Shapes of Autumn (Boxed set, books 1 - 5)

by Veronica Blade

  She pointed to another camera feed where a black-clad man was stooped over and traveling through a narrow passageway. A tunnel, I assumed. I understood now why Cedric had built the place himself instead of buying something already done.

  A few minutes later, the wall on the other side of Cedric’s desk thumped. Cedric rose, ran his hand over the smooth cream-colored surface, then pushed and the door creaked open. The black-clad man ducked to clear the doorway. He had sandy-blond hair and towered over everyone.

  “Regis, good to have you back.” Cedric nodded.

  “Your Majesty.” Regis bowed then cast a glance around the room before greeting the outsiders as warmly as he greeted his own kind. Autumn smiled back at him, just as friendly. My stomach gave a sickening lurch, and I hoped neither of the newcomers was single. Autumn would eventually find someone new, but damned if I would let her hook up with anyone while I was around to witness it.

  Cedric had barely finished introductions when Braulio arrived. He was a little shorter than Regis with dark wavy hair, olive skin, and dimples. Jesus, couldn’t any of these vampires be ugly? I doubted Autumn would venture outside her species again after what we’d been through. Then again, I was beginning to wonder how well I knew her.

  The new arrivals settled into their chairs and Cedric spent the next few minutes catching them up on recent events. When Cedric finished recounting how he’d nearly been killed, Braulio’s gaze scanned the various faces in the room, finally resting on his king. “Does anyone have a plan?” he asked.

  “Possibly, but I loathe discussing strategy on an empty belly.” Still standing, Cedric flattened his palms against the top of his desk. “Tony, have some blood bags brought in, maybe another snack for the werewolves. Kayla, we’ll need to make a trip to the training room to load up on weapons, but I don’t want you two going anywhere without backup. Regis and I must stay out of sight, so take Dathan with you, got it? And if anyone attacks, we’ll see it through the feed. Won’t take us long to get there.”

  “Yes, sir.” Kayla wagged a finger between Autumn and me. “You two, keep practicing. They could attack at any moment and you need as much training as you can possibly squeeze in.”

  We’d be back to training tomorrow, assuming we weren’t ambushed tonight. I wasn’t looking forward to leaving the safety of the king’s chamber to travel to the gym where anything could happen along the way.

  Chapter EIGHTEEN

  Autumn

  The werewolves still needed a safe haven, but so did Dathan and the new arrivals. Tony and Kayla had to be kept safe too, not only because they’d stood up for the werewolves, but because they were the immediate barrier between the enemy and the throne.

  Cedric had the entire floor with plenty of rooms to accommodate everyone. But the security wasn’t as strong outside his suite, and only his rooms were soundproofed. The limited space available forced Zack and me to continue sleeping in the same bed together.

  With Kayla taking up the small sofa in our room, I wasn’t at all tempted to snuggle with Zack. That went double considering Renzo had stretched out over thick layers of blankets on the floor.

  The next morning, as we prepared for our day, Zack acted like he didn’t see me as he rolled off the bed and went straight to the bathroom to shower. After breakfast in the king’s chambers, the vampires escorted us to the training room without incident, and I breathed a sigh of relief. We’d probably be safe there for the next few hours with the doors locked. I hoped.

  I sparred with Alura, as usual, and Zack trained with Renzo. But sometimes Renzo and Alura teamed up to demonstrate a move, which put me practicing with Zack. Because I got lightheaded every time he came near me, I’d begun stepping away from him whenever possible, in hopes of avoiding his musky scent. Stupid hormones. Stupid me for wanting him so much.

  During moments between sparring, I’d even twist around so I couldn’t look at him. So long as I couldn’t see him and his scent wasn’t invading my senses, I could be around him without dropping to my knees and pleading with him to take me back.

  After lunch, Dathan checked in and stayed for a few minutes. I hovered by the door in the weapons room, waiting for him and Zack to finish debating which was a cooler weapon, the cyclone tri-blade or the sword. I’d already grabbed a couple of daggers that would morph with me, hid one in my boot and the other in my pocket. I wouldn’t be able to hold a weapon in my paws once I morphed into a bear, but I wanted to be on the safe side.

