Another scream came, and my heart was in my throat. All I could see was Drue’s smiling face and the way she tossed her hair, strutting around the office. I’d seen the way she had teased Xander and the affection with which he treated her, ever the indulgent uncle.
Fierce protectiveness surged up. I wouldn’t let anything happen to either of them.
Coming around a bend, I slipped and slid, falling hard on the ground. With a groan, I sat up, and my fingers latched around the bracelet. Enough of this. I wasn’t going to keep it on another—
“I wouldn’t, Tiani,” said a soft voice from behind me. A voice of nightmares and whispered laughter, rasping with an odd smokiness. “At least, not yet.”
Getting to my feet, I turned and saw Lind standing behind me, arms folded as she leaned on a tree. A soft chuckle escaped her as my fists clenched. I had every intention of punching her in the face and maybe scratching out her eyes for good measure.
“We don’t have a lot of time, so save it,” Lind said as I took a step forward. An augris was hovering at her elbow, knobbly hands twisting under its cloak. Her eyes glinted at me as I glared at her. “Look at you, all settled in. And here I thought you were a drifter.”
I said nothing, only narrowed my eyes. I knew how she worked, how she liked games.
Lind huffed a sigh. “Not going to play. That’s fine. Any moment now, dear Xander is going to notice the breach and come running. We could only afford a brief distraction. Poor dragon’s been chasing his tail.” My jaw gritted. “Oh, so you do know.” Now her smile became truly cruel. “Have you wondered? You must be dying to take off that pretty little bracelet, find out one way or the other.”
I shrugged. “Not really.”
“Oh, it is killing you.” Lind’s delight snarled around my heart. “You could finally have your answer. Is that why Orion was always so interested in you, why he let you think you were protecting Iris when really you were the pawn to play? Or is it something else?”
“Either way, therein lies the danger of telling a pawn what they are," I said in a low and shaking voice. "They know it's a game and what they're worth."
“You won’t do anything,” Lind said, but there was a flicker of doubt in her eyes. “I mean, yes, you did get away from me, but I knew you’d wind up here eventually.” Her eyes traveled around the rain-soaked woods. “God, I hate this place. How I’ll enjoy burning it to the ground.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
Lind laughed. “Oh, good, you are getting attached. You’ll take this seriously, then. In exactly two weeks’ time, you will leave Winfyre and return to Kizin.”
“Why?”
“You’ll find out.”
“And if I don’t?” I asked, shaking from head to toe and stalking forward. “If I ignore this little mandate and tell—”
“Then today, that girl—what’s her name, Drue, right?” Lind asked, and my fists clenched. “Yes, Drue Grace, who was just rescued, will vanish. She’ll stay with me for a bit, and then maybe I’ll leave her on the borders for Xander to find. Only this time it won’t be her secrets, Tiani. It will be yours.”
Bile rose in my throat, and I reared back without thinking. “It’s you.”
“I can’t take all the credit,” Lind said. “But we had to ensure that if you made it here, it wouldn’t be easy for you to leave. We had to trap you here until it was time to come home.” Her voice dropped. “Two weeks, be out of Winfyre Ridge by midnight. Or I start with Drue Grace, working my way through that family until maybe I snatch an infant or two.”
How I kept myself from launching at Lind, I didn’t know.
“And one more thing: in case you get any ideas about telling Xander or removing that charm bracelet of yours, we have insurance.” Lind stepped forward and patted my cheek. She was almost the same height as I was, and her dark eyes danced as she pinned me on the spot. “Someone Xander thought he lost long, long ago. Someone he’d do anything for. Someone we will kill, and blame the murder on you.”
Desolation swept through me. I’d never escaped. I’d only been meant to think I had.
“Now you understand,” Lind said with the fervor of a zealot. “We knew once Iris found her mate that you’d be tempted to trust that he and Winfyre could protect her.” Amusement crossed her features. “Well, you’d have been right. So, now, just so you know, if you take it off, it won’t be Iris. It will be the person, the reason Xander Bane has all but given up his soul for this wretched place.” Lind gave me a patronizing smile now. “You don’t want to be the reason to destroy it.”
