Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Lion’s Arranged Marriage Chapter 10

Gwendolyn

I stared at the painted ceiling, admiring the soft hues of pastel blue and pink indicating a glorious sunrise. Cherubs danced around the edge of the mural on fluffy cotton-candy clouds while playing lyres. The soft, rhythmic wheeze coming from my right made me smile. Affection bloomed in my core when I rolled to my right side. Neil slept peacefully with a thin sheet draped over his muscled torso, hands sprawled on either side of him with his legs forming a crooked triangle. He seemed to sleep better in my bed. Maybe I can get some flying time in while he's sleeping, I thought. Moonlight spilled into the room from the balcony doors. It called to me.

How I longed to fly.

Once I kissed his temple, I slipped my legs over the edge of the bed and wandered toward the glass door. Night hovered over the gardens, soothing indigo interrupted by spheres of soft white light from the lampposts.

After a week of bonding with Neil, avoidance became a thing of the past. Cesar had visited nearly every day, inviting my cocky lion out to play hoops or throw a football in the field. Just watching Neil's face light up at the invitation was more than satisfying. It was something I had wanted to see ever since we'd escaped that dreadful science lab.

The nightmares persisted. Even while Neil spent the night. A mere mention of what happened to us made my skin crawl and my heart seize.

Yet every time it happened, Neil sidled right up to me, slid his arm around my waist, and nestled into my neck until the fit of panic passed. Dr. Windsor told me it would probably take a few months for the initial panic to wear off. And after that? Years for me to process the trauma.

I sighed. It was time to move forward. Though the Myrtles hadn't yet been located and the Gilberts were staying away, I knew better than to fool myself with dreams of neutrality. They would return. Eventually. And we had to be prepared for such a day. That was why it was important for me to move forward.

I unlocked the door as quietly as possible and stepped onto the balcony. A cool, dank breeze caressed me as I wandered to the stone railing. I slipped out of my nightgown, dropped my panties, and stood with my body exposed to the elements.

How long had it been since I had properly flown? Instinct had prompted my shift back at the test lab. After being forced to change so many times, my bones ached at the thought of shifting at all.

But I had to do it. I had to get back into the habit. Flying brought me joy-I refused to let them rob me of that satisfaction.

One glance over my shoulder told me Neil was still fast asleep. He wouldn't miss me if I flew off for an hour. The surrounding areas had been clear all week. Jermaine, Milton, and Tanner had made sure of that.

It was safe. I would be fine.

A few deep breaths calmed my restless heart. Though anxiety pinched my brows together, I managed to close my eyes and focus on my inner animal. Hoots resonated through me, reminding me of who I was, of what lay beneath the surface of my skin. Snow owls like me didn't scare easily. We were predators, guardians of the night, midnight stalkers who fed upon the prey scurrying around in the forest. This was my time. And I was about to reclaim it.

Seconds later, the shift commenced. Bones twisted and fractured, shrinking in a matter of milliseconds as a beak grew from my mouth and nose. My eyes grew wide. My neck elongated.

The world around me grew. But it was merely a trick of my size. It hadn't changed at all.

But I had changed plenty.

A few test flaps of my wings eased my anxiety. I hopped up to the edge of the balcony and observed the night with my heightened senses. No invasive tests were waiting for me. The sky was the limit. Clouds puffed overhead, lit aglow with milky strands of light from the moon.

Up there was where I belonged.

I launched from my perch and spread my wings, catching the breeze like I had so many times before. Freedom-that was what was waiting for me ahead. Sweet liberation was brought about by a simple choice.

Dr. Windsor had encouraged my return to the air. I had resisted heatedly, citing the fact that I was unable to reconcile the pain of being forced to shift. While shifting between human and animal states was generally uncomfortable, many of us got used to the feeling over the years.

It was a familiar pang like that of hunger or thirst, a mere side effect that could easily be ignored.

But forced shifts were remarkably unbearable.

No doctor would induce pain on purpose. Not even for tests. Myrtle had done so under the direction of Raymond-which meant Raymond was up to something particularly sinister.

What the hell was it?

The beach came into view, foamy waves crashing in the shadows below. Murky darkness shrouded the thick trees beyond the tree line, but I could see through the cloudy darkness like any nighttime predator.

And what I saw was a handful of stones coming my way.

I screeched as I veered right. Something sharp pelted my belly and sent me spiraling toward the ocean. The sounds of the waves breaking on the shore blotted out the horrifying cry I released-and I was nowhere near my mate.

I should have told him I was going out, I thought as I crashed through the surface of the water.

A rough undercurrent sucked me out toward the vast stretch of ocean.

I wiggled around to fight the water, bubbles sprouting up around me and tickling my feathers, weighing me down the more I struggled.

But I managed to break the surface of the water in time to breathe.

Who the hell had knocked me out of the air?

Those stones hadn't been meant to kill me. They were shot at me to get me injured. Which meant whoever had shot me down wanted me alive.

Fear shrouded my instincts.

No, don't get distracted, Gwenny. Head to the shore!

That voice...didn't belong to me.

Where did it come from if it wasn't mine?

Great, gaping jaws broke the water behind me. It sent me flapping toward the shore, skipping over the water now that I wasn't trapped under the roiling waves. I skittered forward as fast as my wings would carry me, a soreness haunting my limbs as the water crashed behind me again and again.

Sweet land came under my feet. I trotted up the beach while shaking my feathers. My little heart rattled in my chest as I flipped around to see what the hell had tried to eat me from the ocean.

