by Pearl Foxx
Nestan launched forward and slammed the man against the cage door’s bars. Pulling the guard back up by the shoulder, he punched him. A cracking sound reverberated through the cave as the man’s face then his body went slack. Nestan shoved him inside the cell and grabbed the keys.
He backed away quietly, not turning his back on the guard. So far, the man hadn’t even twitched, but it wouldn’t be long before he woke and discovered the small hole through which they exited.
Linnea crossed over to Nestan and took his hand, the baby now clutching her hair tightly again in all the excitement. Together, they backed away, keeping close to the wall. Outside, the rest of the pack celebrated, and the thrum of drum music from around the fire covered any sounds they made.
“Where are we going?” she asked, whispering just in case.
He leaned in close, his lips against her ear. “Stay quiet. Stay low.”
When he spoke, his breath tickled her senses, sending a shock through her system that she shouldn’t be experiencing when she was almost certainly about to die. But there was something about him she couldn’t deny, and having his lips against her ear gave her a dark thrill.
She nodded, not trusting herself to talk.
Nestan led them around the rock formation the cave was carved into. It had been made over millions of years, a natural structure but used for such horrible purposes. How many terrified women had been locked away in there, waiting to be sold? Linnea wished it would collapse on top of the guard, maybe with Savas and Caj inside.
They stepped carefully, avoiding any twigs or branches. The Draqon baby nestled itself around her neck, resting its head deep in the curls of her hair. He became heavy on her shoulder, but she stayed quiet and let Nestan lead the way.
When he dropped her hand to climb up a small incline, she felt the loss of his touch like she was catapulted back into the dark space of the warehouse room, full of fear and trepidation, waiting with a slumped group of sick women to embark on a real and deadly journey.
Turning around, Nestan helped Linnea up the incline, steadying her when she slipped on the slick rocks. They followed a small path away from the celebrating pack with firelight and moonbeams lighting their way.
“He’s too heavy,” she whispered, and Nestan stopped.
“It’s a Draqon’s baby. It’s dense with muscle, venom, and evil.”
“I bet that’s what his people would say about you,” she replied, narrowing her eyes at the dark man who couldn’t seem to stop disparaging an innocent baby.
“Why can’t it just walk or fly?” He gave her a withering glare.
“He’s hurt. His wing doesn’t seem to be opening right.”
Nestan rolled his eyes. In their current predicament—running for their lives from man-eating werewolves—the gesture was almost as ludicrous as the idea that she was carrying a dragon on her head. He reached out and tried to grab the baby, but it burrowed deeper into Linnea’s hair, turning his head away and whimpering.
“You have to talk to him,” she said.
Nestan rolled his eyes again and took a deep breath. “Baby, I’m Nestan. I would like to carry you for a while. Would that be okay?”
The baby lifted his head and turned toward the sound of Nestan’s voice. It whined but released his grip on Linnea slightly.
Nestan reached out one hand, palm up. “We’re friends. The three of us are going together.”
Stretching a tentative hand, the baby touched Nestan’s fingers. He jerked back as if expecting to be grabbed, but when Nestan just held steady and kept breathing calmly, the baby slowly unclenched his hold on Linnea and crawled over to her shoulder nearest to Nestan. He reached out another paw, and Nestan lifted his other hand. The baby jumped from Linnea’s shoulders into Nestan’s arms, nestling onto the larger man’s neck, draping his uninjured wing over Nestan’s shoulder.
Together the three of them made their way through the darkness, trying to avoid the foliage that might give their location away. Soon, an opening came up in front of them, and Linnea saw that they were heading toward the river. There were boats lined up along the far bank.
Escape.
They could steal a boat and travel fast downstream—hopefully, someplace no one would ever think to look for them. Nobody would notice the boat was missing until tomorrow for sure. Maybe they’d luck out and steal that monster Merick’s boat. He didn’t seem to like the Vilkas very much, but she wasn’t sure that being liked by him was actually an advantage. He appeared to enjoy her plenty, and it made her skin crawl.
