Devin

by Dana Archer

  They told him that every time they pulled him from his cell.

  Never. He’d never let them touch her.

  He held his vow close and let them do what they wanted to him, but it hurt his cats. Their minds were slowly unraveling, and no amount of soothing strokes or whispered words of encouragement helped. They didn’t understand why he wouldn’t fight his captors. Didn’t understand why he allowed them to violate him.

  The truth wasn’t something his animals understood. They only wanted to kill. He’d failed them. He’d failed everyone, beginning with his baby sister, the precious soul with whom he shared a womb.

  Mira’s sobbing followed him here, never left him. He’d found her…afterward…in the middle of a field, the pretty white flowers stained red around her.

  Trails of tears had marked her dirty, bloody face. Eyes he’d been told matched his had locked on to him. “I tried to stop him, Devin. I tried.”

  “You did, Mira. You stopped him.” He’d scooped her up, carried her home, then he’d come here the next day.

  He worked his jaw back and forth—couldn’t dislodge the ball. Arms strung from the ceiling, legs spread wide, he took Mira’s sentence, what she’d denied her mate. Over and over. For this, they gave him the gag to dampen his curses. He blocked it out. The grunts. The shame. He curled his spirit around his angry cats, shielding them as best he could.

  The splash of boiling water on his backside tore a roar from his throat. He swayed, felt himself falling. He reached a hand out to steady himself. Soft skin met his fingers. He reared back and sat on his haunches, waiting for the first sting of the whip. None came. He held his breath, afraid to move, but his lungs burned, forcing him to breathe. He sucked in a lungful of coconut and heaven.

  * * *

  Devin opened his eyes, and Lena’s face filled his vision.

  His true mate.

  He let his gaze roam over her. Wonder filled him, stopping his heart. She truly was his salvation—his sanity. Lena tethered him to the present, letting him remember the past without the accompanying breakdown.

  The sight of her lovely face pushed the remainder of those unwelcome recollections away. She drew his focus, and he welcomed the distraction she posed. With the tips of his fingers, he traced the supple lines of muscle in her short legs from her ankle to her thigh. Strength and softness. How she accomplished it, he didn’t know. It had to be one of those feminine secrets his twin always told him he wouldn’t understand. A miracle. That was all he knew.

  “My mate,” he whispered, still awed by the fact that he’d found her.

  “Devin,” she breathed his name as if in agreement.

  Warm, chocolate eyes met his. She groaned sleepily, the corner of her mouth lifting. He grinned, loving the sexy, drowsy expression she wore. He’d pleased his female, and his chest swelled with the knowledge. Pride. Happiness. Lust. It was all there, filling him up, chasing away the emptiness he never knew he’d felt. The emotions mixed, blended into one overwhelming desire no other woman would ever be able to sate.

  He rested his palm over her cheek. “Thank you, my little mate.”

  Lena studied him for a long moment. “For what?”

  So many things came to mind. “For being you.”

  With a smile on her face, she touched his cheek. “I’m a hot mess, Devin. A product of unfortunate circumstances, too many failed relationships, and a sharp tongue. That’s not the sort of woman who deserves to have a man like you look at her as if she was his heaven.”

  “But you are mine.” Devin took her hand and kissed the fingers she’d stroked over his skin. “You’re my everything.”

  Lena dragged her tongue over her bottom lip. Nerves gave her eyes a hesitant quality. He’d pushed the topic of them too far.

  Devin gave her a quick kiss, stopping whatever she might’ve been about to say, then settled behind her. “I’m going to try and sleep some more. We don’t know what’s waiting for us in Alaska.”

  Lena swallowed loud enough for him to her. She drew his arms tighter around her. “You’re right. It might destroy us.”

  Not if he had anything to say about. For the first time in his life, he was excited about the future. They’d rescue Lena’s sisters, then… Well, Devin didn’t know but not knowing what the future held didn’t worry him. As long as he had Lena with him, he’d face it head on.

