Brady backed down, but Vardok’s smug smile remained on his face. Their eyes were locked onto each other.
“Your sister is quite beautiful,” Vardok said, ignoring Brady’s burst of anger. “I think she will make fine breeding stock.”
“Buddy, you’d better think about the next words out of your mouth.” Zack glared at him, even though he had to tilt his head back slightly to do it.
Vardok chuckled. “Oh, and who are you? A little admirer of the princess? How very sad you must be to know you will never have a chance with her.” His expression turned cold as he sniffed at the air and frowned. “As if you ever did, cur.”
Zack stiffened. This was something he would never be able to get used to. For whatever reason, in the shifter world, wolves were looked upon as bestial, even in human form. Most dragons felt as if they were the elite class and had full rights to rule and dictate all of the other shifters. Wolf shifters were their slaves, their servants, and occasionally their food. His own family had been taken prisoner by a high caste dragon kingdom and worked as servants in their castle. When his parents were killed for not performing their duties properly, Zack ran away and ended up with the Markonians, who had accepted him as one of their own. They were one of the few dragon regions who allowed all shifters to live equally with them. Most of the other kingdoms kept to their own kind.
Gareth stood. “If we could discuss this with some civility—”
Vardok laughed again. “Sit down, old man. The time for civility has passed. I have come for my wife and I will have her.”
Zack shook his head. “No,” he said quietly.
“How sweet,” Vardok said in mocking tones. “The dog thinks he is equal to a princess.”
It took a minor miracle for Zack to keep his clenched fists by his sides. The urge to attack this asshole and beat his face into a pulp nearly overcame his better senses. He knew, though, that if he gave into that desire—as absolutely satisfying as it would be—he would only be making things worse for Gareth and his people.
“She’s not here,” Brady said, not bothering to hide his smirk. “Sorry, buddy, but she’s made other plans. Find yourself another wife.”
Vardok’s expression darkened. “What do you mean, she’s not here?” He turned to Gareth. “I specifically told you to have her ready for me.”
“She ran away, big guy.” Zack planted himself in front of Vardok. “Too bad, so sad. Now take your sorry ass home.”
Vardok didn’t look away from Gareth, a tight smile on his lips. “You have not told them, have you, old man?”
Gareth shook his head.
“Told us what?” Brady asked.
“I have made your father a very simple deal,” Vardok said, still glaring at Gareth. “He gives me his daughter as a wife and his region as a wedding gift, and in return I will not destroy every living thing in his kingdom.”
Zack and Brady exchanged a quick look. Zack saw his own fury reflected in Brady’s expression. He just hoped Brady was having a better time controlling it than he was.
“You can’t do that,” Brady said, teeth gritted. “You can’t just take her.”
“I can, and I will.” Vardok’s smile was condescending. “She will give me fine male offspring. Strong. Cunning. My family will eventually rule this entire countryside, and I will need sons to help me.”
“And if we don’t agree to your extortion?” Zack asked.
“Then I will return with my armies and I will take great pleasure in burning every last living being alive.” Vardok half-bowed as he took a step back. “I will give you one week to bring her to me. After that…” He smiled again. “I won’t repeat myself.”
His gaze lingered on Zack for a moment, his eyes raging but controlled, and he abruptly shifted into his dragon form. Zack had seen many dragons in his life, but Vardok was monstrous in size. In dragon form, he looked nearly twenty feet tall, with a massive wing spread and a long, narrow face that bristled with spikes. His horns spiraled under, with razor sharp tips, and his eyes held all the hate and malice in the world. A blood red blotch on his belly signified that he was part of the ruling clan, royalty.
They could not make Alix face that thing. Never.
Vardok took to the air with a powerful flap of his wings and soared into the sky, a black silhouette against the bright sunlight. They watched him disappear into the distance, stunned into silence.
“This can’t happen,” Brady said quietly, shaking his head as he watched Vardok go. “We can’t let this happen.”
