by Dana Archer
Lena studied the long fingers twined with hers. What had her life come to? She stood surrounded by shifters while the sexiest one out of the bunch held her hand.
She glanced at Devin.
Her mate.
Whether she liked it or not, he was a part of her life. His decision to mate her in order to save her guaranteed it.
She couldn’t quite decide how she felt about knowing she’d had no say in the matter. In that respect, Molly’s vision was right. Getting on the plane had destroyed her plans for the future. Not that she had anything set in stone, but Devin’s decision had chosen her path in this lifetime and in every future one.
On the other hand, she’d be lying if she said she didn’t feel the connection between them. It went beyond their attraction. She did want to explore it. What left her with a sense of confusion and unease was why Devin wouldn’t tell her the last detail of mating: whether or not she’d tie her life to his, not simply hold a piece of his soul.
Of course, she might be completely wrong in her assumption, but her thoughts made sense. He was immortal. She was not. After she died, she’d be reborn, but he’d have no way to find her. He’d have to search for her. If they didn’t cross paths, they’d both suffer.
Alone.
The notion chilled her. She couldn’t say with a hundred percent certainty she loved Devin. Not yet. They were still strangers fumbling in the beginnings of a relationship that had been strained since the moment they’d met. But…but she couldn’t imagine the soul-deep emptiness of longing for her true mate. With Devin, she felt right. Without him, she ached. Literally. Her heart hurt as if he’d taken a piece of it with him.
In another life, she wouldn’t necessarily know what she was missing, but Devin would, and he’d suffer.
She never, ever wanted him in pain, and she’d bet her life that Devin wouldn’t want her to live a life always yearning for him.
So why not give her the choice?
There had to be something about the process that worried him.
On the forty-five-minute drive from the airport, she’d kept trying to figure out what it might be. With Devin’s friends within earshot, she hadn’t wanted to bring it up. They needed to broach it. Sooner, rather than later. The uncertainty wasn’t something she wanted to deal with on top of everything else, but she wouldn’t cause Devin more stress by pushing the issue in front of others. The incident on the plane had convinced her of that. It would only make him defensive and cause a scene. She had to get him alone.
Devin caressed her wrist. “Are you okay?”
His concerned gaze focused on her. She nodded and offered a small smile before surveying the empty parking lot of the tour guide agency. They were supposed to meet a shifter familiar with the area, another active member with Shifter Affairs. He hadn’t shown yet, and she hated wasting time on him.
She’d been to Alaska a few times before. Whenever they’d visited Maggie’s house, they always used a tour guide. It wasn’t necessary—they could rent a SUV and drive themselves—but her stepfather had insisted on it. Safer, he’d said. The roads connecting Maggie’s lodge to the town were iffy at best. Hopefully, Gwen remembered his insistence and didn’t try to go it alone. If she had, it might explain why she hadn’t made it to Maggie’s place. Lena hoped that was the reason. If it wasn’t…
“You sure?”
Devin’s question redirected her thoughts to him. She forced another smile, her anxiety not allowing for anything genuine, but he needed the reassurance that she was fine. His tense muscles spoke of how troubled he was, and she refused to add to it.
“Just anxious. I thought you said some shifter who lives near here was going to meet us.”
“My brother, Dante, lives an hour south. He texted Kade to let him know he’s running late. There’ve been some rumblings of unusual activity up here. He wanted to check in with a few locals who know about us to see what they’ve heard.”
A brother? She couldn’t wait to meet him. Although it was nice to have met Devin’s alpha, she wanted to speak with someone who’d give her some insights on the man, not the pride member. “Alaska isn’t very close to West Virginia.”
“Dante isn’t a member of the Alexander pride. Mira and I joined it after we’d left our birth family.”
The haunted look on his face stopped her from asking more. Another time. She had a more important topic to discuss.
She tugged her hand free and ran her fingers through her hair.
He glanced from his empty hand to her face and frowned. “Problem?”
