by L. A. Banks
One guard complied while the other gently patted Jennifer’s cheek.
“Ma’am. ma’am, can you hear me?” The guard looked up at his partner as she slowly stirred. “Ma’am, can you tell me what drug you ingested?”
Jennifer groaned and then suddenly sat up, clutching the first guard for a moment, staring past him at Crow Shadow.
“She might wanna go with you-all and get this whole thing annulled,” Crow Shadow said, and then found the chair on the far side of the room to plop down into. “It’s cool. Not everybody can handle this, and I ain’t mad at her.”
“Ma’am, are you hurt in any way?” the larger guard asked, flexing as he glanced back at Crow Shadow.
“Uh, no,” she replied, but still visibly shaken. “I just saw a mouse, is all.”
The two guards looked at each other for a moment.
“If there’s anything harmful going on here, ma’am, you can come with us. You don’t have to stay here.” The guard holding the glass of water offered it to Jennifer, all the while glaring at Crow Shadow.
“If you’re scared in here,” Crow Shadow said, “you can go with these gentlemen. All right?”
“No,” she said, shrugging away from them and sipping the water she’d been given with a shaking hand. “It just caught me off guard. We’re married; we’ve got a baby together. I. I. well, I guess I mate for life, too.” She lifted her chin as two big tears rolled down her cheeks. “I ain’t got no family, nowhere to go, so I’m staying.”
“Ma’am, you don’t have to stay here if he’s hitting you, you understand. We—”
“Whoa now, just wait a minute,” she said, swinging her legs around to get off the bed. “He ain’t never laid a hand on me that way. Never.”
“Okay, Miss,” the guard standing closest to the door said, eyeing his partner.
“ ‘Ma’am’ it is,” Jennifer said, crossing the room to go stand by Crow Shadow. “I’m married.”
The other guard released a long breath of annoyance. “If you say so.”
Thrusting out her hand, she flashed her diamond chip at them as though it were a ten-karat stone. “I am ‘Mrs.,’ thank you very much—and I saw a mouse. and I want you gentlemen to leave. You should have an exterminator come next time instead of throwing terrible accusations against my husband.”
Again the guards gave each other suspicious glances, but they nodded and moved toward the door, but not before one mumbled under his breath, “I wish this trash would do their drugs at home.”
Crow Shadow just closed his eyes as the door slammed. He knew the flurry of questions was coming and he waited, feeling them building like the low-pressure system of a pending storm.
“Why’d you go and do something like that—show me something like that in a damned hotel!”
“Because if you had a heart attack or a miscarriage or wanted to leave me,” he said in a quiet tone, “I wanted you to be around other humans who could immediately help you.”
“Or were you trying to get me to leave you? Then that way your conscience would be clear.”
“No. My conscience would never be clear, no matter what. Because you shoulda seen this before we slept together. It was my fault you got pregnant.. I didn’t understand the human cycles.”
“I didn’t make you use no condom, so I can’t put it all on you. and I shoulda known my own cycle.”
“Water under the bridge now.”
“But you kept your word, which is more than anybody in my own family ever did.”
For a while they said nothing and he simply sat there with his eyes closed.
“Is our baby gonna be able to do what you did?” Her question came out in a frightened rush.
“Hopefully, if it’s lucky.”
He opened his eyes and stared at her, watching her hug herself and intermittently wipe away her tears.
“Okay, then I’ve got like a thousand questions more to ask you and I’m hungry and want to eat breakfast,” she said after a moment. “Because after you get over the shock, that wolf thing you do is really pretty cool.”
CHAPTER 5
Coffee mug pressed between her palms, Sasha closed her eyes and lowered her forehead to the kitchen counter as she wrapped her ankles around the legs of the stool. The situation with Shogun was so messed up.
“I know,” Hunter said, getting up to pour more joe. “I felt the same way when he told me. This sucks.”
