She shook her head mutely.
“It depends on the elemental and the region,” Lulu added. “Wolves are found on almost every continent, and earth is a common element. Wait—how did you guys think there came to be so many packs all over the world?”
“That wasn’t from your people?” I blinked slowly.
Lulu laughed, her shoulders shaking. “Of course not. I mean, the Romani created the first wolf-shifters, but other elementals in different regions created their own packs as well. The concept of a shifter wasn’t completely unknown before then.”
“Why?”
“Why not?” she countered with a shrug. “Creating shifters became a way that elementals could protect themselves. They created their own armies and lines of defense from other elementals.”
Lulu snorted as another thought came to her. “If you think shifters fight dirty, you can’t imagine the shit elementals pull. That’s why there aren’t a lot of us left. Most have been killed throughout the years, the spirit ones in particular.”
“Why them?” Tate asked.
“Think of the Earth as a resource that can be divided up. The more earth elementals there are, the smaller the piece is that you can access. That means that the power you can siphon or access is less. If you eliminate other elementals in your faction, that gives you a larger piece to draw from. Make sense?”
We both nodded slowly.
“Spirit is a super potent element. It’s … everything. Spirit elementals went at it like no other faction. They tore each other apart because their element was like a damn drug. There were hardly any spirit elementals by the time they stopped fighting, and those that were left were batshit crazy from the power trip. At some point, the other four elementals got together and bound their abilities. It was the only way to stop them from draining the life out of every living thing on the planet.” Lulu leaned back in her chair.
“And now there’s no spirit elementals?” I tilted my head, trying to imagine a battle between magical beings.
It probably would be the same thing as normal humans trying to wrap their heads around what shifters were currently doing. We were fighting our own wars in the same world they lived in, completely unaware.
Lulu and Dimitri exchanged a look.
“There are still some,” she finally said, almost hesitantly, “but they’re mostly in hiding now. The ones that made it through the binding unnoticed hid themselves amongst humans. But there’s still a few out there.”
The heavy silence that settled around us told me there was more to that story than she was letting on.
I settled back in my seat, determined not to press her for details. I knew what it was like to not want to share your life and secrets with people you had just met.
But I also didn’t like the way Lulu was now staring blankly out the window. She had been so full of life and animation while she explained everything, but now she was just … gone.
“Are there any more besides wolves and bears?” I blurted out.
She blinked slowly, like she was waking up. “Um, yeah. Cats are pretty popular. You know, jaguars in the Amazon, panthers in Asia, lions in Africa. I think there may be a few cougars left in North America. Those are also earth-based ones.”
“Do the other elements have shifters, too?” Tate questioned curiously.
She nodded. “The first shifters, like, ever came from eastern Asia. They’re fire elements. They created dragons.”
“Dr-dragons?” I stuttered. “Actual dragons?”
“They’re extinct now,” Dimitri added. “No one has seen one in like half a century or more. It’s hard to hide a sixty-foot wingspan from radars.”
“The only water ones I know of are dolphins. Those are mostly found in the Pacific islands.” Lulu frowned, thinking. “Air is birds, obviously. Eagles and hawks, mostly.”
I was so busy thinking about freaking dragons that I wasn’t prepared when the wheels touched down on the runway. The plane bounced, jolting me. The roar inside the cabin became deafening as the flaps lifted to slow our speed.
Tate’s fingers clamped around my wrist and squeezed. “Skye.”
I followed her gaze out the window to where a group of people were waiting at the end of the runway.
My heart beat so hard, so fast, that I got dizzy.
“Breathe, Skye,” Dimitri told me.
I sucked in a deep breath as the plane slowly rolled to a gentle stop and the cabin lights came on. I unbuckled my seat belt and stood up, Tate right behind me.
I moved down the aisle until Nikolai stepped out in front of me.
“Wait, love,” he said.
My eyes narrowed. “For what? I’m not waiting. Move.”
“Skye—”
“Move, or I’ll move you myself,” I growled, my wolf ready to mow down anyone who got in our way. I could feel Tate crowding behind me, so I knew she would help me fight past him if needed.
He sighed softly, hiding a smile. “They need to bring the stairs over to the door unless you plan on dropping fifty feet to the ground.”
Oh.
Well, shit.
That made sense.
But still, I wanted to scream.
It took an eternity for the stairs to be wheeled over to the side of the plane, and longer still for the door to open.
As soon as it did, Nikolai stepped out of my way. I made it to the door when Alexei stopped me.
“I need to make sure it is safe, printsessa.”
“I promise you the bigger threat will be me if you don’t get out of my way,” I replied evenly.
“Let her go,” Nikolai called.
Alexei sighed and moved back. “Go on then.”
The stairs could have been a slide for as fast as I ran down them. As soon as my feet hit the tarmac, my eyes scanned the crowd of people until they landed on the only person I needed.
I broke into a run that would have made an Olympic athlete proud. Everything blurred by as I pushed myself to run faster, closing the distance between us. I could hear Tate behind me, running just a few steps back.
Remy was still a few feet away when I launched myself at him. He caught me easily, barely rocking backward at the force of my impact.