“No. I have to use the bathroom.”
He took her hand and walked with her to the lavatory, exactly as she’d expected he would.
Away from the other men, she faced him. “You’re immortal.”
He drew his brows together. “Yes. I am.”
“I’m not.”
A guarded look settled over him. “This isn’t the time to get into this conversation.”
“You told me that. You need to explain about your goddesses, the past, a prophecy.” She stepped closer and rested her palms over his stomach. “But I need to know the answer to one question.”
“And that is?”
“Is there a way to extend my life?”
“Yes, but you need to understand exactly what that entails. That’s the part of the discussion I don’t want to get into now.”
“I understand that, but I can’t help but wonder if it’s because you don’t want me for eternity.” A lie, but one she knew would prompt him to feed her more details.
“I do.” He drew her close. “I want that very much.”
“But if I told you I wanted that right now without hearing your long explanation, you’d deny me.”
“Yes, it’s not a simple process.” He dragged his fingertips across her belly. “It’s dangerous and not a step we can take now. I would require your complete trust, and as much as I hate to say it, I don’t have yours yet.”
“It’s dangerous?”
He studied her in silence for so long she didn’t think he’d answer, but finally, he nodded. “For humans, soul-bonding happens at the point of death. I would have to inflict a mortal wound, then tie us for eternity. If you were to resist me at any step of the process, I’d lose you.”
Her stomach dropped. “Oh.”
He cradled her face, big palms covering her cheeks. “I am keeping things from you. About the process and me. I’d hoped to give us a chance to strengthen our emotional bond before I drop them on you. Maybe that’s selfish of me.” He grinned. “Okay, I know it is. I want to earn your love so you won’t walk away from me once you realize being with me isn’t going to be all flowers and sunshine.”
“Flowers and sunshine?”
He kissed her slowly, deeply, then eased back. “Yes. I’m complicated, remember?”
His confession made the butterflies in her belly take flight. She licked her lips, savoring his flavor, and nodded. He released her, and she slipped inside the small stall.
Her goal of uncovering the reason for his silence hadn’t been a complete success, but she’d learned enough to realize he’d spoken the truth back when he’d licked her wounds. He would never let her go. If it took earning her love to lock her to his side for eternity, he would.
His determination sent a primitive thrill through her she hadn’t expected to feel. It also left her with a sense of power. Not only would he fight to garner her agreement to be his, he’d do everything in his power to keep her. He’d practically told her that when he explained about the mating law. Even if he hadn’t, she felt it in the way he touched her, in the way he worshipped her.
Was she okay with that? She let the question settle over her. Hadn’t she always wanted to be cherished? To be loved? Devin promised to do both. She didn’t delude herself into thinking it’d be easy but if they could work out their issues, then they’d soar.
A chance. That was what he’d asked for. She wanted the same.
After taking care of
business, she reached for the door handle, anxious to return to his side. The crayon lying on the counter stopped her. Molly loved the color blue. She snatched it, turned for the door once more and froze. Written on the back was one word that sent dread to her gut.
Bear.
She yanked the door open and fell into Devin’s waiting arms. He smiled at her then blanched. She couldn’t hide her panic.
“What’s wrong?” The words rushed out of his mouth.
She tugged him into the stall and had to crawl up on the counter so they’d fit, then pointed.
He cursed, lifted her into his arms and kicked behind him. The door splintered. The other men turned, muscles coiled, at their dramatic appearance. Vader’s eyes glowed and claws tipped his fingers. He’d been edgy ever since they’d stepped off the plane but each shifter focused on them now looked ready to turn furry at a moment’s notice.
“Gwen and Molly have been spotted by bears,” Devin announced.
Kade lifted his lips in a snarl. “I’ll go wake up the owner and get us a SUV to follow them. Call Dante and tell him we’re on the move.”
Xander, the other canine shifter who resembled Vader, pulled out his phone.
Helplessness choked her. So did guilt. If she hadn’t run from Devin, they might’ve gotten here before Gwen walked into a shifter’s path.
