The Shifting Storm (Book 4)

by Jeff Hale

  I loped over to Alex, who had been searching the other side of the tracks, nudged him with a paw, then led him to the mound. I could smell shifter, faintly, around it, and as we circled it, we both realized that it was a snow and dirt covered bunker.

  I swiped at the dirt with my paws, trying to discover an entry, when I suddenly became very angry, enough that I shifted back to human, the backpack now uncomfortably tight across my shoulders.

  “Why the hell didn’t he just come the fuck out here himself if he knew where Darien was, huh?” I yelled, my voice echoing through the trees. I yanked the backpack off and tossed it to the ground as Alex shrugged his pack off and shifted back to human as well, swallowing a snarl.

  “How the fuck should I know?” Alex shot back at me, taking a step closer to me.

  I glared at Alex, the sudden anger now focusing directly at him. I had no idea where it had come from; part of me knew it seemed irrational, was probably even from an outside source, but I couldn’t seem to shake it off.

  “Well, maybe if you’d stayed with him, watched him, like I asked you to, he’d have still been with his father!” I screamed, shoving him with as much force as I could muster; it was more than a normal human girl my size would have, but I hadn’t worked much on it.

  Alex got in my face then, features twisted with fury. “Well maybe if you had actually stayed with Darien instead of going off to try and fuck some little human boy, he wouldn’t have even come here in the first place!”

  That did it. I shifted again, to Aspect, claws swiping at him as I took him by surprise. I was much bigger in this form, much deadlier, and since I was a cat, instead of looking monstrously frightening, I actually looked more monstrously beautiful.

  He actually managed to dodge my attack, matching my shift so that I was looking up at a weredingo with short ginger colored fur. I’d never seen Alex Aspected before, and while he was not as intimidating as Darien, he was still extremely fearsome to look upon.

  Alex closed with me, teeth snapping toward my face, but in that short moment I managed to claw him twice; once across the arm, another on the thigh. Just as his fangs started to sink into my shoulder, I heard him give a startled yip and he immediately shifted back to human, falling into an unconscious heap at my feet.

  The anger was still there, making me want to hurt him, and I took advantage of his weakened state to take another swipe at him. Before I could connect, I felt a sharp sting as something buried itself in the flesh of my thigh, then everything went black.

  EIGHT

  DARIEN

  I had just about forced Bjorn to yield to me when I felt her presence in my mind. My head went up, trying to pinpoint a direction, distracting me, and Bjorn took that moment plunge claws into my side and sink his fangs into my throat.

  Bjorn was a much older wolf than I, although I was more skilled in some of the combat arts than he was. Still, he had his hold on me now, had me pinned to the ground, and while I might have been able to break free, I wanted this fight over and done with, the knowledge that she was near stirring hungers and fears I didn’t want to feel.

  Alex was with her, too. I could feel the familiar signature in my mind, and I had to wonder first how they had found me, and second, why they had even bothered to come.

  Bjorn growled a warning at me, teeth tightening, and I went limp, yielding the win to him. I heard howls of glee coming from the watching fae; someone had won a large wager. I just hoped that Grimm wouldn’t be disappointed in my loss; after my lack of self-control with Justin the previous day, I didn’t want to piss Grimm off any further.

  We both stood, Bjorn giving me a look of triumph at having forced my submission. Grimm took none but Alphas into his pack, so competition between us ran high. As I looked up to where Grimm was sitting, my wounds beginning to heal, I saw two of the other shifters reach the top of the steps and approach him, each of them toting a limp body over their shoulders. A jolt of fear went through me; the two bodies could only belong to Kat and Alex.

  But they were still alive, or I wouldn’t be able to sense them.

  The scouts dropped the two on the platform, both reaching down and removing something from each victim, then one of them whispered something to Grimm that caused him to look down into the arena, directly at me. I could see him smirk, then he indicated with a wave of two fingers that I should join him up on the stand.

  With a sinking feeling, I made my way out the gate and up the steps, pulling on the jeans I had left by the gate. Kat and Alex lay on the wooden platform near Grimm’s feet, but they were both moving now.

