Link (Keepers Of The Lake Book 5)

by Emilia Hartley

  Any moment now, it would rip free of her. She couldn’t lose control in front of this clan. She refused to show such base weakness. They already knew how weak she was. Charlie had, no doubt, told them everything. Every way Kiera had been abused and used.

  A panicked scream tried to rip its way up her throat. Kiera lurched away at the last second, ducking away from Charlie, who tried to call out to her. Kiera didn’t stop to listen. She threaded her fingers through her short hair and tugged to remind herself that she was still in her human skin.

  Link stood alone on the top of the falls. Humans walked the trail down below. Unwilling to go back to mingling with them, he pushed into the woods. His beast made his skin feel too tight. It was trying to break out. If he let it go, trees would snap. He would be seen by humans. It was too much of a risk where he was.

  He crashed through the trees, stomped through brush, and found himself by the lake in no time. For a moment, his breath suspended, he searched for the monster. No sign of it appeared. Link wondered if he’d imagined the whole thing in a stress-fueled fever dream. Here, as he battled with the ghost of his father’s past and the possibility of a future, Link couldn’t help but see danger everywhere.

  Coming to Michigan should have helped him find a family. He longed for others who could understand what he struggled with every day. He’d thought that his father’s old clan would have more compassion. A part of Link knew that his father wouldn’t be here. The moment the old man stopped visiting him, Link knew.

  He only had pieces of the story. His father turned on the clan. A woman died. A shifter nearly died. There had been a witch and even more betrayal. This clan seemed alright. Whatever scars his father left behind were healing but Link suspected that he’d interrupted that healing process. Old wounds were ripped open at the sight of him. No amount of screaming that he was his own person would relieve him of his father’s legacy.

  He had to bear it, the sins of his sire. This man who spread his seed far and wide, perhaps in the search of the best heir. Which could have only been Link. Alistair must have seen himself in Link the way the others did. Maybe they had every right to fear him. Was it only a matter of time until Link became his father? Was there some sort of time-limit until he broke and was possessed by a curse that would make him turn on everyone?

  Leaving seemed like the obvious choice. He could move on and find a place for himself in another clan. There were families all over the country. He’d heard of gold dragons roosting in the Colorado mountains. Maybe if he asked Jude, she could introduce him. She seemed impartial enough.

  No. Link didn’t want to give up. His dragon dug in its heels. Claws sunk into the earth beneath his feet. While he had no right to a land already claimed by a gold dragon, Link wasn’t ready to give up. He was needed here. He could feel it. Fate didn’t drag him here to the place where his father failed just so Link could tuck tail and run.

  Here was a chance to be the man his father failed to be. Not a leader, but a friend. Because that was what Link needed, too. He understood the pain of being alone and struggling to know his place in the world. Just like Kiera.

  The sad, ghost of a woman who only seemed alive when she was alone with him. He caught the glint of fire in eyes that were otherwise dead in the company of others. She was the reason he had been brought here. She was the friend he needed.

  When she put herself between him and Cole to stop the impending fight, Link nearly panicked. His beast had lunged after Cole, but Link held onto it. He gripped the bloodthirsty creature tight and made sure it couldn’t ruin Link’s chances at whatever he was meant to find here.

  He knew it would come down to his beast. As long as Link could contain it, then maybe he could stay here and make this a home.

  His thoughts led him along, through the woods. At one point, Link thought he could hear the voices of the other dragons. He didn’t turn toward them but kept going. He tried to lose himself in the woods. A glance in the sky, tracking the sun, told him he was going west. The trees around him gave way and opened into a small grove crowded around a castle tower.

  Link paused, perplexed. Michigan was not the kind of place one expected to find castles or castle towers. In the small lawn was a white-haired dragon shifter and a short woman with chin-length black hair. The smell of fur and scales mingled in the air as they laughed, each moving in unison until they realized Link was there.

