Tarian Traitor

by T. S. Joyce

  Beaston’s voice whispered through his head. You’ll never escape the Deadlies. They’re quicksand. You’re gonna learn to breathe in it, so don’t fight. Learn.

  “I have to stop running from my fate.”

  Chapter Eleven

  She’d gone to jail! Real-life jail. In a shifter cage below the precinct. Made for criminal shifters.

  Yeah, she’d slept through most of the night, but it still counted. She was now bad to the bone. Maybe she should make a tattoo appointment. And get a piercing and a motorcycle and maybe some tight pleather pants.

  “Can I have a souvenir?” she asked the nice policeman who was escorting her out. Officer Davis, his nametag read.

  “What?” he asked, holding her steady as she swayed. Whatever sleeping meds they’d shot her with were no joke. She still felt strange.

  “A souvenir. I’ve never been to prison before—”

  “This isn’t prison—”

  “And I would like something to remember this night by. Because I don’t plan on coming back,” she added. “Because I’m a good, law-abiding shifter.”

  He stopped in front of the exit door and looked nonplussed. “You were bare-ass naked when you Changed back. Your jail uniform is a good enough souvenir. And besides, good law-abiding citizens don’t nearly kill other shifters.”

  “It was a love bite.” She grinned brightly. “An accident.”

  “Yeah, well, we don’t have any criminal souvenirs, so just…stay out of trouble.”

  “This jumpsuit is too big and it isn’t my favorite color. I’m gonna steal your pen,” she whispered, reaching for the cap that was sticking out of his pocket.”

  He swatted her hand away. “No.”

  “It’s not stealing if I warn you that I’m going to do it. Then every time I look at this pen, I will remember our night together.”

  Officer Davis rubbed his hands down his face roughly and gave off a very non-terrifying human growl. “If I give you the damn pen, will you leave?”

  “Sure. Probably. You keep it a very comfortable temperature in here.”

  He yanked the pen out of his pocket, slapped it into her open palm, and opened the exit door. “Make good decisions.”

  And then she was thrust out into the night with about a billion flashing camera lights making her feel like she was at a rave. “Whoa,” she murmured, shielding her eyes with her hands. She couldn’t even see to go down the stairs to escape, and people were lined along the railings so there was nothing to hold onto.

  And just as her anxiety wrenched up and a snarl scratched up her throat, Orion appeared in the crowd. He was no knight in shining armor, though. His eyes were white and his hair was mussed, his skin was pale, and his lips were twisted into a snarl as he moved with the grace of a predator through the masses. There were claw marks all over his face and neck, still red and raw and angry from his fight.

  He looked terrifying. Beautiful. Deadly. Perfect.

  He climbed three stairs and held out his hand to her. No words were needed. He just locked his eyes on hers, and she was safe.

  “You guys have a good night,” she murmured, slipping her hand into his.

  “Look at her eyes…”

  “Turn the audio all the way up, she is growling…”

  Annamora followed right behind Orion’s massive back as he parted the crowd. He was holding her hand, and she kept looking down at it because it made her happy and made all of this chaos and attention seem less important. He was taking her away from here. Taking her home.

  “Are you a mated pair?”

  “Check the shifter registration…”

  “Can you tell us what happened tonight?”

  “Were your Changes unintentional?”

  “Did you lose control of your animals tonight?”

  “There are reports that you nearly killed members of another Pride…”

  “Tarian Pride has always been a problem in this town…”

  “Are you a breeding pair?”

  The questions went on and on, and Annamora had to dodge around microphones and cell phones shoved in her face. Twice, Orion snarled at someone to back off, glared them down until they shrunk away.

  She didn’t know where they were going, but Orion apparently did. He led her right to Ford’s SUV, opened the door, helped her in, and then climbed in behind her.

  Ford rolled down his window and yelled a string of colorful words at the reporters who were standing in the way of their escape. His voice was really scary.

  “Are you okay?” Orion murmured.

