Luke fell silent, and my stomach twisted. He was right. It had been in the back of my head all day. As was the irony that I’d come all this way for my sister and the kids, only to insult shifters on their own turf. Not exactly my finest moment.
“Strength and agility, yes, those were gained in an incredible measure. But the other stuff…the Bloodlust,” he spat. “That’s a lie.”
I pulled in a sharp and uneasy breath. It had been so long since I’d even thought of the Bloodlust. In a way, I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten it. But survival had demanded so much of my attention, plus with Cassidy and the kids, I couldn’t indulge in that hysteria.
“Those poor fools who seemed to succumb,” Luke said. “It wasn’t out of some rabid need to destroy—it was a clash of instincts. In the beginning, it was hard to align the humanity with the animal. Survival against morality. But when the dust settled, there was no ambiguity, only the craving for peace.” He rested a hand on the doorframe and looked at it. “This is that attempt.”
I remembered the first time she’d shifted into a panther. Her tearstained face, the way she gulped for air and looked around as though she’d never seen the world. The way she’d covered her ears and cried out, curling into a fetal position. The disgust on William’s face.
My sister’s wracking sobs when he asked for the engagement ring back.
The first time she’d smiled, after weeks of anguish, was when we’d walked into the woods.
I knew Cassidy blamed herself and had striven to suppress her shifter abilities. After a month in the wilderness, when her abilities had calmed and she was more herself again, she’d started telling us we should go back. That she could control it now. That William would accept her.
We’d refused. Not only because we’d found Jemma, Risa, Collette, and Gabriel—Gabriel, who could shift into a sturdy bear cub on occasion. Nor because Shelby and Linh were both starting to exhibit signs they might be shifters, while Bix and Drue definitely were.
We hadn’t gone back because the world had been tearing itself apart at the seams. Shifters turning on shifters, ratting on each other, trying to curry favor, while reports of Bloodlust were being screamed from what was left of the news.
My beloved city had become a war zone, and we’d known it was only a matter of time before William traded in Cassidy for a bounty. She still refused to believe it. Still thought he’d come back.
“I never believed in the Bloodlust,” I said, and Luke gave me a surprised if somewhat wary look. After all, I’d been a research major in my pre-Rift life, dabbling in both neurology and genetics. “The science wasn’t sound.”
“Shifters are not an aberration,” Luke said stiffly.
“No, I know that,” I said. “We always assumed we’d get to the bottom of the universe one day. But I’d already seen enough to know there was something beyond any of us.” I shrugged. “Maybe shifters are a part of that.”
“Hm, that’s a nice thought,” Luke said. His words had an edge of sarcasm, but his smile softened. It tugged at something in my chest. “Maybe we can have these kinds of philosophical and epistemological discussions every night, Ms. Grace.” Now I raised an eyebrow. “What? I’m a big reader. All I did when I was stationed overseas.” Luke sighed. “That was the plan, you know. Serve, study, and…”
“And what? Go into research? Doctor?” I asked, agog with curiosity. Damn, he was a lot smarter than he let on. I wondered if that was on purpose.
Luke’s jaw had hardened, and his gaze had gone flat. “Doesn’t matter now. Night, darlin’.”
With that, he abruptly left and shut the door behind him. I stared at it for a few moments, the room suddenly colder without his presence. The man had a way of infusing life and color into his surroundings, even if he was insufferable.
I’d really wanted to hear more about his past. I’d figured he was probably a veteran, just from the way he held himself. But he’d wanted to study…
Shrugging, I got out my small toiletries pack and went to the bathroom. Then I paused in the doorway, looking around and smiling. There was a new toothbrush, toothpaste, fluffy towels, and even a bathrobe. Soaps and bottles of shampoo and conditioner were lined up. Even bubble bath mix. And the bathroom was so cute, with a claw-footed tub and a window seat overlooking the water.
I wondered if Luke had done this, or if he’d asked one of his staff. Either way, it was above and beyond what I’d expected. But then, so was Winfyre.
Fallon was right.