  Link fumbled back a step. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude.” He glanced back at the trees that dumped him here. “In all honesty, I was trying to get lost and I think the woods brought me here.”

  The woman watched him warily. Not like she was afraid of him, but like she wasn’t sure if he was being honest. The way she deferred to the white-haired shifter told Link enough. She had nothing to fear so long as her mate was around. Link had seen this man before. His face was found on sports bar televisions all across the country.

  “You’re Asher Knuden. The MMA fighter.” Link pointed until he remembered pointing was rude and forced his hand back down to his side.

  Link quickly realized that Asher had been teaching his mate some fighting techniques. Link’s presence was an interruption and shame curdled the coffee in his gut. He raised placating hands into the air and began backing up.

  “You don’t have to leave just yet,” Asher called out, gesturing for Link to come closer.

  It could have been a trap. Asher could try to jump him and finish him off for the clearly angry clan back at the cabin site. If that happened, Asher would find himself fighting someone much stronger than the assholes in the ring.

  Was that his father’s voice ringing through his head? Link swallowed the bile in the back of his throat. Thoughts like that would get him in trouble here. He wouldn’t be able to stay and get to know Kiera if he stirred up trouble.

  Because that was what he wanted the most now. A chance to get to know the girl trapped inside her. She seemed trapped inside herself, behind a set of rules that she forced herself to live by. He could only imagine the world she had to endure before now. This clan might hate him, but Link could see that they weren’t the cause of Kiera’s pain.

  No, their hate was reserved only for him.

  “You seem antsy as all hell, dude.” Asher stepped away from his mate and extended his hand.

  Link eyed it warily.

  Asher shrugged. “Yeah, every time I look at you, I get that gut-punch reaction, too. Its hard to look in the face of the man who killed your friends and made every day after that a living hell for everyone you love.”

  The words had Link pulling his lips back from his teeth.

  “But I get that you aren’t him. All of us here have probably done some horrible things in our lives. We don’t get to judge you for being born. I mean, Heath spent ten years avoiding all of our calls.”

  Asher’s mate cupped her hands around her mouth. “Just ask him to punch you already. You know you want it!”

  Link’s brows lifted in surprise. Asher backpedaled toward his mate and bent his head low to whisper in her ear. Link assumed he was reprimanding her for the ludicrous statement, but when Asher pulled away there was a sharp-toothed grin pasted on her face. She nodded and scurried toward the orange Jeep in the driveway.

  Asher gestured for Link to follow him. Curious and a bit lonely, Link traced Asher’s steps. The white-haired man opened a wood door in the base of the tower. A set of stairs led down into darkness. Had Link been human, he would have been afraid. He would have backpedaled and gotten out of there.

  This was the moment in all the horror movies that the too trusting guy was murdered. It always happened in the basement. Right? Or had Link watched too many movies? Either way, he wasn’t human. Link didn’t fear death the way that humans had to. He wasn’t frail. The beast inside him would endure, no matter what.

  Link played the part of the too-trusting man and followed Asher. The shifter ahead of him wasn’t tense. There was no anger rolling off him the way it consumed Cole. Link di
dn’t think he had anything to fear.

  There was a click click like a string being pulled and light swept over the room. Ahead of him was a fighting ring. All around were barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells. A cart of protective gear sat near the fighting ring. It was all too small for someone like Asher or Link. He assumed it was for Asher’s mate.

  Link recalled how she’d set out, like she had a mission before her. “Where did you send your mate?”

  “You don’t have to worry about that,” Asher replied. He jumped over the ropes around the ring and dropped into a crouch as he spun to face Link. An impish grin eclipsed Asher’s face. “You look like you’re the kind of guy who needs to smack someone around every so often. I know for a fact that you wanted to take off Cole’s face the first day you arrived.”

  Link opened his mouth, but smartly shut it again. Asher might be friendly, but he was still a member of this clan. A clan that hated everything about Link.

