They rocketed out the door after Natasha. A few other shape-shifters and a couple werewolves scurried off too, leaving Zack and me with Dathan, my parents and Renzo.
“War is never pretty, sweetheart. Sacrifices will always be made.” My dad jerked his head toward the training room. “Let’s make this time count.”
I trained with my mom and practiced escaping serious damage to my body, while Zack sparred with Renzo. When the delicious aroma coming from the kitchen became too much, we headed to the private dining room. Once I’d gotten dibs on the chair next to Zack, I scooted closer to him. I don’t know about you but I’m scared. I’m going to spend every spare second training.
He rotated toward me, ran a palm up my arm and down again. Me too. As much as I want to sneak somewhere with you, especially now that everyone knows you’re not engaged, we can’t afford to lose focus.
My heart squeezed, then shattered, at how easily he’d abandoned any thoughts of private time together. And whether I should’ve been disturbed or not, I couldn’t help but be afraid we’d somehow drift apart. My eyes stung and I shifted away.
“Autumn.” He cupped my face with both hands. “Something wrong?”
I squirmed in my chair. “Just… out of sight, out of mind.”
He laughed once. “That didn’t work when I was actually trying to forget about you and it certainly won’t work now.”
On impulse, I swayed toward him and brushed his lips with my own. “Pinky swear?”
“Easiest pinky swear I’ve ever made.” He looped his little finger around mine, then yanked me closer, dropping a kiss on the tip of my nose.
I knew he believed what he said. I just didn’t think either of us could predict the future. Unfortunately, even if we survived Ulric and we triumphed over King Mortimer, our relationship stood little chance of surviving. Even if Zack truly loved me, his feelings for me weren’t enough to overcome so many obstacles. And if he loved me, wouldn’t he have told me so by now?
***
Since Natasha was preoccupied with Queen duties, I trained with my mom the next day too. Sean checked in periodically but still no sign of Ulric. With each passing hour, I felt more ready for battle. But with each report that arrived with no news, I grew more scared. Maybe they couldn’t find Ulric or his men because he was in the tunnel again.
“How long before they give up the search?” I asked my dad when we broke for dinner.
“If it were me…” He piled his fork with more scalloped potatoes. “I wouldn’t stay out longer than a day or so.”
“If they return without locating Ulric, I’ll go after him myself,” Dathan said. “I’ll make a lot of noise so he can’t help but see me coming. I’ll be ready for him.”
I shook my head, nerves raw and my knees vibrating. “You have no way of knowing if you’ll get to him before he gets to us.”
Dathan grinned. “Keep training, sugar.”
“Don’t make me hurt you, Dathan,” Zack growled.
Dathan grew more amused, his eyes twinkling.
After dinner, Renzo trained with Dathan while my mom and dad coerced us to the park to train. My dad thrust a bow at Zack for archery lessons, and my mom retrieved a bunch of throwing knives from her back pocket. One knife looked like someone would use it on steak and I was pretty sure I spotted a screwdriver.
She held out a blade with the handle pointing in my direction, then set the others on a nearby picnic table. I stared at the eight-inch blade a moment before facing the target. I grasped the handle firmly and threw it at the chunk of wood. It bounced off the edge, landing nowhere near the center.
She blinked, then frowned. “You’ve obviously spent very little time throwing knives.”
“If you had asked me, I could’ve told you that,” I grumbled.
My mom chuckled and snatched up one of the knives. She demonstrated the correct way to throw one, then I gave it a shot. We practiced for the next hour and much to my astonishment, I was hitting the targets usually within a couple of inches.
I paused to glance over at Zack who was stretching a bow. He released the arrow which landed several yards away on the edge of the stump.
I plucked a screwdriver from the pile of knives, brought my opposite side foot forward like she’d taught me, then flung the screwdriver at the target. It stuck.
“Nicely done.” She beamed. “Works the same for ice picks or whatever pointy object you can find.”
“Ready to switch?” my dad asked, planting a kiss on my mom’s forehead.
