Devin

by Dana Archer

  With her attention on the manila envelope, she swallowed past the bitter taste in her mouth. “What’s in that letter?”

  He flipped it over, exposing the heavy wax seal. “Don’t know. And if I break the seal or refuse to deliver this I’ll land myself in shifter jail.”

  “Then give it to me. I’ll open it.” Rafe reached for the envelope, but Vader yanked it back.

  “Sorry, can’t. I was ordered to hand deliver it, and we have less than an hour before their enforcers arrive to make sure I followed through.”

  Lena sucked in a rough breath. “They’re sending enforcers here? What if they find Molly?”

  Rafe laid his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “They won’t. We’ll make sure of it.”

  Vader grinned. “The Council thinks Molly has been kidnapped. They won’t be looking for her here.”

  She nodded, but his words didn’t ease the noose squeezing her chest. Worry for Devin tightened it more. “Did the Shifter Council give any indication what might be in there?”

  “No. It was a random request, and one I couldn’t turn down. I signed on with Shifter Affairs for a fifty-year term. I still have twenty left to serve, but I can’t be a part of them any longer, not after what Colonel Malory did.”

  “Where is he?”

  Vader rolled his shoulders. “Missing, but I’ll find him. When I do, he’ll pay for his crime.”

  “Don’t kill him, Vader.” Hadn’t she warned Devin of the same thing? “The government will retaliate.”

  “Don’t concern yourself over me. Worry about your mate.”

  She sensed Devin’s approach before he appeared behind Vader, towering over him by a couple of inches.

  “Well, deliver the Council’s letter.” Devin held out a hand.

  Vader handed it behind him without taking his gaze off her. The apology in his expression bothered her, but Devin’s guarded one worried her more.

  Devin slit the seal, pulled out the single sheet of paper and read. His nostrils flared. He crumpled the letter in his hand.

  She scrambled out of the booth and went to him. He automatically engulfed her within his embrace. “What’s wrong?”

  Instead of answering, he tipped her head back and kissed her hard. Her feet left the floor. She linked her arms around his neck while he made love to her mouth. Finally, he broke the kiss and buried his face into her hair.

  “I’m sorry, my mate.”

  “For what?”

  He set her on her feet without answering. He turned to Mira and stared at her for a long moment. Her expression fell, but she didn’t say anything.

  “Take Lena home.”

  Mira nodded. She reached for Lena.

  Lena evaded Mira’s grasp and grabbed Devin’s shirt as he stepped away. “Don’t walk away from me. What’s going on?”

  He ran his thumb over her lips. “Nothing for you to worry about.”

  “Don’t you give me that. Tell me the truth.”

  “It is the truth.” He ran gentle fingers through her hair, soothing strokes meant to calm. They didn’t. “The Council is being difficult. I’ll deal with it then come back to you.”

  “What do you mean come back to me? Where are you going?”

  “Hopefully, nowhere,” Kade said. He handed the wrinkled letter to Rafe who read it and cursed.

  “Give me that.” She reached for the paper.

  Mira blocked her. “Don’t make this difficult.”

  She watched Devin walk away with Vader and the other men. Panic set in, speeding her pulse. “Devin, wait!”

  He didn’t stop.

  Mira pushed her toward the front entrance. Lena gave up trying to fight her. The ache in her chest returned, along with a sense of loss.

  She should’ve left the bar with him when he’d asked. Regret left a bitter taste in her mouth.

  Chapter 37

  “Lena, let’s go inside.”

  The muffled words sounded far away. Lena frowned. She knew that voice but couldn’t place it.

  “Lena.”

  Somebody shook her shoulders. She blinked. Kaleidoscope eyes came into focus, but they were the wrong ones.

  “Are you okay?”

  Mira. The name registered in Lena’s fuzzy brain. She pressed a balled fist against her heart and nodded, not because she was fine. The other woman looked so upset.

  The car door opened. Mira helped her out and led her across the gravel driveway by her hand, as if Lena was a child. That should’ve bothered her. Lena recognized the act as something that would normally annoy her. Tonight, it didn’t. Sadness choked her.

