by Dianna Love
“You had to be suffering,” the Guardian continued. “It’s amazing you survived as long as you did without changing. I follow all the Gallize shifters from birth. I went to the village where you were born and thought you were dead along with the others who were attacked. No one laid claim to that assault. Now, I believe it may have been Cadells who wanted you merely as a tiger shifter, which your mother and father were. You were born a twin, because one died with your family. That is why I did not know you survived or I would have brought you to me by the time you reached twenty.”
“You know my mother?”
“I knew of her. I do not interfere with the raising of children. Gallize shifters become adults before I send our people to bring them to me. When that happens, I explain as much as the future shifter is willing to hear, then I call up the animal. Like Justin who opened this cage, you are a rare Gallize born into a shifter family.”
Rory looked over to find Justin had gone back up top. Poor Justin had suffered as a child born into a bear clan but unable to shift with the rest of them. He’d been chided and humiliated growing up.
He’d had the last laugh. His massive grizzly could take on any bear in that clan now.
Hard to say who had had it better since Baatar had lived an equally difficult life. Maybe worse.
Baatar swallowed hard and asked, “Why was family killed?”
The Guardian explained, “Unfortunately, when I sent someone to begin watching over you at birth, he arrived to find the small village raided and everyone dead. I went myself and discovered a tiny infant still in the birth canal. I doubt Cadells ever knew you were a Gallize, but came to poach a rare tiger shifter as he was born. I will help you uncover more about your family, but I know of none who survived.”
Damn, Rory had been crushed by the loss of his brother, but he still had family even if he didn’t see them.
Maintaining a soothing tone, the Guardian said, “You must learn how to manage your tiger as well as your shifts. I have a place for you to spend time doing that, where you will harm no one. You will have miles of open range to roam and time to work much of this out on your own. If you do, you’ll be stronger for it. The sooner you gain control and prove to me you possess this control, the sooner you’ll be able to enjoy the freedom you deserve.”
That sounded like the Guardian had another place similar to Wyoming, where Adrian still resided while he battled to lock down control of his wolf.
Baatar asked, “What if I do not want to do this?”
“Then I will keep you with me until you can gain control,” the Guardian said, his tone making it clear there would be no ifs, ands or buts.
That brought a deep frown from Baatar.
Rory didn’t blame him. He carried the highest respect for the Guardian, but he believed it was easier for a new Gallize to figure things out around his peers.
Their Guardian had no peers since the female Guardian had been missing for centuries.
Baatar let out a weary sigh, one that said he’d fought his body for a long time. “At least I do not feel too many things in my head now. Only this ... animal.”
“That sounds like a good start. Why don’t we get out of here and talk some more?” The Guardian made that request and walked out of the hole.
It took a moment, but Baatar left as well.
When Rory reached topside, he inhaled a breath of blessed free air.
Baatar had been two steps ahead, but he turned quickly and pointed a finger at Rory. “Stay away from Siofra. She is innocent. Not shifter. No reason to be around shifters.”
Rory considered his words and felt a pang of remorse at wanting her to stay with him when Baatar might be right, but then he pushed that away and said, “That’s Siofra’s decision, not yours or mine.”
Without turning, the Guardian said, “Baatar, follow me. I’d like to see you.”
The desire to refuse the Guardian was written across Baatar’s angry face, but his feet turned and he started walking. He looked over his shoulder at Rory, who grinned at the bastard.
No Gallize could resist a direct order.
That tiger had a tough future ahead of him if he fought the Guardian every step of the way, but Rory’s boss had a vested interest in the tiger shifter. In fact, it had been clear that his boss carried a heavy emotional burden from not having gotten to Baatar as an infant.
Siofra stood by one of the two Hummers now present, talking to Scarlett, who wore a T-shirt and jeans. Had she shifted? He’d missed a lot while in the hole.
He stared for a minute, heart in his chest. She’d stood her ground and told Baatar that Rory was hers. He started to call to Siofra, but she looked over at him.