I wondered if my mom would give Zack knife throwing lessons and risk him sniffing her out. I didn’t have to wonder long. In several long strides, my dad had covered the distance and was retrieving the blades from the target I’d been using. A glance to where they’d been working revealed all the equipment they’d been using. Waiting for us. Nope, my mom wouldn’t be working with Zack and she wouldn’t be revealing her true self today.
I wanted to tell Zack about my mom, that mixing species was all a bunch of crap King Mortimer had conjured up so no one would ever again try what Hannah and Eli had. But I’d promised my mom to keep it a secret. And I intended on keeping that promise if it killed me.
Chapter FIFTEEN
Autumn
The next morning, my patience was as strained as a tightrope. I had nothing to ground me, no net below to catch me. Natasha’s scouts had been gone a full forty-eight hours. Wherever that crazy bastard Ulric was hiding, we wouldn’t find him until he wanted us to.
Silence filled the dining area except for the occasional clanging of kitchenware as Ivan and Valerie brought over plates of scrambled eggs, hash browns and sausage.
“Thank you.” Dathan took the plate of eggs and loaded his fork, then focused on Natasha. “Any word from your men?”
“Not yet this morning, but I’ll try one of them now.” Natasha stared down at her hashed browns as energy swirled around the table.
I stabbed a piece of sausage, contemplating whether or not I should turn carnivore.
Zack bumped me with his shoulder. “No point in holding out anymore,” he said. “You don’t need to hide your scent here.”
Except that if my scent became stronger, I might smell more like a werewolf, not a shape-shifter. That would bring attention to my parents and who they were. “True. But one day, we won’t be secluded inside this place and I’ll encounter other werewolves. Might be convenient for me to be able to pass as a human.” Swallowing the excess saliva that had pooled in my mouth, I nudged the sausage over to Zack’s plate.
“They’re heading back now,” Natasha said. “It’ll be a few hours since Rakin’s group made it all the way to Bishop. Haji and his group are coming from Sacramento and they might circle a few miles around the compound first.”
“They’re safe, all of them?” I asked.
“So far, so good.” Natasha finished off her eggs and nudged the plate away.
Just as my muscles relaxed one by one, Dathan tossed a crumpled napkin on the table. “If Ulric or his gang are in the tunnel or outside waiting for your men, the trick will be reentering without Ulric sneaking in with them.”
“We’ll be watching when they come in,” Natasha added. Despite her even delivery of the words, worry lines marred her flawless skin. “But we should all be ready for battle anyway.”
“Or maybe Ulric will strike before the rest of our army returns.” Dathan’s lip twisted. “That’s what I’d do. Less people to fight.”
Zack angled his head, then pushed away from the table. “He’d have to get in, which we don’t think he’s managed so far.”
“You’re forgetting about Lulu.” Dathan expelled his breath sharply. “Ulric’s been at this game for centuries. The hunt is his favorite part, scoping out the area, solving problems and waiting for the right moment.”
I stretched in an attempt to relax a muscle cramp that had formed while Dathan had been sucking away our hope. “So you think he’s definitely been inside and is probably here right
now?”
Dathan studied each face at the table then tipped back in his chair. “I believe Ulric’s powers have evolved to hypnotize someone to gain complete control. For all we know, our entire army may arrive and no longer be our army at all.”
“You keep talking about his power to hypnotize, but you have no evidence.” My dad stood then paced the small dining room.
“I’ve repeated myself because you all keep discounting it,” Dathan replied in a clipped voice. “Just because you don’t want to believe something doesn’t make it not so.”
My dad scrubbed his face with his palms. “I know. I’m just frustrated.”
“We’re not ignoring your theory, Dathan. It’s just that we don’t even know how to fight someone with that kind of power.” Renzo squinted, his mouth twisted. “You think that Ulric could control the older ones like us?”
“Probably not.” Dathan paused, staring off in thought. “But we should be prepared for the possibility that he could have control over our younger, less strong crew. For instance, the two we lost a few days ago could have given him the information he wanted.”
