Wolf's Wager (Northbane Shifters)

by Isabella Hunt

  “Cass.” Reagan bolted up and swayed. Her fingers gripped her sister’s arm, and she let out a breath. “You’re okay. You’re okay?” Cassidy nodded. Her gaze went to me, and she gave me a crooked smile, still not steady. “Hey, Swiftlore. I was wondering when you’d show up.”

  “Grace,” I said, and my hands circled around both of her upper arms, fingers pressing in. Every breath felt funny. “Never do that again. Never.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Reagan

  Somehow, Cassidy managed not to get us killed or kicked out after her escapade.

  To my great relief, the horse was okay, too. A little spooked and overheated, though.

  Slung over Luke’s back, I’d been carried most of the way back to Cobalt, the shifter soaked with sweat and almost vibrating underneath me.

  I’d been too tired and hungry to notice, my head lolling on his shoulder and my eyes falling shut. Tristan and Rett had flanked Cassidy, while Kal stayed behind to investigate. In fact, I may have napped or passed out again, because suddenly we were at a small outpost, getting a snack and water.

  Afterward, feeling a million times better, we walked back to Cobalt. Only then did I realize that this interlude had not cracked the ice in the air between us. If anything, it had thickened it.

  If I’d thought he was pissed last night, now he wouldn’t even look at me.

  Yet I couldn’t stop myself from replaying that moment in the woods over and over.

  Never do that again. Never.

  I could still feel each one of his ten fingers pressing into my arms and see the look in his eyes.

  Finally, we reached the settlement. Rett and Tristan left us there, waving off my thanks and saying goodnight. Luke was silent as we continued to my family’s house. I wondered if I’d be staying there soon. The thought honestly depressed me. I liked having my own space at Luke’s.

  And maybe I’d miss him a little, grumpiness, stupid jokes, and all.

  But my family’s deep relief and joyful homecoming more than made up for it. They hustled Cassidy inside, relieved, happy, and almost in tears. Linh and Shelby pulled me aside to say that Fallon had already arranged for Cassidy to meet with someone to find her a better placement. Maybe working with healers or something.

  I nodded and tried to smile. In the meantime, though, I was wondering what Cassidy had cost me. Luke hadn’t come in. I thought he’d gone home.

  Then I found him skulking in the shadows down the road. With each step, the silence deepened between us. I didn’t know if I should apologize, but that seemed absurd. My sister had been in danger. Maybe I’d been reckless, but it had been the right thing to do.

  So, I decided to take the high road and let him be. Even though I could think of a thousand ways of needling him and making him melt off that ice, I ignored him.

  At the house, I went to my room, took a shower, and calmly got dressed. But my hands shook the whole time, and I kept listening for a knock.

  I jumped when I heard a distant smash.

  Running into the living room, I heard another smash from behind the office door, and the striding of heavy feet. They paused, and there was another smash.

  Was this idiot throwing things around his office?

  Rolling my eyes, I went into the kitchen, grabbing the broom and dustpan. Marching back, I didn't bother to knock on his office door, but just went in.

  The first thing I saw were several shattered items at the base of the far wall.

  The second thing I saw was Luke, his shoulders heaving and his body taut. He picked up a mug and hurled it. I jumped again as it exploded against the wall, raining down fine dust.

  “Luke,” I burst out. “Stop it.”

  “Get out,” he snarled.

  “Stop it,” I repeated.

  “No,” he growled. “I need to let off some damn steam. I can’t think straight around you. I can’t even handle what you’re doing to me.” He gulped for air. “Reagan, do you know what would have happened if I’d been even a minute later? You wouldn’t be breathing right now.”

  “Well, I’m grateful you got there in time, then,” I said. “Thank you.”

  Luke laughed, picked up plate, and hurled it. “Not accepted. You need to leave.”

  “I’m not going to let you destroy the nice things in here because you’re mad at me.”

  “I’m not mad at you.”

