Shite, Walker, came the voice in Walker’s ear. Drive now. Argue later. I’m patching everything together as it is.
Rhianne agreed with the wisdom of the unknown speaker, but panic surged over her.
“I can’t. Not without Ben. Ben!”
She couldn’t see him in the crowd. Rhianne darted forward, needing to find him, a pull that wouldn’t let her leave him behind.
There was a click and a whine, loud to her newly sensitive hearing. Tiger grabbed her with intense strength and half threw her into the vehicle, leaping in behind her.
Tiger’s foot caught on the step, and he fell onto the seat beside her. Walker shoved Tiger’s booted foot inside, slammed the door, and leapt into the front. He started the motor and the vehicle leapt forward. The gate rolled back for him, and he pulled quickly out of the complex.
Tears trickled down Rhianne’s face. “What happened?” she asked Tiger, who was half-sprawled across the back seat.
“Tranq gun,” Walker said from the front. “One of the agents fired.”
Tiger pulled a dart out of his thigh. “Single dose,” he grunted.
Rhianne studied him in astonishment. “Doesn’t a tranquilizer knock a person out? Or am I translating wrong?”
“They do,” Walker said. “But one shot won’t take down Tiger. That tranq was meant for average everyday Shifters.”
Which Tiger was not—Rhianne had realized that the moment she’d met him. He’d jumped between her and the dart, taking it for her.
She wiped her eyes. “Thank you, Tiger.”
Tiger shrugged and tossed the tranq dart to the floor, crushing it with his boot.
“I can’t leave Ben,” Rhianne said. “We have to go back.” When Walker didn’t deviate from his course, Rhianne caught the seat back and pulled herself forward to him. “You don’t understand. He’s my mate.”
The stoic Walker glanced at her in amazement then quickly turned his gaze back to the street. The voice in Walker’s ear blurted, What the fuck did she just say?
“Who is that?” Rhianne asked.
Another startled glance from Walker, then he slowed the vehicle and made an abrupt turn onto a road that took them behind the compound. A spiked iron fence with coils of wire wound along its top flashed past.
Walker halted at a small gap in that fence, and a hand wrenched open the back door. Rhianne’s panic changed to relief and gladness as Ben launched himself into the seat beside her and slammed the door.
“Hit it, Jeeves,” he said to Walker and slid his arms around Rhianne. “Hey, baby, don’t cry. You didn’t think I’d abandon you to these two losers, did you?”
* * *
Ben couldn’t loosen his hold on Rhianne, no matter how fast Walker drove them away from the compound.
“I didn’t want those goons to think you were important to me,” he explained as he soothed her. “I’m not Shifter, so they can’t really hold me, but I’m a font of information, so they might have kept me if I’d let on that I cared about you. I bugged out and found a weak spot in the fence.”
“A weak spot,” Walker repeated. “In solid iron bars.”
“It’s weak now.” Ben snuggled closer to Rhianne. With Tiger taking up most of the seat, he had to sit tight against her, not that he minded. “Where are we going?”
Walker glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “Where I said I was taking you. Austin Shiftertown.”
“Into Dylan’s lair.”
“He’s the best protection she can have while we figure this shit out.”
Ben scowled. “Unless he keeps trying to recruit her to do his dirty work.”
“He does that to all of us,” Walker observed. “What makes you special?”
“He will not recruit her,” Tiger said in his low rumble. “I have explained to him.”
Ben glanced at him over Rhianne’s head. “Are you sure, big guy?”
“Yes.”
Ben relaxed a fraction. If Tiger ran interference with Dylan, Dylan wouldn’t insist. Much.
“Rhianne mentioned you told her that if she stuck with me, she’d be safe,” Ben said, fixing Tiger with a stern look. “Then the earth tried to swallow me, and Shifter Bureau nabbed us.”
Tiger regarded him steadily. “And we were alerted, and now she is safe.”
“Huh. Nice, convenient answer.”
Tiger remained impassive. “Not convenient. True.”
“If you say so.” He returned his attention to Rhianne, kissing her warm hair. “You all right, sweetheart? I could sense you barely controlling yourself in there.”
Rhianne stroked his chest, her touch drawing fire. “I didn’t want them hurting you.”
