Iron Master (Shifters Unbound Book 12)

by Jennifer Ashley

“You are hard to please, woman.”

  Peigi shrugged, pretending his voice, smile, and very presence didn’t make her rejoice. “I’m just glad you’re all right. The cubs are a handful.”

  “They’re good kids.” His gaze went to their six running around and screaming with the other cubs in Shiftertown.

  Noelle, a grizzly cub, would likely be an alpha if given the chance. She could rally the younger cubs of Shiftertown to her side and hold her own against the older ones. Donny seemed to be fairly carefree, not as easily frightened as he used to be. Maybe he wouldn’t be an alpha but certainly not too far down in the hierarchy. Peigi was a bit more concerned about Hannah and Kevin, the youngest two, who were uncertain about their place.

  “They want me to come back,” Stuart said.

  Peigi snapped her gaze to him. “They? Who’s they?”

  “The dokk alfar.” Before she could ask what he meant, he gave her the full story of his encounter in the pocket of un-reality and what the dark Fae voice had said.

  When he finished, Peigi shivered, the ramifications hitting her. “They’re afraid of invasion?”

  “A full-scale attack hasn’t happened for a long time, but the high Fae are always searching for ways to edge out the dokk alfar, to get rid of the iron that weakens them. Iron is why they haven’t been able to eradicate us completely, but if they use Shifters to help them …”

  “Are you sure he meant Shifters?” Peigi asked.

  “He said Horkalan, which is the dokk alfar word for Shifter. More correctly, Battle Beast, which is what the high Fae have always called you.”

  A cloud eased over the sun, making the warm day suddenly cool. “I’ve heard rumors about Shifters joining the Fae, but …”

  “But you didn’t want to believe them?” Stuart said. “I’m not privy to all the reports Eric receives, but he shares a lot with me. There was a Shifter in New Orleans recruiting Shifters to work for the Fae again. Convincing them Fae are better allies than humans, a better chance to get free.”

  “That’s insane.” Peigi drew her feet up and wrapped her arms around her knees. “What Shifters are fool enough to believe that?”

  “Unfortunately, plenty. In fact, the voice told me I needed to ‘talk to the red wolf.’ I’m pretty sure he means Dimitri Kashnikov, who helped break the recruiting ring in New Orleans. Dimitri went into Faerie and saw what was going on.”

  “Does this mean you’re going to New Orleans?” Peigi tried to keep the catch from her voice but couldn’t quite manage it.

  “I don’t know yet. I’ll make some calls, see if Dimitri can come to me.”

  Peigi tried to make herself be reasonable. “It’s risky for a Shifter to travel. You should go to him.”

  “I’d only do that if …” Stuart broke off, his gaze going to their cubs who were running, shifting, playing, yelling.

  “If what?” Peigi prompted. “If Diego doesn’t want you to solve another jewel heist?”

  “If you came with me.” His words were quiet, almost inaudible, but Peigi heard them just fine. “But you’re right. Too risky for Shifters to travel—”

  “Yes,” Peigi cut through his words.

  Stuart glanced over his shoulder. “Yes, what?”

  “Yes, I’ll go with you.”

  Stuart turned to study her, his sin-dark eyes pulling her in.

  Peigi had no idea why she was attracted to a Fae. At first, she’d thought herself so traumatized by male Shifters she would chase anything not Shifter, but she soon realized this wasn’t the reason.

  Stuart had a way of looking at her—at her—not the pathetic rescue the other Shifters treated gently, as though she’d go feral if they made too many loud noises around her. He treated her like a person, not a therapy case.

  And, all right, she was attracted because Stuart Reid was seriously hot. There wasn’t a part of him not solid muscle, and his night-dark eyes held secrets Peigi wanted to touch.

  “What about the cubs?” Stuart asked after the silence had stretched.

  Leaving the cubs, who’d relied on her since Cassidy had led them out of that basement, wouldn’t be ideal. Peigi didn’t like the emptiness she felt when she thought about not being with them, but then again, she didn’t want Stuart running off on his own where anyone could kill him.

  He’d have to seek Dimitri at Kendrick’s compound, where Shifters lived in secret without Collars and human restrictions. They had no love for anything Fae, and who knew what they would do when they saw Stuart among them? Better Peigi was with him.