  “Okay, you’re pissed at me.” Luke let out a bitter laugh, and it went straight through my heart. “Raging. You want me to apologize, but I won’t.” He turned in a slow circle, and his eyes glittered with sea-green storms. “I had to go after her.”

  Luke’s face became pained, and he groaned. “Do you know what those things were?”

  “What did you call them?” I asked. “Rotted? An Excris, I assume. I’ve heard rumors.”

  “Those were some of the most dangerous creatures that haunt the woods. The Rotted would gut you, drink your blood, and revel in your screams as you slowly died,” he said, and I pulled in a breath. “And that’s only because you’re human. With shifters, if they can get a hold of them…”

  There was a long silence, and horror crinkled under my skin as I waited for him to speak again. He didn’t, and I swallowed hard, wondering what was so terrible that Luke wouldn’t tell me.

  “If I hadn’t gone,” I said finally, “I don’t think anyone would have gotten to Cassidy in time. You only came running because of me.”

  “Don’t flatter yourself,” Luke growled.

  You didn’t tell Cassidy not to do that ever again, I thought, but bit my tongue.

  “We’re friends. You were worried. I appreciate that.”

  "Reagan," Luke said with a laugh and closed his eyes. "Sure, you're my friend, but do you know what would happen if someone was murdered by a Rotted in Winfyre? It weakens our borders, sows fear among the civilians, and takes a toll on our patrols. I did it for our home as much as I did it for you."

  “And I did it for my sister.”

  “Forget it,” he said and turned away.

  “Luke, listen, I’d do it again, but I am sorry for the pain I’ve caused you.” His shoulders went tight. I noticed he was still a sweating and dirty mess. “Why don’t you go take a shower? I’ll clean up and make dinner—”

  "Claiming you was a mistake," Luke interrupted. "In fact, I'm starting to wonder if letting you in was a mistake. You and your damn sister both causing all these problems. You last week with that thing, and then her running off. Things are tenuous as it is."

  My heart began to pound, and I tried to arrange my face in a neutral position. But my anger burned in a cool flame. I knew I hadn’t been kicked out. He was only saying those things to rile me. Needing something to do, I went over to the mess he’d created and began to sweep it into a pile.

  “Leave it,” he snarled.

  “This is a hazard. Someone could cut their foot or hand open.” Probably you, you idiot.

  “Rea,” Luke started to say. “Will you—”

  “Let me clean it.”

  The first crack in my temper appeared. My voice hadn’t been cool, but shrill and panicked. I kept my head down, and tears hovered at the edges of my eyelids.

  “This isn’t part of your job,” Luke said quietly. “I should pick it up—that’s all I meant.”

  “It wouldn’t be broken if it wasn’t for me,” I said, and guilt snapped through my voice.

  For a second, I thought Luke was going to say something, but instead, he left. I finished cleaning and threw it all out. I was tempted to make him dinner, but I wasn’t a damn housewife. Even though I liked cooking, I pulled out a PowerBar and ate that for dinner in protest.

  Sitting down on the couch, I tipped my head back and closed my eyes.

  Then I froze when I heard a crash.

  Not this shit again!

  In another second, I was racing upstairs and into a room near the bathroom. I caught a glimpse of bookshelves and a chair, then Luke’s piercing gaze.

&
nbsp; “What are you doing?” he asked in a cold and furious voice.

  “I heard—I thought you fell,” I said stupidly.

  “Knocked over a chair,” he said, bending down and righting it. “Somethin’ I can help you with, Grace? Want to take a few more years off my life?”

  With a sigh, rubbing my forehead, I burst out, “Stop throwing a tantrum. I made a mistake. No one died, and I understand why you’re upset, but there’s no reason to—”

  “No reason?” Luke asked, and his voice cracked. I flinched. “Reagan, you and your sister almost died horrific and painful deaths today. You’re supposed to be under my watch. Your sister is supposed to be safe within Winfyre. None of those things were true.” He gripped the back of the chair and glared at me. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d ask you if you were stupid, not impulsive.”

  The words cut deep, and I looked away.

  “I mean, maybe you are,” Luke said. “Maybe that’s why you’re not afraid.”

