Lachlan gave one feeble, very brief nod.
Kendrick drew a long breath. He raised the Sword of the Guardian, which flared anew, lighting every facet in the rocks around them and making them glitter like jewels.
He thrust the sword unerringly into Lachlan’s chest. Lachlan flinched, then breathed a sigh, and smiled. “Thank you, Kendrick,” he whispered. Then his eyes closed, his body shimmered, and he slowly dissolved into dust.
Kendrick bowed his head, the sword point resting where Lachlan’s body had lain. A moment later, Kendrick threw his head back and roared, a sound of grief and pain so heart-wrenching that tears sprang to Addie’s eyes.
She wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her head between his broad shoulders. Kendrick’s roar died into a moan and tears wet his face.
“He was my friend, once,” Kendrick said, then he drooped, falling against Addie, who fought to hold him.
Kendrick lost his grip on the sword, which fell full-length with a clatter, the brilliant light fading until it was only a faint glow. Kendrick’s breath rattled in his throat, and he sagged down into the rubble, Addie clinging to him all the way.
“No, Kendrick,” she sobbed. “Don’t leave me.”
“Love you,” Kendrick whispered. He squeezed his eyes shut, taking shuddering breaths.
Addie held him, anguish gouging her. “We have to get out of here. Kendrick.”
“The sword,” Kendrick managed. “Get the sword.”
Addie groped for it, her heart pounding. Did he mean for her to use it on him? Or to take it out to the other Shifters?
“Keep it for me,” Kendrick said, his voice ragged. “And hold me again, Addison. I need you to.”
Addie lay down right beside him and wrapped him in her arms, clutching the glowing sword tightly in one hand.
“I love you,” she whispered.
Kendrick lay very still for a moment. Then his body shuddered, moved.
He was shifting. For a few seconds, Addie lay half on Kendrick’s human body, then she was lifted from the rock as he expanded into the form of his tiger.
Addie found herself on the white tiger’s back, her fingers sinking into his warm fur. With a grunt and huff of breath, the tiger moved painfully forward, stumbling over the rocks to the opening Lachlan had made.
Though he limped, and one paw dragged, Kendrick slunk out into the tunnels so adeptly that Addie never brushed any of the low ceilings or fallen debris. She hung on to him, feeling every move of his body as he crept on elastic muscles.
The tunnel outside went on, up and up, the tiger flowing like water, his footfalls silent. Addie felt as though she moved under the deep night sky on the back of a magic beast. The Sword of the Guardian was still in her hand, the rocks above her reflecting its light like twinkling stars.
When the tunnel finally ended at a narrow opening, through which came night air and true starlight, Kendrick stopped, his sides heaving. He collapsed just inside the tunnel, Addie with him.
His body jerked, and Kendrick became a man again, naked and bruised, his skin dark with blood. He gazed up at her with green eyes that burned into her heart.
“Love you so much,” Kendrick whispered. Then his eyes filmed over, and he went still.
Addie gave a cry of anguish. “No. Please, we’re almost there. Kendrick, please, I can’t lose you.”
Her sobs were drowned by the sound of grating rock, and she raised her head with a gasp. But instead of the cave-in she expected, a tiger as large as Kendrick, but orange and black, snaked through the opening and stopped, studying her with yellow eyes.
Behind him came Zander, the healer, and Kendrick’s trackers—Seamus, Dimitri, Jaycee. Ben too, with Dylan, all of them wading in to help.
The three trackers and Zander lifted Kendrick gently between them, carrying him out. Ben got Addie onto her feet, his touch tender with understanding.
They carried Kendrick out and laid him under the stars, where he lay still. The sword Addie held flashed once, then its light cut out and vanished, leaving them in darkness.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Kendrick opened his eyes as pain roared through him. Sound burst out of his throat, a cry from the depths of his soul.
Every nerve was on fire, every blood vessel straining to burst. His head pounded, his throat was desert dry, and his lungs could grab no breath.
He peeled open his eyes—even his eyelids hurt.
