by Riley Storm
“I didn’t expect to have to go on a hike to go back to your place,” she teased as he unlocked the door with a thumbprint and pushed it open.
Khove rolled his eyes. “I carried you half the way until you got too embarrassed by the looks from others—who I promise you, do not care. So don’t complain.”
She put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. “What are you trying to say? Did carrying me tire out the big bad shifter boy?”
“Not at all,” he growled, closing the door behind him. “In fact, come here and I’ll show you just how much energy I have left!”
Rachel yelped and dodged aside as he chased her through his multi-room set of quarters, until the two of them fell giggling onto the couch. It was nice to be back in his element, where he could do something as casual as fall into a couch and not have to worry about it exploding under him.
The two fought and laughed, trying to gain an advantage over the other in the tickle war they were waging. Khove was very carefully not exerting his full strength, nor even the maximum of a human of his size. This was fun, and he wanted to ensure Rachel relaxed fully, so she could continue to process everything.
No matter where the afternoon led the two of them, there was still more he had to tell her about the situation at hand.
That can wait I suppose, he thought as Rachel rolled on top of him, their faces inches apart.
Their eyes locked, and for a split second, he was falling into a sapphire-like abyss. Her eyes were so blue, the color seeping into the pupil, overwhelming the whites of the eyes as well. He still couldn’t believe she didn’t wear contact lenses, but as far as he could tell, it was a natural genetic mutation.
“Are you just going to stay up there, or are you going to come down and kiss me again,” he challenged. “I’m starting to forget the difference again.”
Rachel shook her head. “You’re not forgetting. The first time just melted your brain into mush.”
Khove laughed heartily. “Oh is that it? I see, I must have missed that part,” he teased, one hand snaking up to pull her head down to him.
Their lips met and he tasted the fire that burned within her. Fighting to keep his body from showing any outward signs that might scare her off was tough, but he remained calm even as she parted his lips, tongues brushing softly against their counterpart.
Strong but gentle fingers settled on either side of his face as the kiss lingered on for longer than any previous. Khove’s other hand settled in the small of her back, holding Rachel tight to him. He could feel the press of her breasts into his chest, aware of every slight shift of her body as she tried to press deeper into him.
There was no way Rachel didn’t feel the attraction all but burning between them. Not now. If he’d had doubts about that, it faded as they lay on the couch, making out like a bunch of teenagers all over again. Neither one was ready to push the boundaries past though, much as Khove was interested by the idea.
What he didn’t want, however, was to scare her off. There still remained the possibility that Rachel might crack as things hit home with her, and if she bolted, Khove would have no choice but to go after her and prevent her from leaving. The last thing he wanted was to go from being her friend—and whatever it was they were—to her jailer. It would destroy him to betray her like that, but his family’s secret was bigger than any one person. It couldn’t be let out.
Stay strong, Rachel.
She had it in her, he knew that. Khove had to trust her. Pushing aside his fears, he sank deeper into the couch, and into all that was Rachel. It felt good to let someone in, to feel it reciprocated. There was still plenty they didn’t know about one another, but that didn’t matter, not right then. In time, he would learn all he needed to know.
As would she.
“What is it?” Rachel asked, pulling back abruptly, azure orbs studying him intensely.
“I didn’t say anything?”
“You didn’t have to,” she said, running her fingers through his hair. “You tensed there. Like you were bracing against something.”
“Nothing that we need to stop this for,” he promised.
Rachel looked at him side-eye for a long handful of seconds, but eventually, she nodded and fell back into his embrace.
He was going to have to tell her the rest of the truth eventually. About Korred, and everything that he was capable of. Magic. The Fae. All of it. Khove vowed then and there that he would not risk losing this wonderful woman simply because she was uneducated about what they were going up against. No matter what it might cost him personally to do so.
“Stop it,” Rachel murmured between kisses. “You’re doing it again.”
“Sorry,” he said, relaxing into her.
He tightened abruptly again, but this time it wasn’t because of the thoughts in his mind. It was the direction in which her hand was headed, pushing down between them. If she kept going she would hit his—
Someone knocked heavily at the door.
Khove froze, looking down his body, to where Rachel’s hand was paused, fingers just encountering his belt.
“You have got to be kidding me!” he moaned. “That is not fair.”
Rachel giggled, rolling off him, her hand dragging down the inside of his leg, careful not to touch anything else. “Go answer the door,” she said, giving his quad a slap.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m going,” he mumbled, standing up and tugging his clothing mostly back into place as he walked over. “What do you w—”
His voice died as he saw who was at the door.
Kaelyn arched a single eyebrow at him.
“My Queen!” Khove swallowed nervously. “What are you doing here?”
The Queen of High House Ursa smiled wryly at his change in attitude, but didn’t say anything about it. “I heard that you were back,” she said. “And that you’d brought a guest.”
There was a curious tone to her voice. She was prying, to find out who Rachel was to him. Khove had been around his Queen long enough to know her tendency to play matchmaker though, and he wasn’t about to let her do the same with him. He would do this on his own, if there was indeed anything to do.
