Nobody's Hero

by Bec McMaster

  “Kill it!” one old lady yelled.

  Riley flinched back into the seat. The world had changed, and she couldn’t find her feet. Sleep was a luxury she didn’t think she would have time for. She had to get to Wade, had to talk to him, tell him she’d never meant for any of this to happen.

  Find a way out of this mess.

  Driving between a pair of rough-hewn barracks, the driver yanked the jeep to a halt. Jimmy winced as he tried to get out, but Riley just sat there, staring up at the main building. It was two stories high, the walls white stucco. Arrow slits lined the walls, places were a man could fire from if he needed, and the covered walkway along the top of the barracks overlooked the yard. Absolution had been designed for defense. A grudging part of her had to admit that McClain had done a good job; it would take a miracle for the reivers to take this place.

  “Are you coming?” Eden asked in a quiet murmur.

  Riley looked up. She didn’t want to get out of the jeep. Getting out meant accepting what had happened. Accepting that Haven was gone for good.

  But she was a big girl now. Throwing a tantrum would gain her nothing, and the fury that had burned through her back at the cave was gone.

  Shooting McClain had been damned therapeutic.

  Without a word, she opened the jeep door and stepped out. She knew it wasn’t fair, but she couldn’t help feeling as though Eden had taken her brother’s side. As she would. He was her brother; Eden was bound to defend him.

  “Is there a room I can use until I decide what I’m going to do?” Riley asked. Her voice came out cool and neutral.

  “You’re not staying here?”

  “No.” The answer was short but definite. “There’s nothing here for me.” She’d been part of the council at Haven, respected, her choices helping to define the colony. McClain had his own council, his own systems in place. She knew the way he worked. The men-folk at Absolution formed the military, regardless of desire. The women tended the homes.

  If he gave her a needle and thread, she’d jam it in his arm. Or worse.

  Behind her, a scuffle broke out. Three men were trying to drag the warg cage off the back of the jeep. Wade caught her eye through the bars as she turned, then made a swiping gesture at one of the guards. His claws were out, but the action was lazy. The guard leapt back with a yell, as if he thought Wade truly intended to claw him up, then lifted his shotgun and jammed it through the bars. It landed with a meaty thump.

  “Come,” Eden murmured, taking her by the upper arm. “Let’s go inside.”

  Riley forced herself to walk away, gritting her teeth against the harsh grunts and curses behind her. Wade could have kept his claws to himself. The action had been designed to inflame, like most of his actions.

  Still....

  She made it almost to the lintel before a rough cry caught her ear. He’d never have cried out. Not Wade. Not unless they’d hurt him bad.

  Ripping out of Eden’s grip, she stormed back down toward the jeep. It shouldn’t matter – she wasn’t responsible for this – but she couldn’t stop herself from reacting. Wade trembled in a heap in the cage, on his hands and knees and spitting blood. Bruises darkened his eyes, and he’d managed to get free of his bonds. Those bloody claws, she suspected. Sharp as knives.

  The guard lifted the shotgun high.

  Riley grabbed the end. “For God’s sake! That’s enough! He’s down.”

  He turned on her with his arm raised, and she saw the blank look of fury in his eyes. Whoever the guard was, he’d lost someone to the wargs, she was sure of it. Hate didn’t burn that hot for no reason. She flinched, wrestling for the gun.

  “Walker,” McClain’s voice cut the air. “You hit the lady, and I’ll strip you down and whip you myself.”

  The hand froze in mid-air.

  Riley slowly let the barrel of the gun go. She didn’t want to turn, to look, but her gaze was drawn regardless of her feelings.

  McClain leaned against the jeep, his voice steady despite the fact his knees threatened to give out. His gaze ran over her, and she saw something there that made her uneasy. Emotions she didn’t think she could name. Emotions he probably couldn’t name right then.

  “Besides, she’s got a mean right hook,” McClain said. “And if she gets that gun, she’ll shoot you right where it hurts.”

  Riley arched a brow, a sweet little smile curling over her lips. “How’s your ass, McClain?”