  I’d seen Alex less than three months ago and he looked the same. Kat hadn’t changed much. Her dark-red hair was a bit longer from what I could see, tangled about her shoulders, her face had gained some maturity, but she still made my heart skip a beat to look at her. I wanted to rush to her side, to touch her and hold her, make sure she was okay, breathe in her scent, but I had promised her, so I stood where I was, held myself motionless while her eyes fluttered open.

  Grimm’s scouts must have hit them with the silver sleep darts, something they were armed with to neutralize other shifters until they were brought before Grimm; once in his presence he could keep them from using their abilities at his whim since they were in his territory.

  Alex actually began moving before Kat did, shaking off the tranquilizer quicker with the silver dart out of his skin. He rolled to his knees, tried to stand, and was quickly kicked back down by Alfarr, the lighter haired of Grimm’s sons. Alex’s eyes scanned the three lieutenants, then Grimm, before landing on me in surprise.

  “Petr, go tell Zekial to put on a show for our guests while I take care of this,” Grimm told one of the scouts, waving both of them away. Petr nodded and they both disappeared down the steps.

  “So, Darien, Petr tells me that these two were caught out by the bunkers, and that he heard them say they were looking for you.” Grimm frowned coldly at me, nudging Kat with his foot.

  I looked at Alex. He was hunkered in on himself, trying to be very still. Grimm’s Alpha aura had him almost paralyzed. Alex’s eyes met mine, a question in them I could read clearly; why was I here? I ignored him, not because I held anything against him, but because I didn’t want Grimm to see me acknowledge him. Alex and Kat had no idea of the danger they were in.

  I heard an upsweep in noise from the crowd and flicked my eyes to see that Zekial, the games master, had sent out a group of six shifters to show off their abilities.

  “Darien?”

  My name whispered by Kat drew my gaze back to her, that one word sending guilt and yearning through me at the same time and I had to hold myself back again. She was sitting on her heels, her black jeans torn at the knee. She was frowning slightly, but when my eyes met hers she broke into a relieved smile.

  “Darien!” she exclaimed, rising to her feet to move toward me.

  It stunned me that she seemed happy to see me, and I wanted to reach out to her, but I knew what I had done. I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to wrap her in my arms, and took a step back.

  Alfarr grabbed her arm so she couldn’t go any further, and her face fell at my movement.

  “Darien? You cut your hair…” She looked at the hand on her arm, followed it back to Alfarr, then turned her head to look at Grimm and the other sons, before returning her gaze to me. “Who are these people? Where are we?”

  Grimm laughed sardonically, standing and coming up behind Kat to rest his hands heavily on her shoulders. “Well, Darien, it does seem at the very least the young lady knows you. Part of your pack?”

  “Yes,” I bit out, not bothering to lie. Grimm had abilities that I’d never even heard of in other werewolves; he could smell a lie easily.

  “That one, too, I assume?” Grimm gestured at Alex with his chin, then gave a little jolt and drew in his breath as if he’d been shocked, and removed his hands from Kat, shaking them. I could smell the tiniest bit of ozone in the air. “I wouldn’t do that again if I were you, li
ttle kitten,” he warned, then chuckled as though he found something funny. “Kitten…. Well, there’s more to you than that, now isn’t there? But if that’s all you can do, then someone’s been remiss.” Grimm gave Kat an appraising look then pointed at Alex.

  I nodded reluctantly.

  Grimm stepped past Kat and hauled Alex up by his shirt front, inhaling deeply. “Canine, not wolf though. And savaged. Worthless. Shame on you, Darien.” He made a sound of disgust, letting go of Alex so that he slumped back to the wood. “I can almost forgive you for her.”

  He reached back and pulled Kat away from Alfarr, drawing her to his side as she struggled in his grip. I had to fight the sudden fury that rose through me that he had his hands on her.

  “At least the girl is a half-breed. And a little more.” Grimm’s eyes narrowed on me. “This angers you, doesn’t it, that I’m touching her? She’s just a half-blood cat, so why should it bother you?” Grimm roughly slid his hand down the front of her blue long-sleeved shirt, his eyes on me.