  Chapter 24

  Night had fallen, and Gwen had never been more afraid in her life. They’d been walking for hours, and she had no idea where they were.

  She stopped and rubbed her hands together. While the sun had pushed temperatures into the sixties during the day, the lack of its warmth and the breeze that had picked up left her chilled. Molly didn’t seem to mind the cooler air. Not surprising really, considering her nonhuman status. Shifters could withstand a lot. Molly was proof of that fact.

  Gwen pushed aside those unsettling thoughts before they took hold and peered at the night sky. Under the blanket of darkness, she was able to use the stars to guide her. Who knew all those youth groups and scouting trips she’d been forced to go to would actually come in handy? She picked out the constellation she’d chosen as a marker and turned left in the direction she hoped Maggie’s lodge was located.

  Her toe smacked into a rock. She bit her lip to stem the cry of pain. Blinking to clear the tears away, she glanced at her little sister to make sure she was okay. She’d jerked on Molly’s hand trying to stop her fall.

  Molly wore the same blank expression she’d displayed for days. The only change had been when they were with the bear. After that, the empty look had returned. So maybe that was a response. Or maybe it was a coincidence.

  “I’m okay,” Gwen whispered, needing to say something. The silence was wearing on her nerves. “It’s hard for me to see where we’re going. My eyesight isn’t as good as yours.”

  Molly tilted her head, and Gwen’s breathing quickened at the sign of acknowledgment.

  “Your lioness heightens your senses. I don’t have an animal spirit to help me.”

  Molly took Gwen’s hand and tugged.

  Gwen grinned. “Thanks, sweetie.”

  They walked for a few more minutes in silence before Molly’s little hand tightened around hers. Gwen swallowed a yelp as Molly’s panicked eyes locked on to hers. Gwen’s pulse sped. She didn’t hear or see anything, but she trusted Molly’s instincts. Her cat fed her information no mere human would pick up on.

  They were in danger.

  Not wanting to draw attention to their location by firing off a shot, she dug out a hunting knife. She knelt and Molly threw herself into her arms, nearly knocking her over.

  She pressed her mouth to Molly’s ear. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

  Determination steadied the trembling in Gwen’s limbs. Molly needed her. Gwen wouldn’t fail her. She scanned the area and strained to listen for clues. Other than the hooting of an owl and their sawing breaths, all was silent.

  Minutes passed without any sign of the shifter she knew had to be stalking them. Her mind went over all the horrible scenarios that could befall them if they were captured. Her belly clenched. She wasn’t naïve. She knew exactly what those shifters would do—hurt her and kidnap Molly.

  How shifters had ended up here, she didn’t know. Alaska was supposed to be the neutral zone. It was where the Shifter Council met with the human government because it was too far from any one animal group’s stomping grounds.

  Those were the facts she’d based her decision to come here on.

  And they were freaking wrong.

  She cringed at the curse in her head. Rarely did swear words pop up in her speech. They fit her mood, though. Surprisingly, they also gave her strength and helped her focus her rage, another aspect of her personality that didn’t peek through often. She was not an angry person. Or a violent one. In the days since she’d stood helplessly and watched her parents being attacked, she’d embraced both emotions.

  If she hadn’t, that leering li
on shifter back in Delaware would’ve taken them from the grocery store’s parking lot. And the bear a few hours ago? That coward would’ve simply driven away with them, delivering them to whatever fate he’d planned.

  Not happening.

  Gwen might not be tough, not like Lena, but she was the only one here, and Gwen had made the mistake of getting in a SUV with a shifter. It was her fault they were wandering around these woods to begin with.

  No. She had to focus on the now. The past couldn’t be changed. She could only learn from it.

  Yes, and she had to find a way to save Molly. The consequences of not doing so were ones she refused to accept.

  But how was she going to fend off a wild animal or a man?

  She wasn’t in very good shape. The only thing she had going for her was desperation.

  Gwen slipped from under her sister’s tight grip and crouched protectively in front of her. Molly reached around Gwen’s waist and pointed. Gwen followed the direction she indicated but didn’t see anything. It was too dark.

