Skin Walkers

by Susan A Bliler

  “You’re very pretty.” The words were out before he could check them and he swallowed hard at how creepy he sounded.

  Briel’s scowl faltered and she tore her eyes from his, angling her face away but not far enough that he couldn’t see the flush that crept up her neck and landed in her cheeks. It wasn’t embarrassment, and it only took him a second to realize where her mind had gone.

  “I’m not going to hurt you Briel, or take anything from you.”

  She hugged Fena tighter and didn’t say the words, but he could tell by the way she shot him a hard look exactly what she was thinking. ‘You already have.’ Tearing her eyes from his, she frowned out the window.

  “And Fena’s just as safe,” he promised. “Probably more so.”

  Briel’s amber eyes found his again. “Just tell me who you are and what you want.”

  Sighing heavily, he rolled his head on his shoulders. He hadn’t realized how tense he’d been the past twenty-two hours he’d been on the hunt for her. Now that he could finally relax, his shoulders whined.

  “My name is Tyce Steele,” he began, but Briel cut him off.

  “You said that! But who? Are? You? An enemy of my father’s?”

  “No. An ally.”

  Her shoulders relaxed marginally, and Tyce bit his lip against the satisfied grin that threatened to wreck his face.

  “I’m taking you and Fena to Apex.”

  “Apex? A military base?”

  And here’s where things got difficult. He didn’t know how much, if anything, Briel knew about Skin Walkers. He assumed she was well-versed in military bases because of her father, so that lie wouldn’t work. While Apex did house his Sentries, it was a far cry from any military base she’d recognize.

  “Sort of.” He bounced his head from one shoulder to the other as he considered his wording. “Apex is the headquarters for a highly specialized tactical team.”

  “Spec Ops?” she asked tentatively.

  “Yes.” It wasn’t a lie. Not really. Conn and several of the other men were former military, SEALS, so he didn’t feel guilty about being vague.

  “Did he send you for me? I mean, before he died? Did he tell you where to find us?”

  There was hope in her voice, and he hated to douse it, but the General hadn’t told Tyce a fucking thing. He had, however, shared a great deal of Intel with Monroe. Tyce shrugged, willing to eat the lie in order to allow his Angel to keep her hopes about her father. “Yes.”

  “Do you know…” She stopped and looked down, covering Fena’s ears before continuing. “Do you know who killed him?”

  Tyce shook his head. He’d find out. If his Angel wanted vengeance, he’d ensure she got it. He was already plotting how to make that happen when her next words, spoken with such hatred, rocked him to his core.

  “Was it a Skin Walker?” she sneered.

  Chapter 10

  Tyce couldn’t help the anger that boiled up at Briel’s clear disdain for his kind. He had difficulty masking the venom in his words when he asked, “Skin Walker?”

  To her credit, Briel studied him intently for a moment before dropping her hands from where they’d been covering Fena’s ears and pulling the child tighter into her body, wrapping both arms around her before lowering her head and muttering, “Never mind.”

  Good girl. If she’d been willing to divulge their secret so easily to any stranger who would listen, he’d have to question her character. He didn’t want to start out on a bad foot with his Angel. Still… “I know what they are,” he conceded, knowing it’d be easier to get things out in the open now.

  Briel’s head lifted and she stared at him like she was wondering if she could trust him. He didn’t have time for all that. She needed to know certain things and the sooner she knew them, the better.

  “I am one.” When her eyes rounded and her mouth fell open he affirmed, “I am a Skin Walker, Briel.”

  His simple admission had all the color draining from her face before her dainty brows snapped into a dark frown. She took her arms from around her sister, lifting Fena to tuck her body behind Briel’s, shielding her like she expected Tyce to attack them.

  “You…you killed my father,” she accused.

  “No.” Tyce shook his head. “I did not.”

  “Not you,” she bit out angrily. “But your people, your…kind did! The fact that she’d reached out to Monroe StoneCrow for help and he’d completely ignored her request, only served to cement her belief.

  “Briel,” he warned. Her accusation was infuriating, but not as much as the scent of her hatred that filled the limo, causing his hackles to rise.

