“You would say that. It sounds like it’s in the Fallen’s best interest to keep us apart.”
“It has nothing to do with politics, Claire.” He took a step towards her, looking her in her eyes. For a moment it seemed like he might say something else. “Just stay safe. That’s all I ask. Explain to Leukos what happened here today, and he will make it happen. That much I know.”
“Did you ever ask Leukos why he did what he did?” she blurted.
“There was nothing to ask.” Magnar’s voice had a growl to it she hadn’t heard before. “What Leukos did was unforgivable. I don’t care what the reasons were.”
“Maybe he had a good reason. All I can say is that Ekon isn’t…” She shrugged, trying to come up with the right term. “There is something wrong with him. The way he talks. His eyes are…they’re cold.”
“Ekon can be ruthless. It is a perfectly normal Feral trait. I do believe he has taken this whole thing too far, however.”
Claire nodded. “I’m glad you see it that way.” She laughed regardless of the severity of the situation. “I guess I can count myself lucky on that note. At least I have one person in my corner.”
Magnar smiled. “That means I have to take you back to Leukos.” Despite the smile, he didn’t look happy about it.
She folded her arms. “What will Ekon do when he finds out?”
“I might just be put to death instead of you.” Although Magnar was still smiling, his eyes had darkened.
She gasped. “Are you serious?”
Magnar seemed to think about it for a beat or two. “I hope not!”
“You can’t take me back then. I won’t forgive myself if—”
“You care about me, sweets?” Magnar chuckled.
“Don’t let your oversized head get any bigger than it already is, asshole.”
Magnar cocked an eyebrow, not letting her off the hook.
“I would have to live with the guilt. It’s got more to do with that. Maybe there is another plan to be made. I don’t want you getting into trouble.” Then she snorted. “Actually, I think you deserve to get into trouble for your part in this whole thing…but death?” She shook her head. “We have to come up with another plan.”
“There is no other way. I have to take you to Leukos. I must. We don’t have a choice here. If there was another way, I would take it…believe you me.”
She touched the side of his arm. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I’ll be okay.” He looked around them. “As much as I like you naked, I think we should dress you this time.”
“Please.” Her sarcasm was thinly veiled.
Magnar’s mouth twitched. “Something warm…something more substantial than that dress.” His eyes moved down her body as he took her in. Looking a little too long. A little too closely.
Claire felt her cheeks heat as she thought about what Ekon had said earlier. Magnar found her attractive. Sexy was the word he had used.
“What do you suggest?” she asked. “You don’t happen to have any woman’s clothing stashed away in here?”
“Nope. Only my clothing. I have a sweater and some pants. You would need to roll them to make them fit. It won’t be much of a fashion statement but at least you’ll be warm and covered.”
She nodded. “That sounds good.”
“Then we should probably take some food and water.” He grinned. “At least I’m not injured this time, so it won’t take more than a few hours to get there, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“When are we leaving?”
“The sooner the better.” Magnar was frowning now. “If we leave now, I’ll be able to get you there before sun-up. I don’t want to be caught. Dealing with Ekon will be child’s play as opposed to what Leukos will do to me.”
She tried to say something.
“No arguments, we need to get you to safety. They won’t be expecting it. Ekon trusts me with his life.” He swallowed hard, his eyes turning hazy. Magnar looked upset.
“I’m sorry you have to betray your friend for me.”
“I got you into this. You have nothing to apologize for.”
She nodded once.
“Let’s do this thing.” Magnar turned and headed to the kitchen. Still nude. Claire shouldn’t notice such a thing, but she couldn’t help it. His shoulders were broad. His back…muscular. His hips narrow in comparison. His ass muscles tightened with each step he took. It was—
Magnar turned. “Do you…?” He stopped talking, clearly noticing her noticing him. His eyes dipped to her chest and then quickly flashed back to her eyes. He cleared his throat. “I’ll take water as well.”
“Good idea.” He’d already said that. Why was he saying it again? What was happening here?
Nothing good!
She turned. “Let me find something to wear. Do you mind if I go through your closet…again?” She’d found a couple of things in there before he’d brought her this ridiculous dress.
“Help yourself,” he mumbled from somewhere on the other side of the room.
Claire opened the cupboard and took out a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. She also found socks. His shoes were all far too big, so no point trying them. “I’ll dress in the bathroom.” She kept her eyes averted.
He gave an indistinct response. She could hear that he was busy in the cupboards.
How did she feel about Leukos now that she knew what he had done? In truth, Claire wasn’t sure. She needed to see him and talk things through. There must be a reasonable explanation. There had to be. Claire could not believe that the man she had slept with was that cold and calculating. She just couldn’t. It wouldn’t be long and she’d have her answers.
Chapter 22
What the fuck was he doing?
Was he really going to go through with this?
Magnar was about to betray his best friend. His king. The trust they shared would be irrevocably broken. Their friendship ruined…and all over a female. And yet, he couldn’t stand the idea of anything happening to Claire. Ekon, in his current state, could not be trusted with Claire’s life, that much was clear.