  “The tri-blade is only useful if you can use it properly.” Dathan nodded at the three blades shaped into a disc. “Swords require training too, but they’re more straightforward.”

  Zack snorted. “Hey, I’m no expert, but if I was gonna get trained in something that wasn’t an assault rifle, it would be a bow and arrow. Using blades requires you to be close to your opponent. I’m thinking distance between vampires and me is a pretty good idea, thank you very much.”

  Dathan snickered and they switched to the bows and arrows. Being total boys, they could be there a while.

  “Step away from the toys, you two.” I rolled my eyes. “We have training to do.”

  “Party pooper.” Zack grinned and snagged me around the waist then leaned into me like he was about to tag my nose with a kiss. Then his eyes stretched wide, his face fell, and he released me. “Right. We don’t have all day.”

  My stomach dropped like a headless vampire. Zack had fallen into our old routine, reminding me why I loved him, which made me miss him even more. I wanted to tell him I’d made a mistake, that he was my whole world and I’d been an idiot to throw away these last few precious days with him. But that would make our bond stronger and our future breakup even harder.

  Dathan took off and for the next few hours we trained. When Zack slid across the slick wood floor and slammed into a wall, Alura stopped her assault on me. We both turned as Zack leapt to his feet and charged his opponent.

  Renzo redirected Zack’s momentum and sent him flying again. “You’re acting on your emotions.”

  Favoring his left leg, Zack pulled away from the wall, his face flushed. “Maybe I’m tired of getting my ass beat over and over.”

  “Didn’t we have this exact conversation a few days ago?” Renzo asked.

  “Yes.” Zack’s jaws clenched. “But you’re still being a dick.”

  “The good news? You won’t be tired of me when you’re dead,” Renzo said, leaning casually away. “Which you will be soon at this rate.”

  I stepped toward them in an effort to lighten things up, but Alura snatched me back by my elbow. “They need to work this out on their own,” she whispered.

  Alura was right. Zack had to work it out without my help or support. I wasn’t his girlfriend. But if I hadn’t deserted him, maybe things with Renzo would’ve gone a little smoother. I felt like a horrible person doing that to him just days after his mom died. Worst girlfriend ever. Correction: worst ex-girlfriend ever.

  “What’s your problem, Renzo?” Zack clenched and unclenched his fists. I’d never seen him that furious. “How can I learn from you when you’re spending most of the time pounding on me? And when the fight comes down, I’ll be too beat up to do anything.”

  “You’ll heal soon enough,” Renzo growled. “Damn it, Zack, I’m trying to teach you how to survive.”

  “Then teach me and stop trying to get inside my head. You’re not my father and you’re not my friend.”

  Ouch.

  Renzo drew in a lungful of air and turned from Zack like he was getting his temper under control.

  Alura left me and sprinted to her uncle. “Maybe you two should take a break from each other. I can work with Zack.”

  And leave me to work with Renzo? I winced at the thought. But at least it would give Zack a much-needed break.

  “No.” Renzo held up a hand to stop her. She took a step back and he waited a beat before facing Zack again. “I apologize.”

  “What?” Zack’s mouth dropped open.

  “I
’m sorry. Obviously, my teaching method isn’t working for you.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and hesitated a moment. “See, the thing is… I can’t allow anything to happen to you. And from my observation, your biggest mistake—other than your lack of combat skills—is that you let your emotions control you. Any action driven by negative emotions is often the wrong one.”

  Zack folded his arms over his chest. “I’m not a machine, Renzo. If I’m under attack and my life is at stake, I’m probably gonna be scared which can’t help but affect my decisions.”

  “Then let’s practice ignoring your fear and concentrating on kicking some ass.”

  “So you’re not going to beat the crap out of me anymore?” Zack asked, one brow cocked.

  Renzo laughed. “Of course I am. But I’ll try to be less of a jerk about it.” He reached his hand out. “Deal?”

  Zack stared at Renzo’s hand, then slowly reached out and grasped it.

