by Connor Crowe
“This mission, and everything that just happened in here, is confidential. I trust you know that.” Markus used the firm Pack Alpha voice now, leaving no room for argument. “We can’t put anyone else in harm’s way.”
I swallowed my next retort. It was useless. “Fine,” I said at last. “You’re welcome, I guess.”
I gathered my things and headed for the door, and it took everything I had not to take one last look over my shoulder.
That man—no, those two men—were mine.
And I wasn’t going to go down without a fight.
3
Hugo
I didn’t know what to think anymore.
One moment, everything seemed so clear. The next, everything I knew came into question.
When I saw Tristan laying motionless on the ground, a primal sort of fear seized me. More than just friendly concern.
I needed him.
And yet, even when James showed me what to do, it wasn’t enough.
Not until he joined in.
Not until both of us lent him our energy.
I furrowed my brow and tried to rub away the growing headache. How was that even possible?
Fated mates didn’t come in threes. Each person had their one special partner in the world. Everyone knew that. But the feel of his hands on mine and the connection we shared as we brought Tristan out of his shock...
That wasn’t just coincidence.
I huffed out a breath and stuffed a few more things into my bag, trying to put those thoughts out of my mind. I’d go with them to The Flying City and find the Key. Then we’d come home. Simple as that.
Yeah, right.
A knock at the door made me look up.
“Who is it?”
“Kit. Can I come in?”
“Sure.” I zipped up my satchel and sunk down onto the bed, waiting.
The young fox shifter entered with his mate Lionel in tow. Kit was wearing a chunky-knit sweater today and jeans, while Lionel still had on his more professional attire—a button down, slacks, and bow tie.
“What’s up?” I asked, trying to keep my voice casual. I knew what they were here about, but we’d already had this discussion in the library.
“I heard about what happened from Lionel,” Kit said, sitting down on the bed next to me. “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay to travel in your condition?”
He was speaking, of course, of how my phoenix side had gone haywire since the destruction of the fire elemental Key. Sometimes I couldn’t help it—I’d go up into flames right then and there, no matter who I was with or where I was.
I wasn’t a very safe person to be around, in any case.
I grumbled something under my breath. “I’ll be fine. It’s not been as bad since coming back to Nox Bay.”
“But you’re leaving again,” Kit pointed out.
“Yeah, but...” I started, but my voice broke. Guess I didn’t have a good answer for that. “I’ll be fine.” I said finally. “And besides, there’s something about being around you all. It helps. I’d much rather come along than have to stay here and deal with things alone.”
Lionel and Kit shared a glance. “This is about Tristan, isn’t it?” Lionel asked, crossing his arms. “You like him.”
I sputtered, but knew better than to deny it. “Yeah. So what? He wouldn’t want someone like me anyway. You see how he keeps avoiding me. He’s been scarce ever since we got back to Nox Bay from the Emerald Isles. Did you know, in the library, that was the first time we’ve actually interacted with one another since getting back?”
Kit spoke up next. “Take it from me,” he said. “I thought the whole world had gone crazy when I smelled my mate and found out he was human. I mean, how could I?” He shook his head. “I rebelled against it for so long, telling myself all the reasons it would never work. But you know what? In the end, things came together. In the end, he turned out to be just the man I needed.” He squeezed his mate’s hand, and Lionel beamed at him. “So have faith. The universe knows what she’s doing. Even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time.”
I sighed. It wasn’t just that, of course, but for now? It would have to do.
“Okay.” I wiped my sweaty hands on my pants and got up. “Let’s go. I’m almost packed, just have to get a few more things.”
Lionel laughed. He placed a hand on my shoulder. “While I appreciate your enthusiasm, Tristan needs to rest a bit before heading out. We’re not leaving till tomorrow morning. You might want to get some rest in the meantime.”
“Too much on my mind. You guys had dinner yet?”
Kit raised an eyebrow. “Um, Hugo? Dinner was hours ago, and we didn’t see you there. That’s why Lionel suggested we come check on you.”
“I...” I looked around and caught sight of the window. No sun there, only the full moon and stars, high in the sky. I blinked. How had it gotten so late? “Sorry,” I muttered. “Got too caught up with work, I guess.”
“Figures.” Lionel nudged Kit. “Now he sounds like me. Come on, let’s get you something to eat. Simon’s probably still milling about the kitchens if we hurry.”
I took one last look at the packed bag on my bed. Tomorrow morning, I’d be leaving on a dangerous and uncertain mission to find and protect the final Key of Life. Everything could change in an instant.
Hell, everything had changed in an instant. But for tonight?
Good friends, good food, and good conversation. Just what the doctor ordered.
No sooner had we reached the dining hall than a familiar face came into view.
“Wait a second,” I whispered to Kit. “That’s the witch we saved, isn’t it? What was her name again?”
“Lorsa,” Lionel whispered back. “Heard Elliot talking about her.”
She sat alone at one of the long tables, nursing a steaming mug. Her long grey hair had been pulled back into a green headwrap, and she sat with her hands folded, staring off into the distance at something neither of us could see. Even now, I felt a little intimidated by her. I’d seen the effect she’d had on the other shifters when she was under Harry’s control.