Instead of smiling or waving, she returned to her intense conversation with Scarlett.
His heart dropped further and further until he’d be kicking it any minute when he took a step.
Chapter 45
“Thanks for explaining the tattoo,” Siofra said. Baatar had to accept being a shifter and she had to accept ...
She couldn’t think on that right now, because she had a more pressing concern. “When you were telling me about the program you have for female shifters and their young, you said you helped women in need, right?” Siofra asked Scarlett. She hated how her voice sounded shaky, but she’d just looked in the mirror to clean up while she had a moment and her heart almost stopped at what she saw.
Scarlett said, “Sure. Why?”
“What if, uh, I’m the one in need?”
Scarlett gave her an assessing look. “I’m not discounting you, but I don’t understand the problem.”
Leaning close, Siofra whispered, “Take a look at my eyes.”
Scarlett opened hers wide and raised her eyebrows. “I’m looking.” Then she lost the silly look and said, “Oh, shit. Your eyes. The right one is now—”
Siofra shushed her. “Not so loud.” But at least now Scarlett realized Siofra’s two eyes had swapped colors. Someone not paying attention would miss it, but once everything settled down, Justin, Rory and the eagle man would know.
Scarlett mouthed, “I saw a change something like that in Tess’s eyes.”
“Is she mated to one of Rory’s shifter buddies?”
“Yes and she admitted the eye color change was because she’s pregnant. Are you, too?”
Keeping watch out for Baatar and Rory, who were both across the open area and busy bitching at each other, Siofra said, “I don’t know for sure, but I think so.”
“Oh, shit.”
“You have no idea,” Siofra said. “I can’t carry a baby. The Cadells stuck three in me and my body rejected every one, killing the embryos.” It hurt to swallow past her thick throat. Siofra said, “I need some time. I don’t want to tell Rory, make him feel responsible and forced to make a decision based on this. I will probably lose the baby ... soon. That way I can wait until he decides about his future and we can figure out whether I’m in it.”
“I can find a place to put you up, but you might want to keep this from Baatar, too,” Scarlett suggested.
“My sister keeps nothing from me,” Baatar said, walking up. “What is going on?”
Siofra jumped.
Scarlett scowled. “Don’t sneak up on her. This is none of your business. We’re having a private conversation so back the hell up.”
He crossed his arms. “No. You leave.”
“Please, Ganbaatar,” Siofra said, using his full name as she did when he got overbearing.
“No. You tell me anything. I am brother.”
Taking a step toward him, Scarlett said, “That does not give you the right to interfere with Siofra’s private conversations, Gan.”
“Yes, it does. Name is Ganbaatar,” he said.
Siofra rolled her eyes at that. He never used his whole name.
Scarlett and Baatar were locked in a glaring match.
“E-nough,” Siofra said, pushing them apart. “Thank you, Scarlett. I’ll get in touch with you later.”
Scarlett’s f
ace softened when she turned to Siofra. She pulled out a card. “You said you memorized my number, but take this in case you forget it. You can call it any time, day or night.” Tossing a disgusted look at Baatar, Scarlett added, “Call me as soon as you have a moment alone. I can help you go wherever you want.”
Undeterred by Scarlett’s last dig, Baatar said, “Siofra will not be alone. She has me.”
Scarlett had started walking off, but turned back. “I’m not seeing that as a positive at the moment, Gan.”
She continued on until she reached Justin, who told Scarlett, “Cole said SCIS is looking for you, but Tess covered and said you were on a case for her.”
“His mate is a good woman. I’ll check in with SCIS once I get out of here and grab a shower.”
Siofra warned Baatar, who had been watching Scarlett, “Don’t be mean to my friends.”
Looking puzzled, he said, “You did not hear her? She is with SCIS. They hunt shifters. We don’t associate with her kind.”
“Evidently we do, because Scarlett is my friend. You should be thanking her. She did bring me to you. Without her and Rory risking their lives to come for us, you would be auctioned off and probably tortured to make you a tiger, which clearly would not have happened. I would be sold to someone. Did you forget about them coming here voluntarily?”