“I’ll talk to Amy as gently as I can, but. ”
“Yeah, yeah, I already told him that it was better for him to sit her down and explain the differences between Werewolf and Shadow Wolf males. That should really come from him.”
Hunter glanced over his shoulder at Sasha as she looked up.
“But the truth in this case could make him lose face.” She pushed herself up with a weary sigh. “I mean, are they really that much worse than a Shadow male at the full moon?” She dragged her fingers through her hair.
“I don’t know.” Hunter paused for a moment and looked at her. “You tell me?”
Sasha opened her mouth and then closed it for a second. “Not fair. Not fair at all. I wouldn’t know and you know that I wouldn’t know!” She jumped off the stool and left her coffee on the counter. Oh, hell yeah, it was time to get back to New Orleans.
“All right, maybe that was uncalled for,” Hunter finally muttered, now standing in the bedroom doorway, watching her pack.
“Ya think?” She didn’t miss a beat slinging clothes into her duffel bag.
“All of this hits too close to home.” He rubbed the nape of his neck and then pushed off the wall. “You’ll have to allow me that.”
She stopped packing for a moment and placed one hand on her hip. “So, every time your brother comes to town and whenever there’s some personal whatever going on in the family, you’re going to go back to something that almost happened but didn’t—when nobody, not even you guys, knew you were related—am I hearing you right?”
“No,” Hunter said in a low rumble. “What it is, is that I thought Shogun was settled, and he’s not. and that unsettles me, all right. You want the honest answer, that’s the honest answer. I told you when we first met that I was no liar.”
“Unsettled, what the hell is that supposed to mean?” Both hands went to her hips as she dropped the duffel bag onto the floor.
“He’s unsettled because you’re still unsettled,” Hunter said without blinking.
“That is such bull,” she said, snatching up her duffel bag and walking deeper into the bedroom.
“Look me in my eyes and tell me it’s bull and then I will leave this subject for dead forever.”
“I’m not even going to dignify this wolf interrogation,” she snapped, yanking clothes from the drawer to jam into the duffel with her back still turned.
Hunter nodded and crossed his arms, watching her jerky motions. “You and I are linked at the soul. when you’re unsettled I feel it. My brother and I share DNA, and when he’s unsettled I feel it. This doesn’t mean I think anyone will act on what is there, but you will have to allow me my occasional growl for hating that it even exists—especially when you are so near phase and it is during the full moon.”
She felt her face get hot as her motions slowed. What could she say? She couldn’t look at Hunter as he quietly stalked out of the room and she straightened and closed her eyes, furious at herself and the whole damned situation.
“She knows?” Bear Shadow was incredulous as he sat up and pulled his body from beneath three casino beauties. He held the cell phone to his ear, speaking softly as he climbed out of bed. “What on earth possessed you to tell Jennifer while still in a hotel, little brother?”
Bear Shadow listened intently and then shrugged. “Seems like a logical explanation to me—but let’s hope that delivering the message to Silver Hawk goes as well. You may want to call Sasha first.”
Sasha clicked off the call and went to find Hunter, bags packed. What was with everybody today? Last night’s full moon
definitely wreaked havoc. Settled? Hell, what was that? The world had gone loco in the last twenty-four hours after months of serenity. Her brother had actually gone to Vegas and gotten married? Good for him, but sheesh.
But it was a great conversation opener, regardless—that is, if she could find Hunter and get him to sit down and have breakfast with her. She wasn’t surprised that he’d left the cabin, just thoroughly disappointed. She dropped the duffel bag on the living-room floor with a thud, went out on the porch, and then leaned her head back and released a long, mournful howl.
For the first time that she could remember, her personal life was fully eclipsing a mission. This had to stop and it had to stop right now. Before, when she was in uniform, she had personal shit going on, but somehow having the uniform on kept her head on task. Now, with this new unfettered entrepreneurialism, finding a rudder was harder than she’d imagined. Where was the structure? Where was the brass that she had to report to? Where were the rules and regs to keep her on point? Everything that she’d once hated and had felt onerous was now feeling like a loss of control. Now she was the brass. Now she set the schedule and all of the rules of engagement. Damn.