Also, if he was really honest with himself, Ekon had been making questionable decisions lately. He’d always been radical in his thinking, lately more so than ever before. Maybe too radical? Magnar had no other choice here. He was doing the right thing. His hands were tied. This was on Ekon. Not on him.
It didn’t make him feel any better. He exhaled raggedly as he zipped the pack closed. Maybe there would be time to stop for a rest on the way. He didn’t think they would run into trouble but rather safe than sorry. It was clear from before that the human couldn’t survive long without the basic necessities. It was a long flight. Plenty could go wrong. Claire was fragile. He found himself smiling. Not nearly as fragile as plenty of other humans out there. He admired her tenacity.
“I look like a clown but at least I’m warm,” she said as she walked out of the bathroom.
He turned in her direction, almost doing a double-take. She wore one of his favorite shirts. It was black and white with long sleeves. The thing had probably been on the top of the pile. It said ‘Badass’ on the front. It looked damn good on her. Too big for sure, but good. “I had to put one of your belts on and fold the pants over it to keep them up. She lifted the shirt a little, flashing a tiny strip of her stomach.
“That’s fine,” he pushed out. “Are you warm enough?”
“I should be.” She shrugged. “Maybe you can put a sweatshirt in the bag for me.” She looked down at the pack in his hands.
“There’s space.” He nodded.
She turned and grabbed a zip-front jacket from his closet and they finished packing.
“Maybe we should wait.” She looked nervous. “Not go just yet.”
“It’s already almost too late, or early, depending on how you look at it.” He glanced at the clock.” It was 2:30 in the morning. “Only a couple of hours until sun-up,” Magnar went on. “We need to go now.
We might not make it otherwise. I can’t risk getting caught. Leukos will skin me alive. Then again, Ekon might just skin me alive as well. I’m going to have to figure out how to sneak you back onto Feral territory as it is.”
“Neither side will be expecting it.”
“That’s true.” He nodded. “I would hate to try unless under the cover of darkness.”
“Well, let’s get going then. If we need to hole up for the day tomorrow, then that’s what we will have to do.”
He held up the bag. “I have enough supplies, just in case.”
“Okay, then.”
“If I’m captured when we get to the other side, you need to stay out of the way. Don’t try to protect me in any way.”
She frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
“We are enemies. I may be dealt with swiftly with little to no remorse shown.” He needed to be straight with her. It had been risky taking Claire from Leukos, it was going to be twice as bad returning her. The male was out for blood.
“They’ll kill you?” She didn’t look like she liked the idea much.
“It depends on Leukos’ orders and I’m afraid it’s highly likely.” Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything.
Claire sat down hard on a nearby chair, looking despondent. “This is all too much. I don’t want anyone getting hurt. Not even an abducting asshole like you.” She attempted a smile but mostly looked sad. Her shoulders were slumped and her eyes misty.
“Hey…” he sat down next to her, “they’d have to catch me first. I’m giving you the worst-case scenario. Chances are good Leukos wouldn’t do that to me.” He didn’t like seeing her so unhappy. “I am the one with a beef with him, not as much the other way around. You just need to stay well away if anything goes down.” He was sure to look her in the eyes. They clouded with fear…for him. She was so damned sweet. “I don’t want you getting hurt, that’s all.”
“If they hurt you, I’m not going to be able to keep quiet about it. You might deserve a beating,” she narrowed her eyes, pretending to give him a dirty look, “but I ultimately believe you were trying to help your best friend by bringing me here. You might be seriously arrogant but you’re not a bad person. You don’t deserve to be dealt with, as you put it. Not with as harsh a penalty as death and I would intervene. I’m sorry but I would.”
He shrugged. “You’re right, I would deserve a good beating at best. Good thing I don’t plan on getting caught.” He winked at her. “Don’t get yourself in the middle. If you are hurt, it would be worse for me.”
She nodded once. “That makes sense.”
“Let’s go. Keep as quiet as you can. I don’t want to alert anyone to our departure. If all goes well, we should have until sun-up before Ekon discovers that we’re gone.”
She nodded once. “I’m ready.” They stood and walked back to the counter that separated the kitchen from the lounge. Magnar helped put the backpack on her shoulders. Then he shifted into his animal form and they headed to the ledge. He picked her up and took off, concentrating on being silent as possible.
A loud crack filled the air. Then another. Claire screamed. Magnar panicked, unable to place the noise he was hearing but instinctively knowing it was bad.
Danger!
They were in grave danger. The human could be hurt…killed. He flapped harder as the third shot rang out. Pain exploded on his left side. Magnar redoubled his efforts. Claire screamed louder, gripping his talons. More shots sounded to their left and then to their right. Another to the right again, this one way off target as they flew out of range. Someone was shooting at them. By the pain he felt in his side, they were using silver bullets. Guns? They were a human weapon. What the fuck? What the hell had just happened? He felt the wound burning. More than likely just a flesh wound but still… Magnar flew like the devil was after him, praying to the gods that Claire was alright. He could feel her still clasping onto him. She had to be okay. If he stopped now, they were both dead. That much was a given. He needed to get them to safety before he could check.
