by Tamsin Ley
HAPTER ELEVEN
A sleek blonde palomino careened out of the barn toward Renee, a terrifying scream issuing from between its bared teeth. Startled, Renee fell backward, landing with a painful thump on her backside. Head lowered, the horse churned up bits of gravel, charging straight at her. Renee rolled, flinging herself out of the way. Hooves streaked within a hair’s breadth of her shoulder. The beast’s momentum slowed as it rounded the driveway. It then faced her again, ears pinned, and reared.
A bolt of fear ricocheted through Renee’s blood. Is it angry at me?
Before she could react, a familiar charcoal-gray stallion barreled out the door. Uncle Saul? Renee clambered to her feet, palms stinging from the gravel. The stallion drew up facing the mare, neck arched and teeth bared. Were they fighting? What was going on?
Yet another form exited the barn. Renee let out a breath of relief to see Black’s centaur shape gleaming magnificently in the sun, bare torso rippling with muscle. He pounded toward Renee, and she backed up a step, uncertain. Thrusting a hand toward her, he commanded, “Get on.”
The seriousness of his gaze gave her strength, and she gripped his hand. He lifted her with a powerful flex of his arm, settling her into the curve where horse met man.
“Hold tight,” he said, and spun toward the fence gate.
“Is that Lori?” Renee wrapped her arms around his chest, glancing at the gaping barn door in case any more rabid horses decided to emerge.
“Yes,” he gritted between clenched teeth, freeing the gate latch.
Glancing over her shoulder, Renee sucked in a breath as the palomino reared back, front hooves churning the air. The stallion reared in return. They clashed, teeth gnashing and front legs flailing.
Black lurched forward, and Renee was forced to face front again, wrapping both arms tightly around his ribcage. I’m riding a centaur. Again. The thought would have made her giddy if she wasn’t already dizzy with confusion. Pressing her cheek to his shoulder blade, she squeezed her knees around his withers to hold herself steady. Within moments, he was at a canter, headed for the road toward town, and Renee found herself easily adjusting to the rhythm of his gait. The combination of man and beast felt so natural, she closed her eyes, enjoying the passing air, the feel of his muscles flexing beneath her, the warm scent of his skin.
Her brief dip into sensuality was broken by pounding hooves approaching on the left. Her eyes popped open to see the palomino giving chase. Even more horrifying, the beast’s pale muzzle was flecked with blood.
“Black!” Renee cried.
Leaning forward, Black increased speed, but the palomino continued to gain. The mare reached his hind quarters, neck stretching forward and lips drawn back in almost predatory ferocity. Renee could swear the horse’s eyes glowed with demonic light.
At that moment, Black grabbed painfully tight to Renee’s thighs, and it felt like his hind legs went out from under him. Turning sharply, he skidded to a stop.
Too terrified to even scream, Renee hung on for dear life.
The palomino overshot them, hooves scrambling against the parched grass. Black looked over his shoulder into Renee’s eyes. “You okay?”
She nodded, her voice still caught in her throat.
“This might get ugly. Whatever happens, get as far away from Lori as you can, okay?”
Renee watched the mare paw the ground. Lori was horrible in human form. As a horse, she seemed possessed. “What’s wrong with her?”
Black shook his head, dancing sideways as the mare stalked toward them with her neck arched menacingly. Renee locked her hands around his chest as he angled his upper body to shield her from the mare. Lori tossed her head, white mane flaring wildly. Then she lunged, that awful sound screeching from her throat.
Black grasped Renee’s thighs like before and reared, pummeling Lori with his front hooves.
Clinging to him for dear life, Renee pressed her cheek flat against his shoulder blade, heartbeat racing ahead of her breathing. With every ounce of strength, she squeezed her knees to keep her seat. Black’s muscles rippled and flexed between her legs, and she felt herself sliding loose in spite of his added grip on her thighs.
The mare backed away, and Black dropped back to all fours with a jarring thud. Renee wriggled to regain her seat.
Then the mare twisted, ninja fast, lashing out with her back legs.
Black dodged right.