  “Want to kiss it better?” His voice was cool. The look in his eyes wasn’t.

  “You bend over and I’ll shoot you again.”

  He smiled. Took a wobbly step forward. The smile died. “That’s the last time I leave a loaded gun near you.”

  Each step brought him closer. Tension grew, spreading down her spine with tingling fingers. She didn’t miss the glance he gave the cage behind her. Subconsciously, she took a step back, between him and Wade.

  “Riley, don’t turn your back on him,” McClain snapped. “The bastard’s got his claws out.”

  “He’s had three days to claw me up if he wanted,” she replied. “And I’m not sure you’re in the right state of mind to be dealing with him right now.”

  “Is there a right state of mind to deal with Wade?”

  “With plenty of sleep, and a good slug of alcohol, I’d imagine,” she shot back.

  “A good slug, all right. I’ve got a fucking silver bullet with his name on it.” McClain glared at her. “Get out of the way, Riley. I won’t ask you again.”

  “That’s the problem. You never do ask.”

  McClain sucked in a deep breath. “When you’re in my settlement, you obey my rules. Wade’s dangerous.”

  She took a deep breath. “He helped me get Jimmy out. That’s got to count for something, doesn’t it?”

  If anything, McClain’s gaze flattened. “And what about you, Riley? What’d he do to you?”

  “As fascinating as this conversation is,” Wade drawled behind her, “I’m afraid I’m going to have to cut it short.”

  A hand curled in the back of her shirt and wrenched her backward. Riley yelped as she lost her balance, hitting the bars. A second later, warm arms curled around her, one at her waist, the other settling its claws against her throat.

  Déjà vu.

  “Let me go,” she snapped.

  “You should have listened to the man,” Wade murmured. “I let my guard down once, and got my fingers burned. I don’t plan on doing it again. Humanity’s for the humans.”

  “I’ve got shooters at your back,” McClain said, drawing his gun.

  “What are they packin’?” Wade asked lazily. “Better be careful it don’t travel straight through me.” His hand stroked down over her breasts, her stomach. “She’s not as indestructible as I am.”

  Riley clamped a hand over his. “Damn it, Wade,” she muttered through clenched teeth. “Let me go.”

  “This is my only chance out of here.” The whisper steamed her skin.

  “No, it’s not.” She twisted her neck, caught a glance of him out of the corner of her eye. “I made a promise,” she whispered, barely audible. “I’ll get you out.”

  Wade slowly smiled, looked up. “He’s not going to let me out,” he replied in a satisfied murmur. “Not now.”

  McClain’s face had gone hard as steel. He stepped closer. “Let her go.”

  The silence thickened as the two men stared at each other. Wade tapped his claws against her throat in warning as McClain took another step. “How much do you want her?” Wade asked. “How much would it hurt if I dug these a little deeper?” The pressure of his claws hardened, almost pricking the skin of her throat. “To lose her the way I lost everything I gave a damn about? How much, McClain?” The last question was a snarl, his claws digging dangerously deep.

  Riley froze. “Wade?”

  His attention was no longer on her. She might not have even existed. Only McClain was there in his eyes.

  She could smell the stink of his burning flesh as it brush
ed against the silver bars. “It’s not worth it. He’ll never let you live,” she said.

  “He never intended to.” His voice rose. “Did you, McClain? That would mess with the little plan he’s got going on here.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” she asked.

  A hard laugh. “Ask him. Or better yet, ask where your room is, darlin’. And then ask him why he wants to kill me so bad.”

  “That last one’s fairly self-explanatory.”

  “Mmm.” The hum shivered over her ear as he rested his chin on her shoulder. “McClain’s never wanted to kill me before, have you? He wanted to save me from my evil self.”

  McClain had his gun trained on them. “Let her go.”

  “Why don’t you tell her what’s got you so worked up?” Wade laughed. “Or better yet, tell her why I’ve got such a hard-on to kill you. To hurt you.” His hand stroked over Riley’s stomach.

  McClain shifted his stance slightly and squeezed the trigger.

  Wade jerked away, and Riley screamed as the bullet whizzed past her face, burying itself in the wall behind the cage. Wade settled behind her again, on the other side.