The closer they came to the water, the more the baby squirmed atop Nestan’s shoulders.
“What’s this thing doing?” Nestan growled.
Squeaking loudly, the Draqon tried to crawl up and over Nestan’s head.
“He’s afraid of water,” Linnea realized.
“We don’t have any other options.”
When she opened her mouth to argue, she heard a yell and gunshot in the distance.
“Fuck. They know we’re gone.” Nestan’s eyes darted around the darkness, and he grabbed the baby tight, pulling it against his chest and covering its snout with his hand.
The baby flailed with fright, his screams muffled against Nestan’s hand.
“You’re hurting him!”
“We have to go,” Nestan whispered. “He’ll be okay.”
Nestan grimaced as the baby struggled his against his hold and hissed into the man’s hand, but he didn’t make a sound.
Instead, he ran toward the water and jumped in.
She followed, wading into the water as quickly as she could and crossing the rushing stream. The rocks beneath her were slippery and covered in moss or slime, making her feet slip into the grime and dirt and whatever other horrors lived at the bottom of the river.
The baby struggled, flapping a wing against the side of Nestan’s face.
“We need to leave it,” he said when they reached far bank of the river, thick water drops rolling off his clothes. “It’s making too much noise.”
She shook her head and glared at him before pointing at the closest boat.
They ran toward it, Nestan struggling to run with the squirming Draqon baby in his arms. He swore and stumbled.
“I’ll carry him,” Linnea whispered.
“He’s going to spit acid on you.”
“He won’t hurt me.”
The Draqon shook his head, violently throwing all his strength into his escape until Nestan dropped him.
The Draqon opened his mouth, and Nestan lunged for Linnea, pulling her out of the way as the baby turned and sprayed behind them, spitting acid straight into the eyes of an oncoming Vilka in wolf form.
The massive wolf howled, acid immediately burning the fur off its face and causing it to shift into human form. His screams lit up the night like fireworks. Someone was sure to hear them now, even though the baby had just saved them.
Nestan wrapped an arm around Linnea as the baby jumped into her arms. His wing hung limp, torn even farther in his struggle to keep the Vilka from sneaking up on them.
Nestan froze, and she glanced up. From the shadows, wolves prowled forward, peeling through the darkness and snarling their lips. With the river to her back, there was nowhere left to turn.
They were trapped. Again.
Chapter Six
Nestan
Nestan ignored the burning sting against his palm from the Draqon’s spit. Stepping in front of Linnea and the mewling baby, he used his body to ease them farther into the trees as the Vilkas closed in around them.
He glanced over his shoulder and met Linnea’s wide, terrified eyes. “As soon as they come at me, run.”
“What?” Her arms tightened around the baby, whose little body panted with stress. “No.”
“They’re here to kill us. I’m going to distract them, and you’re going to run,” he said in a tone that he hoped would dissuade any argument.
His last act would ensure she got out of here without any serious da
mage. If he could do that one thing for this woman who had reminded him that some people could be kind and gentle, then it didn’t matter if he still existed. She was worth more than he’d ever be.
Nestan began to step away when Linnea’s hand wrapped around his wrist. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”
The white furred Vilka in front of the pack shifted, and there was no more time to argue. Nestan could only pray as he watched Caj shift into his first form that Linnea listened.
With the Vilka in their animal forms behind him, Caj strolled forward and looked over the strange collection of runaways. “Your father is going to make sure you pay for this one.” His smile was crooked and wicked, his white teeth and twinkling blue eyes reminding Nestan of a sirenspit flower, whose beautiful petals lured insects to their death.
Nestan scowled, and despite Linnea’s steadying hand on his wrist, he growled, “I’m not going to be taken alive, and I plan to take as many of you with me as I can.”
Caj’s smile grew exponentially wider. “That’s exactly what I was hoping you would say. Let’s see just what will make our little prince break first. When we rape his human woman or when we eat his adopted baby.”
