by Amelia Jade
Big mistake. The flying leap took Angelo in the side practically unawares, and they went down, rolling over and over. He flung every limb and blow at Angelo that he could, letting his rage well up and over into a cold burning blue-white flame that powered his entire being. The wolf shifter had threatened Erika. His mate. The woman he loved. He’d broken into her unit, violated her personal security, and threatened to hurt her.
A howl tore from his throat as he kicked, punched, bit, slapped, kneed, elbowed, choked, gouged, and yanked at his foe. Angelo screamed and fought back, the two of them going at each other with abandon, neither coming out on top. Harden had superior position, experience and surprise. Angelo had strength and stamina, due to Harden’s earlier healing of himself and struggle with the other two lackeys.
He had to end the fight, and quickly.
“Surrender,” he rasped, ripping off a chunk of Angelo’s ear with his teeth before receiving a forearm to the jaw that slammed his teeth together with enough force to make him see stars.
“To you? A foreigner and useless black hole of support and money? I don’t fucking think so.”
Angelo took advantage of Harden’s slowing reflexes, pulled his feet to his chest, and pushed with all his might. Harden flew through the air, impacting on the vinyl siding of the multi-unit buildings, indenting the wall beneath and falling to the ground with a pained groan.
“Let’s go!” he snapped as Harden struggled to rise, falling to one knee as his balance fled him momentarily.
“No,” he said, but the others ignored him.
“Back to the Embassy,” Angelo called. “It’s time to send out a little message about our friends here.”
With that, the other two managed to peel themselves free of the bear shifter and flee into the night. He reached out after them, but slumped down, too tired. Without his shifter half, he wasn’t as strong as he could be, and his human half had already absorbed more punishment that night than it could keep up with.
“Harden?”
The tentative call came from somewhere behind him and off to his left. He tried to answer, to say the name of the owner of the lovely voice from heaven. He was pretty sure all he did was grunt, cough, and make a mewling sound like that of a hurt cat. Overall, not very macho for a big bad wolf shifter. If any of the big cats heard about this, he’d never live it down.
“Oh my goodness, are you okay?” Erika asked as she rushed to his side, her pale skin blazing with a brilliant white angelic light, the outdoor floodlight passing through her hair, giving her a sort of halo-esque glow over her head.
“Angel,” he said, somewhat delusional.
“Pardon?” she asked, trying to get herself under one shoulder to try and lift him to his feet.
“You’re my angel,” he said, his voice a little stronger. “I’m sorry I was late. I got waylaid and the rude bastards couldn’t hurry it up any faster.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” she asked.
“Am I slurring?” He was feeling a little better, his natural healing abilities taking the worst of the sting off, even as they used up more of his reserves.
“No. You mean to tell me they hit you?”
“Yeah. The jerks. Then they tied me up, and not in the fun way.”
“Unbelievable,” Erika muttered. “Are you going to be okay?”
He nodded, then froze his head as bright lights played across his vision. Okay, easy with the head movement then. “Yes,” he said instead. “Eventually. Hurts like hell right now.”
“Well, you sort of got tossed into the wall,” she remarked. “Not normally the best way to keep one’s wits about them.”
“I’ll remember that for next time,” he retorted, closing his eyes and taking what he hoped would be a steadying breath. Some of the shaking of his limbs stopped, and he managed to stand up straight without Erika’s assistance.
“Okay. All right. I’m mostly good.” He opened his eyes to see the bear shifter standing nearby, looking at him with concern. “Thanks for sticking around.”
“Not a problem.”
Harden noticed the way the bear shifter looked back and forth between him and Erika. There was a bit of sadness there, though he did his best to hide it away between his eyes.
“Erika, meet your secret admirer. Secret Admirer, Erika.”
“Oh. Um. Hi,” she said, sounding awkward and embarrassed. “Those were really nice flowers you sent.”
The bear shifter smiled wanly. “I’m glad. And the chocolates?”
“Delicious.”
It took Harden a moment to realize it wasn’t Erika that spoke. The biggest clue was the reaction when the bear shifter’s head turned to look somewhere else. Whatever he saw seemed to strike him to his core. Muscles tensed and bulged, and his eyes stared unblinking for several seconds. Eventually Harden turned his head to the doorway, where he saw another woman standing there, looking woozy but otherwise okay.
“Kelly,” Erika said and rushed over to her friend. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just fainted, that’s all. I think. That’s all, right?” she asked, checking over her body as Harden tried to understand what was going on.
He looked back at the bear shifter, who was still staring unashamedly at her. A smile played across his face. There, at least, he understood what was going on. Walking over to him, he slapped the shifter on the shoulder. “Looks like there was a reason for you to be here tonight after all. I hate to interrupt though, but I need to get back to the Embassy. Quick.”
“What? No, you’re hurt,” Erika said, rushing back to his side, clearly torn about abandoning her friend, but knowing Harden was in much worse shape.
“I have to,” he said firmly, with more energy than he had. “They can’t send out that message. I can’t let them.”
“What message are they sending out?” she asked.