“We don’t have enough strength to fight back,” Gareth said and sat heavily on the bench again. “We’re peaceful. We’re teachers. Farmers. We’ve never had to fight to defend ourselves. Especially against monsters like that.”
“So what are the options, then?” Zack asked. “Give Alix to him so he can breed her until she dies?”
Gareth shook his head, speechless. “I don’t know.”
“I can’t believe this,” Brady said, turning to Gareth. “You’re her father. How can you even consider it?”
“Because if I don’t, everyone will die.” Gareth’s eyes shone with tears. “And what’s to stop him from using the Arch to go into the other world? Would you have him take over there as well?”
“All the more reason to fight,” Zack said. “Evacuate the children and elders and fight him. You can’t let him have Alix.”
“I don’t want him to have her!” Gareth raised his voice, but Zack could still hear the tremor of tears. “But I have no choice.”
“There’s always a choice,” Zack said quietly, turning away to pace along the cracked pebble pathway. “Alix made hers when she ran away.”
And that was what he couldn’t understand. Despite her occasional selfishness and immaturity, she would never knowingly betray her kingdom by running away. She had to know that by escaping she would be sentencing everyone to death.
Unless…
Zack turned to face Gareth again. “Did you tell Alix any of this?”
“No. Her mother doesn’t know, either.” Gareth shook his head sadly. “I didn’t want to burden Alix with it.”
“Well…” Zack laughed in bitter disbelief. “Don’t you think this might be the kind of thing she would need to know?”
“And tell my daughter that if she doesn’t sacrifice her future, everyone here will die? How do I say that to her?”
“You tell her the truth and let her make up her own mind.” Zack dug a hand through his hair. “She can’t marry this guy. You know it and I know it. And Alix for sure knows it.”
Gareth turned to Brady, absolutely tortured. “Do you know where she is?”
Brady hesitated a moment, then nodded. “Yeah. She’s safe.”
Gareth nodded, the relief evident on his face. “I had hoped she would go to you.”
“That doesn’t solve our problem, though.” Zack said. “If this Vardok asshole is as bad as I think he is, he’s not going to wait a week without doing something. This isn’t the only Arch into the human world.”
“What do you mean?” Gareth asked.
“I mean, he’s going to do whatever it takes to get his way. And that means that he’s not going to play fair.” Zack looked at Brady. “You’re going to have to take Casey and the baby and split.”
“I can’t leave Alix now!”
“You’re going to have to. Vardok is going to use anything he can to make Alix show herself, and the best way to do that is to hurt you and your family.”
Brady said nothing for a moment, and Zack knew he understood what he would have to do, like it or not.
“I’ll watch her,” Zack said quickly. “She needs some time to make this decision on her own.” He looked sharply at Gareth. “Nobody has the right to make it for her.”
“But what if she doesn’t come back?” Gareth asked. Zack could hear shame in his voice. And fear.
“Then you find a different way to deal with Vardok.” Zack felt his temper rising and tamped it down. Gareth didn�
��t want to see his daughter marry into the Caligo family any more than he did, but he was a scared father. A scared king. He was torn between protecting his family and protecting his kingdom.
“I’ll explain everything to her,” Zack said. “You have to let her decide for herself. I’m not bringing her back kicking and screaming.”
Gareth’s eyes glossed with tears as he nodded his head. “All right. All right.” He cleared his throat and wiped at his eyes. “Just promise me… take care of her. Please.”
Zack nodded again. “Give her a week. That will give you time to create some kind of defense plan. Alix is safe right now. I’ll make sure she stays that way.”
“And you’ll talk to her? And let her know that I never wanted this to happen?”
“Yeah. I’ll do my best.”
Gareth looked away for a moment. “I should be the one protecting her,” he said softly. He looked at Zack and Brady, suddenly a pathetic old man.