On one side of him knelt Addison. Her face was covered with grime and scrapes, her dark hair matted with blood, perspiration, and dust. She clutched one hand around the hilt of the Sword of the Guardian, which no longer glowed, the other hand resting on his chest.
Kneeling behind Kendrick’s head was Zander, his two white braids brushing Kendrick’s face, the beads in the braids catching the moonlight. Zander was chanting in his deep voice in a strange language, both hands placed on Kendrick’s shoulders. Pain burned where Zander’s hands touched him and rippled down the rest of Kendrick’s body.
“Son of a . . .” Kendrick writhed, trying to throw off Zander’s hold, but the big man pushed him back down.
“Stay still,” Addison said. “He’s healing you.”
Kendrick’s head banged back down to dirt and prickly grass. He was naked, but alive, cool breeze touching his sweating skin. He was also outside, no more tunnels. The sky stretched far overhead, the constellation of the Shifter bear and her cub circling the polar star in their endless dance.
“Holy Goddess,” Kendrick snarled, his voice strengthening. “That fucking hurts.”
Zander opened his eyes, the blackness of them deeper voids in the darkness. “Hey, you were mostly dead,” he said, sounding weary. “Of course it hurts. Think what I get to look forward to.”
Kendrick tried to feel sympathy—Zander would experience Kendrick’s pain exactly as Kendrick had. But no emotion touched him beyond agony.
Kendrick’s muscles were fusing back together, his bones knitting. If he had spent a few months in a hospital bed, he’d have accomplished the same thing. Having all the healing happen at once was excruciating.
Addison moved her hand on Kendrick’s heart. The warmth there cut through the hurt, relaxing Kendrick the slightest bit.
Zander bowed his head again and continued chanting. As Kendrick’s body relaxed, he became more aware of what went on around him. He saw Shifters milling about, and beyond them, the bulks of houses in the dark, warm lights shining in their windows. He heard men talking, the higher-pitched, lighter tones of women, the smaller voices of cubs.
So normal. So absolutely, bloody normal.
“My Shifters.” Kendrick tried to rise. There could be more trapped below, and who knew if the ones up here were still against Kendrick?
Zander landed all his weight on him. “Stay down. I’m not finished. You take a step on that front leg, you’ll shatter it again.”
Front leg? Kendrick realized Zander meant his left arm, which, as tiger, Kendrick had limped out of the tunnels on.
The sensible part of him said it would be wise to let Zander finish. The alpha tiger in him made Kendrick want to run around making sure everyone was all right.
“Hold him, Addie,” Zander said. “He won’t throw you off.”
True. Kendrick settled into the grass as Addison came down to him. She rested her head on his chest, and Kendrick brought up his good hand and stroked her hair.
“Addison,” he said. “My mate. You should have seen her, Zander. She went after Lachlan with the sword like a warrior.”
Addison hugged him tighter. “Like a scared woman afraid he’d hurt her mate.”
Kendrick ran his hand through her hair again. It was tangled and dirty, but he’d wash it clean for her in the deep claw-foot bathtub at the ranch. After that, they’d do many more entertaining things.
“Does that mean y
ou accept my mate-claim?” Kendrick asked.
He waited, his heart beating hard with hope. Addison raised her head, regarding him with her dark blue eyes.
“Is it like accepting a proposal of marriage?”
“I’m not sure,” Kendrick had to admit. “I don’t know much about the mating rituals of humans.”
“Yes,” Zander said, the words snapped. “It’s exactly like that, but more binding than a human engagement. The mating ceremony is mostly a formality.”
Addison wrapped her hands around Kendrick’s. “So we’d be married. As in . . . I live with you and your cubs for the rest of my life. Wherever you go, whatever happens to you. Whether you live in a house or a bunker, with dozens of Shifters following you around.”
Kendrick’s hope started to fade. “Yes. I’m Shifter leader, and you’d be leader’s mate. With all that entails.”
“I hope they all don’t expect me to make coffee for them and serve them meals,” Addison said, her expression stern. “Because I’m hanging up my apron.”
