by Kaye Draper
He was so cute.
Bleh. Cute. Emerson wasn't cute. He was a massive, bone-crushing ogre, for fuck's sake. He stuck out his tongue a little, catching the tip between his teeth as he went cross-eyed looking at the small screen he held in his giant hands. Nope, I couldn't fight it. He was adorable. And such a dork. Adorkable.
He glanced up and caught me staring. Shit. I flicked my eyes away, scanning the small halo of ground visible in the dim light. "What are you working on?" I asked, not looking at him for fear he'd think he saw emotions in my expression.
He grumbled, his deep voice like rocks rumbling over each other in a landslide. "Damned vibration sensor. Every time I think I've got it right, I get weird readings."
I stood and paced closer to look over his broad shoulder. "It's showing vibrations right now?"
He nodded. "But it's an error. If this was right, we'd be standing on a herd of something."
I pulled on my shifter senses and drew in a deep lungful of air, my cat ears pricked forward, listening. After a while, I let the shift slide away. "I don't sense anything, for what it's worth."
He was watching me with a strange expression on his face. "What?" I groaned.
It was hard to tell in the low light, but I'm pretty sure he blushed. "You're just so pretty, Sam."
I choked. "You're an idiot. Did you not just see me standing here in defective shifter mode?"
He smiled fondly. "I saw just fine. I like your shifted form. It's cute."
I bared my teeth at him. Cute. Growing cat ears, fangs, and claws was cute. "It's broken, is what it is," I muttered. "If you were a shifter, you'd be laughing your ass off. Or trying to cull me from the pack."
He frowned. "You're not broken, Sam. You're just how you're supposed to be."
I ran a hand over my face. "How do you do that?"
He tilted his head. "Do what?"
I snorted. "How do you say shit like that with a straight face? It's so damned cheesy."
He looked down at his hands. "I just say what I feel."
I gave in and reached out to ruffle his thick black hair. "There's nothing wrong with that either. Even if it makes me want to gag you."
He caught my wrist in his big mitt and turned my hand, lifting it to press a kiss to the palm. "I want to tell you everything I feel, Sam. But I know I have to wait 'til you're ready."
His big thumb stroked the back of my hand, then he released me, motions slow and careful. Like he was interacting with a skittish and dangerous animal.
Which, he was. There was no way I was ready for him to be all honest and heartfelt.
I turned away and paced to the edge of our circle again, keeping watch like my life depended on it.
Which, it did—just not because of the creatures out there. It was just too dangerous to focus on anything else—like the way Emerson somehow made me feel…right, like maybe it really was okay to be broken and let him smooth all the jagged edges.
It was a long few hours.
Jenny volunteered for second watch. But she was still an unknown to me. So, I made Ahura sit up with her. The evil unsanctioned gangster seemed to take joy in needling the stoic bodyguard. I left her to it and climbed into my bed with a warm, sleepy Fin. Tucking the leprechaun under my arm, I closed my eyes and tried not to think about how we could fit an ogre-sized piece into our fledgling relationship.
It was a nice thought to fall asleep to, though.
Chapter 9
I woke to pounding on the side of the camper and a shout from Ahura. Sitting up, I vaulted over Fin, who was mumbling groggy curses. I snatched up my blades and handgun before yanking open the door. The others were stirring behind me, slowly realizing they should grab weapons. But all my attention was on what greeted me outside the camper.
Ahura was dancing around Jenny, her curved blades drawn. Jenny took a vicious swipe at her, but didn't even come close to connecting. Ahura moved like a deadly predator, and I could tell she was just playing with the bodyguard. I still didn't know what the hell Ahura was, but whatever she was, she clearly wasn't a fuzzy little bunny shifter.
The ground rumbled and the quiet night was ruined by the sound of several motorcycle engines. The group of bikers sped toward the camper, and a spray of bullets pinged off the armored beast.
"Fuck!" I hissed, ducking into the shadows so I wouldn't be an easy target. Someone started to open the camper door, but I kicked it shut again. "Stay the fuck in there. It's bullet proof." I hoped.