“No one was going to hurt me, love. I was being … diplomatic. Letting them think they were superior. It’s a tactic.”
Rhianne continued to skim her hand over his chest, fingers catching his shirt’s hem so she could stroke his bare skin beneath. “I couldn’t let them hurt you, because …” She swallowed and fell silent.
“She’s Shifter,” Tiger said beside her. “And she’s chosen you as mate.”
Ben blinked. “No, she’s not. She’s Tuil Erdannan. They have magic we don’t understand.”
Rhianne nestled into Ben’s shoulder and licked his neck. The fire crawled down Ben’s spine and found their way to his cock.
Tiger shook his head. “Shifter. I could not scent it when I first met her, because the Tuil Erdannan side of her blocked it very well. It is obvious now. Maybe because she’s found her mate.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it.” Ben didn’t have the olfactory senses of a Shifter, but if Tiger scented the truth of Rhianne, Ben believed him. Tiger’s nose never failed him. “But if you’re Shifter, sweetheart, that means … Shit.”
Rhianne raised her head. “It means my father is not my father. It means my mother, sometime in her life, had a relationship with a Shifter.”
“Yeah.” Ben sat stunned, and Walker and Tiger were quiet.
A voice that had been whispering through an earpiece to Walker came clearly through the silence. “Shite.”
“Tell Sean hi,” Ben said to Walker, then he gathered Rhianne close and held her as comfortingly as he could.
Tiger’s announcement that Rhianne had decided he was her mate spun through Ben’s head, not really sinking in. He had a lot to process, but the miles between here and Austin were many. He settled in to think, his stunned brain whirling.
* * *
In spite of the five-hundred mile drive, Ben still had no clear answers by the time they reached the Austin Shiftertown in the early hours of the morning. Ben helped Rhianne out of the SUV in front of Liam Morrissey’s bungalow to hear crickets and a cool breeze ruffling the leaves of the tall trees.
At four in the morning, Shiftertown should be dark and quiet, all the little Shifters curled up peacefully together, but no. Lights were on in most houses, and there was plenty of movement in the darkness between them. Many Shifters were nocturnal, and all were nosy as hell.
Dylan leaned on the railing of the porch next door to Liam’s home, with his sort-of mate, Glory, a crazed Lupine, next to him. She was almost calmly dressed in skin-tight jeans and a leopard print T-shirt. Sean Morrissey’s mate, Andrea, rested a hip on the railing next to Glory and held her young son in her arms. No sign of Sean.
The front porch of Liam’s house was likewise crowded. Yep, the gang’s all here. Liam, his nephew Connor, the rangy young woman who was Tiger’s long-lost cub, Liam’s mate, Kim, and Tiger’s mate, Carly. And the cubs, who were the only ones not silent.
“Who’s that?” Young Katriona, Liam’s offspring, pointed at Rhianne from the safety of her mother’s arms.
“A guest.” Kim Fraser-Morrissey spoke firmly. She left the porch and made her way to where Tiger and Walker surrounded Ben and Rhianne. “Welcome, Rhianne. How about we take a load off inside with some wine, while the Shifters argue?”
“Nothing to argue about,” Ben said. “Rhian
ne’s Shifter. She didn’t know. Blame her parents, not her. No need to interrogate her.”
“Exactly.” Kim was a smallish woman with curly dark hair and a skewering gaze. She was in courtroom mode, which meant she used her cute smile and steely voice to drive home a point. “That’s why she’s a guest, not an inmate.”
Rhianne, who had calmed during the long ride from New Orleans and even slept on Ben’s shoulder, unwound herself from Ben. “Actually, I would enjoy wine.”
She sounded more like her usual self, less panicked and more assured. Ben kissed the hand she’d kept twined through his and released her.
Kim threaded an arm through Rhianne’s, adjusting Katriona on her other side.
Carly, who greeted Rhianne with a wide Texas smile, paused as the two women went into the house. Tiger broke from Ben and Walker, his mission over, and went straight to her.
Ben watched Tiger take his son from Carly, lifting the little guy in gentle hands. He settled the cub, Seth, in the crook of his arm, then reached over and touched the cheek of Tiger-girl. His daughter relaxed a long way, sending her father a happy smile.