Deadly hooves cut the air where Renee’s thigh had been.
With lightning speed, Lori sprang forward again, sending Black into a backward leap. Renee wobbled precariously. Black threw a hand back to steady her, and Lori took advantage of the distraction, lunging again.
This time, teeth bit into Renee’s leg just above the knee. Renee cried out in pain, muscle bruised against bone. The next thing she knew, her grip tore free of Black’s chest and she was flying through the air. She landed hard on the dirt, her left shoulder taking the brunt of the impact.
Dust-choked air burning her lungs, she rolled to her knees. The ground shook with beating hooves while Lori and Black continued their battle. Black kept himself between Renee and the mare, but Lori was ferocious, biting and kicking until blood streaked Black’s bare chest and arms.
Another twisting kick caught Black’s cheek. He reeled, hooves stuttering unevenly across the ground. Lori broke away, and a horrific realization struck Renee. This fight wasn’t between herd members. It wasn’t about Lori and Black. He’s protecting me.
Renee hopped sideways, trying to get away. Her bitten knee throbbed. Her left arm tingled from her fall. She couldn’t get away, but she could fight back. Searching the ground, she located a stone the size of a softball. She hurled it at the oncoming mare as hard as she could.
The palomino shied away, bucking her hind legs as if to kick the stone from the air. In one fluid movement, she rounded on Renee again, whites of her eyes gleaming. Both front hooves pawed the air.
Black threw himself into Lori’s path. “Run, Renee!”
Renee limped back another step while the mare snapped her teeth. Black caught the bite with his forearm, shoving the palomino’s bulk backward. His front hooves slashed the palomino’s chest, drawing bloody grooves into her pale hide.
Renee scoured the ground for another rock. No way was she leaving Black to fight this bitch alone. The pasture here was frustratingly clear of stones. Several yards to her left, a handful of horses had appeared. They stood watching curiously, tails swishing the dusty air. Were they shifters? Why were they just standing around?
Black threw his arms around the palomino’s throat. His biceps bulged as their horse bodies scrambled for dominance. Lori managed a well-aimed kick against his hind leg and he went down, dragging her head along with him. The mare’s neck muscles stood out as she tried bucking off his added weight.
A chocolate brown horse in the nearby herd tossed its head and whinnied, looking at the nearby lane. The other horses nickered and looked that direction. A second later Renee heard it, too—the thrum of an approaching engine. Oh, God, the realtor. She’d never canceled the appointment.
A small white sedan appeared around the hill, moving slowly toward the house. It disappeared at a low spot in the road, but within seconds it would appear again, in full view of the fight.
“Black!” Renee cried. “A car’s coming!”
He’d wrestled Lori to the ground and knelt with both forelegs against her neck, his hands on her head. He couldn’t hear her.
She had to stop that car. Lurching toward the fence, she shimmied between the rails. Maybe she could stop the realtor before he saw anything. Block his view. Distract him. Anything. After a few steps, her injured knee gave out. She landed with both palms on the gravel, fire lancing through her wrists. Refusing to stop, she scrambled upright and limped down the gravel lane.
The car skidded to a stop amidst clouds of dust. Through the windshield, Renee watched the young man’s mouth form a perfect circle, his gaze focused past her on Black and Lori.
Shit shit shit! She reached the car door, and the realtor rolled the window down a crack. His voice tremored. “Is everything all right?”
Shooting a glance toward the fight, Renee was surprised to see six or eight naked people in a circle around Black. He knelt on the mare’s neck in human form. “Uh,” she said, unsure how to respond. Like a lightbulb, her father’s accusations about dark rituals and voodoo came to her. She smiled and leaned toward the window. “It’s a spiritual ceremony. Religious. Everything’s fine.”
“Oh.” The realtor cleared his throat, his gaze flicking down to Renee’s bleeding hands. “How about I come back later?”
Renee shook her head, closing her fingers over the stinging wounds. “I’ve changed my mind about selling the place. Sorry you drove all the way out here.”
The man nodded, already shifting into reverse. “Not a problem. Really. I’m… you… have a great day.”
