by Kresley Cole
That one word had Velees yanking her into his side and leaping off the back of the stage to hit the ground running—as if for his life. He yelled, “Cover me from the wolf!”
At that, she heard the clomping of hooves, a herd of them. As what sounded like a brutal fight broke out, a man yelled back, “Cerunnos attacking from the south!”
Were these beings now going to battle over her? The Lykae howled as if fighting his way closer.
Velees abruptly turned in another direction, flinging her with him. She thrashed to get the bag off her head, but it was tied on. Can’t see . . . can’t see!
Some being was just beside them; she heard its breaths. Then came a hissing sound, a gurgle, and suddenly she and Velees were falling, falling . . .
With another gurgle, Velees heaved her upward, pitching her body into the air, like a chipped pass—
Someone caught her in midair, wrapping a palm around her right arm and dragging her against his upper body. Another one of the cowboys? Damn it, there was no denying it—a centaur had her!
He held her as if she weighed nothing, yelling to the others, “The wolf comes for her! Kill him!”
Coming for her. Because I’m its . . . mate. Oh, man, that couldn’t be good. She wanted this centaur to get her far away from that wolf! She screamed against her gag, “Moo ur ass! Hu-y!”
“Silence.” Centaur gave her a shake, dislocating her shoulder with a pop. Pain flared, and she couldn’t bite back a scream.
The wolf gave an enraged howl from some distance behind them.
She whimpered. He’s gaining. Every gallop made fresh pain shoot through her arm and shoulder.
When some creature hissed beside them, Centaur yelled, “Nooo!”
No? No what—
She heard a solid thud, felt a teeth-jarring impact, heard bone snap. Centaur was flung onto his side. As that wolf roared in fury, still nearing, she and Centaur crashed to the ground. His hold loosened; he fumbled for her, but she’d already gone careening along his horse body, over its flank. She bounced over something metallic and sharp—a sword?—and pain sliced into her.
She hit the ground with a thud, the air wrenched from her lungs. Her side was slashed, pouring blood. She’d just sucked in her first hectic gasp when she got scooped up like a goalie save by some being that undulated over the ground.
Her mind fought recognition with this new captor, even as chills broke out over her skin. Some subconscious awareness within her screamed: Snake!
With a wet hiss to the sky, the creature increased its unfathomable speed. It sounded like others of its kind were flanking them. They were flying across the ground so fast that bugs pelted Chloe’s black bag like a windshield. Then the being began zigzagging around trees, limbs swatting her legs.
Surely nothing could catch this creature? Not even a wolf . . .
As soon as the thought arose, she heard something crashing through the woods nearby, matching even this thing’s fantastical speed.
They have my mate.
Will’s thoughts were murky, his beast in control, Instinct ruling him.
The need to protect her . . . he’d never felt a more primal drive.
In the distance, he heard a war zone, his brother wolf roaring, fighting to reach him; closer, he heard his female.
His heart seemed to stop each time she screamed. How much could she withstand? Her scent was just as loud to him. Her fear. Her blood.
He’d left dead, twitching centaurs in his wake, could still taste their throats, could feel their flesh embedded under his claws.
Now Cerunnos. So many of them, their scaly bodies whipping around trees. When the terrain became an open field, he gained. But another forest loomed.
He heard her cries, her frantic heartbeat. Beating, beating, beating.
Cypress, broken leaves. Somehow he ran faster, lungs heaving. He was upon them! Kill them all.
Slashing claws, snapping jaws. Warm blood rained down.
One remained, her captor. To take it down—without harming her? He sank his claws into its tail, snatching it up short. The momentum sent the girl flying. Will hurtled into the air.
Got her. He cradled her protectively, his arms closing around his trembling mate for the first time.
The last Cerunno coiled to strike. Will roared, baring his bloody fangs. Try to take her from me!
Taking his measure with slitted eyes, it hesitated. Will licked his fangs; with a hiss, the snake wisely began to slither a retreat.
Will threw back his head and howled with triumph.
