Shadow Sentinels: Beginnings (A Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Wolf Shifter Romance)

by Karen Tomlinson

  Ember clenched her jaw clearly in pain, but too stubborn to scream. Sheer fury burned in her eyes, a spark of flame igniting them. When she bent forward, I could see her shoulder was in an odd position. Gods, he’d dislocated it. My wolf snarled, clawing at my insides to get to her. There was no question she was in agony, with her wrists shackled behind her back. They’d put a silver collar around her neck as well. I smashed my fists against the cell bars again. They had caged her wolf just like mine.

  I silently promised the gods above that Doherty and these men...everyone responsible for Ember’s pain, would die in deep fucking agony.

  “Ember?” I tried not to choke on my fury.

  Her green eyes widened, tears lining her eyes, the expression on her face something I’d never forget.

  “Connor?” she whispered, her voice breaking. She swallowed hard and deep furrows creased her brow. As if it was too painful to look at me, she dragged her gaze to Rawson instead.

  Perversion chuckled. “Looks like you’re in the doghouse, Maxwell. Did you fuck this one and leave her? She looks pissed at you.” He sneered and swung her towards Rawson then back to me. Ember whimpered. I growled. That movement must have jarred her damaged shoulder, but she bit her lip. She’d never scream for him.

  “Let’s see. Who shall we put her with? Maybe the fae would like a taste. I hear they like to take the will of human females and use them as slaves. I wonder what he’d do with a shifter?” He licked his lips in anticipation. “I’d like to see him in action. Is your dick blue too?” Walker stared at Ember implacably before that cold gaze lifted to Perversion. Something feral flashed in Walker's eyes. Perversion quickly stepped back. It was apparent he wasn’t sure he could take on this fae and win. “Nah, you’re right.” He grinned at Walker. “You’re too important to let escape. I’ll keep her with me.” And with that, he swung her against the wall beside my cell and shoved his groin into hers. The pig was tall enough he needed to bend his knees for positioning. He licked up the side of her face. “Mmm, she tastes so good. I can see why she’s driving you mad.” He slid a look my way before he grunted, pulled his pelvis back, and slammed into her again.

  “Finish what you’re doing with the she-wolf, and get your arse back upstairs. I’m taking the car. Transfer is tonight, so I’ll be back in an hour.” Misery jogged up the steps.

  Perversion didn’t even react. He just kept looking at me the whole time he ground on Ember. My blood boiled. “I’ll kill you.” My growling rattled the bars of each cell, sending dust cascading from the roof. He grinned and bit her neck, pushing on her injured shoulder as he did.

  Ember cried out then went lax, drooping in his arms.

  I roared, my fingers curling around the bars. I strained, pulling at them, desperate to get to her. There was a cracking sound the harder I pulled.

  “Fuck me, you really do want some of this don’t you?” Perversion crooned, eyeing the bars with glee.

  Vice stood with his arms crossed, watching. The fucker wasn’t going to stop this anytime soon. Did he get off on watching rape, too? Occasionally the other guards stopped Perversion from going too far—but not always.

  I forced myself to release the bars and prowled to the ones nearest to him. An icy void filled my chest. I knew precisely what it meant. If I had to break these walls down with my bare hands, he was gonna die. “You gonna stand for that, Firecracker?” I stared at her face, which he’d turned towards me. Her scrunched up eyes snapped open, and she glared at me, fire sparking in their emerald depths. “That’s it.” I willed her to fight.

  Perversion pulled back and then thrust against her again. Ember waited until he pulled away, and shifted sideways. When he drove forward once more, she rammed her knee skillfully into his groin, then slammed her forehead into his face. Perversion yelped and sagged forward. With a yell, Ember rammed him with her good shoulder, hooking a foot behind his ankles and sending him toppling towards me. He fell at my feet, only the cell bars separating us. Without hesitation, I reached through and grabbed his neck. He was still stunned, but wouldn’t be for long. Damn, it was good to get my hands around his throat. I squeezed, helpless to do anything to aid Ember other than stop this bastard ever touching her again. All the frustration and anger at what these men had done centered in my grip. I squeezed even harder, a guttural roar escaping my throat.

  Walker watched unblinkingly.

