Claimed: Paranormal Romance (Immortals, Vampires and Shifters) (Many Lives Book 4)

by Laxmi Hariharan

  Amber, brown, black, and blue form a wall of eyes. All of them look at me unblinking, all of them quiet.

  All are shifters.

  Their Alpha takes a step toward me, and another. A growl rumbles up the animal's chest. Its eyes don't leave mine, warning me off?

  The wolf breaks into a run, and I slide off the sword from my back. I take my stance, ready to defend myself, when—"Kris, wait!" a voice calls out.

  I pause without turning around. Every muscle in me is poised for a fight, even as I recognize the voice.

  Mikhail.

  The wolf changes direction and races for him.

  "Watch out!" I make to step in front of Mikhail, when the beast comes to a halt a few inches in front of him. Dropping its head, the wolf rubs its face against his chest. In turn, Mikhail wraps his arms around the shifter and brushes his cheek against its fur.

  A sound rolls off the wolf…a low growl of delight. Of love.

  "Leana." It's the first time I’ve seen her in wolf form. Now I understand why the wolves, both feral and shifters, accepted her as Alpha.

  In human form, Leana is beautiful, feisty with a gentleness at her core. As a wolf, she's dominance come to life, a force that will not bow to anyone but her mate…just as Tara will not let herself be claimed by anyone else but me.

  I push the thought away. Forcing my muscles to relax, I lower my sword.

  Mikhail holds the massive head between his hands and takes a step back so he can look at the wolf eye to eye.

  "Couldn't resist playing with Kris, hmm?" A gentle nip as the wolf closes its teeth around his hand before tossing its head. Nuzzling the big male, it rumbles another low growl. I nod and steps aside. The wolf walks past. Tosses its head in a regal gesture that I take to mean she has accepted my presence.

  I place my sword back into the scabbard, and as I follow, I can't help but ask Mikhail, "You let her come, and in this condition? Isn't it dangerous for her to…"

  "To shift while she is pregnant? It's only in the third trimester that shifters prefer not to shift for fear of hurting the cubs. If I could, I'd wrap her up and keep her in bed until the pups are born, but…have you tried to ever stop a predatory Alpha female, the Alpha of her pack, from doing as she wants?" He snorts. "Besides, I wouldn't be so selfish as to keep her away from the upcoming confrontation here, not that I could even if I tried." Chuckling, he looks around me, eyes widening before he asks, "Tara?"

  I shake my head, not trusting myself to speak

  "You shouldn’t have kept her out of this, Kris." Mikhail's jaw hardens. "She's a warrior. You need to treat her as one."

  "She's my mate," I bite out the words. "How else am I supposed to keep her safe?"

  "That goddamn dominant nature of yours!" Mikhail swears aloud.

  Ahead of us Leana bounds forward, Mikhail in tow. She runs toward the little white structure at the end of the small plateau.

  It’s the temple where it all started, where Ruby unleashed the tsunami.

  As I cross the threshold of the courtyard, all the hair on my neck stands on end.

  Danger! my senses scream as I slide Ruby's sword back out of the scabbard.

  38

  Kris

  "Took your time getting here, didn't you?" Logan asks, his eyes darting from the sword to my face.

  The breath rushes out of me, but my muscles refuse to relax.

  Next to me Leana growls in her throat, muscles quivering as she tilts her head.

  "You came?" I ask.

  His eyebrows slash down. He walks up to me and grips my shoulder. "Was there ever any doubt? The psychic network exists for a reason. While we cannot often use it to draw on each other's powers, neutralizing Noah's threat to the city is of utmost importance. For that, we must join up our powers."

  Until then, I hadn't been aware of how nervous I was that they’d show. Of course the Ascendants had an unspoken pact of always coming to each other's rescue, but seeing how Noah broke it shook my confidence. It made me far more dependent on myself.

  "Thanks," I say, unable to elaborate my feelings further.

  "You didn't think we'd let you 'elders' have all the fun on your own, did you?" Zayn grumbles, walking up to stand behind Logan.

