Vynn (War Cats Book 4)
Page 1
Vynn
War Cats, Book 4
Grace Brennan
Contents
Other books by Grace Brennan
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Coming Soon
Other books by Grace Brennan
Acknowledgments
About the Author
VYNN
Copyright 2018 © Grace Brennan
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All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior permission of Grace Brennan.
Cover Design: Tracie Douglas of Dark Water Covers
Photographer / Model: Nathan Hainline
Other books by Grace Brennan
War Cats
Zane
Karis
Jameson
Rocky River Fighters
Heart of a Fighter
Fighting for Keeps
Fight Song
Fighting to Win
Bear Claw Shifters
Starry Night Sky
One Sunny Day
Misty Autumn Morning
Red Moon Shifters
Unexpected Mates
Temporary Mates
Forever Mates
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Chapter One
The fox raced through the underbrush, a snarl on her lips. This was her territory, but there was someone else in the woods with her. A large predator, encroaching on her space. They’d been playing cat and mouse for weeks, but he’d never catch her. And she claimed this spot, so he’d need to get used to her.
Just let me have my body back, a voice said faintly inside her.
No, she snarled back. We’re not far enough away yet.
Maybe he was here first. Ever think about that?
It didn’t matter if he was. These woods were hers. At least until she moved on, like the silly human she shared her body with made her do every couple of weeks.
Family. The human thought she needed them, but she didn’t know the truth yet. They needed no one. They were fine on their own.
I have questions I need answered. And some revenge to hand out if I don’t like the answers.
That was better. That was something the fox could get on board with. Revenge was always a good reason to interact with humans. The only reason, really.
Pausing at the bank of a lake on the edge of her territory, the fox drank deeply before settling down, eyes trained in the direction of the predator. She was thinking of setting a trap, catching him, making him pay for trying to chase her away, when a sudden, unexpected push from the human inside her caught her off guard.
And a moment later, she existed no more.
Ashley Adams gasped, the pain from forcing the shift nearly taking her breath. Fighting her fox for her body always exhausted her, and her legs trembled as she pushed herself up to her feet, stumbling toward her den.
It was fall, and the leaves were changing colors. It was beautiful, but in Colorado, it meant there was a bite in the air that made her shiver. Finally reaching her temporary home, she pulled her clothes on quickly.
She needed to move on soon. Living out in the woods for a few stretches at a time was okay in the summer, but soon, the cold would make it too dangerous. She wouldn’t feel it as bad if she could be in animal form, but her fox never wanted to give her her body back, so she couldn’t risk it.
It was a fight every time, and she always wondered when she shifted if it was the last time she’d ever be in human form again.
The plain truth was, her fox was crazy. But then, Ashley didn’t have much room to talk in that department.
Sitting down in the opening of her little cave—really not much more than a shallow opening under an outcropping of rocks jutting out of the mountain—she pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Laying her head on her knees with a sigh, she stared out at the still lake.
She thought she was getting close to where she needed to go. Close enough that she could take the money she had hidden in her pack, go to the nearest city, and buy a bus ticket. That was probably Denver, and she didn’t think it was far from Eagle Creek, Wyoming.
Once she was there, she’d find the family she never met and get her answers. And like she told her fox, she’d have her revenge then if she didn’t like what those answers were.
“Where are you, Dad?” she whispered.
But she thought she knew. He was gone forever. And the last time she saw him, he said he was going to find her brothers, so she could have all her family around her. He never returned, and from the little hints he’d dropped about how mean natured her brothers were, she was sure he’d met an untimely end. And that left her completely alone in the world.
Sure, her dad hadn’t been the best. He’d been drunk most of the time, and she’d had to work herself to the bone to please him. Bringing in enough money to satisfy him, while still trying to be home when he wanted food on the table, keeping the home they lived in—little more than a shack—spotless, taking care to never say or do anything to spark his temper, had been hard.
And he’d hated what she was. He wasn’t a shifter. She’d gotten her fox from her mom. So she did her best to suppress her animal and all shifter qualities, because he’d lose it if he saw even a hint of it.
No, he hadn’t been the best, but he was all she had. He’d loved her, in his own way, she was sure. And now he was gone. Because of her two brothers, who, from all her dad told her, were even worse than he was.
They had some explaining to do. And then—she’d make them as miserable as they’d made her when they took her father away from her.