Before he could stop her, Linnea dropped Nestan’s arm and stepped forward, the injured baby wrapped in her arms protectively. “If you think either of those two things are going to happen then you have no inkling as to what I can dish out. I set your master on fire, remember? Just imagine what I’ll do if you try to bring your little pickle close to me.”
Caj went very still, all but his nostrils, which flared wide. The Vilkas behind him huffed, their lips pulling back into sneers of animal-like laughter, and Nestan saw Caj boiling over, nearing his breaking point with every passing second.
Was this woman trying to get herself eaten alive?
Before Caj could erupt, Nestan wrapped his arms around Linnea’s waist and swung her roughly behind him. He hoped the pinched, pained glance he gave her conveyed how desperately he needed her to step down from the fight. He was willing to die for her, even for this baby, if it meant he died as someone greater than this simpering prisoner his father had turned him into. But before he could act, the trees above them began to creak and rustle.
There was no wind in the jungle.
He turned back to Caj in time to see the young man notice it, too. Goosebumps pricked along Nestan’s skin, and Caj frowned, fear turning his face boyish.
A loud purring from high in the limbs vibrated in their very bones. The entire group looked up, forgetting their imminent scuffle, to see a canopy full of yellow eyes staring down at them.
The Katu.
Caj retreated into the Vilkas, his focus never leaving the limbs above them.
Nestan pressed back closer to Linnea. The Draqon baby hissed up at the unblinking eyes.
They were surrounded, outnumbered by the Katu who were unbeatable, especially if they had the advantage of being in the trees. They were impossible to outrun with their stealthy sneak attacks and proven warfare skills.
“Should we try to run?” Linnea whispered.
Nestan took her hand and squeezed. “It’s too late for that.”
A large Katu leaped to the ground, landing with its haunches toward him and its snarling fangs toward Caj. It crouched low in its fighting stance, ready to pounce. The Katu snapped, exposing long, deadly fangs that even the great Avilku would have been foolish to mess with. Three more Katu leaped to the ground, creating a semicircle in front of him and Linnea. Caj’s men stepped back, leaving him alone at the front of the pack.
“What the fuck is this?” Caj snapped, but his voice shook with fear.
Up in the trees, the Katu began to growl, the sound a low, rumbling vibration that came from deep in the back of their throats, and entirely unlike a Vilka’s growl. To Nestan, the sound was far worse, far more terrifying. Others hissed, spitting, and rattling the trees.
“Hold your positions!” Caj snapped at the Vilkas, who had all backed up a few more steps. “I said, hold your positions!”
A Katu roared.
Yelping, the Vilkas scattered into the trees, leaving Caj exposed. More snarling ripped through the air as the Katu jumped from limb to limb, chasing the Vilkas off. The Katu in front of Nestan prowled toward Caj.
Caj stumbled back, his glare hard on Nestan. “Looks like you get your wish to die. Maybe the kittens like the taste of human flesh.” With that, he scampered off in retreat, the remaining Vilkas closing in at his flanks.
Nestan would have felt like gloating as he watched his father’s favorite Vilka tuck tail and run, but Caj was right. The Katu in front of him turned and faced him.
Straining to see over his shoulder, Linnea placed a hand on Nestan’s back and leaned against him on her tiptoes, her breasts pushing against his bare skin. “Your allies?” she asked, her question high pitched with hope.
Nestan maintained eye contact with the Katu, not willing to take his eyes off the slinking black creature, and whispered, “No. They very well may kill us. Something isn’t right. Katu don’t involve themselves in the affairs of other clans.”
Pressing closer against him, Linnea wrapped an arm around his waist, her hand flat against his too thin belly, trying to draw strength from a man who was devoid of any. “That’s great. Maybe the three of us combined will taste like some kind of meow mix.”
Even now, he heard the smile in her voice. Her touch warmed him to his bones, and he drew strength from her. Lifting his chin toward the Katu, he said, “We don’t want to hurt you. We’re just trying to escape.”
