by Anya Bast
She shook her head, her eyes shiny with tears. "I don't want to be responsible for his capture and likely his death. We can't leave him."
Jarek took her by the upper arm, half afraid she would bolt back to the Hall of Judgment. "Torrent knew the stakes. He believes in fate. If he's captured by the mages, something good may eventually come of it. He believes that and we must also believe it."
She shook her head. "Nothing good can come of any of this."
“This isn’t your fault,” answered Kaiden with a hard edge to his voice. “You were betrayed.”
“We never should have trusted her, yet I have reason to believe she did it for love of her family.” She paused, looking pained. “They’re going to kill them.”
“She almost killed Jarek, Paige.” Kaiden’s voice was harsh. “I know she was manipulated, but changes nothing. We can’t rescue her and her family. Not now.”
Jarek tipped her chin up and forced her gaze to meet his. "You escaped the mages. Do you know how incredible you are?"
Tears shone in her eyes. "I just needed to get out of there, back to you and Kaiden."
Running footsteps met their ears, growing louder. A group of mage warriors rounded the corner and started toward them. “Stop!” one of them yelled.
Not likely.
Jarek glanced at Kaiden’s grim face and their plan was born. They’d discussed this scenario on the journey to the city. Jarek took a lingering look at Paige, knowing he might never see her again. Then he whirled, leapt forward, shifting as he moved, and put himself between the mages and the love of his life.
* * * * *
Paige stared in horror as Jarek pounced on the mage warriors, making a barrier between her and them. “No!” she cried. It was Torrent all over again, but this time it was Jarek she was losing.
“Come on,” said Kaiden, pulling her away. “We need to go now.”
“Not without Jarek!”
“He’ll do everything he can to escape.”
“Not good enough.”
“Jump on my back or everything we lost to get you out of here will be for nothing.” With that, Kaiden shifted.
She hauled herself onto Kaiden’s back, staring at Jarek. He was busy tossing mages to the left and to the right, yet more kept coming. He went through them like tissue paper, but she knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it up.
Kaiden bolted forward. She grabbed onto his fur and held on tight as he ran flat out down the street away from Jarek.
Unable to see Jarek any longer, she closed and whispered, “Please be safe, my love.”
Kaiden was a fast runner, faster than Jarek. That was undoubtedly why Jarek had stayed behind and she was on Kaiden’s back. Now Kaiden ran faster than she could believe. Everything rushed past in a blur she could barely make out.
They turned a corner and skidded to a stop. The mages had closed off the mouth of the street in a huge group, all of them wielding those batons of doom. Kaiden whirled, but found their exit similarly blocked.
Oh, god, this was it. It was over. They were captured. Now none of them would get out of this cursed city alive.
But Kaiden had other ideas. He ran toward the mouth of the street, gathering speed. Some of the mages backed away when it looked like Kaiden was going to run smack into the group, but then he jumped and sailed over all their heads.
It had been a risk. Kaiden could not have known how deep the crowd of mages was, yet they landed clear of them. Several huge bounds and they were far behind, heading to the outskirts of the city.
* * * * *
Torrent snarled and lunged at the closest warrior, his jaws closing around the man’s midsection. Tossing his head, the man went flying, screaming as he went. It was a victory, yet the magick sticks of the warriors struck his body over and over again. There were too many of them.
His body listed as the stinging blows rained down on him, the enraged faces of the mage warriors filling his vision. He raised his head and howled mournfully. All the mages halted for a moment, their hands stilling and their faces going white. Then the blows resumed.
Torrent’s vision went black. His body collapsed to the floor.
* * * * *
Kaiden didn’t stop running until he was back in safe territory. When he couldn’t take another step, he found a clump of bushes and collapsed behind it. He passed out once he felt Paige slide from his back.
When he woke, he was back in human form, his head cradled in Paige’s lap. Shock jolted him upward. “We need to keep moving. I wasn’t careful about not leaving a trail.”
Early evening twilight shrouded her face. “You weren’t out long and they surely haven’t caught up yet. Take a moment. Breathe. You nearly killed yourself getting us out of there.”
Jarek. Torrent. Anguish twisted his gut.
A dire wolf growl ripped from his human throat as he forced himself to stand. “I want to kill them all.” The vehemence in his voice had to be shocking to Paige, since it shocked himself.
Paige stood. “Please tell me you think Jarek will be all right.” Her voice had a tremble to it. “Please, Kaiden. Tell me.”
He closed the distance between them and held her against his chest. “He’ll be all right.” They both knew it was a lie. “Come on, we need to keep moving. Quieter now, slower. We’ll go on foot. We can’t leave a trace of our passing. When the hunters reach this spot it will be as though we disappeared.”
Taking her cold, shaking hand, they walked into the forest.
Chapter Seven
Caroline stood at the window of her apartment, staring through the rain misted window at the street below. Two weeks ago, her sister Paige had suddenly disappeared. Only a year before, her other sister, Kaitlyn, had also abruptly vanished.
She thought all her heartbreak had been used up when Kaitlyn had gone missing, but this was a fresh hell.
