Felix

by Terry Bolryder

  “I could go with you,” Lock said. “Create a distraction so you two can talk.”

  “I don’t know,” Felix said. “Whoever they are, they really scared her. So I’m not sure I want to show up at all. Then again, they really scared her, so I’m not sure if I can just leave her alone.”

  “If it was Tasha, I would risk going to her,” Lock said. “Even if you have to put the whole compound to sleep so you can talk.”

  Felix straightened, feeling lighter inside as he realized he could indeed do that. He’d just felt such utter helplessness when he’d seen those wings and the pain and horror in her eyes.

  But she was still Diana to him. Still his love. His everything.

  “So you want me to come?” Lock asked. “Because Tasha wouldn’t forgive me if I could help you out and didn’t do it.”

  “Actually,” Felix said. “I think Tasha is the one who should help out. Don’t you think?”

  Lock’s eyes shuttered. “God damn you, Felix. You’re right.” His shoulders slumped in defeat. “If I say no, you’re just going to ask her, right?”

  Felix nodded. He didn’t want to risk anything happening to his sister, but he couldn’t just leave Diana alone.

  Besides, he would be there, making sure everything went all right if something bad went down.

  He just thought a stealth approach would be better, at least initially.

  “I just want her to go in and make sure that Diana isn’t getting hurt by anyone. We’ll create a distraction, so it should be fine. Tasha will be invisible, after all.” Felix smiled, glad he could still come up with good plans on the fly.

  Lock let out an aggravated sigh and headed for the door. “All right. I’m going to call her. If she says yes, which I know she will, we’ll head over and pick her up.”

  Felix watched him go, glad that despite everything that had happened, he was no longer alone.

  Chapter 14

  Diana had run for her shower the second she’d gotten to the compound so she could rinse off Felix’s scent and also hit the sack before anyone could question her.

  She was more confused than ever about what to do with Felix.

  As she curled onto her side on her hard cot, she wondered what her life would have been like if she’d never met him.

  A life with a rural pack, probably an arranged mating by her dad.

  Maybe assault by Bernard.

  Who could say that things had really ended up worse?

  Except that she had gotten a taste of something wonderful back when she’d first met Felix. It had been hard to lose that dream.

  Perhaps part of what she’d done when she’d blamed and hated Felix for not rescuing her was focus on an emotion that was easier to handle. Like rage.

  Rather than thinking about how it would feel if she ever did get the chance to find Felix again and he saw the horror that she had become.

  She was against the laws of nature, and it was wholly unfair.

  Now all she had to look forward to was a cinderblock wall and a lifetime alone and perhaps having to go up against the greatest assassin of her lifetime if she wanted to live.

  She was messing with her phone, looking for a new online game, when she heard the sound of an alarm going off at the other end of the compound.

  She sat up abruptly, knowing she wasn’t supposed to leave the room unless called. The boss had said they couldn’t risk people seeing her shifted form, and if danger broke out, she might not be able to control the shift.

  There were mostly wolves here, some bears and cats, and none of them would be okay with housing with a wyvern.

  She got up to look out the window in her door and saw people moving down the hallway. She opened her door to look out and tried to flag down one of the guards running by.

  “Break-in,” he said, dodging out of her grasp. “I gotta go. The boss is gonna kill me.”

  She stood there, arms sagging, wondering what the hell was going on as dozens of men ran past, already starting to shift.

  With a sigh, she shut the door and walked back over to sit down on her bed.

  If it didn’t have to do with assassinating Felix, they didn’t want her involved.

  She was just leaning back on her bed, kicking her feet up when she heard something scrape on the cement floor, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

  “Who’s there?” She felt a little crazy even asking since no one was visible. Then again, as someone who wasn’t always visible herself… “Come out. I know you’re right next to me.”

  With a sigh, a white wolf appeared at the side of her bed, sitting on its haunches.

  “How did you know?” The wolf looked disappointed, which made Diana want to laugh.

  “I could sense it.”

  The wolf shifted awkwardly. “Yeah, I haven’t used it very long. I didn’t even know I was a wolf until recently.”

  “Well, you’re, um… doing a good job.”

  “I’m glad you think so.” The wolf almost seemed to be smiling.

  It made Diana slightly bitter to think that she had once had an animal inside her that looked similar.

  An animal that was maybe still there but never came when called, always deferring to the wyvern.

  “I’m here because my brother is worried about you. I’m Tasha, by the way. Fifi’s sister.”

  Diana’s eyes widened. “He let you come here?”

  “Well, he couldn’t just let you run into harm. Besides, my mate is out there with him, keeping the others distracted. No one should guess that I’m in here.”

  “And you can disappear? That’s an incredible alpha power,” Diana said.

  Tasha nodded. “Fifi can’t. Poor him.”

  Diana couldn’t help the crooked smile lifting the sides of her mouth. “Yeah. Poor Felix.” She put a hand to her head. “Then again, an assassin that can go invisible and put people to sleep is a god-level nightmare.”

  Tasha giggled. “That’s true.” She sobered as she looked around the room. “Why are you here?”

