Devin

by Dana Archer

  The hairs on her arms stood up. She froze while Molly dug blunt nails into Gwen’s arm. Molly’s distress meant one thing.

  Another shifter had found them.

  She’d gotten lucky with the last one. She wouldn’t count on it happening again, especially when a second animal answered the chilling call, followed by another.

  Adrenaline heated her body, staving off the chill that had left her limbs heavy. She dug out the handgun, placed it at her feet and hefted the sawed-off shotgun she’d been lugging around. She motioned for Molly to get behind her then knelt and peered into the darkness. Every lesson her stepdad had ever given her came rushing back. Would it be enough?

  Her hope for a miraculous getaway fizzled when three sets of glowing eyes broke the tree line. From behind them stepped a huge black bear. It opened its mouth on a low grunt, and the wolves snarled. Their white teeth gleamed in the light from the full moon.

  Her chest squeezed.

  The two outer wolves swept out in a crawling lope. They blended into the shadows. Only their freakish eyes showed their location.

  Her heart pounded. Sweat slickened her grip on the handle. She waited for them to get closer then fired the shotgun at the one to her right. The kickback knocked her on her bottom. Her ears rang from the crack. She aimed at the animal on her left. It leapt, and she fired. A yelp met her efforts.

  There was no time to celebrate. The third wolf rammed into her and bit her wrist. Pain swept up her arm. The animal whipped its head back and forth. She screamed. The gun fell from her limp fingers. Agony choked her. Her vision blurred. She wanted to curl into a ball and hide from the fire racing through her limb. She couldn’t. She had to save Molly.

  “Shift, Molly! Run!”

  Gwen couldn’t take her eyes from the animal gnawing on her to see if her sister complied. She searched with her free hand in the wet leaves for a rock, branch, anything to use against the wolf. Her fingers connected with metal. She gripped it and slammed the snout clamped over her wrist with the butt of the handgun. The wolf released her and snarled, a mouthful of bloody teeth inches from her face.

  She lifted the gun and pulled the trigger. Hot blood sprayed over her face, blinding her. She shoved off the dead weight and rolled away. Liquid dripped into her eyes. She swiped at it with the back of her uninjured hand and blinked the moonlit world into focus. A man with a shaved head and piercings in his face peered down at her. He plucked the gun from her hand and pressed a foot to her chest.

  “Aren’t you a tough one? You’re lucky I hated those wolves or I’d kill you for offing my business partners.”

  He hefted her up, one hand holding her wrists. She shrieked. Her knees gave out. He let her collapse. With her arms held above her, blood running down their length, he reached forward and cracked the back of his hand across her face. She cringed, and his grin widened.

  She twisted and yanked her arms, desperate to get away. No luck. He tightened his grip. Her vision wavered. A small cry escaped. She tried to keep the sound contained. No way did she want to give him the satisfaction. She couldn’t have stopped it, though. She’d never been in more pain in her life.

  A demented glint brightened his eyes. “That hurt?”

  She glared at him through the sheen making his face blurry. He dug sharpened nails into her abused arm. She whimpered, hating the sign of weakness, but couldn’t stop it.

  “Good, little human. Get used to it. You got a whole lot more coming.”

  Unable to look into his cruel face any longer, she swept her gaze across the small clearing. She choked back a sob at the scene of carnage—couldn’t think about it or she’d break down—and glanced around for Molly.

  “Are you looking for the cub? She shifted and took off just like you told her to.”

  “Well, what are you doing standing here? Aren’t you going after her?” So she could pull the knife in her boot and attack him.

  “Nah, she’s no good to me now. Stupid thing you did, girl. Didn’t Shifter Affairs tell you why the little brat couldn’t take her lioness form?”

  “No.”

  “She was born with the spirit of a Royal pride leader attached to her soul. If she shifted before she matured, she’d release him.” He sighed. “It’s sad actually. That kind of trauma rips minds and souls apart. Trust me, I know. I’ve seen the failures.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “To torture you, I guess.” He grinned and the large, silver hook stuck in the middle of his cheek distorted the smile, turning it into a sneer. “You made me waste days chasing you. I have better things to do.”