  Kat’s body jerked as she tried to wriggle away from his hand and I couldn’t stop myself from moving toward them, a snarl tearing from my throat. Alfarr moved to stand between us, keeping me from doing something that would mean my death.

  “As I thought,” Grimm said in amusement. “She’s your mate, isn’t she?”

  I took a deep breath and quelled the anger as best I could before nodding.

  “Then why wasn’t she with you to begin with? Why did you never mention her?”

  I didn’t answer him. Even if Kat and I had been together, since she wasn’t a wolf, nor feral, he might have kept her around as a tool to use to keep me in line, but she wouldn’t have been safe.

  “Because we’re not together, asshole,” Kat muttered in irritation, pushing Grimm’s hands away as best she could.

  A part of me went cold inside at her words; she had just devalued herself even more to Grimm.

  “Really? How odd, refusing a noble Alpha like Darien.” Grimm shoved her so that she fell to her hands and knees on the platform and she cursed at him. “Have you ever been together?” He tilted his head to one side in contemplation as I shook my head. “So you’ve taken her as your mate, but you’ve never even had her?”

  “No,” I whispered, wishing I had a choice in answer; silence would be taken as a no as well.

  “Why not?” he demanded.

  “She loved another,” I admitted. “And I promised her I wouldn’t…” I didn’t want to finish the sentence.

  “Promised her you wouldn’t… what?” Grimm looked down at her.

  “That I wouldn’t force her,” I whispered.

  His expression grew dark. “We can fix that.”

  Grimm leaned forward and placed his hand on the back of Kat’s neck, caressed the skin there, gave me a cruel smile, then Kat let out a tortured moan and fell to her belly on the wood.

  I stared in shock as she writhed on the floor, the sounds from the arena below fading to the background. Small mewling sounds came from her throat, almost as though she were in pain, and as her hand came in contact with Grimm’s boot, her head snapped up and her eyes latched onto him. She pulled herself up his legs, pressing as much of her body against him as she could. He grabbed her hands in one of his as they slid up his thighs towards his groin, using his free hand to catch her chin and force her eyes to his.

  “No, dear, not me.” He turned her head so she was facing me and I could see that her eyes had gone midnight dark. Grimm had done to her what I had tried so long ago, had pulled that one aspect of her beast to the fore and let it consume her, putting her in such a state of need that she was almost mindless with it. “Him, little kitten, go to him and give him what is his.”

  Kat stood in a movement so fluid I almost didn’t see it. Her eyes on me were filled with heat as she walked toward me, every step moving her body in a way meant to entice. I clenched my hands behind my back as she leaned into me, moving her body against mine. I wanted nothing more than to touch her, to lose myself in her, but I had made a promise.

  She made a noise of protest at my lack of response, one hand sliding across the denim to rub at my crotch, while the other snaked around my neck as she pulled her face up, her lips coaxing mine. My body screamed at me as I willed myself to not respond, parts of me betraying me at Kat’s touch through the taut material.

  “Claim your mate, Darien,” Grimm said roughly, watching Kat as she rubbed against me. “Claim her, or I will throw her down there where I’m sure she’ll have no trouble finding someone to put out the fire inside her. And then I’ll let them kill her.” He pointed down into the arena and I looked to see that all six of the shifters down below had their gazes fixated on Kat, as did a good portion of the watching fae.

  Take her myself when I had promised her I would never lay a hand on her again, or let her give herself to multiple others before she was torn limb from limb by them. It wasn’t much of a choice, and it was one I could only hope she would forgive me for later, even if I would never forgive myself.

  She was still working herself against me, still making those piteous sounds, my skin feeling like it was aflame with each brush of her fingers. “Please!” she begged, her voice hoarse.

  “I love you, Kat, I never meant for any of this to happen,” I whispered to her, and then I took control of her lips with my own, my hands going to her ass to lift her, wrapping her legs around my waist as I pulled her against me, fingers tearing more holes in her jeans as I gripped her flesh.