  “I don’t have a lot of options,” Diana said. “I’m not like you. Not anymore. But hey, you can tell Felix I’m safe so all of you can head home together.”

  Tasha shook her head. “I don’t think so. Why don’t you have options? Why don’t you just come with us?”

  Because I’m still planning to kill your brother, even though he was once the one I loved most.

  “It’s… it’s complicated.”

  Tasha sniffed the air. “You still smell like him. I found you by following his scent.”

  Diana’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. “Your brother is a… persuasive man.”

  “Yes, but he doesn’t force people,” Tasha said. “I know at least that about him.”

  Diana nodded. “It’s true. He didn’t force me. And it was wonderful to be with him again.”

  “Again?” Tasha’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t he tell me? You’re his ex?”

  “Not exactly,” Diana said. She didn’t really know how to explain it. “I just… know him well.”

  “Come stay with us, then,” Tasha said. “Look, you don’t have to stay with Felix. You could stay at my place. This room is so cold. You can’t stay here.”

  “I can, and I will,” Diana said. “This is my home.”

  Tasha shuddered, her fur standing on end. “This is no one’s home. Come back with us.”

  Diana sighed. “I’m afraid it’s not possible. But I do thank you for showing up. It’s nice to meet you, Tasha.”

  Tasha was pouting behind the fur. Diana could tell.

  If only Diana were still like Tasha. A sweet, fluffy creature that could still show her claws when she needed to.

  “I don’t know what’s between you and my brother, but I’ve never seen him worried like this before.” Tasha looked at the ground. “I think you might be his mate.”

  Diana frowned. “That’s not possible.”

  Tasha looked up at her. “You say a lot of things aren’t poss
ible, but you don’t even know. You have a pretty bad attitude.”

  Diana laughed. “I guess that’s true. But what do you want me to do? I’m contracted to stay here. If I leave…”

  “They’ll come after you?”

  Diana nodded.

  “We’d protect you,” Tasha said bravely. “Between Lock—that’s my mate—and Felix, no one could take us down.”

  Oh, she was so wrong.

  “You don’t need to,” Diana said. “I don’t know if Felix told you this, but I’m trying to kill him. I’m not on his side.”

  “Then he must have really hurt you,” Tasha said sadly. “But I don’t think you really want to kill him. You wouldn’t have… you know… if you did.”

  “Yes, I would,” Diana said, knowing it was a lie.

  How had she ever thought she would be able to kill Felix? She’d known from the moment she saw his face again, so beautiful, so haunted, that it was going to be harder than she’d ever thought.

  “You’re tempted,” Tasha said. “Come on. Come with me. We’ll take the rest as it comes.”

  Diana shook her head. The rest would mean hundreds of shifters, and she liked Tasha a lot. Diana may have drawn the short stick in regard to her future, but she wasn’t about to harm other people in the process.

  Besides, there was still a lot that she needed to figure out.

  “So you won’t come with me?” Tasha asked once more. “Because I swear it would be better than here.”

  Diana sighed. “I know. But this is home for me. I have… responsibilities.”

  “To kill people?”

  “Just one person.”

  “But what if you can’t?” Tasha asked impatiently. “What’s going to happen then? You’ll need people to defend you.”

  “No,” Diana said. “I’d just fly off into the night.”

  It was Tasha’s turn to sigh. “That doesn’t sound better. But if you’re sure.”

  “I’m sure,” Diana said, ignoring how good a normal bed would feel. How nice a normal house sounded.

  How nice it would be to not be alone in a room that was more like a cell, worried at any moment, someone might decide she wasn’t worth the trouble.

  “What should I tell Felix? When will I see you again?” Tasha asked.

  Diana knew she should just stay at the compound for a bit, but she couldn’t stay away from Felix. Already, she was thinking of seeing him again. Embracing him…

  Perhaps if she talked to the boss, told him she needed a few days away from the compound to really lure Felix into a false sense of security…

  She would make her decision on what to do after that.

  “Soon,” she said to Tasha. “Now you get out of here before your mate gets worried. We don’t want him risking his life coming in to get you.”

  Tasha’s eyes widened in alarm. “You’re right. Okay, I’m going to leave, then. But you swear I’ll see you soon?”

  “Yes,” Diana said, opening the door as Tasha disappeared from view to go into the hallway. “I promise.”

  When she was sure the hallway was empty, she shut the door and flopped down on her bed.

  She truly liked Felix’s sister. In another world, they could have been family.

  For a few days, she might get to experience that. If Felix didn’t turn her away now that he knew what she was.

  Chapter 15

  The Past

  “So this is life in a rural pack,” Felix said, following Diana as she hiked up a particularly steep part of the path that led to a small cabin. “It’s… rustic.”

  Diana just looked at him in confusion, then continued on her way.

  He’d been staying with her for a couple days, and as far as he could see, her days consisted mostly of going to town for supplies, helping her father in pack meetings, and going hunting for food when they didn’t have a lot of money for going to town.

  The pack mostly stayed in human form, despite the wilderness around them being beautiful.