  It was depression, the same feelings of guilt and regret she’d been dealing with since learning Gwen had died. Lena recognized it, but without Devin, she couldn’t shake it. He was her strength. Her lifeline. Her everything.

  Mira opened the door and ushered her inside. Lena stood there while Mira moved around the small room. She tossed her wallet on the ugly brown couch.

  The memory of Devin motioning toward it and telling her he wanted them to have enough space for Molly flashed across Lena’s mind.

  Awareness returned, along with a sense of urgency. Devin was supposed to soul-bond to her tonight. Love her for an eternity.

  She grabbed Mira’s arm as she walked past. “Why did Devin send me away? We need each other.”

  Mira crossed her arms over her chest. She studied the shag carpet for a long moment before meeting Lena’s eyes. “To protect you.”

  “From what?”

  “Guilt.”

  “How is he supposed to do that when he’s not with me?”

  Mira rubbed at her temple. “It’s only going to be for a week. He’ll be fine. He’s survived it before.”

  Lena’s heart skipped a beat. A sick feeling settled over her. “Survived what before?”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  Lena stalked toward Mira until only a few inches separated them. “Too late. Tell me.”

  “He doesn’t want you to know.”

  “Devin is my mate. My true mate. His pain is mine. You will not hide it from me.”

  Mira blew out a rough breath. “Torture. At fifteen, Devin took my punishment for killing my rapist. Devin survived thirty years of the horrid treatment. A week will be nothing. He didn’t want you to know so you won’t feel guilty that…”

  Mira nibbled on her lip and focused on the burnt orange carpet instead of finishing her sentence.

  “So I won’t feel guilty because…”

  Mira peeked at Lena from under her lashes. “Because you’re the reason he’s going there.”

  “What?”

  “One of the witches from the coven in Delaware reported your injuries to Shifter Affairs who then informed the Shifter Council. Since Devin has a reputation for…”

  “For being unstable.” Lena finished Mira’s thought.

  “They’re using the witch’s report as a reason to have him re-evaluated.” Mira dropped her gaze to Lena’s stomach. “They want him to prove he can still control his cats, and if he can’t be trusted not to attack innocents, he doesn’t deserve to live.”

  “But he’s my mate. If he dies, I’ll be lost.”

  “No, technically you won’t. He never soul-bonded to you. You won’t die with him.”

  Lena stumbled backward. She grabbed the edge of the couch to steady herself. “I’ll only go through eternity always longing for him.”

  Mira looked away. The silent confirmation of Lena’s assessment angered her, but Lena shoved away the debilitating emotion and wrapped her determination around her. Nobody was allowed to hurt her mate. Nobody.

  Lena grabbed the car keys and turned toward the door.

  Mira slammed the wood closed before Lena could get out, then tugged her back into the living room. “You can’t go after him.”

  “Yes I can, and I will. I’m going to lie and tell them we’re soul-bonded. They won’t be able to kill him without hurting me.’

  Mira made a disgus
ted noise and shook her head. “They won’t care. If they deem Devin a threat, he dies. Your death wouldn’t prevent it. In their minds, you are nothing to them. A human female can’t bear young, so you’re worthless. Only in Devin’s eyes do you matter.”

  The front door flew open before Lena could respond. A frazzled man who looked nearly identical to Xander stood in the entryway.

  “Molly’s gone.”

  Mira whirled around. “What do you mean she’s gone? Weren’t you watching her?”

  “Of course I was watching her. I went into the kitchen to get her fresh water because she spilled hers. When I got back, the crate and the back door were open. The cub was nowhere to be found, and with her scent masked, there’s no trail.”

  “No paw prints?” Mira asked.

  The guy snorted. “Yeah, right to the road. I don’t care what anybody says. That little girl is still in charge, and she just ran away from home.”

  Mira peered over her shoulder. “Stay here, Lena. We’ll bring Molly home. She couldn’t have gotten far.”

  Lena nodded, instinctively knowing Mira would make good on her word. Lena waited for Mira and the other shifter to disappear into the woods before she grabbed the keys to Devin’s car.

