Page 86 of Fastlander Phoenix

Timber’s skin tingled with the urge to fall into her other form, but she was scared of it. She’d been the bear, and she had killed the Kendra-lion, and had no control. She’d killed her. Killed her.Killed.

She cut a line toward the trees, away from the cars that were filtering into the trailer park, and the people flooding from those cars.

There were so many popping out from the SUVs, peeling off their shirts, Changing. Lions, boars, bears, wolves. The Holland Pride had secured reinforcements, and God, what boldness they possessed to step foot onto Gunner’s land. She couldn’t be in this war if she tried. She was too new, and didn’t know all of the shifters in Damon’s Mountains. She wouldn’t know who was friend or foe, but she could be of service to Wreck and the people he did care about. She could find Ruger.

A man ran out of the woods straight for her, and she reared back to punch him, but Riyah slid the handle of a knife into her hand, and on instinct, Timber sliced the blade against the shifter’s throat and drove her shoulder into his, blasting him backward. She sailed through the air, landed on him, and slashed the blade down three times—faster than she could even register that her brain had encouraged her arm to do that.

Gasping for breath, she sat atop the man, staring down in horror at what she’d done.

“Oh my God,” she uttered, dropping the blood-soaked blade as she scrambled off him.

“No time,” Riyah clipped out, picking up the blade. “That’s natural instinct now. Not your fault. He shouldn’t be in your territory.”

Riyah walked straight for the woods with purpose. Hallie was behind them.

Bang, bang, bang!

Timber ducked at the deafening sound of the gunshots, but it was Hallie defending them from the back.

“I hope those are silver bullets!” Riyah yelled out without even turning around.

“They are,” Hallie assured her as she turned and jogged to catch up. “I have extra clips in my bag.” She had a hand placed protectively over her belly, and she looked scared. “I don’t like leaving Gunner.”

“Wreck’s got him,” Timber said low, believing her words.

“Wreck doesn’t even like him.”

“Trust me, Hallie. Wreck’s got him.”

Hallie ran to catch up as they hit a thin deer trail in the woods. “Ruger!”

Riyah was fast and up ahead, and she was pulling away. “Ruger!” she yelled. “Hallie, I can’t find his scent. What did Lucia see? Where was the moon positioned? Did she have a direction?”

“She just saw Ruger running scared, and a lioness following closely behind him. We think it’s his mother, Sloane. She didn’t say a direction.”

“Sloane would aim him downhill. Uphill is too hard for him to climb. Ruger!” Timber called, determination filling her blood. Behind them was the sound of war, and it was getting louder. The roaring of the bears was filling the woods. This place would be haunted after tonight. She didn’t like the image Halliehad put into her mind. Ruger was scared in Lucia’s vision, and she couldn’t stand it.

Something blurred through the trees in the woods to her right, and Hallie yelled, “Stop!”

Timber turned in time to see an enormous lion sailing through the air at her. She didn’t know what happened next. She was human and yelling for Ruger, and then she wasn’t. A searing pain washed through her, and then she was slamming the lion against a tree and ripping his throat out.

Stunned, she backed off and looked behind her to see Hallie standing there, chest heaving with her breath, eyes full of fear, gun limp in her hand. She dragged her gaze from the lion to Timber. “Thank you.”

Up the trail, there was an enormous white bear with glowing blue eyes and its teeth bared. It was the biggest land animal she’d ever seen. Riyah?

Timber looked down at herself, and her paws were bright-white against the earth. Her black claws were curved and razor-sharp.

This was her.

This was her now.

Riyah was her Maker, and Timber was a polar bear.

This is what dwelled inside of her. God, she couldn’t believe any of this.

Awhooshingsound rattled the world, and she hunched as she watched the rocket of lava launch into the sky. Wreck.

From the east, a dragon blew fire at the earth. The flames highlighted a terrifying red dragon’s face, with spikes and scales and long horns extending from the back of its head.

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