Crossroads

by Jennifer Ann Reed

  “I don’t need you to protect me. I’ve trained for years and can handle myself.” Both of my fists anchored to my hips as I challenged his directive. “I’m tired of this “damsel in distress” treatment. I’m the one Aelfric is after and I think I should get a say on how we train and what I can and cannot do to protect myself.”

  “I wasn’t belittling your abilities as a fighter.” Caden reached for my wrists, but I stepped out of his grasp. He may think he and the others saw me as their equal, but their actions as of late said otherwise. “I want the rest of us to be prepared for another ambush. Afterwards, we’ll go over some other scenarios and I’ll put you front and center.” Caden’s tone rose on the end questioning if I’d agree to his terms. I gave a slight nod and folded my arms in front of me. I just wanted them to view me as an equal, not someone who was inferior.

  As Caden and my other Guardians shifted, I wondered if I could use my fae powers in wolf form. The only time they’d merged was when Aunt Mauve coached me in introducing the two powers to one another. Attempting to use my fae magic as a wolf was worth the try. If it didn’t work, I’d shift back and use it as I normally did.

  My wolf sprang forth with barely any pain this time. At most, it was slightly uncomfortable. I stretched my muscles and shook out my fur basking in the strength and the rightness of shifting. A gasp filled my wolf ears as Ryn stood with his chin touching the floor. My own tongue almost rolled out in response to what he was wearing. Each of his defined arms were on display in the green tank covering his torso. The fabric clung to every ridge leading to lean hips draped in black basketball shorts. I counted three distinct bumpy regions under each pec. I was worried drool was hanging from my snout as I watched him lean a double-edged sword against the weapons wall. If I’d been in human form, red wouldn’t even begin to describe my coloring as I realized all the eyes from the other males were on me. My heart skipped a beat and pain seared a white hot mark against my soul. Caden was working hard to fix us and here I was losing my ability to think coherently in the presence of another perfect male specimen.

  What are you doing? Why did you shift? Caden’s rough voice caressed the edge of my thoughts and pulled my attention fully to him. If he or the others heard my appraisal of Ryn, they were at least gentlemen enough not to say anything. I thought we agreed you wouldn’t be fighting yet.

  I’m going to try something different. The bite in my voice had his lips lifting to show teeth. Stop it, Caden! Acting like the alpha isn’t going to work on me. Our eyes locked and resonating snarls erupted from both of us, but neither attacked. I refused to look away first and his weighted gaze wavered, but he held on as an unfamiliar urge to make them all flatten to their bellies emerged. I remembered a similar instance with Lucian. Uncle Kalen said I was giving off the vibe of challenging Lucian and I didn’t want to challenge Caden or the others. My eyes dropped just as his did.

  Kitten’s strong. I’ll give her that. She may be more alpha than any of us. Zander bounded over to me bumping my shoulder. He dropped down with his rear in the air and his tail swinging back and forth, wanting to play.

  Let’s get this over with. Caden growled once and the boys got into formation and Allie and Gwen followed. Austin rolled his eyes as he glanced between Caden and me before he went to his spot. When my Guardians and I were in wolf form, Austin could hear every word, and vice versa. He thought Caden and I should get over ourselves and pursue our relationship again, believing the mercurial wolf to be one of my soulmates. At least he was only projecting his thoughts to me. I let my exasperation of his inner monologue drift through our link and showed my teeth in a scary smile. A small grin was my only answer.

  “You’re beautiful.” Ryn took a tentative step in my direction before he launched himself across the gym. My wolf preened at Ryn’s words, but her hackles raised. She still didn’t trust him around her and I couldn’t fault her suspicions. The last time I had trusted one of Aunt Mauve’s knights, I ended up chained to a stone altar and my wolf suppressed with wolfsbane. Ryn kneeled and his hand reached out to rub my silky, white fur and several vicious growls rumbled around us vibrating my paws. “Got it. No petting.” Ryn threw his hands up, withdrawing from me and placating my Guardians. My hind legs took small steps to distance myself from the fairy and I reversed into the middle of the circle without taking my gaze off of him. It wasn’t in my nature to turn my back on an opponent. When someone did, they ended up defeated and I was smarter than that.