  “It just so happens that I’m the kind of guy that needs to be smacked around every so often. We could work well together.” Asher sprang up. His movements were light, like practiced dancing.

  Link wasn’t sure what to make of this clownish character. Asher continued to move, loosening up his arms and legs. There was a challenge in his eyes that gleamed with a frightening appeal. Link wanted to leap in there after him and throw the first punch. His muscles practically begged him. The beast in his chest slammed him forward with as much force as it could muster.

  The growl that slipped out of Link brought a smile to his lips. Asher hooted with delight and beckoned him forward.

  Link tore his shirt over his head and dropped it to the ground. Asher said something snarky about Link wanting to look sexy and sweaty, but Link could barely process it. He was already moving. Asher’s eyes widened at Link’s speed. Even though Asher was surprised, Link didn’t land that first blow.

  Then Asher punched Link two times. His ribs cracked and pain nearly cut him in half. It reminded Link that while he was strong, Asher was trained. This was going to be a good fight.

  7

  Kiera was relieved when Zara slipped up beside her and whispered in her ear. Kiera had been watching Charlie stomp back and forth in a frenzied rage for the past hour. It was tiring, but Kiera couldn’t find her voice to speak out on Link’s behalf either. What she’d said to Cole was about as much as she could muster for the day.

  So, Zara’s offer of dinner somewhere that wasn’t the tension-filled cabin site was more than agreeable. It was just the escape that Kiera needed. She was just a little disappointed with how easy it was to sneak away from Charlie again.

  She’d always thought of Charlie as her friend while they lived in Washington. The Charlie she found here in Michigan was different. She was distracted every moment of the day, and Kiera didn’t think that was just because of Link. Kiera had hoped there would be time to do typical girl things.

  There should have been copious amounts of ice-cream, blanket forts, and a binge marathon of their favorite television show. Instead, Kiera was trapped in the middle of a debate about a man no one actually knew.

  The inside of Zara’s Jeep smelled like pumpkin spice. There was a jack-o-lantern air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror and seat covers with little bats on them. There was so much personalization in the vehicle that Kiera felt like she’d stepped inside Zara’s mind.

  “I hope it doesn’t bother you that I don’t cook. Both Asher and I are pretty bad at it. We’re trying to learn, but my mom would kill me if I invited you over for dinner and subjected you to my cooking.”

  Kiera laughed. The tightness that had been gripping her loosened a bit. She could sense a familiarity in Zara. It was in the way they mirrored each other. Their body language was similar, often hunched and hiding. The realization saddened Kiera. Bad things happened everywhere, to so many people.

  Kiera wanted to share her condolences, but that felt wrong. Zara had the biggest grin on her face when she parked the Jeep in front of a castle tower. The happiness was real, excitement crackling in every little bit of her. Zara wanted to see her mate again, even though it could have only been a half hour since she last saw him.

  The feeling was familiar. Kiera knotted her fingers together and wondered where Link had gone. She’d left him alone at the top of the falls. Guilt stabbed her in the heart. She should have done something else instead of leaving him alone. Looking back, it seemed cruel. Just more proof that she was a horrible person.

  Zara led the way inside, gesturing to the cozy living room and mentioning that there was a coffee bar that Kiera could help herself to. What stopped Kiera dead in her tracks were the two bloodied men laughing at the kitchen table. Zara slapped her mate in the face with a towel before helping him clean up.

  The other man stopped laughing the moment Kiera walked in. Link had blood dripping from the corner of his mouth and more from his temple. A bruise on his cheekbone had yellowed and was slowly fading.

  Had Asher ambushed Link after she left? Was it her fault that Link was hurt? Link had been alone and vulnerable because of her.

  “This is what happens when I leave him alone,” Zara filled in. She gently wiped blood from her mate’s cheek. “He keeps trying to spar with everyone and then comes upstairs and gets blood on everything. I like blood as much as the next goth chick, but in reality, it’s so sticky.”

