Yet knowing Jarah’s not a threat doesn’t negate the itch creeping over my skin. Then again, after spending the morning bleeding at his hands and failing at my goal of bringing my demon under control, I’m not all that surprised by my reaction. I don’t like to lose, but that’s exactly what I did today, over and over. It was hard not to fall for my demon’s tricks. Is it so wrong for me to wish against hope my baby somehow survived?
The moment the thought surfaces, I smack it back. Breathing life into such dreams after finally finding some sort of acceptance is exactly what she wants. My demon doesn’t want me to give up hope. I’m too easy to manipulate when I literally ache to hold my baby.
“You made her night.” Jarah’s low voice draws me deeper into the shadows.
“Molly’s?” I’ve got to ask because I’m sure I made my crazy doppelgänger’s night too. She’s stronger than ever, and I’m running out of time to bring her in line.
“Yes.”
I shrug. “It seemed the right thing to do at the time.”
“I agree.”
Studying Jarah, I frown. “Why are you here? I assumed you’d be at the pre-party meet and greet.” What Kade described as a way for the other alphas to assess each other’s alliances and enemies, new and old, before the main festivities start.
“Firstborns without a family are an anomaly. The other alphas don’t quite know how to take us or understand why we walk through the centuries alone.” Jarah scans the crowded room, then turns to me. “But more importantly, they don’t fear us. No matter how strong we are, we stand alone. A large group hunting together can take any individual down.”
“And the alpha meeting is all about posturing. Right? Showing the other alphas who has the largest and strongest supporters.”
“Yes.”
I motion to the crowded barn with a tilt of my head. “But a lot of very powerful people turned out for this little congratulatory party, not for Kade’s alpha gathering. Only his pride members attended. That’s got to say something.”
“Yes, that Josh and Mira have a lot of friends who don’t need to crash an alpha gathering they have no reason to be attending. Only Alexanders need to be there to support Kade, as is customary.”
“Mira and Josh do have a lot of friends.” I grin. “They deserve them.”
“They have billions more who’d rather see their blood spilling on the ground. Or mine. Or Kade’s. Or the blood of any shifter.” Jarah takes up a relaxed slouch against the wall at his back. We could’ve been talking about the weather and not violence against the shifter community.
“You’re talking about humans.”
Jarah nods. “We’ve always known it. Living hidden but in plain sight has been enough to nullify the threat. If our identities were ever questioned, we disappeared.”
“And you can’t now.”
“No. Especially when the human government knows what we look like, has our fingerprints and DNA on record, and the sheer number of bodies to hunt us.”
While I understand the danger and have listened to Kade say the same thing, I don’t have a solution. I sigh instead of responding with some hopeful statement. The truth is, once the shit hits the fan, the predators in this room will become prey.
“The humans have vowed to protect us.” Jarah’s tone says more than his simple statement does. He doesn’t like that option. Not one little bit.
“The alphas meeting with Kade would rather protect themselves.”
“Through fear.” Jarah slides me an amused, knowing look. “Just as the ancient shamans used fear to protect their own. For thousands upon thousands of years, they embraced what they were—feared hunters, practitioners of the dark arts, úlfheðnar, berserkers, warriors of Odin. They gloried in the titles, drank from the skulls of their enemies, ate their flesh, and left the bodies of those who threatened them in the streets as a warning.”
“Fuck with them and meet the same fate.”
Jarah laughs. “Yes. The villagers knew not to fuck with the crazy shamans. After a time, humans came to accept those brutal ancients as a part of their world. The two groups lived somewhat peacefully for many years like that, even after the group of shaman warriors who’d been chosen to become the first shifters were stolen from this earth. Their human bloodlines—much like your bloodline—live on now, hidden but in plain sight and waiting to regain the glory of their forefathers. Some human witch bloodlines are even actively practicing the dark arts and teaching their children how to control the world around them. They’re growing powerful. The alphas gathered around your true mate recognize the threat they pose, and now, it’s become a race to—”
“To put the fear of God into the humans.” I rub at my arms, the tingling of Jarah’s earlier approach not lessening. I’m not surprised. This topic isn’t a happy one. Actually, it’s not one I want to be having at all, but I’ve learned when Jarah talks, it’s wise to listen. The man is practically a living god himself. He’s almost as old as those first shifters who caught the eye of the heavens.