  Vice leaped forward, his hands outstretched to grab Ember, but she was quicker. She spun around him and landed a kick in his kidneys. An agonised cry escaped her. Her chest rose and fell hard, and her eyes watered as she gripped her injured shoulder.

  “Firecracker!”

  Vice twisted and caught her with a punch to her belly. She fell to her knees, coughing and spluttering. The next kick slammed into her chest, and she doubled over. For the first time in my life I froze. Her gasping breaths echoed through me and blood surged through my veins, roaring in my ears. It blinded me to anything but getting to her. My wolf snarled and ripped at my insides, caged by the silver collar. His howls fuelled my own wrath to the point where I snapped. My fingers clenched tighter around Perversion's throat. A wet sound bubbled from him as I ripped his flesh apart with my bare hands.

  Vice prowled behind Ember staring right at me as he took out a knife. He moved up quietly, a grin on his face, and raised the knife. The heat in my blood turned to ice. “Don’t you do it!”

  Vice grinned wider and wound Ember’s hair gently around his fist, forcing her head up and exposing the creamy length of her throat. Her eyes were closed, breath blowing from her nose and between her clenched teeth.

  I shook Perversion’s blood from my hand and rattled the bars again. “No! You kill her, and I will destroy you!”

  “What the fuck is happening!?” Owen roared. The other alphas were baying, demanding to know, too. Walker stared at me in that dead way of his. I ignored them all, my attention fixed on Ember. I’d failed her. And right now, I realised how much. She was mine; my mate and now I had to watch her die because I’d failed…

  Vice pressed the blade to Ember’s throat. Blood bloomed where he cut into her skin.

  I swallowed, pain tearing at my heart.

  Then her beautiful eyes opened. Flames.

  I almost sobbed. I knew Ember was different; so did she. The silver collar had imprisoned her wolf, but Doherty had no idea about Ember’s other gift. She was scared of it; I knew she was. She had no influence over it, and it only ever surfaced when her emotions were out of control. I had no idea what it was, but, right now I didn’t care, not if it could help her escape this hell hole.

  Her burning gaze held mine. But then the flames stuttered, and she blinked rapidly, shaking her head, her eyes gleaming with moisture.

  “Use it. Save yourself and get out of here.” I had no idea what damage her fire could bring down on us all, but I was willing to bet she would survive it. To me that was all that mattered.

  Vice pushed the blade into Ember’s neck. Her soft creamy skin split open, her blood spilling; enough that I was sure she would die. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. She stared directly at me, those flames reappearing.

  “Do it!” I yelled.

  She screamed, and yanked her arms from behind her back. She’d melted the cuffs. Her hands glowed like hot coals. She grabbed one of his wrists and pushed against his face with her other hand. Vice screamed and dropped the blade. It clattered to the ground. She twisted, opening the wound on her neck further, but it didn’t seem to bother her. Vice’s skin sizzled, the stench of burning flesh filling the air. She grabbed his clothes, and they ignited, flames licking over his body and setting his hair alight.

  The sweet, metallic scent of Ember’s blood was all I could smell. I rattled the bars, bellowing from the base of my lungs. My chest squeezed, an adrenaline surge lending me strength. Dust fell from the concrete surrounding the bars. Opposite me, Rawson raised his head, then shook it as if trying to clear his vision.

  Ember shuffled away from Vi
ce, who thrashed his arms and staggered about.

  Ember felt her throat, where her blood still flowed. Her fingers turned slick and red, but her touch cauterised the wound enough that it stopped bleeding. She snarled and kicked the burning man to the ground. Agonised screams erupted from his mouth.

  “That’s right! Burn you fucker!” I yelled.

  Ember’s beautiful red hair swung over her shoulder as she twisted to her feet. She cocked her head and touched the silver collar until it glowed brightly. It fell away, melted by the heat. Reaching down, she picked up Vice’s knife with her uninjured arm. “Nice blade,” she commented coldly, and thrust it through the flames straight into his heart. “I really should have let you suffer, you evil fuck, but I need those keys.” She knelt down and unclipped a glowing-hot bunch of keys from Vice’s waistband. At the same time an alarm began to blare out in the building above. The smoke had drifted up through the open door.