  Aaron, next to him, tilts his head. "We would never let you down, brother." It's rare that Aaron speaks; and when he does, everyone listens. "It's the safety of your birth city, of your mate."

  A silence falls over the group as I look from one to the other, all their faces serious.

  "You know?"

  Of course they did. The Ascendants are connected on the psychic plane after all.

  "We sensed the nascent bond before you did," Mikhail speaks up.

  "You would’ve seen it earlier, too, if you hadn’t been so pig-headed about not accepting her as your mate," Zayn says, his voice harsh. "You lost the woman who could have been your mate and found another...Do you know how rare that is? Speaking of which…" He looks around me. "Where is Tara?"

  I look away, my free hand curling into a fist at my side.

  Interpreting the look on my face correctly as one of guilt, he says, "Obstinate to the end, eh, Kris?"

  Mikhail walks up to me. "It's time. You ready to do this?"

  Jaw hardening, I nod.

  I grip Ruby's sword and hold it up.

  Muscles tensing, I walk past the little group and run up the steps. At the threshold to the inner sanctum to the temple, I hesitate.

  Turning, I survey the group. My best friend and his mate. The three other men who are dearer than life. I know them almost as well as myself, more than the sister I never got to know, the one whose sword I hold.

  Beyond them, the shifter wolves from Leana's pack.

  A glow of eyes stare unblinking, large shaggy bodies framing them. They stretch out, the colors undulating with shades of black and brown and gray, reflecting the colors of the trees on the rolling slope of the hill and mirroring the waves that stretch out gray and green. As green as her eyes.

  Time to move.

  Pushing all thoughts of Tara from my head, I walk over the threshold, knowing Leana and the other Ascendants will follow.

  My fingers slip on the pommel of the sword. When I hold it up again, I’m surprised to find my hand quiver. I grip the sword harder. I have the courage to do this. I do.

  The inside of the temple is cool enough to send a shiver down my back. Or perhaps it's just my senses going on alert, warning me about dangers I can’t see.

  It's dark except for the small window on the opposite wall, behind the little altar placed in the middle of the room.

  There's nothing else here. It's austere, filled with the unsaid words of those in my blood family who'd made their mistakes, given up their lives here. Ruby and Maya. I feel the women of my family here. The strong, courageous females.

  Like the one I fell for.

  It comes to me then. The witch is it for me. She was always meant to be my mate.

  No wonder I was so attracted to her. She reminds me of Ruby, those fading images in my head of a little girl full of pluck, the one who'd leap first and ask questions later. The little girl was filled with so much anger, with a need to prove herself to the world.

  Like my Tara. The one I left behind. I'll never forgive myself for that, I now realize.

  With a touch on my shoulder, Mikhail says, "Do it."

  I give a signal to the Ascendants to focus all their energies on the altar. The atmosphere inside the little space prickles with unseen vibrations, even more real when I feel them crawl over my skin, raising the hair on my forearms. They tug at me like a million little pinpricks. I don't need to turn to know the rest have their attention focused on the window through which the sunlight pours into the room.

  It's the first time all six ascendants have focused their intent on just one goal: to draw power from the sun to activate the sword.

  Six?

  As my senses flare around the room, I know Noah's already here.

  Before I c
an turn, his voice slices through the throbbing waves of energy that ebb and flow around the room.

  "A cozy reunion. It's only fitting that all of you come together. For it's the last time you'll be seeing each other."

  39

  Kris

  Noah must’ve had a head start to have gotten here so soon. He must have anticipated us coming here.

  I underestimated him. A frisson of fear runs down my spine, but I shove it back.

  Instead, I focus on walking around the little altar. Reaching the other side, I stand with my back to the window.

  Noah's just outside the threshold of the inner sanctum, his hand on his hip. He’s clad in black leather pants and a vest clings to his chest, cut off at the shoulders to flaunt his muscles. One arm is tattooed from the wrist upwards, all the way to the neck.