But Harry was gone. I’d helped kill him, and chuck his body into the sea. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the memories of that bloody night to fade.
Even without looking, I felt her presence. Felt the ripples of energy in the air, almost imperceptible.
Maybe I wasn’t so hungry after all. My mouth dried up. My hands clenched into fists. The fire inside me, both the dragon and phoenix, rose and crackled in my heart.
Danger, it warned me.
Death.
Curiosity and self preservation battled for dominance. She was interesting, and like no one I’d ever seen before. That much was for certain. But my shifter definitely remembered the time she’d tried to kill us. Remembered the awful screeching resonance that seemed to go past my ears, past my skin and all the way down into my soul. Like burning from the inside out.
Of course I’d be wary of someone like that.
“She’s okay,” Lionel assured me with a hand on my shoulder. “She was under Harry’s control, remember? Markus wouldn’t have kept her around if she was a threat. Do you trust him?”
I swallowed the fear and nodded my head. He was right. If Markus trusted her, then I would have to as well. “Yeah,” I said, and we entered the room.
I half expected her to look up at any moment, to fix us with those chilling eyes and ask what we were doing here. But that didn’t happen. In fact, she didn’t seem aware of us at all.
Pretty creepy, if you ask me.
It wasn’t until we were right next to her that her eyes refocused and she turned to face us. “Oh. Hello.”
She had a soft, kindly face, well worn by age and who knew how many decades of experience. It was a calm, warm smile though, and I found myself returning it.
“Guess we weren’t the only ones that couldn’t sleep,” I offered.
Lorsa smiled again, her lips creeping up the sides of her face as if i
n slow motion. She turned back to her mug—tea, I noticed—and spoke. “I haven’t been able to sleep well since they brought me here.” She blew on the steam and took a sip. “Comes with the territory.”
I glanced at Kit and Lionel, raising an eyebrow.
“Why don’t you sit down?” She patted the bench next to her. “I could use some company.”
I eyed my friends, looking for answers, but they just shrugged. “I’ll grab some food,” Kit piped up. “You two can get settled.”
Way to throw me under the bus, I thought, but took a seat with Lionel.
She still had that breezy, ethereal look in her eyes. As if she wasn’t totally “here.” Granted, I didn’t know where else she would be, but it freaked me out.
“Lorsa, right?” I stuck out my hand for her to shake. She didn’t move. “I’m Hugo, and this is Lionel.”
“I know,” she said simply. “I’ve seen you around.”
Okay. New tactic. “How are you doing?” I asked. “Are you healing okay?”
She turned her steely blue gaze on me, and it took all I had not to shrink back. “I’m not broken, you know. You don’t have to act like I’m a fragile doll. Or that I’m gonna go crazy at any moment. I’m fine. And I appreciate the rescue. It was...” she shivered. “Not a good place back there.”
At long last, she jutted her hand forward to shake. I clasped her small hands in mine, and she finally gave me a smile. “Pack life’s been lonely,” she started, leaning back in her seat. “Everyone seems scared of me. Can’t say I blame ‘em. I’m used to it, though.”
I thought about that for a moment. It couldn’t have been easy. Kit came back with some bread and soup, passing it out to us in bowls. He offered some to Lorsa, but she said she’d already eaten.
The soup was still warm and from the first bite, I realized how hungry I’d been. The beef broth was hearty and rich, filling and warming my empty stomach while I nibbled on chunks of crusty bread. Celery, carrots, and potatoes floated in the broth along with bits of meat, making quite the hearty stew. For a few moments, the only sounds were the clatter of spoons against bowls and the slurping of broth.
Lorsa gave us our time, simply observing over the rim of her mug, and when I’d drained my soup bowl, she began to speak again. “I wasn’t always part of the Emerald Isles flight. I wasn’t born there, I mean.” Her voice was quiet and reflective, almost like she was speaking to herself. But I didn’t interrupt.
“I’m not a shifter like them. To be honest, I don’t know what I am. I still don’t know who my real parents were.” She shrugged. “But I do know I’ve always been able to see things other people couldn’t.”
“What kind of things?” Lionel asked.
She thought for a moment.
“The whole universe is made of energy. You are made of energy. So am I. My ‘power’, if you want to call it that, is that I can see the flow and interconnectedness of these systems. And,” she continued with a wry smile, “I can affect those systems.”
That must have been what happened on the beach, I mused. “I bet that comes in handy,” I offered. My mind was already reeling with the possibilities. If she could reach so deeply into a shifter’s psyche and see what was going on there, what else could she do?
“I know you must be wary, and to be honest, I don’t blame you. The Emerald Isles flight took me in when I’d lost everything. They told me they found me washed up on shore along with some driftwood. They could have easily left me to die, but they didn’t.”
“Raised among dragons...” Lionel breathed. “Incredible.”
Lorsa shrugged. “I decided to stay. All I ever wanted to do was to help people.” She finished her tea and sighed, looking downward. “I never wanted any of this to happen.”
