Kat turned to walk out of the kitchen to grab her gear. It looked like she was on the move yet again. Not that she minded that at all. It was that Alak and Aeron would be coming with her that had her heart beating a little faster.
Chapter Five
Alak watched Kat leave the room, and once again he cursed his foolish tongue. He was so confused by his reactions whenever she was near. It was as if his own body had betrayed him and was no longer under his control. He knew she had been in no danger from her Alpha, and yet he hadn’t even realized he’d moved to put himself in between them, although, it could have been worse. Aeron’s reaction to Braxas’s words had been much more violent than his own … for a change. It had shocked him to see his calm and level-headed brother threatening an ally over such a thing.
“You’ll need identification if you’re to travel to Detroit with Kat,” Gabe said, his comment breaking Alak from his own thoughts. “I’ll have Roderick do up a couple of fake driver’s licenses, and passports.”
Braxas suddenly looked thoughtful. “They may stick out a little. Call attention to themselves on a commercial flight. What about one of the shifter-run cargo planes instead?”
“What is a car-go plane?” Aeron asked, taking the question right out of his own mouth.
Alak had a feeling that these shifters were not referring to other planes of existence, and he imagined this “Detroit” village they were supposed to go to must be quite a journey away if they wanted to use some kind of transportation beast.
“Here, this is a cargo plane,” Gabe said, holding out his phone.
Alak took the proffered device, which was now showing him a moving picture like he had seen on the television. The video showed an enormous beast on wheels moving faster than their trucks, and then suddenly, like a huge metal bird, its feet left the ground and it soared high up into the clouds—too high.
“Absolutely not!” Alak crossed his arms over his chest. There was absolutely no way that he would be putting himself in the belly of a giant mechanical bird. These shifters had already confirmed time and time again machines used no magic whatsoever, and therefore it seemed completely ludicrous to risk such a trip into the sky all on the whim of an arrangement of moving parts. If the Goddess had intended Fae kind to fly, she would have given them wings.
“I am in agreement with my brother on this,” Aeron said adamantly. “I will not get into that thing. ‘Tis not natural,” his brother continued with a look of disgust. “The Lady Katrina knows where we need to go, and if she has a secure location and she permits one of us to access her memories, then we can create a transport portal to this Detroit.”
“O-kay.” Gabe rolled his eyes, as the wolf liked to do, and too often for Alak’s taste. “I’m sure Kat can accommodate you, but we’ll also need to do something about your … appearance. You can’t be among humans looking like you stepped out of a black and white movie.”
“Of course,” Aeron answered right before his magic flowed over him, and Alak followed suit, letting his own magic flow and fold around him.
“Wow!” Corrine’s words were soft in wonder. “I’ve seen you two do this before, and yet I am still amazed at the change.”
Alak looked down at his now caramel colored skin and scoffed. “It will do, I suppose. We can maintain our glamor for however long this journey takes us.”
“You might want to go pack,” Gabe stated. “Roderick should be done with those identifications shortly.” He nodded at them both before leaving the kitchen.
Alak downed the rest of his coffee and waited for his brother to finish his before leaving the kitchen. Katrina reentered the house with a bag slung over her shoulder just as he and his brother were about to head upstairs.
“I just ran into Gabe outside. He told me that you’re planning to use a portal to get us to Detroit?” she asked in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. “He said you would need to access my memories to do that. I’m not sure how comfortable I am having you two rummaging around in my head.”
Once again, Alak’s back was up. Did she think they had no honor? That they would invade her privacy? Part of him knew he was being irrational, but for some unknown reason, this female had the capability to wind him up, and he did not know how to deal with that. Luckily, just as he was opening his mouth to no doubt say something that would once again offend her, Aeron cut him off.
“I assure you, Lady Katrina, we will only access your memory of the journey and location, nothing more.”
She looked back at Alak, her eyes almost daring him to speak, but he chose to turn his back and go upstairs to pack instead. He could still hear her voice as he walked down the hallway.
“What is his problem?” she snapped
“Forgive my brother’s manners. I am certain he does not mean to be rude. We’re both a little uncertain of our surroundings and how everything is so different here. It’s just taking some time for us to acclimate, but we will catch up.”
Alak couldn’t stop the roll of his eyes as he lingered in the hallway listening to their interaction, to his brother’s attempt at being suave. Good Goddess, only Aeron would turn an apology into an opportunity to court Katrina. In his mind, he could see the vixen’s golden eyes narrowing at his brother’s flirtatious tone, and the picture pulled a small smile to his lips against his will.
“Look, whatever you think is happening here, Romeo, isn’t,” she answered back. “That bullshit down in the kitchen was completely uncalled for. I’m not some fairy princess who needs to be rescued. I’m more like the dragon, and I will bite if you get in my way again. Never forget that. I’m a Beta here, and my job is all I care about. I’m not looking for anything else. You get my drift?”
Alak wished he could see her expression because her tone was overly aggressive in response to some harmless flirting. Calling his brother Romeo probably did not bode well either if she was referring to a tragic piece of human literature Aneena had told him about when she was studying human history.
