by JL Madore
The coyote with the bum back leg is snarling and snapping the air in circles, trying to keep us away. The only way he survives this is by retreating and he knows it.
Brant barrels forward and knocks the second coyote into the tree. The crunch of bone precedes a pitiful yelp and then they drop their heads and concede. Brant lets off an ear-shattering roar and the two slink away to lick their wounds.
I head back to the others, but I don’t need to hurry.
The battle is won, and Hawk is digging into the backpack to find our girl some more clothes. I don’t mind that she can’t flash clothing on like the rest of us. It gives us the chance to admire her in the raw at regular intervals.
“Is everyone good?” I ask joining them. “Brant’s comin’. Where’s our wolf?”
Hawk points off into the trees. “He and Keyla are running a perimeter to make sure we’re clear.”
“Are we clear?”
“I suspect not. That was a tracking party. My guess is there’s a force on the other side of the river set up to ambush us at what they think is the actual portal gate site. They probably think we’re sneaking in the long way.”
“Little do they know.” I smile. “Okay, so, let’s check out this site and get gone before they realize we’re not comin’ over to their side.”
Lukas gives us each a nod. “You guys take a moment. I’ll grab Amir and Alex and scout ahead.”
“Should they be running off ahead when we’ve been attacked,” Calli asks. “Shouldn’t we all stay together?”
Hawk smiles. “I think he’s giving you a moment and some space to get dressed. Lukas has lived among wildlings long enough to understand that when a female is vulnerable and naked, it’s best to put some space between her and her mate… and in this case multiply that by four.”
Calli looks surprised. “But it’s Lukas and I’m naked around him more often than not.”
Hawk chuckles. “Yes, it is and yes, you are. Still, he’s being considerate and taking the others out of our path.”
Kotah and Keyla return from their sweep in the trees.
Keyla heads over to check in with Doc and Kotah trots over to us, his tongue wagging out the side of his mouth once again. If anyone saw him like this, they’d never believe he’s the same, stiff and somber male who was crowned twenty-four hours ago.
“Hey, Wolf. Thanks for the early warnin’. Are we all clear?” I run my fingers past the coarse guard hairs of his fur into the velvety coat underneath. He’s stunning and majestic, his chocolate brown and silver coat so unique and striking, just like the man himself.
Kotah’s nose is high and his head cants to the side as he sniffs the air.
My cat surges forward and I scan the surroundings. “What is it, my man? Have we still got hostiles?”
He shakes his head and moves to Calli.
“Hey, sweet prince,” Calli says, tugging her shirt down over a pair of leggings. She rubs a hand over his head and caresses his velvety ears. She drops to one knee and meets him nose to nose. “What’s up?”
He nuzzles into her neck and then draws his tongue up the side of her face.
Her squeal is filled with amusement as she wipes the wolf slobber off her chin. “Thanks for that. Goofball. I love you too.”
As Calli giggles and trots off to meet up with Lukas further ahead, Kotah flashes back and stares at us, grinning.
“What’s the look, Wolf?” Hawk asks.
Brant lumbers back and shifts to walk with us. “I heard Calli squeal. What did I miss?”
I point to Kotah’s grin. “To be determined. Go ahead, Wolf. Spill the beans.”
Kotah chuckles. “When I caught Calli’s scent, I figured out what the lore of the pendant means. I’ll bet her full powers will be unlocked any time now.”
Hawk’s brow creases. “Would you mind cluing the rest of us in on your little epiphany?”
“When five become one, the power will be undone. The five of us have become one—a very tiny, precious one—our mate is pregnant.”
My cat roars to the fore as my heart pounds at the inside of my ribcage. Is that what I’ve been sensing? The exhaustion. The niggle of something I’m missing? Before my emotions get ahead of me, I grip Kotah by the shoulders and take a breath. “You’re sure?”
“Oh, yes. I’m sure.” His grin nearly does me in. I grab those chiseled cheekbones and pull him in for a PDA like never before.