  When we were all in place, Ryn circled us like a shark cruising for prey. I closed my eyes, releasing a deep breath. My wolf usually fought against my fae magic, but today she helped search for it. I envisioned a bright, pulsating ball of pure energy centered in my core with thread-like tendrils flowing around the mass. When I found it, I latched onto one of the tendrils and tugged it toward my consciousness. It snapped forward with a small pop and the electricity passed through my fur to the young men forming a barrier around me.

  “Ow! What was that?” Austin rubbed at his arms as the male wolves yipped. Oops. I slunk backwards. No need to draw attention to myself.

  “What are you talking about?” Allie lost her defensive stance. “Are you okay?” She reached over and pinched his cheek. “Don’t want to fight your cousin?”

  “It has nothing to do with Ryn!” Austin’s chest expanded as he straightened. “You didn’t feel the shock?” Okay, I knew there was a story here. Now if he’d only tell me.

  “No.” Gwen and Allie spoke at the same time.

  “I feel energy in the air.” Ryn waved his hand in a circle above his head.

  “Kitra?” Austin’s brow rose and crossed his arms while four sets of accusing wolf eyes turned in my direction. “What did you do?” I blew air out my nose and showed my teeth before I shifted back to my human form.

  “My bad.” I held my hands out in front of me and four grumbles came from the wolves. “Sorry. No more attempts to use fae magic while in wolf form until I can do so without zapping anyone around me.” Why didn’t it zap the girls and Ryn? I needed better control on my fairy mojo.

  “How about you stay on two legs for this exercise?” Austin rubbed his arms again.

  “Fine.” I turned and mocked him under my breath. Maybe next time, I’d zap him on purpose.

  “Alright, let’s try this again.” Ryn failed to hide the grin he was sporting. At least I amused someone.

  Once we were back in formation, Ryn circled us again searching for any weakness. I called my fae magic up to the surface and my gaze shifted to a purple haze. I was ready for whatever he threw at us. After he realized there wasn’t an easy entrance to our circle, he attacked who he thought was our weakest link.

  Ryn spun toward Austin lashing out with his foot, but Austin was prepared and caught it seconds before it connected with his chin. Ryn’s mouth opened as wide as his eyes bugged out. Austin twisted Ryn’s foot and Ryn was coherent enough to rotate with it to keep his ankle from cracking. Austin leapt when Ryn hit the mat already knowing his cousin’s intention to sweep him off his feet. Ryn flipped out of the way and focused on a new target.

  Gwen twirled as Ryn threw a jab at her solar plexus and he skimmed her side. She gritted her teeth, but landed a blow on his back with her elbow. I’d seen her practice with the others and she was a deadly fighter, but today Ryn got the upper hand since he recovered first. In an instant, Gwen was launched over his shoulder and flying across the mats. She landed in a heap and groaned not getting up.

  “One down.” Ryn’s lips spread into a ferocious grin. “Now, the fun really starts.”

  “Allie, check on Gwen.” If I didn’t know any better, I’d think Austin was a wolf with all the snarling he was doing. Allie slid to Gwen’s side and finally got her to sit up and move to the benches lining the far wall. “Let’s teach Ryn a lesson.”

  Austin and the male wolves squeezed in tighter, shielding me from attack. Each time Ryn made a move, they thwarted his efforts. At one time, Austin landed a sidekick t
o Ryn’s chest causing him to fly backwards only to have his tank top caught by Curtis’s sandy colored wolf. He tossed Ryn to the left and this went on until Ryn landed at Caden’s feet out of breath. Caden placed his paws on his opponent’s chest and howled his win, but Ryn didn’t give up easily. Ryn got both feet under Caden’s wolf and flipped him over his head.

  The boys fought Ryn in sneak attacks almost as if they were of one mindset. When one would move, the others reacted. It was cohesive in nature. One living entity able to carry out each decision made without instruction or practice. I’d felt useless up until this point, standing in one spot. None of them gave up and fought until they were panting heavily and Austin was clutching his side. Ryn’s hair had darkened and was plastered to his head. He bent at the waist and sucked in a giant gulp of air and struck as the boys were catching their breath, vaulting over Zander who’d sank to the floor. Caden crept forward, but I threw my hand up and stopped him in his tracks.

