“Shifting it is, but not for too long,” Xander told him. “Let’s go.”
They headed to the closed-in wooded area of the camp. The space had been set aside for letting their animals out and for tactical training while in shifter form. Removing his clothes and placing them on one of the nearby posts, Xander closed his eyes. His animal was rearing to take over. In mere moments, all human thought ceased, and his body yielded until he was all polar bear.
He roared, and beside him, Liam’s animal echoed him. They wrestled and grappled for some time, then explored the woods, parting ways with their muzzles to the frosty ground. Invariably, they would meet up again near a tree or felled log, and would wrestle some more until they were both out of breath. After some time, when Xander’s polar bear was ready to yield to his human side, he transformed back quickly. The tension had left his body. He could focus again, and his first contemplation was seducing Kiera.
Liam shifted back to his human form shortly afterward. As they dressed, Liam studied his face. “How was that meeting? Really?”
“Just as I said,” Xander told him. “It was promising.”
His best friend grinned, but did not let up on the discerning glance. “Promising for our cause, or to get your dick out of your pants for a witch?”
The answer was both, but it was too early to let Liam into his plan. “Get your mind off my package and worry about your own. I hear it’s been months since you had a woman, Liam,” he joked.
Liam had a smug grin on his face. “Your access to our camp’s rumor mill is sorely lacking, fucker.”
“Yes, I am the fucker, Liam. And you are the…un-fuckable.”
“It’s kind of interesting you think so because that, my friend, is not what your momma told me.”
Xander laughed hard for the first time in days. Liam was the only person with whom he could be himself. All the other shifters saw him as alpha, a larger-than-life leader meant to rule. “Keep my momma out of it, shithead. In any case, if you’re not careful, you’re liable to go blind next time you jerk off.”
“Have you not learned? You can fool everyone, but you cannot trick me.” Liam pulled Xander aside, looking in all directions to make sure no one was close enough to hear them. “What exactly do you plan on doing with that witch?” he demanded in a fierce whisper.
It appeared that Xander would share his plan for Kiera after all.
5
Kiera
Kiera stared out the window of the carriage as the Regents guards returned her to the fortress. She was alone. Apparently, Coco had asked them to take her back after storming out of the Great Hall. The news of Coco’s departure was unsettling. It spoke volumes, filling Kiera’s mind with many more questions that she had about her meeting.
How could Coco just up and leave her there?
What was the source of Xander’s grudge with the Regent?
Why did he get under her skin so easily?
And where was all this heady desire coming from all of a sudden?
He was unlike anything she had expected. The man was not the big, brutish oaf portrayed by the Regent. He was intuitive, insightful, and his presence had filled the room. She could see why he was the alpha of his species. His men would likely follow him anywhere he asked. Of course, some of the rumors about him were true. He was blunt to the point of rudeness, holding nothing back, not even his accusations about the Regent. He spoke to her as though they were equals, which deep down, was refreshing. She agreed that he was her equal, even if he had to remind her of that a few times. Thank the stars that the Regent was not around, because he would have openly stated that Xander was a shifter. A polar bear. An animal. Not an equal.
One thing she did not anticipate was her own reaction to him. Goodness, she would have given anything for a basin of water in a back room somewhere to splash on her face and take her mind off of her attraction to him. After Xander had taken the seat beside her, she was ready to jump out of her skin. Either that or climb into his lap, the way heat pooled between her legs and lit up her insides. And that touch of his lips on her hand caused even more electricity to course through her. Coco had hit the mark when she said that Kiera was drawn to him.
For a moment, her focus turned to Coco again. Kiera needed to confront her familiar. Between the witch master and the familiar, there was an undeniable, indestructible, life-long bond for the witch. Their connection was soul deep, so if Coco knew anything about the death of the eight Chosen witches as Xander stated, she could not hide it. Her stomach turned. Was Coco truly offended by Xander, or did she return to the fortress to avoid confrontation?
