Ana

She hit him with everything she had. It cost her, because her leg flared with pain as she pivoted and put far more weight on it than the abused limb could handle. She fell to one knee, watching the result of her blow.

The dragon shifter bounced once and then sailed over the wall. She caught a glimpse of the look of complete surprise on his face, a sort of slack-jawed, wide-eyed look that told her nobody had hit him like that in a while. There was a loud crash as he slammed through at least one wall. Any more sounds were muffled by the falling debris as part of the building caved in around him.

Knowing the sounds of his landing would attract others, she took off. The forest was close now, and once she reached it, she could hopefully lose any more pursuers. There were at least three rivers running nearby that she could use to throw off any trace of her scent. The hardest part would be reaching one of them before someone caught up with her.

Especially with this gimped leg.

It would heal—she knew that—but it was going to be a bit before it stopped whining at being used. Each step was agony, though it was still thankfully easier than pulling the damn thing from her leg. That had hurt.

Glancing back toward the town, she froze as two figures emerged from the background. Her stomach dropped. She knew the one she hit back at the bar couldn’t have been alone. They rarely operated like that when coming after her. Usually in pairs or a trio. This time it appeared to be a trio.

Not good. I can’t outrun them, and I certainly can’t outfight them. Think, Ana. Think harder than you have in a long time. You’re going to need something brilliant to get out of this jam.

Cursing her luck, she stood up and faced the duo. This was why she had hit the first one without warning, or even a thanks for keeping the villagers off of her. He may have come swooping in to “save” her from the villagers, but as soon as she had seen him circling overhead, it became clear that the entire thing was a setup. The angry mob was a diversion, used to get her to trust her would-be savior. Once he was in close with her, it was over. Unless she hit him first.

Her eyes darted around the open field as she backed frantically away from the two men. No, not men. Shifters. Likely dragon shifters. They had been pursuing her for some time now, but this was the closest they had ever gotten to her. Usually she was at least one, if not two steps ahead them. Not this time. You really fucked things up now.

“Well come on then,” she said in exasperation, waving her hands in the air and stopping her slow hobble.

The pair of them were still maintaining their distance. One of them was gesturing angrily at the building their comrade had leveled. The other was shaking his head and pointing at her. They were arguing over something, and neither of them acknowledged her weak challenge.

“What the hell is going on?” she muttered, resting on her good leg while she crossed her arms. It was working to her advantage, however, because the longer they waited, the more her leg would be able to heal. If it healed enough for her to run, they would never catch her. It was a long shot, but there weren’t many options on the figurative table in front of her either. So she stood and waited, watching the reactions of the two of them.

Why did they care so much about the building? It would certainly be the first time any of the members of the shadowy group trying to capture her had shown remorse for collateral damage like that. She could recall at least once where they had severely hurt a human in the process as well. This was most unlike them.

Could she have killed the third member of their team? It seemed unlikely, given the nonchalant way he had flown through the air. The look on his face, besides that of shock, had almost been one of dull resignation now that she thought back to it. Not only that, he was a dragon shifter. He could take the blow she had dished out.

There was a rumble of masonry and stone, and then a chunk of building wall lifted into the air from out of sight and hit the ground, rolling over several times.

“Ow,” came an annoyed voice, as the man she had hit vaulted into view, clearing the wall from below with an ease that made her eyebrows reach for her hair.

He just cleared that like it was nothing.

She was in a world of trouble. Whoever this man was, he was in a whole different weight class. Regret for her brash decision to hit him flooded through her. All she had done was make him mad. He approached, his angle forming the third point of a triangle between them. Long-fingered hands brushed dust and debris from his clothing.

“Who are you?” he asked, the firm tenor voice cracking across the space between them like a whip.

She kept quiet. Something about the way he looked and stood gave her the indication that he was talking to the others.

“What is your purpose here?” the larger one responded brusquely, ignoring the question. The smaller man next to him had looked ready to respond, but he let his companion take the lead.

“She was in trouble,” he said with a gesture toward her. “Life of our kind is important.”

The smaller man bristled, and this time he did not restrain himself. “She is not like us! This abomination must be stopped.” He all but shrieked the last sentence, spittle flying from his face as he stabbed a finger in her direction.

Ana’s blood boiled. “What the fuck did I ever do to you?” she snapped, taking a step forward. Forget the odds, she was going to hurt him.

The larger of the two took a step forward. “You exist,” he said clinically. “That is unacceptable, and we are here to ensure you don’t.” He shrugged. “Exist, that is. It is nothing personal of course, but that is the way it is.”

This was the first conversation Ana had ever had with the people who had been chasing her. For months now they had been trying to catch her, ever since the first aborted attempt by a pair of bear shifters. So it was also the first time any of their motives had been made clear to her.

“You know, I happen to enjoy existing,” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “So, if it’s all the same to you, just tell me where to go that I won’t run into you, or offend your delicate sensibilities, and we can call this a day.”

The little man began to shake as his eyes bulged. Little wasn’t really a fair word, she decided. He just was smaller in stature compared to his companion, who was well above the average.

“There is nowhere, nowhere you can go that we won’t find you!” he yelled. “This planet is not meant for those such as you.”

The third man, who had stayed mostly quiet until then, stepped forward. “I must confess to missing something here. What, exactly, is wrong with her that she can no longer be allowed to live?” His voice dropped an octave as he injected steel into it. “And who gave you the order to do such a thing?”

So much was going on, Ana felt like she was losing her grasp on the conversation. All this new information, new parties, it was threatening to overwhelm her. Hopefully this starts sorting itself out, and soon! My head is beginning to hurt worse than my leg trying to make sense of it all.