  He was fifteen when he got his first tattoo. Regret for the boy he was cuts through me.

  "You are strong, Noah, and so powerful," I say. "Together we can unite the species and bring peace to this city. We can give it a chance to survive."

  "You are hurt, brother. You blame us for what happened to you." Mikhail steps forward. "But do you think killing us will change the vision Brahma saw for this world? Do you think destroying the balance of the species will bring back your mate? Will it finally give you peace?"

  "Peace?" He bares his teeth and turns to me. "Only one thing will give me peace. Killing you." The muscles of his face stretch into the parody of a smile. His gaze burns into me. In them I see madness, a thirst for revenge, one that will never be sated, not until he draws blood.

  Leana growls as she moves in front of me, the tension from her body swirling with the other emotions filling the room.

  Anger and hate renders the best of us helpless, and Noah is on a suicide mission. Whether he survives this encounter or not, Noah's going to make sure we die.

  Mikhail steps in front of his mate, flanked by Aaron and Logan.

  Zayn stays where he is, just a few steps behind them. Feet firm on the ground, he folds his arms over his chest, the strength of his resolution clear in every line of his body.

  Together they make for an impenetrable wall between me and Noah.

  Yet, I know not even immortals live forever.

  The thought of my fellow Ascendants coming to harm sends another jolt of fear through me.

  Mikhail's shoulders flex. "It's not that easy to kill Kris," he says. "You have to get through me first."

  "And us," the twins echo.

  "You may be immortal, but I have vampires with me," Noah growls.

  Leana tosses her head and howls. Her cry is echoed back by the shifter wolves. We are not alone either. We have the shifters with us.

  In a flash, I understand. Brahma had been right after all. His prediction all those years ago that Noah's mate would be the reason for the Ascendants to fight against each other…It was true. If we fought now, it would only end with death. Bloodshed. Losses.

  "No!" My voice rings around the room.

  40

  Kris

  The only sound in the temple are the growls rumbling up from Leana's throat.

  There’s also a faint bubbling, as if an underground stream is nearby. My eyes sweep across the altar. Faint green and purple rises from it.

  The focused concentration of the Ascendants has activated the altar, preparing it to pour energy into the sword.

  "You and me, Noah. One on one. No weapons. Just like old times. What say you?"

  His eyes widen, flashing at me.

  He knows it's a fair chance. He's stronger than me and better at hand-to-hand combat. He's always won before. No reason he can't win this one now.

  "All right." He nods.

  I walk forward, making sure my body covers the view to the altar from the rest, to stand next to Logan.

  "He fights dirty. You know that," Zayn growls.

  "Whatever happens, don't interfere," I insist.

  After sliding Ruby's sword into its scabbard over my shoulder, I drop it on the floor of the inner sanctum.

  "After you." Noah inclines his head.

  Stepping over the threshold, I stop at the top of the steps. When I look over the plateau, it’s to find the shifters lined up on one side.

  On the other is Noah's army of vampires, all of them tall, broad. Each one is built like a truck, and all of them are armed with swords and weapons I don't even recognize, from medieval maces to spears to modified guns. They have it all.

  If I lose…the shifters will be wiped out. And the humans in the city don't stand a chance against this army.

  Noah swaggers to the center of the courtyard.

  Behind me Zayn growls, "Bastard, you'd fight your own brother? Where's your honor? Eh? What about the word you gave to Brahma to protect all species. You should be ashamed to call yourself an Ascendant. You don't deserve it." He makes a run for Noah.

  Aaron flings himself at his brother, and both go down. Zayn manages to shrug off his twin and spring to his feet. He would’ve managed to get in a punch at Noah, too, except Logan is suddenly there. "You can't interrupt this fight. Kris needs to do it his way, don't you see?"

  It takes both Logan and Aaron to subdue Zayn. Arms around him, they manage to haul the taller man back.

