She glanced back at Vynn, smiling as he tucked a curl behind her ear. He did that a lot, and she loved it. “Okay. I’ll be fine here while you go. Go do what you need to do.”
Leaning in, he kissed her gently, nipping her bottom lip as he pulled back. “I won’t be long.”
Nodding, she watched him go, suddenly feeling envious of his ability to shift and roam the woods.
You can do that, too, her fox said.
Hesitating, she chewed on her bottom lip. I don’t know.
Don’t trust me?
Honestly… I’m still undecided. Not suppressing you is one thing. And that’s been going well. I even enjoy talking to you. I just don’t know if I’m ready to give you my body, just like that.
Technically, it’s our body. And you have to start sometime. Besides, you have nothing to worry about. I have to stay near my mate, and he prefers the human body. He always asks me to give you your form back. And I have to make him happy. What he wants is more important than what I want. So there’s no need to worry.
Ashley blew out a breath. Everything her fox said was true, she could hear it in her voice. And she did have to start somewhere. Why not today, when there would be other animals out in the woods to catch her if things went wrong?
Okay. Just don’t make me regret this.
Filled with determination, she walked back to the mud room and undressed. Inhaling so deeply, it made her lungs feel like they were about to pop, she opened the backdoor, shivering in the cold air.
She’d never done this willingly, and she felt a little silly, but she called on her fox, told her she could have her body. And she immediately hunched over, her bones breaking and reforming in a painful rush as she shifted. And then… she was looking out through her fox’s eyes. Not lost in the darkness. There, in the moment.
Whoa.
The fox pranced in the snow, reveling in the coldness against her fur. I told you there was nothing to worry about. I’m not burying you, not fighting you. You could forcefully take the body if you wanted, but I’m trusting you not to.
Okay. Trust. Got it, her human said inside her. The view from down here is weird, but I like it.
It’s pretty cool, right?
The fox pranced some more, and then streaked to the woods, running as fast as she could, loving the feel of the wind in her fur. This was amazing. To be herself, without having to give a large part of her concentration to controlling the human—Ashley—to keeping her suppressed, was freeing.
She was completely free to be herself, to run and play, with every bit of her being focused on those.
She’d hated Ashley for so long. Been so bitter. Thought humans were evil, because of what hers did to her. But her human wasn’t evil. She’d just been misguided. And now, they had trust. Compromise. A link to each other.
And she had to admit, it was pretty awesome.
I’m sorry, Ashley said, shame coating her voice. I didn’t know. I thought you were the bad one. It’s not much of an excuse, but—
No. It’s okay. Like I thought a moment ago, you were misguided. It’s in the past. Just remember that the way you felt—that’s how our mate feels. He’s not ready to admit it yet, but he’s just misguided, as well. Don’t be too hard on him.
I won’t. Now run. Play. Have fun. I’m enjoying this, too.
The fox let out a little yip, unable to help herself, as she zoomed through the woods. She darted, she chased the sun, she zigged and zagged through the woods, full of nothing but joy. There had never been a day as amazing as this one.
Except for the day she met her mate. Very little could ever top that.
Finally tiring, she slowed to a walk by the village edge, sniffing at different trees and scents. She was just about to bound into the snow so she could play again when a hand snatched her up by the scruff of her neck.
“I’ve been looking all over for you, bitch. You ruined my attempt at getting Jessica, but I think I’ll nab you and get my revenge on you before I go after her again.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Acting on instinct, she turned her head and bit down hard on his hand, harder than she’d bitten Vynn the day he brought her home. The man jerked back with a curse, dropping her, and she scrambled away.
Give me the body back now. Please, Ashley pleaded.
Nodding, the fox didn’t even think twice. It was all about trust between her and her human, and that’s just what she gave her.
Ashley took over, pushing the shift hard.
And a moment later… the fox still existed, still present as she looked out through Ashley’s eyes.
Ashley gasped from the pain of forcing a fast shift, cursing a blue streak as she watched the man run. She stumbled after him but she knew she wasn’t going to catch him. Her legs were trembling too much with weakness to run fast. There was only one thing she could do.