  Mira wasn’t the only female who’d do whatever she could to uphold a vow. Lena would too. No way would she allow Devin to suffer when she could help him. That was what mates did for each other. The good and the bad. She’d stand by Devin through it all.

  They were finishing what they’d started. Tonight. No more waiting.

  And if the Shifter Council did decide to take Devin’s head, she wouldn’t lose him. They’d just have their eternity in heaven.

  Or maybe they could run away together. Fight the order. Something. She had no clue what but she wouldn’t sit idly by while they hauled her mate away.

  She jumped into the car, turned the key, and floored it. Gravel dinged off the metal trailer behind her. She cringed, half expecting the sound to alert Mira that she’d left the house. A quick peek in the rearview mirror showed only a cloud of dust, no shifters.

  Lena focused on the narrow driveway ahead of her and skidded onto the main road. Tires squealed. She straightened out the car and pressed the pedal to the floor.

  Urgency pushed at her. She had to get back to Devin before she lost him. The thought took hold. The Shifter Council didn’t always play by the rules. Look at what they’d done to Molly—condoning a prearranged mating. Who was to say they’d abide by whatever they’d stated in that letter?

  Vader had said they had less than an hour before the enforcers arrived. She glanced at the clock on the dashboard. Twenty minutes. Plenty of time. She forced her eyes away from the dash to the windshield.

  Then screamed.

  Lena slammed on the brakes and whipped the wheel to the side to avoid the white lion cub in the middle of the road. The car hit something. The thud reverberated in her ears. Crunching metal, breaking glass, and the sound of her screams surrounded her.

  The car tumbled, and her stomach lurched. The seat belt cut into her neck, and her head bounced against the headrest. Images of tree trunks and dirt flashed quickly as the car rolled.

  The vehicle finally stopped with a loud thump. Pain stole her breath and silenced her cries. Smoke and dust filled her lungs. Spots danced in front of her eyes, but she fought to stay conscious. She had to get out of the car and go after Molly. Yet when she tried to move, she couldn’t. Numbness was spreading across her legs as ice slithered into her veins.

  She bent her head slightly to look down the length of her body. Chunks of glass, leaves, and dirt covered her, not surprising. It was the tree branch piercing her stomach that sent dread through her. Blood flowed steadily from around the stick.

  “No.” She coughed and pain shot through her body. “Don’t want…to die.”

  Scuttling noises then a flop on the car caught her attention. Molly, in her cub form, peered through the broken window. Lena forced a smile.

  “Hey…sister.”

  Molly whimpered. Her little nose twitched, and her pale blue eyes widened.

  “Don’t…be upset.” It felt like she had cotton in her mouth. “Not”—Lena closed her eyes to stop Molly’s image from going fuzzy—“your fault.”

  Lena coughed, then groaned as the stick moved. Pure agony whipped through her. She’d never felt such pain, not even when she’d gotten in the way of Devin’s claws.

  Devin.

  Her tears slipped free. She was going to die, and they’d lose each other.

  No second chances.

  She forced her eyelids apart. The world swayed, and she focused on the center image of Molly.

  Lena swallowed the blood filling her mouth. “Tell…Devin I…loved him.”

  Molly scrambled through the broken windshield and licked her cheek. Lena smiled or tried to. She wasn’t sure if she pulled it off.

  “Love you.” She gathered her strength and mumbled, “Go…home…to Devin.”

  Lena watched Molly climb out, then the darkness took the world away.

  Chapter 38

  Devin listened to the other males arguing around him about how to get around the Council’s order. He tuned them out. His cats’ trying to claw their way out of his body captured all his attention. A couple of weeks with Lena, and he’d forgotten how draining it was to keep three unstable cats under control twenty-four/seven.

  He conjured Lena’s face. His cats’ aggression eased. Peace flowed through him. He wasn’t healed, never would be, but Lena soothed him. He simply needed to keep thoughts of her close. Without the benefits of being soul-bonded with unlimited access to her soul, it was the best he could do. It’d be enough. It was only a week. He could survive a week.

