by Andrews, Jo
That bright laughter that had always been so much a part of him was gone—that wicked, flashing elation and enjoyment that had always been there during their lovemaking, side by side with his intensity. Now there was only a cool watchfulness. And he hadn’t called her “Mouse” since that night.
He had stepped back, stepped away, she realized, watching him the next day. He was moving away from her, distancing himself. Or was it she who had moved away from him by refusing to allow him to reach her? He had asked her to meet him halfway. It wasn’t that unreasonable a request. But she hadn’t been able to go even that far.
Was this the way the end had begun with his other affairs? This quiet, almost unnoticeable pulling back? If so, she was the one who had precipitated it. But she wasn’t ready to let him go yet. Maybe she never would be. She had somehow let him get past all her defenses. He was twined into her heartstrings. And that heart was hurting her now.
The security alarm went off only a few days later. Gregor came hurtling out of the barn where the watch post had been set up. It was broad daylight and he couldn’t shift into lion because one of the hands might see him, but he had a rifle cocked and ready in his hands.
“North quadrant,” he shouted to Ian and Abel, who had been leaning against Abel’s squad car, talking.
“Sierra, get back into the house!” Ian called, catching the shotgun Abel threw him. Abel already had his Glock drawn. “Make sure Annie stays in the kitchen and doesn’t walk out here.”
Sierra ran back inside and found Annie already on her way to the kitchen, which faced east and didn’t have a view of the north quadrant.
“None of my business,” she was muttering and Sierra wondered how much Annie really knew but was being careful to ignore.
“Abel’s here,” she said to reassure Annie with that official presence.
“Good,” said Annie over her shoulder as she disappeared into the kitchen. “For once a cop’s around when you need him.”
Sierra knew that all three Shifters would want her to stay in the house too, but there was no way she’d cower in here while whatever attack happened outside. She had her own Glock, even though it was a lighter caliber than Abel’s. She might be able to help.
The side door faced the north quadrant. She opened it but stayed inside where she had a clear view and an unobstructed line of fire yet still could slam and lock the door if necessary.
A man was stepping out of the trees, dressed in black leather pants and open vest, a gold chain around his neck and a gold stud in his ear. His hands were spread wide in front of him, palms out in the universal sign that he meant no harm. Sierra saw that he was young, only about seventeen or eighteen, his hair and lanky, adolescent body the tawny gold that told her he was a lion.
“Kihain,” said Ian in recognition.
“Do not use the distance weapons,” said Kihain, glancing nervously over his shoulder at Gregor, who had flashed behind him and was now blocking any movement he might make back into the shelter of the trees. “I wish only to speak to you.”
“Are you alone?” snapped Abel.
“Yes.”
“Gregor.”
Gregor slid silently off to make sure of that. For a moment, Kihain looked as if he felt like backing up now that an avenue of retreat was open. But he held his ground.
“Come away from the trees,” Abel ordered. “Out into the open.”
Kihain obeyed, stepping edgily forward, his gaze flicking back and forth between the gun muzzles still trained on him. Abel and Ian had him neatly bracketed.
“Okay, talk,” said Ian when the boy was out in the middle of the lawn, well clear of any shelter. “What does Arrhan want?”
“He did not send me. I came on my own.”
“Why?”
“I came to see him.” Kihain jerked his chin toward Abel. “That vehicle. The black-and-white one with the strange lights on top. It belongs to the authorities, does it not? I have seen so. Therefore, he is of the authorities. He is one of your Guardians.”
“Guardians?” Abel flicked a puzzled glance toward Ian who shrugged.
“Those who negotiate between packs and prides if there is a conflict. The ones who keep the peace.”
“Oh! Yeah, I’m a peace officer.”
“Peace officer,” said Kihain, turning over the words. “The designation is strange, but apt. I see the vehicle. I see you. You are peace officer, but you are a Shifter, not a human. You know what passes with Arrhan. So I come to you for protection.”
“From Arrhan?”
“Yes.”
“You went back to Arrhan,” said Ian. “Now you want protection from him?”
“I did not go back. I was taken back. If I had objected, I would have been killed too. So I waited and did what they asked of me. Then when they stopped watching, I ran away and came looking for the…peace officer.”
“Why?”
Kihain hunched his shoulders awkwardly. “The Lowe pride-lord was good to me. He and his people have cause to hate all of us who are with Arrhan, for the harm we have done their pride. But they did not. They were angry, but they did not take out their anger upon me when I was hurt and defenseless.”
“That is not our way,” said Ian dryly.
“So I have seen. I do not wish to go back to Arrhan. But I do not know this world. I do not know how to function in it. To flee is not enough. The others would hunt me down easily and bring me back, if not kill me at once for defying them. There is no place I can go to for shelter except to you. I went to the place of books in the human town and I tried to find a law among your statutes that meets my needs and that the authorities would recognize. But your laws are too complicated to understand and there are so many of them. But there was one word that came close. Sanctuary.”
Abel and Ian exchanged glances. In the shelter of the side door, Sierra quietly lowered her Glock.
“Is this word known to you?” Kihain asked anxiously. “Will you grant it?”