“If so, we’re no longer safe here.” My mom’s gaze snapped from Renzo to Dathan and back to my dad. “We should go.”
“Because it’s safer out there?” Dathan bolted from the chair to tower over my mom. “If, in theory, Ulric was somewhere nearby, couldn’t he already have set traps? You wouldn’t get far.”
The back of my neck tingled with the sense that Ulric was close. My adrenaline spiked through my fingertips, making them tremble. “I’m with Dathan. Whatever Ulric has planned is already in motion. If we run, we’re falling right into his trap.”
“This is a lot of speculation.” Renzo tapped his short nails against the tabletop. “I think we should wait until we hear from Sean and Haji and the rest, then regroup.”
“That’s the plan.” Natasha wiped her mouth with a napkin. “And we’re sticking to it.”
Dathan strode to the doorway, gesturing toward the sparring area, then he disappeared from my view, along with my parents. I sprinted to catch up with them. “Mom, can we work with knives again? I also want to practice with swords.”
“Sure.” My mom waved Zack and me past the training area toward the park.
“Great.” I much preferred training with my parents than Dathan. I spun around to send him a smug smile and nearly bumped into him.
“I think we should make this interesting.” Dathan smirked as he sidestepped to avoid crashing into me, and ventured farther into the park.
Ugh. I already wasn’t looking forward to whatever he had in mind. Hoping Dathan would go away, I set up the wood board for target practice while Zack gathered the blades.
My mom crossed her arms over her chest and, by her expression, her thoughts matched mine. “I don’t think we have the same definition of interesting.”
Dathan snickered. “They’ve been working with a hunk of wood that never moves. Ulric and his men will be mobile and they’ve had plenty of practice avoiding knives.”
I doubted Dathan was suggesting we target practice on him. I groaned. “No. I’m not going to throw weapons at my family.”
“Of course not. They’ve already paid their dues. But if you refuse to throw things at Zack, then he can throw things at you instead.” His eyes sparkled and his mouth twitched.
That didn’t sound any better. Sparring was one thing. Slicing and dicing which drew blood was quite another. When I opened my mouth to object, I realized neither of my parents had beaten me to it. My attention bounced between the two of them. “You don’t think this is a good idea, do you?”
“Well…” My mom lifted her shoulders. “You both need practice hitting your mark and avoiding being staked or knifed.”
Dad sent me an apologetic smile. “As much as I hate the thought of you getting hurt, honey, it makes sense. You’ll both heal quickly enough.”
I flinched, revulsion brewing in my gut. “You want Zack and me to try to maim each other?”
“Sweetheart,” my mom said in a soothing voice. “We’ve all been in your position and we already took turns being targets. It’s like a rite of passage for any great warrior.”
“A skilled warrior has a better chance of survival. That’s what we all want, right?” my dad asked, pinching my cheek.
Oh, just great. If I followed their advice, I’d be using my boyfriend for target practice, drawing blood. Each time we aimed, we’d be torn between getting a bull’s-eye and knifing each other or missing the target and not improving our warrior skills.
I could hardly wait.
“Now that the game rules have changed, three of us aren’t necessary. I’ll take care of them,” Dathan told my parents as he hooked a thumb into his belt loop.
He was staying to watch over us? I moaned and let my head fall back.
“You’re in good hands, sweetheart.” My dad cupped my chin and planted a kiss on my forehead.
I wasn’t sure which turned my stomach more—Zack and I stalking each other with intent to damage one another or knowing Dathan and his twisted mind would enjoy watching us struggle with the process. He’d better not gloat when Zack and I succeeded at hurting each other.
Thirty minutes later, I’d hit Zack once in his thigh and once in the back—not my proudest moments. I’d started with five knives and missed hitting him once. I had two left. Anticipating what Zack would do next was tricky since his vampire speed required me to already have thrown the knife before he got to the spot. But my instinct with Zack was pretty good.
