Unpredictable Sirens (Supernatural Shifter Academy #4) - G. Bailey

Chapter 1

The worst part of having something taken away from you is the fact that now you know what you’re missing. It’s one thing to say you’ve never experienced something, because at least you haven’t known the joys of having it in your life. It’s another to be given something, something life-changing, and have it snatched away from you. It’s like having a piece of yourself gouged out with a knife, and nothing will ever fill the void that’s left behind.

Does it make me selfish that my first thoughts are of myself, and not of the people who surround me? Maybe. But the pain is as poignant as it is all-encompassing, and there’s no avoiding the immediate sense of wrongness that I feel as I desperately grope for my powers, only to come up empty.

“Boots?” Landon’s voice sounds like it’s coming from far away, although that could be as much due to the fact that I’m barely staying conscious as it is to the fact that my world seems to be crumbling around me. “I don’t want to rush you, but…” I follow his gaze back to the Academy facility where, up until a few minutes ago, I was being tortured and drained -- and to the herd of oncoming agents charging toward us from the other side of the field.

I shake my head, my heart hammering in my chest. “Something’s wrong. I can’t—my powers, they’re not…”

“Shit.” That’s Shade, and I can see he’s already getting into a fighting stance on my other side. “What the fuck did they do to you?”

“I don’t know,” I wail. I’ve never felt this helpless in my entire life. “You guys have to go. Get out of here while you still can. I’m just going to slow you down.”

“Like hell,” Hunter snaps. “We’re not letting you out of our sight again, Boots.”

“Looks like we’re going to have to fight,” Silas says, squaring his shoulders. “Millie, get behind me.”

I swallow and nod, allowing the guys to form a protective wall in front of me. I’m still digging in vain for the shifter magic that has by now become so familiar, but it’s no use. That comforting coolness in the pit of my stomach is nowhere to be found. Not even a whisper remains. It’s like it was never there in the first place.

I can feel a lump forming in my throat as I watch the oncoming herd of guards—some humans, but some no doubt shifters—continue their relentless approach. Is it possible that Hawthorne managed to completely drain my powers? I don’t want to think about the possibility, but…

A gust of wind makes my attention snap back to the present, just in time to see Silas, now in dragon form, flap his mighty wings. A burst of fire escapes his jaws, but he doesn’t aim for the oncoming agents, instead lighting up a trail on the ground in front of us. The dry grass immediately goes up in flames, creating a wall of fire that instantly begins to spread into a fully fledged blaze. Just in time, too; the Academy soldiers come skidding to a stop on the other side, watching us with barely masked hatred on their faces.

“Come on!” Hunter shouts, already back in vampire form. “Boots—”

I don’t need to be told twice, and I allow him to sweep me back up into his supernaturally strong arms. Carrying me bridal style, he backs up from the onslaught, his fangs bared and his eyes blazing red. Shade and Landon have transformed as well, I see, but hang back on our side of the wildfire for a moment before turning and sprinting away. Silas, Hunter, and I follow suit, my consciousness already beginning to waver in the face of the overwhelming heat from the fire.

I give up on finding my powers and focus on staying awake; the least I can do is not become dead weight. A glance over Hunter’s shoulder shows me that several of the agents have stopped, but my heart sinks when I see two of them transforming—into dragons. Because of fucking course they would happen to be fireproof. One yellow and one orange, their scales glistening in the light of the flames, race forward on their massive legs, unaffected as they charge through the fire barrier.

One of them locks its jaws around Silas’ mouth, restraining him from breathing fire, while the other shoots across the field towards Hunter, no doubt trying to avoid a repeat of the kill inside the facility. Hunter takes a