Maybe once she stopped by the sidhe she’d go speak to Colonel Madison, just to give him a heads-up about the possible storm heading his way. Going to the NAS would be familiar. It would be good to get her feet firmly planted on a military base again. Would be good to see fellow soldiers. Maybe some of that would click her psyche into gear.
When Hunter didn’t respond, she released another forlorn howl. All of this was such a waste of valuable time! More than anything, she hated that he’d been right. She also hated that this unspoken thing between her and Shogun even existed. The scarier part of it all was neither she nor Shogun had a clue as to how to make it go away. But one thing was for sure: Neither of them would act on it. That’s what she repeatedly told herself. It was her mantra. It was a pledge. She loved and respected Hunter too much to go there. That was what had infuriated her, the insinuation that there was more to the story than she’d already divulged and that there may be some hint of impropriety just because of the phase of the moon.
Sasha released a hard sigh and then turned to go back into the cabin to gather her duffel, but something gave her pause. It was an eerie feeling preceded by an unidentifiable scent and a glimpse of something that flashed by her peripheral vision. The hair instantly rose on the back of her neck and along her forearms. Something clear had shot by her, almost as though the translucent form were a heat wave of some sort. Then it was gone.
“Hunter!” Her voice gave in to panic as she leaped off the porch and ran headlong toward the tree line. “Hunter!”
She saw him part the underbrush in his wolf form, a few seconds from a shape-shift. Standing three feet at the shoulders, he bounded out of the dense foliage, massive canines bared. His glossy velvet black coat was bristled and his eyes were angrily glowing amber. She didn’t even have to ask. He’d seen it, too. She knew it; she felt it.
“What was it?” she asked as he shifted back into his human form.
“I don’t know.” Hunter looked behind him off into the distance. “I came out on the porch to cool off, and then I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It felt dark. Evil. And I knew it had no business being anywhere near the cabin or my mate.” He turned and looked at her. “So I went after it, but it was invisible.. I could only track it by scent and through sensing. I had to come out of my human to do that.”
Sasha nodded. “Let’s get you some clothes and then head to Sir Rodney’s. Vacation is over.”
“Yeah, it definitely is.”
It had been so long since she’d shadow-traveled that the first few seconds of doing so were disorienting. Hunter had said it was like riding a bike, but he’d been going in and out of shadow paths all of his life. This was still relatively new to her by comparison. Two months of serenity that was only interrupted by bursts of hot passion didn’t prepare her for the feeling of vertigo that stepping into a shadow and racing through mist-filled caverns created. When they came out on the other side, Sasha clutched her large amber ward that dangled from a silver chain.
“Take two deep breaths and breathe into the amulet,” Hunter said, stepping closer to her and placing his hands on her shoulders to ground her.
She just nodded with her eyes closed, feeling slightly nauseous, and let her duffel bag drop to the swamp grass. “Remind me to do a few shadow jumps before we engage an enemy target.”
“I’ll definitely do that,” Hunter said, picking up her duffel and hoisting it on his shoulder with his backpack. “Once we leave the Sidhe, we should do a practice run through the bayou on the way to the French Quarter. I don’t like how you look.” He touched the side of her face with his fingers, gently stroking it. “You’re perspiring, but your skin is cool.”
Sasha dabbed her forehead with the back of her wrist. She did feel clammy, but once a soldier always a soldier, and she wasn’t about to allow a little bout of the dry heaves take her off mission. She’d already gotten delayed enough, and now with something weird stalking her and Hunter she didn’t have time to worry about all of that.
“I’ll be all right. It’s just the change from New Hampshire’s morning frost to the Louisiana heat, and then throw in the shadow-travel distortion.”
Hunter nodded but didn’t seem convinced as he leaned his head back and released a howl to Sir Rodney’s Fae archers. Within moments they appeared high in the treetops with a friendly wave.