When Kaitlyn had disappeared they’d eventually had a mysterious letter delivered to them, one written in Kaitlyn’s hand. The letter had put their minds to rest—wherever Kaitlyn had gone, it had been a good place and she was happy there. But she had no such reassurance where Paige was concerned and her mind was wild with worry.
What was it about their family? Even the police were questioning how two sisters could vanish into thin air. They were turning their attention to family friends and relatives, contemplating a darker plot.
Part of her worried maybe she would be next.
During the last twenty four hours a new level of anxiety had descended over her and this time there was no rational cause for it. Last night she’d woken from a dream after hearing Paige call her name over and over again. Paige had been a small, dark room, alone and afraid.
Since then Caroline hadn’t been able to shake her fear. Her limbs were cold and she was tired. Was she somehow picking up on how Paige felt? She didn’t believe in anything psychic, so maybe it was simply her imagination. Whatever it was, it left her unable to fight the deep depression that had settled over her.
Pulling her sleeves down over her hands in a futile attempt to warm them, she glanced at the phone. The police hadn’t called all day. They had nothing. Paige had been walking down the street one evening and then she’d vanished. Just like that. No leads. No clues. One witness who could hardly be credible said he’d seen her cowering at the base of a tree and then simply wink away—gone. Clearly, that man had to have been drinking that night.
Thunder crashed beyond her window and lightning lit the sky. Startled, she backed away and turned toward her living room. Lightning flashed again and she screamed. This time it had seemed to be in the very same room with her. She’d heard stories of that happening before—lightning coming straight through a window and hitting someone indoors. Wasn’t that why you were supposed to stay away from windows during a storm?
Figuring she’d better heed that advice, she cautiously moved into the interior of her apartment. Maybe a nice cup of tea would help calm her nerves. She entered the kitchen and began to warm up water on her
stove. Outside the storm picked up a new level of intensity. Thunder crashed, shaking the walls of her apartment. Lightning sparked and spit, illuminating the room with intense brightness.
By the time her water was ready, her hands were shaking. She poured the water into her cup, spilling a little over the edges. She’d never been in an electrical storm this bad before. Picking up her cup, she moved toward her living room to turn on the TV and make sure there weren’t any tornado warnings. Just then the power flickered and went out.
“Great,” she muttered.
A gust of wind buffeted her hair. She stilled, frowning. Wind? In her apartment?
Worried there’d been damage to the side of the building, she hurried into the living room just as another huge flash of lightning lit the darkened room. But the wall remained intact and the window was unbroken and closed. Yet still a wind blew through the room. It buffeted her hair just as though she was outside.
And it was growing stronger.
Across from her the wind toppled a lamp from an end table and buffeted the curtains. She stared stupidly as her mind tried to process. What was going on?
She drew a sharp breath and dropped her tea as a sudden thought hit. The cup tumbled to the soft carpet and spilled. Maybe that man’s drunken eye witness account hadn’t been so drunken after all.
And that meant, she really was next.
She backed away from the living room slowly, retreating from the unknown threat. After a moment, she turned and bolted for the door. If only she could get to another human being. Maybe they could help her. Maybe they could stop her from being pulled into whatever it was that had sucked her sisters away.
Reaching the door, she grabbed the knob. Her hand went right through it, as if she was a ghost. Toppling forward, she fell straight down, but there was no floor to meet her. She just kept falling. Down. Down. Just like Alice and the rabbit hole.
She landed with a thump on a bed of soft green grass and rolled down a small hill. For a moment, she lay stunned, staring up at an impossibly blue sky. “No,” Caroline whispered. “This can’t be.”
Pushing up, she stared around her. Trees and beautiful green everywhere. She would assume she was dreaming, but she knew this could be nothing of the sort. That landing had given her bruises for sure and injuries didn’t happen in dreams.
Standing, she gazed around for some clue to what had happened but she was alone in the clearing. In the distance she could see a bright, shiny city—sharp buildings slicing the underside of the sky. That skyline didn’t look like any skyline she knew. It looked…alien.
Still, where there was a city, there were people. Where there people, there were answers. Maybe that city was where Paige and Caroline had gone.
She took a shaky step forward.
* * * * *
When they were finally a safe distance from the city, Paige slid off Kaiden’s back and watched him change back to human form on a grassy mound.
She sat down heavily beside him and looked down at herself. Her drab mage clothing was ripped and dirty and she had more bumps and bruises than she could count. None of that mattered. Nothing mattered anymore.
Jarek was lost to the mages.
The reality of that fact finally sank in. The memory of him fighting off so many warriors, knowing he must have lost that battle…it was too much to bear. She dissolved into grief. It bubbled up like black lava from the very depths of her, making her body scissor as racking sobs ripped from her.
Kaiden pulled her against him, tucking her protectively into the curve of his exhausted and beaten body and let her cry it out. He murmured unintelligible endearments in her ear, spoken in a language she didn’t know, and smoothed her tear dampened hair away from her face.
Finally, she calmed and took a shuddering breath. “I can’t live without him, Kaiden.” She pushed up and began to rip off her clothes. “I need to change my clothes, get some food. I’m going back for him. I can’t do this. I can’t. Maybe I can shift again—”
“Shift again? What do you mean?”