“Don’t throw it away altogether,” Zander said. “Kendrick might want you to play dress-up.”
“Shut it,” Kendrick growled. “It’s your choice, Addison. I can’t force you to stay with me. I can’t even promise that it will be easy. I can only promise to love you, no matter what.”
“In that case.” Addison leaned down and pressed a warm kiss to his lips. “I accept the mate-claim.”
“Good thing you have a witness,” Zander rumbled. “If you didn’t, it wouldn’t count, and you’d have to do it all over again in front of everybody.”
Kendrick opened his mouth to tell Zander to shut it again, but he cut off the words. Zander was sitting upright now, his face gray, the pain of Kendrick’s wounds starting to grip him.
“Take it easy,” Kendrick said. “Addison, help me.”
Kendrick sat up, feeling much better if not ready to run and fight. He and Addison laid Zander down on his back. His coat lay beside him, removed to work on Kendrick, and Addison rolled it into a pillow to slip under Zander’s head.
“Will he be all right?” Addison asked. The big man groaned.
“To tell the truth, I don’t know,” Kendrick said. Zander was the first Shifter healer he’d ever met—healers were rare and enigmatic.
“Be fine,” Zander mumbled. “Just in a shitload of pain for a while. Do me a favor.” He beckoned them close. Kendrick leaned over him, hand on Zander’s chest, wishing he could make the man feel better.
“What?” Addison asked him, anxious.
Zander lifted his head the slightest bit. “Go away.” He dropped his head back, letting out another groan.
“Should we?” Addison said as Kendrick climbed to his feet and reached to help Addison to hers.
“Probably not.”
Zander made a feeble gesture, as though brushing them aside. “Please. Go.”
Kendrick understood. Zander wasn’t physically hurt, not like Kendrick had been. This was part of the process he had to endure, the sacrifice for his gift. The Goddess wasn’t always easy to work for.
Kendrick guided Addison away, though he limped heavily, and it was she who held him up. He should probably find some clothes, but the thought of cloth rubbing his sensitive skin right now made him queasy.
Several Shifters broke away from the main knot and came to them—Jaycee and Dimitri, followed by Dylan.
“You all right?” Dimitri asked, reaching them first. “Zander made us stay away—we th-thought you were done for.” He reached out and touched Kendrick’s upper arm, both seeking reassurance and trying to reassure.
Kendrick covered Dimitri’s hand with his. “I’ll mend. Zander is a genius, and the touch of my mate kept me alive.”
“Sh-she acc-accepted?” Dimitri asked, his gray eyes widening. “D-did you?” he said to Addison. Dimitri’s stammer worsened in his agitation, but by the huge grin on his face, he didn’t notice or care.
“Yep,” Addison said, sounding shy.
“Yes!” Dimitri grabbed Kendrick, kissed him on the cheek, grabbed Addison, kissed her too, then hauled the protesting Jaycee into his arms and planted a kiss on her mouth.
“Hey!” Dimitri shouted into the crowd. “Kendrick has a mate!”
Jaycee, looking startled and flushed at Dimitri’s kiss, went first to Addison and hugged her. “Awesome, Addie. Thank you.” She turned to Kendrick, hesitating, as though unsure he’d welcome her.
Kendrick stepped to Jaycee and gently drew her into his arms. “Thank you, Jaycee, for everything.”
Jaycee’s tension eased, and she hugged him back. “You did good, Kendrick. You’ll be happy.” She released him and gave Addie a warm look, then another embrace. “The Goddess go with you both.”
Kendrick didn’t have time to comment on her generosity, because Dimitri’s whoops had brought the rest of the Shifters over. Kendrick and Addison were surrounded by the Shifters he’d known and led for so many years—then came the hugs, congratulations, kisses, back thumps, Shifters losing their fear and anger in the joy of the moment.
As it should be, Kendrick thought. Addison had just become the linchpin that would secure the Shifters together, uniting them once more.