His strong arms banded around me while I wrapped my arms and legs around his torso, my face buried against his neck where I had claimed him only a few days earlier.
Home.
I was home.
34
Remy
The second I saw her face, my heart started beating again.
The moment she wrapped her body around mine, I could finally breathe again.
I wasn’t sure if Skye was shaking, or I was, but everything in me felt raw and cracked open. It was one of the few times in my life I could remember wanting to actually cry.
My hands hooked under her thighs, sliding to cup her ass, while I pressed a kiss to her throat atop of the scar from where I claimed her as the sun started to dip behind the trees.
I found my voice first, but it sounded like I dragged it over gravel and broken glass. “Hey, baby.”
She lifted her head and I got a small glimpse of her emerald eyes before she kissed me eagerly, desperately.
I gave myself a second to get lost in the feel of her lips on mine, the way her body pressed against me, before I slowly set her down. My eyes moved past her to where a group of people were getting off the airplane.
Her hand cupped the side of my face, drawing my attention back to her. Always to her.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly. I had watched her break into a run, carefully scrutinizing every step to check for injuries as she got closer. Now that she was in my arms, it was all I could do not to strip her down and inspect every inch of her skin, and not just for injuries.
“I’m perfect now,” she replied, rolling to her toes and kissing me again.
I laughed, kissing her back for a second. “Are we good?” I questioned when she dropped back down. The group was almost all off the plane now an
d heading straight for us.
She looked over her shoulder. “Yeah. We’re good. They’re here to help us.”
Us.
The word cracked open something in my heart that had my arms tightening around her once more.
I forced myself to let her go. As soon as I did, Addie stepped in, grabbing Skye and hugging her.
Addie started crying, and I stepped around them both, blocking them from view. Rhodes and Michael stepped up beside me as Katy and Larkin stole Skye from her mother.
I looked around at the people standing with me. My council and my father’s had both come, along with a few extra guards. Some were with us and others were in the woods in case we needed them.
I wasn’t taking any chances.
I wanted to believe Skye’s dad was a good guy and her trust wasn’t misplaced, but I also wasn’t taking a fraction of a chance now that she was back with me.
Dante and Ryder had Tate crushed between them, a tangle of hands and arms as they kept her firmly between them. I met Dante’s eyes over Tate’s head, one of his arms wrapped around Tate, the other hand clasping Ryder’s neck. I hated to interrupt their reunion almost as much as I hated to stop mine, but the group was rapidly closing the distance. Dante nodded and started to extricate himself from Ryder’s and Tate’s arms.
It wasn't hard to guess who Skye’s father was as the group approached. Everything about the man in the center of the group screamed Alpha. I watched him, from his dark hair that was the same shade as Skye’s to the cold gray glint in his eyes. Those eyes met mine and held, not challenging, but calculating. He was trying to get a read on us, on me, the same way I was eyeing him.
Skye pushed her way between Rhodes and me, slipping under Rhodes’s arm and hugging his waist.
He hugged her back for a second, relief stark in his eyes as he looked down at her for a beat.
“Hey, Skyewalker,” he greeted warmly, but there was no missing the slight crack in his voice. “We missed you.”
“I missed you, too, Rhodey,” she whispered, giving him one more squeeze before sliding her hand into mine where it belonged.
“That’s him, huh?” I murmured, watching Nikolai Dashkov walking towards us.
“That’s him,” she confirmed, leaning against my arm, her head resting on my shoulder.
When he was only a few yards away, I took a deep breath and started forward, Skye at my side. We all stopped with a few feet separating us. Nikolai’s eyes kept drifting past me to where I was sure Addie was standing.
Skye had given her the heads up that Nikolai would be here, but I still felt the need to protect her after what she had shared with me. On the drive here, she had been a nervous wreck. I felt compelled to protect her if I could.
When Nikolai’s eyes narrowed, I knew Ryder was doing his job as we had discussed, using his large body to shield Addie from view.
“Nikolai, this is Remy,” Skye said, grabbing both of our attention. “Rem, this is … my dad.”
Nikolai’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he wiped the expression away and focused on me.
“Thank you,” I started, glancing down at my mate, “for taking care of Skye and Tate.”
A small, unreadable smile toyed on his lips. “Of course. And thank you for hosting us. My children think highly of you.”
Daniel—
No, Dimitri, stood to his right. He nodded at me.
“We’re a little tight on room right now,” I admitted, ignoring the burn in my gut at seeing the guy who lied to me and took Skye, “but we have two houses for you all to use for the time being.”
“We don’t need formal housing,” Nikolai replied. “We can make do on the ground just as easily.” The blonde woman to his left gave him an incredulous look for a second.
“Skye said you have more people coming?” I asked, quickly doing a headcount of the people in front of me.
“We do, provided you’re all right with that. We have another two hundred men that can be en route as soon as I call and check in with my beta.” He inclined his head towards me. “Again, only if you agree.”
I glanced down at Skye and she looked back, nothing but trust and surety in her gaze.
I looked back at Nikolai with a nod. “Good. If you can arrange to get them here, we’ll work out where they can sleep.”
