Chayton planted his hands on the tabletop and slowly rose. “What did you do? How did it go down, Mato?” Rage vibrated through his body. He’d rip out Mato’s heart, but he had to hear a confession, otherwise he sacrificed his livelihood. “Did you use your ability? Convince her to use the flame on her dessert and turn it on herself?”
No denial. Mato’s chest rose and fell like a bull’s. No remorse emanated from Zitkana.
Chayton gazed between the two, then settled on Zitkana. “You both did it. I was hesitant, wouldn’t commit—for good reason. So you abused your friendship with my ina, waited until Ahte went into the forest, and convinced her to make a stupid fucking dessert.” He turned to Mato. “You convinced her to turn the flame on herself. The fire wiped out everything, your scent, the influence you used. My mother.”
He bunched to jump Mato. Clothing rustled as Zitkana stripped, probably to change into her wolf. It’d be a more equal fight for her.
The front door ripped open, catching all of their attention. A hulking brown man-wolf stalked through, saliva dripping off his fangs.
It was the most ferocious Chayton had ever seen his father. Never had he been more proud to be directly descended from an ancient.
Zitkana, not yet shifted, retreated down a side hallway.
Ahte ignored her. You took her from me! He was intent on Mato, the only one of them with the power to convince someone to light themselves on fire.
Mato had no time to undress and shift. He pulled a buck knife from his belt. His father didn’t slow. Chayton was sure silver had to be involved. Mato would never leave himself so vulnerable.
Even though Chayton was closer, Des beat him to Mato. The blade buried deep into Des’s belly. He roared and used his massive paws, tipped with deadly claws, to grasp Mato’s head.
Chayton…stepped back. In his personal and professional opinion, Des had every right to carry on until it ended with Mato’s head leaving his shoulders or his heart getting ripped out.
Zitkana was on the run and Chayton couldn’t let her get away, but he’d need to stay close. That wound of his father’s could be the end of him.
The back door slammed open, then closed. He charged out of the office, calculating how long it would take to catch up with her. Strategized what path she’d take to the trees.
He’d almost cleared the hallway when a weight landed on his back and an arm snaked around his neck. The blast of a gun preceded agony flaring through his shoulder. Crouching and flipping, he pried the arm away from his neck. It gave easy and he pinned Tika. Her eyes were wide and her chest was heaving. He was almost impressed at her effort.
He rolled off, but grasped her wrist. With a yank, she flipped onto her belly. His arm that’d been shot wouldn’t work to secure her other hand, but with his knees in her back, she wasn’t going anywhere.
“No!” she cried. He followed her gaze in the same direction the thick scent of blood was coming from. It wasn’t all from his dad.
With a blood curdling roar, Ahte drew his hand from Mato’s chest, a bloody, dripping heart squished in his fist.
Tika’s scream of anguish nearly had Chayton forgiving her for her attack. His shoulder throbbed from her gunshot, but it was an easy enough wound to heal. As close as she’d been, the bullet had torn up his shoulder joint but carried on right out the other side. His arm hung limply at his side.
Tika sobbed under him. “I heard what they did.” She dissolved into more tears. “But I couldn’t let you kill them. I had to try.”
He cursed. She needed to be dealt with, Ahte needed help, and the whole time Zitkana was getting away.
Did she know Kaitlyn was still in town, at their cabin?
He’d hunt Zitkana; he’d find her.
Rising, he pulled Tika with. “Congrats. You’re the new leader of Spirit Moon. I’m afraid you’ll be challenged for your position soon enough.” He tightened his grip on her upper arm. “But make no mistake. Your mother will pay for what she did.”
Her voice dropped to ragged whisper. “I won’t let you.”
Her shoulders drooped and tears ran unencumbered down her cheeks. She knew the truth. Thomas wasn’t around to challenge her, thank the Sweet Mother, but the shifters in the colony wouldn’t allow her to lead. If she didn’t step down willingly, she was a dead girl walking. Mato had turned too many against him. The personal loss he’d suffered wasn’t enough to excuse the damage he’d done over the years.
“You’re still bound to me, remember.” She was barely audible, but he heard every dooming word.
