“She’s not a shifter, you idiots,” snarled another young voice. “Nice going.”
“No, I could’ve sworn—” said one of them and then let out a grunt of pain as someone else hit the speaker in the stomach. “Whatever, asshole. She’s pretty. We can make money off her.”
“Excuse me!” I said, shocked. “Who are you brats?”
“Good point,” one of them said, ignoring me. “Shifter or not, can’t leave her here.”
“Hurry up, so we can go—”
“What do you want with shifters?” asked a mild, deep voice with a layer of frosted steel.
All the boys jumped and spun around, gaping at the tall figure standing behind them, arms folded. My heart began to fall back into normal patterns. I’d know those shoulders anywhere.
“Shit, that’s Xander Bane,” one of the boys said faintly.
“Who the hell do you think you are sneaking into my territory?”
Bane cocked his head and looked at the speaker, who cringed. His eyes traveled around to each of them and landed on the boy with the sword. “I suggest you place that down carefully, boy.”
The kid with the sword at my throat was trembling, and that made me more nervous than before. All it would take was one slip, and he’d hit a carotid artery, killing me. I saw his fingers tighten on the hilt, and the point moved closer, nicking my chin.
“Watch it, brat,” I snapped.
He looked at me in surprise, and the blade swung back toward his legs, giving me an opening. I was on my feet in seconds and hit his elbow. The kid let out a cry of pain and dropped the blade, which I snatched up.
“Interesting.” The voice behind me was different. Older, oozing slime and ugly rage. I instinctively knew he was the one in charge of this mess. Something sharp jabbed into my ribs. “Drop it.”
I did so, meeting Bane’s gaze. Fury had leaped into his blue eyes, and he glared at the man behind me, the careful control on his face gone. A shudder went over me, then a fierce pleasure as vindictiveness surged up. Oh, Bane is going to kick your ass for that.
“What’s your name, gorgeous?” the man slobbered in my ear.
A cold laugh escaped me. “Sorry, I don’t give out my name to cowardly pricks.”
The man fisted my hair in his hand and yanked my head back, glaring at me, then laying cold steel across my throat. “What’s her name, Bane? She looks familiar.”
“Mia,” Bane said in a cool, controlled voice. Almost too controlled. A smarter man would know Bane was lying. “Since we’re exchanging pleasantries, who are you?”
“I’m the one who’s got your girl. Oh, she’s special—I can tell,” the man leered, and a hot line of pain erupted between my collar bones, and warm blood seeped down my chest. “How about five wolves and three bears for her?” Again, Bane’s eyes flickered, and I saw the shock in his eyes this time. I wasn’t sure the man behind him did, because he snarled out, “Shifters, you half-breed asshole. Or are you really that cold you’d let this innocent woman die?”
“Bane, no,” I choked out, and the man yanked on my hair harder, making my eyes water.
The man grinned. “May not have caught a shifter, but this bitch was worth it, huh? She is beautiful, I’ll give you that, Bane. But I don’t have nothin’ to do with sluts who sleep with—”
His words were cut off as he froze. At first, I didn’t understand, confused as his arm seemed to be dragged away from my throat of its own accord. Stepping away, I stared at him, still as a statue, eyes bulging and darting around.
A second later, two brunettes appeared. The taller one had long black hair pulled into a high ponytail, a creamy face sprinkled with freckles, and snapping gray-green eyes. Her hand hovered over the man, keeping him locked in place, although her gaze could probably level him, too.
The other woman was petite, with caramel skin and dark brown eyes. She had a fire to her as she glared up at the man, then nudged the taller woman out of the way.
Then she punched the guy in the face.
“Sierra!” The first woman looked shocked for a moment, then grinned as the man flopped on the ground like a fish and went still again. The whites of his eyes bulged even more, and I laughed. “Aw, who am I kidding? Nice.”
“Thank you, Rea,” she said and cocked an eye at the boys behind us. “Drop your weapons.”
“Who are these crazy bitches?” one guy gasped.
