Jon coughed harshly as he pulled his sword from its scabbard. “That's what I was going to say.”
I smiled as I pulled my own sword out and positioned myself in front of them, ready to take the brunt of the action.
The sound of footfalls grew louder, and men's shadows danced along the walls.
“Sure, you were,” I replied. “Now, who’s ready to fight?”
26
Mac
* * *
We were almost to the meeting point when the ringing started in my ear. Mark’s head turned slightly, letting me know he had heard it too.
“Does anyone hear that?”
James’ voice echoed inside the tunnels.
“I think, brother, we should hurry it up,” Mark said.
I nodded even as I picked up speed.
Me and my twin had always worked well together. This time wasn’t any different.
We moved in tandem, silently acknowledging that, without us, Smite had a slim chance of making it on his own.
Toward the end of the tunnels, distant figures could be seen waiting. I scanned the faces as we made our way closer, not seeing the one that I had wanted to see.
Robin.
Where was she?
A group of strangers stood with Aman and Rafe and, judging by the iridescence of their eyes, I knew that they were shifters.
Stopping in front of them, I hoisted Smite up higher onto my arm, pulling a grunt from him. We really needed to get him somewhere he could heal.
Grim-faced, Rafe looked back and forth between us, taking in Smite’s state of undress and all the various marks on him. He was probably realizing for the first time what actually went on here. And maybe what Robin had gone through. Similar thoughts had gone through my head as well.
Everyone remembered when Jon had brought her in. What she had looked like before she’d been nursed back to health. But no one actually talked about it.
But with Rafe and Aman taking glances at Smite and trying not to let the little ones see, maybe someone should have. Then maybe we wouldn’t have been so shocked at seeing Smite looking the way he did.
I remembered the first few days of Robin being at the village. The shouting, the screaming.
“So, this is Smite?” Rafe’s blunt question jarred me out of my thoughts.
Smite’s muscles tensed and he answered Rafe before I could. “I see I’m a legend.”
Rafe smiled cruelly as he gently picked up a little girl of about five. “Yeah, the legend that needed saving.”
I opened my mouth to tell Rafe to hold his tongue, but a hoarse laugh broke out of Smite’s cracked lips. “I guess that’s me.”
Smite eyed the dozens of shifters before us, and I wondered if he realized what he was looking at. If maybe he knew more than Robin did.
Instead of asking why these two men had a great number of people with them, he turned to Aman and asked something I had been wondering as well. “Where’s Robin?”
“Well, she’s not here.” Aman pushed in front of the crowd and glared at us openly. “She’s holding back the soldiers that were on our tail. You three probably alerted them to us. So, quit standing around and let’s get going.”
We alerted them? What? I caught my brother’s eye.
He shook his head. He was right—now wasn’t the time for arguing.
The shifters followed Aman out into the light, onto the trail that would lead them into the forest.
But I couldn’t leave her there. Like it or not, we had made a promise to help her, and I was going to see it through. Even if my brother decided not to come.
There were enough people here to help with the small children, and James, Rafe and Aman could help Smite.
I began to remove Smite’s arm from my shoulder, slowing down when he hissed in pain. “Rafe!” I called.
Rafe stopped and turned back to look at me.
“Take Smite. I’m going back.”
Brow furrowed, he hurried over and took Smite without question. “If you go back there, you’ll probably die.”
Not answering, I turned to leave, but Mark knocked my shoulders, causing me to stumble.
“He’s right,” my brother said. “We did what Robin wanted. We fulfilled our promise, now let's go. She’s a soldier. We’re not.”
“Jon isn’t a soldier, but I don’t see him here. And Smite needs medicine, so you two need to hurry and get him to Fagen. He might know what to do.” I stepped back and shook my head. “I’m helping. Help Aman with the kids, and get Smite to Fagen, but I’m going back.”
“I’ll go.” I forgot James was there until his soft voice came from my right. He looked down at his hands and made them into fists, before glancing back up at me. “I’ll go. I mean, you might need help, and well, I can help.”
I nodded, but didn’t ask why. I knew what my reasons were, and as long as he was willing to help, he could keep them to himself. “All right.”
I pointed to Smite and looked at my brother. “Make sure you get him back. We need to have him better.”
My brother’s face creased with worry. “We got this, brother. You just bring back the rest of our team.”
I gave him a one-armed hug before stepping back. “Good luck, guys. I guess we will see you when this is all over.”
As me and James jogged to where the sound of swords could be heard, I silently wished I knew the ending to this story.
27
Robin
Jon stood to my left, while Claius remained close to my right.
A growl rumbled out of Claius’ chest. I glanced down to see his fingers lengthen and sharp claws erupt from the tips. It was nice knowing you had a beast at your side.
The footsteps grew louder as the soldiers were almost upon us, but suddenly I heard something from my other side. Claius must have heard it too, as he turned, ready to attack the oncoming threat.