  “Oh, yes.” She held up the pen she’d been clutching onto. “I stole a souvenir.”

  Orion just stared at her and blinked slowly.

  So she explained, “Because I’m a criminal now.” Grin. “It’s been a big night for me.”

  The worry faded from Orion’s eyes, and he huffed a laugh. “Of course, you would see it that way.”

  She didn’t know what that meant, though, so she scooched closer and ran her fingertips along the lines of healing scars on his neck. “That was a little scary tonight. Why did they come for you?”

  “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.”

  “We’re being followed,” Ford growled, his glowing gold eyes flicking to the rearview mirror and back to the road. “Buckle up.”

  “Who tipped off the reporters?” Annamora asked.

  The leather of Ronin’s chair creaked as he turned toward her. “Probably the police. You know how it is in town now. They fought the Old Tarians setting up territory here for years. They’re tired of it. A few months back, when the Old Tarians went to war with us, and the townies saw their weakness and started pushing back, and good for them. They’ve had to deal with years of public fights, risk, missing people, missing livestock, being bullied, and treated like shit. They just haven’t separated us from the Old Tarians yet, so we can’t even breathe in this town without negative attention on us right now. We might not have been the ones who made those mistakes, but we’ll be the ones paying for them until we can earn our place in the town and build a rapport with them.”

  “Yeah, and how do we do that?” Ford asked. “Humans get an opinion in their head and hold onto it forever. I know. I used to be one.”

  “Aw, shit,” Ronin muttered, staring down at his glowing phone screen. “This is the storm we get to deal with now.” He pointed his phone toward them. It was a new story. On the screen was Orion leading Annamora out of the precinct. The subtitle across the bottom read, The Tarian Pride has a new Bonny and Clyde. Telluride is in for another wave of shifter trouble.

  “What the fuck?” Orion growled. “No one’s in trouble. I fought an Alpha Challenge in the privacy of a secure storage facility with zero property damage and no humans around.”

  “That’s not how the public will see it,” Ford said in his deep, gravelly voice.

  “Okay, well, I don’t feel right leaving you guys to deal with a mess I made.”

  “You could just not leave at all,” Annamora offered helpfully.

  Orion sighed and slid his hand over her thigh, squeezed it reassuringly, and then rested his elbow on the window, bit his thumbnail, and stared out at the night. “I think I have an idea.”

  She didn’t miss that he hadn’t responded to her. He was really leaving and wouldn’t make her promises he couldn’t keep or tell her untrue things just to make her feel better. That wasn’t Orion’s way. But she knew him. Knew his heart. He wouldn’t leave until he fixed the problem they’d created for the New Tarian Pride.

  And that was fine with her because it bought them a little more time.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Anna.”

  Annamora snuggled against his warmth. “Mmmm?”

  “Anna, wake up. We’re home.”

  Annamora eased open her eyes. Her head was resting in Orion’s lap, and she was hugging his arm tight. She’d fallen asleep to the murmured lull of the boys’ conversation. She’d felt all warm and relieved and safe and just
passed out, she supposed.

  Ronin and Ford had already gotten out of the SUV and were talking to the Pride gathered just outside.

  It was late. Or early in the morning, depending on how one looked at it. She liked the start of the days, so early morning worked for her. There were faint gray streaks in the sky that disappeared behind the mountains.

  “Is it a Pride meeting?” she asked as he helped her out.

  “No. They were just worried.”

  “About what?”

  “About you,” Sora said, closing the distance to them. She hugged her up tight. “Annamora, you sent me a text and all it said was Help. I didn’t know where you were and what was happening.”