* * *
Three and a half hours later…
Magnar felt dizzy and fatigued. It was from the silver and the blood loss. It was a clean wound. Nothing major. Unfortunately, it happened so soon after the last one. Magnar was still weak after taking the spear to the shoulder. Two silver injuries in such a short space of time were taking their toll on him.
He couldn’t fly as fast as he had been. They would be sitting ducks if either side spotted them right then. There would be no outrunning anybody. The sky was already turning grey as the sun readied itself to rise.
Fuck!
He’d hoped to have Claire safe by now. That wouldn’t happen until she was with Leukos. They’d have to hunker down for the day. They were, thankfully, right on the border of Leukos’ territory. The nest village wasn’t far from there. It might be close enough to deter the males who would have been sent to hunt them.
Magnar touched down in a small clearing amidst a thick forest of trees. The forest would offer sufficient cover for the day. Once he was sure that Claire was standing okay on her own, he shifted into human form, biting back a screech as his knitting flesh pulled tight, fresh blood leaked from the wound as he changed. Damned silver. He groaned, clutching his ribs.
“Are you okay?” Claire sounded frantic. “They shot at us. I can’t believe it. You got hit.”
Then she was touching him. “You should sit. Let me take a look.” Her brow was furrowed, her eyes fixed on his side.
“We need to move under the thicker trees,” he pushed out. “I’m okay…I swear. Let me carry the bag.”
She shook her head. “Forget it. You’re in no shape to carry anything. Why didn’t you stop sooner?” Her face morphed from concern to understanding. “We were being chased.”
He nodded. “Yep, I had to take a longer route. I didn’t want them to think we were headed to Leukos, although I’m sure Ekon will put two and two together.”
“Do you need help walking?”
“That’s sweet but there’s no way a tiny thing like you will support my weight. I will manage. I’m still not completely healed from the spear attack. The bullet only grazed my side, but it was silver.” He winced as they began walking towards the shelter of the trees.
“Did Ekon have someone watching your place?” Claire was still frowning. “I’m going to assume you didn’t know he was doing that.”
Magnar let out a heavy breath. “He must have had eyes on me. I don’t know why. I’ve never given him a reason not to trust me. Here I was feeling guilty about rescuing you and he tried to have me killed…us killed.” Anger boiled in him. “Thankfully, whoever it was can’t shoot for shit.”
“They were shooting to kill. Your best friend had someone watching you with the intention of shooting to kill.”
Magnar nodded, feeling a lump form in his throat. “I know and I’m pissed. I didn’t even know we had human weapons on our soil. Since when? Guns loaded with silver bullets. What else don’t I know about, and what the hell is Ekon doing?”
“He clearly doesn’t trust you. He’s been keeping things from you.”
“I’ve done nothing – until now – to give him reason not to. I don’t understand it.” He grunted as he stepped over a tree root.
“Let’s sit here.” She gestured to a spot that looked soft with freshly fallen pine needles. Magnar groaned as he lowered himself, leaning against a huge tree trunk. The wound pulled as he moved. If it hadn’t been for the contact with silver, his flesh would have healed by now.
He felt fresh blood trickled, warm down his side.
“Let me see.” Claire put the bag down next to them and kneeled on his bad side.
“Leave it, I’ll be okay.”
“Let me take a look already,” she insisted, then gasped as he lifted his arm. “That’s not nothing!” Her eyes were wide. She unzipped the pack, taking out a bottle of water, which she opened and handed to him. “You need to drink that…slowly.”
<
br /> He nodded, taking a sip. She took out another bottle which she also opened. Instead of drinking it, she reached forward to pour it over the wound.
“Stop. You need to drink that. I didn’t pack very much water. You’ll waste it if you do that.”
“I need to clean the wound,” she insisted.
“It might be bloody but it’s clean. The bullet grazed me.”
“Grazed?” She raised her brows in disbelief. “That’s more than just a graze.” Her voice had a panicked edge.
“It’s a flesh wound and it’s clean. The bullet went right through. Save the water. I’m a shifter with supernatural healing power. Water won’t do anything for me.”
“Okay.” She recapped the bottle. Her eyes remained on the wound. She didn’t look happy. “It’s still bleeding.”
She rummaged through her pack, pulling out the sweatshirt. “I’ll use this to apply pressure.”
“No, you won’t.” He pushed her hands away. “Now that I’ve stopped flying and shifting, the bleeding will stop on its own.”
“I’m trying to help you.”
“Your concern is endearing but it’s misplaced. I’ll be okay by the time night falls. We just need to stay out of sight. That’s all.”
“I still think I should use this to—”
“No, you might need that to stay warm and then what?” He pushed on her hand again. “It’s cold. The ground is freezing. My ass is freezing off as we speak,” he teased.
“Oh shit!” She looked at the ground. “You’re right. Do you want to sit on the sweatshirt?”
Hate Awakened: Book 3: The Feral Page 17