Hawk and Brant are chuckling somewhere close by, but I don’t care. I’m having a baby. We are having a baby. I release Kotah and move to Brant, giving him a back-slapping bear hug and a kiss before moving on to Hawk.
The avian is looking at me like I’ve lost my mind—maybe I have—but I don’t care.
“She’s havin’ our baby,” I say, the forest spinning. “Shit, I need to sit down.”
Hawk catches me as I list to the side. With his arms around me, I try to pull myself together. “Our baby.”
He kisses my temple and steadies me on my feet. “Yes, Jaguar. Our baby. A little kitten for us to love.”
I think about that and them and everything this new life has given me and yeah… this is it.
It doesn’t get any better than this. “Check please, my life is perfect.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Brant
Five become one. Hells yeah, we did. Calli’s carrying my cub and I’ll be damned if Hawk’s nightmare of a father will be shooting at her ever again. I don’t give two shits if Calli thinks I’m the most overbearing Guardian of the Phoenix in mating history, the safety and well-being of both her and my young are the priority.
“What’s with you guys?” Calli says, casting us a sideways glance. “All the doe-eyed glances and goofy grins are freaking me out a little.”
“Just lovin’ you, kitten,” Jaxx says, handing her a power bar and water from Hawk’s bag. “We finished another skirmish, how about you power-up and get hydrated?”
Calli giggles. “Thanks, puss. I could eat. And yeah, it can’t hurt to have a few extra calories after that tussle, right?”
“Right you are,” he says, grinning as she takes a bite and chews. “And when we get back to the plane, I’m callin’ Mama and askin’ her to make a feast when we get home.”
“She doesn’t need to do that. We can grab some drive-thru on the way to the airport.”
“Drive-thru? Hells no. Home-cookin’ is the way to go. It’s much better for you. Besides, the last feast Mama made us ended well for all of us, didn’t it?”
Calli flushes and checks that no one else is within earshot. “Okay, yeah, you boys making me your buffet table is probably the hottest moment in my sex life.”
“Mine too,” Jaxx and I say.
“Without a doubt,” Kotah says.
“By a long-shot,” Hawk says.
The avian says we can’t risk telling Calli about the baby until we’re clear of this forest and out of harm’s way. He doesn’t want her freaking out about being a mother when we have a task ahead and need our heads clear and in the game.
The ship has sailed on that one for Jaxx. The jaguar has seriously lost his mind. Then again, he’s the only one of us who grew up with family and joyous kid memories and loving his parents. He knows how things can be.
The rest of us will have to figure it out on the fly.
I’m walking with Lukas when he gets the private message from Hawk. We might not be telling Calli yet, but Hawk thought Lukas should know so he has all the deets and will understand that our focus is securing her, now more than ever.
He pulls out his phone, reads the news, and then meets Hawk’s crooked smirk with a genuine smile of his own.
Calli misses the entire exchange, engaged as she is with Jaxx, her power bar, and Kotah has shifted back to wolf and is zigzagging through the trees in front of her.
I chuckle. How can one tiny bit of news shift our worlds so massively that we went from being a devoted quint out to save the world to four dads determined to get out of this forest wi
thout anyone coming near our girl and our cub?
My FCO watch vibrates against my wrist and I glance to see what the message is. Oh. We’re here. It’s the coordinates tracker. “Okay, people, if Hawk’s calculations are correct, this is where we need to be. On your toes. The old portal site should be right here somewhere.”
The group fans out to look around and Kotah and Keyla circle back. When they join the search, the two of them shift back to human to help us look.
“The trees are smaller and thinner here than the forested area we’ve been traipsing through,” Calli says.
“Ten years of growth instead of a lifetime,” Kotah agrees. “On the original surveys, the land in question looked clear. Whoever did this took care to have the changes blend into the current forest. But look, if you know what you’re looking for, you can see the line of the original riverbank.”
We follow the trajectory of Kotah’s pointed finger and yeah, he’s right. The trees are bigger and thicker beyond a dip in the land. “Not only has the river been diverted, but the old path has been filled in.”
