“Are you sure you want to play with me?” I said. “Because I tend not to lose.” I risked another sweeping glance across the landscape. Where the hell are you, Kael?
“You seem distracted,” David said. His sharp eyes followed every flicker of movement as I squared up to face him again. He tilted his head. “Wondering where your mate is?”
“He’s not my mate.” My stomach fluttered, and it had nothing to do with nerves. “Kael’s a friend.”
My opponent grinned. “Call him what you will. Regardless, he’s a bit preoccupied with some friends of mine I brought along.”
I strained to hear fighting in the distance, proof that what David said was true, but I heard nothing. Was he bluffing, or was it already too late?
I chided myself. Kael was an excellent fighter and was more than capable of holding his own. His absence just meant I would have to take this joker down on my own.
“Now, since you’ve shown me your bite, Olivia, it’s only fair to show you mine.”
David rushed at me, but I’d been expecting as much. I lunged to the side, tucking myself in tight, and rolled away. I rose up to my knee, teeth clenched and hand tight around the handle of my sword. Thank goodness for those deep-rooted instincts, or the move may have had me putting the blade through my own body.
I wouldn’t be able to outmaneuver David for long, especially if he decided to shift. I quickly studied my surroundings from my peripheral, and found I was near the firepit again. Its heat brushed against me, and an idea sparked in my mind. I didn’t rise from my crouch. Instead, I waited for David to lunge down at me. I reached for the firepit with my free hand and grabbed a piece of wood sticking out of the embers. The end glowed red, and as the cheetah shifter bore down on me, I turned the burning wood toward him.
David screamed, and I wrinkled my nose against the stench of burning flesh as he lurched away from me. He held a hand to his neck with a grimace, then returned his gaze to me. He bared his teeth, and his eyes flashed. Before I could regain my feet, or think to raise my weapon, he was on me.
My back hit the ground, and David’s fingers dug into my biceps. “If you’re not going to play nice, then neither am I. Vehrin wants you alive, but he never said anything about you having to be in a perfect state.” His tongue ran over his teeth, as if his cheetah self was ready to shift and sink his teeth into me.
This man was crazier than I’d first assumed if he thought he was going to bite me. “Careful, or you’re going to wake up something you don’t want to tangle with.”
David’s lips peeled back, showing his white teeth in a fierce smile that was anything but friendly. He leaned down so his face was only a few inches from mine. “I can handle myself just fine.”
The piece of wood in my hand had fallen when he’d attacked me. I pulled on my magic, waited until I could feel it tasting my fingertips, then drove my head up into David’s face. He cursed and let me go in surprise, and I pressed my magic-soaked hand into his face.
The shifter fell backward, and though my hand was no longer on his face, my magic remained. The energy stuck to his skin like a spiderweb. He clawed at his face, screaming, as the magic consumed him. It was a gruesome sight, his skin burning, his own fingers raking bloodied lines down his face. I scooted back with a disgusted grimace, and quickly bottled up my magic before I did anything else horrific.
It didn’t take long for David to fall, dead, his face a twist of unrecognizable features.
As I got to my feet, Kael broke from the grass in his jaguar form. His sides heaved, and blood stained the fur around his mouth. He glanced briefly at the dead man as he passed. He loped over, then he pressed his head against my hip.
“I’m fine,” I said, reaching down to pat his head. He made a chuffing noise, so I got down on my knees to peer into his golden eyes. “Kael, I’m fine. Promise.”
I ran my gaze down the pattern of spots on his fur, searching for any injuries. Then, I hugged his neck. He always seemed cuddlier in this form, and I couldn’t help myself. “Are you okay?”
Kael sniffed sharply.
Taking that as a ‘yes,’ I smiled. “You better get your clothes back on.”
We both turned to look for his clothes, then I realized I’d dropped a dead man on them. Kael gave me a level, accusatory stare before going to my bag. He started clawing at it as he tried to pull his clothes out. I shoved him away.
