by Barb Shuler
Things don’t always work out the way you want them to. Another scent mingles with his. I stop, tilting my head. I know that scent, but from where? I’m moving faster now, having lost sight of my prey. I want to catch this fucking wolf. When I catch sight of him again, he has already seen me and has taken off running. With a growl, I follow after him. I refrain from shifting, fearing a human seeing a huge ass jaguar running through the edge of town and causing a panic.
The wolf is heading for the clearing. The knot in my stomach tightens as I get closer. I hear the unmistakable sound of Ty’s cursing and a fight. I pick up my speed and burst into the clearing. The sight that greets me has my body fighting against me. Ty is half fighting, half slumped over on the ground. Men are chanting and the clearing has become a melting pot of shifters. There are no other Guardians present, just the mongrels and shifters.
I feel a prick of magic run across me and it’s too late for me to pull back. I drop to my knees only yards from Ty as he fights the same magic as I.
This was not how I imagined this day to go. I cry out in pain as the magic tries to pull me apart from the inside.
JASMINE
I was tired, but I guess when you are pregnant, and your boys keep you up late, and then wake you up in the morning with their deliciously warm, hard bodies pressing into you, that happens. Okay, okay. I admit that last night was my fault. Sue me. I can’t keep my hands off of them, or myself, it seems.
When they left this morning I sat my pregnant butt down on the couch, where I still am at this moment, with a mug of cocoa and a big bowl of scrambled eggs, sausage and salsa so I could enjoy a movie. Taken was already playing on the movie channel, but that was okay. I’d seen it enough times that I know it by heart. I mean, duh, it’s Liam Neeson… what’s not to frigging love. Oh, don’t judge. He’s hot for an old dude. And a total badass.
I’m almost finished with my bowl of eggs when there is a knock on the door. Okay, I gather that is normal for most people but not around here. The knock comes again and I should have known that it was a bad thing. Grandmother, Amandrell, and even Alec all just pop in. Hell, even daddy just barged right in. None of them knock. Who knocks? The bad guys, apparently.
When I opened the door I am sprayed with something, blinding me. Fucking shit burned my eyes and several hands grabbed for me. I kick out, my foot making contact with someone. Not sure who or where, but I hear the grunt and I let out an ear-piercing scream.
I’m hit in the face. With what? I have no clue but it was something cold, hard and it fucking hurt. This is not happening. I feel a shift in the air, hear a scuffling And then... nothing! There a moment of almost perfect silence where I can hear the wind blowing through the trees. Another hand grabs me and I’m dragged from the house, down the steps. Where I’m being taken I have no idea. The grass under my bare feet is the only indication of where I am. My arm is released and I hear Alec’s whispered word, “run.” I know I have to. But come on. I take off running, even though I really can’t see where I am running to. One minute I’m relaxing, watching a movie about a girl who is abducted, and now I’m the one being abducted. Life is an ironic bitch sometimes.
I hit something. Full on face plant, into something big and hard. Fucking Tree! I hit the ground so hard it steals my breath. The voices around me grow louder, moving closer.
“We have the other two, let’s go.”
“What about the Fae?”
“Leave him, he wasn’t part of the plan.”
Alec? What did they do to Alec? My boys? They have my boys? What the hell? I’m lifted up and that is all I really know as my world turns upside down.
Twenty-Seven
Tiberius
“Fight it! You fucking fight it, Ty!”
Horacio’s words ring out across the clearing like a bell. The changes inside me have brought me down to my knees. The bonds that tie us to the clans were breaking. Each break felt like a sharp cut into my soul. Black spots to flip through my vision.
“Trying…” I growl out my reply. It took all I had in me to get that out.
It’s painful, but it’s not a pain I haven’t felt before. My only concern now is protecting my mates, and my unborn cub.
My massive body blocks both my mates, Horacio and Jasmine, from the men before us. Saliva drips from my muzzle. I’m fighting to stay under control. If I let loose at this moment - many would perish.
I will protect what is mine, with my life if I have to.