Now that I’d gotten to know her a little bit, she didn’t seem so intimidating after all. Creepy, yes. But malicious? She was just doing her best. I knew that feeling all too well.
The door creaked open once more and we looked up to see Markus standing there in full regalia. His face, once creased by stress, lightened when he saw us.
“Oh,” he said softly, stepping into the room and closing the door. “Fancy seeing you here.”
4
James
I barely slept the whole night. How could I, when I’d managed to find not one, but two men that needed my help?
I tossed and turned. Pulled the blankets over me. Kicked them off. Finally, when the sun started to creep over the horizon and bathe the world in its pre-dawn glow, I threw myself out of bed and made up my mind.
I was going to go with them, and I was going to march right down there and tell them that. Surely they’d listen to reason. The trip would be dangerous, first of all. They needed someone like me.
That, and I couldn’t get the thought of Tristan and Hugo out of my mind. They burrowed in more than Tristan ever had, the both of them taking up residence in my heart and rousing my shifter to full wakefulness.
My wolf knew what he wanted. But did I?
I grabbed my bag (always packed and ready) and headed out into town, knowing there was only one place they’d be leaving from. It was still early, but I didn’t mind.
The town was empty this time of morning. Just the way I liked it. The pre-dawn haze glittered on each dew drop. A slight breeze rustled the few leaves that had started to fall. Soon, the ground would be blanketed with them.
I followed the path through the gardens and out to the city gates. There, I found what I was looking for.
My suspicions had been correct. A large caravan sat at the gates, its doors flung open while men scurried back and forth with supplies. Looked like they were making quite the go of it. In which case, they could definitely use someone like me.
While I was trying to work out what I was going to say, I narrowly missed a man rushing by with a cart full of boxes. “Watch it!” he barked over his shoulder and kept moving.
“Excuse me!” I yelped back at him, but I didn’t notice his partner rushing along behind him.
“Make way!” The man yelled, but I was still off balance from dodging the first almost-collision. I took a step backward and my ankle twisted, lurching me backward. I windmilled my arms and grabbed only air. A metal railing came up and smashed into my back, but my center of gravity had already gone over.
Air whooshed around me and I tumbled over the railing, falling head first toward the ground.
Clang!
I landed on something soft, or at least, softer than concrete. My head was still swimming and I looked up just in time to see a yawning metal door hurtling toward me, blocking out the light...
Clang!
The door slammed shut, and I was in darkness.
Panic didn’t set in. At least, not at first. I could get out of this. No problem.
I felt across the walls. Cold, unmoving metal. I was in some sort of box. Some sort of shipping container, if I had to guess. Too bad the ceiling was too high for me to reach. Damn my short stature!
I tried jumping, but my hands couldn’t find purchase. Even if I could reach the door that had slammed shut on me, I’d have to have the strength to push it back open.
“Hello?” I yelled, beating the sides of the container. “Hey! Help!”
I couldn’t hear anything through the thick metal walls. Nothing but the reverberation of my fists beating on metal. Nothing but my screams falling on deaf ears.
“Okay,” I muttered to myself, trying to stave off the panic rising with each passing second. “I got this. I got this.” My mind raced, searching for solutions. Maybe I’d have better luck in wolf form? It was worth a try.
I called out to my shifter and hunkered down, letting the change overtake me. In human form, I had a slight frame and didn’t do a lot of physical activity. My shifter form matched that, a lanky grey-brown wolf whose only advantage was enhanced sight and smell. Then again, pretty much any wolf had that.
Some of the alpha wolves could have made the jump easily. With their stren
gth and stature, they could have toppled the container or slammed the door back open. As for me? I was just about the opposite.
A skilled medic? Sure. Quick and adaptable? That too. Known for superhuman feats of athleticism? Not so much.
I was screwed.
The ground shook beneath me and I stumbled, leaning against one of the walls for support. My ears picked up the scraping sounds of movement, and then the container lifted off the ground. I howled, I scratched, I jumped.
Nothing helped.
At least in my wolf form, I could hear faintly the voices outside. Could hear the very same people I’d been hoping to find.
“Have you seen James anywhere? I know he was kind of sore about not being able to go.”
I froze. That was Tristan’s voice. If I could just yell loud enough, or make enough commotion for him to hear me...
“No, I haven’t seen him. Maybe he’s sleeping in. It’s still early, anyway.”
“It’s a shame. Was hoping to say goodbye before we left.” A pause. “And thank him for the medical help.”
“Well, we’ve waited around long enough. We need to get going while the day’s still young. Load this up in the wagon, will ya?”
The box thumped. Knuckles rapped on the side.
Oh crap. This was part of their cargo?!
“Tristan!” I screeched, but they were in their human forms, oblivious to all but the most obvious sounds.
The container moved again, and it bobbed up and down a few times before settling with a bone-shaking thump onto a hard surface. We began to move again, and though I couldn’t see what was going on, I had a pretty good idea.
Looked like I was going with them after all—an unwitting stowaway on a dangerous mission.
What could go wrong?
5
Tristan
“It’s almost noon. Think we have time to stop for lunch?”
