by Jami Gray
Lizbeth’s frantic struggles began to fade. Both the leopard and Raine knew it was a matter of moments before their kill was assured. The maddened amber light began to flicker and fade.
Locked on her kill, a savage snarl and a man’s shout snared both the cat and Raine’s attention. Something darted past them. Not daring to release its prey, the cat kept its jaws locked and began dragging the heavy werewolf across the floor. Crouched over its kill, it took a minute for Raine to comprehend the scene in front of her.
Gavin partially blocked her view, but she could see a large black wolf standing stiff legged, teeth bared, deadly intent oh so clear, at the other end of Gavin’s unwavering blade. As the last breath stuttered out of the wolf in the cat’s jaws, it didn’t drop its gaze from the one held at bay.
“Tomás, Lizbeth attacked first.”
Raine couldn’t see Gavin’s face, but the utter ruthlessness in his tone was sharper than the gleaming edge of his weapon.
As Lizbeth’s body went limp, Tomás lunged forward. Gavin must expected the move, because he lifted his blade before the Southwest Alpha could slit his throat, and instead body checked the animal. Both man and wolf hit the floor in a tangle of limbs.
Raine’s leopard released Lizbeth’s throat and lunged forward, the need to help and protect Gavin uppermost in the minds of both the woman and the cat. Thanks to their numerous injuries and the blood-strewn floor, her lunge turned into a pitiful tumble. It took precious seconds to find her footing.
“Stop!” There was only a few feet between her and the struggling duo when Vidis’s order fell over the room like a weighted blanket, turning the air into a heavy mass. There was no escaping the pressure. Raine felt the cat’s muscles tremble as she struggled to reach Gavin. Her need to protect raged against Vidis’s edict. She managed another foot before her body collapsed to the floor under the weight of his command.
She wasn’t the only one fighting against the press of Vidis’s directive. Tomás’s wolf was having more success than Raine’s cat, but not by much. His movements slowed and there was no doubting Tomás was now fighting both the weight of Vidis’s alpha command and still trying to get past Gavin. A flash of claw had Gavin spinning away. As he and Tomás slowly circled each other, the red ribbons etched along his cheek forced both Raine and her cat another foot closer.
“I said, ‘Stop.’”
Her stiff progress came to a screeching halt as Vidis’s low growl rumbled from behind her. She wasn’t the only one. Tomás froze in place. If the increasing volume of his growls and the depth of retribution turning those eyes into pits of flaming gold was anything to go by, the Southwest Alpha was more than willing to tear through Gavin, Raine, and Vidis. In no particular order. There was no one rational behind the wheel.
The alpha’s pressure was so strong, her cat couldn’t even twitch its tail. It didn’t silence the leopard’s low, vibrating rumbles of displeasure, though. Neither she nor her cat were thrilled with Vidis right now. His command left her no way of protecting him or Gavin should Tomás manage to break through the order.
Since Tomás’s attention was focused behind her, he must have finally figured out who was the bigger threat in the room. The sound of cloth rubbing against cloth and a quiet shush of something being carefully lowered to the floor, meant Vidis was setting Xander down. There was a change in the air. Raine hoped Vidis was only standing up and not shifting. She didn’t want to be stuck like a frozen “dog treat” between two pissed off alpha werewolves.
As a pair of jeans-clad legs came into view at the edge of her vision, she felt a little of her tension fade. Vidis moved in front of her. Gavin took advantage of Tomás’s inattention. He had the wolf down on the ground, using Tomás’s spine to shield his own stomach and other vulnerable parts. The speed of his move was so quick it left Tomás no chance to react. Gavin managed to snake his arms around the wolf’s neck in a chokehold, tucking his head down, covering Gavin’s last weak point, his throat. Using his body weight and the pressure of his hold, he kept Tomás’s snarling jaws and twisting body under control. A warm spark of pride bloomed inside Raine. This cunningly intelligent warrior was all hers. Inside the cat, she grinned.