Taking a deep breath, she yelled, “Vynn!” as loud as she could. Either he’d hear her, or someone else would come. Either way, they could catch the man. They had to.
She didn’t care about him for herself, but she’d be damned before she let him get Jessica again.
Stumbling forward, she tried to follow, but her legs were a little weak from running as the fox and forcing the shift. Maybe if she shifted more often, it would get easier, but she couldn’t think about that right now. Continuing to try to follow him, she called Vynn’s name over and over.
“Ashley? What the hell?”
Shit, that wasn’t Vynn. Covering herself up as best she could with her hands, she turned toward Zane. “The guy… who tried to grab Jess… just tried to get… me,” she gasped out.
His face turned thunderous, and he started to follow in the direction she was pointing and then stopped, scowling. “Fuck, Vynn would kill me if I left you here by yourself, unguarded. Here, take my shirt. I was just going home after running as my tiger. A few minutes before and I’d have still been a tiger and not had a shirt to give.”
She snatched the shirt from him and pointed again. “He’s fucking getting away! Don’t worry about me and go!”
He hesitated as she pulled the shirt on, and just as she was getting agitated, a white tiger showed up. “Arya. Stay here with Ashley.”
Without another word, he shifted into his tiger, his remaining clothes shredding as his powerful cat appeared, and sprinted in the direction the man ran in. Ashley looked at the beautiful white tiger and gave an uncertain wave. She felt silly, but the tiger stared at her with swirly blue eyes and then inclined her head in return, beginning to pace around her.
A noise hit her ears and she turned her head, meeting the whiskey brown eyes of a gorgeous orange tiger. It was Vynn, she knew. He was huge, his head coming up mid-chest on her, and thickly layered with muscle. His long, razor sharp claws dug into the dirt as he came to a stop beside Arya, and he cocked his head, a question in his eyes.
He wanted to know what she was doing out here. And when he sniffed at her shirt and growled, showing off lethal canine teeth, she had to fight a smile. He was definitely not happy that she was wearing another man’s shirt.
“I came out to shift. Willingly. I let my fox out and she ran and played for a while. And then a man grabbed me by the scruff of my neck. Said he was still going to get Jessica, but for now, he’d take me for revenge. I got loose, shifted back, and called for help. Zane came, gave me his shirt, and then followed when Arya showed up. They went that way.”
Vynn hissed, and she noticed that he had the claw marks on his cheek in this form too. He came forward and nuzzled her, as if to reassure himself she was okay, and then he put his head down, following their trails.
Hopefully, he’d be able to track the man. Someone had to find him to stop him.
Vynn paced around the hall, shooting looks at Ashley, hidden in the crowd. He didn’t like this. Didn’t like it one fucking bit.
His gift was fucking worthless. The man—the dead man, when Vynn learned who he was—had a familiar scent, but he didn’t know for sure who it was. And h
e’d gone straight to a place many shifters frequented often and his scent trail was lost inside the maze of a hundred other recent scents.
He’d gone back to find Ashley, the bitter taste of defeat on his tongue. He hated that shit with a passion. Then Ashley said she’d gotten a good look at him this time because he hadn’t worn a mask. That she could point him out if she saw him. So, despite his protests, Kian called a mandatory town meeting, in the guise of talking about the recent threats. Ashley was to look for the man while Kian spoke to the tribe members.
And now there he was, separated by too much fucking space and too many fucking people, while she looked around. She was completely disguised, wearing men’s clothing, her bright red hair completely tucked up into a cap. And Kian said it was better if she wasn’t next to him, because that would make it obvious who she was.
Everyone who was trusted—Kian, Zane, Karis, Jameson, and Arya—was placed around the room, watching over her. But he still didn’t like this. Didn’t like it one fucking bit. He wanted her next to him. Or better yet, locked away at his house, with guards posted all around. Not here. Not so exposed.