  The bear shifter tugged her across the ground. She dug her heels in, not caring about the pain churning her stomach or the blood dripping off her elbow. She had to get to Molly and convince her to shift back.

  She was not lost. She was stronger than everyone gave her credit.

  “Let me go. I’m no use to you. I’m not a shifter.”

  He glanced at her hand. “Not to me. You’re right about that. But you might just be the answer to my little problem.”

  “What problem?”

  “I need to offer a prize. You’re going to be it.”

  Gwen stared at the man, wide-eyed. She didn’t understand what he meant, but the way he looked at her promised more pain. She considered reaching for her knife, but dismissed the idea. He held her good hand. It’d be foolish to give up her only weapon.

  She glanced over her shoulder once more, gaze locked on to the bloody and tattered clothes. The dead wolves littering the ground disturbed her, but it was the shifter’s words that chilled her the most.

  She’d destroyed her little sister’s mind.

  Chapter 28

  Devin smelled the horrid stench through the open window. Driving out here, he’d prayed he could’ve given Lena what she wanted and save her sisters, but the scent of bear blood drifting on the breeze destroyed his hopes.

  Kade and Vader leapt from the SUV as soon as it stopped, but Xander didn’t move from his spot on the vehicle’s middle bench seat.

  “Go with them.” Devin waved Xander off. “We’ll be fine.”

  “Kade and I decided it was best you not lose your mate to death. Neither of us wants to be the one to take your head when you go feral.” Xander glanced over his shoulder. “I’m sorry for implying you should let her go. If she brings you peace, even if it’s only sometimes, you should embrace that. I’m starting to wonder if perfection is in the eye of the beholder, not what society tells us it should be.”

  Devin could’ve told him that. He didn’t bother, though. If he had to guess, their conversation on the plane must have spurred Xander’s change of heart. Or more specifically, Devin’s pointed question about why Xander had allowed his true mate to die. Twice.

  Devin couldn’t imagine doing so. Yes, he would’ve walked away from Lena if she hadn’t wanted him, but it would’ve killed him to do so. He also didn’t think he could’ve gone far. He would’ve slunk in the shadows and watched over her, waiting for his chance to reclaim her.

  He glanced at the beautiful woman who’d become so important to him over a matter of days—his mate, the female he never thought he’d find. Needing the skin-on-skin contact with her, he reached for her. His fingers met air.

  Lena lifted the handle to move the seat and slipped out of the car door. He followed her. “We should stay in the SUV.”

  She glanced at Xander. “Do you smell human blood?”

  “No.” Devin took her hand. “Come on, let’s get back in.”

  She shook off his hold. “I was speaking to Xander. You know, the wolf who has a better sense of smell.”

  “Devin’s right. No blood.”

  Kade jogged toward them. “No sign of them. Crash happened a while ago. Engine’s cold, but I scented another bear and several wolf shifters. Footprints show that Gwen and Molly ran off, but I doubt they got far. The shifters followed them.”

  Lena turned panicked eyes on Devin. “We’re too late.”r />
  He tucked her into his side and asked Kade, “Did you recognize them?”

  “The bear is from the Ulgran clan. The wolves are from the Tanner pack.”

  Devin cursed. It was well known that several of the Ulgran members were connected to shifter trafficking. The Tanner pack didn’t have the same reputation, but their lands were close to the area where Devin’s pride had relocated. They’d have to remain diligent if there were corrupted shifters living near their new pride lands in West Virginia.

  “Vader and I are going to shift and go after them.” Kade tugged at his shirt, exposing his stomach. “You two take Lena to the human’s lodge.” He glanced her way, a look of sympathy dimming the harshness of his expression. “In case they made it there.”

  “No. I will go. Vader is better in a fight, and we can’t risk Lena’s life. Besides, I’m better at tracking.” With a forced smile on his face, Xander focused on Lena. “I have lots of little nieces and nephews who love to hide from the big bad wolf.”