  “I’ll ask Nell to come. She and Cormac love the cubs. Shane and Brody are great babysitters too. No one will mess with them with Nell’s family around.”

  “No argument there.” Stuart watched the cubs again. “They’re dependent on you, though.”

  “You too.” Peigi met his gaze as Stuart turned to her in surprise. “Don’t look at me like that. They need us both. So like hell I’m sending you off in Marlo’s plane alone to deal with an enclave of un-Collared Shifters who are all paranoid about the Fae. I want you back in one piece.”

  Stuart had the gall to let his lips twitch. “So, what—you’ll be my bodyguard?”

  “Damn straight. No one messes with a she-bear.”

  The twitch became a full smile—no, a grin. “You’re right about that.” He stood up and she did too. He drew closer to her, his body heat awakening her every need. Then his beautiful smile faded, and his somberness returned. “I’ll set it up with Eric.”

  Peigi assumed he’d say something more, but Stuart stared down at her, his eyes with worlds inside intent on her. Wouldn’t she love to see him look at her like this while he hung over her in the night?

  She stopped herself leaning into him, or grabbing on with both hands, begging him to be with her. Stuart studied her a few moments longer then turned away without a word.

  It was always like this between them—they’d almost reach the point of no return, and then one of them would back down and walk off. The not quite never turned into yes, now.

  One day, Peigi thought as she watched him walk down the yards, his stride long, head up, it will be now. And then I won’t ever let go.

  Reid was never comfortable on Marlo’s plane, no matter how many times he’d flown with the man.

  This plane they were on was a new one, as the former had gone down—thankfully without hurting Marlo or his lone passenger too badly.

  The ageless, bony man was one hell of a pilot, and after Marlo had recovered from his injuries, he’d cheerfully bought another old plane, fixed it up, and was soon aloft. He was nuts.

  Marlo had flown Peigi away from her captivity a couple years ago and to the Las Vegas Shiftertown. Reid had been on that trip, his heart burning as he’d witnessed the pain Peigi was going through.

  Most of the Shifter females the feral bear Miguel had sequestered had eventually gone home to their families—Eric located them—but Peigi hadn’t had anywhere to go. Eric had mate claimed all the females for expediency, to keep them safe, then he’d released them from the claim once they were clear of danger.

  Peigi had asked to stay in the Las Vegas Shiftertown. The bear leader, Nell, supported her choice. The orphaned cubs had been left with Peigi, as she’d already formed a bond with them in Miguel’s compound.

  Reid remembered how terrified Peigi had been on the flight to the airstrip outside Las Vegas and how relieved at the same time. She hadn’t quite known what to do with her freedom, and even at first behaved as though she didn’t deserve it.

  As a one-time captive of the Fae, and then being exiled by them, Reid understood. But he’d known that talking it through wouldn’t help Peigi. Having her feel safe and capable of finding happiness would.

  On this flight, Peigi sat in the co-pilot’s seat and gazed interestedly out the window at the passing desert below. She asked Marlo on-point questions about the plane and navigation, and laughed at his jokes.

  Reid occupied the seat behind them and simply watched s
unlight dance on Peigi’s hair, which she’d drawn into a ponytail for the journey. When she laughed, her face warmed and her eyes sparkled.

  The trauma of her life hadn’t hardened her, hadn’t ingrained itself as lines on her face or a permanent frown. Peigi regarded the world with interest, as though she wanted to embrace it and explore what she’d missed.

  Whatever the hell Stuart ended up doing, nothing would be worth it if he had to leave this woman behind. She was tough, far more than she gave herself credit for. The cubs loved her. Nell loved her. Brody … might have his eye on Peigi, Stuart sensed, but he was backing off because of Reid.

  If Reid returned to Faerie for good, Brody would likely step in and court her. Peigi would do well with Brody, who was one of Eric’s trackers and from a powerful clan. Logical that Peigi should end up with him.

  Reid heard the growl in his throat, worthy of any Shifter. He suddenly wanted to teleport the affable Brody to the other side of the world and tell the bear to find his own way home.

  Peigi laughed at Marlo, her silver voice filling Reid’s ears over the roar of the plane. Damn the Fae for kicking him to this world and endangering his heart. When he’d been a general of his dokk alfar clan, he’d prided himself on being a leader first, last, and always. These days his emotions were a messy tangle that wouldn’t smooth out any time soon.

