Hunted Intensity

by Rebecca Airies

  Even though she wanted to stay and see if she could help, she ran like she’d promised Tyson. The man had already tried to grab her. Unless Mirlu had seriously injured him, he’d try again. Bushes and branches snagged at her shirt and pants. Each time her foot hit the ground, it sounded incredibly loud. She didn’t have time to be careful. Mirlu caught up with her and stayed at her side. That reassured her. She knew he’d hear anyone chasing after her and would attack if there was a threat. The knife in her hand would be great, but she wasn’t a warrior so any advantage she had, she’d use it.

  She didn’t know where she was going, but she ran, wanting to draw anyone who followed away from Tyson so that he’d have a better chance with any men who attacked him. When Mirlu growled low in his throat and whirled, she knew someone had gotten close to her and she knew that it wasn’t Tyson. He’d never reacted that way with Tyson. She stopped and turned to face the threat. She wasn’t going to get grabbed from behind.

  Mirlu’s teeth sank deep into the man’s thigh and the large animal pulled and shook his head violently from side to side. The man yelled and struck at Mirlu. Infuriated, she lunged forward and slashed his other arm, but the man managed to land a solid blow. Anger rolled through her. He wasn’t going to be hitting her canil. Mirlu yelped and released his hold. The man stumbled back as her blade swung again, this time slicing his chest. Mirlu sprang as the man came at her again, taking him to the ground. Mirlu’s fangs sank into his arm and again he shook as if he was trying to rip the man’s arm off.

  The man’s hand rose to hit at Mirlu again and she kicked him in the ribs. The only thoughts going through her head were stop him and do something. She kicked him again and stepped back when he made a grab for her. When Mirlu’s teeth slipped free of their hold the man crawled to his feet and dived for her.

  Her hands automatically rose to fend him off. She didn’t realize she was still holding the knife until he was on her and the blade of the knife sank deep as he collided with her. His fingers brushed at her clothes and she shoved as hard as she could. The momentum knocked her off her feet. She hit the ground hard but rolled away from him, coming to her feet immediately.

  Tori held the knife out in front of her as she backed slowly away from him. She didn’t know where the knife had hit. He could be very dangerous to her still. Even if he was hurt badly, he could hit or break her arm or even take the knife away from her and kill her before he died. He levered up but didn’t come to his feet. He sat and drew in ragged breaths as his hand pressed high on his right side. He looked at her and she saw the intense hatred burning in his eyes.

  Her fingers tightened on the hilt of the knife. The man was going to try to come at her again. Mirlu stood by her side. His body was tense and almost quivering with energy as he waited. She knew she couldn’t let the man get close to her now. He was dying and filled with a murderous rage. If he could, he’d take her with him simply because she’d hurt him. He got slowly to his feet. She wasn’t fooled and edged farther back, trying to stay away from any trees. She didn’t want to trap herself. She could almost see him gathering his strength for a last bid to get her.

  She shifted nervously from foot to foot. As the man rose awkwardly to his feet, his gaze fixed on her. She was just considering the possibility of running when Tyson burst out of the forest. He grabbed the man and slung him back onto the ground. The man landed with a loud groan. Tyson crouched over him and stripped away the man’s belt. Tori saw a knife on it. She started shaking. She was really lucky that he hadn’t wanted to hurt her. Well, not now anyway. She guessed that he’d wanted to use her as leverage to get Tyson’s attention. Tyson grabbed the man’s shirt and jerked him up.

  “Who were you going to send me to?” He growled the words into the man’s face.

  The man groaned but didn’t say anything.

  Tyson shook him. “Who is your buyer? What were they going to do with me?”

  “Nothing.” The man’s voice sounded weak.

  Tyson dropped him back to the ground. A growl rumbled in his throat as he turned to face her. She didn’t take her eyes off the man on the ground even though he did look as if he was fading fast. She still thought he was dangerous.