A snarl rips from me as someone steps forward, a sword in one hand, a book raised in the other as he begins chanting something I have heard many times before. It would be wrong to roll my eyes but, whatever. Stupid ass humans. These mutts had them break our clan bonds, now they were going to try and break the ties that bound me and my mates together. Not fucking happening. I take a running start towards the man closest to me. Two bodies slams into mine but I do nothing more than slap them away. There’s a snarl from behind me and the sound of fighting.
I slam the man before me into the ground, knocking the wind from him, stopping his stupid chanting. I make a beeline for the wolves heading my way. My massive paw slices up as the two closest wolves leap to attack. Their insides spill out onto the ground as another's teeth sinks into my flank. I growl and kick the mutt off of me. My back nails rake down his side and he flips in the air.
I spin, my paws pounding on the ground, running back to where Horacio is fighting two other wolves. It’s complete chaos. The blood in the air fuels my inner beast’s desire to kill. My jaw widens as I move closer. My teeth bite down on a wolf, his body jerking and bowing under the pressure of my jaws clamping down on him. His spine snaps and I toss my head back. His body hits the ground behind me and my massive paw swings out, hitting the other wolf in the face. The sound of breaking bones makes me roar in satisfaction.
My anger has built so fast. This is way more than the mating bonds pulling at me to protect my mates. It is more than a need to make sure they survive. Blood lust is taking over.
I feel pain, and a crack fills the air. Then another. But there was something else… a change in the air… what is happening?
“Ty?” Jasmine says, her voice shaking as I stand there.
I feel it then. The muscles inside me were straining. I was burning from the inside. Reaper blood. Motherfucking hell! I throw my head back and let out a roar of pain and anger.
“Tiberius!” Horacio’s voice moves across the clearing. I can’t believe it. These stupid bastards have done it again. I hear more chanting from behind me. This is accompanied with a pounding on the ground. Fucking hell! A loud screech fills the air… then silence falls across us and a shadow covers the clearing.
The silent stalkers from above land with a hard thump on the ground. I can hear Jasmine crying and feel her hands running over my body. I’m panting, trying to catch my breath. I can’t fucking shift, which means I’m not going to be any help right now. If I can’t shift, I can’t heal myself.
The air around us shifts and I hear Kelanie’s voice. There’s a distant roar and thunderous footsteps headed our way. Please, Dear God, let them be the good guys.
“Please, my child, let me.” I hear from my side as Jasmine moves to stand before me. Hadley’s here. Shit must be really bad if she’s risking exposure. It was then that I collapsed. My world going sideways. Literally.
JASMINE
“Tiberius!” I scream as I am tugged back from his prone body. God, my body hurts. The men that had taken me from the cabin had been none too gentle, and I did my best to fight back. One of them had gotten a kick to the balls - or I hoped that was where I got him - before Alec got me away. Being blinded by whatever they sprayed in my face I ended up running face first into a tree, which allowed them another chance to grab me.
Alec! Oh shit, what happened to Alec?
I’m not sure how in the hell they got through the layers of wards that have been keeping the cabin hidden for so long, or how Alec knew I was in trouble.
I toss myself around and growl at the man pulling me away from my mate.
“Alec, what happened to Alec?” I ask in a panic. It was more of a panic over Ty but I needed to know.
“Alec is fine,” the stoic voice from the man holding me says. I need to see that for myself.
“Let me go, dammit!” I growl out a curse and fight harder. He is really starting to piss me off. I’m tired of fucking men thinking they can get me to do whatever they want. The arms around me tighten even more, causing me to panic. My heart lurches. No! Please don’t let this be happening. I feel a tingle run over my body and my muscles start to twitch. My eyes - which were already on fire from being sprayed in the face earlier - start to burn with fury. It isn't until I hear my Grandmother's voice that I stop.
“Jasmine, stop!” She is beside me before I can move. “I need you to look into my eyes, my granddaughter.”
My eyes lock onto hers. Her lips move quickly. A shiver runs through me as she speaks in a quick, almost silent chant. “What?”