“Who is it?” Rachel asked, wandering over to the door.
Khove swung it open wide. “Detective Corningstone, meet my Queen.”
Rachel gasped at the introduction, suddenly pulling at her clothing and hair more frantically than Khove ever had, desperate to try and ensure she was appropriate-looking.
“Relax,” the Queen said, waltzing into her room, Knox and another guard taking up station outside. “Please. Just call me Kaelyn. And don’t do that.”
Rachel looked up sharply, stopping herself halfway into a curtsy, straightening awkwardly. “Ah, are you sure, your Majesty? I mean Kaelyn.”
Khove chuckled silently to himself, before quieting as the Queen turned an eye on him.
“It’s not what you think,” he offered meekly when she continued to let her gaze linger.
“Right,” Kaelyn muttered with a visible roll of her eyes. “How are you doing?” she asked, turning back to Rachel.
Curious as to the way the interaction between the two confident women would go, Khove stepped back slightly to watch from a—safe—distance.
“I’m fine,” Rachel said cautiously, glancing over at him. Khove nodded to indicate it was okay to speak freely.
“And how are you handling your newfound knowledge?”
Rachel glanced at him a second time, a gesture Khove appreciated more than he would ever be able to articulate. Her look was basically Rachel’s silent way of saying she would never share unless Khove told her it was okay. The dedication to keeping a secret like that was beyond respectful.
“She’s our Queen,” he said. “She’s one of us.”
“Right,” Rachel said, drawing herself up, able to look Kaelyn almost directly in the eye. “Well, to be frank, it’s terrifying. Yet also kind of cool. Yet mind blowing. And overwhelming. I’m surprised I haven’t fainted yet, try
ing to process just what it means, to be truthful.”
Kaelyn chuckled. “You have a strength about you, Miss Corningstone—”
“Rachel, please.”
“Rachel,” Kaelyn said with a respectful bow of her head. “I’m not surprised you’re handling it better than others might. I can see now why Khove entrusted you with our secret.”
“Thank you,” Rachel said awkwardly, clearly overwhelmed by the compliment.
“And how does everything else go?”
Rachel turned bright red. “Oh, um, that? That wasn’t what, we were just, is human-shifter not okay? I just, uhh…”
Khove’s shoulders bounced, earning him a reproachful glare from Rachel, but he didn’t stop.
“I mean in regards to tracking Korred,” the Queen said gently, reaching out to rest a calming hand on Rachel’s shoulder. “Nothing else is my business.”
“Right,” Rachel said, nodding to herself before fixing Khove with another glare that promised retribution.
He kept laughing silently to himself. It was worth it. Besides, it was worth it to see the two most important women in his life—albeit in completely different ways—interacting with one another.
“Well, it’s going slowly,” Rachel said, looking like she’d swallowed a bitter pill at having to admit to being stumped.
“Truthfully,” Khove said, jumping in, “We haven’t found a single trace of him yet. His fingerprints are all over it, but he’s been using scapegoats so far.”
“Well, I’m sure you’re working hard on it, aren’t you?” The Queen glanced between the two of them.
“Of course,” he said, understanding the look in his liege’s eyes.
Kaelyn wasn’t begrudging them their personal time, but she also wanted to remind him of his priorities, something that, despite his best intentions, Khove seemed to have become sidetracked from. Irritated at his own weakness, he nodded firmly again, responding to the unspoken comment.
“If Korred isn’t carrying out the attacks himself,” the Queen said, “then it means he’s probably expanding his power base. We need to find him before he feels confident enough to operate against us openly. Again.”
Khove winced at the memory of Korred’s attempt to use mind control magic to take command of the Ursidae Throne, and his own impotence at stopping him. It would not, could not, be allowed to happen again. Not while he still breathed.
“We’ll head out right away,” Khove said, motioning for Rachel to join him as they headed for the door.
“Report back when you have something,” Kaelyn said. “And Khove?”
“Yes, my Queen?” he replied, turning back at the door.
“Be careful.”
21
“So this is what I’ve been missing out on,” he said with a yawn, stretching out his legs and pushing the seat back as far flat as it would go. Things popped and stretched and he unleashed a huge yawn upon the interior of the pickup. “It’s so nice to not have a metal cage between us anymore, wouldn’t you agree?”
Rachel rolled her eyes at the display next to her. “Like when you pretended to lock yourself in a cell to trick me into thinking I was safe?”
“Not what I meant,” he muttered. “No need for low blows like that.”
She giggled. “Just behave if you want to keep your front seat privileges. Otherwise, you might find them revoked.”
Khove gave her a hurt look. “Are you saying you haven’t liked my actions so far? That they’ve been unpleasant?” He wiggled his eyebrows, pairing that with a humor-filled glance below her face.
Rachel choked, gripping the steering wheel tighter, forcing herself to look straight. That hadn’t been what she meant at all. Her comments had been in regards to their investigation, not their earlier…interaction, whatever it was being called. She hadn’t Khove to draw reference to it now they were back on the case.
“I didn’t say that,” she explained when it became clear he wasn’t going to cave and speak first. “But now that I know they need a key, if you don’t behave, you’re going back in one.”