  “Don’t you Briel me like you have any right to tell me what to do. You don’t! None of you do. You wanna make amends for what you did to my family? Give me five hundred dollars and let me and Fena go!”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “If you really wanted to help you would!”

  He knew she was speaking from a place full of anger and regret. She’d lost her father, and the pain of that loss made her act out, but her lambasting Skin Walkers wasn’t going to work.

  Tearing her gaze from his, she stared out the window as she demanded, “Why are you here?”

  “So we can protect you.”

  She didn’t look at him. “Lie!”

  A weighty silence settled between them before Tyce growled. The sound whipped her head around.

  “Because of who you are,” he began, “I won’t consider insulting you with lies.”

  “Because of who I am?” she scoffed. “You mean, because I’m the General’s daughter?”

  Fuck no! He meant because she was his Angel, but that explanation would have to wait. Right now, he had to take things one step at a time.

  “He did you all a favor and it cost him his life. Now, you pretend like you owe me for the price my father paid to protect you, but you won’t give me what I ask for.” Her eyes shimmered as she hissed, “I don’t trust you. I’ll never trust you.”

  Her words hurt more than he expected. Yeah, she was pissed and scared, but to hear his Angel declare that she’d never trust him had his inner beasts staring at him accusingly, like he’d actually done something wrong. Fucking Monroe StoneCrow! He clenched his hand into a white-knuckled fist. When I see him…

  “At least tell me who it is you’re supposedly protecting me from.”

  And that was the hard part. He’d just declared that he wouldn’t lie to her, but he had no truth to offer. He hadn’t gotten details on who’d killed the General. At the time, he hadn’t cared. He’d wanted the cash at the Megalya safehouse. To get it, he had to retrieve the woman. Only she wasn’t just any woman. She was his. “I’m not sure yet.”

  She chuffed a humorless laugh. “How did you know where to find me?”

  “A friend.”

  “So. Let me get this straight. You came all the way here to “rescue” me and Fena without knowing who you were saving us from?” She shook her head as she pinned him with accusing eyes. “Sounds like bullshit, and more’s the pity, because I was genuinely moved by your wouldn’t consider insulting me with lies’ spiel.”

  His eyes sparked as he glared at her. “I’ll tell you the truth on the information I have. The location I was sent wasn’t supposed to be a fancy hotel room housing two lone females. It was supposed to be an enemy safe house. I was given misinformation.”

  “By your friend?”

  He nodded.

  “Who’s the friend?”

  He swallowed once, his Adam’s apple dipping low in his thick throat. “Monroe StoneCrow.”

  All the air left Briel in a whoosh and her shoulders slumped as she stared unseeingly at the seat in front of her. She spoke, but it was more to herself than to him. “I asked for his help. He sent you instead.” Angry tears filled her eyes. “I should’ve known I couldn’t trust him.”

  “You can trust him, Briel.”

  At his words her eyes lifted to his. “So, what? You rescue me and Fena. What then
?”

  Something in his expression must have faltered, because Briel’s brows speared down as her eyes narrowed on him. Fucking hell!

  “Was that your objective or not?”

  He looked out the window.

  “If you’re still not ‘insulting me with lies’ then I’d like an answer. You weren’t here to rescue Fena and me, were you?”

  “Briel.”

  “WERE YOU?” she demanded.

  Tyce shook his head but lifted his eyes to hers. “No. I didn’t go to DC to save you or Fena. I was to capture you. You were supposed to be shipped to StoneCrow. I was supposed to be rewarded for my efforts and given the Intel you have on the Megalya safehouse so I could rescue other Walkers and extract the cash they’ve got there too.”

  She was shaking her head, eyes locked again on the seat in front of her. “Money,” she breathed. “You’re doing this for money!”

  “Not anymore.”

  “Wait. Were. You said you were supposed to ship me to StoneCrow.” Her eyes collided with his. “Where are you taking me?”

  “You’re not going to StoneCrow, Briel. I’m keeping you, and Fena too.”

