by Amelia Jade
Andrew turned to leave, his teeth grinding against one another. “I have a few ideas,” he muttered.
Seconds later he leapt into the air once more, streaking low over the city in a straight-line course to her house. There was no more time. If Al was going to strike, this was it. Andrew had to make sure he got there in time. Below he could see pedestrians crane their necks, heads looking upward as he soared overhead, wings beating frantically, trying to coax every last bit of speed that he could.
Approaching her house, he dove down and shifted in mid-air. His feet slammed into the pavement, crunching it beneath him and indenting her front walkway a good six inches where he landed, dropping to one knee to absorb the force of his landing before leaping up and to her front door.
“No…” he breathed in dismay.
The front door was ajar, ripped free from one of its hinges and now hanging askew.
He was too late.
Chapter Twenty-One
Karri
She sat curled up on her sectional, a box of tissues next to her, half its contents in crumpled-up piles on the floor in front of her. Karri didn’t care about the mess. That was something she could clean easily enough, unlike the mess that was currently her life. She couldn’t just pick that up and dispose of the garbage as easily as if it were tissues. Though that would be just lovely if she could!
How much easier would life be if I could just toss my ancient bigoted father in the trash and assume the reins?
If she did that today, then she could do it all. Save the company, its people, and her dream, all while pursuing whatever the hell it was that she felt for Andrew. She’d been giving that some thinking. Despite all of her best efforts to distance herself from him, she’d still automatically run off with him when her father started shooting. Instead of trying to fight with her father to get him to stop, she’d instinctively gone with Andrew. It made no sense. None at all. That was the stupidest thing she could have done.
All of which angered her even more that she couldn’t figure out why, other than that she apparently had some feelings for him. But logic should have dictated that she try to stop her father. Andrew could have escaped far easier without her to weigh him down. He probably wouldn’t have had his foot half blown off either. She knew it would grow back, but the pain had to be immeasurable. Pain she’d put him through!
So why hadn’t she just gone to her father and gotten him to stop? Something inside of her had told her that being with Andrew was more important. Was that a message she was missing? Was she supposed to give up on her hopes and dreams to pursue whatever it was he would turn out to be? Angry at her confusion, she punched the pillow. Why did he even have to come into her life in the first place?
Because he saved your life, you spoiled snot. Then he stopped you from being harassed by someone else. Though he did almost take you out when he flung that shifter in your path.
For an instant she wondered if that had been planned, but immediately dismissed that idea. Andrew had been far too shocked at the sight of her to have done it on purpose. Again, anger flashed through her as she realized that although he’d started their contact those ways, it had been she who’d allowed him to come jog with her that day, and then invited him to come do it again. So she couldn’t blame him for the closeness that had resulted. Karri was just as equally at fault.
“Why does life have to be so damn complicated?” she complained to no one in particular. “I just want a good job, a good man, and a good life. Is that seriously so much to ask for?” she raged at the ceiling, shaking her fist as another round of tears came forth.
She wished Andrew was there to console her. With her father kicking her out of his life and the company, having him in her life would at least be a small consolation. It was what had fucked it all up in the first place, but now it seemed like she wouldn’t even get that! Andrew had disappeared, and nobody at the embassy had seemed inclined to help her. Why had everything suddenly turned on her? What had she done to deserve it all?
I’m not going to pretend I’m a perfect angel; nobody is. But have I really done something to deserve losing everything I’ve ever wanted in my life?
She sat back. The answers to why she’d lost some of the things were clear. Her father hated her as a successor to him because she was a woman, and then he’d used her dalliance with a shifter to be rid of her. That was straightforward and simple. But what had she done to lose Andrew? Closing her eyes, she thought back to their harrowing escape the night before, to being shot at by her father. Her body began to tremble at how close she’d come to being killed. Andrew had been shot twice as he carried her away, once in the back, once in the foot. A few inches more in one direction or the other and it could as easily have hit her, not him.
They’d flown through the night sky, a wonderful experience that had done much to help calm her. Karri had looked forward to experiencing the sensation again, but in the daylight when she could see the world below her, experience what it was like to be a flighted animal. At some point after they landed at the embassy however, something had happened to drive a wedge between her, Andrew, and his friends. She replayed their conversation as best she could, line by line until—
Oh. Oh no. Her brain played back some of the last words she’d spoken before he’d disappeared.
“Here for me?” she’d said as anger erupted inside of her, a fury so intense it overwhelmed all sense of caution and reason. “Look where your help has gotten me so far! It’s all your fault.”
“You idiot,” she whispered aloud now.
It’s all your fault.
The line kept echoing inside of her, over and over and over. Beating her down as she realized she’d blamed all of her problems on him.
“I’m so sorry, Andrew.” Please forgive me. I can’t believe I said that.
Grabbing a tissue, she wiped at her eyes again as they filled with liquid. She wanted to cry and she wanted to yell and scream and break things, all at the same time. Anger and sadness welled up like two strands spiraling around each other, each vying for supremacy within her brain and neither managing to eke out a victory. All it did was leave her broken and listless on the couch.