“Stop that. You’re going to put a hole in it.” I drew out his set of clothes. “This is your last set of clothes. If you tear these up, you’re going to be making your way back to civilization in your birthday suit.”
As Kael shifted and dressed, I gathered our things. Our breakfast would have to wait. My partner came up beside me and jerked his head toward the body. “I see you handled yourself well. Some idiot working for the mage, I suppose?”
I realized Kael couldn’t recognize his friend with the damage I’d done to David.
“Yeah, I guess so.” I couldn’t bring myself to tell him David had betrayed him. Likely, he’d never find out, anyway. Besides, how would he feel if he knew I’d killed his friend?
“We’d better hurry,” Kael said. “I have a feeling Vehrin is already back at the pride, or he will be soon.”
I hefted my bag onto my shoulder and let my sword weave back into the bracelet around my wrist. “What makes you say that?”
“He wouldn’t have sent some of his followers if he didn’t want us to stay away.”
Together, we trekked back toward the lion shifters. I wasn’t certain how close we would be able to get to them before we were confronted, but we had to try.
The horizon turned to a bright orange swept with brilliant strokes of gold. It was a beautiful day for a battle with a dark mage, but I hoped I wouldn’t have to kill innocents in the process.
I’d already killed one man today. How many more would I add to the list before the sun set again?
Chapter 21
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
I glanced over at Kael and swallowed the bite of granola bar. “What do you mean?”
He smiled. “Whenever you’re thinking hard, you stop chewing your food. You’ve been eating that granola bar for a good twenty minutes, so that’s either the tastiest one you’ve ever eaten and you’re savoring every bite, or you’re thinking about something pretty damn hard.”
I let out a sharp sigh and stuffed the half-eaten granola bar into my pocket. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”
“It’s all right. There are a lot of people with odd eating habits.”
Kael laughed when I sliced a glare at him. “That’s not what I’m talking about. I still don’t understand why Vehrin hasn’t already taken the key. He’s a dark mage. He’s the dark mage. And the chief seems to be on his side.”
“True. But the chief still won’t give him the key. It’s his job to protect it.” Kael kicked at a small mound of dirt, then jumped to the side with a curse when ants spilled out of it. I had to look in the opposite direction to keep from laughing as he did an odd sort of shuffle-dance to dislodge the ants and still keep pace with me. “Anyway, what if he was merely trying to draw you to him? He knew you would go after the key.”
“But then why would he force those visions on the shifters and make us out to be the bad guys? And why not use that ability to trick them into handing the key over. ” I stared out at the sea of grass. “Unless…”
My partner paused to bend over and brush a few stray ants from trying to crawl in his boots. “Unless what?”
“What if Vehrin doesn’t want to cause a scene by stealing the key? I have no doubt he is capable of doing so, but think about it. When we confronted him the first time, it was in a secluded, secretive area. There were no humans around to see what was going on. He’s been very careful. If he goes and slaughters an entire pride of shifters, someone is bound to notice. Accidents happen. One could slip away, and the next thing you know, other shifters know about what he did. PITO already knows,
but I’m betting they aren’t letting on about the threat to others. If Vehrin starts making noise, though, soon the whole world will know the truth.”
“That’s actually a very good point, Livvie.” Kael smiled at me, pride shining in his gaze. “Maybe you should come work for PITO.”
I laughed. “Me? An agent? No, thanks. Besides, PITO protects magical objects, they don’t dig them up. I’d constantly be in trouble.”
“I can’t argue with that,” Kael said. He was silent for a moment. “I think you’re right about Vehrin. He can’t take on the whole world. Not yet. If he can get the key without bloodshed, he will. Unless a troublemaker comes along.” He gave me a wink.
“That’s why he convinced the shifters to make us leave. He doesn’t want me causing a scene, or being near enough to get the key. He wants me to stay away. That’s why he sent those men.”
Kael grunted. “He should have known to send better insurance.”