His big shoulders moved up and down with a heavy breath. “I had bad time in head while chained.”
Siofra filled him in quickly, right down to Scarlett racing out of the camp to draw all the shifters away except Tripoli. She finished by saying, “Not only did she pull them out, but backtracked and dealt with each one alone.”
“I owe apology.” Admitting that clearly pained him.
It didn’t stop Siofra from taunting him. “Hope you enjoy the taste of shoe leather, brother.”
“I do not eat shoe.”
“It means uh... you have to eat crow, admit you were wrong.”
“Oh. I will wait for this meal.”
When Siofra looked over at where Rory stood with his boss and Justin, Baatar turned to see what took her attention. He said, “You must make smart choice, sister.”
“I know. I’m working on it.” She’d had a moment of thrill when she saw her eyes had switched colors and knew in her heart she was pregnant.
Then reality hit her between those very same eyes.
Rory had said he loved her, but he had yet to say he wanted to mate and she was bound to lose this baby as she had the others.
Chapter 46
While Rory stood with the Guardian and Justin, he waited for Siofra to come to him. He didn’t know where they stood. She’d looked unsure when Baatar had called Rory out for keeping his identity secret, but she would understand.
His mate was intelligent.
Being a Gallize could not be a deal breaker for her taking a mate, not when Baatar was one also.
Rory covered his eyes with his hand. He could not keep thinking of her as his mate when he’d never given her reason to think he wanted a mate.
She put a hand up in Baatar’s face and walked around the other side of the Hummer.
Too far. She was too far away.
Rory couldn’t hear the Guardian or Justin. The farther Siofra went, the more his link to her shrank.
Baatar followed her around.
Rory interrupted Justin who had been talking quietly with the Guardian. “Where are Baatar and Siofra going?”
The Guardian and Justin could take that as Rory just being curious about the newest Gallize member of the team, but one look at his boss told Rory he had fooled no one.
Justin said, “We were just talking about Baatar. If you had listened, you would have heard the Guardian say he wants to take Baatar to Wyoming and introduce him to Adrian.”
“What?” Rory searched their faces. “Put a crazy tiger with Adrian’s insane wolf?”
Justin held his hands up. “I’m not in charge. I voiced my opinion and was overridden.”
The Guardian angled his head in his birdlike way. “Are you questioning my decision, Rory?”
“No, sir. Never. I just ... we want Adrian back.”
“As do I. It may do Adrian good to be responsible for someone other than himself.”
Great logic unless the next time someone showed up in Wyoming there was either a wolf or tiger hide stretched across the partially rebuilt cabin Adrian had burned to the ground.
Rory gave up trying to be subtle. “What about Siofra? Where is she going?”
Justin said, “I don’t know, but when I was putting the tank back in the truck I heard Scarlett tell Siofra she could help her go wherever she wanted.”
Scarlett was not taking his mate anywhere.
His jaguar growled to go after Siofra and the sound was more longing than angry.
Standing here with her out of sight was more than Rory could take. He walked away.
Justin called, “Rory? We’re not done yet.”
Without looking back, Rory said, “I’m done.”
The Guardian literally appeared in front of him. He didn’t teleport, but that man moved fast. “Where are you going, Rory?”
“I need to see Siofra, sir.” Rory tried to step around his boss, but with a lift of his hand the Guardian put up an invisible wall.
Rory growled, which was stupid when the Guardian could close his throat. Speaking through clenched teeth, Rory said, “Please get out of my way, sir.”
“Not until we have finished speaking.”
Dammit. He stepped back in front of his boss as a show of respect. “What do want to talk about, sir?”
“Your reason for going after Siofra.”
The muscles in Rory’s jaws flinched with grinding his teeth. “I want to make her my mate, but I would like to ask her first before I announce it.”
Sighing, the Guardian said, “You must be whole to do that or you’ll damage your jaguar even more.”
