Samuel pursed his lips and said. “There are some things you children are better off not knowing.”
Kevin sighed, sticking one hand in his pocket, rubbing his neck with the other hand. “So, did you want something from me? You just called my name.”
Samuel coughed delicately. “Luke tells me you are not feeling like yourself. You collapsed today from what I hear.”
For a moment, Kevin wondered if he should tell the old archives’ keeper about the dreams he was having. He usually never dreamed, but lately, he was seeing a woman in his dreams – a slender woman with sharp, blue eyes and short, black hair. She seemed so desperate, and the dream felt so fast paced, as if he was rushing against time.
However, he decided against it. “It’s nothing. Just a little overworked, I guess. Oh, the rain’s letting up.” He gave an optimistic sigh. “I’m going to grab something to eat and then go out for a patrol.”
He left the older couple standing in the open as he rushed toward the den.
Abigail watched Samuel. “Kalen does not seem to be in a good mood today.”
Samuel rubbed his chin. “There’s a warning laced in the storm. He is trying to tell us something. We should raise the defenses here. Something is definitely coming.”
Abigail looked grim.
Chapter 3
As the rain eased after a few hours, Nina saw a couple of tiny fairies, barely the size of her hand, bringing over a huge leaf laden with fruit. They struggled with their task, and when they finally reached her, they lost their grip on the leaf and the fruit fell to the ground, scattering everywhere.
Totters flew over and gripped one of the plums in his claws then dropped it into Nina’s hands, who bit into the sweet fruit hungrily. As she ate and drank the food and water that Kalen had sent her, she managed to replenish some of her energy. Finally full, she grabbed the tree trunk for support and stood up. She looked over the distance and flinched. She took a step forward and realized that she was never going to be able to make it to the area that Kalen had pointed out. She needed to find the shifter that had managed to enter fairy grounds.
“You look terrible.”
Kalen’s voice did not startle her, and she glanced up to see his lounging form. “Are you still angry?”
“No, but I cannot help you, either. This is your journey. I will join you when the time is right.”
A wooden staff fell at Nina’s feet. “For you.” With that, he flew in a random direction until he was but a tiny speck in the air.
“Gee, thanks,” Nina muttered to no one in particular.
The staff came in handy, but although the wound seemed to have clotted, the blood loss had been tremendous, and Nina lost a little color in her face with every step. Her breaths were sharper and shorter. Her legs trembled with the effort to hold her body weight. The staff was useful and she had a feeling it was infused with Kalen’s power. But she still rested against a few trees here and there to catch her breath.
Finally, when she entered a clearing, she sank onto the ground. “Totters.”
Her familiar settled on her knee and rubbed himself against her, letting his worry and concern come through.
Nina panted and waited for her heartbeat to slow down.
“I need some herbs,” she told him. “If my magic won’t work, then I need to use an herbal remedy.” It was getting harder to talk. “Do you remember the ingredients for the Leigheas remedy? You brought the–”
“I’ll find them.”
Totters took flight and watched his master close her eyes, her face lined with pain. His grey and black feathers helped him camouflage his appearance when needed, but, right now, he was racing against himself, not bothering to conceal his presence. Nina was the only constant in his life. When she had summoned a familiar, he had been a dying hatchling, thrown out of his nest by his siblings. Struggling to survive, he had heard the call of another being whose soul was just as lonely as his was.
Nina had loved him, cared for him, and nourished him, feeding him her own power to give him strength. The very thought of her leaving him made him fearful. He knew that his life span was attached to hers, but right now the sight of his broken master was the only thing that concerned him. He was not used to seeing her like this, so lifeless – so weak.
A loving warmth filled his mind.
“I will be fine, Totters.”
A single tear slipped from the falcon’s eye and transformed into a pearl as it fell onto the ground.
***
On the ground below, Kevin sniffed around and rubbed his back against a tree. Hearing a growl, the bear turned around and saw a wolf run toward him. Its silver fur and blue eyes, which would have stunned him a year ago, now made the human, inside him, roll his eyes. He moved quickly to avoid the playful attack and watched the wolf alpha land on his feet.
Fergus shook his fur and then stretched casually. Kevin watched his movements, knowing he was up to something.
Cassie was as fond of Fergus as the wolf was of her. Although Luke snarled and swiped at him, Kevin knew that their alpha trusted the wolf shifter. Their bond was a strange one, but it had developed into a friendship over time. Fergus spent most of his time trying his utmost to drive Luke up the wall. All he had to do was flirt with the bear alpha’s very pregnant mate.
A yip and squeaky growl had Kevin looking at the bushes from where Fergus had emerged. They rustled, and he heard another yip. A small wolf pup tumbled out of the bushes and rolled over to land at his feet. Those amber eyes stared up at the massive brown bear. Then, it got up and growled as it turned its back to Kevin, although it sounded more like a squeak.
Two more pups ran out and rammed into the lieutenant.
Kevin could feel Fergus’ eyes on him, waiting for his reaction. Building trust was one thing, but for the wolf alpha to allow access to his pack’s most defenseless members was a very big move.
One of the pups tried to clamber onto Kevin’s back, and he shook him off. Picking the pup up by the back of his neck, he carried him over to Fergus and deposited him on the ground.
A screech above his head made Kevin look up.
A falcon dove from the air and latched onto one of the plants that was growing at the base of the tree by which he stood. There was blood on the falcon’s left wing, and it carried a strange scent, which made Kevin want to sniff at it. It was a sweet smell with a hint of spice, which made his mouth water. Not with hunger but with a strange desire. When one of the pups tried to jump on him, he sounded a warning growl, which had the pup freezing.