“Excuse me?” Sierra said and looked around, the air crackling around her. She suddenly seemed taller and ten times more dangerous. Many of them took a step back. “That’s what I thought. Weapons on the ground, boys.” They all looked too afraid to move. “Now.”
“Better listen,” a new voice drawled. “She barks and bites.”
The boys jumped, then immediately dropped their weapons. Other shifters had appeared, including a dashing, tall man with a wide grin, tousled tawny hair, and gold eyes.
More than one of the boys nudged each other, pointing and gaping.
It was Tristan Llary, the tiger and another of the Northbane Alphas. He strode up to us while the other shifters rounded up the boys.
“Barks and bites?” Sierra asked Tristan. “Really?”
He’d been running his eyes over her, checking for injuries, and now met her eyes. A wicked, irresistible smile spread across his handsome face. “Am I wrong, Snowcat?”
Sierra’s answer wasn’t with words but a quick kiss, and Tristan laughed.
“Reagan, you can let him go now,” Bane said. His eyes briefly landed on me, and I nodded, not wanting to distract him. For once, Bane looked out of sorts, and he barked, “Tristan.”
The taller brunette relaxed her hand, and the man’s eyes rolled up in his head. Tristan murmured something to Sierra that made her laugh, then squatted down and peered at my assailant’s face.
I glanced between the two women again.
Reagan and Sierra. Sierra the Sphinx and Reagan Swiftlore. Their reputations preceded them, Reagan as a Kinetic and Sierra as a former Tiselk scout, both mates of the Northbane Alphas.
Iris had mentioned them the other day, but I hadn’t met them yet or any more Alphas. So far, I’d had a brief introduction to Laia Llary-Deacon, who was a lady after my own heart.
It was a little wild to keep meeting the people I’d heard so much about, and even more wild to find myself liking them.
As if on cue, another shifter loped up, tall and rangy, with bright green-blue eyes and close-cropped blond hair. His face was creased with worry, and I watched as he briefly embraced Reagan, then let his hand fall, hovering over her stomach. She caught it and gave him such a blinding, beautiful smile that I looked away. Another moment that was too intimate.
I wanted to leave but didn’t know if I should. Everyone was busy and full of purpose, calling out questions and getting answers. So, I stood on the sidelines, feeling more foolish by the minute and trying to ignore the snarl of embarrassment in my gut.
I'd been waiting for Bane, and now I had no idea why. He was busy, and I was probably in the way. The roommate who couldn't stay out of trouble now caught up in another mess. Backing up, I decided to make for the bungalow when a wave of dizziness hit me, and I pressed my hand to my head.
Pins and needles rushed down my arm, my hand feeling curiously cool, and a tight feeling pulsed behind my eyes. Hand slipping, I realized the front of my shirt was wet.
Oh. That’s blood. My blood.
Up until that moment, I’d forgotten I’d been wounded.
“Are you Tiani?” a warm, deep voice asked, and a tree trunk arm caught my shoulders, steadying me. I glanced up and blinked, sure I was hallucinating. “You all right, darlin’?”
“Kal?” I asked, even though I knew it wasn’t Kal. He was too young, dark-haired, and far more open than his stoic ice bear relative. But he was just as outrageously tall and strong. "No…"
“Nah, I’m Rett Deacon,” he said. “You must be—oh, hey now.”
Rett steadied me again, and my breath began to
get shallow, the pulsing behind my eyes becoming painful. He was saying something, and I ignored it, as I realized what was happening.
More importantly, though, I needed to see him. My eyes fastened onto the sturdy shadow staring up at the sky in deep thought. Something like a sigh escaped me as my thoughts became more disorganized, and the whole world centered onto him.
Xander.
Blue eyes pierced straight through me, as though he’d heard me call, and there was a single moment of ringing clarity before my knees gave out.
Rett’s voice became sharp and cut through the fog. “What the hell, she’s—”
There was a clamor of footsteps and a whirl of noise, then a slow wash of silence. My legs crumpled, but this time Rett eased me down, supporting me and calling out soundlessly. My eyes kept opening and closing, images flashing by. The dark pines, the melting snow and mud, and the big, warm presence suddenly at my side. Everything was going numb, too fast, from the cold whisper of the air to the hot leak of blood down my front.