We meander around the area and explore, searching for some sign of an ancient portal site.
Eventually, Lukas turns to Calli. “Do you feel anything? You could sense the fae energy at the Kansas site. Anything tweaking your radar here?”
Calli continues to wander through the maze of trunks and logs and scrub and stops next to a giant hemlock. The thing is massive. It stretches a hundred feet into the air and its trunk is an easy twenty-five feet wide. “This will sound crazy, but I don’t think this tree is really here.”
Lukas and Hawk move in and start palming the rough bark of the trunk.
Kotah leans in and sniffs the tree all the way around the back and returns on the other side. Even as a man, his sense of smell is probably better than any of ours.
Standing with his palms against the tree and his nose close to the wood. “I agree with Calli. This tree smells like magic, not nature.”
Hawk leans in and sniffs things too. “And I recognize that smell. Where…” He stiffens and spins to assess our surroundings. “On your toes, boys.”
Everyone tenses and we’re all searching the trees now.
“What is it?” Calli asks.
“I recognize the scent of that magic. I’ve come across it more than once. It carries the signature of the Forest Lord.”
My bear growls and pushes to the fore. “You mean the walking elk-tree abomination that nearly killed me?”
“Yeah, him,” Hawk says, blanking out as he slips into one of his mental musings.
Jaxx frowns. “I see the hamster runnin’ in your wheel, hotness. Would you like to share it with the rest of the class?”
“It makes sense if you think about it,” Hawk says, his ebony brow creased deeply. “Greater Fae magic established the portal gates in the first place, right?”
Kotah nods. “Yes, that’s right.”
“And this entire area is heavily forested and wild.”
“Agreed.”
He runs a hand over the back of his neck and frowns. “I’ve been wondering for weeks how an ancient Forest Lord of the Fae Realm could live within the Human Realm for centuries and no one know or sense that level of magic.”
There’s no stopping my bear’s growl as it rumbles from my chest. “You think the Forest Lord lives in this forest?”
“More than that,” Kotah says. “You think he moved the river to protect the magic of the gate.”
Hawk meets Kotah’s gaze and shrugs. “I’m saying it’s possible. Am I crazy or does that make sense in a convoluted sorta way?”
I chuff. “But why would he protect the gate when he’s working against us. He nearly killed me when we raided the Black Knight compound and rescued those kids.”
Hawk frowns. “Did he though? When we faced him, he wasn’t in it to win it. He defended himself and then bugged out when things got heated.”
“Yeah, you said that from the get-go,” Jaxx says. “You thought he was being coerced or exploited somehow.”
“I did and I do. I never understood how he got pulled into this, but if he is being forced to comply, he might not want my father to win. What if he was able to create a loophole and give us the chance to slip in and do what we need to do.”
“Bullshit. That’s a stretch,” I grunt, my bear growling. “You’re suggesting that your father strong-armed a mighty Forest Lord who somehow, ten years ago, had the foresight to move the land boundaries so he could control a dismantled portal gate?”
Hawk frowns. “I’m saying it’s possible. Play along with me a little, will you, Bear? Not everything is black and white. There isn’t always a truly good guy and a mustache-twirling bad guy. Sometimes there are shades of gray.”
“The only shades of gray that interest me are those Fifty Shades that took the human world by storm. Other than that, I prefer the black and white model.”
“That’s narrow-minded and simplistic.”
“Maybe I see things differently because I was the one getting pummeled and beaten with my bear brethren. If a Forest Lord is so all-fucking-powerful, how would he come under the control of your father? He’s nothing but a fucking avian with money and a thirst for power.”
The words are still burning like bile in my throat when I see them strike home. Hawk stiffens. “That description sounds familiar and awfully specific. Are you sure we’re still talking about my father?”
I curse and take a step to close the distance. “I’m a mouthy asshole. Don’t make it more than that. Yes, I was absolutely talking about your father. You and I are in a better place now. Don’t let me fuck that up by spouting off.”