  “Shit.” She ran to me. Blood had dripped down her neck soaking the collar of her vest top.

  She tried to find a key that looked like it might fit my cell, but she was shaking and using one hand. They fell from her grip and clattered to the ground. “Sorry.” Her eyes darted to mine. “My-my fire...she’s gone.”

  “Hey.” I reached through the bars and touched her cheek before she could kneel down to pick them up, then yanked my hand back when I noticed I was covered in blood. I wouldn’t touch her with Perversion’s blood contaminating my skin. “It’s okay. You did amazing, Firecracker. Now let me help. Give me the keys.” My eyes drifted to the cauterised wound on her neck. I swallowed hard, wanting badly to heal her. My wolf rumbled in agreement. “And use your wolf to heal your shoulder.”

  She swallowed and nodded, but I suspected she was too weak to heal herself. With her right hand she scooped the keys from the floor, trying to hide her wince. I took the keys, and within moments, I was free. Her emerald gaze searched my face as if she couldn’t believe I was in front of her. “They told us you died.” Her voice broke. I cursed Doherty for the pain he’d caused my family. Careful of her injuries, I pulled her into my arms. “No, Firecracker, I didn’t,” I whispered into her hair. “And even if I did, I’d somehow find my way back to you.”

  “Hey! That’s nice and all, but get me the fuck out of here!” Owen roared.

  I pulled back. She stared up at me, her face softening. Without any hesitation I kissed her. It was a mere brush of my lips over hers, but heat seared my chest. A strange energy sizzled over my skin, combining with my own, and stirred my wolf into a frenzy. A small whimper fell from her lips. I smiled as she leaned closer, her lips parted, and her eyes closed. I ignored the baying of my friend and kissed her again, deeper this time. She was my mate, she was alive and she was amazing; unlike anyone I’d ever met; a storm of fury and power just waiting to erupt. Heat seared through my chest. I wouldn’t admit it out loud, but my eyes burned, my whole body shaking and my knees trembling as I held her in my arms.

  “Hey!” yelled Owen again, banging his cell bars.

  I released a heavy breath, staring at Ember’s wide eyes and pale face when I pulled away. I couldn’t resist dropping another kiss on her swollen lips. “Don’t go anywhere,” I whispered against her mouth. I turned away from her and unlocked Rawson’s cell, then Owen’s. I eyed the other cells, then looked back at Rawson’s ruined body. He needed help. Fighting my urge to keep Ember by my side, I held the keys out to her. “I know you’re hurt, but can you free them while we get Rawson up? I’ll put your shoulder back in once they’re out.”

  Without hesitation, she took the keys and nodded.

  Owen helped me haul Rawson up. Once on his feet, he groaned, but pushed us away; swaying, though he managed to stay up right. How, I had no idea. His face was badly damaged and his eyes...Jesus… The bleak look in them was something I’d never forget.

  “Can you walk?” I held back, keeping my distance out of respect for him. He was a strong alpha who would never admit to any weakness. I pressed my lips into a tight line. But it wasn’t just his body that was broken; it was his mind and spirit, and until he healed I’d be his strength, even if he didn’t want it.

  His eyes shifted to the burned and ravaged corpses of his captors. His eyes darkened as his bear fought for release against the collar. I could see his skin burn beneath it. I narrowed my eyes studying his features. Rawson was normally objective and the strongest shifter I knew—as strong as me—but he had lost his soul mate, been beaten and imprisoned all in one night. He was not thinking straight. If he lost control, we were all at risk. And once we figured out how to get the collars off, an injured and grieving bear would not be easy to subdue, not even for so many alphas. He nodded and peered at me through his swollen eyes. “I can. And I want Doherty’s blood, not any of yours.” His nostrils flared and his gaze met mine as if he had read my thoughts.

  The door at the top of the stairs swung shut with a loud slam. It clicked, locking us in.

  Owen swung his head to the noise. “Damn! Those fire alarms have closed it.”

  Ember had worked her way down one side of the corridor, opening the cells, and then back up the other. Walker gave her his dead eyed stare and she halted in front of him. “I know what you are, and if you try and hurt anyone, especially Connor, I’ll shove fire so far down your throat, there will be nothing but dust left.”