“We all will.” Zack suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to get back to Alix. The world seemed suddenly full of sharp edges and hidden threats. He knew she was capable of taking care of herself, but she had never been in such danger before.
It was going to be a struggle to convince Brady to leave Alix in his care, but he knew that eventually Brady would realize it was what he had to do. He had a family of his own to protect now. He couldn’t go charging into the fight like an idiot looking for vengeance.
The real problem was going to be telling Alix the truth about the arrangement and destroying her life. When it all came down to it, he only had two choices…
Protect Alix or prevent a war.
5
Alix
Alix had decided that she liked showers. At first it felt strange to be rained on while inside shelter, but Casey had shown her what to use to clean her hair and given her a scratchy bit of fabric to use on her body and after a few minutes she decided she wanted to stay in that flowery scented paradise forever.
Until the hot water ran out. Then she was quite happy to return to the real world.
“Now what do I do?” she called to Casey as she wrapped a fluffy piece of material around her torso. She shivered, dripping wet.
“Use the towels to dry off,” Casey said from the other side of the door. “There’s a robe hanging on the hook. Put that on so you don’t freeze to death.”
Alix did as told and opened the door. Casey sat on the foot of the bed, smiling. Beside her, baby Alex cooed and gurgled in his carrier.
“I told you showers were great,” Casey said as she stood. “Now, I had to guess at your size, but I think I got everything close enough…”
“My size?” Alix asked.
“Yeah, your clothing size. Small. Medium. Large. You know, your body size.” Casey looked at Alix from head to toe. “I guessed you might be a small, but I got mediums, just to be on the safe side.”
As Alix watched, Casey pulled a pair of trousers off a stack, followed by a blouse. She tossed Alix a small bit of lace.
“What is this?”
“Panties,” Casey said, taking a matching bra out of a shopping bag. “You wear them under clothes.”
Alix held up the lacy material and studied it. “How do you put it on?”
“Uh, well…” Casey grabbed another pair of underwear out of the bag and held it in front of her. “First you step into the holes, one at a time…”
Alix undid her robe and let it fall to the floor. She saw by the look of sudden shock in Casey’s eyes that perhaps she shouldn’t have.
“What is it?” she asked. “Am I doing something wrong?”
Casey shook her head. “You’re fine. I just forgot how comfortable shifters are with being naked.”
Why wouldn’t we be? Alix thought, shaking her head at the idea.
“Okay,” Casey said, holding the panties down to knee height. “Lift your foot and put it through one hole, then the other…”
Alix followed Casey’s movements. Her legs felt trapped by the material. She wasn’t sure if she liked it or not.
“Then you pull it all the way up.” Casey pulled the underwear up over her jeans and Alix mimicked it. “There you go. You’re halfway to being a Victoria’s Secret model.”
“A what?”
“Nevermind,” Casey said with a smile. “Now for the bra…”
Casey stood behind Alix and helped her get her arms through the straps. Once everything was situated, she coached Alix through hooking and unhooking the back. Alix didn’t like the awkwardness of stretching her arms as such odd angles behind her back, but when she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she had to admit that her breasts looked much different. It was almost like she’d grown to adulthood again, they were so much larger.
“I don’t think I like this,” Alix said as she tugged at the band of the bra that rested over her ribs.
“Nobody does.”
“Then why do you wear them?”
Casey thought about it for a second. “You know, that’s an excellent question. Wear it if you want, don’t wear it if you don’t. It’s nobody’s business but your own.”
Alix gratefully unhooked the back of the bra and tossed it onto the bed. The sense of relief was immediate.
“Now these are called leggings,” Casey said as she handed a black handful of material to Alix. Alix held them up in front of her and let the legs unfurl and dangle. The trousers were far too slim for her legs. She wouldn’t even be able to get her foot through them.
Alix smiled at Casey. “You’re teasing me, aren’t you?”
“No, no… really. You put them on like your panties. One foot at a time and then pull it up to your waist. Trust me.”