She stilled, looking down at him. “I shifted. When the mages came for me. I was so angry, seeing Jarek like that. I thought they’d killed him. I shifted into a dire wolf and I fought them.”
Kaiden grabbed her and pulled her against him cradling her in his lap. “That’s very rare, Paige. Normally our mostly human mates can only shift after the joining vow ceremony.”
“What does it mean that I didn’t need it?”
He kissed the top of her head tenderly. “It means you’ve already joined with us in your heart,” he said in a quiet voice. “The mate bond is complete.”
She let out a quite sob, thinking of Jarek.
“You can’t go back for him. If you’re killed, his sacrifice will mean nothing.”
She cupped his face in her hands. “I understand how you both felt when I was taken. Now I feel that same way. Don’t you get it, Kaiden? I will die if Jarek doesn’t come back, just like I would die if you hadn’t come back. Nothing matters but for him to return to us.”
Kaiden bowed his head. “He may not still be alive.”
She gave her head a sharp shake. “I refuse to believe that. Chances are they took him prisoner. They wouldn’t kill a healthy Lycaon unless they were forced, would they? They could get valuable information out of him.”
“You don’t know the way Jarek fights.” Kaiden paused. “It’s likely he forced them.”
She gritted her teeth. No, she couldn’t think that way or she’d go insane. “We’ve got to go back, Kaiden. There is no other alternative.”
Kaiden closed his eyes. “Then we’ll go back. Let’s get a little rest first. I’ll catch us something to eat. We’ll be no good to him if we’re too exhausted to think straight.”
After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded. She hated having to wait even a minute longer, but what he said made sense. “A couple hours rest and a meal. Then we go back to free Jarek and Torrent.”
Kaiden touched her cheek. “Or die trying.”
“Yes.” She pressed her mouth to his.
He drew her against him and she closed her eyes. Yet, as exhausted as she was, sleep was a long time coming.
* * * * *
Paige woke with a jerk. Beside her, Kaiden’s body was rigid and she could immediately tell he wasn’t sleeping. The sound that had woken them both came again—the soft step of a person trying not to be heard in the perfect quiet of the deep forest.
Kaiden squeezed her reassuringly, then rolled silently away from her. If someone was trying to sneak up on them, pity that person. Willing to let the big, bad wolf jump their would-be stalker, she curled up in the remaining tatters of her dress and waited, totally confident in Kaiden’s abilities.
Sure enough, moments later came a series of thumps and a muffled shout. Silence. Then Kaiden yelled, “Paige!”
She jerked upward and shot to her feet. “Kaiden!” she rushed in his direction. “What’s wrong—” She stopped short as she plunged through the underbrush. Stopping dead, she drew in a sharp breath. “Jarek!”
It was an unbelievable sight—Jarek standing there in the early morning sunshine. She launched herself into his arms and he grabbed her tight, staggering backward. Immediately she released him and began running her hands over his naked body. “Are you hurt?”
He stilled her hands and embraced her again. “Nothing serious. Just bruised, a little bloody and very dirty.”
She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of his strong, warm—intact and alive—body against her. “How did you get of there?”
“I fought like I’ve never fought before. They hit me over and over with their damn magick sticks and knocked me out cold, but I wasn’t out for long. They were surprised when I regained consciousness so quickly. It gave me a lucky break. I found a way out and I took it. Then I ran through the city faster than any mage could catch me. Once beyond the scents of the city, it was easy to pick up your trail.”
She took a step back and st
ared into his face. “And Torrent?”
He shook his head. “Captured.”
She gritted her teeth for a moment. “We need to go back for him.”
“We can’t,” answered Jarek. “I want to, Paige, but it’s impossible. They’ve locked down the city with a magickal perimeter by now. If we go within a few kilometers of it, they’ll know it.”
She set her jaw. “We were going to go back for you.”
Jarek looked at Kaiden. “That would have been suicide.”
“We’re a family,” answered Kaiden. “We would have taken the chance.”
“Torrent would forbid his rescue. We’re not going back for him.”
“We’re just going to let him die?” asked Paige.
“We’re going to let him have his destiny. Remember, the prophecy. This was supposed to happen.”
“Screw the damn prophecy,” Paige answered. “Anything that happens could be part of the prophecy. Maybe our rescuing him is part of the prophecy, Jarek.” She turned away, so angry her body shook.
Jarek sighed heavily. “There’s something I need to tell you, something Torrent told me right before we left for the city.” He paused. “Something not even Kaiden knows.”
Paige turned slowly to face him. “What is it?”
“He suspected this trip would lead to his capture and he doesn’t expect to survive it. He told me that his capture will eventually lead to a huge conflict between the Magica and the Lycaon.” Jarek paused. “He told us to not attempt his rescue.”
“So he’s just going to sacrifice himself.”
“For his people, yes.” Jarek paused. “Our hearts are heavy and we all need medical attention. Let’s go home.”
“But—” started Paige.
“Don’t make this harder than it already is, Paige.” Kaiden sighed heavily. “Do you think you can shift?”