  “Why don’t we all go?” Lena asked.

  “It’ll be faster if you allow Kade and Xander to go. Minutes count,” Devin said.

  Kade popped the button on his jeans.

  “Wait!”

  Lena’s bellowed command froze Kade’s hand.

  She turned in Devin’s arms and gripped his shirt. “You need to go, not Kade.”

  He covered her trembling hands. “Kade will go. I’m staying with you.”

  “You’re the one who’s been with me.” She cleared her throat. “I mean, my scent is on your skin, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Molly will recognize it and hopefully feel safer with you.” She raised a hand. “Before you start arguing, saying you need to stay here and protect me, listen to me. Okay?”

  Reluctantly, he inclined his head.

  “Molly has been experimented on.” She glanced over her shoulder to look at Vader.

  He shook his head. “I didn’t tell them yet. You might as well, but make it quick.”

  “They…the scientists did something to her before she was born.” She lifted her gaze to capture his. Sadness and pain dimmed the warmth he’d grown used to seeing in her brown eyes. “Now she can’t die, and there’s a spirit living inside her. A man. Sometimes, he’ll take over or maybe she lets him talk, I’m not sure, but when he does, he gives us warnings about the future.”

  “He’s the ancestor of the Leon Pride.” Vader stepped next to Kade. “The scientists killed the last Leon alpha, then somehow joined the Leon pride spirit with Molly.”

  “How?” Kade asked.

  “I don’t know all the details, but they have several powerful witches working with them.” Vader met Devin’s gaze. “I spoke with the Leon ancestor. He gave us a warning—not to allow Molly to shift. Doing so would release him. He’d simply latch on to a new host, but it would destroy Molly. Maybe kill her or at the very least shatter her mind. He doesn’t want that. He wants to protect her.”

  Impossible. Devin shook his head. “Molly’s a single shifter. She won’t be able to take her lioness form for decades.”

  “Molly’s special. She can’t die. Her immortality has already kicked in. We’re assuming it’s because she hosts the Leon spirit,” Vader said.

  “You must be mistaken. Molly—”

  Lena squeezed Devin’s hand, stopping his words. “Molly has been electrocuted, drowned, and burned, yet she’s still alive. Not even a scar to show she’d been hurt.”

  She leveled pleading eyes on him. “Please, Devin. Molly’s been through too much. If smelling me on you helps…”

  He pulled her into his embrace and pressed his cheek to her hair, needing her scent and touch to soothe the pain her words stirred. While he didn’t fear a breakdown, the memories still sickened him. He knew exactly how it felt to suffer those fates.

  He undressed and met Kade’s gaze. “Protect my mate.”

  Kade inclined his head. “With my life.”

  With that vow, Devin embraced his jaguar and ran into the woods, leaving the best part of him behind.

  Chapter 29

  Devin panted, his sides heaving. He leapt over a fallen tree and slid down the hill, not bothering to slow his descent or avoid the stream at the bottom. Water splashed around him, and his paws slipped on the moss-covered rock. He dug his claws in and scrambled out, shaking droplets from his fur. With his gaze locked on to Xander’s wolf form, Devin followed him across the moonlit forest, the scent in the cool air acting as their guide.

  He shifted mid-step from jaguar to tiger so he could maintain the intense pace. In front of him, Xander did the same—black fur replacing the gray—as he also took advantage of another wolf’s energy reserve.

  The animals they housed were separate entities, each offering unique traits, skills, and personalities. For Royal cubs especially, learning to separate and control each spirit was a lesson in patience. Cats were stubborn and often loners. Housing three predators who’d rather not share the same soul with another feline let alone the man made it difficult to master their primal sides. By the time maturity hit, most Royals had a firm handle on their felines, and their hosts utilized them as a well-oiled team.

  Molly, on the other hand?

  Devin wanted to find each person who’d hurt her and kill them, slowly and painfully.

  Xander shifted and snarled, “They have them!”

  Devin parted his mouth and inhaled, tasting the scents on the breeze. Human blood but that wasn’t all. He trotted forward, following the stench, then shifted and stared at what had Xander’s hackles raised.