  Emotion flickered over Renzo’s face, but it was gone too quickly for me to read. What was up with that guy? Zack’s opinion of him seemed to matter an awful lot. And something, maybe fear, was making him push too hard. But why?

  “You ready?” Alura asked, snapping her fingers in front of me.

  I refocused on Alura. “To get stomped on again? Absolutely. This is the most fun I’ve had in ages,” I said wryly.

  She chuckled and stepped behind a punching bag, gripping both sides. “Let’s switch things up a bit. Take your best shot.”

  I drew back my arm and Alura released the bag as I thrust a fist at it.

  “Whoah. That’s horrifically bad form.” Renzo must have been eavesdropping because he was already beside me by the time I caught his scent. A moment later, Zack joined him.

  “Gee, thanks. Feel free to give me some pointers,” I said, hoping to provide a respite for Zack from Renzo’s abuse.

  “For starters, you need to improve your stance, Rossi,” Renzo told me. He aimed an index finger at his feet that were shoulder-width apart. “Zack, pay attention to this. You two may as well work on it at the same time.” He flattened his lips together, clearly amused. “Then you can get mad at her for hitting you.”

  “I’m sure I can find another reason to be mad at you. And her,” Zack mumbled.

  Renzo’s smile faded. He zeroed in on Zack as if trying to read his mind. Alura was staring at the men just as intently as I was.

  “Care to share what else I’m doing wrong?” Renzo asked.

  “C’mon.” Zack tossed his head back. “You’ve been hiding something since the first moment we met you. I want to know what it is.”

  “Fair enough.” Renzo straightened, his chin tilted up. “When you’re ready, I’ll tell you.”

  Zack hissed. “That’s the best you can do? ’Cause we could die today.”

  “Then we die and it doesn’t matter anyway.” He took the sparring stance, feet apart, loose fists close to his face. “Punch me.”

  Without hesitation, Zack’s fist shot out. Renzo’s arm struck a fraction of a second later, blocking Zack and punching him in the nose. Zack staggered back and glared as he wiped blood from his upper lip.

  Renzo slanted his head. “You’re exceptionally strong for a newbie, but you have no idea what to do with all that power.”

  Zack didn’t comment and Renzo gave him a strange look. Rather than betray Dathan’s trust and explain why Zack was unusually strong, I kept my mouth shut.

  “There are many ways to punch.” Renzo’s mouth curved up on one side. “My favorite is to thrust an arm out, turning my wrist as I go, but also bringing up the elbow.” Renzo demonstrated in slow motion. “See how the elbow is up? My arm is not only in a position to do damage, but it’s also shielding my face. If you were to return fire, you wouldn’t reach your target.”

  Zack’s fist flew again and clocked Renzo in the chin. “Like that?”

  “Yeah.” Renzo rubbed his jaw, pride gleaming in his eyes. “Like that.”

  Chapter NINETEEN

  Zack

  Getting a punch in on Renzo had felt good. Damn good. After all the weeks of stressing over why he’d been hanging around—only to learn he was the leader of SWAAST—his reluctance to cough up the last of his secrets irritated the hell out of me.

  If he’d been upfront about who he was, Autumn and I would’ve been saved so much anxiety. And we wouldn’t have had to run away and end up in a palace with vampires out for our blood. And maybe Autumn wouldn’t have broken up with me.

  And yet I felt like an ass. Back home, Renzo hadn’t known my true intentions. In fact, I’d lied and told him I planned on joining the king and becoming part of a pack. It was the only story I’d been able to offer since I’d assumed he was a scout and loyal to werewolves. Taking me at my word, Renzo would’ve had to be crazy to tell me who he was.

  And if Autumn’s feelings for me had changed because of my actions, that wasn’t Renzo’s fault.

  “Are you going to try to hit me again or not?” Renzo asked. When I hesitated, he moved from behind the punching bag. “Something wrong?”

  I relaxed, bringing down my fists. “I should apologize for being a dick to you. You couldn’t have told us who you were, not if you thought I was loyal to King Mortimer.”

  Renzo sagged against the punching back, rubbing his neck. “No apology necessary.”