I snapped, and my fist flew out, connecting with her nose. Bones crunched, and Lind let out a shriek of pain. The augris whipped out a hand, and I went flying backward, only to collide with a hard chest. Familiar hands caught me and held me for a moment, as though to reassure themselves that I was okay.
Lind snarled and started forward, but the augris caught her. They both vanished in an instant, and Xander let out a colorful string of curses.
“What the hell was she doing here?” barked another voice. Rett. “How did she get in?”
“Augris must have slipped through a crack in the wards,” Xander said, sounding exhausted. “I was distracted; it took me a minute—” He broke off, abruptly, his voice deepening with concern as he came to stand in front of me and took my shoulders. “Tiani, what did she say? What did she want?”
I shook my head, not trusting my voice or the ability to look him in the eye.
Two weeks. Someone he thought he lost, long ago. Destroy his soul.
“Tia?” Xander cleared his throat, trying to sound lighter, but he sounded gruffer. “You okay?”
I wanted to nod, but reflexively, honestly, I shook my head. I couldn’t lie about this. Drue almost died because of me. A hand clapped over my mouth, and I wanted to scream. And I still might be the reason Winfyre burns. I never should’ve come here, I never…
“Go on,” Rett said. “We can handle this.”
“Thank you,” Xander said.
Before I knew what was happening, there was a rush of air, and my stomach dropped as we hopped across Winfyre, straight into the bungalow. Dimly, I was conscious that we were both soaking wet and muddy, dripping and making a mess of the floors.
Also, in the back of my head, I was racing to put the pieces together and figure out how much they knew. How I could stop them. I’d have to play along, but they didn’t know how—
Xander’s hands slid down my arms and cupped my elbows, cutting off those thoughts.
A two-week reprieve. Two weeks of bittersweet freedom. Two weeks to…
I fell into Xander, wrapping my arms around him and letting someone hold me up for a moment. Later, I could be strong and unflinching. Right now, I needed him.
In fact, I thought I might die if he pushed me away.
Instead, with a tenderness that was carefully hidden but that formed the very lining of his soul, Xander held me. Held me against his hard body and held me up.
He didn’t press; he didn’t pry.
He just held on.
Chapter Twenty
Xander
The storm had increased in violence, and there was a momentary pang of guilt that went through me, thinking of the patrols braving this storm. Usually, too, I’d feel like I should be out there with them. But not tonight.
Bringing over a steaming mug of tea, I handed it to the huddle of blankets on the couch and sat down next to her. Both of us were freshly showered, wearing comfortable clothes and in for the night. Kal and Fallon were in charge of things, while Rett had dealt with the brawling teens.
Still, restlessness crawled under my skin, that need to do something, anything.
My stomach twisted when I thought about Lind and the scent of blood clinging to her, the drops staining the edges of her blonde hair. I’d never thought she’d be the one to do such a thing, but working with the Excris had corrupted her. She was losing what little humanity she had.
Nor did I k
now where to begin with Tiani. What Lind had said or done, or, hell, almost done. Lind loved to stroke her fingers across the fear pressure centers, waiting for the right moment to strike. I’d been avoiding Tiani, yet worried about her and, so help me, missing her. Now I was even more worried about her. Technically, I wasn’t even sure we’d made up yet.
"What are you thinking about so loudly over there?" Tiani asked in a raspy voice. "Fidgeting and clearing your throat." She took a dainty sip as I glanced at her. "Not really living up to your reputation, big bad Bane."
My lips twitched. “It’s what I should be, though, isn’t it? Or at least what I should want to be.” I heaved a sigh. “Inconvenient you’ve found me out.”
“Oh, I still know you’re a stubborn, draconian ass, if that's what you're worried about."
I heaved a sigh and put down my mug, rubbing my hands over my face. Every time I thought I’d pushed her away or drawn that line in the sand, something happened and set us in motion again. It was a spiral, drawing me in, and the only way I could get further away was by running in place.