  “You asshole!” she yelled. “That could have hit me.”

  “I have excellent aim,” McClain replied coldly.

  “Yet this is the third chance you’ve had at me,” Wade said. “And you missed again.”

  McClain’s eyes narrowed. “This goes too far, even for you, Wade. You had your chances. I won’t cry any tears this time. Sometimes, there’s nothing left to save.”

  “I bet you I can make you cry. Tears of blood,” Wade replied. “I just have to find the right buttons to push.”

  Claws rippled over her tank, sliding it up. Riley held her breath, looking down as the razor-sharp edge of them revealed her midriff to the world. “What are you doing?” she whispered, true fear starting to slide through her veins. What did she know about him? Really know? “Let me go. Please. Please, don’t do this.”

  “Sorry, darlin’.” His fingers slid over her smooth skin, claws skittering light enough to send a shiver down her spine. “Truly, I am.”

  Riley clamped a hand over his, looking down, her throat tightening. “Please, don’t. Please.” She turned her head, glanced over her shoulder. His face was close to hers, so close she could feel his breath on her lips. His gaze slowly left McClain, locked on hers, and Riley willed him to see her. “I trusted you,” she whispered.

  Thought flickered in his blue eyes. “Then you put your trust in the wrong person.”

  “Did I?” she pressed. A tiny hint of doubt made his lashes shutter, and she leapt after it, tried to chase it. “My daddy got clawed up. Put a gun in his mouth before he could turn.” Ruthlessly, she captured his gaze. “I’ll do the same, Wade. I swear I will. I won’t let you make me into that.”

  “A monster?” He smiled bitterly. “Like me?”

  And there was her opening. “A monster. Like that warg at the gates to Black River. Like all the wargs out there on the plains, howling for flesh. You’re not like them, Wade. You have a choice,” she said harshly. “Do this and you’re no better than they are. You may as well take off that charm and just tear us all to shreds. Humanity’s for the humans, Wade, but you still want it, I know you do. Otherwise, you would have taken that charm off long ago.”

  His gaze hardened to blue steel. “You don’t know shit about me.”

  Riley’s voice dropped until only he could have heard it. “I know you held my hand, when I was scared of the dark. You helped me save Jimmy when you didn’t have to. And I know you held me, wanting me to hold you back, in that pool of water. You wanted that more than you wanted the sex. So, yes, I think I know a little bit about you, Wade. You want to be human more than you want anything in your life, don’t you? You think McClain took that from you somehow.” His gaze locked on hers with an intensity that almost frightened her, but she pushed on. “But he didn’t take it from you. You make this choice, and you do. You throw that dream away like it’s worth nothing.” His body trembled, claws threatening to slice into her flesh. Riley stroked the warm skin of his hand, forcing herself to believe. “Let me go, Wade. Please. For both our sakes. You’ll hurt me more than you’ll ever hurt him.”

  For a long, breathless moment, she held his gaze. Slowly, she felt his touch give way, his claws retracting into his skin. He laughed, and it was full of mockery, but she didn’t think it was aimed at her.

  Then she was able to slowly push his hand away from her trembling midriff.

  His fingers came up, traced the smooth curve of her cheek. Fingertips brushed against her mouth, trembling, the spark of it shooting straight through her. Cupping her face, he dragged her close and kissed her. Hard and fast, his lips pressing against hers with a desperation she could feel through the steel core of his body.

  She shoved at him and stepped back. His hand lingered on hers, keeping her between him and the shooters. Riley stared at him. Why the hell...? She pressed a hand to her lips, confusion slicing through her.

  He smiled. Sharp-edged and bittersweet. “Goodbye, Riley. You almost make me believe there’s something good left.”

  Then he shoved her away from him. Looking up, he smiled, arms held out in surrender.

  Bullets hit him from every direction, tearing through his flesh. He jerked, his knees going out from under him as a scream tore from her throat.

  Then he slowly crumpled to the floor of the cage.

  Eight

  IT HURT.