“I’m not normally into that lifestyle,” Khove admitted, “but I suppose I would be willing to give it a try for you.”
She sputtered helplessly as Khove twisted her words. “Never mind, okay? You can stay in the front seat.”
The big man rumbled with quiet laughter, his usual thunderous boom restrained in the close quarters. “Why, thank you.”
“Now, onto the investigation,” she growled, guiding the truck around another corner.
They were driving around Plymouth Falls in an unmarked vehicle taken from Ursidae Manor, instead of from the police department. Apparently, this one was reinforced. Just in case. Neither of them had any idea of where things were going to go from there, because the night before had thrown off their plans.
“Why was there only one attack last night?” Khove said. “That’s what you meant, right?”
“Right,” she agreed. “Was it all that was planned? Or did our near interception of the trio scare them off from their next targets? What will they plan tonight?”
Khove could only shrug. “I honestly don’t know. I can’t read Korred’s mind. The man is…crazy.”
Rachel looked across the center console, noting the tightness around Khove’s stormy eyes, and the firm set of his jaw.
“What aren’t you telling me about him?” she asked quietly, the question lingering in the interior even after the sound died away.
“How truly do you believe what you saw earlier?” Khove asked quietly, still not turning to face her.
Rachel bit her lip, eyes flicking from the road to Khove and back. This was serious. She took a deep breath in, then asked herself the same question.
To her surprise, the answer came quickly, and without much in the way of hesitation. “I believe you,” she said in an odd voice.
“It doesn’t sound like it.”
“No, I do,” she reassured him. “I just…I didn’t expect to be able to say that and mean it, you know? It surprised me. But I believe you, Khove. There’s just too much that doesn’t add up otherwise. Not to mention I saw it, and how would I know to dream that up if I suddenly lost my mind?” She chuckled. “Besides, after saying I believe in people who can shift into bears, how much more ridiculous can things get?”
Khove didn’t respond.
She frowned. “Khove? It can’t get much crazier. Right?”
“Um. You might want to brace yourself for another truth.” He looked around. “In fact, maybe pulling over would be for the best. Please.”
Absolutely lost as to what was going on, she did as he requested, finding an empty parking lot in front of a hardware store and putting the vehicle in Park. “Okay. I’m ready,” she said. “Lay it on me. What sort of craziness are you about to tell me now?”
“Korred isn’t just a bear shifter,” her partner said weakly, at last meeting her eyes, revealing the sickly look to his face.
“You don’t expect me to believe what you’re about to say.” She could read it on his face, plain as day. “You expect me to call you crazy or something.”
Khove shrugged. “How else are you going to react when I tell you that not only are shape shifters real, but the shifter we’re up against is also a mage? Even I realize how crazy it sounds, and I’ve grown up my entire life knowing shifters and magic are real, tangible things.”
Rachel licked her lips nervously, wondering if she’d just heard right. “Magic.”
“Magic,” he said with a sigh. “Honest-to-goodness, real magic.”
“Yeah. That does sound crazy.”
Khove flung up his hands helplessly. “See, I told you.”
She chewed on her lower lip, taking deep breaths to steady herself. “Right. Okay. So he can use magic. Like, what kind? Abracadabra, with a wand?”
“No. More like evil sorcerer with evil world-controlling ambitions,” Khove explained. “He’s highly trained, and can use his power to do any number of things.”
“I see.” She didn’t. “And you. You’re a more powerful mage? Is that why you’re here working with me?”
Khove shook his head. “No. I am what I’ve told you, though I have training in how to fight people like him.”
She could feel the anger and venom in his words when he talked about Korred. There was a lot of hatred there. A lot.
Rachel leaned back, eyes half-closed, head resting against the back of the seat. “You want to give me the full backstory on this guy maybe? Give me a full picture of what we’re dealing with?”
“That’s probably for the best,” he agreed.
She listened with a fascination that swiftly turned to growing horror as Khove told her everything. From the initial uprising that killed so many of his kind, to the most recent atrocities that had nearly ended his entire House. It was a tale she could barely comprehend, so grand and yet filled with little details that would be near impossible to fake.
“Wow,” she said, letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding at the end of it all. “How did he survive the ceiling collapsing on top of him?”
Khove shrugged. “Best guess? He summoned a shield at the last second. There were scorch marks on the debris that matched up with it. We recovered his body, or so we thought. It appears it may have either been an illusion, or a spell he cast upon himself, because shortly afterward, the body disappeared. Then just a few nights ago, he attacked the Manor itself.”
She sat upright in sudden understanding. “The burning trees. All the debris, the torn-up ground. That was him.”
“Yes. It was a message. A signal, that he’s back, and he’s not going away without a fight. We have to stop him, Rachel. Before he assembles strength enough to take us down.”
“Right. Okay. Sure.” Rachel took a moment, trying to calm herself. “Assuming that I believe all of what you just told me… Which I do, but believing you versus accepting it are completely different things. But pretend I do. What would this guy do next? If he’s done striking at your finances.”