“We’ll consider it,” said Abel. “If you’re willing to answer a few questions.”
“I will answer.”
“Are there more in Arrhan’s band who wish to disassociate themselves from him?”
“Perhaps. One or two. I do not know for certain. You understand it is not spoken of and it is not wise to ask.”
“We’re lucky to get him,” Ian said to Abel. “I wouldn’t count on any more defectors.”
Gregor came back. “He’s alone. And there’s no scent trail leading here.”
“Then let’s get him inside,” said Ian. “If he’s telling the truth, we don’t want one of Arrhan’s people seeing him.”
He jerked a thumb toward the side door to show Kihain the way. Then he frowned when he saw Sierra standing just inside it.
“I told you to stay inside the house.”
“I am inside,” she retorted.
“Technically, she is,” said Abel, amused, and Ian scowled at him. “Had a bead on Kihain, did you, Sierra?”
“Yes.” Until she’d realized he wasn’t a danger.
“I hope you’ve been practicing.”
“I have. You don’t have to worry that I’ll wing you instead.”
“I like her style,” he said to Ian and motioned for Sierra to step well out of the way before he allowed Kihain into the house.
Kihain stared at her as he passed. “She is human.”
“Yes, but she knows about Shifters,” said Abel, pushing him toward Ian’s office. “No one else does, so stay in human form while you’re here.”
“I will do so.” Kihain was still staring at Sierra. “She is the human. The one who killed Eliara.”
Ian was suddenly in front of Sierra, his fangs out and his eyes gone leopard. “You got a problem with that?”
Kihain flung up his hands. “I do not! Arrhan does. Eliara was one of his bedmates. I was only surprised. These distance weapons of yours have much power if they enable so small a human to kill a Shifter.”
“It isn�
��t size that counts, but accuracy,” said Sierra smugly. “Ian, you’d better shift back to human. Annie might come out of the kitchen and see you.”
Ian looked surprised for a moment, then realized that he had partially shifted and shook it off with a grimace of exasperation at himself. Kihain retreated into the office and looked around warily.
“Sit down,” said Abel, pushing him toward a chair. Kihain obeyed, keeping a nervous eye on the other three Shifters. “Where’s Arrhan hiding out?”
“In the woods north of here. I can show you if you wish. But he will not be there. The moment he realizes I have gone, he will move at once. He is cautious. We change locations every couple of days.”
“Always in the woods?”
“Yes. Where we would be hidden—in valleys, gorges or defiles.” He gave them a rueful look. “If you are thinking I can lead you to him, you are mistaken. I do not know where he will go and there will be no trace of where he has been. The hunting is good everywhere in this country and we clean up any tracks and build no fires or shelters.”
“Why is there no scent trail?”
“That is Iseya’s work. She is our mage. It is an easy spell. It only has to be renewed once a moon.”
“And the invisibility spell?”
“That one is very difficult. It lasts only a few hours and takes much power. Iseya was exhausted after it. She will not use it often.”
Sierra let out a little breath of relief. She sensed an almost imperceptible slackening of tension in the room so guessed the others felt the same, even though their faces remained expressionless.
“She’s the one who opened the Gate for Arrhan, right?” said Abel. “She made it possible for all of you to come here.”
“Yes.”
“Why did he wish to come to this world?”
It was as they had surmised. Arrhan was building an army.
“First the Lowe pride,” said Kihain. “Then others until he has the numbers that he needs. He must have many warriors pledged to him since it is not only one pride he wishes to seize back in our world. Things have changed there. The prides and packs are no longer concerned solely with their own small territories. They have formed great associations, some of which span the continent and are very powerful. The wolves, hyenas, bears and, of course, the lions.”
“Of course, the lions,” muttered Ian, “since most of the other cat species don’t tend to form groups.”
“Arrhan is the son of the present leader of that association. He expected to inherit the lordship. But many found him arrogant and disliked his methods of operation, so he was cast out.”
“Judging by the methods he’s been using here, I can understand the dislike,” Abel said dryly. “So he wants to become leader by force.”
“Yes. He sought out all the nomads, the ones who do not belong to a pride. He said they could become part of the great pride that he was forming. Most of the nomads still follow the Way and have hopes of either seizing a pride of their own or being accepted into one, so they would not join him. But others agreed.”
“The outcasts.”
Kihain flushed. “Yes. They…we chose to follow him. But we were not as many as were needed to succeed, therefore he said he would come and gather an army in this world to go with him and take back all that had been denied him. Then he would rule. And we would have our revenge on those who cast us out.”
So the driving forces of Arrhan and his troops were ambition and hatred, a dangerous and potent combination. Neither he nor his followers would give up easily.
“All he really needs to become King Shit,” said Gregor harshly from where he was leaning a shoulder against the den’s closed door to make sure that no one came in and Kihain did not get out, “is to take a lot of our rifles, shotguns and explosives back with him. Distance weapons are forbidden by Shifter law, but he’s already breaking all the rules, so why should he care?”
“He tried,” said Kihain in a small voice. “Iseya opened a Gate somewhere and he sent four of his men through. They killed the owner of a weapons shop and seized a variety of this world’s weapons.”