Now to put the beast back in its cage. . . .
NINE
Field position? Chloe’s life had never been so offsides before. She still couldn’t see and doubted she would believe her eyes anyway.
She was severely injured, with a mythological creature holding her secure in his brawny arms.
Though explosions were blasting in the distance, shaking the ground, in the immediate area all she heard was this male’s deep breaths. Inhale, exhale.
Even under her bag, she could detect his scent: evergreen, copper, and . . . male. His arms were unyielding around her, but still gentle. She thought they’d finally stopped running.
He howled once more, like an animal, paining her ears. When an answering howl sounded, the being seemed to relax a measure.
“Ey,” Chloe weakly murmured against her gag. “Ake is ov?”
Instead of taking the bag off, he reached under it for her gag. It felt too private, like he was reaching under her shirt. He pulled only the gag free.
She licked her dry lips, then worked her jaw back and forth. She had no reserves of strength left, was freezing cold, shaking from blood loss. And his body felt so hot against her. Still . . . “I-I need you to release me.” Just give me a second.
“Canna do that.” His voice was deep, beastly, and accented. He sounded like a Scot.
According to the book, the Highlands were Lykae territory. “Are you gonna hurt me?”
Silence. He was hesitating to answer? “You kill immortals like your sire? Or did the witch speak truths?”
“I’ve never seen immortals before tonight. Didn’t think they existed.”
“If no’ one among the Order, then what are you?”
“Center forward.”
“Doona follow.”
“I play soccer. That’s all I do. I-I don’t know how I got mixed up in all this. I just . . . I chase a ball for a living.”
“Chase a ball.”
That must’ve been the exact right thing to tell a werewolf, because he released a gust of breath. “I will no’ hurt you. I’ll see you well.”
Had she lucked into the one creature who wouldn’t harm her? Of course, the crowd of detrus had screamed at the sight of this one, had scattered because Chloe was his mate.
He’d frightened even other monsters. And she was utterly under this one’s power. Though Chloe was first and foremost a fighter, she wasn’t above making allies. Her foggy brain tried to recall more from the book’s Lykae entry.
The bond between mates was the ultimate for them—revered by them as others did gods. Each Lykae only ever had one, so it followed that they would fight anything that tried to separate them. Such as auctioneers and other bidders? “Am I really your . . . mate?”
Another hesitation. “Aye.”
She relaxed slightly. She didn’t see how that was possible, but as long as he believed it, he wouldn’t hurt her. “Th-thank you for saving me back there.”
He stiffened against her. “Dinna have a choice.” He might think she was his, but that didn’t mean he was happy about it. He must hate her because she was human, because she was Daughter of Webb.
Dustin Todd was Commander Preston Webb. Not just a member of the Order, but a leader.
She exhaled with confusion, the movement making her wound sing. Her dizziness increased—probably because she was light a few pints of blood.
“Freeing you.” He slashed through the chains binding her wr
ists.
She swallowed. Slashed that metal with what?
“Doona fight me.”
With effort, she raised one hand to the bag to draw it away, but he stayed her arm. “No’ yet.”
“Why not?” Rain began to mist over them.
“You’ve had enough . . . frights for the night.”
Exactly how hideous was he?
He started feeling her head through the silk bag. Checking for injuries? Finding none on her head, he gently swept his hands over her ankles, her calves, even up her thighs. She tensed but was too weak to resist him.
He hissed out a curse when he got to her left shoulder. Dislocated. He wrapped his hand around her upper arm. Then, seeming to think better of it, he adjusted his grip to what felt like his thumb and forefinger. With just two fingers and the tiniest movement, he jerked down. She gritted her teeth as her shoulder popped back into place.
When the sharp pain receded to a dull ache, she exhaled in relief, her eyelids growing heavy. “Th-thank you.” Was that her slurred voice? How much blood had she lost? Why couldn’t she think?
“Brave,” he rasped.
