The Last Warrior: Shifters Unbound Book 13

by Ashley Jennifer

Ben’s cheeks reddened. “I could have, I suppose. I could be like Dimitri and tower over everyone. Shifters love to do that. But I realized that, at the height I have, I intimidate people less. A guy most other guys have to look down at isn’t threatening. They think I’m harmless.”

  Rhianne’s amusement bubbled through her worry. “Harmless? You?”

  Ben spread his hands. “It’s all part of the illusion. And you know? I decided at some point in my life that I’d rather have friends than enemies.”

  “Oh.” Rhianne’s voice went soft. “That’s a beautiful thing to say.”

  He shrugged. “It probably means I’ve been alive too long.”

  “I don’t have many friends.” Rhianne heard the loneliness in her words. “When you’re the daughter of Lady Aisling and Lord Ivor, it’s difficult to know who wants to be with you because they really like you, or because they think you can curry favor for them. I have colleagues in my field that I have discussions with, and one or two good girlfriends, but I don’t see those ladies much anymore. They’re married now with their own families.”

  “And they don’t have time for the third wheel?” Ben poked his finger at his chest. “That’s me. The odd one out. I’ve helped bring a lot of Shifter couples together, and what do they say once the deed’s done? See ya, Ben. We want to shag.”

  He said it so comically Rhianne laughed. “You poor thing.”

  “It’s all right. I like to see the lovebirds happy.” Ben twined his fingers and stretched them. “Ben, the matchmaker. Ben, the dude who gets everyone out of trouble. Not that I don’t get them into trouble in the first place …”

  “What you mean is, you’re taking care of me because it’s what you do,” Rhianne said. “It’s why you look after this house. You’re a nice guy.”

  Ben winced. “Ouch. Never tell a dude he’s a nice guy. We all want to be serious badasses. It’s an ego thing.”

  Rhianne regarded him with amusement. “I’ve watched you battle twice now. You are a serious badass.”

  He bumped her shoulder with his. “Aw, you’re just saying that.”

  “And you speak so strangely.”

  “Yeah, well, you’ll get used to me. I tend to pick up the idioms of whatever country and times I’m living in, so I talk a lot of shit. You should hear what I learned in prison.” He paused. “No, maybe you shouldn’t.”

  “You were imprisoned?” Rhianne asked in shock.

  “Yep. These are prison tatts.” He touched the web on his neck. “It teaches people not to mess with me. Or at least, that’s what the tatts are supposed to do. It doesn’t always work.”

  “Why did the humans imprison you?” Rhianne tried not to imagine Ben stuck in a dank dungeon as she’d been. Only a very magical being would be able to capture him—she’d seen how easily he’d battled a handful of Fae warriors, not to mention the snakes. “Did the hoch alfar lock you up?”

  “No, no. Not this time. I went to prison in this world, about twenty years back. I beat up a guy, and I went down for assault and battery.” He glanced at his scarred hands. “Lots of battery.”

  “You battled a human? Was he magical?”

  “Hmm? No, not that I could tell. The guy beat the shit out of his wife, right in front of me. I didn’t know him or his wife from a hole in the wall, but I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. She got away from him, good thing—I hear she’s doing very well now. But I put the husband in the hospital with his injuries. I told the judge why at the trial. Judge was a woman not fond of men who pounded women, but she had to convict me. There was a lot of evidence and a number of witnesses, and the guy’s parents and friends were pretty pissed off at me. So, I did a stretch.”

  Rhianne listened, dumbfounded. “Why by the Goddess did you let them put you in prison for being a champion? I don’t believe you couldn’t have broken out of a non-magical cell, or that you couldn’t have evaded being caught in the first place. You could have changed your shape, become … what you are.”

  Ben chuckled. “That would not have gone over well. Big, ugly, scary goblin dancing in the middle of the courtroom. I’d have been full of bullet holes in no time. I come from a long-lived species, but weapons can still kill me. I’ll tell you one day about the knife in my gut that nearly ended my life. Thank the Goddess for an arrogant Shifter healer who put me back together.”