  "You'll be the first I kill," Noah snarls at Zayn. "Right after you." His eyes fix back on me. "I plan to behead you. And then I’m going to take your female and make her mine. I’m going to kill you with the knowledge that she will live in agony for the rest of her life."

  He's trying to provoke me, to make me angry enough to make a mistake.

  He succeeds.

  Rage rips through me, pouring through my veins. Adrenaline knocks against the back of my eyes, making them throb. My vision narrows until all I see is him. Kill him.

  I rush toward him, throwing myself at him, only to have him step aside so fast I don't even see it. I go crashing to the ground, twisting my body into a roll at the last minute to break the fall.

  It still hurts, the impact jarring through me. Pushing aside the white pain that pours through my side, I’m already moving.

  But Noah's taken the advantage.

  Before I can spring to my feet, he kicks me in the side, once, twice.

  Each kick is accompanied by the shattering of bones. I can't prevent the scream of pain that emerges from me. Red and white sparks pour through the mating bond before I slam down a block on it.

  Putting up my arms, I protect my head. I grab his leg on the next kick and heave. Noah's a big man, but I'm just as strong. He goes flying through the air.

  This time I’m on my feet and leaping right after him. With my thighs around his neck, I squeeze, determined to block out the air until he stops breathing, determined to kill him.

  Except Noah's not quite down. In a move that surprises me, he twists his legs up, hitting me on my head with his heavy feet. Stunning me for just a second, my grip loosens, and that's enough. The next moment I'm on my back with Noah standing over me. He takes a punch to my forehead, and another, and one more. His movements are a blur, coming so fast I have no time to recuperate.

  Red and black sparks explode behind my eyes, even as he kicks me in my side, sending another burst of anguish through me.

  I’m losing consciousness when: Get up!

  Tara's voice echoes in my head.

  Get up! Now!

  My eyes fly open as I hold onto the anger in those words.

  Without another moment of hesitation, I roll aside, just in time for Noah's weight to land right where I was. Another second and he would’ve gotten me.

  We circle each other just for a second.

  This time I wait. Wait.

  Wait until he moves.

  Then so do I.

  We meet in the middle. The impact of his heavier body sends me flying through the air. The back of my head hits the ground with such a jolt that I almost black out. I open my eyes in time to see a flash of steel.

  Noah is pulling out a dagger from th
e heel of his left boot, a small one, but it’s vicious. He rushes toward me, dagger drawn. Leaping on me, his feet pin down my outstretched arms.

  He raises his hand and brings it down.

  Kris

  I see the dagger moving down toward me. I will not close my eyes. I will face my death head on.

  "Bastard! You dare cheat?" Zayn barrels into Noah, and the two go flying through the air.

  Heart thudding in fear, I scream my brother's name, but it’s too late. The two figures grapple, rolling over and over. When they come to a stop, only one moves.

  Zayn!

  In the shared psychic net is a storm of red, and then Zayn's deep-indigo star blinks out. I stagger from the wave of grief that overwhelms me.

  Before I recover, Noah rises to his feet. Bending, he pulls out the dagger from Zayn's chest.

  The blood fountains out, pools over him. Drops fall on me, burning my face, my arms. I don't notice it. I’m not aware of anything except for the overwhelming need to kill this male.

  "No!" Even as I scream, Aaron's voice joins mine. There’s a roar above as I sense Aaron move.

  His big body cuts through the air, displacing enough of a breeze to fan over my skin. He goes to Zayn and drops next to him, taking his twin in his arms.

  I hear Leana howl as if from a distance. It’s answered by the shifter wolves who take up her cry, answered by the cries of the vampires.

  In that moment, I know my world has changed. I'll never be the same again, the past a faded stain, the future so dark, hidden. All I have is the now. Here. Revenge.

  There's not much difference between me and Noah.

  All sounds fade: the howls of the wolves, the cries from the vampires, everything. Everything except the need that rises inside. It swells and ebbs through me, a compelling urge that tears through me.

  Then I’m on my feet and moving to where Noah stands, my brother's blood still dripping from the dagger.

  It's just me and him.