I sensed shifters out there, their curiosity and wariness thick in the air, but I couldn’t pinpoint them. They were good, but not good enough. I’d had a very long time to practice existing in the woods, a lot longer than the security guards who were watching me now. To my senses, the shifters were more like angry rhinos tromping through the forest. They were not as used to the outdoors as I was. I didn’t need to have exceptional hearing to know they were out there. I could tell by the abnormal sounds created as they moved about. It was as if the ground cried out each time they took a step. This batch of shifters still needed to learn how to move around as humans. As their animals, I was sure I wouldn’t be able to sense them so easily, but as humans, they were obvious.
Finally, a shadow turned into a human shape and stepped out. A female. Long dark hair, light eyes, the grace of a feline. I could feel her predatory eyes on me through the windshield. Angry. Disapproving. Ready to kill.
I opened my door slowly, recognizing the danger I was in. The first step to surviving was knowing when danger was near.
“You’re Nyssa.” Her voice was smoky and hypnotic, the kind that should be heard on stage in a small bar, singing the blues.
I closed my door and leaned up against it, recognizing that she gave me a statement, not a question.
“Who else would I be?” I cocked my head to the side, giving her my best innocent eyes.
She didn’t fall for it, though I wasn’t surprised. Me and innocent were not synonymous with each other. Her lips curled up into a sneer as her eyes raked down my body. I imagined she was wishing she could use her claws instead.
“We don’t need some scrawny hopper’s help.”
Scrawny? I wasn’t scrawny.
I was lean, slightly taller than the typical female, definitely taller than the kitty before me, but I was not scrawny. My body was toned perfectly to suit the life I grew up in. Practical. Deadly.
The female shifter was trying to test me by showing her claws. My instincts screamed challenge, and I wasn’t one to let one of those go. I knew the rules. Slade was a perfect teacher in how to win against a shifter. We got into it enough times to see who was bigger and badder. We were still trying to figure it out. He even called me an Alpha female when we first met. He briefly thought I was a shifter for some reason. It only took him another week to realize that I wasn’t one of them, but by then I’d challenged him enough times, losing and winning some. Even today we were still tied. Being able to go toe-to-toe with Slade meant this little kitty would be easy.
“Maybe you should just leave. We don’t need you.”
Was she seriously still talking?
I smirked, putting my hand on my hip and swaying as I took a couple of steps closer to her. “Funny, your Alpha seems to think differently.” I ran my hand along my body to suggest just exactly what he thought of me.
She snarled, her eyes turning kitty-like and bright.
“This is pack land and you’re not pack. You need to leave.”
“Or not. I was invited here, and I won’t let you stop me from doing my job.” I let the sarcasm drip off my words.
Her lips curled up in disgust as she jumped at me, but I was already prepared. She came at me, arms out, hands in a claw shape. When she came within reach, I grabbed onto her arms, rolled backward, and threw her behind me with my foot. She smacked into the car, leaving a little dent by the back tire.
Damn. She’d damaged my baby.
The aggression in the air thickened as more shifters came out of the woodwork, ready to defend her, but the challenge had already started, and they couldn’t intervene. I had to draw first blood or get her to yield to win. I should have expected this. No way in hell shifters would let a stranger waltz onto their land, especially if they already had to deal with unknown intruders. They were all strung up on tension, ready to make heads roll.
But still. I was pissed that this was the welcome I was getting, but at the same time entertained. The warmth from the darkness within uncurled itself, ready to come out to play. I learned long ago, with the help of Cecil, to control it, so I clamped onto it and bent it to my will, demanding it to stay back, to only give me enough to get through this stupid little fight that made me want to just laugh. I focused and became determined, my blood pumping with adrenaline that gave me a high that only sex could overcome. Or better opponents.
The woman came back up, on all fours. Not shifting, but pretty damn close. She would lose if she lost herself to shifting. The fight started in human form and had to stay that way. She didn’t shift, but she moved on all fours in a really creepy, non-human way. Her muscles moved in ways they shouldn’t be able to, rolling as she moved each limb. I would have expected her to be clumsy in her movements, but she was graceful, a prowler on the attack. And I was her intended victim.
I smirked.
She fought like a cat playing with her mouse. Her downfall, really. She tried pushing me around, but I pushed back, not giving her any ground. We tumbled on the ground, grappling, not wanting to draw any blood because neither of us wanted to end the challenge. She was so much like me. Stubborn. Determined. Deadly. And used to winning.
We wouldn’t make each other bleed, but boy were we going to attempt to make each other hurt.
She backhanded me, and I spun away from the force of her hit. My head rang, and I stumbled. Thinking she had me, she charged, but I shot my leg back, connecting with her unprotected ribs with a satisfying crunching sound. Something in her broke. I laughed as she snarled at me, jumping around on my feet. I could already feel the bruises on my body, and when I turned a certain way, my ribs protested.
“You’re tempting Death,” she growled, and I think her face almost shifted. I was pushing her buttons. Good.
“Hun, I dance with Death every single day of my life. You aren’t going to change the melody on us today.”