“All right,” he agreed easily. “But I can assure you, my men are quite accustomed to sleeping outside. Their wolves prefer it, to be honest.”
“Whatever’s easiest,” Skye said, nodding. “Thank you.”
“Right,” Nikolai said smoothly. “You already know my son, Dimitri. This is my wife, Natasha.”
“Welcome,” I greeted evenly, skipping past Dimitri and smiling at Natasha.
“Are we done with the formalities?” she asked, looking briefly at her husband.
His smile tightened. “Depends. Are you planning to behave?”
My eyebrows lifted as Skye snorted, shaking her head.
Nikolai’s gaze met mine once more, his eyes sliding down to where Skye’s hand was tucked into mine. “I suppose we are family.”
“Exactly,” Natasha said brightly, stepping away from him and reaching for Skye’s other hand. “All this formality is stifling, Nik.”
“Mama,” Dimitri grumbled.
“I swear, Natasha,” Nikolai started, shaking his head.
Skye was fighting a smile that loosened some of the stress gripping my gut.
“Is that her?” Natasha’s eyes widened as her voice dropped to a whisper. She craned her neck, looking between Rhodes and I.
Glancing back, I saw Addie had stepped around Ryder. She was pale, and I could see the way she was trembling from here.
“She’s pretty,” Natasha remarked, almost awed. She glanced back at her husband with a scoff. “Too pretty for you.”
Nikolai looked ready to strangle her, but he hadn’t told her to shut up.
“Tasha,” Skye warned, her eyes narrowed. She looked worried as she looked from her mom to her stepmother.
“Ryder,” I called, barely turning around, “take Addie back to the car.”
Natasha’s eyes widened, her hand fluttering up to her throat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean … Oh, hell.” She sighed, dejected, as Ryder led Addie back to the line of waiting cars.
“Are you pleased with yourself?” Nikolai asked sourly, glaring at her.
To her credit, Natasha didn’t flinch. She tipped her head back, meeting his glare with her own. After a beat, she relented, rolling her eyes and stepping back with an annoyed huff.
Nikolai turned back to me. “Thank you, Alpha.”
“Remy,” I corrected him, still not used to having the formal title of Alpha attached to my name.
“Remy,” he repeated. “One last matter to discuss. You have cells here, yes? For holding people under arrest?”
I frowned. “Of course.”
Every pack did, but I could honestly say that Blackwater’s were rarely used. We didn’t have a high crime rate, and the shit that did happen was usually handled by my dad. The last person who had been in one of those cells was Rhodes’s dad, and that had been over a year ago.
In one of his rarer moments, he took his drunk ass to the bar in town and got wasted. He’d gotten into a fight, and Dad had put him in a cell so he could dry out for the night.
I wasn’t sure why Nikolai felt the need to ask until I caught movement coming out of the plane.
“Fuck,” I swore, my blood running cold as Elias and then Linden were led down the stairs.
Skye’s hand tightened around mine. “It’s okay.”
“What the hell are they doing here?” I demanded, my gaze swinging from Nikolai to Skye.
She opened her mouth to answer, but Nikolai beat her to it.
“I thought you might want to question them yourself,” he explained, almost happily.
I glared at both of them as they approached. Linden met my stare defiantly, his mouth pressed into a grim line. Elias
hung his head, looking like he was walking to be executed. He refused to look up.
Skye’s hand squeezed mine, dragging my attention away from them.
“Let’s get them settled and then we can all talk,” she said softly.
I nodded slowly, not liking the flicker of fear in her eyes. There was something she wasn’t telling me.
“Okay,” I said sharply. “We’ll get you all settled for the night. We can meet later tomorrow to discuss a plan.”
I motioned to my pack with my hand. “Will and Michael will handle your sleeping arrangements and take you to the houses we have ready. We’ll bring your luggage by when it’s been unloaded.”
Nikolai smiled and started leading his people away to where Michael and Will stood.
I pulled my hand from Skye’s as Dimitri approached, extending it to him.
He paused in front of me.
“Thank you,” I started sincerely, “for protecting Skye.”
Dimitri nodded with an easy grin and shook my hand. “No problem.”
My right hand squeezed his as my left arm swung. My knuckles collided solidly with his jaw, snapping his head back. I let go as he stumbled backwards and went down, hard.
Everyone around us froze.
“Remy!” Skye hissed, moving to step around me and check on him.
I held her back with one hand as I glared down at Dimitri. “Take her away from me again and I’ll kill you.”
“Noted,” he muttered, rubbing his jaw. He winced as he touched the already swelling area and got back up.
Skye’s nails dug into my forearm as Dimitri joined the others getting ready to leave.
“Really?”
I looked at her. “Yes, really. And I really will kill him, or anyone, who takes you from me again.”
She sighed, but didn’t seem too upset by what I said. In fact, when her eyes met mine, all I could see was love.
Unable to resist, I kissed her again, hard.
It killed me to step away from her, especially when she rocked forward, her lips chasing mine as I straightened and looked back at my pack.
“You all know what to do,” I said, nodding that they were okay to leave. The cars carrying the Narodnaya pack members were already leaving.
Legacy (Blackwater Pack Book 3) Page 28