  “No, I’ve got this.” Twin orbs floated above my palms ready to hit the blonde fae. The wolves shifted and Caden winked in my direction. He knew what I was capable of and Ryn was about to learn firsthand how dangerous I actually was.

  “How about we make this a proper duel?” Ryn swiped his dripping hair to the side.

  “What do you have in mind?” My fists closed, snuffing out the purple spheres of energy.

  “I heard you’re a swords woman.” He pointed at the weapon wall. “Ready to take on a Knight of Faerie?”

  “You ready to get whipped by a girl?” I lifted a longsword off its placement on the wall as he retrieved his own sword.

  The hair on my neck rose and I spun, lifting the sword above my head in time to meet his. Metal clanged and vibrated down my arms. Alright, if he wanted to play dirty we would. We parried back and forth and I hunted for an opening to put him to shame. I failed to take his feet out from under him, and he wasn’t able to relinquish me of my sword. With each stunning connection, my arm got heavier and was ready to cement itself to my side, but I wasn’t quitting. We both lunged at the same time and Ryn spun me with his sword resting against my neck. Chills coursed over my skin followed by liquid fire as my body pressed to his chest. My magic seeped from my pores, reaching out for his and he gasped. My heart filled with a sense of belonging and ownership. What was going on with me?

  “A worthy opponent.” His voice lowered as his breath caressed my ear. “But you have a lot to learn.” His nose and lips grazed my neck as he inhaled deeply and the arm around my waist tightened. I wanted nothing more than to sink into the feelings he stirred within me, but my gaze met Caden’s and I sobered.

  “Less than you think I do.” I pressed the tip of my sword into his stomach until he loosened his grip and breaking the spell we were under. Why in the world did I think I owned him? What was I thinking?

  “Sorry, Kitra.” His face scrunched as he scratched the back of his head and then scrubbed his face with his left hand. He walked away from me and leaned his sword against the wall again. “I…I don’t know what came over me.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Caden’s hand landed on the small of my back and I was home again. “Just a reaction to endorphins.”

  “Yeah.” Ryn’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Endorphins.”

  I moved away from Caden and pulled my hair into a ponytail. I began to wipe down my sword as the others were gathering their things when I glanced back up at Ryn. He was attractive. I’d be an idiot if I didn’t think so. Who was I to claim ownership over him or want to belong to him? I was already in over my head in the boy department because of a certain raven haired wolf with piercing, icy blue eyes. I didn’t need an angelic opposite to moon over either. Both objects of my attention were across the room laughing at something Linc had said. Ryn tugged his green tank over his head and wiped his face. All movement around him halted as everyone stood slack jawed staring at his back.

  “What are you all looking at?” Ryn turned in a circle, but didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

  “When did you get that?” Allie pointed to a spot between his shoulder blades.

  “Oh.” Concern drained from his features once he understood what was happening. “When I came of age.”

  “Hundreds of years ago?” Austin glanced to me and then back to Ryn. “You’re sure?”

  “Yes.” Ryn’s brow arched as he crossed his arms.

  “Why am I just now seeing it?” Austin leaned against the wall covering his mouth with his hands. I finished wiping down my sword and walked towards them to put it away.

  “I don’t make it a pastime to walk around without a shirt.” Ryn swiped at the sweat trailing from his hair again. “You never trained for the Royal Guard so you wouldn’t have seen it.”

  “What are you all so worried about?” Caden’s face reddened at my question and his fists clamped shut.

  “My mate mark.” Ryn shrugged it off.

  “Have you found her yet?” It was interesting to know someone else with a mate mark.

  “No, but I’m on the lookout.” His lips lifted on the right, but his eyes fell. “I’ve explored my options since then, examining quite a few ladies, but I’m beginning to think this stupid thing is a joke.”

  “You don’t have to look any farther.” I swung around at Allie’s mumble and dropped my sword.

  “What did you just say?” She pointed at my neck and my palm wrapped around it.