  He’d prove he was stable, then return home to Lena. Everything would be fine.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what was in the letter,” Vader said.

  “I understand.”

  Silence stretched. Finally, Vader said, “Leave with her. I’ll tell the Council I couldn’t find you.”

  “If I do that, their enforcers will search our lands. I can’t risk them finding Molly.”

  “They might allow me to take your place if I vouch for your sanity. I meant what I said. I don’t want to see Lena upset. You getting hurt will do that. Considering I worked with her stepdad for close to thirty years, they might agree as I’m the closest thing she has to family. I can pull a trump card. Act as her guardian. It’ll give me the right to protect her.”

  “I’d bet the report about Lena’s injuries isn’t the only thing that prompted them to conduct this evaluation. They’re angry with me because I won’t order Mira to take a mate. The Council has decided that she is to fulfill her prophecy now, whether or not she wants to.”

  Vader cursed. “If you are beheaded because they deem you a threat to the humans, she’ll be without a guardian.”

  “And they can choose who she mates.” Devin rolled his shoulders. “Yes, I know. It’s a chance I have to take.”

  Kade’s curse proceeded a loud smack. Shouts rang out. Devin jumped to his feet and ran toward the fight. The sight of the gray-haired human dangling feet above the floor stirred Devin’s rage.

  Devin grabbed Colonel Malory from Kade’s hold and slammed the human into the wall, then leaned close and snarled. Fear didn’t show in the human’s eyes, regret did.

  Absently, Devin heard his friends and the bar’s bouncers clearing the room, but he kept his attention locked on to the human who’d betrayed Lena and her family.

  “Why did you do it?”

  Colonel Malory closed his eyes. “Because they have my daughter, Ryanne. She disappeared close to a decade ago. I thought she was dead, then she contacted me a little over a year ago. She’d escaped with two shifter children.”

  Devin eased his grip on the male’s throat. “Megan and Molly.”

  “Yes. She got them to safety, then took off. I’ve gotten a few emails and calls from her, enough to assure me she
was still alive, but she’s gone off the radar. She’s trying to find a woman from your pride. Nina. The woman’s skittish. Afraid of other shifters and the government. She doesn’t trust anyone but my daughter, and Ryanne is determined to save her.”

  Devin set the older human on his feet. “But they recaptured Ryanne, didn’t they?”

  “Yes. They sent me pictures of her, let me talk to her. I was told that I could have her back if I gave them Molly.”

  Devin balled his fists. “So you sold out a child to save her.”

  “It wasn’t supposed to happen the way it did. I had agents ready to swarm the place, but somebody killed them. The Council or the Krisban pride. I don’t know who.”

  “Luckily our contact at Shifter Affairs called us.”

  “I’m thankful for that, but it sealed his fate too. He was found dead that same day.”

  Devin took a deep breath and banked his anger. He wanted to punish the colonel for what he’d done, but Devin sympathized with him. The drive to protect a loved one often overruled everything.

  “So why are you here? Do you expect our forgiveness?”

  “No. I came to save you from the Council’s ridiculous order.” Colonel Malory dug a paper from his pocket and handed it to Devin. “That’s a copy of a letter signed by the president. It’s your get out of jail card, and copies are being sent to the Council and its human representatives as we speak.”

  Devin scanned the formal document. It cited one of the original laws established between the Shifter Council and the human government that forbid torture or imprisonment without evidence of wrongdoing. “Thank you for this.”

  Colonel Malory nodded. “I know it doesn’t make up for what I did, but…”

  People started screaming. Chairs crashed to the floor. And Josh yelled, ordering everyone to stay back.

  Devin spun.

  A small white cub ran in. Molly made a beeline right to him. He caught her and pulled her trembling body against his chest.

  “Molly, what are you doing here?”

  She burrowed her head into his shirt. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve stayed home.”

  Although thrilled she’d spoken to him, her frightened demeanor chilled him. He ran his hand over Molly’s back, hoping to calm her. “It’s okay, little one. I’m just glad you’ve decided to talk to me. Lena will be so happy.”