Kiera’s mind would not rest until she knew the truth.
For a short, tense, seemingly unproductive meeting, it left her questioning everything. The only part she was not perplexed about was Xander’s recognition of her magic. It was true that she was the most powerful witch in Sector Two, but she hesitated to admit it to anyone. Regent Minassus saw things that way too, and he could not be wrong because he was the wisest person Kiera knew. Differences aside, she trusted the Regent. He had become like a father to her.
The Regent was the closest thing to family Kiera had since the Big Storm. As he was a strong clairvoyant, he had sensed her powers nine years ago, in that very instant that she became aware of the approaching winter storm and thus the ravagers. Right after her mother passed, her father brought word that the Regent had summoned her to report to the castle within forty-eight hours. Her father was killed by a ravager that same winter, which was when Regent Minassus took her in. In the months following her move to the fortress, the Regent had explained that her abilities went beyond simple premonition. He called it untapped cosmic awareness, and continually reminded her that her vision all those years ago was just the tip of the iceberg.
It occurred to her that Xander could have been lying about the eight witches. She usually sensed deception in people. Except, he was the first shifter she had ever met in person.
God!
She raised both hands to the sides of her head, running her hands from her hairline into her loose bun. These conflicting details, her out of control physical urges, and Coco’s departure turned the entire situation into complete frustration. It would take a full hour of meditative incantations to calm her mind. On entering the fortress, she made a decision. Reporting to the Regent should have been first on her list, but searched for Coco instead. She was not in the fortress, and had probably opted to take on bird form and fly somewhere far enough away that Kiera could not question her.
Frustrated, she headed for the laboratory instead. Her good friend and botanist, Reena, would be there. Last night at supper, she had made Kiera promise to give a full report on her meeting with Xander as soon as she had the chance. Well, now was as good a time as any, because all Kiera wanted to do was unburden herself. She could do that with Reena, so long as no one else was around—and only if the Regent was attending to other affairs.
Reena was too busy to notice Kiera entering the laboratory. Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head and covered by a clear hairnet, horn-rimmed glasses were halfway down her nose, and she wore a white lab coat buttoned up over a gray calf-length tunic. As usual, she was bent over a long, wooden section of her research area, working on her plants. The woman was a rare breed of witch who was just as gifted at herbalism for magic as she was in science. Every fortress witch and most of the scientists turned to Reena when they needed information on a plant or herb.
During the cold months, she would cultivate most of the critical ingredients for spells in a tiny greenhouse off the kitchen, using ingenious tricks and spells to allow for accelerated growth indoors. In the late spring and summer, she would boldly venture to all corners of the island to source plants and herb. Reena was fearless, frequently going outside the boundary walls during the warmer months, at the frustration of the Regent’s personal guards and the Border Protection Unit.
“How are you doing today?” Kiera asked. Reena jumped and pivoted arou
nd, then the two of them giggled in unison. “Deep in your work as always.”
She placed her hand on her heart and narrowed her eyes. “And you scared me to death. You know what you need, woman? Bells around your damned neck! How do you ever get around so bloody quietly?”
“It’s probably magic.”
“No doubt you were a frigging stealth walker in your former life.”
“Goodness, you and Coco with all this profanity today. Is something going around?”
“If it is, it’s not contagious, or you would have caught it already, Kiera.”
Kiera grinned. “What are you working on today?”
Reena returned her attention to her work for a second, setting several beakers filled with clear and murky green liquids aside before turning to face Kiera again. She laughed. “Nothing near as exciting as your meeting with Commander Oslo. How did it go?”
Kiera looked around the room, craning her neck to see if anyone was in the adjoining laboratory. “Are we alone?”
She took Kiera’s hand. “We are, but let us go to the one room in this freaking place where the walls do not have ears.”
Kiera pointed back at the lab as Reena pulled her to leave. “But your work…it looks rather interesting.”
