The Mercer Pack Series

Chapter Twenty-Two

'Shit! Shit! Shit!'

Curses filled my brain as rushed through the woods pain shooting through my bad leg with every step. Staggering against the nearest tree, I throw my hand forward to grip the front of Newtons shirt.

"I need you to keep running, don't look back and whatever you do you will get home." The urgency against my voice followed by the usual popping as bones moved under matching freckled skin. The soft whirling of gears makes a soft smile grace my face as he nods. Releasing him, I push him a bit as he turns and runs.

'Time to put these parts to the test.'

***

Not daring to look back, Lilith knows what's she doing. She has to, she wouldn't have suggested it otherwise. The hysteric screaming that rip through the air sending a chill down my spine as a familiar fence comes into view.

'Ma had put these in after my first turn. Had bolted from the house and only got lucky when Derek's Mother found me.'

The memory of a crying half-shifted kid scared out of there mind keeps my other thoughts at bay as my fingers dug above the fences. Yanking my body up and over onto the familiar ground of moss and fallen leaves. But what followed warped my senses as smoke bellowed high into the air, as though being pulled I rush off towards the blazing inferno that for a good portion of my life was my home.

"MA!!" I shout, dropping the bag as a familiar figure lay unmoved on the ground before the flames. Dropping down, I turn them to only come face to face with my aunt her eyes closed, one a swollen deep blue as bruises litters her skin. Through the smoke it was already hard enough to get her scent, nothing but burning memories as I stand.

'This is going to be beyond stupid but-'

Cutting the thought off my shoes push off the ground and into the inferno the flames licking at my clothes as muffled shouts through my ringing ears. Looking about, the smoke digs into my nostrils as my eyes scan each room as quickly as my mind could register. But with every second the moving anger that begun to anchor dug like hooks into me.

"NEWTON!!"

'She's not here! She's not here! Where is she!?'

Tears come turning into vapor before they could ever fall, fingers yank my face from my ma's room. Obsidian's cloaked in the flames, worry dripping from them.

'Derek?'

"She's not here..." The words fall as his eyes move from me to the flames around us. "Ma's not here." Derek nods slowly ushering me through the house.

"We'll find her puppy. But we can't if our lungs are filled with smoke and dead." Nodding slowly, searing pain rushes against my arm. Catching my foot, I look back to see the soft glare through the window. The flames nearly hiding them till then.

"Fuck." I bite down as the curse fell, grabbing Derek's arm and pushing him as another shot rang through the air. "How long?" I mumble the question going unanswered as Derek moves across the room we stepped into. Prying the window open another shot and a familiar hiss hits my ears. "Derek?!"

"I'm good, I'm good. Fuck they got good aim." He curses drawing away from the window his palm over the soft stream of blood that dripped to the floor. "Why the hell are they going after us and not those that are out front? Oh-" He turns to me jabbing a finger into my chest. "Your Aunt said to tell you the next time you want to go full insane to let her go in first. Going to beat your ass with a shoe when we get out of here."

His words are muffled as my eyes laid glued to the crimson dripping from his arm, the welling feeling of anger digging like fangs into my chest.

"Hey. Hey!"

***

'Fuck.'

Watching Newtons bones pop and move out of place is something I wish I hadn't seen as he hasn't registered the shifting against his wheeling thoughts. His eyes a soft golden hue as they have barely moved from the wound. Moving to grab the side of his face the bones under my palm shift.

"Newton, breath, calm down okay. I'm all good. Doesn't hurt to bad okay." Those golden hues barely leave the wound as my words hung loosely in the heated air.

'Guys! Guys over here!'

Harriet's soft voice breaks the crackling over Newtons' shoulders. Looking behind him she all but floats in place waving her arms about in her own way to get our attention.

'Over here! Come on we don't got time for this!'

She continues to shout; I move a bit from Newton his eyes never leaving mine as he follows without a word his body shifting with every step. Finally looking away a cold hand grips my injured shoulder. Pulling away just as fast as soft apologize rang within my thoughts.

"Lead the way." Fur meets my hand and for a second it kind of makes me jump. But I don't take my eyes off Harriet, even though the smoke she shines like a beacon. One after another shot rang out, digging through the blackening walls in some vain attempt to find its mark.

Soft curses fall from my lips as the roof above finally gave way, descending onto the stairs and blocking the safer way the front door barely in view through the smoke.

'This way. Keep your head down.'

Teeth tugged at my side as my left hand moved from the wound to the collar of my shirt lifting it to cover my face as we step down the hall, across the way we came as another shot rang out. The wood split before me making my heart lurch as my legs give out. Falling back against singeing fur.

"Fuck, sorry sweetheart." A soft whimper hits me. "When we get out of here, we are so dive bombing the lake across from my house." I mumble, pushing off him but keeping a tight grip against his shoulder.

We have barely moved when my eyes draw from him to the window that lays open. Harriet floating outside of it with a show of her arms.

"Oh no! Oh no we are not going to do this." Newton seems to get the idea as he ushers me with his nose. "No, we are not, turn your fuzzy ass around we are going to try jumping to the lower level." The idea may have been dumb at this point. Shaking his head, he whimpers as his usual deep brown fur begun to look black. Groaning I throw my leg over his body straddling his back. "You better love me."

As those words fall Newton lurches forward barreling through the window. The cold air digging against our once heat covered nerves fingers tight as he runs against the ground for a good second before coming to a stop.

"Holy shit." Keeping my head against his back my heart is beating painfully against my chest as a familiar voice reaches us, a hand landing on my shoulder and making me cringe back. "Ouch!" Looking to the owner of the hand my father is eyeing the wound for a second before storming off towards Lilith. "Dad! Calm down. Dad!" I shout after him, stopping when Mother stopped me.

"Don't. I've never seen him this mad before." With that, I turn my attention back to Newton who at this point has shifted his aunt holding under his jaw a shoe in one hand and her other yanking him.

"You. Are. In. So. Mush. Trouble!" With every word the shoes bounced against his head. Newton's eyes not ever once breaking as Mac stepped over, a gauze tight against his side.

"What happened to you?"

"Garrett's aunt or whatever and a shotgun." He mumbled, grabbing the scruff of Newton's neck and yanking him away without another word a soft hand against the small of my back ushers me through the woods. Leaving my father and Lilith with the hunter.

"This isn't going to end easy, is it?" I mumble and for a moment silence met my words.

"No. But for now, we need to prepare." Looking towards Ruth she limps passed us her tired eyes void as we make our way through the woods. Searing pain digging through my shoulder as I move. Newton and Mac had all but disappeared by this point.

'Where did those two run off too?'