  “I’m glad you’re safe. I don’t know what I would have done if he’d hurt you.” Tyson pulled her into a tight hug for a moment and took her hand. He began drawing her away from the man lying on the ground. “Let’s go.”

  “What about him? He could come after us.” She didn’t balk too much, but she did glance back over her shoulder at the man sprawled on the ground.

  “I don’t think he’ll even manage to get to his feet again, but if he does, he’s not going far. He’s lost too much blood. I found you so easily because he was bleeding even before you stabbed him and that wound is bleeding badly. Your canil ripped a few chunks off him before you ran.” Tyson didn’t even bother turning his head.

  “Oh, I guess we should get to the city before more of the men after you find us.” She tore her attention away from the man. She didn’t want to think about being one of the causes of him dying, but knew she’d have to face it eventually. Killing felt wrong, but she couldn’t have done any different. She knew that wasn’t going to change the fact that she would feel guilty.

  Tyson knelt beside the man and began slowly going through his clothes and the pouch he wore. At first, Tori stared, a little horrified, as she wondered what he was doing and then she realized he was looking for something. Her mind easily supplied the answer to what that could be. He was hoping to find some kind of documents or orders on the body. She could understand that. He had to be frustrated and angry about being hunted and having no real reason why. He threw the pouch down to ground and turned away without finding anything on their attacker.

  Tyson walked with her back to the trail to get her bag and then they began heading toward the city again. He had no trouble finding his way now. They walked at an easy pace, but Tyson was still watchful. She knew he was as nervous about another attack as she was. They didn’t know how many people were after him. The only thing that reassured her was Mirlu’s calm, relaxed demeanor. The sun was beginning to set as they walked out of the forest and onto a road near a wide field of golden grain swaying in the light breeze.

  Tori let out a huge breath, but her gut churned with the indecision. She didn’t know what to do now. They were here and he was safe now, but her life had been turned upside down. Her aunt had barely tolerated her when she was normal. She wasn’t human anymore. She could feel the differences and they’d soon become visible.

  Tori didn’t want to stay with him because of those changes and she didn’t want him thinking that she stayed only for that reason. Once they were in the city she’d find an opportunity to slip away from him. She’d decide what to do after that. She could find work. She wasn’t afraid of that. It was the loss of the last family she had and a serious pang of grief at even the thought of leaving Tyson that made her hesitate. She didn’t know if she’d ever see her uncle and her cousins again.

  As they walked into the city, Tyson relaxed a little more. His hand stayed near his sword, but she could see that he didn’t expect an attack. The cobbled streets lined with shops and homes seemed a safe haven after the days of traveling in the forest. They walked through the quiet city. His eyes seemed to be constantly moving over the few people they saw on the street. She didn’t know if he was watching them because he thought they might be an enemy or if he was looking for someone.

  He was leading her to the opposite end of the city where she knew the gate was. She didn’t know how she was going to slip away from him when there wasn’t anyone around or anything to distract him. She wondered where they were going and was going to ask him when she felt a funny feeling in her chest and in her head. It wasn’t so much a tingle, but an awareness. Now that was different. She looked over at Tyson to find him turning away from her and looking down a side street.

  “What are you looking for, Tyson?” she asked when she didn’t se
e anything unusual down that street. She idly stroked a hand over Mirlu’s head.

  “Some shifters are down that street. They’re probably from my pack.” Tyson smiled widely and took her hand as he walked down the street.

  “Why are you so sure that they’re from your pack? Couldn’t they be from any group of shifter?” Tori frowned. After what had just happened, she didn’t want to go rushing into anything and he seemed determined to do just that.

  “They wouldn’t have left, not without searching. When they couldn’t find any sign that I’d left the planet, they would have stayed to try to find me. Since my bag and clothes were probably wherever I dropped them, they wouldn’t have simply gone home without me.” Tyson continued leading the way down the street.

  “And that means this has to be them?” She shook her head.

  “It doesn’t have to be, but it probably is.” He kept heading down the avenue.