With Claius at my back and Jon at my side, I met the small charge of soldiers that had been expelled from the tunnels. There were ten to fifteen of them, and a little part of me became excited at the thrill of battle.
Swords met. I tried to keep an eye on Jon as I raised a boot to kick the man to my left, then stabbed one to my right.
Jon kept his back toward me as he used his sword to block the two soldiers attacking him. A third joined in, and I reached over and knocked the young soldier out cold with the hilt of my knife.
I heard more approaching footsteps and turned in that direction. Relief and surprise coursed through me when I realized it was more help for us.
Mac stood opposite Claius, using his fist to knock the soldiers toward Claius, who then helped them meet their final resting place. On Claius’ other side was a... giant polar bear?
Who in our group was a giant polar bear?
Had one of the shifters we had rescued come back to help us?
My attention was snatched back to the battle, and I parried against another soldier, then shoved in front of Jon just as the soldier he was battling came down with his sword.
“Now that wasn’t very nice, Ramons. Maybe you should pick on someone who can actually beat you.”
I pushed his sword hard with my blade, causing him to stumble back. “Or maybe you like battling people weaker, smaller.”
A nasty smile covered his face as he righted himself and began to prowl toward me.
Sure that the rest of the guys had the few remaining soldiers covered, I kept my eyes trained on Ramons as we circled, each looking for an opening.
Arms spread out, as if to dare me to take a chance, he looked around before making eye contact with me. “Robin, long time no see. I believe the last time I saw you, you had a little less clothing on.”
He sneered and tried to surprise me by suddenly thrusting with his sword. I blocked him easily with my knife.
“I think I prefer you that way.”
Pushing forward, I drove my knife at an opening, nicking his arm.
Anger blazed in his eyes as he took in the droplets of blood that began to
well.
“I’m sure you do, Ramons. But it seems like your mouth is going to get you in trouble. Now fight, and quit yapping about things you’ll never get again.”
He smiled, before moving and slicing his sword across my cheek. The small sting quickly turned into a pulsing burn.
“I wouldn’t bet on that, Princess.”
Just like in training, we stepped back into our roles as soldiers and fought with everything that we had been taught. Except instead of first drop of blood this was to be the first to fall.
My arm vibrated as metal clashed against metal, and I gritted my teeth to not show how much his hits affected me. Sweat ran down my face. I blinked, trying not to let it run into my eyes and burn.
Bodies littered the ground. We effortlessly moved around them in an attempt to see who was the greater warrior. The demented soldier or the fallen princess.
With a growl, I leaped forward, surprising him. His sword swiped across my abdomen, but I paid no heed to the pain as I pressed my weapon against his throat. “Yield, Ramons. Don’t make me kill you.”
Blood dripped down his neck where my knife had bit into his throat like teeth going in for the kill. “You’re going to have to kill me, Princess. I’m not letting you or those men of yours leave here. You’ll watch as I kill them one by one and then I’ll take you back to the dungeon.”
He licked his lips and swallowed harshly, causing my knife to dig deeper. “Where we can reacquaint ourselves.”
Sickened how even at death he could joke, I let him swipe his sword once again across my stomach this time deeper, as I pressed all my weight into my knife.
Eyes widening, Ramons tried to speak, but only gurgles of air and bubbles filled his mouth.
Stepping back, I grasped my stomach and waited for one of my tormentors to die.
His legs collapsed, and he fell against the concrete stone. I turned to make sure everyone else had everything under control.
With a small sense of satisfaction, I took in the last bit of the battle. Jon was finishing his last man off with a boot to the gut and a quick slash of his sword. The polar bear roared as Mac pushed another soldier in the direction of its claws, working together like they had done this many times before.
And Claius, done with his, turned to smile at me.
Despite my exhaustion, a small smile wound itself on my face, but as I looked around, the smile fell and horror replaced it.
At my look, Claius stepped forward in an attempt to get to me, then stopped dead and looked down to see an arrow protruding from his chest. He peered back up at me. “Robin?”
28
Claius
* * *
It's funny when you're dying.
The pain was intense.
I mean, an arrow through the chest hurts like hell, but then your legs give out and slowly everything becomes numb.
Shifters are resilient, but even we could die from an arrow to the chest.
The polar bear, who I was pretty sure was James, took off toward the errant shooter, and the next thing I heard was a scream.
Good. The last thing Robin needed was more people to come before she could get to safety. And they would come, I was sure of it.
Red liquid drifted into view beside me, letting me know I was right, I wouldn’t be coming back from this. The blood was pooling too fast around me. My body couldn’t heal around an arrow, and it wouldn’t be able to heal fast enough to fix the severed parts on the inside.
I was finished.
And I was angry.
It wasn’t fair.
All that mattered… had mattered to me recently... had been things that I had left unspoken to a certain girl and letting her know how much she meant to me. And I hadn’t even finished what I wanted.
Which was loving her.
Robin came into view, her hands shaking as they hovered over my face.
Man, she was beautiful.
