by Dana Archer
So much for the darn neutral zone.
She swallowed hard and allowed self-pity to rise for a moment before she had to put on her responsible hat and become Molly’s protector again. She should be back in her dorm enjoying her first semester of grad school, not running from hordes of shifters who wanted to destroy her little sister’s future. Life, however, wasn’t always fair, and she wasn’t one to run from a problem, even if she had no idea how to solve it.
She dug out her cell. No service.
Great, just great. She took a deep breath to settle her nerves and considered her choices.
“Okay.” She paused and took another steadying breath. “He won’t smell anything funny with the shot I just gave you. It’ll be okay. It’s only a short drive, and I still have Lena’s present.”
She took Molly’s hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. “Let’s get this over with.”
Devin ended the call and grinned. Lena’s cabin was only thirty minutes from Xander’s pack lands. Xander’s brothers, along with a couple of his sisters, were already headed out there to pick up Gwen and Molly.
Devin could reunite Lena with her sisters before the day was over. As soon as he did, he was taking his little human to bed. He felt like a newly matured male who’d realized what was so appealing about the opposite sex. But the only girl he could see when he closed his eyes was the woman upstairs.
He’d had hundreds of pairs of legs wrapped around his waist—couldn’t fathom why he’d bothered with any of them. None of those females had been Lena.
“Lena, I’ve got good news,” he called out.
Silence met him.
He cursed and took the stairs three at a time. The sensual blast of music that hit him when he opened the door would’ve made a great background to their lovemaking if the female he needed more than his next breath was actually here.
“Lena!”
Devin ran out the backdoor and caught her scent on the breeze. It took every ounce of control he had to stop his cats from emerging. Her quaint little neighborhood didn’t have enough shrubbery to hide him from passersby. Instead, he followed on foot to the spot she must’ve gotten into a car. He stared at the curb, and the truth slammed into him.
She’d left him.
Devin pulled out his phone, dropped it twice—thankful Mira had insisted he get one of those cases for it—but finally managed to dial Kade.
“Yeah,” Kade mumbled.
“She’s gone.”
“What?”
Claws emerged and tiny hairs poked through his skin. His lion’s body slithered under his muscles, pushing, trying to get out. Its head slammed into his chest, fangs gnawed on his insides.
He couldn’t let his lion out. After what he’d done to Lena, he didn’t trust himself to lose control. The swing sets and family dogs in the yards he’d passed reminded him of the danger he posed. He wasn’t stable. Wasn’t fit to be around people.
Wasn’t worthy of Lena.
She must’ve realized it, must’ve sensed how messed-up he was. He had to get her back, to convince her she could soothe him. All she had to do was stay with him. He felt normal when he could breathe her in.
“Lena ran while I was on the phone with you. She left me.” He growled, his voice more animal than man.
An older human with age spots covering his face frowned, no doubt hearing Devin’s bellowed words. The male grabbed his cane and shuffled down the driveway across the street from where Devin stood. His lion, which had been trying to break free, turned its head and focused on the approaching human. The approaching threat. His lion bared its fangs, and its low, menacing growl crawled up its throat, shaking Devin’s body.
No! He refused to harm another human.
He took the only option he could. He ran toward Lena’s house.
Once inside her home, he slid down the closed door. Hair sprouted over his body, and longer fangs filled his mouth. Colors faded from the world, and so did his grip on the lion’s leash. “Help…me.”
He dropped the phone as the big cat burst free. His roar of outrage shook the walls. He heard Kade’s curses and order to shut up. He would’ve liked to do exactly that. It wasn’t going to happen. The best he could do was stay away from the windows and pray Lena’s neighbors didn’t investigate.
Chapter 16
Gwen wondered if the bear shifter sitting next to her could scent her fear. After exchanging pleasantries, he’d focused on driving over the bumpy, barely passable terrain. If she hadn’t driven down the road several times before, she would’ve feared he was taking them somewhere else, but Maggie enjoyed the seclusion. Surprisingly, her small lodge did very well as it catered to the rich and famous seeking a little adventure.