  Marlo landed them on a deserted airstrip, a long way from anywhere. The South Texas field was flat and empty, and Reid had spied cattle grazing a few miles away.

  The plane bumped and rolled to a stop, the engine dying into blissful silence.

  “I love this part of the country.” Marlo exhaled in satisfaction as he unbuckled himself from the seat. “Vast. Peaceful.”

  Not enough cover, Reid thought. Still a soldier at heart, he felt exposed and vulnerable in this plane, a target. He chafed with impatience as Marlo shut everything down and wrestled with the catch on the door. Finally the door creaked back, falling heavily against the fuselage.

  “Stairs don’t always work.” Marlo stomped on the arm that kept the steps up, to no avail.

  “I don’t care.” Peigi pushed past Reid, dropped her overnight bag on the dirt and dried grass, and leapt gracefully down after it. “Need some exercise after the long ride anyway.”

  Marlo quickly climbed down and took her arm, steadying her on the uneven ground. Stuart tried not to kill him as he jumped out and landed next to the two.

  Peigi shaded her eyes and scanned the horizon. “I hope they don’t expect us to walk all the way. I don’t want that much exercise.”

  Marlo chuckled. “Kendrick said he was coming, and he will. Tell everyone I said hi.”

  “You’re leaving?” Panic edged Peigi’s question.

  “Can’t sit out here for long without someone investigating,” Marlo said. “You call me when you need a ride. I won’t go far.”

  Reid stepped closer to Peigi, gripping the handle of his small duffel bag. “I do this all the time. Kendrick, or one of his seconds, will show.”

  “Easy for you,” Peigi said, her voice too light. “You can just teleport.”

  “Don’t say easy and teleport in the same breath.” Reid kept his tone light. “Means you have no idea how exhausting it is. Tell you what, if Kendrick leaves us too long, I’ll take us to a B&B that isn’t far—you’ll like it.”

  “Sure, because the owners won’t freak out if we just pop in.”

  “I’ll find a rental car place, and we can drive the last part of the way.”

  Peigi’s eyes danced. “Then we have to worry about the rental car agent falling over when you suddenly appear in his office.”

  “I planned to be a little more subtle.” Reid was pleased to see her relaxing. Peigi didn’t like to feel trapped, and being stranded was a close second. She never had to be trapped again, he wanted to tell her.

  “Shouldn’t have to worry.” Marlo jerked his chin at a line of dust rising into the pale blue sky. “Someone’s coming.”

  Reid came alert. Could be Kendrick, could be highway patrol. Peigi caught his tension, but she calmed before he did, sniffing the air. “Shifters,” she announced.

  Chapter Five

  Peigi had met Dimitri and Jaycee before, at Shifter gatherings, but she didn’t know the two well. They’d had their mating ceremony not long ago, and Jaycee was carrying her first cub.

  Jaycee was curvy and didn’t hide those curves in her form-fitting jacket, leather pants, and motorcycle boots. Her body didn’t show her pregnancy much yet, but to Peigi, it was obvious—her scent was different, as was the sparkle in her eyes, and the careful way she moved, though she retained the litheness of her leopard.

  Behind her came Dimitri in jeans and a sweatshirt with a beer logo on it. He had red hair, a graceful athleticism, and wore a wide grin.

  “Reid. How’s life t-treating you?” Dimitri came at Stuart, arms open, ready for a Shifter hug of greeting.

  Stuart hesitated, then Peigi saw him decide to allow it. Dimitri, at the last minute, lowered his arms abruptly, laughed, and reached out a hand instead.

  “Just kidding.” Dimitri and Stuart clasped forearms, another form of Shifter greeting. “I know you aren’t a touchy-f-feely kind of dude. But Peigi is. Except for being a dude.”

  Dimitri let go of Stuart and went to Peigi, open-armed once more. Dimitri could hug almost as well as bears did, lifting Peigi and spinning her around.

  Dimitri released Peigi, and before she could catch her breath, Jaycee came in for a hug of her own. Jaycee’s warm, lush body enfolded her, and Peigi again scented the cub inside her, the life she and Dimitri had created.