She came at me, and I spun away, sweeping her legs out from underneath her. Probably time to end this now so I could get on with my job. She tried to shove me off her, but I put my full weight on her, using the extra ten pounds or so that I had against her. She tried to use her shifter strength, but I had strength too and kept her pinned.
I grabbed her by the hair and leaned forward, my lips inches from her ear. “Try to play with me again, and I will tear you apart. I’ll show you what real kitty claws look like.”
I yanked her head up, then smashed it hard against the ground. Then, just for extra measure, I punched her in the face, making sure to rearrange her nose. When the blood flowed, I got up.
The other shifters were closer, their eyes nearly black with bloodlust. They wanted my blood for winning, but rules were rules. I smirked at them, and glanced back down at the unconscious woman before glaring back at them.
“Anyone else want to test me?” I lifted my arms up in a come-at-me challenge. No one was up to getting their skulls smashed in like their companion.
“Nyssa, what are you doing to my pack mates?” a gruff voice said. The crowd opened up, and Slade strode through with long, confident strides.
I noticed some of the shifters giving me a you’re doomed look. I chuckled.
“Aw, Darling, I’m just putting them in their place.”
He looked down at the woman on the ground. After a moment, he looked back up at the rest of the shifters, and they stepped back from his murderous glare. My smirk widened.
“The Alpha told you to let her through. Someone want to tell me why, instead, you are challenging her?” His voice wasn’t loud, but it still had the same effect. They cowered.
A brave soul stepped forward—a younger shifter, maybe around twenty. “She isn’t pack. She has no rights to our land, and she needs to understand that.”
Slade’s eyes sharpened on the young one. “Our Alpha gave her permission when he invited her here to do what you guys cannot.”
Most of the shifters bristled at his words. Some fidgeted from foot to foot, looking down at the ground in submission. One whined.
&
nbsp; Ah. So that was the problem. Bruised egos.
“What can she do?” another brave soul sneered.
A growl left Slade’s chest as a wave of energy crashed through the air and towards the other shifters. A few of the shifters ran off into the woods, their tails tucked between their legs.
He pointed to the body on the ground. “Take Arcia to the clinic, and when she comes to, let her know I will be talking to her later. And if anyone dares to challenge Nyssa again, I will give her permission to kill. Don’t think for a second that she won’t, either. She’s been fighting for longer than any of you have lived.”
At some unheard sign, the rest of the shifters scattered into the woods. One of the bigger males slung Arcia over his shoulder, her weight not an issue as he ran to keep his life intact.
Slade turned to me, his expression relaxing.
“You okay?”
“Great. She’s a good warm-up.” He frowned, and I patted his back. “Let’s go do this.”
Before I could say anything, he folded himself into the driver’s seat, and I had no choice but to get into the passenger side. I looked over him as I settled down and broke out laughing.
“What?” he asked.
“I almost, almost, feel bad for you right now. I think you’re bigger than the car is.”
He snorted and readjusted the seat. Even with it all the way back, he looked like he was crammed inside a cabinet. “You need to get a bigger car.”
“Don’t diss my baby. She’s gotten me out of more trouble than you have.”
He laughed and after some shifters opened the gate, drove through. Two seconds later, I felt the old energy press against my body, tasting me. The pressure grew, nearly suffocating, pushing against me, filling up all my pores, judging every cell of my existence. And then as if finding me worthy, the feel of an elastic band snapping had my body jerking as the energy withdrew from my body, granting me entrance. We were through the barrier. I didn’t want to know what would have happened if it found me lacking.
I released a slow breath and allowed my body to relax. I was officially on pack land. Neat.
“Did you have to piss off half the guards?” Slade asked a few moments later.
I shrugged. “You know me. They push me, and I’ll shove them back.”
“You mean pound them into the ground.”
“That’s what I said. Besides, she started it. She wanted to play, and you know how much I enjoy playing. I figured I should have some fun while I waited for you to finally come out.”
“I really do regret teaching you about us.”
I laughed and patted his thigh. Rock hard thigh. “Your fault for thinking I was some kind of lone shifter.”
“You act like one.”
“No, I don’t. Not even close.”
“Close enough. And you didn’t bother correcting me until I already told you so much about us.”
“Who told you to be such a big mouth?”
“I didn’t want you getting killed. I saw you as a lone female shifter, and they’re in the most danger. Shifters care greatly for their females, and not having a pack tends to be deadly for them. Females have been forced to mate and join a pack against their will. You know that. I didn’t want that for you.”
“Aw, are you saying you liked me the moment you saw me?”
His jaw clenched. “Something like that.”
I glanced over at him, almost missing a look in his eyes. Secrets. His secrets were playing at the surface. Maybe if I pushed him hard enough he would open up, but I let it go. If he opened up with his, he would expect me to do the same, and my secrets were deeper and darker than his would ever be. Wasn’t worth the exchange.
We fell into a companionable silence. I looked out the window, taking in as much of the scenery as I could. The forest was wild, refusing to give in to humanity, and the trees towered over us, reaching up to the sky in hopes of gaining as much sunlight as they could soak up. The old energy was so concentrated I could taste its little nips on my tongue.