Fix it, Vynn Sardana growled at his tiger as he pushed his legs harder, running through the woods in animal form.
No. Not this time.
Fuck. Every time he asked, it was more of the same. He wanted the scar on his cheek gone in the worst possible way. Every time he looked in the mirror, or caught someone staring, he felt rage and shame wash over him.
Shame because yes, Kian, the alpha of the War Cats, had taken away the label of Other. But it didn’t matter. Bea
uty, physical perfection, was still a prized possession in tiger culture. With Kian’s decree, those who held neither, who were marked in some way, were no longer mocked and ridiculed. No longer forced to be unpaid servants, no longer disrespected. Vynn’s recent scar had made him ineligible to be a warrior any longer, but his position was restored with Kian’s rule change.
And still, it didn’t matter. The label of Other had been in effect for generations. The members of the tribe were raised on it. Vynn had the lesson beaten, literally, into him by his father. His father, if he was still alive, would have disowned him for coming home with such a mark.
He tried to ignore it. Tried to pretend he was as blemish-free as he’d been when they left for Eagle Creek almost a year ago. But the reminder was right there on his face, impossible to ignore.
Eagle Creek. How he hated that place. Hated the shifters who lived there. Especially Ian Gallagher, the bastard who clawed the shit out of his face and left him with this scar. One day, he’d get his revenge. He wouldn’t kill him. But he’d repay him. Give him a scar to carry the rest of his life, like he did to Vynn, no matter how he had to go about it.
And then he’d track down Luke, the Enforcer. Him, he really would kill. Ian’s mark wouldn’t have stuck, and he would have had a chance to repay him in the moment, if Luke hadn’t used his gift on them.
All shifters had a gift, something they were especially good at, or something extra that no one else could do. Some were mental and some were physical. Luke, who was a member of the Enforcers—the shifter version of law enforcement—had the gift of forcing shifts. Ian and Vynn were in the middle of a fight in tiger form, and Ian had just raked his claws down Vynn’s cheek, when Luke ordered them to change back.
But he used too much power in his voice, and while Ian had been able to remain conscious, the bastard, Vynn was knocked out cold. His tiger, as well, so his animal hadn’t been able to heal the wound. And when he woke, his cat flat out refused to fix it, and he was left with the hideous scar on his cheek.
So they would both pay. Ian with something that scarred him in return, and Luke—Vynn would take pleasure in ending him. He didn’t care if he was an Enforcer or not. Hurting him would bring all Enforcers down on Vynn, but that’s where his gift came in handy. His gift was tracking, and, in turn, covering his tracks. He could disappear, and no one would be able to find him.
Everyone in Durga Valley was expecting him to revolt against the changes, to try to take out Kian, and Zane, who was second in line, and take over Alpha for himself. But he had no intention of doing that. Never had. He was just biding his time until he could exact his revenge, and then he’d disappear. He’d have to, after he went after Luke.
Everyone who had a part in his shame would pay. And if it were physically possible to cut his tiger out of his body, he’d do so, but he couldn’t. There were suppressants he could take, though, to bury the tiger deep inside him. He was thinking about it, but it would suppress all shifter qualities, and Vynn wasn’t sure that would be a good idea. Not when he’d have to hide from the Enforcers.
And you wonder why I won’t heal you. You still haven’t learned from this, his tiger hissed.
Is that it? You’re refusing to take my shame away because I want to suppress you?
His cat snorted. That proves my point. You think everything is about revenge, everything is about thinking only of yourself. I do this for you, not me.
Vynn shook his head, darting around a tree. Everyone looked out for themselves first and foremost. And those who didn’t were the weak ones. The fools. Who’d only end up losing in the end.
Before he could reply, he caught a scent that pulled him up short. Skidding to a stop, he searched for it again, inhaling deeply when he found it.
He’d been catching hints of this scent for weeks but hadn’t yet found its owner. It was a shifter, but he wasn’t sure what animal it was. It was familiar to one of the scents he’d caught on the breeze in Eagle Creek, but he had no idea what animals the shifters there harbored.
He first smelled it the night he was on guard duty at Jameson’s house, and he’d followed it then, feeling compelled to, but his hunt was unsuccessful. It was an action he regretted. He never normally felt guilt over anything, but he did about that. Cady, Jameson’s mate, was abducted while he was gone from his post, and she ended up killing the bastard who took her to get away from him. None of that would have happened if Vynn was where he was supposed to be.