A few seconds went by before Aeron finally answered. “Of course, my lady, I meant no offense.”
“It’s fine,” she said, her voice strained. “We leave as soon as the IDs are ready. You’d better go pack your bags.”
Alak quickly returned to his room and pretended he’d been packing the entire time. His brother’s expression when he joined him was thunderous.
“She is stubborn beyond reason.” Aeron grabbed the second travel bag out of the closet and began throwing clothes into it. “She attacks first, rather than share what she is feeling—kind of like you, actually…”
“Don’t be angry with me because she rejected you. Perhaps that will teach you to apologize on someone else’s behalf for once. I don’t need you to fight my battles for me, brother.”
“Well, between the two of you, someone will have to mediate. You’re both rather ridiculous when it comes to being honest about what you are feeling. By the Goddess, I think it will take all the wiles and magic we possess to slay this … dragon, and claim her for our own.”
Alak once again couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face when he thought about the luscious Kat claiming to be a dragon. Didn’t she know? In the Fae realm, there was no one better to deal with dragons than the Goddess’s own High Dorum.
Chapter Six
“What is so amusing?” Aeron asked.
As soon as the wolf shifter called Roderick placed the identifications in Gabe’s hands, he noticed that the Alpha was failing miserably at trying to suppress his laughter. Braxas joined them almost immediately, and he, too, barked a laugh before checking himself. Corrine peeked around Gabe and shook her head.
She playfully walloped Roderick on the back of his head. “Idiot.” She then looked over at Aeron and Alak and shrugged her shoulders. “At least these are better than the other ones I told him to redo.”
Katrina, who had just stalked up to them silently, held out her hand for the identifications. She arched her brow, an act Aeron found quite sexy. “
Richard and Peter Lipchitz.” She glanced over at Roderick and asked, “Do I dare ask what the others said?”
It was Corrine who answered. “Moe Lester and Frank N. Stein.”
The names sounded innocuous to him, even though the new set’s surname joke was obvious and childish. He didn’t miss the twitch of Katrina’s lips, however.
“They’re twins, Roderick. They can’t have different last names.”
“You’re absolutely right, Kat,” Roderick replied, beaming at her. “But at least I made you smile.”
“Brother,” Aeron warned. No doubt Alak had also noticed the way the wolf looked at Lady Katrina. His brother stood poised to attack. As much as he wanted to do serious damage to the jokester, he knew it would offend his hosts. As if sensing the tension, Gabe quickly dismissed Roderick, who with one last fawning gaze at Lady Katrina, departed. Aeron didn’t bother denying his relief that she, however, did not return his affections.
“If we are done snickering over these silly names, perhaps we should go,” Alak said.
When the three of them were finally alone, Katrina handed Aeron the IDs, as she had called them, and explained, “Richard and Peter are both names that are used to refer to the male appendage. And Lip—”
“I think we understood that part,” Alak interrupted her. “Shall we?”
The three of them exited through the back and walked towards the forest to find a quiet spot away from prying shifter eyes. He and Alak would keep their word to the fierce little cougar and only pull what they needed from her, but however, the act would still be an intimate one.
“I never understood the need for surnames,” Aeron remarked to fill the silence as they walked.
“It’s an extra identifiable factor, like for which family you belong to,” Katrina explained, “and there are billions of people on this side of the Veil. I suppose it’s a good way to distinguish one Tom, Dick, and Harry, from the next.” She paused for a moment before asking, “No one in your realm uses surnames then?”
“No,” Alak replied. “We identify ourselves either by title, village, our parents, or even ancestors. Aeron and I are known as the High Dorum, sons of Areth and Arama.”
Aeron was actually surprised at the information his brother offered Katrina. He was usually far less forthcoming and much more curt with those who did not already know their history. He was allowing her to know him, to know them, and Katrina actually looked interested as they walked and talked a little about their families. He learned that she came from a proud line of healing shifters, and despite following a different path from her family, the way she spoke of them, indicated that they were immensely proud of their daughter and her earned position in her pard. She took her role very seriously. What gave him pause to worry was the fact that he and his brother were both fierce protectors. He saw a willful stubbornness in her that would no doubt be unaccepting of their nature.
He decided to file that away for later, when and if circumstances would require him to think of it again. “What is your surname, Lady Katrina?” he asked to both distract himself and out of curiosity.
“Faraday,” she replied.
Aeron took out the IDs. “Now that has a far more pleasing sound, I think.” With a swipe of his hand, both forms of identification for himself and his brother were altered to read Alak and Aeron Faraday.
Katrina looked stunned. “Why did you need Roderick then if you could do that the whole time?”
“We have no use for that wolf,” Alak stated with distaste.
As much as he agreed with him, Aeron ignored his comment, not wanting to incite anything that would disrupt their peace. “We cannot generate an object from thin air, especially one that requires these types of foreign materials. However, manipulating something already in existence is doable.”
