Uri

by Dana Archer

  “Bryon could tell us, right?” Lyla scrutinizes me. “Or maybe if they were bound by a blood vow?”

  “Hopefully.” It had been in my plans for yesterday anyway. The multiple murders to clean up prevented me from having that conversation.

  “After we finish checking on the known hookers in this city.” Rick gives me a pointed look. “We never did find the body of the bad girl Harry told us about.”

  Lyla gasps. “And I never called Abby.”

  “Then do so.” I’ve already asked Ezra and Kade to watch over Lyla in my absence. They’ll guard my true mate with their lives. That’s what pride mates do for each other. Honor is everything.

  “And once we know how he’s compelling people to kill themselves, we’re going to make Cedric pay for his crimes.” Lyla raises her chin as if she expects an argument.

  “Every single crime, starting with what he did to your sister to the threat he poses to you now.” His death still won’t be enough to make up for his sins, but it’ll guarantee he won’t ever hurt anyone else.

  Twenty-Three

  Uri

  The same scents I encountered the last time I stood in the pub where Lyla became my beloved human wrap around me, but they don’t tell the same story my sight shows now. Otherwise, I would’ve known an ancient shifter I met once and avoided thinking of ever after tended bar here.

  No dominant shifter wants to be viewed in a pitying light, but that’s the only way most members of the Alexander pride, including me, view Sasha Kostov, the male who should’ve mated one of our own.

  A coward stole Nina, Kade’s little sister and Izzy’s mother, away from him.

  Sasha releases the lever of the beer tap before completely filling the mug he’s holding. He sets the mug on the counter and rounds the bar, then heads directly toward me. Anger builds with each step the Royal feline takes, and the wash of his power ripples around him. Humans clear out of the ancient’s way, some running for the door, some pulling their dates into their embraces, others hunching over their beers and casting their glances to the ground.

  Although he’s thousands of years older than me, I hold my ground. Sasha’s as good as family even though he’ll never be a part of the Alexander pride. Rick, however, takes a single step back, putting me between him and the approaching enraged shifter. It’s not fear that has Rick backtracking. On that, I would stake my life. It’s respect Rick’s showing for one of the oldest of our kind.

  “Sasha of the Kostov family.” Choosing the title carefully for the humans surrounding us, I incline my head. In truth, I should refer to Sasha as the next in line to be alpha leader of his pride…a pride that happens to reside a world away, calling Siberia home, a perfect place for their rare cat forms to roam in isolation. “What brings you to this country?”

  Several moments pass in silence. The pop music playing in the background ends, and a hard rock song with enough bass to reverberate in my bones replaces it while Sasha glares at me as if he’s debating whether to go for my throat or slam his fist into my chest.

  “Well? Do you have a reason to be in this section of the world? Or walking down the same streets as Alexanders without allowing us to pick up on your presence?” As a Royal, Sasha would have access to the drug that eliminates our animals’ scents and our human one, depending on the dose taken. Few males rely on the drug for obscurity, however. Those who do are either cowards or criminals.

  Fifty years ago, when I first met Sasha, I would’ve vehemently said neither description applied to the ancient male. Now, though? Time changes people. Or more accurately, the consequences of time change people. And for Sasha, losing the female the goddesses picked to share his soul would no doubt have a damning effect on the man.

  “Nina.” Sasha answers with a snarled growl to his voice that doesn’t belong here among humans. “Why else would I enter my promised female’s territory?”

  “She’s here?” Izzy had mentioned working on her mother’s case but had never given me more details other than wanting to get her hands on those who keep her locked away.

  “She has always been here, right under your family’s nose.” Sasha lowers his growling voice to a breath of sound humans wouldn’t likely pick up on unless they were close. The empty circle created by the bar patrons who scrambled away from us provides the wide berth to keep this conversation semiprivate. “Why do you think her children you’ve found turned up in this area? Close enough to keep her under control, allowing her glimpses of them but never letting her touch them or speak to them. A quick peek, and then she’d be taken away again.”

  “How do you know this?” Rick asks, proving he isn’t afraid to speak up. Sasha’s anger is no different from the fury Rick carries. Sasha just has the experiences of time and two more cat forms to push his rage into a stronger category.

  Sasha licks his lips and glances over his shoulder, looking in the direction of the backrooms. “You need to leave. The lunch crowd will be here soon.”

  A surge of my own brand of wrath rises and slides a red haze over my vision. Thankfully, my contacts save those around us from catching a glimpse of my glowing eyes, but the release of my primal side sends more humans scrambling for the door and widens the circle around Rick, me, and Sasha. “How do you know Nina’s close to here, Sasha?”

  After a long moment where we both glare at each other, Sasha sighs. “Because I was tasked with keeping tabs on one of Nina’s kids.”

  “Izzy.”

  Sasha inclines his head slightly. “She should’ve been my kid. They know this. They know Nina is my true mate too. And they hold it over my head, Uriel. Hold it over hers. You’d best remember that before you ask me anything.”

  “You know I have to.”