  Chapter 11

  After Tyce’s admission, Briel stopped asking questions. She still had no idea what was going on. All she knew was that Monroe StoneCrow had sent Tyce on a bogus mission that promised him riches, riches that Tyce hadn’t received. By his own admission, things had changed, and she had to admit, it made sense. Tyce was promised something that he’d never gotten, so Briel could only assume that he was keeping her and Fena for ransom. Her mind went back to the kiss, and she shivered considering the other reasons Tyce could be holding her. If it was for ransom, there was no one to pay to get her and Fena back. Her family was dead, and Monroe StoneCrow had no reason to even bat an eye if she and her sister were wiped off the face of the earth. She flicked a glance at him, considering the other reasons he could be keeping her, but instantly decided it couldn’t be for sex. The man, while scarred and harsh, was still undeniably appealing. Clearly, he could have his pick of women. She decided he had to be keeping them for ransom.

  ***

  The pilot’s voice cracked through the cabin of the personal jet where Briel was currently seated beside a sleeping Fena and across from Tyce. They’d driven to the airport and right out onto the tarmac before the limo pulled to a stop. Before she could grab Fena herself, Tyce had Fena’s sleeping form up in his arms. The look he shot Briel was a warning, and she had no choice but to quietly board the private jet and wait, none too patiently, for Tyce to settle Fena’s tiny body into her seat. She didn’t know where they were going and had no way to guess. It wasn’t until the pilot finally spoke, after hours in the air, that fear tore through Briel.

  “Mr. Steele, we’re making our final descent. Montana has welcomed you back with more snow, Sir. Bundle up, it’s currently nine degrees.”

  Static blasted through the cabin and then there was silence. Heart racing, Briel lifted her eyes to find Tyce watching her intently. He’d done that almost the entire flight and she couldn’t help but wonder what in the hell he was looking at.

  “We’re home,” he offered quietly.

  “You’re home,” she hurled back, before asking the one question that had been eating at her the entire flight. “How much?”

  Tyce angled his head.

  “How much money were you supposed to get?”

  She saw understanding flash in his eyes before a humorless grin took his lips. “More than you could ever afford.”

  The words made her want to puke. “What about for just Fena? Is there a price I can pay for her?”

  Tyce’s eyes thinned to slits as he studied her. “You think I’m keeping you for ransom?”

  “Aren’t you?”

  He didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he held Briel’s gaze for long moments before finally asking, “You’d do that? You’d pay for Fena’s freedom and sacrifice your own.”

  Without hesitation, Briel hissed, “Yes!”

  “Impressive.” He leaned back in his seat, and it was only then that Briel realized he’d inched closer to her as they spoke. “But as it stands, I’ve come to realize that you and Fena are priceless.” He tore his eyes from hers to stare out the window. “There isn’t enough money in the world, Angel.”

  Silence reigned as the plane landed, but Briel’s head was spinning. Priceless. What did that mean? Her mind raced through a hundred scenarios and they were all bad. When she thought about any of her wild imaginings happening to Fena, she looked at her sister and swallowed hard. She had to do something, anything. Turning back to Tyce she begged quietly, “Please! I’ll do anything. I won’t fight you, won’t complain, won’t try to run. I swear, but you gotta let Fena go.”

  Tyce’s expression turned almost angry and Briel panicked. Unclicking her seatbelt, she dropped to her knees in front of him, hands gripping his knees as tears flooded her eyes. “Please! PLEASE! I’m begging you!”

  The hard expression melted from Tyce’s face and he looked almost panicked as he muttered, “Shit! Don’t cry. I swear to the Grandfather’s Briel, I’m going to have to hurt someone if you cry.”

  She sniffed back her tears and he grabbed both her hands in his. “Look, we won’t ever be able to get these first days back, but you need to know your safe. Both of you. And, up to this point, you’ve been doing so damn well. You’re far braver than I ever could have hoped for, and I promise you that a year from now we’ll look back at this time and laugh.”

  Briel jerked back with a startled gasp, ripping her hands from his to flatten one on her chest as her heart seized. “A year!” she breathed, then asked more loudly, “You plan on keeping us for a year?”

  ***

  Tyce wanted to punch himself in the nuts for the horror that washed over Briel’s delicate features at his stupid admission. A year, he snorted inwardly. Hell no he wasn’t keeping them for a paltry year. He was keeping them forever, but now clearly wasn’t the time for any more dumb admissions. Holding his hands up in a placating gesture he tried to soothe Briel. “Easy. Calm down.”