  “You’re changing the subject,” Rhianne told him. “You did not have to let the humans imprison you, and you know it. Why did you?”

  Ben brushed his callused palm over his close-cropped hair. “I guess because I wanted the experience. Humans fascinate me, all the weird things they come up with. They now mostly lock their criminals away instead of hanging them for stealing a handkerchief, but locking them up breeds its own problems.”

  “Do you regret the experience then?”

  Ben considered. “Not really. It was a bad place, that prison, but I met a few decent guys. Not career criminals, just ones who screwed up and knew it, and were paying for it. We still stay in touch. Not in person of course, cause they’re going to start wondering why I never age.”

  “You could pretend to.” Rhianne gave him a little smile, already feeling better. This was Ben’s magic, she decided. Putting others at their ease.

  “Sure, that would be fun. Trust me, I feel my age some days. But my hair won’t stay gray. The goblin in me isn’t gray-haired yet.”

  Rhianne wanted to laugh. “Does the goblin in you have hair?”

  “Yes.” Ben looked straight at her. “And no, I’m not going to show you. I like yours, though.”

  He brushed his finger over a stray lock of it, reminding Rhianne of the gentle and then fiery way he’d touched her this morning. Her face heated as she turned her head and kissed his palm.

  “This could get dangerous.” Ben’s whisper brushed her cheek.

  “I don’t care anymore.”

  Ben withdrew, the absence of his touch cold. “You might care again someday.” He folded his arms, shoulders moving enticingly. “You’re avoiding what we really need to talk about. The elephant in the room.”

  Rhianne snapped around to stare down the hall. “There’s an elephant …?”

  Ben’s laughter rumbled around her. “Figure of speech. Wait, you know what an elephant is? It’s unique to the human world.”

  “My mother brings home books. I learned human languages by reading them.”

  “Ah, clever of you. The expression means we’re not talking about the thing that we very obviously should be. The elephant, in this case, is you shifting into an eagle.”

  Rhianne pressed her hand to her knotting stomach. “I think I’d rather talk about elephants.”

  “We can discuss them all you want later. First, we’re going to figure out your shifting ability. If you’re afraid that you can’t control it, then you need to learn to control it.”

  “That easy, is it?” Rhianne asked in irritation.

  “I was wracking my brains all this morning, trying to figure out who could best help you. My friend Kenzie whacked me upside the head—another figure of speech—and told me I should do it. I decided she was right.”

  Rhianne had heard him speaking into the phone on the porch, but he’d kept his voice too low for her to discern what he’d said. Her heart beat faster. “Because neither of us is Shifter?”

  “You’re sharp. Now, much as I’d love to sit here and natter with you all day …” Ben unfolded himself and touched her cheek. “Or caress you, or kiss you, or …”

  Definitely dangerous. Rhianne laughed shakily. “Sounds more fun than me facing my demons.”

  “I don’t know. Fighting demons can be a kick. Like those snakes last night.”

  Rhianne rose quickly to her feet. “No more snakes.”

  “Naw, I didn’t like them either.” Ben rose and took her hand. “Come on.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Scene of the crime. So to speak.”

  He towed her down the hall and out
the end door to the veranda. It was shaded, but sunlight dazzled the trees and grass beyond, and warm air floated around them.

  Ben patted the railing. “All right. You were standing here, watching Jaycee shift into her leopard.”

  Rhianne went to him with reluctance. Ben’s matter-of-fact attitude reassured her a small amount, but her heart pounded and her mouth had gone dry. Not even the manacles locked around her wrists in Walther’s dungeon had been as frightening as her experience last night.

  She rested her hands on the rail and gazed across the yard to the outbuildings in back. “My skin was itching and burning, and I couldn’t stand still. As I said, when I saw Jaycee, it sort of occurred to me that I could shift too, and then something in my mind just … took over. The next thing I knew I was up on the railing.”

  “I saw you.” Ben abruptly vaulted to the top of the rail, crouching on it with ease. “Come on, join me.”

  Rhianne watched him balance in his motorcycle boots, legs in jeans folded under him. “You look ridiculous.”