She stood up, allowing the man to escape the unnaturally still scene outside. He gunned the accelerator all the way back down the driveway. Once the car had disappeared around the hill, she returned her attention to the herd of people assembled around Black. This was her ranch, and she was done being pushed around.
HAPTER TWELVE
Black gulped air, kneeling with his full weight on Lori’s carotid artery. Renee’s voice only reached him through a fog. His full attention remained on the twitching horse. He’d made it into human form in time to avoid being seen, but without his centaur’s weight bearing her down, Lori would regain control any moment. Sure enough, she rolled, forcing him to scramble away from her crushing weight.
The car’s retreating engine hadn’t yet reached the road as Lori regained her feet, eyes rolling with fury. Immediately she reared, razor sharp hooves churning the air. Although Renee was on the other side of the fence, Lori could clear that in mere steps.
Fuck this, Black thought. He no longer cared if he was seen. No longer cared if the herd saw him shift. His life-mate was in danger. Still in human form, he charged, tightening the shifter magic into a ball inside him then letting it flash outward in an explosion of change.
He reached the fence in centaur form at almost the same moment as Lori, his full weight tackling her off balance. Her front legs cleared the rail, but her back legs hit hard, knocking the wood beam loose. She and the rail tumbled head over feet into the gravel, raising a choking cloud of dust.
Renee had retreated to the other side of the lane and now stood with her back pressed to the fence on that side.
Black cleared the damaged fence, shooting past Lori and skidding to a halt between his mate and the mare.
Lori writhed in the gravel, her high-pitched screeching putting his teeth on edge. Glinting white bone poked like a spear from her right hind leg. Black’s vet instincts reared up, but he resisted the urge to help. If this was what it took to stop Lori, so be it. A break that bad would likely cripple her for life, since pins and other hardware used to fix broken limbs didn’t play well with shifter physiology.
The rest of the herd, still in human form, ducked through the fence and approached, gazes flickering between Black and their lead mare.
All Black could think about was getting Renee out of here, to safety, even if that meant parading his centaur form straight into town. He knelt on the gravel next to Renee. “Can you ride?”
She crossed her arms. “I could. But I won’t. This is my ranch, and I’m not being chased off.” Putting a hand on his wither, she nudged him aside and stepped out to face the oncoming shifters. “As the new owner of this ranch, I call a herd meeting.”
Black watched her in astonishment, a proud smile tugging the corners of his lips. The shifters slowed, standing in a line on the opposite side of their lead mare. Lori’s shrieking stopped, and her golden body shimmered and shrank, hooves becoming feet and hands, mane transforming into mussed blonde hair. Bone still poked from her bloody shin, and her face was a rictus of pain. Through gritted teeth, she yelled, “This human can’t call a herd meeting.”
More shifters arrived, still in horse form. The ones in human form murmured among themselves as the newcomers shifted. This was a good sign. For once they weren’t obeying Lori on pure fear and instinct. Black squared his shoulders. What he was about to do was more nerve wracking than showing Renee his shift. “Renee’s my life-mate. I demand the protection of the herd.”
The word “life-mate” whispered through the crowd. Black watched Renee out of the corner of his eye, unsure what her reaction might be to this announcement. She gawked at him, a huge question behind her eyes. But he didn’t have time to get down on one knee and ask if she felt the same.
Lori had bared her teeth, lips quivering. “She’s a danger to the herd.”
Renee placed her hands on her hips, her stance wide and assured. “I’m not the one who started this fight. And I’d appreciate someone telling me what the hell is going on.” She looked up at Black. “Why’s she trying to kill me?”
He glared at Lori as he answered. “The treasure in your grandfather’s will is real.”
“I thought you said the treasure was the horses?” Renee waved at the surrounding crowd of shifters. “And by that, I assume you meant the shifter herd.”
“I did. And I think your grandfather thought they were, too.” He curled his lip in disgust at Lori. “But apparently Lori found gold in the canyon.”
Renee’s eyes widened. “Really? I’m… I still don’t understand, though. Why attack me?”
