by Erin R Flynn
“What about the shower you promised?” Jaxon asked as we touched down.
“The best part of this is Trisha gave them one radio that they can all hear and keep swinging by to answer,” Tyson told me.
“That is funny,” I agreed. “I can have someone film it for you.” I burst out laughing when there were some shuffling noises and a few responded with not being a fan of that plan. Not at all.
“Cerdic and I will lead a team of the oldest to handle it, but I would prefer you had at least two of your nobles close given the area still isn’t completely secured from all threats,” Kristof said.
“Fair enough. It’s an early night anyways I guess.” We hadn’t even hit full night yet, still in the last twilight of the three. That was an early night for hunting given how much sunlight Alaska and Canada had.
We got the all clear not long later and started packing it up and in to head back. The decision was made to leave the campers and other vehicles there until more scouting could happen on where to set up so the river wasn’t a problem. We loaded in the choppers that could more than handle the weight and headed back to the hotel.
And yes, I did keep my promise to Jaxon—much to his delight—and Darius joined us. I was out before midnight and excited for my fun planned for tomorrow.
The next morning I received a surprise when I got out of the shower. Darius handed a shopping bag out to me but shook his head. “Not from us.”
“Branko,” Jaxon explained. “The phone’s in there.”
“And clothes?” I muttered as I took the bag.
“An outfit,” he grumbled.
“Alright, well, I’ll meet you at breakfast,” I chuckled, waving them out since they were ready instead of letting them check it all out or listen in. They left with pouts which amused me. I sat on the bed and played the message while I combed out my hair.
“That video was everything, Inez,” Branko’s deep voice vibrated in my ear. “Just fucking delicious, and I thank you for it. I killed more and more corrupted faster and faster just so I could watch it again in my room and think of nothing but you. To say thank you, I also picked up something I thought you might like. You were talking of shopping, and I heard you realized you spoil your nobles.
“I didn’t want to be presumptuous, but it seemed like you haven’t had a chance to find your own style, and that’s important for anyone. So I hope I got the sizes right, but I thought it might be something fun and sexy while still giving your attitude, as I agree heels in the apocalypse are ridiculous.
“On the other topic, I think it’s—you are so kind, Inez. Yes, let them give you rings and they wear yours. Most princesses would never even think of something so sweet and loving but what presents they’d get instead of focusing to make sure everyone is loved. You’re smart, so you’ll know the right message to send if people see the rings.
“Exchanging the phone in the supply closet is just too risky with how many people and so much crazy is going on, especially with Dennis and his assholes spying. The keycard to my room is in the bag. It’s right off the elevator on your floor so you can sneak in and leave the phone on the desk Mission Impossible style. And if I catch you, I might steal a kiss if that’s allowed.
“I hope you like the outfit, and it would make me extraordinarily happy if you would wear it. If not, I understand and hope you explore your style when shopping. If you picked me up a tablet so I could watch your video on a larger screen, you would completely spoil me. I know I could get it and ask you to fix it, but for some reason I want my princess to spoil me as she does her other nobles.”
I swallowed loudly as the message ended for two reasons. One, he knew I was fixing the stuff, not the cover story. Two, he called me his princess and I really, really liked it. That was too fast. Crap.
I did love the outfit though. I had to dig through my undergarments to find what could work with it. The ultra low rise, lighter jeans weren’t so crazy that my butt showed, and I thought they were flattering, especially with the black grommet belt that went with the black, steel-toed work boots… Which were all my size. He was good.
Did he sneak in my room to check or something?
The white, long sleeved v-neck crop top might have been too much, but it made my breasts look just more and showed how flat my stomach was, especially wearing the jeans. I liked it though. I felt fierce. I quickly dried my hair, and after trying a few things, I went with a tight, high ponytail and then my short katanas in their harness that went over my shoulders like a backpack.