  The leather hilt of the knife slipped in her sweat-slickened grip. Movement in the brush up ahead caught her eye. She squeezed the handle harder. An animal poked its head from the scraggy bushes, the light from the moon seeming to spotlight it. Not a bear, but a wolf.

  The shifter snarled. Her worst fear confirmed.

  They’d been found.

  Gwen dropped a hand to the ground to steady herself and held the knife loosely in front of her. Wolves hunted in packs. She waited for more to show their faces. None did. The one who’d spotted them approached in a slinking crawl. Time stood still. Ever so slowly, it closed the distance, its glowing eyes locked on to her.

  A dozen or so feet away, it stopped for a heartbeat then rushed forward. Caught off guard, she didn’t move fast enough. It smacked into her chest. She crumbled under its weight. Her head hit the hard-packed earth. The thump sent pain radiating down her spine, momentarily blinding her, but she raised an arm in an attempt to protect herself. Her elbow connected with its throat, and it yelped.

  She used the distraction to shove the knife into its belly. A wash of warm liquid coated her hand. Gwen pressed deeper when resistance met the blade, then yanked upward. The wolf’s pained cries pierced the quiet of the night.

  The animal snapped at her face. She used her free hand to hold its muzzle back. Even with its guts spilling out, the shifter was incredibly strong. Too strong. Her arm quivered. A fanged mouth filled her vision.

  She was going to fail.

  She pushed harder, with everything she had. It screeched, its body jerking. She scrambled out from under its body and slammed the bloody knife into its neck. The wolf stopped moving.

  Panting hard, she fell back on her bottom. Gwen turned her head and cursed. Molly stood on the other side of the dead animal with blood dripping from tiny clawed hands she shouldn’t have, not for another nineteen years or so. Single shifters didn’t shift until maturity.

  Molly wasn’t a normal single shifter, though. She was special.

  Feared, even by the scientists who’d created her.

  Gwen’s chest tightened. Her sister stared at the wolf, the blank look on her face chilling. The sight of violence didn’t faze the little girl.

  “Molly.”

  When her sister didn’t respond, Gwen dropped the knife and approached Molly. Gwen grabbed Molly’s arms and shook her.

  “Molly Elizabeth Burnett. Look at me.”

  Black eyes—no white, no color—met hers.

  “If you ever see Molly’s eyes turn all black, you need to call me. Immediately. If we let her stay like that or shift too early, we’ll lose her to what those scientists did to her.” Lena’s warning repeated in Gwen’s head. Lena had refused to tell her what the experimental center had done to Molly. Nobody would.

  Because they thought she wouldn’t be able to handle it.

  Anger gripped her. Gwen shoved it back and focused on Molly’s fathomless black eyes.

  “Stay with me, Molly. You’re all I have left.”

  Molly frowned.

  “That’s right, Molly. I need you. Who’s going to make sure I don’t fall? I can’t see very well in the dark. Remember?”

  White bled into the black until normal eyes met hers again. Gwen let out a relieved breath. “Good girl. Now let’s go back to the creek we passed earlier. We need to wash this blood off, or it’ll draw more of those nasty men. Okay?”

  The indifferent mask was back on Molly’s face. Still, it was better than the emerging lioness or looking into those chilling black eyes.

  Gwen stripped off her bloody coat, took Molly’s hand and allowed the small child to lead the way.

  Chapter 25

  Devin trailed his fingers down Lena’s spine. The demand to join their bodies wasn’t just a reflection of his intense desire. His cats needed her. Each time they loved each other her soul opened to them and teased them with a glimpse of the heaven they’d experience once they could move freely within her body. They loved what they saw, their respect and affection for Lena growing with each shared interaction, whether sexual or not.

  One question plagued him, though. Would she think the same? Once they soul-bonded, she’d know all his failures.

  He never wanted to see disdain in her lovely brown eyes when she looked at him. He couldn’t atone for his weaknesses: for not saving Mira from Edmund, for not convincing her she wasn’t ruined afterward. He’d tried but failed, over and over.