Zack stopped behind the protection of a thick tree trunk. He inched to the left and became visible, but the toe on his other side pointed in the opposite direction. He was trying to fake me out. His foot shifted and I threw, shooting for his midsection. It sank into his side and Zack yanked it out before rocketing out of my vision.
One more knife left. How I loathed having to hunt Zack like he were my prey. I couldn’t have been more finished with this drill.
His scent was everywhere, so I couldn’t rely on my nose to find him. And I didn’t hear a thing which meant he was holding his breath. If he was mobile, he was extremely quiet about it. All I could do now was search for Zack’s energy, feel where he was. Following my instinct and trusting my connection to him, I dashed to a shed near the edge of the park. His scent was a hint stronger.
I’m sorry, Zack.
Yeah, I hate this. But we can’t afford to waste time. You’ll probably be sorrier when I’m the one holding the knives.
I’ve got one more left, I told him creeping closer to the shed. Let’s get it over with.
I’m not going to make it easy for you, if that’s what you mean. Especially when you might miss your next shot.
Now I knew where he was hiding since he emitted energy while we spoke telepathically. Which meant if I answered Zack, he’d realize I was almost right behind him.
Fabric rustled which told me Zack was likely getting ready to bolt. Standing as still as the shed he was creeping around, I waited. My ears picked up the tiniest sound of his boots creaking. As soon as he rounded the corner, I leapt onto him. I wrapped myself around him and nuzzled my nose against the pocket at his shoulder and neck.
He stiffened, probably expecting me to shove a knife into him. After a moment, he relaxed against me as his warm hands slid around my waist and up my spine. “I expected to get stabbed, not this.”
I planted a kiss at his throat. “Yeah, me too.”
“Back to work,” Dathan hissed.
Zack released me, rolling his eyes at Dathan. “Let’s switch now.”
I offered him the unused blade, knowing he still had the three I’d thrown at him. If he found the one that hadn’t hit him, he’d have five. Maybe I’d find it first and save myself an extra wound.
Leaning toward him, I lifted my chin. He kissed me and lingered an instant before I took advantage of his guard being down, and vanished.
Nice, he laughed into my head.
/> And don’t try locating me through telepathic energy, because I won’t be talking to you until after this drill is over. Later, babe.
Turns out, Zack didn’t need to track my energy to catch up to me. He was faster. Yay me. Despite his speed though, he missed one out of four shots, like I had. Or maybe that was because he couldn’t bring himself to do worse to me than I did to him.
“Good job, Zack. Getting her in the back of the knee was pure genius.” Dathan slapped Zack on the shoulder. “Slowed her down long enough for you to get the next one in her neck.”
He’d also hit me in the shoulder. Well, maybe Zack did do worse to me than I had done to him.
Sorry, he mouthed to me.
“Let’s put you two on swords.” Dathan gestured toward the door leading us out of the park.
“Against each other again?” Zack asked, his tone strained.
“Of course. Let’s get our weapons.”
Zack and I groaned at the same time, but returned with Dathan to the training area. We found Natasha sparring with my mom, and Renzo sparring with my dad. They all stopped when they spotted us.
My mom scowled at the blood around the hole in my T-shirt. “I see Zack’s aim has improved.”
I hitched a thumb at Zack’s side. “So has mine.”
“Sorry about that, hon.” My mom stroked my arms. “But we don’t have time to be nice and the best way to learn is by doing. If you’d practiced with your father or me, you’d never hit us. If we were gunning for you, you’d never get away.”
“It’s okay,” Zack told her. “She and I got through it. And it freed you guys up to do other things.”
“And you have more time since they’re about to cut each other up with swords.” Dathan smirked.
Just great. I’d try not to chop off my boyfriend’s arm.
We chose our swords, and headed back to the park. After an hour swinging at Zack and trying to avoid getting shredded, I tossed my sword in the air in frustration. Gravity took over and the blade plummeted, twirled, and then the tip sank into the grass.
“A definite improvement,” Dathan said, raising a brow at the sword sticking straight up out of the ground.
Shapes of Autumn (Boxed set, books 1 - 5) Page 87