Gwen blew out a rough breath. Only a little bit longer, and they’d be safe.
She hoped so at least. She’d been questioning her decision to leave with a bear shifter, but she didn’t have any other choice, not unless she’d wanted to wait a couple of hours for one of the rental cars to be returned. With the supply of chemicals for Molly dwindling, Gwen couldn’t have risked waiting.
It would be fine.
The words she repeated didn’t help. Only knowing they were ten miles from the lodge did. Well that, and the silence from the bear shifter. The shot she’d given Molly seemed to be doing its job. Gwen only prayed the reduced dose didn’t wear off before they got to their destination.
The man put the SUV into park once they reached the fork in the road. He inhaled deeply—not a good sign—and turned toward her.
“Why are you so afraid, young lady?”
Gwen blinked hopefully innocent eyes at him. “I’m not.”
“Fear has a certain fragrance to it. Did you know that? I can almost taste it on my tongue, and I have to be honest with you.” A grin spread across his face. “I like it.”
She cleared her throat. “Then let me be honest with you, you’re acting bizarre, and its scaring my little sister. You’d better knock it off before I’m forced to do something we’ll both regret.”
“That little girl isn’t your sister, but if you want to pretend she is, then suit yourself.” He started driving.
The wrong way.
She pointed. “The lodge is that way.”
“Oh, we aren’t going there. Three days driving this route and I caught myself a hot young nurse and now you two. Not bad pickings.”
Gwen swallowed hard and slipped her hand into the pocket of her jacket while Molly stared straight ahead with her small hands clenched into tight fists. The sight stabbed Gwen in the heart. It also gave her the courage to do what had to be done.
Tightening her grip on the gun—thankful she’d remembered her stepdad’s lesson on how to clean it to mask the smell of gun oil—she said, “Forgive me, then, because you’ve left me no choice.”
The bear shifter looked at her, a confused expression on his face.
In one quick move, she aimed and fired a single round. Red blossomed between the man’s eyes. He fell forward. The car careened down a small hill.
She screamed, while the SUV picked up speed. Shoving the dead man off the wheel, she gripped it and tried to steer the vehicle to safety. Failed. A huge tree crunched the front of the grill. The car jerked with the loss of momentum. Airbags deployed. Dust and noxious gas filled the compartment.
Gagging, she covered her nose and turned to Molly. Blood coated one side of her face. She stared out the window, not even bothering to push her soaked hair out of her eyes. Gwen did it for her and blew the dust from her cheeks. “Are you okay, honey?”
Molly nodded. Her refusal to speak terrified Gwen. Her stepdad had said many shifter children who’d been abused as severely as Molly had weren’t salvageable. They became crazed, suffering memory lapses while their animals ruled, and couldn’t control their aggression. They were a danger to the world around them. Feral was what he’d called them. That was why they had to protect Molly.
Molly was just a little kid, though. A five-year-old couldn
’t be a danger to anyone. She just needed more therapy or something. She’d be fine.
Gwen held Molly’s chin and waited until she focused her pale-blue eyes on Gwen. A chill ran down Gwen’s spine. She ignored the ice slithering in her veins. “Sweetie, are you sure you’re okay?”
Molly dipped her head, never taking her gaze off Gwen.
Gwen turned away, her sister’s intense stare unnerving her, and focused on the bear shifter. His slumped form could only mean one thing. She pressed her fingers to his neck. No pulse. He was dead.
She was a murderer.
Gwen covered her mouth to hold back the sob.
She stared at the blood on the man’s face for a long time. Molly squeezed her wrist, breaking the trance. Gwen shook her head to clear it of the fog. Breaking down would have to happen later. She had to get Molly to safety. After that…she didn’t want to think about what would happen to her.
She opened the passenger door and helped Molly out. Her hands trembled. Molly’s didn’t. She really tried not to read into the lack of response, but couldn’t stop her worry from taking root. Her sister should feel something.