  “Probably. All right, don’t join me. Nice view from up here, though.” He remained on the rail as effortlessly as Rhianne had done last night.

  A prickling made her scrub her hands over her arms. “Can we not do this?”

  Ben pivoted toward her without losing his footing. “What happened to the woman who picked up a stray piece of pipe and started smashing hoch alfar with it? This after being thrown into a dungeon and then rescued by a scary-ass goblin and a pyromaniacal dokk alfar?”

  Rhianne couldn’t help the twitch of her lips, but her fear didn’t fade. “That was different. That was self-defense, plus battling Walther’s thugs was easy because I was so angry at him for kidnapping me. This is me admitting there’s a strange beast inside me.”

  “There’s a strange beast inside me, and he’s not pretty, as you know. If you think about it, there’s one inside us all, but we fight it so we can live in the world with everyone else. So we won’t be truly alone.”

  Rhianne rubbed her hands against a sudden chill. “You’re trying to placate me.”

  “Maybe, but that doesn’t mean what I say isn’t true.”

  She let out a breath. “What do you want me to do? Take off my clothes and see if I shift again?”

  Ben’s eyes filled with heat that seared her. “The taking off the clothes part sounds fun. But I don’t think that’s all there is to it.”

  “What if I … I don’t know.” She waved her hands. “Get stuck halfway in between? Or what if I can change and try to fly, and then can’t figure out how to land? Tuil Erdannan are fairly indestructible, but falling a few hundred feet to the hard ground would not be good.”

  Ben leapt down from the rail, landing lightly on his feet. “I think that whatever your animal can do, you just do. Like Jaycee running so fast. Or Tiger being the crazed fighting force he is. Or Zander being a pain in everyone’s ass.”

  Rhianne appreciated that he kept trying to make her laugh. “Is being a pain in everyone’s ass a trait of Zander’s animal?”

  “Hell, yes. Polar bear. Mightiest land animal on the planet, and Zander knows it.”

  “I thought that was the elephant.”

  Ben’s grin warmed her through. “I’ll tell him that. Anyway, what I had in mind was to help you find that beast inside you. Help you learn about it and figure out how to work with it instead of letting it scare the crud out of you.”

  “How? I never knew I had this—thing—in me at all.” Rhianne plucked at her shirt as though the eagle lurked beneath it.

  And yet … How many times when she’d been absorbed in her studies or while gazing at the marvel of a nebula, had she sensed another presence, one strong and wild, that seemed to be so close? Her skin would tingle, as it was doing now.

  Rhianne had always pushed the sensations aside, dismissing them as imagination or exhaustion.

  Ben moved to stand next to her. “Trust me, I’ve had to tame this thing inside me from the beginning. Not taming it cost me dearly. I’ll never, ever let myself lose control again.”

  The anguish in him touched Rhianne, made her want to comfort him. She was curious about what had happened, but his body was tight with tension that warned her off.

  “How are you going to teach me?” Her voice was quiet.

  Ben’s amusement vanished. “It won’t be easy. You’ll have to trust me, to put yourself entirely in my hands. Can you do that?”

  Rhianne had put herself into his hands that morning, and it had been the best moment of her life. Not what he meant, she knew.

  “I don’t know,” she confessed.

  “Good.” Ben gave her a nod. “If you were certain, I’d know you were overconfident, and this training session would crash and burn. Let’s start.” He took a step back, a ghost of his grin returning, and pointed at her. “Strip.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ben waited, certain Rhianne would punch him between the eyes, turn from him in high dudgeon, and stalk away.

  His breath stopped when she grasped the hem of her T-shirt and smoothly pulled it off. She wore a camisole beneath that clung to her curves, her nipples shadowed outlines on the creamy fabric.

  Training, Ben reminded himself as his gaze became glued to the camisole. This is training. She needs to figure things out, not be fondled.

  But damn, it was going to be hard to keep his hands to himself.

  “Let’s go down on the grass.” Ben tried to make his voice brisk. Go down. Had that been a slip? “Easier to work there,” he added hastily.