Vidis stalked—there was no other word for it—toward the now immobile wolf and the warrior wrapped in a deadly embrace. When he slowly lowered into a crouch in front of Tomás, Raine realized Vidis didn’t need to physically change to make his position clear. From the aura of dominance bleeding off of him to the ripple of the animal under the human skin, he was an alpha even in human form.
Ignoring both the cat plastered to the floor and the man wrapped around the wolf, Vidis pushed his face close. Too close, as far as Raine was concerned. One little slip in Gavin’s hold and Tomás wouldn’t have to go far to rip Vidis’s face off.
“Your mate is dead.” Vidis’s words hit with destructive accuracy. The feral anger in Tomás’s eyes flickered. “She meant to kill Raine. Unless you plan on challenging me, you better pull your wolf back.”
The wolf’s struggles stilled, but Raine was glad to see Gavin didn’t relax his hold in any way. A tense moment passed. The burn of magic vibrated through the room. A shower of sparks and a minute later, Gavin was shifting his hold to accommodate the smaller neck of Tomás’s human form.
“Let go, Gavin.” Although the tone was gentle, there was no hiding the core of steel in Vidis’s words.
Slowly, reluctantly, Gavin unwound from the now naked man. Each movement slow, testing Tomás’s control and intentions. His arm was the last to go and as it dropped away, Tomás rolled to his feet keeping Gavin and Vidis in sight.
The restraining pressure of Vidis’s earlier command lessened. As the weight dissipated, Raine and her cat didn’t wait for an invitation but darted across the floor to Gavin. As he pushed his body up to a sitting position, she delicately bumped his chin so she could see his wounds. Getting a grumpy male look, she curled her lip. She wasn’t backing down till he showed her. Grimacing he gave in, letting her see that the scratches were just that, scratches. They were already healing.
Mollified she put her body between Tomás and the other two males. There was no escaping the hatred directed toward her as she and Tomás faced off. She couldn’t blame him. If it was Gavin’s lifeless body on the floor, not even the gods themselves could have stopped her from tearing apart his killer.
“That bitch provoked my Lizbeth,” Tomás snarled.
Behind her, she felt the displacement of the air as Vidis rose to his feet. “She only stated the truth.” There was nothing confrontational in his tone. It was a simple statement of fact.
Raine’s unblinking stare was broken when Vidis lightly pushed her out of his way. Twisting her head around to snap at him, she was startled by her cat’s hissed warning to let it go.
“Lizbeth didn’t kill our son.” Denial, grief, anger, all that and more was wrapped up in those five words.
“No, she didn’t,” Gavin said. “But she did team up with the one who did.”
“She wouldn’t do that,” he argued.
“She’s a mother,” Gavin stated. “She would do whatever she needed to avenge her son.” There was no arguing the obvious truth.
Tomás dropped his gaze briefly and caught sight of Lizbeth’s now human, but motionless body. Heartbreak and the beginnings of acceptance tightened the skin around his eyes as his lips pressed tightly together.
“It was so hard.” His voice was soft, as if he were trying to rationalize his wife’s actions. He moved toward her body. “When we lost Brett, it almost broke her.”
Raine was certain there was no “almost” about it. It had broken Lizbeth.
“For a while, I worried she wouldn’t make it.” He gathered Lizbeth into his arms and held her close to his chest. “She was so angry. You couldn’t mention Jenny without setting her off. She needed someone to blame.” Those workman hands smoothed Lizbeth’s hair from her face. The love in the small action shot an ache through Raine’s heart. “The
n shortly after the funeral, she seemed to find her way back. Little by little, she became my Lizzy again.”
“She’s your mate, Tomás,” Vidis said. “How did you miss this?”
A ruddy flush worked its way over Tomás’s face. “We were mated, not bonded.” He looked up at Vidis. “You and I both know how rare bonded couples are. We loved each other. It was enough.”
Raine really wished she had enough energy to change back, because there were questions she wanted answered. Like what the hell was the difference between bonded and mated? She’d have to remember to ask Vidis about it later.
Vidis studied Tomás. “She used black magic. You had to have known.”
“I didn’t!” Tomás snarled.