“You don’t need to play this silly game, Kiera,” Reena retorted as they walked arm in arm down the long corridor. “You are not even remotely interested in what I’m working on right now. Admit it…you came by to talk. I can see it in your eyes. There’s a lot going up there.”
They stopped at a narrow door beside the kitchen door. “I am just really confused…about so many things.”
Reena opened the door and they entered the greenhouse. No one could eavesdrop here, thanks to the byproduct of a protection spell that she had put around the room every fall to keep the space warm. “Tell me what happened, and do not leave out a single detail. I need to know everything.”
“Honestly, Commander Oslo surprised me. Yes, he was rude and arrogant, but there was so much more to him.” Kiera leaned on an empty wooden counter and folded her arms, looking out in the distance beyond the glass wall, drifting off to her thoughts again.
Reena nodded knowingly. “So you are crazy about him. Is that it?”
“I don’t know…perhaps? I cannot believe you would encourage me!”
“Lighten up. No one says you have to marry the man. There’s nothing wrong with a little harmless flirtation. A sprinkling of diversion. I mean, we have all been so diligent around here, me in the lab, you with your head buried in books, scrolls and ancient grimoires, and everyone else has been rushing around as we prepare for winter. You have a chance to look into the light for a little while. It is something to be excited about. Go on. Live. Breathe. Get a bit of time between the sheets with a tall, dark and handsome animal before your time comes.” She grinned. “Meow, my friend.”
Kiera bit her lip, failing miserably at stifling down a giggle as her friend sat on a wooden bar stool and leaned toward her.
“Now that you know what I really think, tell me, what was he like?”
“Oh hell. Why not.” She gripped Reena’s hands. “The man is a dream! I don’t believe I’ve ever felt what I did for anyone else…ever.”
“Not that you’ve had the chance, with the Regent expecting you and the rest of the Chosen to remain chaste.”
“Are you going to go off on another rant about the Regent, or will you let me tell you everything like you asked?”
“You know what I mean, Kiera, but okay. Forget the Regent and his ridiculous rules. Tell me about the Commander.”
“Are you sure?”
Reena gripped Kiera’s shoulders dramatically. “Yes! I need to know!” she joked, eyes wide and eyebrows raised high on her forehead. “Seriously, hun. You can tell me anything, but maybe skip to the juicy bits, just in case anyone comes looking for me.”
“Well, nothing happened. I just found him so…captivating. He has this power, an energy I have never seen in anyone. I could barely take my eyes off him, even when I wanted to smack him across the face for being so rude and annoying.”
“How did you feel? All fluttery inside? Or were sparks flying?”
Kiera nodded, her eyes wide. “Both. And… I am so glad he left when he did, or I might have said yes to anything he wanted.”
“Damn, girl. You’re such a scandalous whore,” she teased. She cleared her throat and shouted out, “I can see it now! Hear ye, hear ye. Now announcing Kiera, Sector Two’s Chosen witch, virgin-whore and newest shifter fraternizer!”
Kiera doubled over, utterly overcome by laughter. “I kind of like the sounds of virgin-whore, Reena. It rolls off the tongue with ease.”
“You know my mantra. Better to live as a whore than die a virgin.” As soon as she said that, her eyes narrowed. “How hot is he up close?”
“Hmmm. Well, enough for my heart to race, my ears to start ringing, my palms to start sweating, and in all likelihood, an embarrassing beet-red flush on my face. But seriously, you cannot let me fall for him, all right? If you see me getting all starry-eyed over him, slap it out of me. Got it?”
“Sorry, darling. I cannot.”
“Cannot or will not?”
She smiled and raised her eyebrows. “Both. So… want to know what I was working on in the lab today?”
Kiera was not that interested, but indulged her friend. “Yes. I definitely want to know.”
She gave a fake scowl. “Liar. Anyway, what if I told you it was top-secret? I mean, ultra-top-secret? So hush-hush that if anyone in the fortress knew, it would be pure chaos. Not just chaos, frenzy and mayhem to the point where you and Xander could probably do the nasty in the hallway and not a soul would notice…except for me, of course.”