  Worse than he’d expected. Bright light washed over him, half-blinded him. Pain was a razor’s edge. He felt like someone had punched holes in him with a silver knife. It burned. Noise crackled in his ears, almost undistinguishable.

  Someone was shouting. McClain. “Stop shooting!”

  A gasp. A woman. Then the cage was wrenched open and her hands covered his chest, shoving into the raw burning mess that he swore was silver-borne. He could see again. A blurred outline of a woman, her blonde hair a halo against the beating sun. Horrified. Cursing down at him as she tried to crush his heart beneath her hands. White light outlined her body, softening her face, her hair, until all he could see was a pair of serious brown eyes staring frantically down at him.

  Luc made a gurgling sound. Couldn’t breathe. Blood bubbling on his lips. Heart pounding in his ears. The strength went out of him, and his head rolled back.

  “Come on, you bastard. Come on!” Words scraped his skin. Scraped it raw.

  He flinched. Hurt. The hurt was bad. So blinding he drifted for a moment in utter painlessness, and then blinked as it wrenched back into his life with razor-sharp claws.

  I’m sorry. I don’t think I can.

  And the damnedest thing was he tried. But the strength was draining out of him, taking her away from him. He could hear her yelling at him, telling him to get his ass back here. Wet tears spattered his parched face, like the rain after a long summer.

  It all seemed so very far away.

  Slowly, he let go. Floated.

  And then he faded away.

  * * *

  “Damn it!”

  Riley held her hands over the mess of Wade’s chest. No matter how hard she pressed, she couldn’t seem to stop the blood from welling. Her hands were wet, coated with the stuff. She didn’t think she’d ever manage to wash it off if he died.

  And when had her feelings about him changed so much that she’d care?

  Riley ground her teeth together, heat springing up behind her eyes. You almost make me believe there’s something good left. Why the hell had he pushed her away? He’d known what was going to happen. And he’d accepted it.

  McClain slid to his knees beside the open cage, his face hard and composed.

  “Jesus,” he muttered. Looking up, he bellowed, “Eden!” As soon as Eden reached his side, he relinquished his post, gesturing sharply to his men. “Stand down. Get a stretcher here immediately.” Another look down. That time, his composure shattered. Frustration edged w
ith a very real pain filled his grey-green eyes.

  Riley tore her gaze from him, confused. Eden nudged her to the side, taking Riley’s hand and pressing it over the bubbles of blood from lower in Wade’s chest. “Here,” she said. “Put the pressure here. If he can’t breathe he’ll die.”

  “Is he going to die?” Riley didn’t think she could handle that. It was her fault he was in this situation.

  Eden’s expression closed over. “I don’t know, Riley. I don’t know.”

  “He’s a warg.”

  They could recover from almost anything. But... She looked at his chest, at the blood drenching his shirt.

  Eden gave a helpless shrug. “He’s lost a lot of blood.” Her lashes lowered. “And I don’t have the facilities to replace it.”

  “Come on.” McClain grabbed her by the arm, drew her to her feet. “Let Eden do her job, Riley. You’re shaken up. You need to rest.”

  He drew her away, his hand like a manacle around her wrist. Two of his men rested a makeshift stretcher on the ground beside Eden and bent to lift Wade onto it.

  Riley tore her gaze from his battered body, her bloodied hands still held out in front of her.

  “This is my fault,” she said blindly.

  McClain led her toward the main building. His eyes lit on her, strangely gentle. “Wade knew what he was doing, Riley. You weren’t at fault in any of this.” His lips thinned. “Though I did warn you not to turn your back.”

  I didn’t think he’d hurt me.

  And she’d been right. He hadn’t, when it came down to it. Even knowing what was going to happen once he gave up his human screen, he’d chosen to let her live. Chose her life over his.

  Heat flared behind her eyes. A hot, salty tear slid down her cheek, which McClain pretended not to see.

  “Come on,” he said, maneuvering her toward the door. “You’ve had a bad shock today. I’ll help you clean up.”

  One last glance in Wade’s direction. His foot lolled off the stretcher as they carried him toward the infirmary, Eden holding someone’s shirt over the worst of the wounds.