  Now I flinched, and a few tears got free. After I’d wiped them away, I forced my gaze up.

  And froze.

  Luke’s knees were buckling, then he hit the ground and pressed his hands into it.

  A man at the far edges of his limits.

  “Go,” he whispered.

  Yet I didn’t move. All of my instincts told me to go—but to him.

  Luke sank back onto his heels and held his head in his hands.

  “Please, Reagan, go.”

  I left.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Luke

  All night, I tossed and turned. My body ached with the hell of the previous day, but my mind was a snared viper’s nest, going in circles. Each question bit more deeply into me as I repeated it. Whether I should tell Reagan to leave my house. Whether I could. Whether I should apologize.

  Whether she’d left yet. Only, I knew, from straining my ears, she hadn’t. I’d really thought she would. God, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to look Reagan in the face again.

  I woke up late the next day. It had to be past eleven, the latest I’d slept in weeks. I dragged myself out of bed and downstairs. I stopped on the stairs, certain I was still asleep.

  Xander was sitting on the couch, reading a book with the dogs snoozing around him. My eyes went to Reagan’s door. She wasn’t here. Pressure built up in my chest. I should apologize.

  “She went to her family’s,” Xander said and closed the book.

  “Okay,” I grunted and sat down on the bottom steps. Timber came over, and I rubbed his fuzzy head. “Thanks for taking care of the dogs.” I paused. “Since when do you relax? Are you losing it? Or are you hiding out here?”

  “Are you all right?” Xander asked, ignoring my questions.

  My face warmed, and I looked away. “Never been better.”

  “Is that why you and Reagan have identical looks of pain in your eyes? She barely spoke to me this morning, but she did mention something about someone making sure your stubborn ass ate.”

  I winced. “What do you want, Xander?”

  “Stubborn people,” he muttered, and I almost laughed. “I came by because I need you to go to Belrush, and I need you to leave as soon as possible.”

  “Why?” I asked. Belrush was a lonely outpost at the far northeastern end of Winfyre. Give or take, maybe seventy miles. A few days to a week, easy. But there was nothing out there. We didn’t have a shifter posted there, only emergency supplies.

  “A courier is dropping off a message there,” he said. “Long story.”

  “Regale me,” I said.

  “Later,” Xander said. “Besides, I think you need a mission like this to cool your blood.”

  I nodded. Fair point. I could use a few days away from—

  “And bring Reagan with you. Perfect opportunity to figure out what she is.”

  I gaped at my friend, feeling as though I’d been plunged under water. Both for the suggestion and for the fact that I’d forgotten all about finding out about Reagan’s abilities.

  “No, I can’t,” I said. “Xander, old friend, that’s a terrible idea.”

  “Reagan has already demonstrated that she’ll—”

  “I’m renouncing the claim,” I said. “Nulling it.”

  To my surprise, a smirk flitted across Xander’s face, and he sat back. “Are you, now?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Why?”

  “We had a vicious fight,” I said and looked away. “I should have never brought her here. Hell, maybe we shouldn’t have let her in.”

  “Hm, that sounds like even more of a reason to go,” Xander said. “Find out which is the case.”

  “Are you listening to me?” I asked. “We’re not even speaking.”

  “Then walk along in silence,” Xander said coolly and stood up. “Luke, I know you. And you don’t mean that. You’re not going to let Reagan go. Not after the way you ignored me and tore after her yesterday. You ran a marathon and a half in less than an hour. I’ve never seen you run that fast.”

  “She—I, it’s not…” I trailed off.

  “Luke, you’re already in too deep,” Xander said. “You’re a bit of a mess over this woman, sure, but I need you to hold it together. Learn what she is. Train her. Because I’d like to not banish her or her family from Winfyre, even if her sister is an idiot.”

  I said nothing.

  “Reagan isn’t just an unusual woman,” Xander said. “She’s a leader and good for you.”

  “Shit,” I muttered into my hands.

  “They’re good people, Luke.”