Abel grunted. “In Fort Collins. Got the report. It’s a weight off my mind there isn’t some human nutcase running around out there loaded for bear, but the Fort Collins PD will never be able to close that file. Why is Arrhan here, then? He should have enough firepower to cut a hell of a swathe through your world.”
“The weapons do not function in our world. They do not…fire, is that the word? We do not know if it is the passage through the Gate that renders them useless or something about our world. But they are inert, nothing but dead lumps of metal.”
“Well, how about that?” said Gregor in amazement. “Gunpowder doesn’t work there. Who knew?”
“Iseya says that each world is different. Her power is severely limited here in yours.”
“She’s doing pretty good so far,” muttered Ian. “God knows what she would be capable of at full strength. That explains why no mages ever came here throughout the centuries. They would lose most of their powers.”
“None would willingly do so,” agreed Kihain. “And a mage would not be cast through. Mages have their own association and join against those who do harm. If a mage transgresses, his power is stripped from him by the others. There would be no need for banishment.”
Abel frowned. “If mages police each other, how did this Iseya get past the net?”
“She has done no harm in our world.”
“Yet,” said Gregor.
Kihain looked away. “Yet.”
“So why the change of heart?” Abel asked abruptly. “Why are you running from Arrhan?”
“It was the distance weapons,” muttered Kihain, nervously fingering the pendant that hung upon the thin gold chain around his neck. “It is not honorable to use artificial aids against unsuspecting opponents. It is not the Way. We did not think Arrhan would go so far. Some protested. This was before we came through the Gate. They said they would not continue, that they did not wish to follow Arrhan any longer.”
“They, not you?”
Kihain flushed miserably. “I did not have the courage to speak. If I had, I would be dead now, as they are. He could not allow them to leave and tell others of his intentions. They were cut down where they stood. I am alive because I was silent and obeyed. But now there is a way out. Your customs are strange, but they are honorable. Your Way is different, but it is still the Way. I could…I could make a life here. If none of your prides are willing to accept me, I could still survive alone. That is, if you grant me the time to learn what I must about this world.”
Ian and Abel’s glances met over his head. Sierra watched them reach a silent agreement. Then they looked at Gregor.
Gregor scowled, then shrugged. “It’s not up to me. Kurt’s pride-lord. It’s your call unless he says different.”
“I think he’ll go along with this,” said Abel and looked without much enthusiasm at Kihain. “Okay, we’ll take a chance on you. Gregor will take you over to Kurt’s and—”
“No!” Kihain flung out a hand in protest. “They know that is where I was held before! They will find me there!”
“He’s got a point,” said Ian. “That’s probably the first place they’ll look.”
“You are the Guardian,” Kihain said to Abel. “May I not stay with you? I will make no trouble. I will fight beside you against Arrhan. I must, if only to keep them from killing me for having come to you.”
Abel sighed and rubbed a hand irritably over the top of his head. “I’m staying over at Nick’s place for the duration so that we can watch each other’s backs. It’s sure big enough to take you in as well, but it’s got no defenses and someone’s bound to notice a third person moving around there. You’d be spotted in no time.”
“Lock him up in Nick’s basement,” growled Gregor. “That will keep him out of everyone’s hair.”
Kihain flinched. “No!”
“No,” agreed Abel. “He’d go batshit c
razy and start screaming his head off. You know that, Gregor. Any Shifter would, being caged.”
Gregor glowered at Kihain. “Who cares?”
“I do. Someone might hear and we don’t need the kind of attention that would bring.”
“Leave him here,” said Ian. “If he keeps his head down and stays out of sight, no one will notice an extra hand in the middle of all the others. We can say he’s here to keep an eye on the security system. The watch post in the barn already has a cot set up there, so he doesn’t have to sleep in the bunkhouse. We don’t dare risk him getting too friendly with the hands. Gregor knows how to duck awkward questions, but this one won’t have a clue.”
Abel considered that. “You’re gonna pass him off as another Lowe that Kurt’s sent over to help?”
“He looks the part.”
“Okay, we’ll try it for a while.” Abel gave Kihain a hard stare. “Just remember we don’t need you, boy. All you are is another damn burden we’d be happy to get rid of. Cause us any hassle and we won’t hesitate to toss you back at Arrhan.”
“Yes, Guardian,” said Kihain in muted tones.
“Sir! You call me, Ian and Gregor here ‘sir’. You call anyone else by the names they give you. I don’t want to hear the word ‘Guardian’ again. We’ll be telling people that you’re from Gregor’s pride. But you don’t know shit about Gregor’s pride or this world and you’ll probably give the whole show away the minute you open your mouth. So you don’t open your mouth. You keep your head down, you don’t talk, you don’t shift, not ever, and you stick close to Gregor so he can cover for you. Just stay out of the way and do what you’re told. You got that?”
“Yes, G…sir.”
“Get him set up in the barn, Gregor,” said Ian, “and fill him in on anything you think he might need to know. He can eat in the barn tonight, but he’ll have to be ready to mingle at breakfast tomorrow morning.”