  Bliss. I had wanted this for so long, had thought never to feel her against me again, never to taste her. I lost myself in her, shutting everything else out but her. Her scent filled my nostrils and I pulled it as deep into my lungs as I could, holding it there as though it were some drug I could get a high from. Noises came from her throat still, but they had changed, from pleading to demanding, and she ground herself against me as though she couldn’t get close enough.

  I shifted one arm to her waist and used my free hand to pull at the neck of her shirt, tearing the material from her so that she had nothing on up top but a lacy, pale pink bra… and the turquoise teardrop necklace I had given her so long ago. I sucked in a breath, my eyes going to either wrist, and I felt a stab of raw emotion as I saw the matching bracelet resting on her right one.

  She doesn’t hate me!

  Something inside me broke. I buried my face between her breasts, howling the pain out against her skin, tears scalding my cheeks as I shuddered against her in a release that had nothing to do with sex. She soaked it in, my rage, my self-hatred, my guilt. She absorbed it and absolved me, her hands clenched in my hair as she alternated moans of desire with soothing purrs. I felt as though I could breathe for the first time in months.

  I lifted my head, found her lips with mine again, drank her in. Her bra came away with a quick tug, and then her breasts were against the bare skin of my chest, setting me aflame. I dropped to my knees, bracing her with my hands, before burying my face against her chest again, only this time I explored her breasts with my mouth, my tongue, my teeth, eliciting sharp whimpers from her.

  “Please, Darien! Fuck me, now!” she panted, biting at my skin as she tried to undo my jeans. She dropped her feet to the platform and I let her go long enough for both of us to squirm out of what clothing we had on, and then she was fully naked, standing before me, and I couldn’t wait any longer.

  I spun her around so that her back was to me, pulling her against me briefly so that I bury my face in her hair, before I pushed her down to her knees on the platform. I lost myself inside of her, hearing her whimper in pleasure, her fingernails digging into the wood beneath us to leave gouges. With a growl of possession to those around me, I let instinct take over until we both found our release and I collapsed on top of her on the platform. Three sharp claps brought me back to my senses.

  “Bravo, Darien, bravo!” Grimm exclaimed, laughing maliciously, his icy blue eyes lingering on Kat.

  I stood, pulling Kat up car
efully with me. She pressed herself against me, trembling, as she used me as a partial shield from Grimm, the side of her face against my chest as she glared at him. I wrapped my arms around her protectively and hoped against hope that we might come out of this alive.

  “So now you have what is rightfully yours, and if you want, she can join our little family here. But you’ve left me with a problem.” Grimm gave a pointed look to the arena floor, where six pairs of eyes looked hungrily our way.

  Even the fae in the seats above were unusually quiet, their attention going between Kat and me, and the shifters below in rapt anticipation. The tension in the air was palpable, and as I glanced outside the arena, I saw that more werewolves had congregated around the compound, their attention all on the platform. Nikki stood among them, a look of seething hatred on her face.

  “They had their hearts set on fucking and killing, but you’ve taken that away from them now. Pity.” With one smooth motion, Grimm grabbed Alex and flung him into the arena below, a startled yelp coming from Alex before he hit the dirt and rolled into a defensive crouch. “Do with him what you will,” Grimm told them loudly, voice uncaring.

  With guttural cries, the six shifters converged on Alex, sending the fae into excited shouts.

  “No!” Kat shrieked, tearing herself away from me, shifting in a blink to Aspect and launching herself into the arena with a snarling yowl. She grabbed one surprised werewolf and shoved him away from Alex, placing herself protectively between him and them, and then a cry of distress came from her as she suddenly was human again.

  I saw the calculating smile on Grimm’s face, realized that he figured we’d both go after Alex and that there was no way I could fend off six lust filled werewolves from killing both Alex and Kat, and possibly myself.

  Grimm had cut Kat off from being able to shift, and I saw the look of utter terror on her face as I dropped to the arena floor to join her. Grimm wouldn’t keep me from shifting, would love the added danger it would bring, and the thrill it would give the fae. Kat screamed as they tried to close in, Alex pulled against her legs, and then it happened again.