There were no tears over the man’s death, no sobbing, no questions. Nothing.
Gwen rubbed her thumb over the small fingers she held and assessed their situation. One look at the front of the SUV and she knew she wouldn’t be able to drive it out of here. Smoke billowed from the engine. The driver’s side was crunched, and the front tire was popped.
She reached for her cell, turned it on, and stared at the black screen. She tried the button again. Nothing.
The battery was dead. It had been searching for service too long. She’d meant to turn it off. She’d forgotten. Ditzy, that was what everyone called her, even her family. Well, except Lena. She simply treated Gwen as if she were a sheltered, naïve girl.
Regret left a bitter taste in her mouth, both for her leaving the phone on and for not asserting herself.
She straightened her spine. “Okay, looks like we’re walking.”
Molly stared at her with blank eyes.
Gwen blew out a rough breath and grabbed the sawed-off shotgun she found under the driver’s seat. She hefted the backpack, crammed full with the few useful items she’d found in the car. Once done, she plastered a smile on her face and turned away from the evidence of her sin.
“Let’s get moving, sweetie. It’ll be dark soon.”
With Molly’s hand in hers, she headed back up to the road and prayed they made it to safety before anyone came looking for the man she’d killed.
In his lion form, Devin peeked out the window. A black car drove up Lena’s road. A growl rumbled his chest—his cat’s response, not his. He wished he could say he was in charge. He wasn’t, not completely, but with each passing minute he gained ground.
He retreated to a spot in the kitchen where there wasn’t as much destruction. Seeing the evidence of his breakdown shamed him. After he’d called Kade, he’d lost control over his primal side. His lion had taken over, leaving him in the darkness.
When he’d finally surfaced, he’d found Lena’s lovely little home in shreds. Literally. Her furniture was reduced to piles of stuffing. The walls were gouged. The curtains hung in strips. The only things not destroyed were the pictures of her family, Molly’s artwork, Lena’s cute library, and the bed they’d shared. Everything else…totaled.
The front door opened, pulling him out of his remorseful contemplations. Snarls fell from his lion’s mouth. Its body poised to attack.
Lena’s house was one thing. It was stuff. Material objects could be replaced. His friends could not. He yanked on the tether linking the lion’s spirit to his and tightened his control over the animal.
Kade’s curses rang out. Devin cringed, his remorse increasing.
Through his lion’s eyes, he took in his pride leader’s cautious approach. Kade entered the kitchen with arms spread wide, an attempt to appear less threatening. It was a lie. Kade was as vicious as him, but Devin appreciated the attempt.
“What happened?”
Devin considered answering through his cat—all Royals felines could reach out to one another telepathically when they were close to each other. Few did, unless they were mated or siblings. Their animal spirits were territorial of everything, including the host they inhabited. They didn’t like hearing another’s voice in their head.
Although it’d be easier to stay in his lion’s body than face his friend’s pitying expression in his human form, Devin shifted and propped his weary frame against the cabinets.
“Lena left me.”
Kade raised a blond brow. “So you decided to trash her house?”
“Apparently.” Devin scrubbed a hand down his face. “You were right. I’ll never survive Lena’s death.”
Kade crouched in front of him. “You’re going to soul-bond to her.”
“If I can convince her to accept me, but I’m not doing a very good job of winning her over.” He motioned to the destroyed house. “And this isn’t going to help.”
“The house will be fine. We’ll hire some shifter contractors to remodel it.”
“It’s not the money, it’s the fact that I destroyed her house in a fit of rage.” In despair actually, but blaming it on his anger didn’t seem quite as pathetic.
“She doesn’t need to know. She’s moving to West Virginia with us.”
“Considering she ran from me, I’m guessing she won’t be too fond of the idea of moving into my place.”
“Mating law guarantees you the right to hold her close until you can win her over. Invoke it.”