Exhausted as I was, the appeal of a bath was too much to deny. Shedding my clothes, I filled the tub with hot water and slipped in. A satisfied moan escaped my lips, and I closed my eyes, letting everything fade away. Yet I couldn’t fully relax. My fingers were clenching the sides of the tub.
I realized I was waiting for one of the kids to come banging on the door or for Cassidy to snarl through the wood that it was her turn. For my parents to ask me what to do next.
But I was alone. Well, except for Luke, of course.
That had been my life, every waking and even sleeping minute, for the past three months. Pushing myself and never resting, coming to the very brink of my breaking point. For a moment, I felt hellishly guilty for my relief. But I’d done everything for them and gotten them here.
I deserved this.
Only then did every muscle in my body relax, and I smiled.
Okay, Swiftlore. You got me on that one.
I pictured Luke, then. Standing in my doorframe, his head nearly brushing the top of it. His vibrant turquoise eyes, shifting from darker blues to aquamarine and light greens.
I wondered if his eyes had been like that before, or if it was a result of his shifting. Cassidy’s eyes had changed, going from brown to a living gold-green. I recalled the brief and unimpressed glance she’d given me earlier.
I shook my head. Only Cassidy could look at a hot Alpha wolf shifter and—
I sat up then, gripping the sides of the tub and breathing hard.
Holy shit. I looked up at the door and then the ceiling. Luke is an Alpha.
I had no idea how I knew, only that I was absolutely certain, and I wasn’t quite sure why I didn’t know it before. I’d heard so many rumors about Alphas, the largest and strongest among shifters. Some were even said to have strange and dangerous powers. Supposedly, they couldn’t resist fighting and were thought to encourage Bloodlust.
That’s not real! I said to myself and gritted my teeth. Only ugly rumors.
Luke, Kal, and Rett. All of them were Alphas, I realized. Maybe Fallon, too—I wasn’t sure. Female Alphas were also better at hiding and controlling it.
But wait… I frowned. The rumors had also sworn that Alphas couldn’t bear the presence of another. Yet Luke had mentioned being one of five Commands. That confirmed the other two had probably been Alphas as well. And when Luke mentioned his friends, there’d been nothing but fierce affection. No underlying begrudging tone, only a kind of breathtaking loyalty.
It had stirred something in me earlier, and it did again now. In fact, it was one of the reasons that I’d agreed to go along with this insane claim instead of walking right back out into the wilderness.
Blowing out a breath, I sank back into the water and closed my eyes.
An Alpha, hm? I thought back to the impressive girth of Luke’s muscles and his large hands. A tingle started, lower this time. I rubbed my hands up and down my thighs. I wonder…
“Whoa,” I said and sat up.
With a shaky laugh, I quickly scrubbed down and got out of the tub. Clearly, the hot water was making me delirious. But even once I was in bed, I couldn't stop my thoughts from drifting closer and closer to that curious, distracting little thought.
As I sank more deeply into sleep, I swore I could sense his prescience on the second floor. Yet instead of bringing anxiety or fear, it brought only comfort, and I fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter Six
Luke
In the middle of a serene breakfast, as I wa
s savoring my last independent moments before Reagan woke up, there was a commotion in the backyard. With a knowing groan, I ventured out there. Three giant furry bodies hurled themselves at me on the steps, yipping and licking.
“Thanks for the loan,” Tristan Llary said. His eyes were closed, and his face was tilted to the early sun. It made his golden-red hair glow, and he opened amber eyes at me. “But we got nothing.”
“Really?” I asked and looked at the bloodhounds. They were three of the best trackers to be had, outside of myself and the Farthing Wolves. “What the hell is this thing?”
“Trouble,” Tristan said and smiled widely. “But so far, it can’t get past our defenses. So, I’m not worried. Excris or not, those monsters have never been able to get into Winfyre.”
It got closer than any of the others, though. “Still,” I said and scratched Timber’s ears. Rosie and Bo were already pawing at the back door. “Did you tell Xander yet?”
“He wasn’t home,” Tristan said with a shrug and stretched. “Think he was out last night.”
Shock echoed through me. “Alone?”