With a ripple of its pelt, the Katu leader shifted before them into a beautiful naked woman. She had long, black hair, shiny and sleek just like her Katu pelt, and bright, cunning yellow eyes. Sinewy muscles covered her body in the signature strength of a Katu, her muscular legs and broad shoulders shining in the dim moonlight. She stepped closer, her bare feet silent against the leaves and twigs of the jungle floor.
“My name is Debj’an. I am told you are a man of honor.”
Nestan used to be a man of honor. Before. Now he ate raw meat in feverish snatches whenever his father deemed fit to feed him, and he was associated with men who bought and sold flesh like the slavers of old. No, he wasn’t a man of honor. He was nothing but a savage.
He tried to take a step back, but Linnea pressed tighter against him, forcing him to hold his ground. Even the Draqon baby wrapped one tiny paw around the top of his shoulder, the baby’s claws digging in at the sharp points of his collarbone.
“This morning a Vilka saved a young Katu,” the leader continued when Nestan didn’t answer. “This is not behavior we’ve come to expect, especially of those who live near the cliffs. Are you the man who saved this Katu?”
He stared for a moment, unable to look away from her mesmerizing eyes, which glowed from yellow to gold to green, depending on the meaning of her words.
Clearing his throat, he nodded. “I met a young woman, but I didn’t save her. I just gave her a chance to get away. The Vilkas from the cliffs were leading a hunting party to catch pelts and meat, but I don’t condone killing shifters, especially pregnant ones.” He took a deep breath and delivered the worst truth about himself. “My name is Nestan, son of Savas.”
The Katu hissed. “If you are the monster’s son, then why do you try to escape?”
“I am loyal to the true Alpha of Clan Vilka, Gerrit, son of Kaveh. I’ve been held captive by my father for six months. This woman arrived on a trading ship for my father’s business in the flesh trade, and the baby was injured in the cell next to us.”
“And you’re helping them escape?” the leader asked, arching a bold, dark brow.
He nodded; a single, brief dip of his chin.
The leader considered his silence and Linnea holding the baby behind him. Almost casually, the Katu female decide their fate. With a nod, she finally stated, “You saved my daughter today in the jungle by helping her escape. That debt won’t go unpaid.”
/> Linnea’s relief wash over him. Pressing her forehead against his shoulder, she loosened a long breath.
“The three of us would have died tonight if you hadn’t arrived. Thank you,” he said, fisting a hand over his heart. He bowed his head toward the woman.
The Katu nodded, then shifted back to her panther form without a word. The other Katu on the ground surrounded them, herding them into the jungle. The Draqon baby let out a hiss and grabbed one of Nestan’s braids.
“I think they want us to go with them,” he said, wincing as his scalp complained from the baby’s tight grip.
“Why didn’t she just say that?” Linnea asked, disentangling the Draqon baby’s claws from his thick hair.
“Katu prefer to be in their second form.”
The leader who had spoken with them narrowed her eyes at him and snuffed.
“I guess they consider this their first form,” he corrected.
The Katu leader took off at a fast pace through the jungle, more Katu dropping from the trees as they walked. They had been surrounded by at least fifty of the silent, lethal panthers.
Caj had made one good decision today in not fighting the panther shifters. He had no idea how many of them there were.
Surrounded by black fur and herded farther into the dark jungle, Nestan wished he could retake Linnea’s hand to show her he would keep her safe and maybe pull some strength from her infallible courage. But that was a kind of comfort he didn’t deserve, that he couldn’t allow himself. Instead, he made do with accepting the Draqon baby into his arms when it reached out with its tiny, grabby paws, swiping its claws at him when he didn’t take it quickly enough. Once cradled, the infant fell asleep, snoring with tiny puffs of smoke.
Chapter Seven
Linnea
Linnea followed close enough to Nestan to feel the warmth of his presence and watch the flicker of emotions across his face as they walked through his home country. She, however, could not manage to relax. Kladuu was nothing like what she had imagined. The people here were everything she had considered a monster back home. As a teenager, she had read books about shape-shifting wolves and vampires and all different kinds of things that went bump in the night. She’d never imagined she would find herself in the position to actually be around creatures like that.