I needed an inch, and maybe she did, too.
“I’m sorry,” I rasped out. “I’m so, so sorry, Tiani.”
Tiani stirred, and I sensed her looking at me, then heard her put down the mug. “Uh, what?”
"For everything," I said and rocked forward, bracing my elbows on my knees. "The secrets, the roommate situation, the stupid spats, and my overall shitty behavior."
“You weren’t shitty overall, only in spots.”
“Thanks,” I growled.
“Xander, I forgive you and hope you’ll forgive me, too,” Tiani said.
I went to say something, then stopped and tilted my head at her. She smiled at me. “Maybe,” I said in a thick voice, “we could try not having to apologize to each other for a while.”
Tiani bumped her shoulder with mine. “Sounds like a plan.” The expression on my face must have changed, because Tiani sighed and asked, “You want to know about the rest of Lind’s horrors?”
“Yes, I…” Trailing off, I blinked at her and sat up straight, a strange knot in my chest. Only I couldn’t tell if it was getting tighter or loosening. “I…”
“What is it?” Tiani asked, and her fingers rested on my forearm. An electric jolt went across my skin, and I heaved a hard breath. “Xander?”
“Hate that Lind even got in,” I said gruffly.
“Oh, well,” Tiani muttered and slumped against me, her head on my shoulder. Her other hand slipped underneath my own, and she pressed her palm against mine. “I doubt the snake will try it again.”
I looked down in some wonder at the dark head nestling against me, the damp strands tickling my neck and sending rockets of sensation through me. Meanwhile, she now held my hand in both of hers, as though trying to make up for the difference in our hand sizes. The side of her pressed against me, and I could feel the curve of her breast against my bicep.
Swallowing hard, I realized I’d missed everything Tiani had just said.
“Repeat that?” I croaked.
“Just apologizing for incentivizing Lind to come here,” Tiani said stiffly.
“Not your fault,” I said. “She’s been breaking in for years. Wants to torch the place.”
Tiani stiffened and drew back. “You know?”
“Yes,” I said dryly and studied her. “That’s what she said, wasn’t it? Or threatened?” Tiani said nothing and curled her fists back into her lap. Giving in to instinct, I put an arm around her and shook my head as I pulled her into my side. “Lind is a manipulative, evil woman.”
“I’m sure she’d be happy to hear you speak so highly of her.”
“Don’t let her in your head, Tiani,” I warned. “Although, that’s probably the only way I’d ever find out you cared about Winfyre.” A sharp elbow met my ribs. “Hey, I’m kidding.”
Tiani sighed and slumped against me. “I suppose it was wishful thinking that I’d never see her again.” Warm fingers drifted up my arm, and I almost lost track of what she was saying again. “Thank you. I was in real trouble.”
“Can’t leave you alone for a second,” I said indulgently. “Always getting into trouble.”
“Mm-hm,” Tiani said, and I realized she was now snuggling against me. Astonishment warred with trepidation and triumph. But my body had reacted before I knew it, turning toward her and sliding my arm lower, draping it across her waist. “You’re warm. And comfy.”
“I run hot.”
Tiani let out a dreamy laugh, and a hand rested on my sternum. “Oh, I’m aware.”
The other day, that heat had engulfed me in a way that had made me crave Tiani, demanding her and fighting against it in the same breath. Today, that hunger was deeper, quieter. This was a different kind of comfort. Intimate, but straddling the line of friends and…
Her breathing pattern had changed, and so had the soft weight pressing against me. A subtle shift, but one that distracted me because I realized that for the first time in my life, someone had trusted me enough to fall asleep in my arms. Someone who’d lived with me, put up with me, and knew one of my darkest secrets.
I had to focus to keep the tendons of my hands loose. To keep myself from holding on as tightly and as long as I wanted to. Instead, I breathed in this moment, her scent and her warmth.
“We’ve come this far,” I murmured, for once not worried. “Who knows where we’ll go?”
“No trace of her,” Luke said and leaned back against the wall, jaw working. “If something had happened to Drue…”
“Drue is fine,” Fallon said, almost sharp with reproach, as though to reassure herself of the same thing. “That damn thing didn’t manage to get her.”