  “And you know why I won’t answer you.” Sasha motions to the door. “You can leave now. Feel free to put an agent in the streets to watch this place or to trail me if that’ll make you happy, but you won’t find the man you’re looking for. Despite my efforts to prove myself, I’ve lost the trust of those who hold the life of my female in their hands.”

  “He’s targeting Lyla’s family and friends.” I fist the front of Sasha’s shirt as he turns away. Only knowing humans are watching stops me from bloodying his face. “And then he’ll come after her. You know it. I know it.”

  “Then you best keep her locked up somewhere safe before you lose your true mate too.” Sasha pries my hand off him and heads to the bar.

  “If you won’t tell us about Uri’s cousin, then tell us about the street girls in this city.” Rick steps into Sasha’s path. “Are you missing any? Find any dead?”

  Sasha scowls. “I’m not their pimp. How should I know?”

  “People talk, and I have no doubt you listen when they do. Share that knowledge with us.” I let the compulsion bleed into my voice. It won’t force Sasha to reply. He’s too strong, but the touch of importance in my voice might persuade him to offer up details we could use.

  “I haven’t heard of any girls in trouble or seen any bodies lying around.” Sasha tips his head in my direction. “And that I swear on my family’s name.”

  With that, Sasha steps around Rick and walks behind the bar to take a drink order.

  That’s not how this conversation is going to end. I storm forward and grab the front of Sasha’s shirt, yanking him closer and letting a low, threatening snarl slip from my lips. “Cedric’s targeting my true mate. Killing her friends. Her family. Messing with her head. She blames herself for their deaths.”

  “Then he’s winning and you’re losing,” Sasha replies in the calmest of voices. “How do you think males like Cedric break their women, Uriel of the Alexander family? They find their weakness and exploit it. For Sam, it was taking away all human interaction until she was willing to do anything to talk with another person…to see Nina. Anything.”

  “Lyla won’t break because Cedric’s targeting her loved ones. All he’s doing is making her even more determined to take him out.”

  “I hope you’
re right.”

  “What about Nina? What broke her?”

  A predatory vibe slides over him. “They haven’t broken her, and that angers them.”

  “But they keep trying, don’t they?”

  Sasha nods. “And telling me about their failed attempts. They keep saying I can have her once she’s worthless to them. I thought that would’ve been after her breeding partner was killed, but they still have her.”

  “And you’re desperate to get her back.”

  Sasha doesn’t nod or speak, but his determined look says it all. They have his true mate. Enough said.

  “If you betray your honor, she’ll never forgive you.”

  “Why do you think I’m standing here talking to you, Uriel Alexander, pride mate to Nina?”

  Nina would expect her true mate to do anything in his power to help her family, just as I would for Lyla’s. “Understood.”

  “Good. Then leave here. I have nothing else to say to you.”

  The “right now” is unspoken, but I feel the truth. Sasha is still a male worthy of heaven. If he learns more, he’ll tell me.

  Releasing the ancient, I make my way to Rick. Once he finishes typing on his phone, he looks at me. “I’ve ordered a plainclothes cop to watch this place and Sasha, but you know we’re not going to find anything, right? He’s not telling us more today.”

  “I know.” I glance over my shoulder at the male who’s facing a fate that could be mine if I lose Lyla to the coward targeting her. “But we did learn one thing.”

  Rick falls into step with me as I stride for the door. “What’s that?”

  “We’re running out of time to solve this case.” And I still don’t have any solid leads that’ll stop the man who’s targeting what’s mine.

  Twenty-Four

  Uri

  Shadows loom over the alley where I snatched a frightened and fleeing Lyla, saving her from the predator chasing her and sealing her fate as the mate of another.

  With my eyes closed, I focus on my other senses—the sounds of this section of the city, the scents of those who’ve recently traveled in this area, and the tingling awareness of pure power dancing along my skin. My felines take in all those details and form them into a single response: our target is close.

  Whether Bryon’s lifeblood is spilled at my hands remains to be seen, however. It all depends on him.

  Standing at the mouth of the alley Bryon favors, I wait, giving Rick a chance to close the distance from the opposite end of the alley and Bryon the opportunity to greet me as an alpha would when a dominant enters his lands. That’s what this city is too. It’s not neutral territory as many claim. This is the home of the Murphy clan, a family of one.

  As if the air around me sighs, the power skipping over me fades, dissipating on an exhaled breath.

  “Leave me.”

  The words don’t flit through my mind as my twin’s or pride mates’ thoughts do when we speak telepathically. Bryon’s command is whispered into my ear. The Royal bear isn’t standing next to me, however. Neither do I see him.

  “I can’t.” I mouth the words, throwing my voice they way Bryon did, without giving thought as to why I’d choose to respond in such a manner. It’s simply the natural thing to do, even though I don’t know how I’m able to pull off this little feat. My shamanic heritage isn’t something I’ve ever developed.

  “Sure you can. Your legs work just fine. I saw how you used them to run from your mate and allow her to almost get hit by a car.”

  “You know Lyla is mine, then?”