If she thought any significance or affront to him using her last name, she didn’t say, nor did she show emotion in either direction, making him that much more determined to break through all the barriers she put up. The more he looked at her, the longer she was in his presence, it made his need grow for her exponentially. She was his and Alak’s mate, and by the Goddess, he vowed they would claim her as such.
“We’re here,” she announced when they reached a clearing far enough away from shifter sight and hearing.
Aeron pointed to a rock for her to sit on, and when he placed a hand on the small of her back to gently guide her, she immediately stiffened. Though she did step forward, escaping his touch, he thought it was a small victory that she did not swipe his hand away.
“What happens now?” she asked looking up at him.
“Just relax,” Aeron said. “Clear your mind and focus solely on the location.”
They stepped up on either side of her and placed a hand, palm open, on her temple. “Close your eyes,” Alak whispered to her.
Then he and Alak followed suit, closing their eyes and shutting out the world around them, all but Katrina. A swirl of large structures invaded his consciousness, much like the moving pictures found in this realm. Her mind kept jumping from one structure to another, to an elevated bridge with yet another type of mechanical beast, this one long, like a giant snake weaving and coiling. A train, her mind named it. Finally, she settled on a tall building, vehicles out front coming and going, travel bags being maneuvered in and out of the building. Hotel, her mind said. He saw Katrina’s memories of talking to a man. He felt her anger as the bastard tried to claim her, her satisfaction of cutting out his tongue. This hyena was now a dead man walking for daring to touch his mate. He could feel the exact same anger and possession coming off Alak in waves.
This was it. They got it. The feel of this location, essentially, its essence, was now clear. He and Alak were already forming the portal that would take them there. Just as he was about to break the connection with Katrina, another memory slipped through, one that had him horrified, a memory that did not seem much older than the one he saw with her and the now tongue-less shifter. He saw a type of enclosure. Outside of it, men were both cheering and jeering at the two fighters in the center. His mate was battling with a large man. She was hurt. He felt her pain, but she hid it well from everyone else.
He flinched from a particularly painful blow she received to her ribs, but Katrina seemed to welcome it. She felt alive and in control, and at the same time she wanted to hide inside herself until the pain disappeared, both physical and emotional. Despite being surrounded by people, and knowing she had her family to turn to, and her Alpha, who he could clearly see she looked up to and respected as a mentor and thought of as a brother, and who along with their entire pard, would gladly be there fighting beside her, she had never felt more alone. Images of being trapped inside a vehicle, bound, unable to shift, and feelings of complete helplessness also invaded her consciousness.
“Stop,” her mind practically screamed at him. “Get out,” it pleaded. “Please, just get out.”
He and Alak broke the connection. They had kept their word, and only took what she had given them, but she looked angry for her apparent slip-up, so angry in fact, he thought she may punch the both of them.
“Lady Katrina, I … we did not mean to—”
“Would you stop with the Lady crap already?” she snapped. “It’s Kat or Katrina.”
“As you wish,” he told her. He’d give her anything she wanted at the moment if it meant taking away her pain. He was wrong about her earlier when he thought she would never allow herself to be vulnerable. She may be a fierce warrior, and her body may not need protection, but her soul was crying out for it.
He glanced over at his brother to see some of his protective armor that he built up against Katrina had been stripped. There was hope yet. For all three of them.
Nothing more needed to be said at the moment. He and Alak opened up the portal to Detroit, and the three of them stepped through.
Chapter Seven
“Um … shit,” Katrina whispered as her knees turned to water.
She’d been
told the effects this type of travel would have on her, but wow, it sure did rock a girl’s foundations. She would have dropped to the floor had Aeron not grabbed her. From the gentle way his hands gripped her shoulder and tugged her into his broad chest, she knew he had been waiting for that reaction.
“Take a few deep breaths, La—Katrina.” She felt his lips move by her ear when he spoke, and she shivered at the sensation. A quick glance at the surrounding décor told her they were in an alcove, just off the lobby of the hotel she’d stayed in last week, and that they were alone.
Confused, and still furious with herself for showing them more of herself than she had planned, she pushed away from his strength, relying on her own stubborn will to keep her upright. “I’m fine. The sensation just takes a little getting used to, is all.”
Aeron nodded, a small smile on his handsome face. “It can, yes. If I thought you would allow it, I would assist you through the portal so that you would not feel the physical affects as others of your kind do.”
“What would that involve?”
Alak stepped in and answered for his brother, something she was coming to expect from the two men. “We would enter your mind as we did just moments before, you would submit to us, and we would wrap our own minds around yours to enable you to maintain your equilibrium.”
Katrina shot him a look. “Yeah, that’s not happening. Submission is not something I give lightly. You give a Dark Fae an inch and he takes a goddamn memory or two that he wasn’t supposed to see.” She held up her hand when Aeron seemed about to deliver an apology. “I didn’t mean to accuse you. That wasn’t your fault back there. It was mine. Let’s just forget it and move on.”
Fighting Faete Page 3