Black’s eyes were drawn to Renee’s blood-flecked pant-leg, and his pulse thundered again. He shifted to human form and knelt beside her. “Let me look at that. Are you all right?”
“Unless she has rabies or something, I’ll be fine.” Renee batted at his hand. “Tell me why she wants me dead.”
Black refused to let go of her leg, examining the wound. Let Lori try to defend herself. “Care to share your plans with the herd, Lori?”
The blonde curled her lips in a feral snarl. Even though Lori couldn’t possibly stand on a broken leg and attack, a few of the nearby onlookers backed away a step. “You can’t trust a human.”
Millie ducked her head from between two of the men and raised her hand. She didn’t say anything, just stood there with her hand up. Black narrowed his eyes, uncertain about her sudden boldness. But she wasn’t looking at Black. She was looking at Renee.
“What’s your name?” Renee asked.
“Millie,” the woman rasped.
“Ivy-Jane’s mother?” Renee glanced at Black, who nodded.
Satisfied Renee’s wound wasn’t critical, he rose and asked, “Millie, what do you know about this?”
“Lori murdered Toliman and Gloryanna.” Millie ducked back between the men as if expecting a blow.
A collective gasp rose among the group. Lori glowered but said nothing.
Black’s blood turned cold. Murdered? The air had become too thick to breathe. He’d always suspected foul play, but by one of his own herd-mates? Poor Grandma probably never saw anything coming. His throat tightened. “Why?”
Lori snarled. “I’m the one who found the gold. I begged Toliman to have the ore tested. He just wanted to let it sit there while we slaved away keeping his precious ranch running. I would have used the money for the herd. We’d never worry about our security again.”
“So you killed him?” Renee’s voice came out an octave too high. “How did you think killing him—killing me—would make the gold yours?”
An evil look entered Lori’s eyes. “Ask your so-called life-mate.” She smirked at Black. “You don’t have to play the part anymore, Black. The cat’s out of the bag.”
Black glowered at Lori, nostrils flaring, heart thumping hard against his ribs. Of course she’d try to get in one final blow.
“What’s she talking about?” Renee asked.
Lori’s voice dripped saccharine-laced poison. “Black was going to convince you to marry him, sweetie.”
The full weight of what he stood to los
e by telling Renee the truth slammed into him. A life-mate was a rare gift, one not many shifters found. But he couldn’t lie to her, even if it meant losing her forever. Renee’s eyes glittered with pain, but he pressed on. “When you first arrived, I agreed to marry you in return for a rank in the herd.”
“You’ll never have that now.” Lori interjected. “You know that, don’t you?”
Black ignored her, his eyes only for Renee, pleading for her to understand. “The plan wasn’t to hurt you. Only to keep you from selling the ranch. And you’re so beautiful, it was easy to pursue you. But then you saw me. You saw my… monster.” The words felt thick in Black’s throat, but he kept on. “And you accepted me.”
“You’re not a monster,” Renee said softly.
He grit his teeth, refusing to look away from Renee’s trusting gaze. A monster like you doesn’t deserve a life-mate. “I am a monster. I agreed to Lori’s initial plan to steal your inheritance. I think she planned to kill you all along, but I refused to see it.”
“But you defended me.” Renee shook her head. “And we’re not married. How would killing me now make the ranch Lori’s?”
“She was going to forge the marriage papers and claim the ranch in probate. When I found out, I refused.” The plan still made Black sick to his stomach. He didn’t mention that Saul had considered the deal. After all, his uncle had thrown himself at Lori and given Black time to grab Renee and try to escape. Black still didn’t know what had made his uncle change his mind, but he would be forever grateful.
Lori curled her lips. “I’m the only one strong enough to do what’s best for the herd.”
Renee’s mouth became a thin, pale line, and in spite of her diminutive height, she seemed to stand ten feet tall. “Best for the herd? You have no idea what that even means.” She looked at Black, eyes burning with dark fire, then swiveled to address the crowd. “I don’t know most of you, but I’m going to assume you’re good people. Black’s people. This woman murdered my grandfather and Black’s grandmother—your previous leader. What’s the herd punishment for murderers?”