There was a flicker of guilt quickly hidden under the angry denial. Raine would bet money he caught some hint but had chosen to ignore it.
Strangely, Vidis didn’t push the point. Instead he cocked his head and asked, “Are we through or do you want to issue a challenge?”
Tomás’s lips curled back from his teeth and his wolf came dangerously close to breaking through. “No, we’re through.”
Rising with the fluidity inherent to shifters, he cradled Lizbeth’s limp body in his arms.
As he moved forward, Vidis turned, allowing him to pass. Raine didn’t need Gavin’s brief touch on her head to step back. At the door, Tomás stopped. Without turning around, he said, “You have forty-eight hours to leave my territory, Warrick. If you’re still here after that, I’ll consider it a challenge to my authority.”
He left without waiting for a response.
Chapter Thirty-Three
With Tomás’s departure the tension in the cabin dropped. Vidis didn’t even seem fazed by the parting threat. Instead, he crossed the cabin and went to Xander’s side.
“Change back.” Vidis tossed the order at Raine as he gathered Xander in his arms.
She growled. If she could have, she would have changed back a hell of a lot earlier.
Rising to his feet, his arms full of unconscious woman, Vidis met her frustrated stare. He gave a small sigh and before she could brace herself, the agonizing wrench of bones realigning and skin replacing fur roared over her.
When the sickening pain lessened, she was huddled on the floor, hoarse curses tumbling from her lips. “Damn it, that fucking hurt!”
“Don’t whine.” Vidis stepped past her. “We need to get to Tala’s. I can’t do much more for Xander here.” He headed out the door.
Beside her, Gavin pulled off his T-shirt. The unexpected move cut off her biting retort.
“Can you walk?” He crouched next to her. Up close she could see the various scratches Tomás scored. She reached out to trace one of the worst curling from his upper chest and down along his ribs to his back.
“Are you okay?” she asked in a husky voice.
“I’m fine.” He caught her hand and moved it away then coaxed her arms into his T-shirt. “Not that I don’t enjoy the view, but let’s get you dressed.” As the soft material fell over her, the clean, woodsy scent belonging exclusively to him surrounded her, dulling the painful edges of her many injuries.
She rose to her feet and didn’t argue with the arm wrapped around her waist, grateful for the added support. Together they gathered their weapons. She handed him her blades as she had nowhere to put them.
Stepping out on to the rickety porch she caught sight of Vidis making his way through the trees as he headed back to the ranch. The cold wood pressed against her feet. “Wish he had left me alone,” she muttered.
Gavin cocked an eyebrow.
She wiggled her toes. “Bare feet, no fur, it’s going to be a hell of a trip.”
He chuckled. “Buck up, buttercup. You’ve survived worse.”
There was no arguing that one. Together they trailed behind Vidis. It didn’t take as long as she thought before they emerged onto Tomás’s ranch. There was no sign of anyone. Even the horses in the barn were quiet. She gave a brief thought to Carlos, hoping he made it back. Which reminded her. “Where’s Andrew?”
Gavin shrugged. But she’d forgotten about how sharp shifter hearing could be.
“At the airstrip,” Vidis answered as he reached the car. He opened the back door and carefully got in without dropping Xander.
Gavin opened the passenger door and helped Raine get settled, before coming around to the driver’s side. A few moments later they were backing out of the gravel driveway. Once on the road to Tala’s, Raine twisted in her seat until she could see Vidis and Xander.
Her friend’s face was so pale, it was almost gray. “Is she going to be okay?” There was no way to hide the worry in her voice.
“She’ll be fine,” Vidis answered, as if his grim determination was all that the small woman in his arms needed.
Raine could still feel the dragging pull on her magic. Sighing, she turned back, sinking into the seat. Even the feel of warm fingers brushing delicately above her knee couldn’t force her heavy lids open. She tangled her fingers with Gavin’s.