The Excris attack that had coincided with Lind’s appearance involved dindari and Rotted, along with the augris who’d apparently brought them through. Excris didn’t usually work together like that, especially three different kinds who hated each other on sight. This was Lind’s influence at work. My guess was that the other breach, involving the stasis Skror regiment, had been unwitting pawns in her game. She was testing the defenses of Winfyre, probing restlessly for weak spots.
On the one hand, it was nothing new. On the other, it was apparent she was hungry for shifter blood. Drue had almost whetted that appetite.
Luke, Fallon, Kal, and Rett had arrived with the dawn to discuss yesterday's events and what they'd found overnight. Tristan had gone north to Veda to consult with Finch, Beylore, and, by extension, the Coven. We had to change what we were doing, or there were going to be more casualties.
“We also need to finalize the evacuation plans,” I mused out loud, bringing the conversation to a grinding halt. “No matter what, there’s always been a chance that Winfyre’s wards could fall.”
No one would meet my eyes. The Deacons were all glaring in different directions, while Luke rubbed his forehead. I bit back a sigh, knowing this was a subject that always caused a lot of grief every time I was forced to bring it up.
“I know, I know,” I said dryly. “I’ve no one to blame but myself.”
Luke started and met my eyes. "I wouldn't say it is blame."
“Oh, I blame him,” Fallon muttered.
Once upon a time, I’d been the Head Command. Some days, I missed that.
“Let me reiterate what I was saying, then,” I half-snapped. “Finalize those plans in the next week. Then, run it as a drill on a dry day in Cobalt and Veda, in tandem. Get copies to every home.”
“A week?” Rett asked. Kal heaved a sigh, and Rett glared at him. “We agreed—”
“That changed,” Kal interrupted and glanced at me. “It had to, once the Greyclaw were compromised and Hamlet Norson was killed. Then the bloodwriting and the breaches…”
"I don't believe that. It was…" Rett blinked several times and turned to me. "You bastard."
I huffed a laugh. “Tell me how you really feel.”
Rett’s face flushed with a dark, angry color.
&n
bsp; Kal had been almost impossible to persuade, so I’d gone for his weak spot. I’d gone for all their weak spots, in fact, but they didn’t know that yet.
I’d gotten their mates on my side.
At first, Iris and Laia had been absolutely against it, suspecting what the wards falling meant for me. But Reagan and Sierra, though not happy about it, had sided with me. They’d talked both of the others around, and then we’d started with Kal.
“You didn’t mind that he went behind your back to Iris?” Rett demanded.
“I wouldn’t say that,” I said.
Luke was giving me a cool and appraising look, which meant he probably suspected I’d done the same with Reagan and the other mates. “This is why Kal was so furious with you a few months ago, wasn’t it? I thought that was odd.”
“What, when?” Rett asked, distracted.
“Maybe a week after Iris defeated Lind.” Luke shook his head. “You were in Veda.”
“You bastard,” Fallon said now and heaved a sigh. “I thought we agreed—”
“There isn’t another way,” I said. “Run the drills. Make sure people know it.”
Rett and Fallon both glowered at me, while Luke seemed torn between appreciating my cold practicality or giving me a good kidney shot. Kal had almost punched me in the face.
But to my surprise, Kal was the one who growled, “Let it go, and do as he says. But how about you do us a favor?" His eyes flicked up to the ceiling, and I caught the distant sound of the bed creaking, then feet landing lightly on the floor. Tiani was awake. "Take a day off. Rest.”
“Fair enough.”
All four of them gaped at me. Kal had been bracing himself for an argument and now looked like a puffed-up frog who was slowly deflating. I hid a grin and shrugged.
“Let’s go before he changes his mind,” Kal said, grabbing Rett and Luke by the scruffs of their shirts and yanking them out of the kitchen. “Come on.”
Their shock was so great that neither of them protested but mutely went along.
Dragon's Oath (Northbane Shifters Book 5) Page 17