After I grabbed what else I needed, I headed out for breakfast, getting what I’d heard people say about feeling like their theme music was playing in the background. I felt like this hit the mark of me so well I should have that hot walk in scene or whatever as I entered the dining room.
Someone sounded like they were choking, and I heard deep coughing.
“Dude, you okay?” Eddie asked.
I turned to find him patting Branko on the back as the noble tried to recover from whatever had happened. It took me a second, but I realized I was what had happened. He’d been so shocked that he’d choked on what he was eating.
And from the heat in his eyes, he liked what he saw. I gave him a smirk and headed over to my nobles.
“Damn, just fuck me dead, dayumn,” Jaxon groaned.
“That is a really good look for you, sexy bite,” James complimented, clearing his throat as he eyed me over. “Shit, really good.”
“Thanks, I like it,” I admitted. “It makes me look super pale to wear white, so I might ask Lara, Maggie, Hope, or Trisha to help me with makeup.”
“Your skin glows like porcelain or marble, it’s not bad at all,” Trisha promised. “Nice job picking that out.”
“I didn’t, it was a gift from someone who heard I was thinking of exploring and said finding my style was something to have fun with.”
“Wow, nailing it on the first try like that is someone who pays attention,” she told me with a wink.
I liked that. It made me feel special. I hurried to eat, and then we were heading out so we could have enough time to get back before the ghosts.
“Would you mind if we checked something out?” Trisha asked me when we were in the air. “I think I felt something when we were flying recon before we called it to check more corrupted weren’t coming from other areas already before Kristof made the path with your blood. My gut is telling me we need to check it out.”
“Yeah, no worries,” I agreed with a shrug. “We can check out the mall whenever. It’s not like we have to fight crowds or anything.”
A few of them snorted in their headsets.
We talked about where we wanted to go and what others had asked for, but then one of the nobles said the smaller mall right there in Prince George was in pretty good shape. So everyone was taking the morning to resupply and not just pack it all in for later. Awesome. We were all working hard, and I wanted us to have a bit to relax now and again too.
I mean, the older nobles had worked overnight to clear the straggler corrupted in the Yukon territory and a chunk of the Northwest Territories that hadn’t come for us. That was huge progress.
“I knew it,” Trisha muttered a while later, her eyes narrowed ahead on what were some more mountain ranges and gorgeous scenery all over Canada since it hadn’t been bombed much. Or at least where we were. We got closer, and I could see it was actually a large campsite maybe.
“I don’t feel anything,” Hope said as she moved closer to look over my shoulder. She was next oldest of my female knights after Trisha—who wasn’t officially one yet, but really, she was to me—and a gorgeous lynx shifter that had the grace and patience of her animal. She was pretty calming, as she always took things in and assessed before reacting and we got along really well.
“Exactly,” Trisha told her. “You don’t just not feel something, you don’t feel anything, right?”
“Yeah, the area is like devoid of anything…” Her eyes flashed shock. “There are shif
ters down there.”
Trisha nodded. “Pay attention and let this feeling seep into you and your cats. It’s the way to identify them.”
“Who?” I asked, squinting to hopefully see more.
“Shifters that are a mix of prey and predator,” she explained. “Like hawks can be predator to some but prey to others. If they focus, they can blend themselves like an extra gift for being caught in the middle of the food chain.”
“I would think prey should get that for being at the bottom,” I muttered.
“They have other tricks,” she promised. “But once we’re old enough and you’ve been around it, you can pick out the signs of others hiding nearby. My parents were dedicated in teaching us this because it’s also a good offensive weapon to attack.”
Yeah, I could see that. She brought us down, and we got out while the chopper was powering down.
My heart hurt as I took in the huge campsite that was completely devoid of people. “No, please don’t tell me corrupted got them last night? They would have come this way from Calgary to us, right? But I thought Kristof only started luring from Edmonton?” I was darting around and checking tents, praying I was wrong. “There’s no blood though. Where are they?”