Xander slipped his cell back into his pocket. “Dante said he’ll head up from the south. Hopefully, he’ll stumble across them.”
She glanced at the man who’d barely said a word to her since he’d arrived with Kade and Devin at Vader’s place. “Molly’s scent is masked. How will he find them?”
Xander glared at Vader. “Gwen’s been marked. Dante will be able to pick up on it.”
“Marked?” She looked to Vader for confirmation.
Vader stared at her for a long moment before he shrugged. The longing in his eyes at the mention of Gwen broke her heart.
“It was the night I met the two of you. After Gwen slipped away from the party and you followed her, I got drunk. Really drunk. I went back to your parents’ house to talk to you, but you weren’t there. I passed out on your bed and broke a lamp in the process. Gwen found me. She cut her hand pretty bad on a piece of glass. I licked it. Now, my scent is a part of her. She’s my beloved human.”
“That’s why you always tried to hover over her and follow her places. You wanted to protect her.”
He glanced from her shoulder to her eyes. “It doesn’t matter why. Gwen always found ways to get away from me. It was obvious she didn’t want me near her, so I eventually backed off.”
She wanted to scream at the stupid man for being such a jerk because in the face of his devoted attentions she was pretty sure her little sister had developed a crush on him.
Lena squelched the desire. Her rant would have to wait. “Do you think the bears will hurt them?”
Xander gave her shoulder a small squeeze. She tensed, waiting for Devin to throw a fit since he flipped out whenever Kade or Vader got too close to her. It didn’t happen. Devin remained silent.
“Molly, they’ll likely drop into another experimental center. Gwen?” He raised his gaze to Devin’s. “Gwen knows too much.”
“They’ll kill her?” Lena asked.
Xander shook his head. “Doubt it. Shifters aren’t the only victims of trafficking. If they can make money off her, they will.”
“They’ll sell her?”
A slight dip of Xander’s head answered her.
She took a deep breath. Her stepdad had worked on more than shifter cases. She knew what happened to women who fell into trafficking rings.
“As a sex slave?”
Xander offered a half-shrug in response.
Devin ran his hands over her arms. “If your sister is anything like you, she’ll survive no matter what happens.”
Her throat tightened. She tipped her head back to meet Devin’s concerned gaze. “Gwen’s a virgin.”
He closed his eyes. No words of encouragement, no promises that it would be all right. She was both glad he didn’t feed her any lines and saddened too. At the moment, she’d grasp on to any lie. The truth hurt. So did knowing it was her fault because she hadn’t trusted Devin.
Finally, he opened his eyes and his gaze fed her the strength she needed. “We’ll take care of her. There are witches who can weave spells that’ll dim the horrors of whatever she experiences. Humans are lucky that way.”
She nodded because she didn’t know what else to do. “Yeah, okay, Gwen’s tougher than everyone gives her credit for, even me. She’ll survive.”
Lena focused her attention on Xander and Vader who avoided looking at her. Both men suddenly found interest in the gravel parking lot. “Well, what are we doing just standing here? Let’s go find them.”
Devin grasped her chin and gently turned her head until she was staring into his face. “We’re waiting for Kade to get us a couple of SUVs. The minivan we rented won’t get us very far on those back roads.”
She poked at his chest. “He’s taking too long. Shift into one of your cats and go get my sisters.”
“Odds are the bears already have Gwen and Molly.” Devin took her hand, squeezing gently. “We’ll hunt them down, but I want you safe first. There is no way I’m going to leave you alone and unprotected.”
Instead of arguing—he had that stubborn look on his face—she shoved away his hands and focused on the two wolf shifters. “Then you two go.”
Both stared at her with distressed expressions. Neither moved.
She waved her hand at them. “Shift!”
Vader stepped forward, arms crossed and legs spread. Seeing his stubborn stance made her anxiety worse. Why weren’t they acting? Every minute that passed was another one that her sisters might be suffering.