He snorted. “Oh yeah. That’ll go over well. She won’t care if the law has been in place since shifters were created. She’ll curse me out, then leave.”
Kade’s shoulders slumped. “She’s not your true mate then, is she?”
“That’s the thing.” He propped his elbow on his knee and glanced at the small photo of Lena and her sisters on the fridge. “She is my true mate. She bridges me, and when I’m with her, I’m in control. When I’m not, I’m back to dealing with the same struggles I’ve dealt with for centuries.”
Sympathy flared in Kade’s eyes. Seeing it infuriated Devin. He stood and strode across the room to where his lion had left the single yogurt cup on the table, like an offering to his mate. Except, Lena didn’t want to be his. He grabbed the plastic container and flung it. White cream splattered over the sunny yellow walls.
Fully aware there were lion shifters in town, she’d run from him. She must’ve thought facing them was a better fate than staying with him. Her mate. The one man who’d worship her until the world ended.
The truth tightened his throat, making it hard to breathe. His heart knocked hard against his rib cage. Darkness crept over his vision. He fell to his knees and held his head in his hands. A groan ripped from his throat as he tugged at his hair, hoping the pain would help him avoid the blackout. It didn’t. The ache in his chest grew. Made thinking impossible.
Lena’s scent seeped through the haze, stronger than the lingering fragrance that clung to everything in the house.
She’d come back. The blackness cleared. Sanity returned. He swung his head, looking for her chocolate eyes and tanned skin. “Lena!”
She wasn’t there. Kade stood in the doorway to the kitchen with a worn, stuffed jaguar. He held it out.
Devin’s heart skipped a beat as he realized what Kade held. Devin laughed, the sound bitter and a little demented. He was, wasn’t he? Crazed, not fit to live. And definitely not worthy of heaven.
He took the toy and pressed it to his burning eyes. His mate’s scent clung to the thing—heavy, rich, and decadent. Like a two-year-old, he clutched it as if it was his lifeline.
“I screwed up. Big time.” He pressed the stuffed jaguar harder against his eyes. The burn pricked them again. “She either doesn’t recognize our connection or doesn’t want me.”
“You’ve known the woman a few days, and she’s been unconscious most o
f that time. I think you’re jumping to conclusions about what she wants.”
Devin pulled the toy away from his face and met Kade’s gaze. “I told her I wanted her, but I…I got carried away and bit her again. She freaked out, said she didn’t want me as a mate.”
“You bit her as in, you tried to finish the mating or as in, the sex got rough.”
“As in, I wanted to finish our bond, but she pulled away. I just broke the skin.”
Kade cursed. “She didn’t know what you’d planned?”
“No. I haven’t even broached the topic of what mating involves. What I did was purely instinctual. Possessive.”
“So I’ve heard. Rafe has said the same.” Kade ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll call Shifter Affairs and let them know you’re invoking mating law in case Lena decides to call the cops claiming you’ve kidnapped her or something.”
“I’m going to give her the choice of exploring our bond or walking.” Devin crossed his arms, letting his pride leader see his determination. “I won’t invoke mating law.”
Kade pinched the bridge of his nose. “You just said you needed her and won’t survive her death. Now you’re telling me you’re going to give her the option of leaving you. You’re not making sense.”
“Yes, I am.” The rightness of his thoughts settled over him. “She’s afraid to be trapped in a relationship. I learned that today.” And he wouldn’t go into the episode with Mark either or his jealous reaction to it. “I’m going to prove to her I can love her without suffocating her, or whatever it is she fears about committing to a male.”
A contemplative look settled over Kade’s face. “And if it doesn’t work?”
He shrugged. “I figure out something else. I’m not giving up on her. She’s my true mate. My other half. She needs me as much as I need her.”
A low chuckle rumbled Kade’s chest. “I’ve heard countless stories about the determination our males experience once they met their true mate, but after watching first Rafe and now you, I’m not sure it’s a fate I want.”
“Why not?”