  Link shook his head, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

  “So, the two of you…didn’t fight for real? I’m so confused.” Kiera chewed the inside of her cheek.

  Link jumped out of his seat, nearly knocking over his cup of coffee in the process. He snatched it and set it upright, pausing only to make sure it wouldn’t spill again before he approached her. Kiera had to clench her fists to keep from reaching for the bruise on his cheek. It looked painful. A familiar sting touched the side of her face. She knew from experience.

  “You did this to each other? For fun?”

  Link’s responding smile was almost goofy. She could see the change in him. Not the beast near the surface, but a relaxed posture that hadn’t been possible before. He was more at ease now. She couldn’t fathom how pain made him feel better, but if it worked for him, she would smile and nod.

  “Asher is…” Link’s lips twisted as he thought.

  “A kind and giving soul,” Asher filled in.

  Zara wrapped the towel around his neck and pretended to strangle him. The two were so lovingly violent with each other.

  Zara seemed to realize that about the same time and stopped, her eyes going wide. “I’m acting more and more like you every day. What is this aberration, and how do I stop it?”

  Asher plucked his mate off her feet and pulled her into his lap where he could wrap his arms around her. The way he buried his face in her, the way she hugged him tight in response, was more affection than Kiera had ever witnessed before. They might be prone to dramatic violence, but their love was unmistakable.

  A longing ache formed in Kiera’s chest. She knew she would never get anything like that. The universe knew she was a horrible person that didn’t deserve goodness. Kiera’s future was not nearly so bright. She had already gotten the best she would get. Norman was gone. That was all she could hope for.

  “I’m messier than I thought I was,” Link announced, rather clumsily. He looked to Kiera. “Do you mind helping me? Clean up? In the bathroom?”

  Before Kiera could respond, a first aid kit was pressed into her hands. Zara took her by the shoulders and spun her around, pointing to the bathroom down the hall.

  “Oh, uh, sure.”

  The bathroom wasn’t as cramped as Kiera feared. There was enough space to host a small party. And the shower…well, it was large enough to clean four shifters at once. Or maybe just her and Link, considering the span of his shoulders. The thought made her cheeks warm. It was improper, and she knew it.

  Yet, the thought lingered. She had to turn her back and focus on the kit in her hands. T
hat plan didn’t work for long considering she had to face Link while she cleaned him.

  He sat on the edge of the toilet lid, legs sprawled out before him so that she had to stand between them. Surrounded by his heat, she dabbed his temple with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball. He didn’t hiss or lean away. Instead, his eyes were closed in the perfect semblance of peace.

  Kiera considered kissing him. His lips were so perfect, so plump. The way he leaned his head back was like he was waiting. Her heart double thumped. She turned and dropped the cotton ball into the trash, telling herself that she was a fool and imagining things. Her cheeks were so incredibly hot that she didn’t know how she wasn’t a pile of ash by now.

  “That was quick. Am I clean already?” He cracked open an eye.

  Kiera had to spin away to hide her red-hot cheeks. His leg grazed hers. She didn’t remember being in touching distance. She must have moved too fast. Then, his other leg touched hers. She looked down to find them closer than before.

  “Have you given any more thought to what your dreams are?”

  She sighed. All thoughts of his legs were replaced by dread. “I don’t get to have dreams.”

  He inched forward. “That’s a lie. Anyone can dream. I’m pretty sure my father dreamed of world domination.”

  “How can you joke about a thing like that?”

  “Because if I don’t, then I don’t think I’ll ever be able to accept the fact that my father killed people. If I can’t make fun of him, then I worry about the day I’ll become him. Does that make sense?”

  She shook her head. His shoulders slumped, but he reached for her. He took her hand and gently pulled her back into his space. She stopped just short of his body. The way he looked up at her had her heart leaping with joy.

  But Link didn’t love her. Not the way Zara loved Asher. Kiera and Link had only just met. She was a broken toy set loose. Her future didn’t hold the kind of love that the other dragons here had. She would never find that.