  Even taking Mira’s punishment hadn’t cleared her name. The shifter community despised her. Murderer, they’d called her. Whore. Bitch. Slut. Tease. You name it, his beautiful baby sister had been called it. She’d committed the worst possible crime—killing her mate. It didn’t seem to matter that she had been a teenager at the time and forced into the mating. Or that it wasn’t complete.

  Edmund had bitten her, but he hadn’t touched her soul in order to shove a piece of his inside. Mira had stopped him, but not before he’d gnawed on her shoulder, scarring her and marking her as his mate…at least in the eyes of the Shifter Council. In the goddesses’ eyes and from a biological standpoint, Edmund’s bite meant nothing. It was simply a scar.

  Lena stretched in her sleep, drawing Devin’s focus to her. She rolled to her side and pillowed her cheek on her folded hands. A slight grin played over her lips, and the rapid movement of her eyes behind the closed lids made him wonder if she dreamt of him. She did enjoy his touch. He could keep her sated. Would it be enough to make up for the fact that she’d mated a worthless, broken male whose cats were as messed-up as he was?

  Could she ever love him?

  He’d never given much thought to the romantic aspect of mating. His mother despised his father and so did the mates of his older brothers. He’d accepted that as the norm until he’d seen Rafe and Jasmine interact. He’d begun to realize how disillusioned he’d been. Love made them stronger. They were better together, rather than apart.

  His longtime friend was happier than Devin had ever seen him. Just mentioning Jazz’s name brought a smile to his friend’s rough face, and Jasmine didn’t snap and snarl at him when Rafe reached for her. She went willingly into her mate’s arms.

  Love.

  He felt it growing within him. How could he not love the female who’d shown him a world beyond the constant rage he’d lived with? Over his lifetime, he’d learned to bury or ignore it, but never had he been able to rise above it. With Lena, he could.

  My beautiful mate.

  He brushed his lips over her soft hair before climbing off the bed. As much as he wanted to stay with her, practical matters needed to be handled. They had to plan for Molly’s retrieval and her rehabilitation.

  A quick shower later and he walked out of the plane’s private bedroom. He closed the door behind him with a quick snap so the other males couldn’t catch a glimpse of his female’s perfect body.

  Kade crossed his arms across his chest. “Well?”

  “Well, what?”

&n
bsp; Kade jerked his chin in the direction of the bedroom door. “Is your mate okay with the news you shared with her?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “With the part I told her, yes.”

  “What part did you skip?”

  “The implications to me. She doesn’t need to know them.”

  “You’re a fool.” Kade sneered. “You know that? She’s going to be angry that you didn’t tell her everything. Honesty between couples is important.”

  “Yes, it is, but I’m not lying to her. I’m simply choosing not to bother her with all the details.” Because no way did he want her to choose him out of guilt. He would not force her to spend her eternity with him.

  “Lena is your true mate. She will be your true mate in her next lifetime and the one after that. What do you think she’s going to do if she finds out you won’t ever—”

  “Let it go, Kade. You might be my alpha, but this is my choice.”

  Vader, who’d been watching the exchange from the couch, approached Devin with his hands fisted at his sides. “No it’s not! It’s Lena’s decision. Haven’t you taken enough of her choices away?”

  “And if I gave her the option now, which one do you think she’d pick?” Devin waited a moment, but Vader remained silent. Devin snorted. “Exactly. Guilt would direct her. How is that giving her a choice?”

  Vader shook his head. “You’re treating her as if she was some fragile, stupid female who can’t handle the realities of life.”

  Devin took a step toward Vader, bringing them nose to nose. “Lena is my mate. Not yours. I will make the decisions concerning her and whether or not she will ever be told the whole story.”

  “You’re invoking mating law then?” Vader cursed. “You’re not a fool. You’re an idiot with a death wish. Haven’t you figured out anything about your so-called true mate? You hold some antiquated law over her head and she’ll have your balls right before she walks away.”