Kotah moves in and grips Hawk’s arm. “Brant is touchy about the Forest Lord because of his pain. His words came out wrong. Deep down, you know that.”
I fist my hands at my sides and exhale. “Kotah’s right, Hawk. I’m sorry. My mouth got ahead of me there. That’s all it was. I swear.”
Hawk stares at me a long moment before he nods. His frame is still rigid, but at least he unclenches his jaw. “I understand your frustration, Bear, and I accept your apology. If, however, there’s more to it, I’d prefer you and I talk it out rather than have you harboring negative feelings and pretending we’re all good.”
I reach forward and clasp his hand in mine. “No pretending necessary. Seriously. We are all good.”
When the tension subsides, we’re all left standing in front of the tree that, according to Calli is not really there.
Hawk tips his head back and studies the trunk. “Back to the Forest Lord theory. If this is his work, it’s Greater Fae magic and is above our pay grade.”
Kotah breathes deeply and frowns. “Why do you think he’d be invested in the portal gate?”
“Maybe he’s hoping to open it and get home. Maybe he’s separated from someone he cares about. Forest Lords live a long time. It’s plausible that he has a mate or a child in the Fae Realm.”
Despite my bear’s stubborn desire to stomp and shake my head, I have to give him that one. “Okay, that makes sense. If I was an immortal stranded here alone for ages, ten years would be nothing if I had a plan to get home.”
Hawk reaches over and squeezes my wrist. “I honestly think this makes more sense than him working for my father by choice. The man is a master manipulator. He’s forced him somehow.”
Calli
While the boys hash out the who’s and why’s of what we’re facing, I remain distracted by the illusion of what is real and not about this giant hemlock tree. It looks real. It feels strong and solid when I touch it, but something inside me recognizes that it’s not what it appears.
Of all of us, I’m the noob when it comes to magic, so why is it me who can sense the glamor?
Is it a destiny thing?
Is it a Phoenix thing?
I close my eyes and focus on Riley. If my theory about contacting her through points where the veil between realms was or is weaker, maybe she can hear me if t
his portal gate isn’t totally locked down.
If Hawk’s right and the Forest Lord tried to safeguard the gate to give us an opportunity, maybe he’s managed to pry the door open a crack.
Riley? Are you there? We’re here now, on the other side of the gate I told you about. Any chance you’re around?
I wait, my hopes diminishing with each passing moment that nothing comes back to me.
Riley… hellooooo. Anybody home?
Nothing. I exhale and get my head back in the game.
“If this is a glamor or an illusion, how do we take it down so we can see under the hood?”
Lukas studies the massive hardwood and frowns. “I’ll give it a shot, but I have a feeling this is more about you than me doing my thing.”
Maybe.
I’m watching Lukas do his mage magic thing when Jaxx and Brant both grip my shoulders and shuffle me back a few yards. “Better safe than sorry, kitten,” Jaxx says.
Brant chuckles. “Yeah, you never can tell when our destiny might explode in our faces.”
Kotah and Hawk join us and Kotah pulls his mating crystal out from under his shirt. “I’ve got an idea about the Guardian pendant,” Kotah says, giving the guys a veiled smile. “The five become one part is complete, we know that.”
The four of them share a private look.
“Yeah, we do,” Jaxx says, winking at me and grinning ear to ear.
“And we all touched and completed the circuit in the truck, but the point of the Guardians of the Phoenix was that the four strongest wildling representatives guard the phoenix. What if we must be in our wildling forms and touching to trigger the unlocking. Maybe the five become one part only sets the stage.”
“It can’t hurt to try.” I squeeze Kotah’s arm and smile. “Good thinking, sweet prince. Do you want me to shift?”
The guys look hesitant about that for some reason.
Kotah waves them off. “Yes. It’s fine. Let’s shift.”
I’m not sure what’s going on with them, but I’m sure they’ll sort themselves out. I take a step back, toe off my shoes, and set them safely on a fallen log. Thanks to the last ambush, I’m down to one pair of shoes. Hawk brought several outfits but only one extra pair of shoes.