The falcon eyed him warily.
Letting out a little huff, Kevin approached it, barely missing those razor-sharp claws. However, the scent was too distracting to worry about self-preservation. After a few more swipes, Totters realized that the bear was not interested in making a meal out of him. It was just curious.
He turned his focus back to the plant and tried to tug it out, but it was too deeply rooted within the earth. A few hefty pulls had the falcon falling against the tree. His left wing had not healed enough, and now he could feel the pain coursing through his small body. His wing was completely broken.
Kevin watched as the falcon folded his shattered wing against his body and pecked at the plant it was determined to get. There was a certain desperation emanating from the bird, so Kevin gently nudged it aside, ignoring its surprised squawk.
Using his claws, he dug out the plant, picked it up in his mouth, and looked at the bird. It must have realized his intentions, because it started walking awkwardly on the ground in a random direction.
Kevin paid no heed to Fergus’ questioning growl and simply followed. That scent on the falcon was deeply embedded in its feathers, which meant that the owner of this bird was whom he was going to meet.
They did not have to walk long until Kevin stopped and his nose twitched. The person who carried that particular scent was nearby, but there was blood and pain entwined in it. As a shifter, his senses were heightened, and he followed his nose.
The falcon was finding it hard to walk, and Kevin lowered his head, urging it to climb onto his back, which it did quite gratefully.
The scent of blood grew stronger until Kevin entered a clearing.
A young woman leaned against a tree, her eyes closed. It was not her pale color that forced Kevin to still, but the large blotch of blood on her stomach. She was barely holding on. Kevin approached her and sniffed at her. When those eyelids lifted to reveal crystal blue eyes laced with pain, Kevin was shocked. How was she still conscious? The wound on her stomach was akin to a gaping hole.
The woman looked past him, and the falcon approached her. Kevin watched as he added the plant that Kevin had dropped on the ground to a pile of herbs. The woman tried to move her hand, but she had no energy. The bird pushed the plants toward her, but a tear trailed down the woman’s cheek. Obviously, she meant to do something with the herbs, something to do with the injury she had.
Although the smell of blood was strong, the woman’s scent was divine, and Kevin buried his nose in her neck and whined. She was too far gone to protest.
Taking a step back, Kevin shifted in a shimmer of light.
Kneeling by her side, he said roughly, “Tell me what to do.”
Her lips moved, and Kevin turned his head to hear her properly.
“C-Crush them. Water.”
Hoping he had heard correctly, he took the plants and crushed them on the ground. For something so small, it was very hard to make into a pulp. Using rain water which had gathered in a small puddle, he made a bulky paste.
He lifted his head. “Now what?”
She had passed out.
Kevin lifted her torn shirt and winced when he saw the raw wound. It had healed around the edges, but it was dangerously exposed to all sorts of infections. Rubbing the paste gently over the damage, he gently leaned her unconscious form onto himself. Just as he’d suspected, the injury extended to her back. The bear shifter applied some of the paste there as well and then lay down on the ground.
Her features were beautiful for a human. Rough, black hair showed that it had recently been cut by someone – probably herself. Her skin was cold to the touch, and Kevin knew she needed more than just this paste if she was to live.
He could not leave her here to die.
He sniffed her again.
She smelled human, but not entirely so.
The scent was one he was familiar with, but he could not place where he knew it from. The bear in him was cautious. It sniffed at her and wanted to bathe in this addicting scent. Suddenly, his location hit him. Immediately on guard, Kevin looked around. How had he gotten past the barrier of the fairy territory? The only two shifters to make it past the barrier were his alpha and his mate. The fairies had become particularly attached to Cassie, so she often visited the fairy territory. But Kevin had never ventured into this area.
It was like everything Cassie had described. As he turned around, he looked up and saw the shimmer of the barrier. Taking a step into this land was like stepping into a whole, new world that bloomed. He had never seen greener grass or flowers bloom with such radiance.
He looked down at the woman and wondered why his bear was distressed. Its agitation grew with each movement, and Kevin had to force it back. He dug out his cell phone and called his alpha.
“Luke.”
Luke sounded like he was in the middle of something, and not at all pleased at the interruption. When Kevin explained the situation, he told his friend the stark truth. “There’s something about her, man. I do not know what, but it’s got my animal all worked up.”
Luke’s tone changed. “Strange how?”
He sounded intrigued, and yet there was an odd quality to his voice. Kevin frowned. “I do not know. It’s like my animal wants out. Her scent is driving both of us crazy.” He put a finger to her pulse, and his heart beat a little faster. “Her pulse is fading. I need a healer here.”
His alpha’s voice was sharp. “Rina and Henry just got in. I will send them to you. Can you carry her without hurting her?”
Kevin replied with an affirmative, and after tucking the phone back into the leather pouch, which was tied to his bare ankle, he picked up the falcon, put it on his shoulder, and then proceeded to pick up the woman.
She was quite light and fit just right in his arms.
Cradling her carefully, he wondered at the lack of fairies in the area and slowly started walking, not wanting to jostle her.
He did not notice the pair of very interested green eyes, which watched him as he left.
As Kalen let the barrier part, he murmured to no one in particular, “The shifter has no idea, does he?”
Kevin moved out of the barrier and walked in the general direction of the den. Rina and Henry, both junior lieutenants, were supposed to meet him on the main path. He had taken a few steps when the air shifted, and he realized he was not alone.
Five hooded figures emerged from all sides of him, effectively surrounding him.
Now, Kevin may not have had any encounter with witches before, but these beings hummed with magical energy, and he identified them for what they were.
“Well, shit.”
***End of Preview***
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