“Yes,” she said, agreeing with the newcomer. “Please, do start laying things out simply, if you don’t mind? If I’m to die, I’d really rather do so without the headache of trying to understand all this shit.”

Internally, if she were honest, Ana knew what they meant and what it was they despised about her. It wasn’t as clear why they felt that way, but they did. All that mattered to her now was that she stayed alive.

The two men ignored her, looking instead at the newcomer.

“Who are you?” the tall one asked slowly.

“It matters not. The question that needs answering is, who are you?” he replied levelly. “I suggested you start answering it.”

She hissed in surprise at the threat evident in his voice. Didn’t he know that they were both dragon shifters over there? She really wasn’t interested in watching them duke it out.

The pair of men recoiled slightly in surprise at such a brazen line. “We are the Order. The Order wishes her dead. The Order sent us. It is that simple.”

“What the fuck is the Order?” she asked aloud. “Does the Dragon Council know you hooligans are trying to act all grownup-like?”

The tall one fixed her with a glare. “The Council is no more. The Order is what exists now.”

Ana coughed to cover her surprise. The Council was “no more”? That sounded ominous. Twelve of the most powerful dragons on earth were reputed to be members. The Dragon Council had been around for as long as she could remember, and that was a long time. Although she had rarely ever interacted with the shifter world as a whole, everyone knew about the Dragon Council. You didn’t just up and “no more” it. That didn’t happen.

Did it?

She couldn’t think of what to say, but the newcomer had her covered. “The Council is no more? What happened to it?”

His question was calm, but she sensed the deadly storm waiting, based upon the answer he received. The two Order members had better be very careful about how they answered, she thought. Otherwise, they might be in for a world of hurt. She still wasn’t convinced that the newcomer had completely friendly intentions for her, but he did seem to have an interest in her staying alive. That was good enough for her now.

“The Order replaced it,” the taller man said dismissively. “This happened almost a year ago. Where have you been?”

“Away,” the newcomer said gruffly as he digested the information. “And the Council members?”

“Imprisoned in many cases,” came the imperious response.

“And in the others?”

“They met a suitable end.”

Ana shivered at the casual reference to the death of some of the oldest creatures on the planet. Whatever was going on, it sounded more serious than she had any interest in being involved in. She took a step back, but the instant she moved, the two Order members started to close the distance.

Until the newcomer—she still had no idea of anyone’s names—moved to intercept.

“Why don’t you join us?” the smaller man said greedily. He recognized the power the newcomer held, and was eager to have him join their side.

Ana fervently hoped he wouldn’t take them up on their offer. Her wish was confirmed when he spoke again.

“What does the Order stand for?” There was genuine curiosity in his question, but also a sense of knowing the answer and not liking it.

“The Order stands for purity of the system. We believe that those who rise above the rest are the ones who should rule.”

“Was Luthor the head of this Order?”

She had no idea who that was, but her two enemies did.

“Luthor was a member of the Order, but he was not our leader.”

The newcomer’s eyebrows rose in surprise at that revelation, though she wasn’t sure why.

Without any warning the newcomer moved. One moment he was standing between the two parties. The next he was standing tall and strong a couple of feet in front of her.

“I suggest you leave,” he said angrily as the two dragon shifters warily approached.

“In case you can’t count, bub, there are two of us, and only one of you,” the smaller one said, his voice practically slithering as he spoke.

“We should leave,” the newcomer said, tilting his head slightly in her direction. “The smart one knows better,” he raised his voice slightly this time, so that everyone could hear, though he was still talking to her. “But the short one is too dumb to realize how erroneous his statement is.”

“Who says I’m leaving with you?” she asked him skeptically.

There was a short pause. “I do not wish to state the obvious to appear to be bragging, but right now I am the only thing standing between you and certain death. I have no interest in seeing you hurt or ended.”

“Prove it,” she demanded, ignoring the looks the other two shifters were giving her.

“I cannot prove it, other than to say that I had not originally intended on stopping here. I was but passing through. Now, however, I have intervened on your behalf, as I value life over the alternative if at all possible. They have not given me a valid reason for your ending, so I shall give you my protection, unless you become no longer worthy of it.”

It wasn’t that long of a statement, but she got the impression that the man in front of her rarely spoke that much at once. He seemed to run out of loquaciousness, his mouth closing abruptly, while he waited for her response. The entire time, he continued to stare across the space at the two members of this mysterious “Order.”

“Oh.” It was all she could manage. There was something about him that was throwing her off, keeping her off balance.

“Now, please?” he asked, sticking a hand out.

She took it.

The jolt of electricity that shot up her hand as soon as his skin touched hers was powerful enough to make her jerk back. He snatched his hand back at the same time, shaking it for a second. His head swiveled around to look at her. She caught a glimpse of breathtakingly beautiful silver eyes. They were only there for a second before he snatched her hand again and took off at a run, shaking his head to clear it.

Ana wanted to speak, to ask what the hell that had been about. But she couldn’t. Her tongue was still, the muscles of her jaw refusing to work. Instead, she simply ran after him.

“Ferrovax.”

The single word snapped out of the silence from behind them, cracking against her savior like a whip. He stopped so suddenly when the unknown called his name that she had to dodge around him, flinging his hand away to maintain her balance.

“What the fuck?” she shouted, turning to face him.

He wasn’t looking at her though, already having spun back to face the other way.

What the fuck is going on?!

Ana looked back the way they had come just in time to see a third form emerge from the darkness.