“Not god.” Jarah gives me a pointed look. “The walking gods and goddesses among humans.”
I glance at my brother and the conversation we had about the Alexander goddess wanting to walk among humans returns. If everything works out as Josh described, the impossible will be reality very soon.
“War is coming, Zoe,” Jarah says under his breath. “The greatest war of all time.”
“And the goddesses need warriors to fight it.” That’s what Josh said. That’s what Kade’s said too.
“They have warriors. They’re sharing the same air as you, and their numbers are growing at unheard-of rates.”
“Soul-bonded shifter males.” The answer is one I already know. Kade told me. I can make him powerful.
“And their soul-bonded females.” Jarah makes a low sound deep in his throat, not quite a snort, but something similarly amused. “Anyone who discounts the threat posed by the gentler gender will watch their heads fall to the ground. Do you remember me mentioning the bodies left in those ancient streets? They weren’t left rotting there on purpose. Initially, anyway. The corpses were too heavy for female shamans to move, so they left them, and those decaying bodies became a calling card the berserkers were all too happy to leave once they learned the effect of seeing the putrid corpses. Such things will not have the same results today as they did then, however.”
“So the goddesses have their warriors and are preparing for a war between shifters, shamans, and humans. Right?”
“They’re planning for the worst, hoping for the best. We all are. War is something all want to avoid, but we have to be ready.”
Pain pierces me, traveling along my forearm to my wrist. I flex my fingers, but the random itch intensifies. Scratching until I’m bloody is tempting, but I squeeze my wrist to avoid ripping my skin open and focus on the many shadows obscuring this section of the barn we’ve retreated to. “That’s why the alphas gathered with Kade want a leader.”
“Someone”—Jarah’s voice comes from somewhere off in the distance as the sound of my rushing blood drowns out everything—“even other shifters will fear.”
Laughter mixes in with the whooshing of blood, then takes over, obscuring my racing pulse. The hearty laugh isn’t in my head. It’s not coming from the speakers or any of the other shifters in this room. And it’s not just me hearing it.
The tension that’s left me uneasy spreads to the shifters gathered here. Males move in front of their women. Everyone looks around, casting cautious glances at those near them. Jarah growls and straightens, looking around him as many of the other shifters are doing. And I focus on a section of the wall a few feet from me and Jarah, where the shadows that drew my gaze grow thicker.
Dark fog undulates in sensuous waves, creeping outward and revealing a small field mouse. I step closer to it, something about it calling to me or more accurately, the demon living within me. Obviously knowing his cover’s blown, a flickering light sparks in the tiny mouse’s eyes.
The brightness flares. The air warms around the mouse, and a ghostlike aura pours from it as steam does from a squealing kettle. The image of the man I met twice—years ago with Vince by my side and last night with Kade—takes shape a few feet away. Life rushes into the apparition, giving it a solid form, and between one heartbeat and the next, Asa steps forward and smiles at me.
“And after tonight’s festivities, that someone to fear will be me.”
Thirty-Three
Zoe
“Nice trick.” I cross my arms. “Please do tell us how you pulled it off.”
“Don’t worry. The rodent who lent me his body wasn’t harmed in the display of power you just witnessed.” Asa’s amusement lightens his tone. “And that trick was one of the many a true shaman can accomplish. It’s time our society learns all the little tricks I’ve learned. Don’t you agree?”
“What? Are you going to show everyone how you can conjure a demon and force a mouse to—”
“Only the weak need to resort to having demons do their bidding.” Asa studies me, head to toe, and if the expression on his face is any indication, what he sees is lacking. “What I can achieve is exactly what the early shamans did—control the world around them through magic and sheer will.”