  Her eyes had gone wide with panic, and as she scrambled to her feet he knew she thought this was her last stand. Through the mist he called to his Sentries, and just as the jet slowed to a stop, the door was pulled open.

  Briel’s wild eyes, which had been searching for an exit, landed on Bragg’s giant form as the behemoth ducked to enter the jet, asking, “Boss?”

  Tyce was looking at Briel as he spoke. “Bragg, this is Briel. The child is Fena. Briel is going to carry the little girl. I’m going to help Briel. You’re going to grab our bags.”

  Briel’s eyes shot from Tyce to Bragg, and when Bragg stepped deeper into the jet, Briel turned and quickly unbuckled Fena, hoisting the child’s still sleeping form into her arms protectively. She didn’t want Bragg touching Fena any more than Tyce did. Though he knew the Sentry well, right now, with the affliction still active. It pulsed through him like a damn toothache, which meant unmated Walkers near his Angel or Fena were like claws raking down his insides.

  As Bragg made quick work of checking beneath the sleek thya burl cabinets for any bags, Tyce lifted an arm and waited for Briel to precede him toward the steps. She stopped at the door like he knew she would. It was hard to see the narrow steps, especially in the dark, but with Fena in her arms, Briel wouldn’t know where to step. Tyce stepped in front of her, lifting Briel effortlessly into his arms, and something inside him swelled with pride at having both his females held protectively in his embrace.

  “I can walk,” Briel bit out, but to her credit she didn’t struggle.

  Snow blasted them the second they stepped from the jet and Briel huddled Fena closer to her chest. There was a blacked out Humvee waiting at the bottom of the steps and York stood holding the back door open.

  “Tyce,” he dipped his head by way of acknowledgment, but his eyes were pinned to Briel and Fena. He tore his eyes from them and looked toward the jet. �
�The boys with you?”

  “No.” Tyce lifted Briel into the Humvee, not bothering to elaborate. He was Dominant, he explained himself to no man.

  Halfway into the back, he stalled and leaned back out. He’d always been open and spoken freely with his men. The fact that he was acting domineering now reminded him so much of Monroe that he wanted to retch. “Conn and the team are on their way back in a second jet. Excuse my manners. I am currently…afflicted.” He left it at that, and as he settled himself into the back seat beside Briel, he caught York’s expression as the Sentry turned, locking his wide eyes on Briel. York’s shock would have to wait, because Briel and Fena still only had the light coats he’d had Shane buy for them before they’d left. “York, the door.”

  Snapping out of his astonishment, York quickly closed the door, sealing Tyce inside with Briel and Fena.

  In the Humvee, Briel scooted herself and Fena as far from Tyce as she could manage. He wanted to protest but held it in. Eyeing her, he wondered how he’d make this work. An affirmed bachelor, he was set in his ways, and that was one of the reasons he’d vowed to never bother with hopes of finding his Angel. Now, everything had changed. Everything! It was disconcerting and slightly annoying, but that annoyance dissipated like dew in the morning sun each time his eyes landed on Briel or Fena. They were his. His family, his responsibility. A sudden grin wrecked his face. For years, he’d watched Monroe with his Eden. The StoneCrow Dominant was a scheming bastard, always manipulating, always playing his fucking games. He treated his Walkers like pawns on a chess board, and on that board, Monroe considered himself king. Eden was his queen, and just like in the game, she held the true power. She could twist and manipulate Monroe however she saw fit, and instead of rallying against that power, Monroe seemed to enjoy watching her wield it. He’d thought the man a fool, but even now he wondered what Briel would be like when she realized there was no end to his devotion to her. His estate, Apex, was hers. His Sentries were hers. He was hers. It was frightening and thrilling all at once. Now, all that was needed was her acceptance, and that was the rub. How did he make this woman fall for him? This woman, who despised Skin Walkers for her belief that they had a roll in her father’s death. The fact that he and his Skin Walkers had essentially just kidnapped her along with her little sister wasn’t helping matters either. Ffffuck! He had to think smarter, not harder, because Monroe was anticipating this. He wanted Tyce strung out on this affliction, but that shit wasn’t going to happen. He was going to get Briel on his side. She was going to trust him, and it’d happen soon!