“I’m making an educated guess here,” he said, forcing his brain to start thinking more rapidly. “But I’d assume something along the lines of cutting you off from support, evicting you, and possibly even some sort of arrest warrant or whatever they can dream up for me. All in all, not good things.” He shrugged. “I have to go. I have to stop them. They can’t do this to you.”
“If you catch them, they’ll kill you!” she said, angry tears welling in her eyes.
“Maybe,” he admitted. “But if you and the baby are safe, then it’ll all be worth it.” He gave her a weak smile. “Though believe me, I’m going to do everything I can to avoid that particular future.”
Erika looked like she was going to argue with him some more, but something in the set of his jaw must have shown her it was futile, that he wasn’t backing down. “You had better, Harden Archer. Because I am not going to let the man I love get away from me through an excuse as flimsy as something like death.”
He inhaled sharply as something inside of him snapped at her words. “What did you say?” he whispered.
“What? That you can’t go and die on me?”
“Before that.”
Erika’s head tilted to the side. “I said that I love you, Harden. Is that such a surprise to you? I know it is to me.”
He staggered, unsure of what was going on inside of him. It felt like his insides were ripping apart, making room. His brain screamed in pain as it constricted in a way he’d never understood before.
“Love,” he said softly. “Not making love. But love. That’s it.”
He fought the weakening of his legs, and lifted his head to stare at her, adoring her lovely brown eyes, the high ponytail made from her thin, straight auburn hair, the curve of her cheekbones, and the small hoop earrings she always seemed to wear. Freckles stood out against pale skin even in the waning sunlight.
Perfection, in one word.
“I love you, Erika Rey,” he said, his voice low in volume but heavy in meaning. “I. Love. You.”
And inside of him, in his mind, the spot that had lain empty for so long suddenly grew dark, reveal
ing that it hadn’t been blank, but instead camouflaged to look that way. He sent a trickle of his will into the spot, testing it out. The space grew matte, and cracks began to form. Determined, he sent another lance of will at it.
The black coating abruptly shattered into a million pieces, freeing what lay beneath. Harden’s head lifted to the sky and he howled with joy as his wolf returned to him, filling him with a power he’d lacked in the weeks, months even, since he’d begun his recovery. The aches in his body suddenly hurt less, and his limbs felt refreshed and lighter as his other half poured itself into him.
“I love you, but I have to go,” he said, returning his head to a normal level. “I need to stop this, once and for all.”
Erika nodded. “You come back to me though, or so help me God I’ll hunt you down in the afterlife and make you regret it for all eternity.”
He grinned. “Wouldn’t dream on it.” Not wanting to risk getting drawn into something else, he pulled her tight and kissed her fervently on the cheek.
As he turned to go, a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.
“I think I know what you’re about to do, and I won’t be able to keep up. But I’ll bring these two along as soon as I can.” The other shifter looked at him. “Go to Andrew. Tell him what’s going on, and tell him that Gray said you were right. He’ll know what to do.”
Gray. So that was his name. How fitting.
“Thank you,” he said, and took off into the evening shadows.
Reaching deep within himself, he opened up the conduit to his other half, and together they did something long, long overdue.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Erika
She watched him disappear into his wolf, the change overtaking him in seconds. He was huge, bigger than any wolf she’d ever seen.
Maybe they made things bigger in Kronum, she thought.
There was a flash of yellow from his eyes, and the gray and white wolf with black streaks shot off at a pace no human or natural animal could match. A split second later a howl broke through the evening, a much more feral and bestial sound than the one that had come from his throat earlier.
Love, she decided, was a powerful thing indeed. It could overcome a lot. A tear trickled down her cheek, one borne of happiness, joy, and love, not sadness and despair. She smiled, wiping it away with a finger and looking at the lone droplet for a second before it absorbed into her skin.
“Godspeed my love,” she whispered to herself, before turning to the others. “Shall we head after him?”
The bear shifter nodded, though he wasn’t looking at her. His attention was focused back inside, where Kelly had disappeared. Erika looked over to see her friend putting on shoes, holding another pair in one hand.
“Here,” she said, emerging from the house, pulling the wrecked door closed behind her as best she could. There was no sense locking it; it wouldn’t even close.
“Thanks.” Taking the shoes from her friend she put them on, and then turned to the shifter. “Okay Gray, what’s the plan? Gray? Gray!”
He jerked his head away from Kelly, who was giving him a sidelong look as she stood next to Erika.
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “We head for the Embassy. Best speed.”
“We’re not exactly runners here,” Kelly said, putting Erika between her and the bear shifter in a comical attempt to keep him away from her.
At least, it was comical to Erika, who had seen a very similar look to the one Gray now bore. It had a striking resemblance to the way Harden had stared at her a week ago at the ball as they’d whirled around the dance floor for the first time. Infatuation. The big guy was smitten.
At least he won’t be sending me flowers anymore. And Kelly will just love surprise chocolate.
It was a perfect match. All she had to do now was shove her friend into it. Once there was time. If there was time. Harden had to get to the Embassy first, to stop Angelo and his friends from sending out a message revoking her status in the Cadian programs.
“Okay, let’s get a move on.”