He glanced to Mato’s heartless body and wished it was Zitkana’s. His oath was to her, not Mato. As long as her heart beat, he couldn’t walk away. Was tricking his mother enough to condemn the female?
Not if Ahte got to her. Chayton released Tika and shoved her away.
“Ahte.” As he ran for his dad, he pulled salt out of his utility belt. After this mission, he wasn’t going around without at least ten packets. He tossed them to his father. “Keep an eye on the girl. I’m going after Zitkana.”
***
Kaitlyn tapped her foot against the table leg. The waiting was killing her, but she’d decided to give Chayton and Des the honor of revenge. She’d be more surprised if Tika’s parents were innocent. And shamefully enough to admit, dismayed because—then what?
She sensed movement outside the door. Glancing up, she smiled. Cian.
I sense your impatience. Want to run and tell me about it?
She set the book down she’d been trying to read for an hour, but was still on page one. Could she be fortunate enough to cultivate a relationship with him? He’d saved her once already and wasn’t here because he had anything urgent. Just because he cared.
Sounds like a plan.
I’ll get a head start; find me when you’re ready.
She watched him through the glass door as he loped off without waiting for her. All she had to do was shut off the lights and undress.
She stepped outside and shifted. The clarity of her already heightened senses picked up a new scent.
Zitkana?
A pair of reflecting, predatory eyes glared at her from the trees.
You will pay for taking him away from my daughter.
Well, he did it. He reneged as much as he could on the blood oath. Come and collect.
Teeth bared, a growl rattled through the night. Instead of waiting for the charge, Kaitlyn sprinted for the female.
Zitkana spun in a spray of dirt and took off. Kaitlyn put everything into her speed, but the other female was a fast shifter. What was she up to?
The female hadn’t tried to use any ability on her. If she had, Kaitlyn didn’t know what it was.
Zitkana’s path took her through town. They ran through yards, past houses. Kaitlyn struggled to overtake the female but couldn’t close the gap.
Chayton? Cian? Kaitlyn tried not to broadcast her thoughts. She huffed as she jumped fences and scrambled over pavement. So glad the ice had melted.
A large brick school came into view. Zitkana sailed over the chain-link fence around the playground. Kaitlyn followed suit. Over the soccer field, through the baseball diamond, Zitkana’s trajectory aimed right to a garish playset.
The gigantic playground equipment stood on metal posts, stairs, and platforms. Thick plastic comprised the tunnels and slides.
What was Zitkana’s goal? If she was this fast, why not run in the woods? Was it because she sensed Cian?
Zitkana’s deep brown wolf transitioned to two legs as she approached the equipment. She ran up the slide into the middle of the set that stood a story off the ground.
Kaitlyn jumped to the slide that descended from Zitkana’s platform. Her claws scrabbled for purchase and she slid back down to land on the dirt.
Zitkana’s laugh raised her hackles.
“He abandoned my daughter for you.” Disdain filled Zitkana’s gaze. “Look at you. A defective mutt.”
Ouch.
Kaitlyn prowled around t
he equipment. There was a short flight of metal stairs. Patterned holes lined the bottom and sides. Would those trip her up? They wouldn’t get her close to Zitkana. The landing of the stairs stopped at a multicolored plastic sway bridge. She experienced the same slipperiness as the slide.
Zitkana let out a black chuckle. “What’s wrong, Guardian? Why not shift and come after me?”
Dread sank deep into her bones. That crafty bitch planned this, made her shift and led her to a place where she’d need to shift back to get to her.
She’d be ashamed at being played so well if she wasn’t so angry. Even on the eve of your death, you’re still manipulating people.
Rage boiled off Zitkana. “I had it all arranged. The two shifters with the strongest and purest blood in Spirit Moon unite. No one would ever attempt to kill my babies again.”
Kaitlyn’s adrenaline slowed. Zitkana’s loss was tragic, one of the most horrible things a parent could experience. It didn’t give her the right to abuse and take others’ lives at will. Kaitlyn was sure the female had done it for decades, possibly longer. Chayton and Tika’s mating probably wasn’t the only union she’d manufactured.