“Oh, stop it and just tell me.”
“Sorry love. I cannot.”
“What? After all that fanfare and pre-frame?”
“That is correct. You will know when the time is right.”
Kiera wrinkled her nose. “You should not put out such lures for the strongest witch on the island to bite.”
Reena grumbled. “Don’t let Minassus hear you admit that. He may know it to be true, and he may tell you and others that it is true, but never let him see you as a threat.”
“I think I was enjoying this conversation more when Xander was the topic.”
“As was I.” Reena smirked, her head tilted to the side. “Sorry. I forgot, we all have to kiss your Chosen arse now.”
“I never said that!”
Reena’s hazel eyes narrowed behind her glasses. “No, and you would not. But resentment comes with the territory.”
“Thanks for always having my back,” Kiera mumbled, not without a little bitterness.
“You should know I do. I am your biggest supporter. That will never change. Just watch your back for Minassus.”
“I will.”
“Excellent. So, getting back to Xander… what’s the plan?”
“Well, I will meet him a few more times before the transformation ceremony.”
“And will you take my advice and live a little?”
Kiera nodded. “Perhaps I will.”
“Are you joking? He’s… a shifter!” Reena whined, this time in a tone dripping with sarcasm.
She was probably the only woman in the fortress who had openly voiced her opinion against the Regent’s treatment of Xander and his men. The only reason she did not face punishment for her views was because of her extraordinary gifts as a botanist, which made her an asset the Regent could not replace.
Well, that was the main reason. The other explanation was that Reena’s late father had the 236-k gene, and thus had been turned with the first batch of shifters. He was killed in action that first year, so fortress residents extended an extra dose of patience to her whenever she started that particular rant against the Regent. Her seventeen-year-old younger brother, Ryan, also had the gene. His eighteenth birthday was in less than a week, which meant that Ryan was included in th
is year’s cohort of Border Protection Unit trainees slated for transformation.
Kiera left the comment alone.
“So you’re really into him?” Reena asked.
“It’s too early to tell.”
Reena rolled her eyes. “Like hell it is.”
“And you are a beautiful girl who has not spent nearly enough time around men to keep from falling for the first one to come along.”
“You may have a point there, Kiera. You know why? I do not get out much, but when I do, I tend to fall for the first guy that comes along…and the second…and the third.” Reena grinned. “But don’t change the subject. I see it in your eyes, virgin-whore. You. Fancy. Him. Besides, I have seen Commander Oslo. He is gorgeous.” There was no arguing with that statement. Kiera’s cheeks warmed, and she stared outside again. “See?” Reena crowed. “I knew it! You must give him a try!”
“Oh, come on. We need to be realistic. That will never happen. The Regent will never let me out of his sight… I had five of his guards with me.”
“But they waited outside, did they not?”
“Yes, but—”
“But nothing. If you want him badly enough, you can make it happen.”
“Is this what you call slapping me out of it?”
“I never agreed to that part. You should live a little…if the Commander also wants you, which I am certain he does.”
“How would you know? Or are you clairvoyant now? You, my dear, are as bad an influence as Coco! Actually, have you seen her?”
Reena cocked her eyebrow. “No. I thought she went with you to the meeting?”
“She did, but Xander refused to let her stay. Can you believe it?”
“Absolutely.”
“What? Why?”
“I have my reasons.”
“I think Coco may be avoiding me because of something Xander said after she left,” Kiera admitted. “Tell me something. Do you know if there is any truth to the eight Chosen or their familiars…dying after they performed the annual shifter transformation spells?”
Reena stiffened up and took a step away from her for the first time since she saw her today. That told Kiera everything. “Oh my God! It is true. Is it? You have to tell me, Reena.”
Mystic Storm: An Adult Paranormal Witch Romance: Othala Witch Collection (Sector 2) Page 5