  “Oh, my gosh.” Anna hugged her back. “I didn’t even remember doing that. It was a moment of panic and I…I…”

  “You texted me because you thought I could back you up, and that’s awesome,” Sora murmured. “Just…good Lord, woman, next time give me a detail, a place, what’s happening, anything. I woke up the entire Pride, but we didn’t know what to do. I was worrying to death until Ronin and Ford tracked you two down. I thought…I don’t know. I thought a lot of things. I was worried about the both of you.” She released Annamora and shoved her brother in the arm. Orion winced, probably because Sora had hit him on a healing gash across his bicep. “You deserved that. You had one call in jail and you called Ford? Thanks a lot. It’s not like I’m your sister or anything who would’ve bailed you out.”

  “Ford is a monster and doesn’t care if I get arrested. I didn’t want you to give me any shit,” Orion deadpanned.

  “Way to be successful,” Annamora said with a giggle. “She’s giving zero shit.” Sora was a really good sister.

  Orion snorted, and his shoulders sagged. “Sorry.” He held out an arm, and Sora melted into him.

  Thickly, she said, “You two are a little important to me.”

  Someone was making barfing sounds behind them, and when Annamora turned around, Kannon was standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. “Hey, Alphy, can we go back to sleep now?”

  Ronin sighed a tired sound. “Stop calling me Alphy, Kannon, before I maul you. I don’t have patience for your shit tonight.”

  “I like Alphapotamus,” Katy called from behind Rose and Emerald.

  Ronin was squeezing the bridge of his nose as he said, “I’m calling a mandatory team-building event.”

  “Like a ropes course?” Talon asked from beside his mate.

  “We’re good at ropes.” Rose waggled her eyebrows at him.

  “In the bedroom? Are you making a sex joke?” Kannon demanded, looking scandalized. “But you’re old.”

  “Boy, if you call me old one more time, I’m gonna skin you,” Talon growled.

  “Old but limber,” Rose teased.

  “I’m going to bed,” Kannon muttered, walking away. “Right after I scrub my eyeballs out with soap to get the vision of you being tied up out of my horrified imagination.”

  “Can you teach me about ropes?” Katy asked Rose.

  “Wait, that’s okay then,” Kannon said, turning back around with a bright smile. “Yeah, that’s good. Teach Katy about bedroom stuff.”

  “Boy, I know about bedroom stuff,” Katy popped off through a grin. “You don’t complain.”

  “Tread carefully,” Ronin advised him, his smile lopsided.

  Kannon cleared his throat. “What I meant to say is...yes, Rose, with all of your wisdom, can you teach Katy about tying me up so we can have even more fun in the bedroom, which is unimaginable because I am already completely satisfied with my—”

  “Okaaaay,” Orion dragged out. “Let’s do a quick meeting and then we can all go to bed. I’m sure you’re all just as tired as we are, and we all have a big day tomorrow.”

  “A big day?” Talon asked. “What are we doing for this team-building business?”

  When Orion put his arm around Annamora, she lost all train of thought. The Pride looked just as surprised as she felt, and for a minute, she couldn’t understand a word Orion said. He was talking, but it might as well have been in pig Latin. He was showing affection in front of everyone. She slipped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his chest. Maybe he was tired and just needed to lean on her. But no, he was moving his hand from her shoulder to the back of her hair as he talked, gripping her hair like it was the most natural thing in the world.

  “…flea market…”

  “Wait, what? Flea market? What?” she asked, shaking her head. She couldn’t focus on anything other than his touch making the neon sign above her hoohoo flicker with the words vacancy, please enter.

  “That was the surprise I wanted to do with you. The last date? I wanted to take you to this big flea market outside of town and find you decorations for your cabin. But the town is wary of us, right?”

  Annamora nodded. “Yeah.” She didn’t understand the connection.

  “So I think we should go in there and set up a tent. A big one. Bring flowers to sell. Sora, bring photographs if you have any ready to go. Start talking to townies, show them we aren’t the Old Tarians. That we want to be a part of the community, not hated by it.”

  Clever imaginary boyfriend. “I can do face painting for kids,” Annamora offered. “If their parents will let them near me after tonight.”

  “Yeah, but that’s the point,” Orion said. “Don’t give them time to react or form an opinion. The town is waking up right now to those stupid news stories told by strangers. So be at the market, talk to people, be your normal, happy, goofy—”

  “Awkward,” she added.

