“What?” I eyed them suspiciously and heard the defensive tone in my voice.
“You really like this girl, don’t you?”
Of the two brothers, Otto was the instigator. He didn’t mind confrontation, whereas Leo preferred to be behind the scenes and let people live their lives in whatever ways they wished. I still respected Otto, but if I had to choose a favorite, it would be Leo.
“Yeah? So?” I scoffed as if it wasn’t a big deal, but internally, my heart was pounding. They weren’t wrong. My feelings for Sophia were dangerously escalating.
“You’re a good guy,” Leo said and gave me a reverent nod. “I admire your courage. You’ve always been a fighter for what you believe in. You’re the type to conquer the world and grab it by the balls.”
I stared at him. “Thanks, I guess.”
“Don’t listen to this sad sap.” Leo playfully shoved at his brother’s shoulder. “He’s just jealous because he has no one to call his own.”
“That’s not true.” Otto gave Leo a sour frown. “And that’s very hurtful.”
Leo rolled his eyes playfully. “You know I’m just kidding with you, brother.”
I rubbed my temples and took a deep breath. “Let’s cut to the chase,” I said, growing fatigued from their back-and-forth banter. “Are we going to be able to safely get to this rebellion base?”
“As long as we’re careful and don’t make any mistakes,” Leo said.
“Easier said than done.” Otto let out a laugh that sounded more like a scoff.
“Well, we certainly can’t stay here,” Leo countered abrasively.
“This camp…” I began. “Is it made up entirely of shifters?”
“Mainly.” Leo and Otto answered in unison with a nod. “A few like us.”
“And the humans…share your beliefs…right?” I asked guardedly.
I had to make sure I knew everything about this rebellion base before we decided to enter it. Once that happened, it would be too late to change our minds. Being suspicious had its benefits this day in age.
I hoped it wouldn’t come to a massive war between the humans and the shifters outside of the Masters and their guards, but I was finding out the hard way that you could never expect anything in life to go right.
It was important to always remain prepared to face any kind of challenge that popped up and view anyone you didn’t know as a threat.
I heard footsteps behind me. I craned my neck and noticed Sophia walking in with a vibrantly refreshed-looking Cameron and Blaze in tow.
“Hey guys,” she said. Her smile could brighten even the darkest corners of this cave.
“How did you sleep?” I asked and cupped my hand over her shoulder as she sat down next to me.
Sophia yawned and stretched and let out a contented soft sigh. “Not as bad as I had expected.” She chuckled. “But I didn’t sleep for very long.” She locked eyes with me. “I’m a little anxious, to tell you the truth.”
I rubbed her back consolingly. “You don’t need to waste your energy on worrying. We are taking care of things.”
“We were just discussing the details of the rebellion camp,” Leo said with a professional demeanor.
“Good.” Sophia matched his composed smile with one of her own. “We’re ready to go whenever you are.”
“That’s it?” Cameron seemed hesitant. He frowned. “We don’t even know where it is.”
“It’s on the other side of the river,” Otto said flatly.
I shot him a dagger look to counter his brazen demeanor. He wasn’t very good at considering other people’s emotions and reactions.
“Oh,” he said and immediately shifted his weight and cleared his throat to recover from his mistake. “We can go around it.”
Sophia’s shoulders visibly relaxed and her pupils stopped dilating with dread. “Well, that’s a relief.”
“We want this to be as safe a trip as we possibly can make it,” I said and stroked her hair tenderly while whispering softly in her ear. “We wouldn’t be even be trying if we didn’t think we were guaranteed to arrive without incident.”
Sophia glanced down at her knees and nodded. “Well, I know we can’t live in the caves forever…”
Her eyes danced with humor.
“We can trust this rebellion camp,” Leo said. He didn’t blink. He was serious, and he wanted to get his point across.
“We should probably leave at night,” Blaze mentioned.
There was silence around the circle while everyone pondered how to go about this in the best way.
“I agree,” I said, after mulling over the options. “Going out in open daylight might be risky. We don’t know how many master guards are roaming around out there just waiting for an opportunity to snatch up some runaway shifters and bring them back to their masters.”
“Yeah,” Blaze said, animosity in his tone. “You know they’ll be hoping for a reward too.”
“The more they bring back, the better the reward…” Sophia trailed off in a whisper.
“We aren’t shifters,” Otto said and pointed to himself and Leo. “So, if anything, traveling with us is probably better than being out there alone.”
“That’s a good point.” James nodded agreeably.
I still had tingles of reluctance fluttering through my stomach, but I knew that we had to bite the bullet and make the trek eventually. We might as well get it over with, like ripping off a metaphorical Band-Aid. The sting wouldn’t linger forever.
“How many shifters are there?” Blaze asked.
Leo and Otto glanced at each other as if expecting the other to answer the question.
“It’s difficult to say, but the number is probably substantial,” Leo said.
“Enough to take down a round of Master guards if they attempt to infiltrate the camp?” James asked with raised eyebrows.
“Indeed.” Leo appeared confident.