Except for the nerves of my face, which surged to life as I realized it was Xander. His hands pressed my cheeks, and he shook his head, saying something I couldn’t hear.
“Poison,” I got out before I lost consciousness.
The last thing I saw was the leap of anguish in those blue eyes. A blazing and a hard look, along with a snarl shattering his poise. A look that promised to bring me back.
Chapter Twelve
Xander
Chest heaving, knuckles dripping blood, I resisted the urge to tear my way through the thick wall. Pacing back and forth was more a nervous tic of Luke or Tristan. Rett would act calm and then go out and shred a tree. Kal would actually be calm until he got his hands on that guy.
But with nothing else to do, I had to pace. The repetition kept pace with my circling thoughts and steadied me. Somewhat.
The last few hours were a blur, a flurry of images that I couldn’t scatter to the respective boxes I usually locked them away in. Instead, my mind had them in a death-grip, relentlessly going over them again and again. Looking for what I’d missed.
Tiani stumbling into trouble. I should’ve known.
I hadn’t handled that correctly. I should’ve stopped those breachers the second they got into Winfyre. Instead, I had a patrol following the group to see where they were going. They’d snuck in through a small gap, hidden on a fleet of small rafts, after leaving a boat behind on a nearby island.
Of course, those assholes had run into Tiani.
She’d fought with a startling efficacy at first, something I needed to look into more. Both to find out why and to see if maybe she needed further training.
Iris wasn’t trained like that, but then again, Iris was a Riftborn. It wasn’t uncommon for stasis to increase their physical fitness, and sometimes that triggered previously latent Rift gifts.
I should’ve intervened earlier, I thought again. I should’ve known that bastard was there.
Turned out the uninvited guest who’d led a bunch of kids into Winfyre was one Lorne Korcher. In that alone, he’d tricked me, sending the kids ahead. I hadn’t known about Korcher until he popped up behind Tiani.
Seeing him hold a knife to her throat filled me with rage, and I punched the wall again.
A former Skror who was known by reputation alone and often hung out with Billy Sarrow. His group popped up here and there to commit random acts of aggression toward shifters or anyone who got in his way, like Tiani.
Pressing my bleeding knuckles into the wall, I relented and sighed. Turning around, I leaned against it and pressed my face into my hands. Tiani had been so unflappable and calm, refusing to give Korcher an inch, barely flinching when he pressed that blade to her chest. I hadn’t even been paying close enough attention to smell the blood or the poison.
Then she’d stepped off to the side, waiting patiently while we worked. I’d been trying to focus and not let my eyes drift to her, not step over to her and check her over. I didn’t want to give anyone the impression I was acting like Luke or Tristan.
And finally, there was the fact that I could’ve sworn I’d heard her call out my name. My first name. Not dragon-boy or Bane. Then, when I’d met her eyes, I thought…
But I couldn’t be sure. The memory was a blur.
All I knew was that it had rooted me in place as the entire world seemed to erupt in a blaze of clarity, the gray and gloom between the trees turning golden, heat washing through my body and over my heart, dispelling the cold.
I swore, for a moment, I could hear her breath, feel the brush of eyelashes on my cheek and then the cold, sudden stutter of pain in her chest.
Then Tiani had fallen, Rett was yelling at me, and nothing made sense. I’d been rushing forward, the whole world engulfed in shadow and gloom. The clarity was swallowed up so fast that now I was sure I’d imagined it. Maybe I just couldn’t control myself around Tiani.
I’d been two seconds away from shifting into a dragon and letting Korcher shit himself.
It rattled me now, and it had rattled me then. Especially when I’d found myself holding Tiani’s face as the light in her eyes faded. She’d reached up to grab my wrist, and it had been only the two of us. That clarity had flickered and faded, blowing out like a snuffed candle. All the light gone.
No!
“Alex.”
I jumped, unaware I was no longer alone. Beylore stood in front of me, her hands clasped and her expression filled with familiar concern. My heart drummed painfully in my chest. I hadn’t even known Tiani had gotten out the word “poison” until after we got her to Rogda.