  Rhianne didn’t notice his gaffe, or perhaps Tuil Erdannan didn’t use the phrase. She gracefully descended the steps, stretching in the sunshine, face lifted to the sun.

  Ben got rid of his shirt and sat on the bottom step of the veranda to unlace and kick off his boots. He slid out of his jeans and joined Rhianne on the grass in his underwear.

  He liked the quick flicker of her eyes as she gave him a once-over, not unhappy with what she saw.

  “Come on,” he said. “Pants too.”

  Rhianne removed the high-heeled sandals from her feet. Ben could not stop himself watching her fingers unbutton the jeans and slide down the zipper. The jeans eased from her hips, and Rhianne lifted her shapely legs from them one at a time.

  Ben had seen some of her beauty as they’d played in bed together, but they’d been tangled in sheets and pillows, and he hadn’t seen the whole of her. Now he could look his fill.

  The camisole and matching panties bared sweet curves, from her full breasts to soft hips, her thick red braid snaking over her shoulder like a silken rope.

  “That’s enough for now.” Ben moved to her, pretending complete indifference to her beautiful, sexy, beguiling, delectable … I need to shut up.

  “What I’m about to teach you might seem a little eccentric but go with it. It’s a human thing. They’ve come up with amazing ways to cope with life.”

  “Will it involve more shrimp?” Rhianne bathed him in a smile. “Or gumbo?”

  “Not at the moment. But good idea for when we’re done for the day.” Ben grasped Rhianne’s shoulders and positioned her in front of him. “I’m going to teach you some moves that will help you control energy, whether it’s inside you or coming at you. To keep it from overwhelming you.”

  Rhianne nodded, though Ben guessed the nod was out of courtesy, not understanding.

  “First, do nothing but feel the ground beneath your feet,” he began. “Take that energy up through the earth and into your core.”

  Rhianne closed her eyes, her chest rising with her breath. She’d been a little shaky this morning, though she’d tried to behave as though she was calmness itself, but now she stilled, her trembling easing.

  Ben didn’t have to close his eyes, having done this so often it was second nature. He focused on his connection to the ground, its energy steadying him as it was steadying Rhianne. He sensed the ley line running beneath the property like a river of light, the magic that made the h
ouse a living creature instead of merely bricks and wood.

  Rhianne slowly opened her eyes. “There is much magic here.”

  “Probably one reason why whatever ability you have manifested last night. Now, we’re going to do some exercises that help take that energy and flow it through you, channeling it instead of resisting it.”

  Ben moved to stand beside her, showing her how to balance herself and do a few basic slow tai chi moves—warding off, rolling back, pressing, pushing, striking, and the basic footwork.

  “This is an ancient practice,” Ben said as they went through the postures. “Well, ancient for humans, anyway. Tai chi ch’uan is a martial art. Most people nowadays think it’s just an exercise routine for balance and meditation, but it’s really a fighting form. One based on understanding and controlling energy, not resisting or avoiding what’s coming at you. Softness instead of hardness. Learning to be slow. Fast and hard is not always better.”

  Fast and hard. Listen to me.

  “I think I understand.” Rhianne halted her movements, which were as graceful as a willow tree, and waited for more instruction.

  Ben showed her the beginning sequence of the tai chi simplified form—opening the door, parting the wild horse’s mane, white crane spreads its wings—then turned her to face him again.

  “This next thing is called tai chi push hands, or tuishou. We learn to take energy and return it, feeling and controlling the other person’s intent. Like this.”

  He grasped her arm and positioned it across her body, then he pushed his hand against hers, teaching her to turn her wrist and send the force back to him.

  Rhianne wanted to resist at first, blocking his strength or shoving him away. She overbalanced, predictably, and danced a few steps back, growling in frustration as she tried to keep to her feet.

  Ben repositioned her gently. “It’s about patience. Awareness. If you resist my strength, you double its effect. See?” He pushed hard, and she instinctively struggled to prevent him from shoving her over. “But if you take my energy and turn it back to me …” Ben motioned for her to push at him. As she did so—revealing her strength—he pivoted his body with her pressure, his hand turning to send her arm back to her chest.