  Behind them, Marlo shouted both a greeting and good-bye and started up the plane. The roar of the engines precluded further discussion.

  Dimitri beckoned them to the pickup resting in the dried grass, opened the doors, and ushered them inside. Stuart went first, Shifter style, and helped Peigi into the back seat. Jaycee jumped into front in a single bound while Dimitri took the driver’s seat.

  “A bear, a Feline, a Lupine, and a Fae got into a pickup.” Dimitri started the truck and bumped it around toward the dirt road. “How will this joke end?”

  “You tell me,” Stuart said. “A dokk alfar instructed me to talk to you.”

  “Yeah?” Dimitri’s eyes sharpened as he glanced at Stuart in the rearview mirror. “Kendrick didn’t mention this—he said you needed some help only Jaycee and I could give. I figured it was because we were bad-ass. What dokk alfar?”

  “I was pulled partway into Faerie so one of my people could communicate with me. When I asked the dokk alfar who he was, he told me to speak to you,” Stuart explained calmly, far too calmly, in Peigi’s opinion, for the frightening event.

  “Ah.” Dimitri slowed the truck as the dirt road ended at the highway, waited for a couple of passing vehicles, then pulled onto the asphalt. “I wonder if that was Cian. Huh. Nice to be remembered.”

  “Cian?” Stuart’s brows went up. “I don’t think I know him.”

  “He was my cell mate when I did time in a high Fae prison.” Dimitri’s words were light, but Peigi saw pain flicker in his eyes. His experience could not have been good. Jaycee, watching him, put a comforting hand on his thigh.

  To give Dimitri time to recover, Peigi asked Stuart, “How would you know that you don’t know this particular Cian—out of all the Cians who might be out there in Faerie?”

  “Because dokk alfar don’t duplicate names,” Stuart answered. “They’re unique. They can be passed from generation to generation but only if the bearer of the name of the previous generation has died.”

  “Humans should do that,” Jaycee said. “Imagine doing research on a guy called John.”

  “Or Thomas,” Dimitri said. “Shifters should do one name per generation too. There are a lot of Dimitris.”

  “Are there?” Jaycee started. “Well, crap. More of you to put up with.”

  “James—that name comes up a lot,” Dimitri continued, pret
ending to ignore her. “William. Jack. A lot of Jasons.”

  “I heard that one of the most popular names these days is Aiden,” Jaycee said.

  Traffic thickened and Dimitri pulled into the passing lane. “I don’t know about that. How about Trevor?”

  “Are you asking if it’s popular or if we should name our cub that?”

  Dimitri shrugged, grinning. Peigi cleared her throat. “So there is only one Cian?” she gently steered the conversation back to where it had begun. “And only one Stuart Reid?”

  “Stuart Reid isn’t my true name,” he said. Peigi had known this—he had a fairly long name in his own language, which he’d told her meant he was high in his clan. “Cian won’t be his entire name, but what he goes by.”

  Dimitri nodded. “Yeah, Cian has a long-ass name, like …”

  “Cian Tadhg Cailean an Mac Diarmud,” Jaycee said. She sent Dimitri a sweet smile. “Lady Aisling told me.”

  “Because she’s your best friend. Can you believe my mate is friends with a Tuil Erdannan?” Dimitri asked the back seat. “Translation: scary as shit woman who can terrify the high Fae.” He shuddered. “That doesn’t worry me at all.”

  “Anyway,” Peigi broke in. “Tell us about Cian.”

  “A good guy.” Dimitri returned to business with ease. “I don’t know much about him, because I don’t speak dokk alfar and he didn’t speak English or Russian. He got himself captured, and I think he’s a tracker, like me. Some kind of scout to see what the Fae were up to. That’s the impression I got, anyway. He helped me escape—and I helped him. Once we were free, he saluted us and took off. I’m glad to hear he’s alive and well.”

  “Hmm.” Stuart’s brows came together, his expression thoughtful.

  Jaycee, as impatient as Peigi, turned in her seat to face Dimitri. “You could have told Eric that on the phone, instead of dragging Peigi and Reid across two and a half states in Marlo’s plane.”

  Stuart sat forward. “I don’t think so. There must be something Cian wants me to know. If you tell me everything, Dimitri, the whole story, every detail, I might figure it out. Better than a quick phone conversation.”