Was I too late?
The floor was falling away, and I was falling through it.
“No, she’s okay,” Lor said and tried to smile up at me. “Oh, Alex.”
“Lorel, you’re sure?” I rasped. Then I caught myself, wincing at the fact that I’d used the name she’d long since hidden away. “I’m sorry, I’m—”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” Lor said and gripped her opposite elbow in one hand. “We dispelled the toxin right away. It was the old Skror standby, nothing we hadn’t seen before. Tiani was fairly stable anyway, since it’s more dangerous for shifters than a stasis.” I nodded and went to drag a hand over my face when Lor caught it. “What did you do?”
“Punched Korcher, then a few walls,” I said, and Lor huffed. “He was ranting about being glad he stabbed her, and—”
“I understand,” Lor interrupted, and her soft touch healed most of the damage. Then she pulled out a length of bandage from midair and began to wrap it. "You know, it's strange how often Tiani is mistaken for a shifter." My heart twisted in my chest at those words. I didn't know how to respond since I’d been wondering the same thing. “Alex, you need to be—”
“Careful, I know,” I muttered. “Don’t worry about me, okay?”
Lor said nothing, only finished wrapping my hand and patted it. “So, you do like her.”
“What?” I barked. “No, I don’t. What?” Lor grinned up at me. “Tiani is, well, she’s infuriating. Always getting into messes and winding up hurt. Never mind forcing me to go back to the bungalow, and not to mention the whole trespassing thing and stumbling onto my secret. We have nothing in common, either—she doesn’t take things seriously, or, I mean, not the way I do…don’t give me that look, Lor. You know she’s headlong and reckless.”
“That’s quite an inventory for someone who is so indifferent to her,” Lor teased, and I clenched my jaw. “Opposites do sometimes attract, Mr. Straightlace. And I think going back to the bungalow was a good thing. You seem a little happier, a little less intense, and not as locked away.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, my voice low and harsh. “It can’t ever happen.”
“Why not?” Lor’s intensity surprised me. “Alex, I swear, if you’re punishing yourself—”
The door creaked open, and she fell quiet. Luke poked his head out and nodded at us. “He’s conscious again. And he’s talking.”
Lor went to say something, then stopped. I knew from the way her eyes clouded and her lips pressed into a thin line, she didn’t like the look on my face. The cold, mean-mugging dragon.
It’s not you, Xander.
I didn’t wait for an answer as I went in, cracking my knuckles so hard they began to bleed again.
Maybe not. But it’s who I have to be.
Sometime after dawn, I got back to the bungalow. Head spinning with tiredness, I shucked off my coat and boots, running a hand over my unruly stubble. It was almost impossible to keep up with any kind of consistent grooming. Why did I even bother half the time? We lived in the mountains, so why not go full mountain man?
Even though it was the last thing I should do, my taste buds were aching for coffee. Half-awake, I made a pot and went to the couch, a bundle of work tucked under my arm. The least I could do for my aching back was sit on the damn couch.
Only problem was, there was already someone there.
“Tia?” Her nickname rasped from my tired throat, and she jerked awake from the curled nest of pillows. I hadn’t meant to use it, not exactly. It was just that ever since I’d heard Iris use it, I’d been trying it out in my head. Fumbling for words, I stood there and finally said, “What’s wrong with your bed?”
“Nothing,” Tiani said and stretched, the blankets falling from her shoulders. She was rosy-cheeked, and her hair was a mess, falling in waves over her bare shoulders. I averted my eyes but not before I saw how skimpy that tank top was. “I was waiting for you.”
My entire body jerked around to meet her gaze. Tiani’s face was open and smiling, for once weirdly innocent. She’d meant it. She’d fallen asleep… “Why?”
“Seemed like the right thing to do,” she said and scooted back, patting the couch. “Sit.” I stiffly did so, still shocked and not quite sure what was happening. “Were you up all night?” I nodded and went to take a drink of coffee when a warm hand stopped me. “No, what are you doing? Coffee is the last thing you need, Xander.”
Dragon's Oath (Northbane Shifters Book 5) Page 11