  Heat slammed through me, warming the coldest reaches of my heart as I grasped that she would protect me as fiercely as I would her. I didn’t bother to hide the lust her words ignited inside me and fixed my heated stare on her face.

  She soon noticed. “Stop looking at me like that.”

  I smirked.

  Walker stepped out of his cell, giving the iron bars a wide berth. He prowled up to her, and even at only five feet four inches, my Firecracker didn’t give an inch. The fae wasn’t stacked with muscle like me, but moved with a beautiful grace that spoke of hidden power and speed. Maybe all fae moved like him. I didn’t know. The only ones I’d ever seen before I’d been required to kill, which I generally did from a distance with a weapon that fired iron bullets.

  Ember’s eyes flashed with warning, but Walker just tilted his head. Then he did the damnedest thing—he bowed—low. Like some kind of ancient knight. “Thank you. I owe you a debt.” He stood tall, and turned to me. “Both of you.”

  I swallowed hard and nodded. Fae did not put themselves in debt to others easily.

  Walker’s clothes were caked in grime and dirt, but it didn’t hide how well made and expensive they were. He wore a heavily embroidered silk shirt, leather trousers and knee high boots. No weapons. By all accounts, he looked expensively dressed- as if he’d just stepped out of the pages of some historical romance novel—that was until you looked in his eyes and a predator stared back at you.

  He moved his hand, and something in me went on alert. Jumping in front of Ember, I snarled into the fae’s face. At six foot five, we seemed evenly matched. I still had that damn collar on, but my hands were weapons enough, as Perversion had found out. “Don’t touch her.”

  Walker blinked but was otherwise totally unaffected by my protective reaction or the threat in my voice.

  “I can heal your mate.” He looked around my shoulder and down at Ember, who tutted and shoved me sideways.

  “I’m not his mate.”

  She wasn’t strong enough to push me out of the way, but I wasn’t about to ignore her demand to move, nor would I ignore that statement.

  Unable to stop myself, I curled my hands around her hips. “Not yet. But you will be.”

  Ember rolled her eyes but otherwise chose to ignore my statement. She couldn’t hide the increase in her heart rate from me, though. I smirked and kept my eyes on her face, enjoying the flush that spread over her cheeks.

  Walker peered down at her. “I will heal your shoulder, and my debt to you is no more,” he said.

  She nodded in agreement and pushed my hands away.

  The fae put his blue-skin
ned hand on her shoulder. A strange, soft light emanated from his fingers. There was a pop, and Ember screeched.

  I instantly tensed. “What did you do!?”

  “I’m fine! I’m fine!” Ember grabbed my hand to prevent me from seizing his throat and ending him. It was then she swung her arm experimentally and smiled at Walker. “Thank you,” she said.

  “You healed her?” My voice shook, my gut tightening hard enough to be painful. Magic like that only existed between soul mates, at least in this world.

  Walker merely grunted. “Now I owe only you.” His voice was smooth and deep. Far deeper than I expected.

  “Hey! Does anyone have any ideas? This door’s not gonna budge,” shouted one of the alphas, distracting me from my need to push this otherworldly male away from Ember. I exhaled and entwined my fingers with Ember’s, wanting contact with her. I had no idea what was typical for fae magic, but the thought of this cold-eyed fae being a potential mate for Ember, and rival for me, had my blood boiling. She frowned and gently but firmly pulled her hand from my grasp. I let her go but positioned myself between her and Walker. “No, but come on down and let us up. Brady! You’re the explosives expert. Go and have a look at it. There’s electricity, silver, iron, and a whole load of other shit down here, including Perv’s weapons. Let’s see if you can do anything with it to get us out.”

  “If you wait, the guards will come,” remarked Walker. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched us.

  I glanced at him, so did Ember. His cold eyes studied the door and then me. “You got some magic there we can use?” Instinct told me he was holding something back, so I did nothing to hide my mistrust. “You appear to be high fae, which means you’re powerful, so why didn’t you escape?”

  Owen glanced at me and stepped closer, recognising the suspicion in my tone.

  Walker remained utterly unimpressed, his eyes like illuminated chips of ice. I didn’t like that he had healed Ember, but I could smell a lie a mile off. I strained my ears to listen to his heart rate and breathing.