  As they approached, the men at the end of the road turned to face them.

  “Tyson!” one of the men called out and came to meet them. “Where have you been? We’ve been looking for you. The Ardin were almost to the point of bringing in more men and a search of the known warrior arenas.”

  Tori narrowed her eyes. His attitude was a little too confrontational for her liking. Yes, Tyson had been gone but the man hadn’t even asked if anything had happened to him. He’d only been interested in where Tyson had been. Mirlu must have picked up on some of her agitation because he stepped in front of her.

  “It’s a long story, Aden, and part of it, I can only guess at.” Tyson smiled easily and didn’t seem to be upset by the tone or the question.

  “You can only guess? Who’s the woman?” The man, Aden, stopped in front of them. His golden hair was straight and fell only to his shoulders.

  “This is Tori.” Tyson looked over and smiled, but that was as far as he got before two big men came through the crowd of men in front of them.

  She knew they hadn’t been in that group so they had to have come from one of the buildings. The two muscular men looked stern, their faces drawn. One had golden-blond hair and green eyes and the other had black hair and gold eyes. Just at a glance, she could tell they were both very powerful warriors. She’d thought Tyson was intimidating. Those two gave her a new perspective.

  Tyson seemed relaxed and she didn’t know how that was possible. He didn’t know who sent those men after him. It could have been one of these men. Hell, that Aden seemed like a good choice to her. He definitely didn’t seem friendly, but again Tyson wasn’t suspicious.

  “Tyson, what happened?” the black-haired man asked as he stopped in front of them.

  Tori knew she probably wasn’t going to get a much better chance to slip away from Tyson than while he was answering questions with them. He’d be distracted. They’d hopefully be focused on him and with luck she could be gone before he realized it.

  “I was drugged the day I disappeared, but I don’t know how or when. I can’t remember much about that day.” Tyson shook his head.

  Tori could tell by his tone that it still bothered him. She shook her head as she realized she was getting drawn into the situation. She looked at Tyson then slanted a glance at the other people around her. Tyson was focused on the two men and everyone else was focused on him. She edged a couple of steps to the side. Cutting and running would draw too much attention. She needed to ease away from them. She managed to get a few more steps and was turning away to begin walking down the street.

  “Where are you going, Tori?” Tyson’s voice stopped her cold.

  She looked back over her shoulder and found him staring at her. “Away.”

  “We’ve talked about this.” Tyson took a step and his fingers wrapped around her wrist, tugging her back to him.

  “And we still don’t agree about it.” Tori gave a yank on her arm just to make sure he knew this wasn’t her choice.

  “Tyson, who’s this?” the man with golden-blond hair asked.

  “This is Tori, my mate. She’s still adjusting.” Tyson’s fingers released her hand and his arm curled around her waist. “Tori, this is Ardin Colm and Ardin Linc.”

  She had no idea which one was Colm and which was Linc.

  “You found your mate. Why don’t you tell us what happened from the beginning. What you can remember.”

  “I can remember coming into the city, but not much else until I was in the forest following a scent, with the tiron more in control than he should be.” Tyson shook his head. “My instincts were much more in control for the next two and a half to three days.”

  “Oh, that drug. They definitely knew you were shifter then, but must not have dosed you right. It didn’t put you out long enough for them to get you.” The black-haired Ardin scowled.

  “I’m just glad they didn’t get it right. I don’t want to fight for someone’s pleasure or be kept in a cage for someone’s amusement.” Tyson’s jaw clenched. “We met up with a few of the men behind it on the way here, but weren’t able to get any information about who they worked for.”

  “They’ll surface again and we’ll be waiting and ready. You were following her scent?” The black-haired man looked at Tori.

  “Wait, before we get to the following my scent part, which is freaky enough. Who do you think did this to him?” She looked at the two men and met their hard eyes and then turned her gaze to Tyson. “And why don’t you suspect any of these people? They knew where you were. Who else would know that?”