“Relax, Lukas, you’ll give yourself a heart attack one of these days,” Tristan said. “You honestly think Xander couldn’t handle himself?”
“It’s not that, and you know it,” I said and rubbed my chest. “Damn that idiot.”
“Idiot keeps us all snug,” Tristan pointed out, and I glared at him. “What, without his—”
“Keep your voice down,” I said and cocked an ear at the house. I didn’t think Reagan was awake, but with Tristan’s big mouth, who knew?
“Is someone else here?” Tristan asked, and he grinned. “Wait, did you bring a lady home?” He reached out and thumped my shoulder. “Brother, it’s about damn time.”
“No,” I said stiffly. “She’s working for me.”
“Oh, she’s working your—”
“I claimed her,” I said, knowing that alone would shut Tristan up. He stared at me, and I dragged him away from the house. “Something’s off with this refugee. Lazu told me to keep an eye out, but I caught danger on the wind, and in walks this girl.”
“What’s her deal?” Tristan asked, and his face darkened. “Some kinda double agent?”
“No, her story checks out, I think, but she’s hiding something,” I said.
“Okay,” Tristan said, now starting to lose interest.
“I don’t know what she is,” I said in a low voice. Tristan gave me a nonplussed look. “Her scent isn’t one I can identify. She’s not a shifter, nor is she any kind of Riftborn we’ve come across before. She put down that she’s a stasis, but that’s just not true.”
“Probably doesn’t even know she has powers,” Tristan said and yawned. “Happens.”
Oh, she knows. “In any case, I’m keeping her close until I figure out if she’s a threat.”
“You claimed a threat?” Tristan asked and raised his eyebrow. “So how pretty is she?”
I scowled. “You’re not listening.”
“Oh no, I get it,” Tristan said and glanced at the house. “Let me take a sniff.”
I grabbed him by the arm before he could take three steps. “Are you insane? I’m not letting you smell my guest.”
“Geez, Luke, make up your mind,” Tristan said. “Guest, threat. You wanna bone her or not?”
“Moron,” I half-snarled, half-laughed. We began to tussle on the lawn, and I got him into a headlock. “Half the time I don’t even think you use that big brain you claim to have.”
Tristan laughed and tried to twist away, nearly throwing me to the dirt. The dogs began to bark, and I heard the door open. We both froze, and Reagan’s scent tickled my nose.
My idiot friend began to laugh harder, and I let him go, raking back my hair and straightening my shirt. The last thing I wanted was for Reagan to see two Commands acting like two kids. When I finally looked up, a smile was playing around her mouth, and her eyes sparkled.
Her dark hair was loose around her shoulders, and she was wearing a black tank and camo leggings. Fallon had set them aside, along with a few other pieces, at the depot for her.
“Mornin’, new girl,” Tristan said cheerfully. “Look at you, already in fatigue.”
“And here I thought I was done babysitting,” Reagan said, and her eyes found me.
“Tristan Llary, Reagan Grace,” I said stiffly. “He’s another Command, though why we gave him that title, I have no idea.”
“Because I’m funny, charming, and ridiculously brilliant," Tristan said. "Reagan, I’m so sorry you got stuck with sourpuss over here." He glanced at me, grinning, but I saw the look in his eyes. It had hardened, and he gave me a slight bob of the head. "But it's been a hell of a while since we've had refugees. I can understand how he'd want to pick your brain."
“Yeah,” Reagan said and glanced at me. “Well, I’m starting to think it was more a miracle and dumb luck than anything. Not sure I have much to offer.”
“Ha. No such thing as luck in these woods, Ms. Grace,” Tristan said. “Ecologically diverse and dangerous. If you survived, then you have skills we need.”
She nodded, but her eyes fell, and I took that opportunity to kick Tristan. Sometimes he had all the subtlety of, well, a Deacon. Tristan realized this and shot me an apologetic smile.
“Ah, you’ll have to forgive me—I haven’t had coffee yet, so I’m freewheel spitballin’,” Tristan said and hooked his hands behind his head. “Seriously, though, Reagan, I’m glad you’re here. We’ve been telling Lukas to get help for ages. Don’t fall for that cool guy act, either. He needs it.”