  The brutal scene was one he’d never expected. Gwen Burnett, it seemed, was an amazing woman, much like her sister.

  Xander knelt and sniffed the ground where blood had soaked through the decayed leaves. “She’s been hurt, but the amount of blood spilled doesn’t suggest a mortal wound. No evidence of rape either.” Xander motioned toward the impressions in the soft soil. “She walked away from here.”

  Devin zeroed in on the ripped clothes scattered near the tree line. He cursed. Xander followed his gaze. A matching expletive carried through the night.

  Xander leapt over a dead wolf body and ran into the woods. After a few moments, he returned. “The cub took off but wasn’t followed.”

  Because she was worthless now.

  Devin peered from one trail of tiny paw prints to the shuffling human footprints. Two females he’d sworn to protect. The choices pressed down on him until his cats whined. They were just as torn. There was a chance they could save Gwen before she was killed. The bloody skirmish hadn’t happened that long ago. But Molly was out there too.

  Alone.

  He glanced at the tiny paw prints. Shifting would’ve released the Leon spirit and destroyed Molly’s mind. She’d most likely turn feral.

  Lena’s words came back to him. Please, Devin. She’s been through too much.

  “I’m going after Molly.”

  Xander gave him a small nod. “Then Gwen is mine.”

  “Be safe, my friend.”

  “And you too.”

  Devin embraced his lion and followed the cub’s tracks. As he left the wolf he considered a brother, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his choice had sealed Xander’s fate too.

  * * *

  Devin tilted his head and listened. There. The rapid heartbeat betrayed Molly’s presence. She was sneaky and faster than he’d expected.

  She was also playing with him.

  He’d been around enough cubs to recognize the signs, and if he had to guess, she was enjoying herself.

  In a surprise move, Molly, in her lioness form, darted behind him and nipped his flank. He spun. No cub. Only a few fluttering leaves marked the path she’d taken. Before he could follow, Molly leapt on his back and bit his neck before once again running off.

  He grinned, and yeah, lions looked demented when they smiled, but he couldn’t contain his amusement, especially when the little lioness charmed his cats too.
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br />   Her games also confirmed a very important fact—Molly’s mind hadn’t been shattered when she’d shifted.

  She also hadn’t lost the Leon’s spirit. The aura of its pride surrounded her.

  She was safe, mentally and physically. Whether because of her strength of will or the influence of the Leon ancestor she housed, Devin couldn’t say. He didn’t care either. Molly’s well-being was all that mattered.

  He lay on his stomach, his paws stretched out in front of him, and waited. He thumped his tail. The cub darted out, jumped on the tuft of hair then scrambled back into the woods. After a few minutes, she inched closer and swatted at his tail, not retreating.

  He flicked the tip, and she playfully pounced at the moving target. Whenever she captured it, tiny sharp baby teeth gnawed on it. He bared his fangs, not to frighten the cub, but to let her know he could stop her if he wanted. It was an, ‘I’m in charge, and I’m only allowing you to use my tail as your teething toy because I want to’ display.

  Molly growled, gaze on the tip of his tail, then advanced in a crawling stalk. She stilled for a long moment in front of his face, head lowered and bottom in the air.

  He grinned again. He couldn’t help it. Her antics were about the cutest thing he’d seen in a long time.

  Another rumble crawled up her throat. She bounded on to his back. And promptly tumbled over the side. The thump to her head didn’t dissuade her. Within a moment, she was right back, snapping at his flank and snarling as she playfully attacked him.

  As Molly continued her mock assault, he opened the common telepathic pathway all Royal felines shared. He was some distance from Kade and didn’t know if he could connect to him but wanted to tell him he’d found Molly.

  “Kade, I found Molly.”

  The faintest flicker of life teased the edges of his psyche, and it didn’t come from Kade. His pride leader was out of range.

  Devin peeked at Molly over his shoulder. She turned her small, nearly white head and met his gaze. Ice replaced the youthful spunk in the pale blue orbs locked to his.