It was a shark, a great white shark. One with glassy black eyes that peered at me over the waves. Rows of sharp triangular teeth gleamed in the moonlight. Its snout was wider than a typical great white-which meant it wasn't a natural shark. It was a shifter. Get down, snow!

Now that was a voice I recognized bouncing around in my head.

A growl shattered the air over the sound of waves crashing, heralding the arrival of a massive cat.

More specifically, it was a lion.

It was Neil.

He stood proudly next to me while snarling at the tree line. A couple of strange, warped creatures stepped out of the woods, beasts that each had the wings and head of an eagle and the body of a lion.

Their eyes glowed with a sheen of yellow, unnatural and piercing through such thick darkness. Even for creatures with such heightened senses like Neil and myself, that sort of glow didn't occur naturally. It must have been artificially produced.

Which meant these awful creatures had been birthed by Dr. Myrtle.

"My babies are beautiful, aren't they?"

Speak of the devil, I thought viciously. We thought he disappeared with the Gilberts.

Neil nudged me gently with his shoulder. Never assume the enemy isn't nearby at all times.

I glanced up at him. So, you can hear my thoughts?

He didn't look at me, keeping his eyes steady on our enemies from the land. Only right now. Don't worry, snow. Your thoughts are safe when you're in your human form.

Well, that was nifty, wasn't it? I didn't have to make that hard of an effort to communicate with Neil if he could hear and sense my thoughts.

Was that normal for unbitten mates?

"They're so useful," Dr. Myrtle continued as he walked toward us with a casual gait. "Samuel has finally recovered from his modifications. He'll soon lead us to victory. The throne will belong to the Gilberts-as it should have from the beginning."

It didn't make sense. I wanted to transform so I could ask, but Neil gave off the kind of energy that warned me against such a thing. My belly was the only thing affected by those stones meaning my wings were perfectly fine to take off.

But that would mean leaving Neil behind.

Which wasn't an option.

I spread my wings wide in a warning. Dr. Myrtle laughed as Neil released a throaty growl. Hearing such a sound come from Neil as he stepped in front of me made my heart swell. It healed the soreness in my gut. It made me want to launch toward that ugly doctor and his warped experiments so I could peck their eyes out.

My heart started to beat faster than usual. Was this how it felt to want to protect someone?

"Don't worry. We're not going to kill you," the evil doctor assured. "We want you alive. And don't even think about trying to swim."

Awareness of the predator behind us made my back tingle.

"He's mine, too," Dr. Myrtle admitted. "Those sharks are tricky to control. But once you trap their families in brick rooms, they get to be pretty easy to reason with."

He's a monster, I told Neil. My heart broke as I projected the words. He's going to kill us. You know that, right?

Yes, snow, Neil replied. I know he's going to kill us. He crouched in a position to prepare for battle. Which is why I'm going to tear them apart.

Roars cut through the air as the griffins sprinted at us. Dr. Myrtle raised his arms in the air as he bellowed with laughter. The waves behind us seemed to crash louder as we flew into action, practically playing chicken with the oncoming threat. Neil took the one on the left and I took the one on the right-going right for its eyes.

The creature squawked and flapped its wings. It stumbled back while turning its head, having the neck capabilities of an eagle while harboring the strength of a lion. Only a few opportunities would arise to defeat my foe. Which meant I had to deal as much damage as I could to make sure we got away.

More laughter haunted the surrounding area. Hearing that dreadful sound made me ache from within. Fear fueled my movements as I went to peck the griffin's eyes again, attempting to get the eyeballs right out of its skull. But one hefty swipe from its massive paw sent me flying backward.

Neil shouted in our mind connection as the griffin trotted up and raised its paw over my body. It was going to smash me right into the sand. I was helpless to its attack with my right wing twisted beneath me. Nothing could stop this creature. Not even Neil would be able to interfere in time.

As I waited for the paw to make impact, I heard a series of barks. Sand exploded around me while a scuffle ensued. Wolves pounced on the griffin as Dr. Myrtle shouted angrily. The other griffin hovered over Neil with a menacing glare as it parted its beak, revealing three rows of sharpened teeth.

A bear T-boned the griffin, sending it tripping over its own paws toward the ocean. Whatever shark had been lingering nearby was gone now. I couldn't see its tail fin poking up through the surface of the waves anymore. Growls and barks and squawks penetrated my senses as I felt something lick my back.

I glowered at Neil. Don't.

You liked it so much in the pantry, he teased. I'm kidding, snow. I just wanted to make sure you're alive.

The hint of hurt in his voice nearly broke my heart. He gently nudged me into his mouth and lightly carried me to safety as Jermaine, Tanner, and Blake fought off the two griffins-without Dr. Myrtle around to see the result of the battle.

But Neil and I were more than confident that our alpha and his team would defeat the griffins. Either that or the experiments would run off into the forest with their tails tucked between their legs. Victory would be ours.

For the night.

Pain shot through my right wing, making me cry out as Neil hopped over fallen logs and jogged along a predetermined path he had carved in his mind. Even as my senses were stolen by my injuries, I could feel his plan. It was hardly a prediction and more of a state of existence-almost like I was the one planning our trip back to the mansion.

But I was in too much pain to really think about why it was happening between us.

I'm so sorry, I told Neil. I shouldn't have flown without telling you.

I'm sorry I couldn't protect you better, he replied. I'm sorry, snow. I failed you.

He had no idea how far that was from the truth, did he?