Page 35 of No Honor Amongst Shifters
He didn’t know where to start.Alcott’s body was massive, and while Roslin wanted to be close to his head so he could reassure him that he’d be all right, he needed to do something about the wound that had torn Alcott’s side.
It was bleeding heavily.Roslin pressed both of his hands against it even though he knew it wouldn’t help.He wasn’t a mage, so he couldn’t help Alcott.His ghosts wouldn’t be able to do anything about this.
“Shift back,” he ordered Alcott, hoping that Alcott was awake enough to hear him.His wound wouldn’t heal if he shifted, but it would be more manageable.
Alcott shuddered.For a moment, that was all that happened, and Roslin pressed his hands harder against the wound.His fingers were slick with blood, and the smell of copper was heavy in the air, making him fight the urge to gag.He could feel pebbles digging into his knees, and he was terrified that someone would attack him from behind while he was focusing on Alcott.He was still feeding his power to the ghosts, but no matter how much he trusted them, they were cockatrice shifters.Their loyalty wasn’t to Alcott and Roslin.It was to their clan.
A clan Roslin and his people were attacking.
Alcott’s body shuddered.He started shrinking, and Roslin had to resist the urge to cry.Alcott had heard him.He was shifting back.
Alcott was panting and shivering by the time he was back in his human form.There was a wide gash in the shirt he was wearing, and Roslin had to push it aside to see the wound better.It was less impressive now that Alcott was in his human form, even though it was still bleeding and no doubt hurt like hell.
Every psychic had been equipped with a first aid kit.Roslin scrambled to take it out, dumping its contents on the ground as he looked for gauze.He tore the packets open and pressed the gauze against Alcott’s skin, causing him to cry out.That didn’t stop Roslin.He needed to take care of Alcott.
“I’m fine,” Alcott said.
“You don’t look fine.You’re bleeding.”
“Yeah, I noticed.I don’t know what that mage did, but I’m lucky my dragon skin is thick.”
Alcott was talking clearly.He was obviously in pain from the strain in his voice, but he sounded strong, which gave Roslin hope.He just needed the wound to stop bleeding.He didn’t think Alcott would go back to fighting anytime soon, but he wouldn’t have to.There were plenty of people fighting around them.
Including Elijah.He’d paused when Alcott had been wounded, but he hadn’t had the opportunity to check in on him.He was too busy fighting a cockatrice.
“How is he?”Gunther asked, appearing next to them.
There was a long gash down his cheek, and his hair was plastered to his forehead.The gash was bleeding sluggishly, so Roslin held out a gauze.Gunther took it and pressed it against his face, but his attention was on Alcott.
“I’ll be fine.It’s just a scratch,” Alcott tried to convince them.
“It’s a bit more than a scratch, but hewillbe fine,” Roslin agreed.He wasn’t a doctor, but now that Alcott was in his human form, he was pretty sure that the cut wasn’t deep enough to kill him.
“I can check him.”
“Or you can focus on Elijah.”
Gunther hesitated.“I don’t think I can.”
Roslin understood.Gunther was afraid to watch in case something happened to Elijah.He needed something to distract him.
“Why don’t you help me finish wrapping the wound?”he offered.He released the ghosts from his power, relieved that he and Alcott now had someone to watch their back.
Gunther dropped to his knees next to him and went to work.Roslin hadn’t needed help, which meant there wasn’t much for him to do.He didn’t want anything to happen to Elijah, either, but he didn’t have the same strong emotions about the fight that was happening feet away from them, so he turned to look.
Elijah’s dragon form was impressive.He was a big man in his human form, but in his dragon form, he was massive.The cockatrice fighting him didn’t stand a chance, but that didn’t stop them.They kept coming at Elijah, biting and scratching him where they could.They were a lot faster, and Roslin hoped that wouldn’t be enough for them to win this fight.
Something touched Roslin’s hand.He glanced down to see that Alcott was trying to link their fingers together, so he flipped his hand, gripping Alcott’s before turning back to the fight.
The cockatrice darted under Elijah’s front.Elijah reared back, opening his wings to keep his balance.Elijah grunted loudly and jerked back.Even though the night was dark, they were close enough to the houses surrounding them that their lights illuminated the scene.Roslin didn’t have a shifter’s vision, especially in the darkness, but even he saw the blood staining Elijah’s chest.
Roslin squeezed Alcott’s hand harder and swallowed.They couldn’t afford to lose Elijah.He was their leader.He was the one who gave them strength and guidance.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true.He’d been listening to Misha’s voice in his earbud since they’d entered cockatrice territory.It was easy to ignore him when there was so much to focus on, but without him, everyone would be lost.He wasn’t the clan leader, though.Elijah was, and he needed to survive this fight.
The cockatrice was still trying to get to Elijah’s throat.Elijah raised a front leg and hit them, sending them flying back.The cockatrice managed to keep upright and dug their claws into the ground, sliding but not going as far as Elijah had probably hoped they would.
They ran back at Elijah right away.They were fast and tried to slide under Elijah’s body again, but Elijah used his wing to slap them away.The cockatrice lost their balance and stumbled back.Unlike dragons, they didn’t have four legs and two wings.Their wings were part of their arms, and Roslin suspected it meant that they were better at fighting in the air than they were on the ground.