  Orion laughed and so did some of the others. He nodded and conceded, “Awkward, caring, sweet, amazing self. Show the town who you really are.”

  “Aaaaaw,” Emerald said. “That was really sweet.”

  “Pregnancy hormones,” Kannon muttered. “Are you crying?”

  Emerald wiped her eyes. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I cry at anything that makes me happy lately because this is the best Pride in the world and you all are coming together so well—”

  “Two of us just got arrested!” Kannon pointed out.

  “Yeah, but only a little arrested,” Emerald said. “They were only in there for a night.”

  “Oh, my God,” Rose murmured. “Okay, I vote yes. I thinkit’s a great idea. Even if no one comes to our tent, and they probably won’t, at least they will see our immediate response is to try to be part of the community, like Orion said. I think it’s fucking genius.”

  “I like when you say fucking,” Talon growled, grabbing her ass.

  “And here we go,” Kannon said, throwing his hands in the air.

  Katy bent over slightly in front of Kannon. “If you are feeling left out…”

  Kannon uncrossed his arms and grabbed both her ass cheeks and then just stared at Orion, waiting for him to continue.

  “This is the weirdest Pride in the world,” Orion muttered.

  “Isn’t it great?” Annamora whispered, looking around with such pride. Ronin was shaking his head tiredly, Emerald was crying for no reason, but smiling and snuggling against him. Talon was muttering something into Rose’s ear, probably something filthy from the wicked smile on her face. Ford was sitting off on the stairs of the big house with Sora beside him, his eyes ever-glowing like the monster he was, and Katy and Kannon were in their grab-ass position, just staring at Orion with completely serious faces.

  Tonight, life was good. They had a plan, and she had more time with Orion.

  “When is the flea market?” Rose asked.

  “It’ll be this morning at eight am,” Ronin answered.

  “Uh, so in three hours?” Kannon asked seriously.

  “Yep. Aaaaand break.” Ronin clapped. “Go team go. Meet back here at seven-thirty with whatever you can get. It’s last minute, so I understand if it’s a bit of a shitshow, but either way, it’s not about what we sell at the flea market. It’s about showing our good side to the town.”<
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  As everyone scattered, talking excitedly, Annamora looked up at Orion. He was gazing down at her with the softest smile on his lips. “You look really pretty in this light.”

  “Oh, in almost darkness?” She nodded magnanimously. “Why, thank you.”

  Orion laughed and brushed a strand of wild, flyaway hair from her cheek. “Well, I have great night vision, but I always think you’re pretty.”

  “I think you still have drugs in your system.”

  “And I think you’ll always be C minus at taking a compliment.”

  She hugged his waist tighter and laid a little kiss on his shoulder. “Can I show you something?”

  “You can show me anything,” he assured her.

  She slipped her hand into his and led him up the trail to the cabins. But before they reached the first one, she turned off at the old oak with the big split branch from a lightning strike. She knew this trail by heart, could walk it with her eyes closed. Her heart was beating faster and faster the farther she led him into the woods because being brave was hard. He’d written in that first apology that he hoped she would show him the art room someday. She wasn’t quite courageous enough to tell him exactly how much he meant to her, but hopefully he would understand that this was saying it for her.

  He didn’t say a word the entire hike through the woods, but when they came to the clearing with the old, dilapidated cabin, he pulled her to a stop and spun her to him, slipped his hands onto her waist, and kissed her. He smiled into the kiss. Did he know how important his smiles were to her? Would he ever know?

  He eased out of the kiss and said, “Look.”

  Annamora opened her eyes, and there was a little flash of light. And then another. And another. Fireflies. The breeze made a whooshing sound and lifted her hair, and Orion, her tall, strong Orion, looked at her like she was more important than all the stars in the sky.

  How could a man make her feel this whole with just a look? How could he make her feel this safe with just a touch?