Together the trio started off. Erika intended to speed up their transit any way she could, but so far, it looked like foot power was going to be fastest.
“You’re a lucky woman,” Gray suddenly said from beside her after five minutes or so of walking.
“Pardon?”
“Harden. He’s obviously very much in love with you. That’s a big risk he took.”
“Going after Angelo?”
“Well, that. But also doing so in wolf form.” Gray shook his head. “Brave man.”
She arched an eyebrow, inviting him to continue with an explanation.
“Shifting within the boundaries of a human town or city is strictly forbidden. It’s one of the major laws we have, right up there with don’t kill humans. It’s not night out, there is no way he’d be mistaken for a regular wolf, or even a big dog. If someone complains, he could be in deep shit.”
“Oh great.” As if she didn’t have enough on her plate, now she had to worry about someone calling in and complaining about a huge wolf running loose. “He’s moving fast. Hopefully people will just be confused and not sure they saw what they saw.”
“Here’s hoping,” Gray said in a voice that made it clear he didn’t believe it.
“Yeah,” she added helplessly. “Hope.”
The three of them walked onward in silence. There was little more Erika could do until she arrived at the embassy. Her mind began to clank as the gears turned. Perhaps though, there was a way she could get them there sooner…
Chapter Twenty-Six
Harden
The wind whistled in his ears as he flew by. The smell of fresh ozone, warning of an incoming storm, assaulted his nose, the scent powerful and vibrant. Emerging from the park, he reveled in the aromas of the different types of grasses and trees, the passing of other animals, and even of humans. The reunion with his wolf was something he’d long awaited, and truthfully, had begun to doubt would ever happen.
Now though, he realized that his wolf had always been within him, just shut away, the pair of them blinded to each other. He’d thought it gone, and hadn’t searched hard enough. The wolf had retreated deep within him during the torture, and it had needed the power of love, combined with hope, to reignite its desire to exist.
With Erika, he had both in spades, and the pair of them meshed together now, streaking through neighborhoods. His paws clattered on concrete, dug deep into the grass, and sprayed up dirt behind him as he ran through town, faster than he’d ever gone before. The adrenaline of his first change in months sang in his blood, energy coursing through his bones. He was back!
And Angelo was going to pay.
Pulling through a hard left turn, his claws striking the pavement nearly hard enough to draw sparks, he accelerated down the last straightaway before the Embassy. He slowed just long enough to make the short sharp turn, clearing the stairs at the entrance in a single bound, landing on his hind legs and shifting so fast he never fell forward, emerging from his wolf form into a sort of bounding leap on his human legs.
The door blew open in front of him, the glass insert nearly shattering from the force as he skidded to a halt. In the lobby stood Angelo, his two goons, and another figure he recognized with ease.
“Andrew!” he shouted. “Just the man I wanted to see,” he said breathlessly, forming a circle with the other four.
“I seem to be popular tonight,” the ambassador said with stately grace, neither showing any favor nor disfavor with the Kronum shifter.
Harden knew the tone he was hearing, and realized he was going to have some convincing to do. Initially he’d planned on just throwing out the Gray card, but now he held onto it, a sinking sensation entering his stomach.
“Angelo here says that they saw you break into a human-occupied house, that you’ve been stalking her and talking to her when it’s unwanted.”
Harden snorted so hard he almost sprayed snot from his nose. “Of course they saw me break into a h
uman house. They were inside the house holding the two women hostage.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Or did they neglect to mention that part?”
“We were there having a conversation with the woman about his unceasing efforts to woo her,” Angelo said, spreading his hands wide, trying to convey innocence.
To Harden’s disgust he was appallingly good at it, making it seem as if that were the real reason he was there. Politicians. Fuck the lot of them.
“You were there threatening her with expulsion from the programs that are helping her get back on her feet,” he snapped. “She didn’t want you there.”
“Silence,” Andrew said calmly, his voice immediately quelling the two parties. He turned to Harden. “Where is this human?”
“On her way,” he said. “I, uh, got here first.”
Angelo’s eyes widened. “You shifted in the city?” he hissed. “You know that’s illegal. I want him arrested. Right now!” he cried, pointing wildly at Harden while looking at Andrew. “That’s a major crime under the laws and you must—”
“I must do nothing!” Andrew bellowed, rounding on him. “You will cease telling me how to do my job, Mr. Horggone, or I will ensure that I do it very, very well indeed.”
Harden wasn’t quite sure what passed between the two, but Angelo backed down almost immediately. Clearly Andrew had some leverage on the other shifter and wasn’t all that afraid to use it.
Before he could smile in victory however, Andrew turned on him. “Is that accusation true, Mr. Archer?”
He hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. I judged the risk to myself worthwhile if I could get here before they were able to send the message.”
Andrew’s eyes narrowed. “What message?”
“The one where he calls home to Mommy and Daddy or his controllers, I’m not sure who, and has them pull strings to remove Erika from the programs. It would strip her of funding and evict her from her house, putting her on the streets, simply because she fell in love with me.”
“I see.” Andrew’s tone was perfectly neutral as he considered the factors.