“My jaguar and I are now one,” Rory said, proud of that statement. He pulled up his shirt tail and held his other arm wide, exposing where under the crusted blood were signs his body was mending on its own, and quickly. In fact, quicker than he’d ever healed even in the early days of being a shifter.
The Guardian asked, “You’re saying you and your jaguar did that and not Siofra?”
“Correct, sir. I’m happy to be a shifter and proud of my jaguar. It’s hard to explain, but I now realize I’ve hated myself for a long time. That’s changed. I like being alive and having a future. It took me almost losing my jaguar to realize how much I cared about him. I’ve been fortunate he’s been there for me so long. Now, I’ll be there for him, too.”
The Guardian nodded. “Well done. Not everyone could have done that.”
“Thank you, sir. I want everything life has to offer for as long as I can live it.”
“That makes me very happy, Rory.”
“Now I need to talk to the woman I want to mate.”
“While I am quite pleased to see you and your animal joined as one, I have a new concern,” the Guardian said. “We may not be human, but we are men of honor. I am not sure you have considered what it would mean for a Cadell woman to take a Gallize mate, if Siofra is Cadell, as I suspect.”
“She is. I saw the tattoo confirming it. She may have their mark, but Siofra’s not really a Cadell,” Rory argued. He would not categorize her with his hated enemy.
“But I am, Rory.”
Rory and the Guardian turned to find Siofra standing there, eyes downcast. “I’m half Cadell, at least. I talked to Scarlett about it and she said she’d help me find out the truth. I know my father was Cadell, because Scarlett explained how the fathers mark their daughters.”
“Scarlett knew this?” the Guardian asked, just as surprised as Rory. Clearly, the Guardian had more to learn about their new intel resource.
“Yes,” Siofra confirmed. “That explains my father, but my mother ... I don’t know. He said she abandoned us.”
Rory asked, “Do
you know if you have an older sibling?” Sure, she was Cadell, but he’d never known a Cadell born with so much power to be overlooked by that group. It probably happened because Siofra’s power didn’t surface when she was younger.
Her lips moved into a frown. “Not sure why you’d want to know that, but I recall my father saying my mother took my brother and left. He would have been older than me.”
Rory checked the Guardian’s face to see understanding dawn there.
Sounding heartbroken and still unable to meet his gaze, Siofra said, “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you, Rory, and give you a chance to explain about your phone call with Scarlett. I am going to do my best to let go of my past and judge people around me based on their actions, not someone else’s. Now you know everything about me. I don’t fit into anyone’s world. Thank you for saving Baatar.” She turned to walk away.
Rory pushed against the Guardian’s invisible wall to find it gone. He rushed after her with his emotions tangled into knots.
Cadell or not, Rory knew the only thing he had to know and that was how much he needed Siofra. Not as healer, but as his mate. He called out, “Don’t go, Siofra.”
She turned back and rubbed her forehead. “Why?”
He walked over and stopped short of reaching for her. Damn difficult, but he wouldn’t hold her unless she gave him an indication she wanted to be held. He had to find the words and not screw this up. “First, I want you to know that my jaguar and I are bonded like never before. We’re able to heal.”
Her face lit up, but she still wouldn’t look at him. “That’s wonderful, Rory.”
He smiled. “That means I don’t need a healer.”
Her face fell, but she recovered. “Hey, really good news.”
“I’m glad you think so, but there’s one thing I need above all else.”
“What?”
“A mate.”
Her lip quivered a second. “Thought you said you never wanted a mate.”
What had he done so wrong that she wouldn’t even look at him right now? “I did say that before I figured out a lot of things, like the fact that I no longer hate being a shifter. I had to be whole before I could ask anyone to share a life with me. I want someone to stand by my side and build a home with me. Someone who calls me on my shit and makes me laugh when no one else can. Someone I can take care of in return. Someone who loves my jaguar. Only one woman can fill that role and it’s you. I want you as my mate ... if you’ll have me. My jaguar loves you and I love you, Siofra, more than I’ve ever loved anyone, including my family.”