“They’re here,” Trisha chuckled.
I went over to her, glancing around, but she just pointed up. I yelped when I looked and hundreds of birds were staring back at us. I swallowed loudly. “Owls?”
“Barn owls I believe,” Trisha said. “Beautiful.”
I gave a quiet squee. “There are tiny ones. Please tell me those are cute kids. Do you guys shift that young?”
“We shift a few months after birth or some sooner,” she answered before focusing up again. “I am Trisha of clan Begley, this is Princess Inez of house Garner. On my honor we mean you no harm. We’re clearing the area of corrupted and raiding supplies.”
“Crap, we have to warn Kristof and the others because if we lead the corrupted out of Calgary, they’ll go right by here, right?” I smiled up at them. “You guys can come stay with us if you want. We took over a hotel in Prince George.” I glanced at how many there were. “We might need a second hotel now, but the city’s cleared of corrupted and it’s safe.”
One owl came down, and I gasped as he seamlessly turned back into a man before he landed. He glanced between us before kneeling. “I am Thomas, head of clan Gagnon.”
“You don’t have to kneel,” I chuckled, waving him to stand as I kept glancing up. “Nice to meet you, Thomas. It’s really okay to shift back, and if any of you poop on me, it will hurt my feelings.”
“Nice, Inez,” Lara chuckled, introducing herself and the others to Thomas as well, along with their clans. “We’re a few of the princess’s knights.”
“It’s good your clan survived,” Trisha said, swallowing loudly. “You are truly blessed.”
“We are. We’ve lost too many, but more survived,” he said, dipping his head to her. “I’m very sorry for your loss. Your clan was a great clan and friend to many.”
“Thank you,” she rasped. “My brother and I were in the US Navy at the time and survived with other shifters and vampires who were the same. The Goddess gave us a great gift that pushed Inez to bring our baby brother and cousins to us that traveled with her.”
“And the price of that?” he asked, his tone frosty.
I blew a raspberry. “Wow, you guys are kind of judgy. I get that there are princesses that are jerks—Olivia currently top of my list—but Nora’s pretty cool. There are good and bad to any group, and honestly, the second I don’t act tough and maybe a bit bitchy, people try to walk all over me. I would think that shows both sides are difficult.”
“That’s not unfair,” Trisha agreed.
“Yeah, I mean, I get you guys heard stories from your grandma, and warnings are good, but James was so sure of so much about me and he’d not even met a princess before.”
“I have, a few,” Thomas assured me but dipped his head. “But my apologies, Princess, you are right. You also know that those situations or traumas color future situations, so you can understand it.”
“I do, which is why I’m not getting offended, but poking back a bit to say I’m not that person you’re assuming.” I glanced up again. “Okay, seriously, the little ones are so damn cute. Can I see them closer?”
“You are so snuggly,” Maggie teased me, her and Simon shifting and snuggling on me all the time since they were smaller cats.
One owl jumped down and gracefully landed on the arm I’d outstretched to gesture moments ago. They studied me, and I giggled, watching their head turn one way and another before turning to Thomas and giving a nod like he’d been assessing me for danger and wanted to report in.
“You are just too cute,” I whispered, seeing how the kid wanted to help. I glanced at Trisha. “How are we on time? I don’t want to rush people, but the plan for today is out, and we weren’t planning to be gone too long.”
“Right, it will start in a few hours,” Hope muttered, giving Trisha a worried look. “Call James, and if more time is needed, at least we can switch roles. They’re in the direct path the corrupted would take to get to us. Should we lead them north to then cut over?”
“We can give you better than this,” I said to Thomas. “We have hot water and electricity and more than camping out like this. It’s so much better than this, and I did it for years. It kills me to leave you guys to keep going like this. Is there some sort of promise I can give like you guys do that it’s the truth?”
“Yes, but don’t because it gets very complicated if the situation changes,” she told me. “Kristof warned all of us never to let you do it, especially not before your coven is built.”