And despite what most people thought, Vynn didn’t harbor ill-will toward everyone he met. Only those who deserved it earned his wrath. Cady, and even Jameson, hadn’t deserved it.
He’d been trying to find this shifter ever since then. But even with his gift, he hadn’t caught up with him yet. It was like he was a damned ghost, one Vynn was determined to find.
Today, it might finally happen. This trail was very fresh, and easy to follow. He followed it around the edge of War Cat territory, to where the lake met up with the mountain. Fuck. This was going to turn into another dead-end again.
The growl building in his throat abruptly died when he caught sight of the woman sitting in a little indentation in the side of the mountain. Halting just inside the tree line, he sat, cocking his head.
The shifter wasn’t a man. She was a woman, and even from this distance, he could tell she was beautiful. Shifters had enhanced vision, and he’d never been more grateful for it than he was right now. She had long, bright red hair blowing in the breeze, and she shivered, drawing her knees in closer to her body.
She was cold. The realization hit him at the same time his tiger started to whimper. He swallowed it down quickly, not wanting her to hear it.
We should help her, his cat said, surprising Vynn with the pleading quality of his tone.
Even more surprising was his urge to do exactly that. Unsettled, he quietly turned and made his way back to the village. He’d shift back to human form, put some clothes on, and then come back.
But not to take care of her. Hell, no. He’d come back to ask her what the hell she was doing, hanging around in their territory for weeks like she had been.
Fuck. Even he could hear the lie in his thoughts just then. But he quickened his pace until he was running, the urge to get back to her overwhelming him.
Chapter Two
Ashley shivered as she put away her notebook and pen. Taking out her jacket, she quickly pulled it on, snuggling in as she walked to the edge of the lake. The sun was setting, taking its warmth with it, and it was warmer in her makeshift den. But she felt restless, and even though the den was wide open, it still felt a little on the claustrophobic side right now.
She didn’t feel that way often, but she knew if she didn’t nip the feeling in the bud, it would get worse and worse until she couldn’t be in there for any length of time. And she really didn’t want to have to sleep out in the open. A little cold now was worth it. She wished she could start a fire, but she didn’t have a lighter. The attention it might bring wasn’t worth it, either. She knew there was a little town not too far away, and she didn’t want to risk anyone seeing the glow of the flames and getting nosy.
Wrapping her arms around her waist, she stared out onto the calm lake. The setting sun was casting an orange glow onto the surface, and it was beautiful. Sometimes she felt lonely, and there were moments, like this one, when she wished she had someone to share it with. But the urge generally passed quickly.
People were usually nothing but trouble. Even her dad, as much as she sometimes missed knowing someone was there, as much as she wanted to hurt the ones who hurt him, had been trouble. It probably wouldn’t make much sense to anyone else—the fact that he’d been a major asshole, and she should feel relieved to be free of him, yet wanted revenge on the people who’d made that possible.
But it made sense to her. She wouldn’t let anyone mess with what was hers, and for all his faults, her dad was included among that. And though she tried, she couldn’t seem to let his disappearance go.
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She barely remembered her mom. She’d been nice, she knew, and loving. But she died when Ashley was five, so she didn’t have many memories of her. The authorities had found her dad, someone she’d never met before—hell, she hadn’t even known she had any family out there—and placed her with him. And she lived with him until she was nineteen and he took off to find her brothers.
That was five years ago, and she’d been on her own since then. Avoiding the hell out of people, working in a warehouse where she didn’t have to deal with the public. Her shifter strength made the job easy, but she still hated it. She had no other option, though.
A slight breeze kicked up, blowing a scent to her just as the sound of leaves rustling, like someone was walking, came to her ears. Whipping around, she froze as she saw the man standing next to the trees.
“Don’t come any closer,” she barked. “Who are you and what do you want?”
He held his hands up slowly, studying her with dark brown eyes. “My name’s Vynn. I saw you earlier and I just wanted to come say hi.”
Eyes narrowed, she looked at him closely. Her initial instinct was not to trust, but her gut said he was telling the truth. Her fox stirred inside her, but she quickly suppressed her, pushing her deep inside. She didn’t trust her animal, and if she let her get too close to the surface, she was sure to steal Ashley’s body from her.