Autumn's War (The Spirit Shifters Book 4) by Marissa Farrar Page B
Authors: Marissa Farrar
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fully human again, and so he’d just done it?”
Mia bit her lower lip, and nodded. “Okay, you’re right. I’d be furious.”
Autumn relaxed inside. She didn’t want to turn her friend at all. At least now she’d bought herself a bit more time. She’d just have to hope that when Peter came back, he was completely against the idea and able to change her mind.
“What now?” she asked Lakota. “Do we keep moving?”
He shook his head. “We should get some rest. It’s going to be getting dark soon. And you look exhausted. You need some sleep.”
Mia reached out and rubbed Autumn’s arm. “Are you feeling okay? I’m so sorry. I’ve only been thinking about myself. I never thought about how you were doing.”
Autumn gave a half smile. “I’m okay. Lakota’s right, though. I could do with some sleep.”
“Take the couch,” the older man said. “The rest of us will make ourselves comfortable on the chairs.”
“What about Chogan and the others?” she asked. “Will they be able to find us here?”
“They’ve traveled hours past where we are now. They still need to search the area where Chogan left Blake, and then start heading back to us. At first light, we’ll get back onto the freeway. They’ll find us there.” He glanced out of the floor-to-ceiling windows, at the huge animals prowling between the bikes and vehicles, the people who sat within them showing no sign of fear at the enormous beasts. “We’re a bit hard to miss,” added Lakota.
It was true. It looked like some kind of freakish safari park out there.
“Okay,” she relented. She was too tired to argue about others being more needful of the couch. All she wanted to do was curl up and close her eyes, and try to forget this crazy world existed for a few hours.
With nothing else she could do, she took herself off to the couch and lay curled up on her side, with her back to the madness she’d at least in part been responsible for creating. She let out a deep sigh and some of the tension in her body ebbed away.
Seconds after closing her eyes, Autumn slept.
Chapter Eight
LEAVING THE BIKES and progressing on foot, Chogan, Peter, Nadie, and Sahale followed the route Chogan had taken when he had been chased by the soldiers a couple of days earlier. When he’d been running with Blake on his shoulders, the time had simultaneously gone quickly while he’d felt every step. Retracing the route made him realize what a huge distance he’d managed to travel, especially carrying someone the size of Blake.
The shifters sent their animal guides ahead as far as they could while still maintaining contact.
Finally, Chogan put out a hand to halt the others. His wolf had gotten far enough to catch a scent of human movement and the chemical tang of oil from a number of large vehicles. Even though he and the other shifters kept at the cabin had escaped, it didn’t appear as though the army had given up on this particular area as a compound.
He didn’t want to get too close, not wanting to risk getting either himself or his companions in trouble. He’d learned his lesson about taking too many risks, and he didn’t intend on repeating his mistakes.
Instead, he focused in on his wolf, sending him, with his nose to the ground, toward the clearing the group had run across, where he’d found Blake shot in the center, and toward the clump of bushes where he’d left Tala. As he’d expected, there was no sign of his cousin. His wolf picked up her faint, strange scent—part human, part bird. With it was mixed the smell of several men. But one thing he didn’t pick up on was the distinctive aroma of death, as he had with Blake. He didn’t know if Blake was alive or dead now, but he was sure Tala was still alive, and wherever they’d taken Tala, they’d also taken Blake.
He called his wolf back to him, and sensed the other shifters do the same for their guides. They needed to get away from here.
Together, they retreated, heading
Mia bit her lower lip, and nodded. “Okay, you’re right. I’d be furious.”
Autumn relaxed inside. She didn’t want to turn her friend at all. At least now she’d bought herself a bit more time. She’d just have to hope that when Peter came back, he was completely against the idea and able to change her mind.
“What now?” she asked Lakota. “Do we keep moving?”
He shook his head. “We should get some rest. It’s going to be getting dark soon. And you look exhausted. You need some sleep.”
Mia reached out and rubbed Autumn’s arm. “Are you feeling okay? I’m so sorry. I’ve only been thinking about myself. I never thought about how you were doing.”
Autumn gave a half smile. “I’m okay. Lakota’s right, though. I could do with some sleep.”
“Take the couch,” the older man said. “The rest of us will make ourselves comfortable on the chairs.”
“What about Chogan and the others?” she asked. “Will they be able to find us here?”
“They’ve traveled hours past where we are now. They still need to search the area where Chogan left Blake, and then start heading back to us. At first light, we’ll get back onto the freeway. They’ll find us there.” He glanced out of the floor-to-ceiling windows, at the huge animals prowling between the bikes and vehicles, the people who sat within them showing no sign of fear at the enormous beasts. “We’re a bit hard to miss,” added Lakota.
It was true. It looked like some kind of freakish safari park out there.
“Okay,” she relented. She was too tired to argue about others being more needful of the couch. All she wanted to do was curl up and close her eyes, and try to forget this crazy world existed for a few hours.
With nothing else she could do, she took herself off to the couch and lay curled up on her side, with her back to the madness she’d at least in part been responsible for creating. She let out a deep sigh and some of the tension in her body ebbed away.
Seconds after closing her eyes, Autumn slept.
Chapter Eight
LEAVING THE BIKES and progressing on foot, Chogan, Peter, Nadie, and Sahale followed the route Chogan had taken when he had been chased by the soldiers a couple of days earlier. When he’d been running with Blake on his shoulders, the time had simultaneously gone quickly while he’d felt every step. Retracing the route made him realize what a huge distance he’d managed to travel, especially carrying someone the size of Blake.
The shifters sent their animal guides ahead as far as they could while still maintaining contact.
Finally, Chogan put out a hand to halt the others. His wolf had gotten far enough to catch a scent of human movement and the chemical tang of oil from a number of large vehicles. Even though he and the other shifters kept at the cabin had escaped, it didn’t appear as though the army had given up on this particular area as a compound.
He didn’t want to get too close, not wanting to risk getting either himself or his companions in trouble. He’d learned his lesson about taking too many risks, and he didn’t intend on repeating his mistakes.
Instead, he focused in on his wolf, sending him, with his nose to the ground, toward the clearing the group had run across, where he’d found Blake shot in the center, and toward the clump of bushes where he’d left Tala. As he’d expected, there was no sign of his cousin. His wolf picked up her faint, strange scent—part human, part bird. With it was mixed the smell of several men. But one thing he didn’t pick up on was the distinctive aroma of death, as he had with Blake. He didn’t know if Blake was alive or dead now, but he was sure Tala was still alive, and wherever they’d taken Tala, they’d also taken Blake.
He called his wolf back to him, and sensed the other shifters do the same for their guides. They needed to get away from here.
Together, they retreated, heading
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