Thomas nodded. “You could swear it’s safe for us, but that could change and you would be held to that oath like people assume it was forever and they can call on it. You are right that people are awful on both sides, as it was that reason princesses stopped giving oaths on promises just as we stopped swearing to them.”
I blew a raspberry. “Yeah, nothing’s easy.” I glanced up at the tree again. “Can you tell if I’m fibbing like Kristof? Like you know if I’m being truthful when I invite you and it’s not a con or trap?” I smiled as the owl moved along my arm and closer to me as if saying they could trust me. So cute.
It made Thomas grin too. “Well, if kids like someone, it’s a good indicator, right? And we survive by trusting our guts.” He gave the owl a soft look. “And listening to our elders, so thank you for weighing in but doing it in a subtle way. You’re a good boy.”
Trisha took another route and named some of the other clans we had people from that were under their command or they’d picked up along the way. There were several that seemed to hit the mark, and he finally nodded.
“Shift and redress to leave,” Thomas ordered. “On your honor we will be allowed to leave again if we wish?”
“Yes, of course,” Trisha told him, the others echoing her. “We will even fly you back with supplies.”
“No one’s pushing you to join our coven or swear an oath,” Hope added. “Just get out of this rain and some real rest where it’s safe.”
I squeed as the owl I’d been holding jumped down and shifted into a little boy who was maybe five or so. “You are totes adorbs.”
He smiled and hugged my leg, glancing at Thomas. “Grandpa, princess!”
“Yup, you’re meeting your first princess,” he chuckled. “Let’s get dressed so we can leave for a trip.” He gave his grandson a wink. “And sleep in a real bed.”
He gave a happy shout as other owls started landing and shifting. I cleared my throat and turned away as several were very attractive men who looked happy we were there or just maybe the excitement in general.
Trisha called it in and explained what we’d found while people got ready. She seemed to feel the hesitation and worry as I did, heading for Thomas. “If you wish, you can go ahead with us and they can hear you call back on the radio that it’s safe?
”
“Yes, thank you, but also, it’s the rushing,” he told us, giving me a quick look that said he was going to ask.
“I see ghosts,” I answered before he could. “I get all the ghosts of the corrupted I and my knights kill. It’s a lot when we hunt, and we have a system so I don’t get overwhelmed. It’s normally late morning, eleven or so, but can vary.”
“You’re powerful then,” he muttered, assessing my reaction to that.
“So I’ve heard, but I’m a baby, so I’m not strong but powerful potential and it’s sort of circular if you think about it, but whatever.” I shrugged.
“I’m going ahead. Do not board their choppers until I call back,” Thomas ordered someone, and my heart ached as he said goodbye to some people and they were worried it might be the last time.
“We won’t hurt him,” I promised, trying not to be offended they were thinking like that. I went for the chopper but stopped when the boy came racing over.
“It’s scary,” he told me, pointing to the chopper.
I felt a bit better then. Yeah, things could go wrong that weren’t my fault. I’d worried the same when Jaxon had flown home in the plane. I leaned down and kissed his hair. “I know, but it’s really fun too, and Trisha is the best at flying. We’ll keep him safe.”
He muttered a thanks and headed back with the others. Trisha went to start everything up as we got on, Lara handling strapping Thomas in. The ride back was quiet and full of tension. There was nothing we could say to convince him it wasn’t a con or trap. Seeing was believing in the apocalypse. People who had survived this long knew that, as so many rumors turned out to be bullshit.
Or worse than was said.
I really hoped Thomas was glad he took the ride with us at that end.
10
Branko
I was in over my head with Inez. From the moment I’d seen her, I finally understood what other nobles had said about feeling like a moth that had found its flame and didn’t care if it got burnt. Except I had seen that time and time again at my mother’s court. It was a place of horrors and everything I hated. The idea I could be trapped like that made me avoid her at all costs.