Shadows fell over us and I took in the worried looks of the men. Hopefully they would help her. Lily and Jamie would, but they wouldn’t understand. Not many did.
Man, I hated doing this to her.
With hands gentler than I could imagine, Robin lifted my head and settled it in her lap. I was almost certain she was sitting in my blood, and I wished I could tell her to move. The last thing she needed was to get dirty because of me.
She stroked the hair from my face, and I hated that this was how she would remember me.
Weak.
Dying.
I’d rather she remembered our last conversation in the woods. I’d been so worried about showing myself to her, but when she sat it was euphoric.
Wetness from her tears landed on my face. I tried to raise my hand to brush them away, but it was like trying to move a mountain.
I was going downhill fast.
Robin’s lip trembled as she pressed one of her shaking hands against my wound, while trying to tug on the arrow with the other.
All I felt was a slight pressure.
“Robin, don’t.”
I looked up to see James had changed back and had knelt beside us. He was completely naked.
“You can’t just rip out the arrow, it will cause more damage.”
Her eyes narrowed, and I read the devastation on her face. Even as she could see that I was dying, she was going to fight for me, and I loved her so much for caring.
“What do we do, James? We can’t just leave it there.” Her voice rose as she looked around at the other men, almost begging them to help her. They remained silent.
James moved her hand off of me, and my beast growled. He knew our time was limited and wanted to at least have her touching us while she could.
James took my hand and slipped Robin’s much smaller one into it. “Robin, Claius isn’t going to make it. He knows it, I know it…”
James’ face paled. His polar bear stared at me, and my cat rose to meet it, an understanding going on between the two. “Robin, just tell him goodbye and let him die in peace, not in pain with us pulling and tugging on him. Give him that.”
Robin’s shoulders shook, and a small growl fell from my lips at seeing her so upset.
With the last bit of energy I had, I attempted to speak. "Robin.”
The word came out garbled. I tried to clear my throat, but something, probably blood, got in the way. But my beast wanted her so much, he pushed against me to help what little he could. “Love… youuu… so… muchhh. Go. Now.”
A small cry broke from her, and I wished I was strong enough to hold her. After today, that was going to be someone else’s job.
My beast and I roared silently at the injustice. She was ours.
And yet she wasn’t, not anymore.
She laid her hand gently on my cheek. It felt so warm, or maybe I was just cold—I couldn’t tell anymore—but I savored her touch for as long as possible.
I peered around to see her men surrounding us, watching over their leader as she fell apart. She would need them later.
With my ear so near the ground, I heard the thunder of footsteps. More soldiers were coming. She had to leave, keep herself safe. “Robin… go.”
My breathing became labored and I struggled to keep my eyes open.
So tired...
Robin moved back and slowly laid my head on the cold concrete. I tried to smile to reassure her, but it obviously didn’t work, since her lip quivered, and more tears cascaded down her face.
My lovely Robin.
My head lolled to the side and my vision began to grow blurry.
Lilacs. That’s how I would always remember her, no matter where I went next. I would forever remember her and the smell that reminded me of her.
Her face was mere inches from mine, and more tears wet my lips, just before her soft mouth brushed mine. “I love you, Claius, so much. I always did."
Her breathing harsh, I heard her wetting her lips, before whispering for only us to hear, "I just thought I didn't deserve you. You were too good for me. I was broken and
I didn't want you loving someone as broken as me."
Her tears fell in rivulets now, and I used the last of my strength to turn my head and look her in the eyes. Her face was blurry, whether from dying or my own tears, I didn't know. "You are perfect. And are everything but broken.”
With those words I was out of breath.
Jon came forward, and I fought to keep my eyes open. It was bittersweet, how this was going to end, but at least I knew Smite and Jon would look out for her. Maybe she would let people show her that she wasn't broken, merely wounded.
My only regret was that I couldn’t be there to see it.
To watch her fly.
29
Robin
* * *
My shoulders shook as Claius closed his eyes for the last time.
He loved me. This shell of a woman, who had more sins than I was willing to admit.
As he lay in a pool of his own blood, I could admit that I didn’t deserve him. And he didn't deserve this.
He loved me, regardless of my scars and sins. He seemed to love me because of them.
I couldn't hold back the sobs that racked my body as I stood up.
Jon’s arm came around me. “We have to go.”
James looked behind him. “Do you hear them? They’re coming for us. We need to leave. Now.”
Whatever had happened to James when he shifted, he was now a completely different person than when I had first met him. While any other time I might have bristled against his forcefulness, he was right. We had people we still had to take care of. People Claius had helped rescue.
They depended on us. On me. A princess who had no clue what she was doing. A soldier who had done wrong. A girl who wished she could be a little girl again, when times were simpler.
Clearing my throat of the tears and trying not to look at the body that had once housed Claius, I turned to the people who waited for my orders. “Yes. We need to get going.”
Mac and Jon looked down at Claius, as if they couldn’t tear their eyes away.
The Vengeful Robin Page 16