* * *
Addie followed Kendrick in a daze, though with more confidence than she thought she would have. Kendrick’s Shifters greeted her with warmth and exuberance, smothering her in hugs as much as they did Kendrick. People she’d never met in her life were hauling her into their arms, crying and kissing her. There were some who held back, uncertain, but for the most part, they welcomed Addie as one of them.
The Shifters rejoiced without restraint that Kendrick was back among them. They’d been scared and worried without him, adrift, like kids suddenly finding themselves without parents. Now Kendrick was with them again, and his voice took on a softness and warmth Addie had only heard him use with her and his cubs.
The Shifters responded, happy and celebrating, though they didn’t stint on the teasing and lewd suggestions. They weren’t tame Shifters.
There were still problems to solve. Dylan joined Kendrick. “We’ve found them all,” he said, his voice pitched low so the now-partying Shifters wouldn’t overhear. “Three dead. The rest injured but all right.”
Kendrick gave him a nod, his face drawn. “I’m sorry I brought him here,” Kendrick said. “Truly.”
“It’s done,” Dylan answered. The words were final. No recriminations to be made.
“You had treasure in the vault,” Kendrick went on after a brief silence. “I saw the place, but it was empty. Lachlan cleaned you out.”
Dylan nodded, his brows together. “I had taken some of it previously,” he said. “But the rest, no. Either it’s buried down there or Lachlan moved it somewhere.” He sighed. “We’ll find it. Another task in the ongoing task of taking care of Shifters.”
“About that,” Kendrick began. “I told you I was finished working for you. I don’t take that back. I need to settle my Shifters, and I’ve found a good place. But I’m happy to help you find the others who still might cause trouble. Not all my Shifters have come back to me.”
Dylan didn’t change expression, but Addie thought she saw relief in his eyes. “I will help you set up your new home—make sure the humans don’t get word of it,” Dylan said. “No matter what my rep, I’m not rushing to put more Shifters in Collars. You might want to wear fake ones, to keep out of trouble, but it’s your choice.”
“Done,” Kendrick said.
They studied each other, two alphas telling themselves it was better to come together than fight.
Dylan stuck out a hand. Kendrick took it. The two locked grips, fingers tight, then they mutually pulled each other into an embrace. They held each other in acknowledgment, no competition. They’d be partners, equals.
Kendrick and Dylan released at
the same time. “For now, let’s get everyone the hell home,” Kendrick said. “Before nosy humans find out something’s going down out here. I’m glad this Shiftertown is so remote.”
“Which is why Lachlan chose it,” Dylan said. “At least we stopped him before he hurt too many.”
Kendrick nodded again, his look going somber. He took the sword from Addie, who’d been carrying it for him as he struggled to walk, and silently turned away.
Addie knew what he was going to do, and she followed, not liking the bleak expression on his face. Kendrick’s stride grew stronger as he approached the bodies laid out on the grass, watched over by Seamus and Spike.
He gazed at each dead Shifter in great sorrow. They were strangers to Addie, but Kendrick had known these men for years, had led them, loved them. Kendrick kept Addie by his side while he said a prayer to the Goddess and sent each of them to dust.
Kendrick lingered for a while as the dust faded on the wind, his head bowed. This task as Guardian was so difficult for him, Addie saw, and tonight he’d had to perform it too many times.
Addie touched his hand. Kendrick snapped his eyes open and gazed down at her, then he scooped her up to him for a long kiss.
His mouth was plenty strong, his arm holding her steady. He seemed to draw strength from her as well as comfort.
Addie rested her hands on his chest and rose into the kiss, her heart swelling with love. Kendrick pulled her up to him, groaning a little in his throat, his heart beating quick and hard. Whatever Zander had done to heal him had taken away his injuries, leaving him as stalwart as ever.
That strength let him kiss her hard, his mouth opening hers. Their tongues tangled, the kiss fierce, promising that when they were alone, wrapped around each other, he’d be fiercer still. Addie remembered his words, spoken in his harsh voice: I want you every way I can have you, and I don’t want it gentle.
She shivered, holding him, letting him know she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
Kendrick at last eased from the kiss, cupping Addie’s face in his hands. “The power lies not in one,” he said softly.
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