“I am such a fuckup.”
Not for the first time the famous Kirttle temper had gotten her in trouble, ruined something she truly enjoyed. Like that time in sixth grade, where she’d finally been invited to play soccer with the other girls at recess. Then one of them had tripped her while going for the ball. Karri knew now that it had just been an innocent act, but at the time she’d gone ballistic, and ended up being suspended for several days. They’d never invited her to play soccer again.
Or her first boyfriend, a good enough guy who had treated her well in high school. They’d been at a party, drinking, and she’d entered a room to see him kissing another girl. She’d lost her cool, called him all sorts of names, and blasted him in front of everyone. As she was storming out, one of her friends had caught up with her and explained that he hadn’t kissed her, this girl had literally walked up to her boyfriend, spun him around, and forced his drunken self to kiss her. She’d just happened to walk in at the exact moment, before her boyfriend could respond, to make it seem like he’d been cheating on her.
Something else ruined because she hadn’t been able to ask questions first, or accept that perhaps there was another reason behind it. She didn’t hold the last one against herself all that much, but it was an example she often reminded herself of, to ensure she took a deep breath and thought about something before just screaming out an emotional response.
Which she clearly hadn’t done at all in Andrew’s case. If her first boyfriend hadn’t been deserving of the tongue-lashing she’d given him, Andrew had been even less deserving. All he had been was proper and respectful, bordering on ridiculously so, like he’d been yanked from an idyllic medieval-era chivalry textbook or something. Despite everything he’d done for her, she’d just gone and told him everything in her life was his fault, blaming him for
all her problems like a petulant child.
How could she truly blame him for wanting to behave like a good person and meet her father? Yes, she’d warned him her father hated shifters, but there was no reason to assume her father knew who Andrew was. He’d simply been trying to do the right thing, and it had exploded in his face. Then she’d gone and added on to the guilt he likely already felt by blaming him for it.
If there was one thing clear about the mess that was her life, it was that she owed him an apology like no other. The only question that remained was whether he was going to give her the time of day to be able to offer it. At some point he would have to return to the embassy, but she wasn’t sure if Gray or the other guards would allow her inside to see him. From the reception she’d gotten that morning, Karri was willing to bet the answer was a swift and firm no.
Still, she would have to try. Whether he had any interest in pursuing what may or may not still exist between them was another story. Karri wouldn’t be able to blame him if he wanted nothing to do with her flawed character anymore, but regardless of that, she had to apologize, to let him know that she knew she was in the wrong, and that he deserved better than she would likely ever be able to give him.
There was a knock on the door, the booming sound interrupting the silence that had reigned supreme in her house all morning and afternoon since she’d gotten back. It was so sudden that she jumped, spilling used tissues to the floor.
It was Andrew! It had to be. She threw herself up and across the floor, heading toward the door at breakneck speed until her brain interfered and she came to a skidding, sliding halt, her socks taking a moment to find friction on the hardwood.
Gotta clean.
Scrambling back to her massive custom sectional, she began snatching up all the crumpled tissues, wadding them into a nasty ball in her hand that she carried toward the nearest wastebasket and dumped them in. Then she quickly rinsed her hands in the sink in the main floor washroom and dashed to the front door as it thumped again.
“Coming!” she shouted, trying to contain her excitement.
Andrew had come to find her, and she was going to get a chance to apologize. Perhaps this meant that he wasn’t going to end things between them after all! Maybe he knew that she had just been an idiot the night before, having said what she did while still distraught with the knowledge of how her life had exploded in her face.
“Listen, I’m so sorry—” she began, swinging the door open, trying to keep the smile of happiness off her face. “You’re not Andrew,” she said bluntly, her emotions returning first to a neutral position, then deepening in suspicion as the nasty smile on his face registered.
“No. No I’m not,” the tall lithe man said, standing upright from the leaning position he’d adopted on her doorframe. His movements were silky smooth and reeked of an arrogance that was likely partially deserved. The man stepped forward, even as Karri swung the heavy wooden door closed, trying to shut him out.
A fist caught the door, stopping it in its tracks so abruptly it didn’t even shiver. It simply went from moving to completely still with an abruptness that sent her stumbling back.
“Who are you?” she asked as the man stepped inside, forcing her to back away.
He grinned and flung the door open. A loud cracking noise preceded the sudden unbalancing of the door, his actions having ripped one of the hinges free. Karri knew then that he was a shifter without a doubt. The door was simply too heavy and strong for a human to have done that.
There was something familiar about the way he moved as he entered her house, walking slowly inside, craning his head around as he took in the huge vaulted ceilings and magnificent chandelier that was the centerpiece of the entryway to her home.
“Nice place you’ve got here,” he observed. “I like your taste in décor selection.”
“I’m flattered,” she said flatly, uncaring whether he loved or hated how her house was decorated.
“You should be,” he said, his voice so calm it scared her.