“Maybe he couldn’t afford the top of the line ‘Keep-the-cursed-mage-and-her-shifter-guardian-away’ plan.” I grinned up at Kael, and his lips started to twitch into a smile.
Then, he stopped. He held an arm out, blocking my path.
Two women rose from the grasses not ten feet in front of us. Their clothing was colorful, bright reds and canary yellows, and I recalled seeing some of the women wearing similar attire with the shifter pack. Their faces, though void of emotion, held a certain fierceness in their quiet staring. These were lionesses. Had they come to stop us?
I started to summon my sword from the bracelet, then paused as the grasses swayed behind them.
Nearly a dozen lion cubs stepped hesitantly out of the foliage. They stared at us, and stuck close to the women. My heart jumped. Children. What were they doing out here with children? Had we been too late? Was this all that was left of the lion shifters?
One of the women spoke. “You are returning to the pride.”
It wasn’t a question. If anything, her tone was accusatory.
I pushed Kael’s arm down so he wasn’t blocking me and took a step forward. “We are. Is everyone okay? Has Vehrin returned?”
“There is no one there.” The fierce woman was several inches taller than her companion, who had remained quiet. She hesitated, and studied us with piercing, golden eyes. “Our leader is not well,” she finally said.
I nodded. “I thought as much. I have no doubt Vehrin gave him false visions of our intentions.”
“We sensed something was wrong. If he was sound of mind, he would not have turned you away after you offered Bibi’s spear. It is an ancient promise, one you fulfilled, and yet he chased you out. It was not right.”
The other woman, younger, rounder in the face, edged forward. “We took as many of the young ones as we could, but there are still several that remain. They were too close under his eye to take them to safety.”
I dropped my gaze to the cubs, all of whom were in their animal form. Most were very small, with round ears and clumsy paws. They wouldn’t stand a chance if things took a turn for the worse. It twisted my gut to think there were still children in danger.
The tall woman came closer, and Kael tensed behind me. I touched his arm with a finger, a silent reassurance.
“If you truly are here with noble intentions, save our pride.” She glanced back at her companion and the cubs, then turned back to me. “Save our children.”
“Is there a way to get the key?” Kael said.
She grimaced, then shook her head. “That key is supposed to be kept in our guardianship.”
“We gave you the spear,” I said. “It was a promise, you said as much yourself. If Vehrin gets a hold of that key, your life as you know it will be gone.”
The younger woman stepped forward, the cubs shadowing her. “When it is not on our chief’s person, he keeps it on an altar in his quarters, but it is heavily guarded.”
Kael nodded, and by the way he shuffled forward a step, he was eager to take on the task of stealing the key.
“Wait.” The woman nearest me held up her hand. “They are anticipating your return. If you go in the way you first came, they will not hesitate to take you down. Go around, and scale the rocks. You may be able to sneak in that way.”
“Thank you,” I said. Again, I looked at the children. “Where are you taking them?”
“Someplace safe.” She watched me for a moment, and some of her fierceness faded. “Please, save them, our pride, and the young ones.”
My brow furrowed and my fingers curled into fists. “I promise you, no one will lay a finger on any child, unless they want to lose their hand. I will stop Vehrin and save your pride, whether your chief wants it or not.”
The woman smiled. It changed her face into something bright and warm, and I couldn’t help but wonder, if Vehrin won, how hard would the mothers and aunts and sisters of this world have to grow to protect our most vulnerable?
She turned her attention to Kael. “You are blessed to have such a fierce mate at your side.”
Without another word, they left. The cubs followed, and a couple of them rubbed against my legs as they passed. The women were leading them in the direction of Bibi’s home, and I knew there would be no safer place for them.
As the shifters melted into the grass, I turned to Kael. “That’s the second time someone has called me your mate.” I gestured down at myself. “Do I look like a shifter?”
Kael’s lips lifted in a crooked grin as we continued on our way, angling our path more to the left.