Kian was talking to the crowd, his gaze occasionally landing on Ashley, but not enough to make it obvious. Vynn was trying not to stare, but fuck, it was hard. He wanted to be watching her at all times.
He’d just glanced over at her when she halted quickly, the blood draining from her face. She glanced at him, caught his eye, and then meaningfully looked away again. He followed her gaze to—what the fuck. Ben?
Ben was a pain in the ass. A younger man who’d tried to be a warrior, but failed spectacularly, and now ran a store. He was a supporter of the old ways, a jackass to the women, and just a fuckhead, period.
But why the hell would he want Jessica? Vynn could see him wanting to kill Kian and Zane—he’d love for the tribe to revert back to the old ways. But what did Jessica have to do with anything?
He was still staring at him when he saw Ben glance in the direction Ashley was standing in. Ben’s eyes narrowed, and Vynn swiftly glanced at Ashley, his blood going cold when he saw a bright red curl escaping the hat to lay over her shoulder.
Ben looked at her, then swiftly looked around the crowd. He met Vynn’s eyes, and he knew then that Ben knew he’d been busted. Ben smiled coldly, smirking before pushing away from the pole he’d been leaning against. Turning, he locked cold eyes on Ashley and began making his way toward her.
Fuck that shit. Vynn didn’t care where they were, or that the whole tribe was there. He was stopping that motherfucker now, before he had a chance to hurt his mate.
Yesss. Kill the bastard.
Your wish is my command, tiger.
And in the flash of an eye, amid the squeals and exclamations from tribe members, he shifted and locked deadly eyes on his prey.
Chapter Sixteen
Ashley watched Ben coming toward her, his intent to end her life now etched all over his face. Shit, she’d been caught out. She couldn’t run, even though a part of her wanted to. But this bastard needed caught and stopped, and if that meant putting herself in danger to do so, she was willing.
Squaring her shoulders, she held her hands out, willing her gift to work as she focused her emotions. But before she had a chance to use it on him again, a commotion in the crowd drew her attention. Swiftly glancing around, her breath caught as she watched an orange tiger moving toward the man—his prey—quickly.
Vynn. He’d seen her look. He knew this was the man, and he knew he’d been about to come after her.
Shit, she would rather have used her gift on the bastard than Vynn try to fight him. She knew her mate was a warrior, but she didn’t know how good, and she didn’t know what the other shifter was capable of. But she was about to find out, because there was no way she could stop this fight from going down.
Everyone around them was scrambling to get out of the way as the other man—Ben, from what the tribe members were saying—shifted and started charging her. Someone grabbed her arm and yanked her backward, but she struggled against them, not wanting to be too far away, just in case.
Vynn reached Ben before he could get close, slamming into him and immediately going after his throat. Ashley bit her lip hard enough to draw blood as she bounced on her feet, wanting to help, but not knowing how.
They wrestled, and Vynn almost got Ben’s neck, but the other tiger managed to evade at the last moment. The two tigers crashed together again and again, and then Ben broke free, heading right toward her.
“Don’t you fucking kill him, Vynn! We need answers!” Zane yelled as Vynn followed Ben.
But it was clear Vynn was in a murderous haze, lost in the urge to kill the man threatening his mate. He leapt over Ben’s back just a few feet in front of her, his powerful jaws closing around Ben’s neck and squeezing tight, tearing into the other tiger’s throat.
The other tiger staggered and then fell to the ground, blood pouring from his neck, writhing in pain as he shifted back to human form. Kian and Zane raced for him, skidding to a stop next to him, but there was nothing they could do. Nothing anyone could do. Ben was dying, and it was clear he only had seconds left.
He took a wheezing breath, stuttering as blood poured out of his mouth. And yet, despite everything, when he looked at Kian, he had a cold smile curving his lips. “Drako’s coming for you. You and that bitch, Jessica. You’ll all be dead soon.”
He let out another blood-spattered cough and then he stilled as his chest stopped moving, his head rolling to the side. Ashley shuddered as his eyes landed on her. He was dead, she knew that, but it looked like his soulless eyes were staring right into the very depths of her.