  I raised my arms, shielding my face with my fists, ready in case Renzo wanted to go back to sparring. His eyes bounced off Autumn and he softened his voice. “Speaking of loyalties, what’s your plan with her?”

  The memory of losing her ravaged me, making my head ache, and I wished Renzo would shut up about Autumn. “I try not to think about it.”

  “Think about what? That she’ll slow you down? That mixing species is a capital offense and you’ll probably live longer without her?”

  My shoulders stiffened. Right when I was warming up to him, he pulled something else. “I didn’t ask you to like her.”

  “My antipathy toward her has nothing to do with anything. Zack, being with her could get you killed. For that reason alone, I can’t allow myself to form any attachment to her. Neither can you.”

  Too late, I said silently so Autumn wouldn’t hear. Across the room, she landed a punch and Alura stumbled away. Yeah, my baby killed it. Without her, I think… I’d probably die slowly from the inside out.

  Renzo rested his fists on his hips. And yet, dying slowly that way, you’d still live longer than if you stayed with her.

  “Or not.” Just because she’d broken up with me didn’t mean it would be permanent. We had always planned to split up in the future. But being without her made me realize I’d never willingly give her up. Ever. And if she gave me any kind of hint at all that she wanted me, I fully intended to win her back. Maybe it’s more a matter of strength in numbers. Maybe we’re stronger together than apart.

  Without hope that we’d be together again, what reason did I have to fight for my life? I had thought—hoped—I could let her go, but I knew better now. The fact that something didn’t quite ring true with her breakup speech gave me real hope. And if she’d lied about not wanting me, I had time to get the truth out of her.

  Even if mixing species had no effect on either party, Renzo said, King Mortimer will still look for you. Eventually, he’ll learn about you being with a shape-shifter and hunt you both ten times harder.

  “Yeah.” I glanced at Autumn again who was practicing kicks. She’s worth the risk.

  Renzo hung his head and rubbed his temples. I know what it’s like to love someone of a different species. But if you can resist, everyone’s better off.

  That got my attention. You fell in love with a shape-shifter?

  “No.” His eyes took on a faraway look as his mouth curved down.

  “Human, huh? They don’t count though, because you can change them. Then you’re no longer different species.” Unless they’re too sick, like my mother.

  “True.” Renzo blinked then his gaze wavered.
/>   “What happened to her, the woman you loved?” I asked.

  He turned toward the door as it swung open. “Lunchtime.”

  Yeah, as if he was going to open up to me about his love life. Whatever. We shoved all the weapons to the other end of the long table and the girls set up the trays of food.

  The four of us devoured our BBQ ribs in silence—except Autumn who stuck with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. After a few minutes, Alura dabbed her mouth with a napkin as she scanned our faces. “Autumn is surprisingly strong.”

  Renzo chewed as he studied me. “Interesting. So is Zack.”

  “Maybe my parents are fairly old,” Autumn suggested.

  “Doubtful.” Renzo scoffed. “Shape-shifters aren’t allowed to live long for that reason. Werewolves can’t have the lesser species running around getting stronger and stronger, can they?” he asked dryly. “They are, however, kind enough to grant their slaves a hundred years or so of servitude before they kill them.”

  I tapped my chin, contemplating that new bit of information. “Maybe her parents escaped. Either way, my dad could’ve been an ancient.”

  “He wasn’t.” Renzo’s tone was so decisive he had to know firsthand. “In any case, even an ancient requires sufficient time to heal. Autumn nearly lost her head and a half hour later, she was almost good as new. No one heals that fast. Trust me, I have experience in that area.”

  How the hell did Renzo know anything about my dad? I stared at him, waiting to see if he was going to add anything else. Autumn had stopped chewing, shifting her attention between Renzo and me. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who’d interpreted his comment as odd.

  “Care to elaborate?” I asked.

  Without making eye contact with me, he dragged his tray closer. “About what?”

  “You being so certain my dad wasn’t an ancient. You don’t think I’m going to leave it at that, do you?” When Renzo merely shrugged, I forged on. “You knew him.”