  “Fine,” I snapped and looked up. “I should have known you were only here to twist my arm six ways to Sunday. We’ll leave at dawn tomorrow.”

  Xander grinned. “At the very least, you’ll have a memorable trip.”

  When Reagan got home late that afternoon, I already had a pack resting against the doorframe. She saw it and scowled, avoiding my eyes.

  “Can’t wait to get away from me, huh?” she asked.

  I was a tad surprised at that and shook my head. “Not exactly, since you’re coming with me.”

  Reagan laughed. Then it trailed off as I stared at her. “Seriously?” she asked. “You-you’re serious?” I nodded. “Me and you. On a trip. Alone?”

  “Yes,” I growled. “I have to make a trip, and I think it would be prudent for you to come.”

  “Instead of getting rid of me, you’re taking me on a trip?" Reagan sassed, with a little bite to her words. “Ironic.”

  “Go pack. I got you a new bag and some supplies.” I fell silent, trying to think if there was anything else. “Anyway, we’ve got a hell of a long trip.” Not to mention awkward. “Rest up.”

  The next morning came too soon. Tristan was going to take the dogs, even though I’d wanted to take them with us. But Belrush was way too far, and they might be needed here.

  Plus, what a surprise, it had been another one of Xander’s unexpected calls. He was really pushing this alone time with me and Reagan. I’d never pegged him for a cupid, even if he did have wings.

  We were taking the long route north, winding along the coast. It was close enough to the water that no Rotted should bother us. Usually, they didn't appear near any large body of water, and I’d had enough encounters for the next millennia.

  When we set off, quiet and with the air prickling between us, I’d been sure Reagan would break first. She always had questions. Yet mile after mile, she stubbornly kept her lips pinned.

  Half the day passed without either of us uttering a single word beyond what was necessary. Only by then, the silence was starting to get absurd, especially since, as we went along, I thought of a bunch of things that might be important for Reagan to know. Her curious side glances that I caught from time to time didn’t help.

  However, the silence lasted until early evening, when, much later than I’d have guessed, Reagan broke the silence. "Wouldn't it be easier to run up the coast as a wolf?" she asked. “And faster?”

&nbs
p; “Probably,” I said, a little relieved. “But a trek like this also builds up stamina in this form, which is helpful when shifting. Plus, it’s less conspicuous.”

  “Aren’t we well inside Northbane territory?” Reagan asked.

  I nodded and swept my arm towards the ocean. “The ocean offers protection, but it’s also a giant blind spot. We’ve heard stories about things crossing the waters. You never know who or what might be watching. It's better to keep it low-key."

  Reagan let out a laugh, although she’d shuddered a little at the mention of things. “That’s a phrase I haven’t heard in a while.”

  I nodded, and we fell back into the silence. But now it was more companionable, though tension still hummed underneath. Unable to resist, I snuck glances at Reagan, watching her take in the glimpses of the Pacific through the trees. This was an undeniably beautiful walk, a rare and untouched piece of beauty in the Farthing Mountains.

  “It’s strange how Rift names cropped up,” I said out loud after a while.

  “Like Farthing?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Like a name we always knew. Shifter, too.”

  “A word waiting to be remembered,” Reagan added.

  “Or Fall,” I said with a sigh, thinking of the cities and places that had vanished post-Rift.

  Silence descended. It was far briefer this time around, though, and broken again by Reagan.

  “Have you done this trek before?” she asked, and I nodded. “Am I slowing you down?”

  “No,” I said. “We have time to get there. Almost a week.”

  “A week?” Reagan asked. “Wait, is that how long it’s going to take?”

  “Yes, I told you that,” I said.

  “Pretty sure you didn’t,” Reagan said. “Not sure I packed enough panties.”

  I choked and glanced over at her. “Uh, sorry? I—uh…”

  “It’s fine. I have plenty of clothes. I’ll just have to go commando a few days.”

  That got a laugh out of me, and Reagan smiled. “You almost had me there,” I said.

  “What can I say, I miss the bad jokes,” she said.

  “But you admit they’re jokes,” I said before I could stop myself.