  Bryon’s laugh echoes within me, a sensation that’s far from pleasant. “It’s funny how auras work, Uriel. You can’t see your own. You can’t see how the auras of others react to yours. But as a Royal, you can guess at the fate of those around you. You’re not always right, but sometimes you are. It’s a game. You’re always on the outside looking in, trying to guess at what’s happening behind closed doors. That’s all shifters are, you know. We’re the outsiders in this world dominated by humans. We don’t belong in it, but we can’t escape it. We’re forced to walk among them, never as one of them. We must remember that. We’re predators among sheep we can’t kill.”

  “Your long-winded response is awfully philosophical for a simple yes.”

  “I rarely say anything that’s not worth listening to and remembering, Uriel. Words have their own power, even among sheep. We did once rise from their spilled blood. Their sacrifice, our eternal damnation.”

  With my arms hanging loosely at my sides, I let Bryon’s words become ingrained into my memory. Only a fool would ignore the offer of help from someone who sees the world differently than me. Not all dangers are ones I can recognize. I can only interpret threats based on my knowledge. “You’re right. Words do have power. That’s why I’m selective with one very specific word. Do you know which one I’m talking about, Bryon, alpha of the Murphy clan?”

  Prickling pain dances over my exposed skin and pressure steals my breath. No magic accompanies this show, however. This angry display is of a shifter who houses the spirit of a firstborn within them.

  “I told you to leave, Uriel.”

  “And I told you to call me Uri. You do remember that conversation, don’t you? It was right after I pulled that hood off your head. Of course, your lips were a little blue at that point, and death was hovering in your eyes, but you managed to speak…to ask my name. I gave it to you then. Why do you refuse to use it now?”

  “Damn you.”

  I lock my knees against the force of Bryon’s powerful display. A garbage can blows over somewhere to my left and the whistling of the sudden burst of wind whips through the alley, lowering the temperature of the air and turning the water particles around me into shards of ice that cut at my skin.

  A light turns on in the building farther down the alley, closer to where Bryon must be standing. And just like that, Bryon—as the predator among sheep he can’t kill—reins in his power.

  “What do you want from me, Uri?”

  Smiling, I focus on where the voice came from. Bryon’s slumped form is hidden from Rick by the boardinghouse, but he’s visible to me. Shadows no longer leave that area obscure.

  A ratty blanket covers Bryon’s legs, one stretched out and one bent, and some businessman’s discarded suit jacket covers his upper body, the sleeves ending well above his exposed wrists. His dark hair isn’t twisted and rolled into dreads today, however. The shiny, loose waves form a cape around his face, hiding his expression but not his eyes. The glow of brown visible between the strands of his hair is unmistakable.

  “Did you go for a run recently?” Either that or he’d done some major cleaning up in a public bathroom. There’s no other explanation for seeing Bryon as he was the night he matured instead of the mask he’s been hiding behind in this city.

  Bryon shakes his hair back and props his arm on his bent knee. “The woods around this city are lovely this time of year. Few people out and about, especially at night.”

  Then yes, Bryon has shifted recently and returned to his true form, just as every shifter does when we shift. The jealousy over the fact he’s enjoyed running free while I’ve been keeping my felines contained is real. I haven’t remained in my human form for this long in… I can’t remember exactly. All I know is it’s been too long since I felt the soft press of the earth under my lion’s paws, climbed a tree in my jaguar’s form, or stalked dinner in my tiger’s body.

  “And are visitors allowed in these woods?” I scrutinize Bryon’s features, waiting for any indication he’ll acknowledge this city as his. Or if he’s still in denial.

  “This is neutral territory. People come and go as they please.”

  “Do visitors ever leave anything interesting hanging around?”

  Bryon’s amused response is almost a snort but not quite. His mouth moves, and this time, his voice is in my ear, projected to me in whatever trick Bryon’s pulled off. “If you’re asking if I saw or know anything about the dead body that wa
s found, the answer is no. And if you have anything else to ask, make it meaningful. Otherwise, leave. I don’t have the patience for dealing with your stupid nonsense.”

  “Then you should’ve answered Lyla’s questions or mine from days ago. We both gave you the opportunity to avoid this stupid nonsense.”

  “I don’t want to get involved in—”

  “You are involved. This is your city, and you’ve allowed the depraved to prey on those who call it home.”

  “No, I have not allowed anyone to kill the helpless or weak. That implies I was standing there while they lost their lives, allowing it to happen. I had no knowledge of their deaths until afterward.”

  “Then willfully ignorant of the activities in your city.” I move closer to Bryon until a few feet separate us, leaving enough room to fight if need be.

  “Nope. I don’t like that terminology either. Try this explanation.” Bryon drops his hand to the sidewalk and leans forward. “I don’t care what those around me do or who they hurt in this city as long as they leave me alone. That’s my only demand: solitude.”

  “Not your only demand. They’re predators who should move among sheep without killing them. Right, Alpha? Isn’t that what you just told me? They should walk among the citizens of this city, not kill them.”

  “Actually, I used the term we, not they. We are predators who must move among sheep without killing them. We, Uri. You and I, not they. I don’t care what they do, including killing the sheep. Those weaker than us are going to die someday anyway. Why should I play god and intervene on their behalf?”

  “Because the moment you accepted the spirit of your clan, you became responsible for its members.”