Tiger handed Seth to her—Tiger-girl cuddled her brother close, a look of love on her face—then Tiger bent and kissed Carly. And kissed her. A long time went by.
Walker flashed a rare grin, chuckled, and leapt back into the SUV. He had a mate to get home to, a giant Kodiak bear Shifter who was a sassy, take-no-shit woman.
Ben was left alone to face the Morrisseys.
“She didn’t know,” Ben repeated. “I didn’t know. The Tuil Erdannan side of her masked it.”
“Ah well.” Liam rested his arms on the porch railing. “Now Shifter Bureau knows it. Sean was typing his ass off after Walker called him.”
“I’ll bet.”
Sean, a Guardian, one of those frightening people with big swords who sent Shifter souls to the afterlife, had access to the Guardian Network, a database of Shifter intel that was part magical. Guardians were champion hackers and could put whatever information about Shifters they wanted into human computer systems.
Ben figured Sean had been busy making it look as though Rhianne had been part of the Austin Shiftertown all along, instead of a rogue, undocumented Shifter who could be detained, interrogated, drugged, and possibly terminated if she was perceived to be a threat.
Walker had been communicating what was needed through the discreet earpiece he wore while talking to the Shifter Bureau agents—the advantage of having a sympathetic liaison Shifter Bureau trusted. Walker got things done for Shifters while placating the assholes at Shifter Bureau. He deserved a medal—on top of all the others he’d received while being incredibly brave in an army A-Team, whatever the hell that was, exactly.
“You could have called, you know.” Liam kept his voice gentle, but Ben sensed his displeasure. Liam not knowing what was going on might endanger the Shifters in his demesne, and Ben understood that. Even so …
“It’s not the same thing,” Ben said. “Rhianne doesn’t belong here. She has her own world, her own life. Nothing to do with the Austin Shifters.”
“Everything has to do with everything, lad.” Liam remained patient. “Though I understand why you didn’t want to expose her. But people taking videos of her in a park kind of threw the shite onto the fire.”
Connor broke in, his young voice full of glee. “Video was uploaded and viral in like ten minutes. So cool.”
Liam rubbed his chin with one finger. “You’ll have to explain to us what you were doing being swallowed by the ground, but I suppose there’ll be time for that later.”
“Mind if I go inside?” Ben gestured to the house. “Standing out here, I feel like a prisoner being interrogated in an arena.” Being surrounded by six-foot-plus Shifters did that to him.
Dylan hadn’t said a word. The hand Glory had on his arm and the presence of his daughter-in-law and grandson might have something to do with that.
Shifters were out in force, though, from all over Shiftertown. They kept their distance, but Shifter hearing was good enough that they’d be able to repeat this entire conversation to any who’d missed it.
Liam shrugged, opening his hands to indicate Ben could do what he liked.
As Ben started up the steps, his pocket chimed. He halted halfway up and dug frantically for the crystal as the chiming increased, to the amusement of Connor and Tiger-girl.
Ben finally yanked it out and gazed into the glowing crystal. “Yeah? That you, Lady A.?”
“It is.” The answer was crisp. “I wish to speak to my daughter. To tell her that it’s safe to return home.”
Chapter Eighteen
Rhianne glanced up from the glass of deep red wine Kim had handed her. Kim had poured herself a glass of water, smiling warmly as she explained she had another cub on the way.
Rhianne had scented that as soon as Kim had laced arms with her, and was startled how easily the Shifter in her recognized it. It was as though realizing she was Shifter had triggered all kinds of abilities she’d unknowingly kept dormant, but now they were happily flaring to life.
The large kitchen was bright and warm, cozy even in the wee hours of the morning. Tiger’s mate, Carly, also held a glass of wine. Tiger had taken the tiny Seth upstairs to put him to bed.
“Sweetie, you’re exhausted.” Carly had a softly accented voice and kind eyes. “Shifter Bureau is a pain in the ass, as I well know. You deserve a day at a spa.”
“It has been a long time since I indulged in a spa town,” Rhianne agreed.