The pack land was a good blend of the Woodlands and human settlements. The woods were wild with paths and cabins placed sporadically throughout. Something about the atmosphere of this place tugged at my memories, but I shoved them back. I didn’t want to think about those. Not right now. I needed to focus, not get lost into the fragmented chaos of my mind.
Chapter Seven
I remember a boy-child. Light brown locks framing an innocent face, untouched by the cruelty of life. I remember big, doe-like brown eyes blinking up at me as he raised his arms for me to pick him up into my own small ones. I could never say no to him.
—Nyssa’s Journal
The journey to our destination took fifteen minutes of winding dirt roads. When we pulled up to a massive cabin of three stories, with a wraparound porch, very homey, I slid out of the car and watched as Slade tried to unwedge himself. I laughed as he glared at my car.
“If my car blows up, I’m coming for your head,” I warned, recognizing that gleam in his eyes.
His expression darkened even more. “I would never blow up your car.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I would just make sure it doesn’t survive falling over the edge of a mountain.”
I punched him on his arm. “If my baby is hurt, I will come for you.”
He huffed and led the way up to the cabin, or in shifter terms, pack house. He didn’t bother knocking, just went inside. I stayed back, taking in the natural beauty of the place. It couldn’t even be called a cabin, either. The place was as massive on the inside, and had tall, wide windows to let in the natural light throughout the first floor. Large trees decorated outside, complementing the building. We walked through the front door and into a massive foyer; the air smelled of predators and pine.
I followed Slade as he turned and walked right into the living room with a huge stone fireplace that was longer than I was tall. I could picture many winter days lying in front of the fire, basking in its warmth. The ceiling rose up higher than I expected, going up to the second floor. The layout was open, with three very sturdy couches artfully placed around a handmade coffee table, carved carefully with an intricate design I couldn’t really make out from where I stood. A staircase was off to the side, going up to the second-floor balcony and disappearing deeper into the cabin.
The place was designed with warm hues of red and brown, the walls decorated with artwork, a couple of plants placed around. Shifters were lazing about, watching a giant TV that hung on the wall. Some were playing video games though I didn’t know what kind. There was shooting and blood all over the screen, but I didn’t understand what was really going on. Several shifters were swearing or cheering, so I figured they were probably killing each other.
A couple of them turned toward us, and I pegged them as a mixture of wolves, felines, and I could even pick up the musk of a bear in the room. A predatory shine flashed over their eyes as their beasts peeked out, but then they went back to the screen. They didn’t like that I was there, but unlike the other group, they knew to listen to their Alpha. They were slightly older than the group who met me at the gate. Definitely more experienced.
“Come on,” Slade said, going through an archway into a large dining room that was more like a banquet hall and then through a swinging door into a spacious kitchen. Holy shit, I’d never seen a kitchen so huge, and I’d seen a couple of those industrial kitchens in restaurants. Those kitchens looked like a child’s play set compared to this one.
“We feed the pack here, so we need the space to accommodate them all,” Slade explained. I snapped my hanging mouth closed.
A familiar man stood at a counter, his back to us. The muscles rippled underneath his light blue shirt as he worked. I only drooled a little bit, I swear. He looked too yummy from behind.
“Landus,” Slade called out.
He turned around, his eyes stopping on me. As he leaned back against the counter, his gaze trailed up my body. The silvery pools in his eyes turned mol
ten by the time he got to my face. “Nyssa, glad you could make it.” He switched his focus to Slade. “What happened at the entrance?”
“Oh?” I cocked my eyebrow, drawing his intense attention back to me. “The big bad Alpha doesn’t even know what his own flunkies are up to?”
“Nyssa,” his voice lowered into a warning growl, his eyes hardening into a cold, wintery storm of vengeance. For the first time, I got a hint of what the rumors told me he was capable of doing. If I thought Slade was a master of badassery, then Landus was the god of it. He just hadn’t shown any signs of it to me yet. I was tempted to poke at him some more.
“Please don’t,” Slade whispered softly into my ear so only I could hear. He wouldn’t admit it, but I swore he was a mind reader. “He’s in a bad mood today. There was another attack earlier this morning.”
I sighed. Fine. I could behave. “Your shifters were just curious about me. Nothing much.”
Slade snorted. “She won in a challenge from Arcia”
“Arcia?” Landus didn’t look like he believed him. “She’s one of the best guards.”
Really? The best? That worried me.
“Also still young and immature,” I said.
“Young? She has to be older than you,” Slade said.
I shrugged. “She’s young and cocky. All her false awesomeness got to her head.”
“Oh?”
“Nyssa,” Slade tried to warn me, putting his hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged him off. I was on a roll now.
“She let her emotions get the best of her instead of following orders. She challenged me, thinking she could hurt me. As if I would let that happen. So I put her in her place. I really don’t like that I was invited here but then treated like a damn vampire at the entrance.”
I knew I was making this into a bigger deal than it was to me, but Landus needed to know that his little shifters couldn’t walk all over me. I gave no one that power—even if I had had fun fighting. Landus must have seen something in my expression because he let out a breath, and his shoulder sagged a little.
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