  “They didn’t arrange this, Tori. The people who came after me were human.” Tyson shook his head.

  “So, they could hire humans. Anyone can.” She shrugged. It didn’t seem like such a reach to her. Someone had to be behind the attack.

  A growl reached her ears. She turned her head to the two Ardin and found them scowling at her.

  “We didn’t hire anyone. These people are old annoyances of almost every group of shifters.” The black-haired man’s golden eyes narrowed as he spoke each word slowly and clearly. “They take our men and any warrior they can catch at times to fight in their arenas.”

  “Do you remember that they said they had a buyer for me, Tori? It probably wasn’t for the arena because they’re usually not choosy there.” Tyson’s hand rubbed up and down her back. “If someone in the thent wanted me gone, they wouldn’t send people after me to take me somewhere I might escape from one day. They’d simply kill me while I was under the drug’s hold.”

  “And then we’d kill them. We don’t allow murder within our people. If they were willing to murder, they would want to do more than get rid of him and those aims could endanger all our people. That isn’t something we would ever allow,” the golden haired Ardin’s voice was hard and uncompromising.

  She could easily believe that he’d kill anyone he considered a threat to his people. That was scary, because she had no idea what he considered a threat, but in a strange way it was also comforting. He took care of those he considered under his protection.

  “Can we get back to our discussion now?” The golden-haired Ardin arched a brow as he looked at her.

  Tori nodded. She still had a few doubts, but what they said made sense. If someone from his people wanted him gone, they wouldn’t risk him returning at all.

  “As to your question, yes, I followed her scent. Finding her and being with her were all I could think about for a while.” Tyson hugged Tori closer.

  “Let’s get your mate home since she’s ready to leave.” The blond man was smiling as he glanced her way.

  Tori rolled her eyes. It seemed that all male Santir were arrogant and didn’t listen.

  Chapter Nine

  Tyson leaned against the closed door and watched as Tori moved around the room. She’d brushed her hair and looked ready for bed, even if he thought she was a little overdressed wearing a long shirt. Her fingers touched a small bottle here, trailed over a small round table in the corner of the main room of their house.

  She hadn’t been in his house
long, but she was already making it a home. It wasn’t so much things like the flowers on the golden wood table or the spots of color she’d added to the room, like the blue cushions on the sturdy wooden chairs. It was more about the feeling he got from her being there.

  Right now, Tori was showing all the signs of being a little hesitant. His little cat was nervous. He understood that. She was still getting used to being a Santir and her new home. Plus, he knew she was still a little bewildered by the connection she felt to him. It was something that was hard to explain to a new Santir. He hadn’t understood it, not fully, until he felt it. He’d thought that by connection they meant some kind of liking and a lust, but that was only a small part of it.

  She’d been more than hesitant at first. Tori had been suspicious and distant. In a way, he understood it. She didn’t know who to trust here and had thought that he might be in danger. He liked that protective attitude. Slowly, she’d begun to see that the other Santir weren’t going to hurt him or her. He understood the need to know who’d hired those men, but he knew those answers wouldn’t be found within the thent.

  He waited until she came within arms’ distance and then curled an arm around her. She turned in his arms to face him and put her arm around him. With a smile, she cuddled up against him and pressed her face to his chest for a moment.

  Tyson pulled her closer. “What’s that secretive smile for, nari?”

  She looked so good. She’d calmed during the journey here. Although there had been moments when panic had nearly taken her. Like the day that she’d woken up and discovered that the transformation had completed with a single inhalation.

  He’d seen her eyes flare and felt the strength in her hands and arms as she held him. Possessiveness had flared in her eyes and she’d looked hungry and shocked at once. Before he could react, she’d bounded away from him. He’d had to talk awhile to calm her down. Her trika had come in as well, but she hadn’t realized until she’d noticed that everyone was staring at her. When she’d gotten a look at the marks, her body had tensed and he’d wondered if he’d have to run after her. She’d finally calmed down enough for him to talk to her.