“Fuck!” Zane cursed, kicking the dirt as he rounded on Vynn. “What the fuck, man? Why’d you have to fucking kill him? And who the fuck is Drako?”
Kian placed a hand on his shoulder before moving to Ben and thankfully closing his eyes. “Calm down. And this isn’t the time to see how many times you can say fuck at once.”
His attempt at humor fell on deaf ears as Zane glared at him. “We needed answers.”
“I know,” Kian said, turning to pin Vynn with a withering look. “And he’ll answer for not obeying an order from his royalty.”
Vynn just huffed, his fur coated with drops of Ben’s blood, as he paced around Ashley. He was clearly still worked up and in protection mode, looking for more threats. But they were all gone.
At least that’s what she thought.
“What the hell is going on here?” a voice demanded from within the crowd.
Ashley’s head turned to find three men pushing their way into the ring the spectators had made during the fight. The man who spoke was a hugely muscled man with dark blond hair, and the other two… one had bright red hair, the other auburn, and both had grey eyes pinned on her.
Oh, fuck, were these… her brothers?
Shit. She stumbled back, her knees weakening, unable to tear her gaze away. Until the man started speaking again—because then all hell broke loose.
Vynn couldn’t stop looking away from either the dead body of Ben or his mate. His gaze kept flickering back and forth, like he thought Ben would rise from the dead and attack again. He was so focused on those two that he didn’t even glance over when the strange voice spoke at first.
“We came so these two could meet their sister, and we find a tiger fucking going for her throat. What kind of place is this? You said it was bad, Kian, but I don’t think I really understood until now. Ashley, right? Come over here. We’ll take you back to Eagle Creek, where it’s safe.”
That fucking got his attention. A low growl was building in his throat when he turned his head to the fucker talking, ready to make sure they kept far away from Ashley. And then his whole body stilled when he saw who was speaking.
Ian Gallagher.
Ian fucking Gallagher.
Right in front of him. The man who shamed him, who was right now taunting Vynn with his scar free face. Talking about taking his mate aw
ay from him.
Maybe, someday, he could have let the scar go. Doubtful, but with Ashley in his life, not an impossibility. But this? Trying to take his mate?
Hell. Fucking. No.
The low growl ripped out of his throat and he turned fully, snarling as he coiled to pounce. Just as he began to jump, a body slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. A flash of neon green eyes came to him, and he snarled as he tried to knock Zane off of him.
“Damn it, Vynn, that’s my fucking brother. Do not go after him. Stand the hell down,” Kian ordered.
But Vynn didn’t really even hear him. His eyes were locked on Ian again, the smug bastard. Clawing his cheek and marking him. Trying to take his mate away. He. Would. Kill. Him.
Ashley jumped in his line of vision, not quite blocking Ian, but close. “What the hell is going on? Why is he freaking out?”
Kian exhaled, watching as Zane continued to try to keep Vynn held down. “The blond giant is my half-brother. Ian. He’s one of—”
“The Rocky River fighters,” Ashley breathed, eyes wide and worried as they locked on him.
Before Kian could respond, Vynn bucked Zane off him and sprang to his feet, starting to bound forward so he could crush Ian’s neck like he crushed Ben’s. The asshole was standing there, feet braced apart, arms crossed, looking for all the world like he didn’t have a care at all. A red haze was coating Vynn’s vision, and this was it. His chance to get some of his revenge.
And to make sure no one ever took Ashley from him.
But then she stepped in front of him, hands out, expression pleading. “Vynn, don’t. Please. Change back. Don’t do this. If you do… I can’t. I just can’t.”
Her gray streaked green eyes were glassy with unshed tears, and her words—she couldn’t mean what he thought she did, did she? She’d walk away if he went after Ian like he deserved?
One of her bothers came closer, his arm stretched out toward her. “Ashley, back away from him slowly. Come with us.”
Vynn (War Cats Book 4) Page 16