When he lifted the skirt of her gown, sodden with her blood, she couldn’t fight him, had to believe he was only checking her injury anyway. It was deep, excruciating.
He shuddered against her. At the sight of it? She could only imagine what it must look like.
She thought he was drawing off his shirt. A rip sounded. After a second she realized he was securing his balled-up shirt against her wound with a sleeve tied tightly around her waist. Smart.
But was it too little, too late? Without a hospital and a transfusion . . . “You think I’m about to eat it? Be honest.”
He froze. “What?”
The mist turned to pounding rain, soaking her. “Pretty sure . . . I’m bleeding out.”
“Dying? Nay. Nay.” Without warning, he cupped the back of her head with one massive hand and her bottom with the other. She tried to muster the strength to resist, but then this man began to rock with her—as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “I’ve got you,” he grated. “You will no’ die.”
She might be wary of him; her body wasn’t. It melted against his.
“That’s it, my lass.” He pulled her closer.
“You’re s-so warm.” Despite all her turmoil and all her fear, she knew she was about to black out in this stranger’s embrace.
When he said, “Rest, Chloe, everything’ll be all right,” she was too exhausted to doubt him.
Blackness was clawing at her. “You’ll keep me safe?”
The last thing she heard before she passed out: “No one will ever hurt you again.”
TEN
Will had tried—he’d truly tried—to hate her just for who she was.
None doing. When his brother’s SUV skidded to a stop just feet from him, Will was cradling the unconscious girl as if she were the most treasured thing in the universe.
She’d been so brave, barely whimpering when he’d forced her arm back into its socket. She’d thanked him.
And then she’d uttered the most chilling words he’d ever heard: I think I’m bleeding out.
“How bad is she?” Munro asked as he drove them away, speeding toward the city.
“Bluidy bad!” Will had stopped the blood flow, but she was pale and cold. He reached for the heater control, blasting warm air over her damp skin. “I had to get past a dozen centaurs and ten Cerunnos to seize her. They were no’ exactly gentle with her!”
She’d been passed among the centaurs and then to the Cerunnos like a sodding rugby ball. Each time she’d changed hands, he’d experienced fear as never before.
He inhaled, still struggling to rein in his beast. He’d always heard that nothing made it rise up like a mate in peril.
If she woke and saw him like this, the mortal would probably stroke out before he could ever get her to a healer. Their immortal enemies cowered in the face of the beast. A young human might never recover from the sight.
He’d leave the bag on for now.
“And where the hell were you?” Will snapped at his brother. Right before Will had taken off after his mate, Munro had told him to meet in the woods if they got separated.
“Fighting my way out of a war to rescue you!” It was only then that Will noticed Munro was covered in blood and gore as well. “It’s pandemonium back there. You were the spark on a powder keg. When the Vertas realized you were stealing the girl, they rose up and battled the Pravus back. Kind of like a real alliance—who knew we had it in us? By the by, remind me never to tangle with Malkom Slaine.” He whistled low.
Chloe began shivering even harder. “We need to get to a witch healer. Drive to Andoain.” Will couldn’t believe that he was demanding his brother take them to Louisiana’s infamous coven, the bloody H.O.W.
“We just cost them a serious loss of face. They’ll hex us on sight.”
They both shuddered.
“Besides, others will be waiting for us there. Brother, you ken this girl’s the most valuable asset in the Lore right now? They’re no’ going to just forget about her.”
Because she was Webb’s daughter. The beast inside him didn’t seem to give a fuck about that. Will’s newly recovered Instinct didn’t.
Munro asked, “What about a mortal hospital?”
“They’ll be expecting us to go there. Besides, I doona trust mortal quacks. Sawbones, all of them.”
“They’ve come a long way in the last century, Will.”
“She might be past their reach. As much as I hate to say this, she needs mystical means. We head to Loa’s.” Loa was a voodoo priestess with a curiosity shop in the Quarter. “She sells witch potions. She might have a healing tonic.”