I leveled my handgun at one of the bikers and squeezed off a shot, hitting them in the chest and sending them into a nasty skid that took down one of the other bikes in the process.
"What the hell is going on?" I shouted, glancing to Ahura.
Well, shit.
She held the bodyguard's severed head by the hair and gave it a little shake. "This little shit-stain sold us out." She flung the head away, wiped her hand on her pants and kicked the rest of the body aside. "From what I gathered, she was a jealous cunt, and our new sovereign has a really rich rival willing to pay her well for her revenge."
I groaned. More fucking drama and politics. The bikers raced by, peppering us with shots. But we kept to the shadows, where they couldn't see us. Thinking there was no one left alive outside, they pulled up and got off the bikes.
"Curs," Ahura whispered, her red eyes glowing in the deep shadows beside the camper. I wondered how she could tell for sure, but I didn't question it.
She cocked an arm back and threw one of her blades like a boomerang. It took off a guy's hand before embedding itself into his chest. He fell, gurgling and trying to shift into something with fur.
I squeezed off a few more shots, taking down two more goons and winging another. But now they knew where we were.
I growled, leaping into the fray with my blades. Ahura sprang from the earth beside me, retrieving her blade and using the pair of knives in a spinning dance of death that resembled a deadly tornado.
One of the guys managed to slip past us and yank open the camper door with his increased strength as the rest of his companions died. He met the end of Fin's sawed-off shotgun and went flying backward with a blast to the chest.
I glanced at Fin, and Theo behind him. "Lock damned the doors and get the camper started. We'll hop on in a minute. I want to make sure there aren't any more of them coming." And maybe see if we could identify whoever had paid them, though I was pretty sure Theo would already know.
I had a feeling his secrets ran deep.
The camper chugged to life and Theo started maneuvering it out of the sheltered parking spot. I went to join Ahura a little further away, as she riffled one of the bodies, looking for identification or other intel. I stumbled when the ground shook.
Crouching beside Ahura, I met her freaky red eyes. "What the fuck?"
She planted her hands on the ground, fingers digging into the dirt. "Vibrations in the earth."
I eyed her suspiciously. "Just what the hell kind of cur are you?"
She grinned, but her eyes weren't focused on me. "I'm very in tune with the earth."
I sighed as the rumbling increased. "Earthquake? Can you tell how bad it's gonna be?"
She hissed. "No, it's…moving. Coming at us and…shit it's under us!" She launched herself at me, wrapping her arms around me and rolling us, just as a fucking wyrm burst out of the ground.
Motherfucker. I rolled to my feet, and Ahura joined me. The fiend shot up from the earth, looking like nothing so much as a giant penis with teeth. It had a long, thick, pinkish body and a bulbous head with a round mouth full of needle-sharp fangs.
And it probably sensed fucking vibrations—like, oh, say, Godsdamned motorcycle motors. Most sandwyrm types of fiends didn't care for engine noise—they were more in-tune with the subtler vibrations made by live prey walking on the earth—but it varied. The damned thugs had probably brought it right to us. Or woken it up on accident. I glanced at the mounds of earth and the swiss cheese rock. Fuck me sideways, I was stupid.
&
nbsp; I darted to the side, hitting the ground and rolling again, barely avoiding the wyrm as it lunged at me, its teeth grinding in a way that gave me goosebumps. Those things could probably chew through solid rock. A puny half-shifter like me would be like eating soft, fluffy cake.
Ahura threw one of her blades and it sliced deep into the fiend, severing one of the stubby little insect legs that were unfolding from its side. The thing screamed. I hit my knees, clutching my ears. The sound wave was a physical force. The ground trembled again, and Ahura cursed.
I got to my feet, fainting toward the camper, but the thing darted at me again, cutting me off.
"Drive that motherfucker like you stole it, Theo!" I yelled. "Get your precious human ass and my mates out of here!"
I could almost hear him telling me no. But in the end, the camper started to move off, slow and easy, so as not to make too much noise.