“We’re staying together, Lena. End of story. None of us will risk your life. Your situation is too vulnerable right now.”
“What do you mean? The fever is gone and my stomach is healed.” She lifted her shirt to expose the thin white lines. “I’m fine.”
Kade stepped next to them, blocking Vader from view. He stared long and hard at Devin. “As your alpha, I made this call. Xander agrees with me.”
She stood on her tiptoes and grabbed Kade’s shirt. “What call?”
“You hold a piece of Devin’s soul. Until he soul-bonds with you, your life must be guarded at all costs, even at the expense of your sisters. I refuse to lose him to his grief or insanity. Both will claim him, and I’ll have to take his head because your death will leave him with—”
“Don’t say it, Kade. Lena is my mate. Do we have to have this conversation again?”
“Then I’ll say it.” Vader walked closer.
“No—”
“Yes.” She cut Devin off and focused on Vader. “Enough of these secrets. Just tell me.”
Vader met her eyes. “If you die, you’ll take the piece of Devin’s soul you own with you to the grave, but it won’t return to him, nor will you carry it into your next lifetime, so even if you do cross paths with Devin again, he won’t be able to mate you.”
“Why?”
Vader gave her a sympathetic look. “Because he can only take one mate. He chose to give up his one shot at peace to save your life, in this lifetime.”
Love rushed up. So did guilt and a heaping of doubt. If Xander was right and she wasn’t really Devin’s true mate, he’d given up his future for her. But if she was his true mate, she’d be a fool to lose him.
She glanced at Devin who watched her with a carefully neutral expression. “Is that true?”
“Yes.”
She fisted her hands until her nails dug into her palms and her arms trembled. She grabbed Devin’s hand and yanked him toward where the rental shop owner was fueling the SUV.
Once they were far enough from the other men, she tugged on Devin’s shoulder until he bent. “I don’t care how dangerous the mating is, the moment we get Gwen and Molly, I want you to soul-bond to me.
I will not lose you.”
“You need to know—”
“The only thing I need to know is if you are certain I’m your true mate.”
“Yes. You are my true mate, but—”
“Good.” She kissed him hard, then shoved away from him before he could add on some stupid qualifier. Nothing he said would matter. “Then let’s go. I want my sisters found, and if those bears hurt or raped Gwen, I’m going to cut their private parts off and shove them down their throats.”
Chapter 27
Not only was Gwen wet and cold but her stomach kept rumbling. She dug through her backpack, sighed, and pulled out their last candy bar. “Here. Eat this. We’ll rest for a few minutes then follow the stream.”
Molly took the chocolate, broke a piece off and handed it back. Gwen smiled. “No, sweetie. You eat it. I can do without the extra calories. I’ve been meaning to go on a diet anyway. I might as well start now.”
Her sister—by love if not blood—tilted her head and glanced over Gwen’s body then frowned. She took the candy and ate it. Gwen’s smile widened. Molly might not have spoken, but she was interacting more and more. That had to be a good sign.
Gwen blew out a frustrated breath. She wished she was as strong as Lena. If her big sister was here, she’d know exactly what to say to snap Molly out of her mood. Lena was good at everything. She never second-guessed herself and always knew exactly how to act to catch a guy’s eye.
Gwen, on the other hand? She fumbled with everything, most of all her love life. Yes, she had a boyfriend. Only, he was more a friend than anything. They dated—movies, dinner, hanging out. That was as far as their relationship went. Neither of them felt that spark of desire. They used each other and for them it worked.
John needed a girlfriend so his parents would get off his back about getting married, and she wanted to make a sexy wolf notice her, not that it worked. Vader had absolutely no interest in her. He only had eyes for Lena. It was way beyond time she accepted the truth.
Gwen turned her attention to the most important person in her life. “Are you ready?”
Molly didn’t answer, but she stood and offered her hand. Gwen took it. They walked for several minutes before a chilling howl rent the air.