Karri would have felt much more comfortable with anger or sneering disgust or distaste. Anything of the like. But this man was so calm and collected. He had absolutely no worry at all that he was going to succeed in what he had been sent to do, and that scared Karri far more than she would have expected.
“What do you want?” she asked, angry at the waver that entered her voice.
“I have orders to bring you back with me. So, I guess the answer to your question is, I want you. Though rest assured, I don’t mean it in a sexual way,” he said so honestly that she actually believed him. “Besides, even if I didn’t have to bring you back unharmed, you’re lacking a few of the amenities that I prefer,” he said with a chuckle, waving at her chest and then rear.
For the first time in her life Karri found herself thankful that she wasn’t a thick, buxom woman. For so long she’d always idealized the women with breasts or thick round behinds, always feeling uncomfortable disrobing in front of men. Until Andrew at least. He had made her feel comfortable, making it clear that he saw her as just as attractive as anyone else out there.
Now once more she was glad that shifters didn’t find themselves attracted to her in general. Still, if they intended to kill her, it wouldn’t really matter in the long run, now would it.
Her back hit the curved stairway behind her, and she inched along the base of it, heading back deeper into the house, toward the kitchen. Maybe if she could get a knife, she could cut him or something.
“I can see you contemplating escape, or perhaps harm to me,” the intruder said. “It won’t work.”
Karri bumped into the table behind her, hearing the vase on it rattle. An idea came to her and she reached behind her, settling the vase down. Before she could stop to contemplate it her fingers gripped tight on the vase and she whipped it around sidearm, hurling it straight at the shifter.
She expected him to dodge at worst, leaving it to shatter on the door or the front step. If she was somehow incredibly lucky it would hit him and shatter all over his face. Neither of those two scenarios were remotely close to what played out, however, much to her dismay. The shifter didn’t seem to even move. But one moment the vase was flying through the air, the next he simply caught it with an outstretched hand, spun, and sent it flying past her head. It missed her by inches until it exploded on the wall behind her, the remaining bits of water mixing with the glass as they peppered her back. Karri screamed and ran deeper into the house.
“I was going to go easy on you,” came the voice, floating through the house. “But that wasn’t very nice.”
“What the hell did you expect?” she snapped back. “Me to just go along like a meek little kitten? Come on, you aren’t stupid.”
Her temper was giving her strength and courage as she reached the kitchen, cursing the overly large size of her house for the first time in memory. She went to the knife block, took the biggest knife out and laid it on the counter, then loaded up with the serrated steak knives.
A flash of motion from the hallway and she sent the first knife at it. There was a hiss of surprise.
“That is not going to go well for you,” he said, his voice sounding from farther back down the hall.
“Well, it’s certainly not going to get any better,” she replied dryly. There was no way out of this; she couldn’t run, that was for sure. She’d seen how fast shifters could move. Her only chance was to get lucky and score a blow that would delay him long enough for her to get to her car. Then, and only then, she might have a chance.
There was more movement from the hallway and she flung blade after blade down it. But they just either sunk into or bounced off the front hall table as the shifter used it as a shield, holding it easily aloft with one hand. He walked calmly across the kitchen, flinging the table to the side as she attempted to jump up and over the countertop to escape.
A hand caught her calf, bringing her to a halt so abruptly her hip screamed in protest. Angrily Karri reached back and swatted at
him with the knife. To her surprise she connected, feeling the blade part his skin.
“You bitch!” he roared, showing the first sign of emotion. His hand disappeared from her leg and she rolled over the counter and dashed toward the back door.
Something hard hit her square in the back, flinging her forward face first into the door. She fell to the ground woozily as the shifter came to stand over her, holding up some sort of wet cloth to her face. She struggled to get free but his superhuman strength held her still. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was the table leg he’d thrown at her.
Shame. I really liked that table…
Chapter Twenty-Two
Andrew
His senses on full alert, prepared for any sort of ambush, he entered the house. His nostrils constantly tested the air, telling him a grim tale. He could smell shifter. Not just any shifter either. Al had done away with sending wolves to do his bidding it would seem, and had jumped well up the power table. The scent in the air was immediately familiar to Andrew. He’d recognize a gryphon’s telltale aroma anywhere. He wasn’t positive, but he had a suspicion he even knew who it was, a blast from his past that he’d hoped never to see again.
The first thing that drew his attention inside was the shattered glass. Flowers and little crystal balls scattered nearby told him it was likely the remnants of a vase. There was no blood anywhere, which was good, but the fight hadn’t ended here. He could see a knife on the floor down the hallway straight ahead. Karri must have put up a fight. His face creased tightly as he felt momentarily proud of her, though that was immediately replaced by fear of what they might do to her if she managed to hurt her attacker.
“Hello?” he called, deciding to risk the slim chance that Karri had been able to win.
There was no response. Moving in to the kitchen his eyes widened as he took in the scene. The remnants of a wooden table were strewn around the large U-shaped kitchen prep area that was on his right. Beyond it was an eating area. Knives were everywhere, and a check of the table showed two of them embedded within it. Karri hadn’t gone down easily, that was for sure.
