away, leaving these innocent shifters to their fate. Despite them all happily trying to have me murdered, I needed to help. Gently pushing River's hands aside, I took a couple of steps before regaining my balance and then used my speed to move, just like I had done during my fight against Chesca.

The trees blurred around me as I pushed myself faster, following the sound of shouting. When I reached the main street of the town, I skidded to a stop, staggering and almost falling at the sight that awaited.

Several large trucks were stopped in the middle of the road while heavily armed men systematically shot townspeople with tranquilizing darts then threw their unconscious forms into the backs of the trucks.

In the middle of it all, staring back at me with a gloating grin firmly on his face, was Simon.

“Nice of you to join us, Kit,” he called out, his beady eyes running over me and making bile rise in my throat. The guys were still probably a few minutes behind me, so I was on my own facing down this man who had once been close enough to be a brother to me. Since he had left me locked within my traumatic memories back at Blood Moon, I had dreamed of getting my hands around his scrawny neck.

A cruel smile crept across my lips as I stared him down, stalking a little closer, and I saw his eyes shift nervously. One thing clearly hadn't changed: he was all false bravado.

“Simon.” I grinned wickedly. “How good of you to save me the trouble hunting you down.”

“Uh-uh-uh,” he tsked, snatching a small person from the arms of a passing mercenary. “Come any closer and I'll snap this little freak's neck.”

The little girl he was holding was still conscious, and the poor thing was utterly terrified. She looked back at me with huge eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks as she clutched a bunny to her chest and Simon’s disgusting hands held her firmly by the neck.

“Si, what the hell are you doing here?” I asked in a vaguely less threatening tone of voice. Maybe if I could play to his mental instability, I could get him to let the little girl go. As he had made abundantly clear the last time we had met, part of him just wanted to be loved.

“Why don't you let the child go and we can go somewhere to talk, just the two of us?” I coaxed, taking one cautious step closer. Around us, someone had made some sort of signal, and the mercenaries were closing up their trucks, getting ready to leave.

“I should thank you, Kit”— Simon sneered, ignoring my suggestion—“for leading us right to this community full of little freaks like you. I will be rewarded well for this haul.”

“Rewarded by whom, Simon? Who is it you're working for now? Dupree is dead.” I took another cautious step forward.

“I'm not as stupid as you think I am, Kit,” he sneered. “Just be thankful I'm not allowed to bring you in with all these freaks.” He gave a tight nod to someone out of my line of sight, and pain ripped through me.

Sucking in a gasp, I watched helplessly as Simon clambered into the cab of his truck, dragging the little girl with him. My hand clutched at the burning pain in my chest, and blood began welling up beneath it. Knees buckling, I crashed hard to the ground. Waves of agony rolled over me as I kept my eyes glued to the retreating trucks while I willed my body to heal faster.

From the trees behind me, a huge burst of sound exploded, and for a moment, the sky above me turned dark as the enormous wings of a dragon obliterated the light before he skidded and stumbled to a stop on the road in front of me. Wings outstretched, as though for balance, he did an awkward looking hop before righting himself and swinging his huge, scaled head around to face me.

“Hey big guy,” I croaked from my position on the ground, waiting for my body to heal. For some reason, I knew this green and black dragon was Cole and not Vali. He huffed, and ice-cold breath washed over me, little crystals of snow crusting against my skin.

“Cole, that’s fucking freezing. I just got shot; can you not?” I tried to joke, but it fell a bit flat given how weak my voice sounded. Overhead, another huge pair of wings flapped past us and continued in the direction of the trucks. “Go help Vali; I’ll be fine in a minute.” Or, at least, I seriously hoped I would be. My entire body was radiating with waves upon waves of agony, and I’d totally lost the use of my limbs. The scrapes inflicted by Chesca’s metal claws were still struggling to close, and spots were dancing across my vision.

Cole's massive dragon head dipped toward me, puffing another icy gust of air from his nostrils before he backed up a few steps and took back to the sky. His take off was a little wobbly, but I supposed it was to be expected, him having just grown wings for the first time and all.

I watched mesmerized as his powerful form flapped higher, then took off in the same direction as the trucks and Vali had gone, towards the mountain road. While we had arrived via seaplane, there was also overland access, but it was treacherous during winter due to the amount of ice on the road. Fuzzy blackness began creeping in across my vision, and I was helpless but to surrender as I passed out from the searing pain in my chest.