“You were about to shift. I had to stop it. You’ll hurt the baby.” That is all she says before she pops back over to where Tiberius is laying on the ground.
“I what?” I whisper to no one. Shift? Me? What. The. Fuck?
I can tell now that the man behind me is a Fae. I don’t remember his name. He takes a step back but before I can turn, Horacio comes up and wraps his arms around my middle, both of his big hands moving over my belly. A tear falls as the warmth of his body embraces me. He turns us so we can see our bear laying on the ground. Minutes pass. Then his body jerks.
“TY!” I try to move to him, but Horacio keeps me planted where I stand, within his arms.
“Let them work, love. He’ll be okay,” he says, his voice thick with emotion. So he is probably trying to convince himself of this more than me. I sigh, exhausted and frustrated.
I see movement coming from the tree line and a hulking figure to my right. I look over and I swear my jaw hit the ground. There was... a dragon on the ground. A dragon! Holy Mary… I gasp as my attention goes to the two women on either side of it’s massive front feet. They are talking in hushed tones but their words mean nothing. I am drawn to the big monster. It’s... not what expected a dragon to look like. Then again, who really knows anything about dragons? To me, and most of the world’s population, they’d always been a big myth. One of those things you read about but never expect to see.
Horacio lets me go when he sees what I am looking at. He must trust that they are on our side or he would never have let me get closer. He’s right behind me though, so I guess he only trusts them so much. I stop and let my head fall back, my eyes traveling along the creature’s huge body. It’s head lowers slowly towards me. My eyes widen and a burning sensation fills them again. I feel Horacio’s hand on my hip behind me. It’s as if the creature knows me.
A shiver runs through me when it’s snout touches lightly against my cheek. Flashes fill my mind. The wings of giant beasts beating against the currents in the sky. I smile and I close my eyes, relishing in the feel of the cool breeze against my skin. A warmth blossoms throughout my body and then the creature pulls back.
My eyes open and I smile at the creature. “She likes you.” My eyes flick to a woman coming around to stand before us. Horacio chuckles and moves to bow his head at the woman.
“Your Majesty,” he says, sincerity in his voice.
“Horacio,” she says, inclining her head. “Have you been taking good care of my niece?”
My head tilts slightly. Did she just say niece? Holy crap sticks with a side of shit balls.
Twenty-Eight
Horacio
With each minute that passed the hordes of Reapers were getting closer. I knew this, but with Tyberius on the ground, fighting the pain and the Reaper blood that has once again been shot into him, we were stuck. This was turning into be one big clusterfuck. Jasmine freaking out and almost shifting sent my jaguar into overdrive. He needs to protect his mates, and we are torn as to who to help first. Ty would want us to look after Jasmine and our cub first. He has Kelanie, Amandrell and Lalamke working on him along with Hadley - Jasmine’s mother, whom she has yet to meet - and another healer.
I keep my arms around Jasmine as everything around us slowly starts to come back into focus for her. I can smell her worry, her fear and her anger rolling off of her in waves. It’s so powerful, it’s suffocating me. I relax marginally when I see the Drakes show up. I’m not one-hundred percent sure they are on our side but, the man hating beasts seem to be playing nice for now. I watch as the Drake Queen - Zyla - who was also a Guardian with both Fae and Drake blood, slides from her drake’s back. She moves to stand by one of her warriors. Jasmine notices them.
I wait until she moves towards them before I take in a deep breath. The Queen will at least be here to keep things balanced as she, and those before her, have for the last few millennia. I watch as one of the drakes leans down and nuzzles Jasmine’s cheek. It’s a greeting that a rare few receive. The woman at the Queen’s side smiles up at her drake. The Queen’s drake is one of the largest I have seen. He is the one the Queen calls Xorlan, and he is a rare beast because most drakes are of the female persuasion. Unlike other shifters, Drakes do not have eternal mates. When a female comes into her fertile time the men will take turns doing all they can to impregnate her. There are more men now than there have been in the last thousand years, but they were still outnumbered. Poor fuckers!