The Stealer was gone, but things weren’t finished. Worry about what would face her at Tala’s gnawed at her. Raine didn’t have the energy to even attempt opening the door between her and Cheveyo. Part of her hoped the missing pieces of his magic were back, but another, darker part, hoped not. If Cheveyo returned to full strength, would he be able to detect the change in their bond? Would he be able to sense what Gavin had done? If he did, what would it mean for her and Gavin? She stopped her paranoid thoughts before they dragged her too far down a dark road.
Instead, she focused on her bond with Gavin. It didn’t take much to step out onto the magical plane and study their connection. The more she studied, the clearer the picture became. There was no doubt she and Gavin were now intrinsically joined. Their magic was so interwoven that trying to untangle one from the other would cause irreparable damage. Instead of the expected fear and resentment, she felt…complete and whole. Gavin knew her—warts and all—and he was still there.
A small, vile worm wiggled in her thoughts. Had he deliberately manipulated her into this bond? Before she could stop herself, it squirmed down their bond. The quiet chuckle that echoed back startled her.
“You think I didn’t know you’d doubt me?”
“You did this on purpose?”
His fingers tightened on her knee. “Would you have let me in otherwise?” They both knew the answer. “Do you want out?” There was no inflection in his question, revealing how important her answer was to him.
She didn’t hesitate. “No,” she said, reveling in his instant relief.
The remainder of the ride passed in silence. By the time they pulled into Tala’s drive, most of Raine’s lesser wounds were well on their way to healing. Yet a few more serious injuries still lurked. She’d have to deal with them later. First Xander, then Cheveyo. Dragging her eyes open, she watched Gavin cross in front of the car. The door to Tala’s cabin flew open and the witch herself appeared in the doorway, her expression giving nothing away. Raine’s tension returned.
Vidis got out of the car as Gavin came around to help her. As they climbed the steps to the door, Tala stepped to the side, allowing them entry. The front room hadn’t changed since this morning. Furniture remained pushed against the walls. Cheveyo lay on a pallet on the floor. Next to him, Ash leapt to his feet, his focus on Vidis as the shifter set Xander on the couch.
Raine checked Cheveyo over, hoping to see a change. Maybe it was just her, but his color seemed better.
“You killed the Stealer.” Tala’s voice cut through her thoughts.
“Wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t.” She her resentment resound loud and clear. She wasn’t about to forget the geas this witch set on her.
Keeping Gavin between them, Tala moved to Cheveyo’s side. “Figured you’re too damn stubborn to die.”
Her careless disregard made Raine grit her teeth. Only Gavin’s restraining grip on her wrist stopped her from lunging at the arrogant witch.
<
br /> “Cheveyo?” Gavin’s question cut through the angry tension between the two women.
Tala’s face softened slightly. “Better.” She lifted her chin and met Raine’s mutinous glare. “Thank you.”
The tightening of Gavin’s fingers had Raine rethinking her response. Instead of egging the witch on, she muttered, “Welcome.”
There was an awkward pause, then Tala asked, “Nati?”
“Dead,” Gavin answered.
Tala’s lips thinned. “She raised it?”
“No.” This time it was Vidis who answered. “That would be Lizbeth Chavez.”
Shock raced across Tala’s face. “Lizbeth? But…but why?”
“She wanted her son back,” Raine said. Tala blinked at her, confusion evident. Raine decided to explain. “Brett was thrown from his horse when he ran across Ransom and his pet Chindis. Seemed Ransom decided to use a different route to get your land. If he could play one House against the other, then he could turn the monsters against each other and get the land he wanted.”
“Ransom raised the chindis?” Tala repeated, obviously trying to follow along.
“You don’t need to be Kyn to make a spell work,” Gavin cut in. “Ransom panicked when Brett stumbled into the middle of his little plan, so Ransom had his chindis tear the boy apart.”
“But he stopped them before they could finish,” Raine added.
Horror washed over Tala’s face, as she collapsed next to Cheveyo.
“Unfortunately, Lizbeth needed someone to blame for her son’s supposed accident,” Raine kept going. “So she focused on the one person who dared to step between her and Brett.”
“Jenny,” Tala breathed.
Raine nodded. Using Gavin’s arm, she slid to the floor. Her legs were shaking. Gavin settled beside her and they continued the story.