“I think we should do it, even if it takes longer to go around the river,” I said.
“We don’t have to go around the river just for me,” Sophia said. She flicked a sheepish glance at me. “We can go through it if it’s easier and will take less time.”
“No.” I shook my head adamantly. “You’ve already been through too much.”
“I agree,” Blaze said and gave me a brotherly nod. It was nice to have him back me up.
“On the way, we can talk tactics and prepare for the future. We don’t really know what’s out there.”
He looked at the entrance to the caves as if he didn’t trust the world outside these walls.
“We need to leave before I have to shift again,” Cameron said, adding his two cents and looking around the group as if hoping for approval.
“Absolutely,” Blaze said. “We wouldn’t leave you behind. Not now, not ever.”
“The more shifters we have, the better our chances become of overthrowing the entire Master government,” I said.
“Isn’t that the whole point?” Otto asked.
“That’s the basis behind all these rebellion raids,” James said. “The shifter colonies are growing in numbers. More and more of them are enlisting for the cause.”
“The one we plan to head toward is one of the biggest armies of shifters there is,” Otto said.
“Thank goodness you are one of the good ones,” I said.
Otto’s eyes flickered with recognition at my compliment. Not all humans were on the bad team, and we were in good company with two of the most honorable men I had ever met. It was a privilege to call them both friends, especially since I knew all along that Leo’s loyalty to my father and my family as a whole ran as deep as the river we were going to trek around later. He would have done anything for my father, and I knew that he wanted to honor my father’s memory by doing whatever it took to protect me too.
“We can leave at nightfall,” Cameron suggested and flicked his gaze around the group to assess agreement. “That way it will be dark, but it will still be early enough for me to f
ollow you and find out where the shifter camp is before I have to leave.”
I noticed Sophia gently squeezing his hand and smiling. I wanted her to look at me the same way. I would probably melt into a puddle. She was extremely gorgeous and pure at heart, too. She was everything I had ever wanted in a woman. She was the epitome of a female companion that any shifter would be lucky enough to have.
She was a precious gem, and we needed to protect her at all costs.
* * *
_______________________
* * *
Several hours later, we began to file out of the caves, embarking on a journey toward a future that was still a little murky. Nonetheless, we remained hopeful and unified as a group.
For a while, we trudged in silence, listening for ominous threats that might be lurking in the shadows. We had to be mindful of our surroundings, but thankfully there were enough of us that even a single snap, crack, or rustling leaf would not go unnoticed. We listened for the wrong kick of a pebble against the dirt. If something unfamiliar stirred out in the distance, we would be able to go into defensive mode in an instant.
My heart pounded nervously and a cold sweat caused my shirt to cling uncomfortably to my back. My muscles ached from being in such a tense physical state. I didn’t know what to expect. Anything could dart out from between the massive tree trunks scattered throughout the rugged landscape.
The glow of the moon wasn’t as shiny as normal, because it was partially hidden under the cloak of giant fir and cedar trees that seemed to stretch up to the heavens.
“How are you doing?” I looked at Sophia, who was trudging along at a snail’s pace beside me.
All of us were sort of crawling along, but she seemed to be dragging a little more than usual, and more than anyone else. She wasn’t holding us back, but I was worried about her wellbeing.
A sexy shadow cascaded across Sophia’s face. “Me?” She pointed to herself.
“Yeah,” I chuckled.
“Oh.” Sophia frowned and continued to look ahead. “I’m…great.”
I touched her shoulder. “That stump we just passed can lie better than you.”
Sophia delicately laughed. “Yeah. You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” I said.
She met my gaze and there was a combination of amusement and sadness drifting through her eyes.
“Don’t you wish it could just be…different?”
“Different?” I questioned.
“Yeah.” Sophia exhaled slowly.
“I’m not sure I follow what you mean.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I just wish that I could go back to that fateful night when I was a child, all tucked away and cozy in my house with my parents.”
“It seems like a million years ago, doesn’t it?” I asked.
Sophia met my gaze and nodded. We understood each other. We had chemistry because we had come from similar backgrounds.
“It does for me too,” I admitted.
“I hate being on the run,” she said.
“I know.” I felt the sourness of her mood in my own mind. “But just think of the bright side.”
Sophia let out an ironic chortle. “There’s a bright side to this? To being locked up in a Master’s castle for nearly our entire lives, only to go on the run from them when we finally manage to escape?”
“Well…yeah,” I said and gave her a chagrinned smile. “We wouldn’t have met if any of that other stuff hadn’t happened to us.”
It was like a light switch turning on inside of her mind. Her face glowed with elegance and grace. She was radiantly beautiful.
“You know what? You are so right about that.” She nodded as if the entire world made sense now. “Sometimes we just have to go through the hard parts to get to the parts where our blessings are sprinkled in. It’s just being able to recognize when fate calls out to you to pay attention that’s the hard part.”
I smiled, relieved that we were on the same emotional wavelength. “You are definitely a blessing in my life.”