  “You have a mate out there too?” Ryn squinted and stepped towards me. “Can I see?” He stepped behind me and pulled my hand down. He sucked in a breath and spun me towards him. Forest green eyes raked over my face and he took the tiniest of steps away from me. Ryn’s gaze settled on mine and his Adam’s apple bobbed and shaking fingers reached out to touch my face. “It’s you.”

  “Wh…what?” No. This couldn’t be happening. Everyone had it all wrong. Ryn wasn’t my mate. My mind mocked me when his fingers brushed my skin and I let out a sigh. Yours. I jerked out of his reach and turned to the others. “This isn’t funny.”

  Ryn turned and between his shoulders emblazoned in purple was a crown with the initials KF resting above it. I swayed and took several steps back.

  “We were made for each other, Kitra.” A fire lit behind Ryn’s eyes and he stalked forward. “You’re mine and I’m yours.”

  Both of Ryn’s hands cupped my cheeks as his lips pressed to mine. My magic surged to the surface and mingled with his, opening my mouth with a gasp. He took this as my full acceptance of our marks and deepened the kiss, twisting one hand in my hair and the other slid to my waist and tightened. My power pulsed and surged through my veins as my body molded to his and my arms wrapped around him, tasting the sweetness of cherries. Muffled shouts bounced off an invisible barrier as my Guardians tried to break through.

  Ryn’s lips moved over mine searing the rightness of this moment into my brain. His kiss hardened, increasing in intensity, devouring all my magic had to offer and bruising my tender lips. I clung to his shoulders afraid I might black out because of the sensations he evoked in my soul. A fire to consume my very being. Nothing else mattered.

  Ryn caught my lower lip between his teeth as his hands gripped below my thighs. When he began to lift, Caden’s face flitted over my thoughts and threw cold water on the fire in my veins. The spell was broken. I pushed away from Ryn as my Guardians fell past the destroyed obstruction.

  “Touch her again and I’ll end you!” Curtis and Zander latched onto Caden, who roared with rage. Caden didn’t lose control easily and to witness his unraveling, my wolf snapped to attention. “She’s not yours to claim.”

  “My mark says otherwise, wolf.” Ryn sidestepped Austin searching for a way back to me. “She’s mine to have.” Caden lunged again, but the boys’ grips locked him in place. Ryn smirked and turned to me with the intention of finishing what he started.

  “No!” My hands flew out in front of me. Ryn’s chest was heaving as he stepped towards me, reaching to pull me to him.
Growls resounded in the gym and my Guardians pulled Caden with them and were finally able to step between us, creating a wall of muscle Ryn wasn’t passing. “I said no! You may have been searching for your mate for hundreds of years, but I’ve only just found out they even exist. I’m seventeen years old, Ryn! I’m not ready for this and I barely know you.” I pointed at him over Austin’s shoulder. “You didn’t have to maul me in front of everyone. You have no right. You were supposed to be more mature. I didn’t think I’d have to deal with a Neanderthal fae, but look where we are. Don’t ever do that again.”

  “Kitra.” Ryn held his arms out to me. “We’re fated. Destined to be together. Come back to where you belong.” My magic wanted to walk into his arms and stay there, but seeing the shaking form of a certain wolf kept me from moving. A mark wasn’t deciding my fate.

  “Hate to burst your bubble, Twinkle Toes.” Linc tossed an arm around Ryn’s shoulder. “Your girl has another mate out in the world. The paw with the three claw marks under it indicates she has a wolf mate too.”

  “No.” Ryn looked between us gaping. “Fate wouldn’t be so cruel. She’s mine.”

  “I belong to no one, Ryn.” The doors burst open as Uncle Kalen and Lucian ran in. “I’m not a prize. I have a choice to make and if I choose you, you will have earned it.” I left the gym in search of a shower and to get my head back on straight. The others could deal with the aftermath.

  Chapter 16

  “S HE’S SEVENTEEN!” I think shifters and any other Supernatural creature in the next state were able to hear Uncle Kalen’s ranting and raving. “Don’t try to explain yourself! Allie gave a vivid description on your actions, Ryn.”

  “Kalen, Kitra is my mate. You know what ‘mates’ mean.” Ryn’s placating tone was only going to make it worse. Yeah, so not helping.