Reagan grinned, and I glared at him. “Tristan, you can go now,” I said. “You’ve been up all night, and guess what? You smell like it.”
He ignored me. “Again, welcome to Winfyre.” Reagan looked up as he bowed and made a fluttering motion with his hand. “Your Grace, Ms. Grace.”
Reagan laughed, and a spark went through me.
God, she has a beautiful laugh, I thought.
“Thanks,” she said, and I noticed her tugging on Bo’s ears.
Tristan and I made identical movements, but then I realized Bo looked content. As did Rosie and Timber. We glanced at each other and then at Reagan.
She must have seen the surprise on our faces. “Dogs love me.”
“Huh,” I said. “Usually, that’s not the case. At least not right away.” While they’d been trained, they usually didn’t take kindly to strangers. Full of surprises, this one. “Goodbye, Tristan.”
“Take good care of our boy, Rea,” he called and jogged away, vaulting over the back fence.
I rubbed my forehead. It wasn’t even nine a.m., and I already had a headache.
“You could have slept in,” I said and began to walk towards the house. Reagan went inside, followed by the dogs and myself. “What do you want for breakfast?”
“Oh, um…” Reagan stopped and looked around the kitchen. It was old-fashioned, with a big cooler for a fridge, since those things sucked up way too much juice. “What’ll you have?”
“Eggs, oatmeal, beans, some fruit and such.”
"Fruit?" Reagan asked in a hopeful tone, and I waved her over to the cooler. It was almost four feet long and three feet deep, a sturdy metal container out of the ’50s, when shit was built to last. "Wow. Where does all of this come from?"
I pulled out the bag of fruit and handed it to her. “Some of it’s our stock, or it’s from outside towns. There are stores still operating, but it's less and less, you know? We've managed to get a hold of a boat and sent out some folks to establish contact with freighters. There are guys out of South America who're willing to sell to us. Kind of like old-school tradin’."
She took out an apple and handed it back to me. “What about this house? Winfyre?”
“Ah,” I said. “The second is a hell of a long story.” I closed the lid of the cooler, and the scars on my hand whitened as my hands gripped it. “Let’s just say, us Northbane boys protected this area
, and all of us folks came together. First shifter safe haven in North America, I think.”
I didn’t want to talk about what we’d lost to create a slice of heaven like this.
“As for the house,” I said, “we fixed her up.” I looked around. “Place was falling down around my ears. Took a while, but she’s come along. Attic needs work, and the cellar, but it’s livable.”
“More than livable,” Reagan said and glanced around.
“We’re starting up more farms now, though,” I said as I put the kettle on and lit the stove. “That’s the big project this spring and summer. Make Winfyre as self-sustaining as possible.”
Reagan’s eyes fell. “Sometimes it all seems like a dream.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Well, gotta make the best of the apocalypse.”
“Is that what you think this is?”
“End of one world, yeah,” I said. “Maybe everyone thought it meant it would be lights out, we’re cooked, but we’re still here.” I paused. “What’s that Jurassic Park quote—‘life finds a way’?”
She smiled wistfully. “Yeah. Man, I miss movies and my phone sometimes, isn’t that stupid?”
“Not at all,” I said. “We’ve got a big TV down the block. Let the kids have movie night every so often. And we let people reserve it for date nights.” She raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, and you thought this was some ramshackle camp in the middle of nowhere.”
“Actually, I thought it would be a castle with a bunch of shirtless guys feeding me grapes.”
I almost choked on my drink, and Reagan laughed. Recovering, I said, “I could arrange that. When’s your birthday?”
“No way—I’ve learned to be careful what I let you arrange,” Reagan retorted.
“You mean living here?” I asked. “Oh, you’re gonna love it.” I poured a mug of coffee and slid it across the counter. Her eyes went wide. “Yeah, I saw you pantin’ over it yesterday. Have some.”
“Isn’t it only for shifters or something? There can’t be much left.”
Wolf's Wager (Northbane Shifters) Page 5