She took my hand and squeezed it fondly. “Same to you.”
“Do you want to ride on my back for a while?” I offered.
Sophia looked me up and down as if sizing me up. “You would shift to carry me?”
“In a heartbeat,” I said.
She smiled. “Why did I expect anything less?”
I laughed. “I can do it.”
“Go ahead then.” Her smile was playful and maybe a little naughty. She made me excited from my head to my toes.
I told the others I was going to shift to hold Sophia so that it wouldn’t raise questions once I became a lion.
As soon as I was ready and Sophia climbed onto my back, I felt as if all my cards were falling into place. A new light illuminated our path. Sophia gently tugged at my mane and whispered in my ear.
“Thank you.” I heard every ounce of gratitude seeping through her voice and I was privileged to be the gentleman who came to her aid when she needed a helping hand. Or, in this case, four paws.
We kept hiking on, because we had to. We were going to persevere because that’s what we did. We didn’t know how to behave any other way. We were fighters and we could use our emotional scars to boost our strength and charge ahead for a cause that was bigger than ourselves.
8
Sophia
I had been riding on Ayden’s back for what had felt like an eternity, so I could only imagine what it must have been like for him. Surely, he had to be tired of carrying me this far into our excursion. I felt guilty for adding extra weight to his spine when I knew he must have been as stressed out and exhausted as we all were.
If I had nervous jitters and flutters of anxiety going through my belly, then I knew that everyone else probably had the same mixed feelings.
Sure, it was going to be nice to get to the rebellion camp and have other shifters to talk to and relate to, but at the same time, what if we weren’t welcomed with open arms the way that Leo and Otto insisted we would be?
I didn’t know them. I didn’t know how trustworthy they were. I couldn’t exactly base their proposal on merit, because I had no past experiences with the pair to go on. I tried to remind myself that as long as Ayden held trust in them, that should be enough for me.
I tugged on Ayden’s furry mane to get his attention, since I couldn’t technically converse with him while he was in his lion form.
He looked over his shoulder, peered at me through curious brown eyes, and blinked. He could understand me when I spoke to him, he just couldn’t speak back.
“I know you must be growing fatigued carrying me around,” I said apologetically. “I know I probably feel like a heavy sack of potatoes by now.” I let out a little chuckle.
Ayden shook his head and blinked again.
“I want to let you rest a while,” I said. “Let me walk. I will be fine. I promise.”
I glanced at Otto, who was keeping pace with us. Blaze and James were ahead of us by a few strides, and Cameron was in the back, making sure nothing and no one tried to attack us from behind.
“We will be at the shifter camp soon, right?” I asked Otto, turning to look at him.
He nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, ma’am. I’d say another half an hour or so.”
I glanced at Ayden. “See? I can walk for half an hour. That’s nothing compared to other grueling physical things I’ve had to do in my life.”
Ayden padded at the dirt with his paw and blew out a puff of air abruptly through his muzzle. Then he blinked at me again and nodded.
I smiled and carefully slid off his golden fur-clad back as judiciously as I could, with the assistance of Cameron, who had caught up to us once we stopped. He whistled for James and Blaze to halt while we made the transfer.
They turned around and nudged for Leo to stop. He was staring at the ground absentmindedly as if his mind was wandering off in its own little world.
Ayden shifted back to h
is human form and grinned at me.
“Sorry I made you hold me for so long,” I said.
He reached out and delicately traced the edge of my chin and stroked my cheek with his thumb.
“Are you kidding me? I would carry you for a hundred more miles if I had to. Besides, you didn’t make me do anything. I offered, and I would do it again.”
“Any of us would,” James agreed and looked at me with an earnest expression.
“I appreciate all of your thoughtfulness.” I shifted my weight and inspected a bed of leaves under my boots. I was uncomfortable with receiving praise because it had happened so rarely for most of my life.
Ayden took my hand and cradled it with his, interlocking our fingers together. I loved seeing this more stripped-down version of Ayden. I wanted him to try and embrace his softer side more often.
He didn’t have to behave in such a macho manner with me, because from my perspective, he had nothing to prove to me. He was already valuable to me and I respected him as a man and as a protective lion shifter.
“Come on,” he said with a dapper smile. “Let’s keep moving.” He glanced over his shoulder and pointed his thumb abstractly at Cameron. “I’m sure this fur ball is getting antsy too.”
I chuckled, but there he went again. As soon as he showed a little softness, he had to cover it back up with a derogatory quip. I was sure it was just a defensive mechanism. Ayden had been through a lot of tough experiences too.
I supposed we all had to live with our own set of quirks and vices, but I wanted to be able to help all four of them be more in tune with embracing their kinder side. It didn’t always have to be about egos, even though I knew they considered themselves brothers. I knew that when it came down to the wire, any of them would go into protective mode for the others.
“You look really pretty when the silver moon peeks through the trees and shows your face,” Ayden whispered to me as the group began to plow forward once again.
I smiled at him, happy that he had interrupted the fragmented thoughts floating through my head.
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