Munro sighed. “Music to my ears.” Loa was a comely one, with abundant curves and coffee-and-cream skin. She tended to show off both in revealing garments. He cast Will a sidelong glance. “You’ve had a change of heart about your mate?”
“When I realized who her father was, I imagined her to be like him, but I think she’s . . . good. She talked about being a soccer player.”
“Football, huh? Is that how your female got those scars?” She had surgical scars on one wrist, an ankle, and her right knee.
“Doona be looking at her legs!” Will yanked her frock down, accidentally ripping the lower half clean away, leaving her in only the top of her gown, the makeshift bandage, and her sleek black underwear. He took deep breaths to tamp down his beast. Inhale. Exhale. Precarious moments passed.
“Good man. You got control, heading back to normal. Well, relatively. I think you can risk taking her bag off. You must be dying to see what she looks like.”
I’m going to behold my mate’s face for the first time. He nervously clawed through the bag’s tie.
With a shaking hand, he began to draw the material away . . . revealing her face.
While Will worked to catch his breath, Munro glanced over. “Ach, and there she is. You lucky sod.”
Her damp hair was sun-streaked, cropped close to her head. Her lips were plump. She sported freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her cheekbones were prominent, like a model’s might be, but with her pointed chin, bee-stung mouth, and short locks, she looked like a wee pixie.
He felt one corner of his lips curl. —Yours.— Had his arms closed more tightly around her?
Munro said, “Her timing is impeccable. She’s your lucky penny.”
Will’s grip loosened, his excitement dimming. “Just look at her. She’s too . . . too . . .” Too everything he could ever dream. “You know something’s inherently wrong with her. She must be shallow, vapid, dim. Webb must’ve left his mark on her.”
“She’s also young, Will. Whatever damage Webb might’ve done can be righted if you’re patient with her.”
“Why would fate give me a human to protect? Especially this human?” When he was raw with rage toward her father?
“Because, brother, you can handle it.”
Will’s Instinct was pushing, his beast stirring for her; resisting her pull was harder than the tortures he’d recently endured. He gazed down at her, rubbing his thumb over her bottom lip. It was plush like a little pillow. The lower edge went straight across before curving up at the corners, a soft bracket. Gods, she was a pretty thing.
—Yours.—
Mayhap she was his reward? To help me get over torture, help me understand my past. “Looks like I’ll have to handle it.”
“Where do we take her after Loa’s?” Munro asked. “My first thought is Bheinnrose. We’d be isolated up in Nova Scotia, away from all this commotion.”
“I say we stay in Louisiana, at Glenrial. Strategically, it’s easier to defend.” Though the compound consisted of hundreds of acres, it was completely walled in, with a trained watch stationed at intervals. The place was simply too close to the homes of myriad other factions not to be guarded like a vault.
“Aye then, I’ll make the call.” Munro briefly spoke to Madadh, Glenrial’s master of the watch, explaining all that had happened, telling him to get the clan prepared for anything. Munro hung up once they’d made the Quarter, concentrating on driving.
The maze of one-way streets was filled with drunken tourists, mounted police, and rolling Lucky Dog stands.
Will gazed down at Chloe. Were her breaths shallowing? —Protect!— Another jolt of fear hit him. I canna lose her, just when I’ve found her. “Faster, Munro.”
With his lips thinned, Munro made a sharp left, heading the wrong way down a one-way street. “I’ll get us there—just have your credit card ready. Loa will be pissed that we’re no’ there to flirt with her.”
ELEVEN
Candles, taxidermy, incense, cannabis.
As ever, Will’s senses were overloaded by the cacophony of scents inside Loa’s store.
The bell above the door was still ringing as he and Munro barged into the candlelit interior, Will with Chloe wrapped securely in his arms. He called, “Loa!” The scuffed wood floor creaked beneath his feet, but there was no answer.
Whereas the front of the shop was a touristy affair—with fake voodoo charms and dolls, shelves of tarot card decks and black candles—the back was an authentic Lore establishment, filled with mystical wares. A Lore-mart.