The wyrm didn't seem to notice. If I was right, it didn't have the best vision. Just an overdeveloped talent for sensing the movement of potential prey through vibrations. I stomped my feet and jumped up and down to get its attention off the mechanical hum of the camper's engine.
Ahura joined me, clanging her blade against rock, and the thing came right at us.
I ducked aside and drove one of my knives into its side as it slithered by, ripping a six-foot long gash in the fucking thing.
It screamed, and the ground rumbled again, the earth splitting near where the thing had emerged, sending out jagged fissures in the dry ground. Ahura leapt up and slashed at it, but she lost her blade, knocked aside when it reared its head and tried to take a bite out of her.
I felt her power flare, way stronger than any cur I'd ever known. Then she shimmered and shifted.
I blinked at the giant scorpion-thing that stood before me, barbed tail waving and claws flashing. The wyrm lunged for her again, and she caught it, gripping it between both her pincers and squeezing, cutting clean through its thick body. The wrym fell to the ground, welling a slow gout of orange goo.
That was twice in the last five fucking minutes I'd seen her behead something. Ahura was brutal.
She inched toward me and I swallowed hard, trying not to back away from the monster that looked like something I'd usually be hunting with an elephant gun or some armor-piercing rounds. I looked up into a row of reflective black eyes. "Well, that was fun," I said, wiping my knife off on my pant leg and shoving it into its sheath. Wanna put that away now?" I gestured at her massive monster body.
She tilted her head, chittered, then crouched low. The ground rumbled again, aftershocks of whatever the wyrm had disrupted beneath the earth's surface.
The ground beneath me split open and I stumbled backward, windmilling my arms like fucking crazy to keep from falling into the abyss I could sense at my back. But it was too late.
The giant scorpion-thing lunged at me, twisting and cradling me against its underside with its hard insect legs as we fell.
Chapter 10
Theo watched out the thick, reinforced window as Sam stepped over the corpse of one of their attackers, the hunter's movements strong and sleek as a stalking cat. Sam was in that place he went when he was focused on the hunt, his ice blue eyes glowing and long fangs flashing. Anger simmered in Theo's gut and he rounded on his cousin.
"I told you that woman was a viper," he said coldly. "But I told myself to trust your judgment, like I do in everything." He didn't even know why he was lashing out at her, only that he was so angry he felt like he would burst into flames. "How long do you think she's been working for Carlyle?" he demanded. "How many secrets has she stolen? Did she know?"
He couldn't say more, not with the leprechaun and the ogre in the camper. But he was afraid everything they'd been building was about to crumble because Ada couldn't keep her legs closed.
His cousin glared up at him with furious, tear filled eyes. "Do you think I'm stupid, Theo? Yes, I wanted to believe she really loved me. But I would never share something so dangerous."
Theo flicked his eyes to Ada's mate. He certainly knew. Or he would have to soon, with a baby on the way. Ada growled at Theo, showing a little bit of that hidden spark that made her so invaluable to him. "Just leave it."
Theo huffed. But she was right. Stupid it might be, but she had just lost someone she cared for. For some reason, though, anger continued to boil up inside Theo's chest. He turned back to the windows, his eyes searching out Sam. He was relieved to see no new threat had risen up to try and gut his hunter. His hunter? He smirked to himself at the errant thought. No one owned Sam. But Gods, it was fun to try.
The ground rumbled, shaking the camper.
Theo planted a hand on the window to keep from bashing his face on the glass, then gripped the back of a seat for stability as a giant fucking worm monster burst through the ground. The thing lunged for Sam and Theo watched, his heart stopping as the hunter twisted and dove, tucking his long, lithe body into a roll and coming up in a flash of leather and blades, blue eyes glowing like cold fire. Ahura managed to wound the worm and Sam burst into motion, darting toward the camper so fast Theo had trouble following with his slow eyes. The worm crashed down in front of Sam, blocking his dash for the camper, and the hunter slid to a stop, twirling those short, spelled blades between his nimble fingers. Glowing, ice-blue eyes flashed in the dim light, as if Sam was looking right at him. He shouted for them to lock the doors and drive.