The thoughts clicked together. Are you even Mato’s destined mate?
A low grumble reverberated from Zitkana.
Kaitlyn cocked her head. So if he ran across his mate, what would you have done? She knew the answer, but the momentary panic in Zitkana’s eyes confirmed it. Is that why Spirit Moon is so isolated? All this talk of bloodlines and purity, but you didn’t want Mato to cross paths with the female he’s destined to be with.
“He loves me. We loved our children.”
It doesn’t make right all the wrongs you’ve done. All the shifters you’ve killed or helped kill over the years. For those crimes, you will face punishment.
“Then shift and come get me,” Zitkana purred.
Kaitlyn searched and sniffed for a way to get to the slide opening. She could try bounding up it. At the very least, she might fall down. It’d be up to Zitkana if she’d come after her. In the woods with Chayton, she’d gotten so close to shifting without passing out. It’d been the last attempt, after so many, but maybe that meant she could try it fresh.
She calculated her odds, had to make sure it wasn’t pride fueling her shift.
Chayton? No answer. If Zitkana had run off, he must be out in the woods looking for her.
She inhaled, slowly exhaled. Zitkana’s bright eyes watched in morbid fascination.
If she let Zitkana get away, how many others would be hurt on Zitkana’s flight to freedom? Kaitlyn’s instincts as a Guardian wouldn’t let her circle Zitkana, giving her more opportunity to plan. Her instincts as Guardian also wouldn’t let her do something stupid like pass out and be vulnerable.
No, she wasn’t foolish. She knew her past; she knew her birth father; she accepted it all. It was just like firing at a target. Deep breath in, shift at the end of the exhale. Using her martial arts training, she visualized a seamless shift from wolf to human.
She reached the end of her exhale. Zitkana stilled, sensing the impending shift.
Kaitlyn kept her eyes open, focusing on the female, her target. Come on, Guardian strength, don’t let me down.
The sounds of the night muted in her ears, replaced by the whoosh of the ocean that was thousands of miles away.
Fur turned to skin. Not only was she trying to stay conscious, she strived to remain standing, to take down Zitkana as soon as she had feet.
The world spun, but Kaitlyn held on. The sound of skin skidding down plastic alerted her that she hadn’t noticed Zitkana move.
Kaitlyn tried to step toward the landing of the slide, but she stumbled. Fog fought for her mind.
Will not pass out.
Zitkana drew her feet under her and jumped off.
She plowed into Kaitlyn. Air left her lungs as she hit the wood chips cushioning the play equipment. Zitkana was on top of her. Kaitlyn blinked to clear her vision, but only saw the fist as it was driven into her face.
Her teeth scraped the inside of her mouth. Zitkana pulled back and punched her again. Kaitlyn’s nose broke, blood gushed down her cheeks.
She rolled to the side, but the woozy aftereffect of the shift dulled her movements. Zitkana slapped her head back in place for another punch.
Kaitlyn coughed and spit out blood, forcing herself to keep moving. If she stopped, blackness would claim her.
Zitkana swore. Pressure released from Kaitlyn’s chest as the female jumped off. She tried to roll again, but Zitkana was at her head, a firm grip around her neck and jaw.
Was she going to break her neck? That’d trump a blackout any day.
Instead, wood chips grated into her back and shoulders. Zitkana dragged her off the playground to the concrete surrounding it.
Energy rushed back into Kaitlyn’s muscles. The night grew startlingly clear, euphoria swept through her. She made it through a shift without losing consciousness!
Pressing her feet into the ground, she tensed to spring up and out of Zitkana’s grip when the female slammed Kaitlyn’s head into the pavement.
The pain robbed her of breath, her clarity was gone. Kaitlyn faltered, but anchored her feet to carry through the movement. She wrapped her hands around Zitkana’s wrists, but the shifter lifted her head and rammed it again.
Kaitlyn groaned. Her body wanted to curl in on itself. Her skull had to be spider-webbed from the impact.
“I’m going to smash your head until your brain leaks out onto the pavement. Chayton won’t be able to recognize you. I’ll enjoy eating your heart.”