  Diana had said it took too much energy to shift.

  She walked into the cabin but made Felix stay outside.

  After a few minutes, she came back out without the basket in her hand.

  “Olaf likes my sandwiches,” she said with a shrug.

  “Nice of you to bring them.”

  “There aren’t a lot of women in the pack,” she said.

  “Why should only the women bring them?”

  She slanted him a look. “Don’t tell me a Tribunal dog is a feminist.”

  He laughed. “I don’t know what Tribunal dogs do, but as far as I’m concerned, women can do anything men can do. Especially alpha females.”

  She shrugged again. “Being an alpha female never benefitted me much. I still think my father will end up mating me off, and it will be to some older alpha. Not someone like you.”

  Felix raised an eyebrow as he carefully led the way back down the trail, wanting to be able to catch her if she tripped.

  Not that it was likely since Diana was very deft and athletic. Her dark skin glowed in the afternoon light that streamed through the trees, and her wide, dark-brown eyes sparkled whenever they looked his way.

  “What do you mean someone like me?”

  Her expression was instantly embarrassed, and she ducked her head as she passed him to go into the clearing beneath the path.

  They were still a ways from the cabin, and Felix didn’t feel like going back inside. Not on such a pretty day.

  Not when he was pretty sure Diana was blushing.

  He looked at the pond on the edge of the settlement with logs around it for sitting down. “Come on. Let’s take a break.”

  Diana hesitated. “I still have things I need to do, but—”

  Felix reached forward boldly, taking her hand and pulling her with him. “Come on. I want to talk.”

  Her hand squeezed his as she followed him, and Felix felt almost too satisfied as they walked to the nearest log.

  When they sat down, he released her hand reluctantly, then sighed as he stared out at the rippling water. “So… you were saying what you meant by someone like me?”

  She snorted. “No, I wasn’t.”

  He couldn’t help teasing her when she got like that. He reached out a hand to tilt up her chin. “Come on, Diana. You’re killing me.”

  She swatted his hand away, blushing deeply. “Stop that. You make me…”

  “Make you what?”

  She shook her head. “You know what you do to me.”

  He smiled. He did know. He could scent it like wildflowers and pine. “If it helps at all, you do it to me too.”

  She jerked her head up, surprise all over her gamine features. “I do?”

  He nodded. “Definitely.”

  She picked up a rock and threw it at the pond where it plopped ignominiously. “I doubt it. You have your pick of the most beautiful girls in the world. You probably just say nice shit to seduce backwoods girls when you’re bored.”

  He stared at her, frowning. “That’s not true at all. A: You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, and B: I don’t need to say nice shit to seduce backwoods girls when I’m bored.”

  She raised both eyebrows. “So you do seduce them?”

  “No, because I don’t want to,” he said. “Look, when I’m on a mission, I’m usually only thinking about that mission.” He glanced sideways at her. “I’m not sure why it’s different with you.”

  They sat awkwardly for a moment, and then she looked over at him, lips pressed together as if she were nervous.

  “Your hair… can I touch it?”

  He straightened in shock. “What?”

  She reached a hand out tentatively. “It’s so pretty. I’ve never seen hair like that.”

  He froze as she ran her fingers through the ends of his long strands, lifting the pale hair into the sunlight where it sparkled.

  “It’s so beautiful.” She released the strands she was holding and grabbed one near his forehead, brushing his
skin.

  He felt his whole body tighten. Her touch was so electric.

  He’d never felt anything like this. He thought sexuality was a bore. He hadn’t realized someone could touch you, look at you in a way that reached down to your soul.

  It scared him.

  He stood abruptly, getting out of her reach, feeling blood fill his cheeks and other parts of him.

  If he didn’t get out of there…

  He felt a hand on his arm, stopping him as he turned to go, and he slowly looked back to face her.

  She was biting her lower lip, probably having no idea the effect she was having on him with just a simple hand on his arm.

  He hadn’t been touched like that. Not by someone his age. Not by someone he wanted.

  But she was an innocent. Someone too good to be tainted by him. Someone he wanted to watch out for, but nothing else.

  Someone—

  But then she leaned up on her toes and came forward quicker than he could have imagined, placing her soft, full lips on his.

  Her touch was so innocent as her hands held on to his shirt.

  It was clear this was her first kiss, as she had no idea how to do it.

  He smiled as he tried to pull back, not wanting to take more from her. The more she touched him, the harder it was to ignore the part of him that came alive at her touch.

  And he couldn’t afford to make a mistake.

  “Diana,” he said as she took a step forward, clearing the distance between them, determination warring with lust in her eyes.

  “You like me,” she said, looking down at where he was reacting to her. “You like me like I like you.” Her hands clenched into fists as she took a step back from him. “Why is this happening? I didn’t think I could feel so… out of control.”

  He took a deep breath, steadying himself against the howl of his wolf telling him to claim her. “You aren’t out of control. I won’t let anything happen.”

  She took a step forward again, seeming to make up her mind. “But what if I want something to happen? What if you’re my one chance to… to… be with someone I like?”