“Definitely not. They’d be able to smell it.”
Why had she said that if she knew I wasn’t a shifter? “Is it common for shifters to mate with non-shifters?”
“No, it’s actually somewhat rare. It isn’t illegal to tie yourself to a human in such a way, but it is looked down upon in many cases.”
I frowned. “Why?”
He let a low growl. “It’s ridiculous thinking, but it is because mating with a human dilutes the bloodlines, and makes exposure to humans more likely.”
I nodded. It made sense to not want all of humanity to know about shifters, but the part about the bloodlines seemed barbaric. I glanced at Kael, imagining him with a jaguar shifter on his arm and adorable little shifter cubs running around in the jungle with him. The thought made my stomach clench.
“I’m sure you will make some shifter female very happy one day. You are quite the catch.” I gave him a smile and hoped he couldn’t tell how forced it was.
“I do not want a union with a shifter.” Kael held me trapped in his gaze for a very long moment. Then, he continued toward the direction of the pride.
What had he meant by that? Kael wasn’t anti-human, I knew that, so the prospect of him marrying one wasn’t far-fetched. Still, he seemed adamant about not wanting a shifter mate, and the way he had looked at me... I reached back and pulled my hair up away from my neck, letting air get to my sweat-slicked skin.
Kael was an enigma, and he seemed intent on confusing me to death.
Our trek took longer than it had when we were forced to leave, but eventually we caught sight of the rock formations breaking the horizon that belonged to the shifter pride. We made a massive arc in the hopes we could avoid prying eyes. Just as we were nearing a small stream that ran between the grassy plain and the rising rocks, I grabbed Kael’s arm.
“Look,” I whispered, then pointed to our left.
A male lion, young enough to not have a full mane, watched us from several yards away. Kael froze, and a slight growl rumbled from his chest. The lion watched us for a moment longer before turning and disappearing into the grass.
“Why didn’t he try to stop us?”
Kael smiled. “He wasn’t a shifter. The pride probably chose this place because it is a popular territory for wild lions. It helps them blend in.”
“Glad you know the difference,” I said. I stepped over to the stream and looked for a way to cross. A bit to our right, several rocks broke the surface of the water. “Gu
ess we’re going rock hopping.”
I let Kael go first, just in case there were any loose stones. The man practically floated across them, all grace and ease.
“Show off,” I muttered. I made my way across nearly as well as he did. I’d only had to flare my arms out twice to get my balance.
The pair of us quietly made our way to the wall of rock. Thankfully, it wasn’t an entirely smooth surface. A few small trees grew up through cracks that would help provide handholds and cover if a shifter happened to be walking by.
I reached up and dug my fingers into the rock. Just as I started to lift myself up, Kael spoke.
“I want to take you out.”
I was so surprised by his words I lost my grip and scraped my knee on the rock as I dropped back to the ground. I looked up at him. “Huh?”
Kael rubbed at the back of his neck. “You know, on a date.”
Squinting, I wondered if the sun had gotten to him. “You want to take me on a date?”
He nodded.
I threw my hands in the air in frustration. “This is not the best time to talk about this.”
He dropped his hand and closed the distance between us. “We may soon be eaten by lion shifters or taken down by a dark mage.” He lifted his hand to cup my cheek. “I wanted you to know, if we survive this I’d like to take you on a date.”
Kael was often serious, but the intensity in his gaze was unnerving…and intriguing. His look made me want to lean into his touch. It made me want to have his arms around me. What would he do if I rose up on my toes and touched my lips to his? I had to lighten the mood before I did something impulsive.
I cocked a grin. “You know you’ll have to get in line behind Ren? I still owe him a date. If I knew I was going to be partaking in so many dates, I would be dress-shopping instead of scaling a mountain.”
I expected Kael to be rattled or angry at being dismissed, but while he did drop his hand, a slow grin lifted his lips.
“Livvie, you won’t need a dress where I’m taking you.”
The Hunted Soul Page 15