No one inside the camper moved, as the two people outside continued to dance with the monster. Theo met Fin's eyes and the leprechaun swore. "If he thinks we're fucking leaving him here, he's a dumbass." He was already hefting his shotgun. The big ogre cross nodded, looking more serious and determined than Theo had ever seen him look. They were going to rush out there into the fray.
Theo closed his eyes in a long blink. In Sam's shouting he'd clearly heard the command to get his mates out of here.
His mates.
Suddenly something clicked into place and Theo swallowed hard. The two most important things in Sam's life were in this camper. Theo was a leader. It looked like it was time to lead.
"Lock the doors," he told Hans, his voice brooking no argument as he rushed to the driver's seat. "The rest of you sit down."
He shifted the camper into drive and Fin moved to cling to the back of the front passenger seat. "You can't just leave them out there!" he shouted.
Theo hit the gas, and the Ogre sat heavily on the bench seat, his square jaw clenching as he bit back his fear and anger. "He's doing what Sam told him to do, Fin."
The leprechaun punched the back of his seat and clambered up into the passenger side, trying to see his mate out the window. It was impossible. Darkness had fallen, and the only light had been from the camper's dim outside lights, which were too far away from the action now.
"I'm sorry," Theo said, his voice tight. "It's what Sam wanted. They'll catch up to us when they can. We'll make camp somewhere, and if we survive the night, we'll go back and look for them."
Fin just cursed in his native language and slammed a small fist into the dash. He started murmuring something under his breath, and Theo felt the hint of magic crawl over his skin as the leprechaun no doubt cast a good luck charm over their missing companions.
Theo kept his political mask on as he carefully drove them into the dark wasteland, parking the camper next to an outcropping of boulders and cactus when he thought they'd gone far enough. But inside, the anger was bubbling even higher. "We'll need to keep a sharp eye out. We're at a big disadvantage without Sam and Ahura, if something decides to attack us in the night."
He set two of them at a time to watching out the windows in shifts, ignoring the angry looks he kept getting from Sam's mates as he tried to recall everything he’d learned from Sam about surviving in the wastes. Ada lifted her red-rimmed eyes to his, and for a moment, her face softened. "They're strong," she whispered.
Theo jerked his head in a sharp nod. That's why he hired Sam in the first place. If anyone could cope wi
th the wasteland's monsters, it was the hunter cur. But he felt hollow. This was his fault. He was arrogant. He thought he could walk through fire and not get burned. He might survive this little trip—and his climb to sovereign—but would everyone around him suffer?
And why was he so torn up over losing one person? One tool, hired to do the exact thing he was out there doing right now? It seemed Theo liked his prickly hunter more than he should. Theo gazed out into the night, the pinpricks of stars in the darkness reminding him of the fierce blue-white glow of Sam's eyes. He couldn't protect Sam. But Theo could keep Sam's mates out of danger. The mating bond was a strong, all-encompassing thing for shifters. But the heart was a weakness. As Ada so recently proved.
"He'll survive," Theo whispered, the statement carrying the weight of a prayer. He had so many things to do—so much to accomplish. But for some reason, right now, none of that mattered. Everything fell away as he scanned the horizon for any hint of movement. It was ridiculous, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of responsibility. As if he’d killed Sam, pulled the trigger himself.
He had almost forgotten that he wasn't alone. A big hand squeezed his shoulder, making him startle. Emerson was still awake. The others were at least trying to catch some sleep before it was their turn to take a watch. "You're right," the giant's deep voice rumbled. "Sam's a survivor. She'll be okay, somehow. Thanks for getting us out of there."
Theo glanced at the ogre-cross and the other man pulled his hand away, looking embarrassed. It was interesting, how far this cur was from his roots. He might look like a brute, but he had more intuition and insight into the thoughts of others than anyone Theo had ever met. Pride swelled in his chest and he wanted to preen like a peacock. Sam had chosen well.