I incline my head when I address Zyla, as one should when greeting royalty. I feel Jasmine stiffen when Zyla asks if I had been taking care of her ‘niece’. It’s as if I can feel the wheels turning in Jasmine’s head. Before I can answer Zyla, Ty let out a roar of pain that sends Jasmine running for him. I curse and follow after her.
Her powers have kicked up a notch over the last few weeks. I’m not sure if it’s the abilities she will have on her own, now that Kelanie has unlocked them, or if it’s her feeding off the baby’s powers. Either way, she is a lot faster than she should be. I catch her up in my arms only feet from where Ty is laying. His big bear body is thrashing as the Fae healers chant. One by one the bullets are pulled from his body.
“Let me go!” she snarls. Any other time the sound of her snarl and her wiggling against me would turn me on, but now it only makes me worry. She can’t go to him. If he hits her with a paw, or God forbid knocks her over and lands on her, he could kill her and the baby. I can’t let that happen.
“Baby, stop. You can’t go to him yet. Trust me, I want to as well, but he’s too dangerous right now. He doesn’t have control of his body or his mind,” I say, pleading with her. She goes slack in my arms and sobs in sorrow and frustration. I turn her from him, move to a tree a few feet away and sit, cradling her in my lap.
“He’s hurting.. I can feel it, Horacio. It’s like each bullet is being pulled out of me.” Her words make me jerk back from her. I had felt that burning spark earlier ,but thought I was imagining it. I look from her to Ty.
“You do?” I asked.
“Yes. Please! I can help him. I don’t know why I know this - but I do. Please, I need to help him.”
Fuck. I stand with her and walk over to the group around Ty. I push past them and move to stand between Jasmine, who is right behind me, and the big ass bear writhing on the ground. The chanting stops and Hadley speaks.
“Come, daughter mine,” she says, taking Jasmine’s hand. Jasmine freezes, her eyes wide as saucers. It’s as if time stands still for a few heart beats. Jasmine’s soft voice breaks the silence around us.
“Mama- what? how?”
“Not now. We will talk later. Right now, Tiberius needs you.” I move with them as Jasmine and Hadley kneel before Ty’s head. I am ready to pull Jasmine back if I have to. Hadley murmurs to Jasmine and with a nod she places her hands on Ty’s snout and his head. The murmurs keep up but I’m not paying attention to the words. My eyes are focused on the bear.
“That’s it!” Hadley exclaims, her
eyes darting up to her mother’s. Kelanie starts to speak in soft undertones as does Lalamke and Amandrell. There’s a golden glow coming from Jasmine’s palm as she closes her eyes and softly recites the same words as the others. I stand there amazed as Ty’s body shudders and he shifts from a massive bear to his human form. Jasmine moves around him and lays her hands on his chest and abdomen. The same faint glow starts up again, his body jerks as the last of the bullets push out from under his skin and the bloody holes start to close.
“Holy Shit!” I look up to see the Drake Queen staring in awe at her niece. Hadley smirks.
“Hello, sister. Care to lend a hand?” Hadley asks.
Zyla kneels before Ty and places a hand on him. A faint blue glow comes from her hand. In moments Ty is sitting up and cursing like a sailor.
“Son of a bitch!” Jasmine throws herself at him and she shakes with sobs. He groans but wraps his arms around her. I move to squat beside them, my hand cupping the back of his neck. I pull his face to mine and press my lips to his. When I pull back I meet his gaze.
“Don’t do that again, you hear me! Stop being a fucking hero!” My words are a growl as my fingers tighten against his neck.
“I couldn’t stop the blood lust…” he sighs. Jasmine sits up and leans her head against his shoulder. Her sniffling fills the silence. “I’ve never felt it hit me so hard like that. My bear just took over,” he shudders.
“I hate to break this party up, but we need to get some place that’s not here. We scouted the lands as we came across the veil. The Reapers are a day away, maybe two. They’ve crossed over and there is blood on the air.”