Asa’s jab narrows my eyes, but the brush of Jarah’s arm to mine stops my smartass retort. Jarah steps forward, putting me safely behind him and blocking my view of the Yuran alpha. I know why too. All Asa needs is to catch my gaze, and he can draw forth my demon as easily as Jarah.
“Only the weak”—Jarah’s voice booms, shaking the walls of the barn—“need to resort to taking over a little rodent’s body to crash a party he wasn’t invited to.”
“My honor demands I take whatever steps necessary to share my knowledge with Josh and Mira. The safety of their unborn children depends on it.”
“Does it?” Josh strides forward with the commanding grace he’s always held, but tonight, power sweeps ahead of him, exactly as it does when Kade moves. “And how do you figure that?”
“The prophecy spoken to Mira’s father isn’t the only one that was given that night. The goddesses appeared to me also.”
“Blasphemy.” Mira spats the word and joins her husband, standing at his side, not behind him. “The goddesses would never—”
“The goddesses spoke to the alphas affected by what they were about to set into motion. Your father, Kade’s, and…me.” Asa leans forward, lowering his voice in a threat. “May the goddesses strike me down here and now if my words are lies.”
Whether his declaration is just for show or some shifter custom, I can’t say, but Mira’s brow furrows as she asks, “What did they say?”
“Your daughter will mate a Yuran, and together, they will rain hell down upon their enemies.” Asa spreads his arms out to the sides. “And I have remained mateless for many, many years, waiting for the female who could make me into a walking god.”
With an arm around her belly, Mira shakes her head but doesn’t say anything. Josh does, and fire licks along my skin with each word. “Then prepare to earn your place at my daughter’s feet if that’s where you think you belong, because—”
The barn door crashing into the wall jerks everyone’s attention to the little blonde alpha child who’s good at remaining in the shadows. Not so much now. Blotchy marks stand out on her deathly pale skin, and puffy red eyes hold a well of pain someone ten times her age would crumple under.
Molly grips the door, her chest heaving with hard breaths, and points a trembling hand behind her. “Megan…Megan’s dying. The humans shot her. Shot Seth. Shot Rey. Shot Peyton. But she’s dying. Megan…Megan’s dying, and I can’t stop it! I can’t save her! I tried, but I’m not strong enough. Please…somebody, please help her. They’re in the woods, though. The humans. I couldn’t shift. They’d shoot me too.”
Josh cuts a quick look to Mira, who nods. Then he’s out the door, followed by Ethan and his mates, the long-haired shifter with his pregnant mate in his arms, and dozens of the other males. The scant few left behind move closer to Mira, and Jarah wavers, looking between me and the door with the agonized expression of a man deciding who he should save.
Mira grips the front on her loose black dress and bunches the fabric. “Molly, what happened? Tell us everything.”
The little girl who’d been so excited to learn she’d be crashing the alpha’s party with me shakes her head, then bolts through the door.
Levi walks in before anyone else can say anything or follow Molly out. Blood splatters cover Kade’s nephew, dotting his face and the pale blue button-up shirt and khakis he’d worn to the party. More blood covers his hands, drenching them and the small sharpened nails tipping the ends of his fingers. He looks around, then says to no one in particular, “I made him stop.”
“Made who stop?” I walk toward Levi, taking as slow of an approach as I can when all I want to do is rush forward and demand answers.
“The man who kept shooting Megan. Who laughed at her crying…dying. I made him stop.”
I kneel in front of Levi and take his hands in mine, the blood still warm on his skin. “How did you make him stop?”
“The boy ripped the guy’s throat out with his bare hands.” Vince walks through the doorway, two bloody redhaired girls in his arms. “While the other humans watched.”
A scream rings out, and a redhaired woman runs from the back of the barn, where food-covered tables wait to feed the guests. A man runs with her. They take the girls from Vince’s arms. Then they’re gone, along with a couple of shifters who’d remained to guard Mira.