With an uncertain glance, Alix did as told. Somehow, both legs fit into the skinny tubes. and the waistband fit her perfectly. The tightness of the leggings felt strange, but otherwise she felt as if she were wearing nothing at all on her legs.
“I like these,” Alix said, grinning.
“And here’s a sweater I thought you might like.”
Casey gave her a folded square of fabric and Alix opened it, her smile growing. The material was unbelievably soft and the most beautiful shade of lilac. Alix pulled it over her head, as if it were a tunic, and the oversized sweater hung almost down to her knees.
Casey looked her over and nodded. “You look beautiful.” she said and smiled.
Alix looked at her reflection in the full length mirror. It was odd to see herself without the distortions of the looking glasses in the shifter world. She hadn’t realized how dirty her hair must have been before the shower, because now it was pure white. It hung to her waist in damp, messy tangles.
“Now the hair,” Casey said, reading her mind. She sat Alix down on the bed and began patiently combing out all of the knots and tangles. By the time she had finished, Alix’s hair was almost completely dry. Casey pulled it back into a loose French braid for her.
“There,” Casey said and grinned. “Perfect.”
Alix looked at her reflection again, catching Casey’s eyes in the mirror. “Thank you,” she said softly. “For all of this.”
“Not a problem.”
“I’m sorry for the way I acted… before.” Alix turned to face Casey again. “I was horrible to you.”
“You were trying to protect your brother,” Casey said, still smiling. “I understood that.”
“So you don’t hate me?”
Casey laughed. “C’mere, you goof!” She pulled Alix into a hug. “Of course I don’t.”
Once again, Alix stiffened slightly before relaxing into the embrace. It might be taking a while, but she was getting better.
“Whoa.”
Zack’s voice startled Alix and she looked away from the flickering images on what Casey had called a tee-vee. Zack stood in the doorway of the apartment, eyes wide with surprise as he looked at her.
Alix glanced down at herself. Casey had said she looked all right. “What?”
“You just look…” Z
ack shook his head slightly as he smiled. “I’ve never seen you in this kind of clothing before.”
“I like it, I think.” Alix held her sweater out and looked down at it. “Everything but bras.”
“Nobody likes those,” Zack said with a grin.
“Okay, guys…” Brady came into the room with Alex’s baby carrier in one hand and Casey’s hand in the other. “We’re taking off now. Zack… I want daily updates.”
Zack snapped off a salute.
Alix stood as Casey came over and hugged her again. “Good luck with everything,” Casey said, and smiled. There was something almost sad in her eyes. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Soon,” Alix agreed, smiling.
Casey lingered for a moment, that strange sadness in her expression, and then joined Brady at the door, taking the baby carrier from him as she left the apartment. Alix followed, watching her hurry down the hall.
“What’s wrong?” Alix looked back to Brady.
“She’s just… she’s fine, Al. Just fine.” Brady pulled Alix into a sudden bearhug. “We’re going to work everything out, okay? It’s all going to be alright.”
“Okay,” Alix managed to say, muffled against his shirt. Brady released her and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.
“I love you, Alix.” His voice was serious, and the tone of it sent a chill down Alix’s spine.
“I love you, too.” She said, frowning. What was going on with everyone?
Brady glanced to Zack again, then quickly left. Once the door closed, Zack locked it.
“Wait…” Alix said. “You’re not going?”
“Nope.” Zack shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it onto a chair. “I’m camping out here for a couple of days.”
“Why? Where’s Brady going to be?”
Zack plopped onto the couch and spread out his arms along the back cushions. “He’s taking Casey and the kid on a surprise vacation. Didn’t tell me where. Didn’t ask.”
Frowning, Alix sat in the chair adjacent to the couch. “That’s strange.”
“Be that as it may,” Zack said and smiled at her. “You’re stuck with my ugly mug for a while.”
Undercover Wolf Shifter Page 3