Kim looked puzzled but said nothing. Carly raised her glass, and Rhianne, remembering her lessons on toasting, clicked hers against Carly’s.
“To spas,” Rhianne said.
“Amen.” Kim joined in the glass clinking.
“Word,” Carly added. “How long do you think they’ll be out there?”
Kim sighed. “However long it takes Liam to explain, in his oh so friendly way, that he’s in charge and Ben works for him. Could be a while.”
Rhianne took a sip of wine. It wasn’t bad, though little could compare to the wine grown and made around the mountains north of her home. “Ben works for no one.”
Carly and Kim both sent her a startled glance, and Carly nodded. “That’s true. Ben’s his own goblin. But he helps out from time to time.”
“He answers to too many people,” Rhianne said decidedly. “Because he has a kind heart. They take advantage of him, and that should cease.”
She noted Carly and Kim exchanging a look. Before either could argue, Ben himself charged through the swinging door from the living room. He held a bright white crystal in front of him as though it would burn him at any moment.
“It’s your mom.”
Ben thrust the crystal at Rhianne, who fumbled with her glass and nearly spilled the wine. Carly rescued the glass and set it safely on the table.
Rhianne lifted the crystal, peering into its white-hot depths. “Mother?”
There you are. Lady Aisling’s voice came through clearly if faintly in Tuil Erdannan. I’m very happy to speak to you, dear. Are you faring all right?
Rhianne gave her mother the standard answer, which she used for all occasions. “Yes, I am well.”
Good. I’m pleased to tell you that you may return home now. The coast, as humans say, is clear. Ben shall escort you home, or at least to the sundial, and we’ll have a nice celebratory slice of Great-Aunt Freya’s plum pie. Tell Ben thank you for all he’s done.
Rhianne’s heart beat thickly. “I’m not certain I’m ready to return yet. Things have happened. I can’t explain.” She wet her lips at the understatement. She wanted to shout questions at her mother, such as, Why didn’t you tell me my father was a Shifter? Who was he? What was he to you? Did you love him? Or were you simply taking refuge from Ivor?
Rhianne cleared her throat, suppressing the urge. “You and I need to have a talk. A very long talk.”
Of course, dear. We can as soon as you are home, I promise. The human worl
d can be entertaining, I know, but you belong here, Rhianne. I’ll see you when you arrive.
The crystal dinged, and the light died. Rhianne had drawn a breath for more argument and then let it out in anger as the crystal went dark.
“What did she say?” Ben asked. He reached for the crystal and Rhianne dropped it into his palm. “My Tuil Erdannan isn’t that great.”
“She wants me to return home.” Rhianne’s anger tasted bitter. “Rush back to her, like a good child. As though my entire life hasn’t been turned upside down. She wants you to take me to the sundial. Doesn’t bother to ask you if you have the time, oh no. Just assumes you’ll drop everything and do as she pleases.”
“She always assumes that,” Ben said calmly. “It’s no problem. Time I was back in Faerie anyway, to finish up the karmsyern. Now that Shifter Bureau is breathing down our necks, it’s probably a good thing that we go.”
Rhianne stared at him in disbelief. “Just like that? After all that’s happened? I go home as though nothing has changed?”
“I didn’t say that.”
Rhianne was aware of Kim and Carly taking up their glasses of wine and slipping out to leave Rhianne and Ben in privacy.
“What are you saying then?” Rhianne demanded.
“I’m saying that if everything’s good at home, it will be safer for you there than here. I know you have to deal with your whole being Shifter thing, and yep, your mom has a lot of explaining to do. Here, you have to deal with Liam and his family, plus the other Shifters, plus continue to evade Shifter Bureau. You don’t need that. You don’t need me.”
Rhianne’s mouth hung open. She didn’t need him? But he was her mate …
She realized with a rush of pain she’d never experienced that while she felt the pull to him as mate, that didn’t mean Ben reciprocated. He wasn’t Shifter, nor was he human, like Carly, Kim, and Walker, who’d fallen in love with their Shifter mates. While Rhianne hadn’t been wrong when she’d said that all beings of Faerie experienced the mate bond, that did not necessarily mean that Ben was forming it for her.
The Last Warrior: Shifters Unbound Book 13 Page 19