Kaitlyn’s head was lifted again, but before Zitkana could slam it again, Kaitlyn shifted in her wolf. Zitkana gasped and stumbled back. Kaitlyn bunched to lunge when she was pushed out of the way.
A flash of white fur and snarls mixed with Zitkana’s screams.
A cloud of warm, pungent blood puffed into the air. Cian’s broad humanoid back blocked Zitkana, who’d gone limp. He drew his arm back, a bloody heart squeezed in his fist.
Whoa. Kaitlyn pranced to the side. He’d taken Zitkana down in seconds. That was the most amazing move she’d ever seen. Des had told her he’d ripped out one of the shifter’s hearts, but to actually see it was really possible…
He shoved Zitkana away. Her body fell with a muted thud.
It was over. Chayton was free.
Kaitlyn!
Chayton’s cinnamon-colored wolf bounded toward her, snarling, Des on his heels. The beast behind her stopped them.
She turned back to tell her dad it was over. Cian came to stand above her, Zitkana’s heart dripping in his fist. His chest heaved, his fangs were bared as he glared at Kaitlyn.
Alarm spread through her. He’d killed Zitkana—would he stop at her? Would he know to stop at her? Would he go after the males?
He loomed over her, his gaze narrowed on her. His lips curled back farther. She ordered her legs to move, but they only twitched. How her life had come full circle. Now her biological father stood over her debating whether or not to kill her.
What would he choose?
Chayton and Des parted to creep around Cian for an attack.
Stop, she ordered them both.
Amazingly, they did.
Cian’s gaze slid to his hand and the bloody organ gripped in it. He sniffed at it, looked at Kaitlyn. A sinister smear curved his lips.
Her heart thudded. This wasn’t how it was going to end. She wasn’t eleven any more. Her shifter psyche wasn’t stuck in her trauma. Cian, my other father decided not to kill me, I hope you’ll do the same.
A rumble gurgled from the beast’s mouth. If he had brows, they’d be drawn down. The heart fell from his hand as he fell to his knees.
I overcame a huge obstacle tonight…Dad…you can, too.
Death. Blood.
She didn’t so much hear words but see flashes of images from his centuries of life. You have me. Tawny. Please, don’t.
Had anyone ever tried to rea
son with him when he went crazy?
Doubt it. They likely never had the chance.
The look in his eyes returned to the lucid green she’d come to know. His features smoothed out and he turned to his human form, the first she’d seen it.
Platinum gleamed through hair the same shade as Tawny’s. The concern in his expression, one she’d expect in a real father, was replaced with horror. “I almost killed you,” he rasped.
“But you didn’t,” Des said, walking forward.
Cian studied the blood on his hands. “She deserved it. She was trying to kill my daughter.”
Chayton sidled up beside her. “She wasn’t going to win, but you saved us a headache.”
His words didn’t relax Cian. He stepped back. Took another step. His solemn gaze landed on her. “I need to run.”
I understand.
He shifted and was gone. Ever intuitive, Des murmured a few words to Chayton, also shifted, and left.
Chayton smiled down at her. “I have a mess to clean up, Cinnamon. Want to shift and help me out?”
Once wasn’t a fluke. She concentrated and flowed into her human form. Swaying slightly, she blinked away the fog.
Chayton stroked her cheek. “It’ll get easier each time.”
“I don’t know. I like how it ended up last time.”
Heat flared in his eyes. “As soon as you and I are alone together, you’re mine.”
***
Kaitlyn navigated the highways that were becoming way too familiar. She wasn’t done with them yet. Her and Chayton would make regular trips back to visit their family.
Their family.
A smile tugged at Kaitlyn’s lips, but with great effort she maintained a serious expression. “What’s the word again? Natasla?”
“Ha ha. I’m not exactly a baldhead anymore.” Chayton browsed through radio stations. She’d put him in charge of music while she drove.
They were driving back to West Creek. Things in Spirit Moon were nicely wrapped up. Trevon, the male who helped her rescue Chayton, was voted in. Tika was pawing all over Trevon by the time they left.
“What was the thing I ate in the forest, the sikpela?”
Ancient Ties (Pale Moonlight (Wolf Shifters Romance) Book 2) Page 18