Vince watches them go, then looks from Jarah, who’s remained between me and Asa, to where Mira’s standing alone. “Seth shifted. The humans saw it. And shot.”
Mira covers her mouth. “How did they know the kids would be out there? Or they’d shift?”
I shove against Vince’s shoulder, and the smirk on his face gives me the answer I need everyone to hear. “You set them up. Didn’t you?”
“Prophecies put into motion must be allowed to run their course, Ms. Conway.” Asa steps around Jarah, but the ancient assassin moves too, keeping the Yuran alpha from being able to look into my eyes.
“The prophecy involving me is already in motion.” Mira’s voice booms. “Allowing innocent children to be shot is not part of my babies’ legacy.”
“Mistakes happen.” Vince moves into my line of sight and catches my gaze. Holds it. “But deals must be kept. Payments must be made. And a future king must claim his queen.”
The lights go out. Blackness descends, blocking out everything just as it does in my demon’s world.
Humans storm the barn. Humans that Jarah and the others don’t smell or sense. They’re cloaked in shadows, just like Asa was.
Jerry, the Black Widow’s bartender, lifts a semiautomatic rifle, points it at Mira, and shoots.
Mira sidesteps as the first bullets hit her, then turns, covering her stomach where red is already blossoming, but bullets keep coming even as the last few guests move in to form a circle around her and others rush Jerry.
Jarah glances over his shoulder as Mira finally screams. An apology hovers in his eyes. There is no question of who needs the ancient more. Mira can’t lose her babies. I push him forward, then follow behind him, but Asa steps into my path before I get far. He grabs my biceps in a crushing squeeze until I jerk my gaze to his. Black flames creep over my vision.
And I careen into my own personal hell.
Thirty-Four
Kade
Molly remembered my rules and obeyed them. She made sure she conveyed that when she reached out mentally to me to tell me the fate of her sister and their friends. Never will I fault the young pride leader for upholding her vow to protect our secret world. Had I been the alpha in Molly’s place, however, I’d have damned us all. My cats wouldn’t have allowed the cowards who attacked Megan and the other children to live.
“He planned this.”
My younger brother Zach’
s voice drifts through my head, the intimate form of communication one I reserve only for desperate times. Much like this one. It’s safer for my image as it’s too easy to glimpse insights into my emotions this way, something I avoid even among most of my family. No need to let others know I’m simply a man trying to do the best I can. Or that tonight, I might not be enough.
“Yes.” Rafe moves up to my side, matching my quick but still-human pace, the fastest we can safely get away with while surrounded by humans. “We knew Asa was up to something when he didn’t show up at the welcoming gathering. Never would I have thought he’d come after our children. He’s got to know we won’t let this go unpunished.”
“His actions demand retribution. Asa will pay for what happened here tonight. So will Vince. This I vow.” My voice echoes in the night for all those visiting shifters who followed me blindly into the woods, not knowing the threat but risking themselves to help me and mine. For that, I will remember who stood at my back.
“You have no proof Vince or Asa were involved in this.” Colin Lynch, future leader of his jaguar family, brushes against my arm, his strides matching mine and his words barely audible. “Be careful of your accusations, my friend.”
Casting a sideways glance at my fellow Shifter Affairs agent, I blink, then turn my attention to the woods in front of us. The small acknowledgment is all I can offer when judging eyes follow my every move.
Thumping feet precede us, drawing my focus to the woods flanking Josh and Mira’s property. A heavy splash and a human’s gasp come next, and an image of what I can’t see paints across my mind. A large man took to running in the stream, the icy waist-deep water no doubt shocking him and slowing him down.
Had we not been so close, the human’s desperate escape might’ve proved successful. The humans in these woods carry no scent for us to follow, a feat only possible by injecting or ingesting the drug meant for shifters who need to mask their animals’ presence from the predators after them. Without a scent, all that’s left to hide is their footprints.
Possessed by the Alpha Page 32