“Glad to see ya, laddie,” one archer said, giving them a nod. “Sir Garth has been pacing the floors waiting on your arrival.”
“We came as soon as we could,” Sasha hedged. “Last night—”
“Was a full moon,” another guard said, nudging one of his buddies with his elbow and making him smile.
“It was also inadvisable to travel at night, if there were Vampire hostilities going on in the region,” Hunter said, giving the smiling archers a deadpan expression.
“Of course, of course,” the lead archer said, retaining his good nature and sounding unconvinced. “Follow us.”
Sasha let it drop and simply trudged along following the archers as they deftly leaped from tree branch to tree branch. It was a graceful aerial display that had to be the envy of every squirrel, but it was dizzying to watch as full-grown men jumped distances that were surreal and landed on limbs that shouldn’t have held the weight of a bird.
Finally they stopped and turned to look at Sasha and Hunter. The lead archer took aim and then shot an arrow into what looked like dense foliage. But the moment the silver-tipped weapon hit its mark the entire Sidhe came into view, including its golden cobblestone path.
“Welcome to Forte Inverness, as always, my friends.”
“Thank you,” Sasha said, suddenly feeling the comfort of the familiar.
“Go fetch Sir Garth,” the lead archer said to a subordinate, sending the young man scurrying toward the lowering drawbridge. “Meanwhile, come in and rest yourselves. ’Ave some ale and bread. I know he’ll want to brief you before ye meet the king.”
The thought of Fae ale on an empty stomach with bread to soak up the alcohol was surely going to make her hurl. However, the offer of hospitality was too genuine to ruin with particulars and requests. So rather than protest, she and Hunter just offered nods along with noncommittal smiles as they followed their exuberant host.
As expected, nothing had changed. The sidhe still looked like it probably had for the last several hundred years or more. Once past the drawbridge and closer into the center of town, the lively Seelie Fae community was bustling in what looked like a medieval open-air marketplace. Irritable Gnome vendors hawked everything from vegetables to pheasants, magical housewares, and all manner of garments. Small Pixie children dodged between the stands, causing adults to fuss as they chased after the multicolored Fairies that looked like iridescent fireflies. Cheerful Brownies called out, trying to lure Sasha and Hunter to their stands
to sample tempting treats, while Elves worked hard at craftsman stands, creating unicorn horseshoes for the palace cavalry.
The long walk to the palace did Sasha good. Here the air felt balmy and the breeze was welcomed. Sasha looked up with awe. No matter how many times she visited Sir Rodney’s magical castle, the sight of it always stole her breath for a few seconds. Griffin Dragons circled the upper castle turrets that were so high they actually pierced the clouds. It never eased to amaze her how he’d created this piece of Scotland in the middle of the Louisiana bayou, below sea level at that, but with all of the trappings of the emerald highlands.
As soon as she and Hunter entered the castle courtyard, a familiar retinue of palace guards came out to warmly greet them.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes, and have come none the sooner,” a guard said, passing the word along the ranks to fetch Sir Garth.
“Glad to be here, as always,” Hunter said, clasping the guard’s forearm in an old-world warrior greeting.
“Ale and bread for our visitors!” an archer called out.
“Nay,” Garth said, mysteriously appearing on the front steps. “These be wolves, laddie. Fresh-grilled meat to go with a lager.”
“I stand corrected,” the younger man said, his cheerful voice ringing out as he bowed to Garth. “This is why you are now in better hands.”
“Indeed,” Garth said, and then stepped in closer to speak more confidentially. “Please, come with me. You’ll be refreshed from your journey, but we don’t have much time. This is a delicate matter. You came here on your own volition, understand?”
Sasha and Hunter both nodded.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “We get it.”
CHAPTER 6
Normally she wasn’t one to turn down magick-grilled-to-perfection Fae meat and mead, but for some reason the smell of steak and ale made her want to hurl. Discreetly pushing the large stein away from her, she picked at her plate while Garth filled them in on the details.
