Chapter 32 #2
Evan whined, looking over his shoulder at me. I giggled. “Sorry. Probably mean to turn you on when we can’t do anything about it. Look at it this way, you can use all that pent-up frustration to keep us safe.”
He made a grumbling sound. I was getting better at translating them. That one definitely meant ‘fine, but we’re fucking later when this is done.’
At least, I hoped that was what it meant.
“Hold on tight,” Finn said as Calan shifted. “He won’t be running at full speed as Logan and I are staying in this form, but it’ll still be fast.”
I twisted my hands into the fur around his shoulders until I was sure I had a good hold. “Okay.”
“Lean forwards,” Logan advised. “Try and get yourself as flat as possible. It’ll allow Evan to move faster and won’t make you feel as sick.”
A thread of unease went through me as I flattened myself against Evan’s back. God, what if we got there and I vomited in front of everyone? That’d be embarrassing.
You’d think this would be something I’d experienced before, what with having grown up in a shifter clan, but it wasn’t. Carrying someone on their back was seen as a weakness to jaguars, for both parties involved.
As for letting a human ride them? That was never going to happen.
It was just another stark difference between the Clarksons and the McCarthys. I really wished I’d noticed more of them earlier.
Maybe then I wouldn’t have kept Evan at arm’s length for as long as I had.
No more. Evan wasn’t getting rid of me now. I’d cling on metaphorically as hard as I was physically.
The only warning I had that he was about to move was his muscles bunching under my fingers.
Then, he was flying.
Not literally. That wasn’t possible, but it may as well have been. Trees blurred as Evan shot past them, Calan at our side. I couldn’t see Finn or Logan, but I knew they were close.
My stomach roiled. I’d never been on a rollercoaster before, and suddenly I had no desire to ever try it.
There was a clucking noise from behind us. “Close your eyes, babe. It’ll help.”
Once more, I did what Logan said, squeezing my eyes tightly shut. I didn’t dare open them until Evan skidded to a halt, a low growl reverberating up from his core.
When I did open them, I wished I hadn’t.
The Clarksons had brought every warrior they had with them. They were armed to the teeth, standing in a loose battle formation. At the helm was Neil. He caught my gaze, shooting me a sinister smirk that had my blood running cold.
What was worse though, were the faces I didn’t recognise. They were stood off to the side, their size suggesting they weren’t jaguar shifters.
Bears, maybe?
“Mercs,” Logan muttered, holding his hand out to help me off Evan’s back. “Stay behind me at all times, and don’t leave Evan’s side.”
Evan, apparently, was going to stay shifted. Given how his fur was standing on end, that was probably for the best. I doubted he could be in this situation without his wolf forcing the shift.
I tangled my left hand back into his fur, tugging it lightly. “I’m right here, baby. I’m not going anywhere.”
His hackles lowered slightly as he edged closer. He didn’t lean into me—that would’ve knocked me off my feet—but he made sure he was touching me.
We were together. We were here. And we weren’t going to let the Clarksons separate us.
No fucking way.
It didn’t matter if we were outnumbered. We were on McCarthy lands. There was a whole unit of warriors on standby mere minutes away.
Really, you had to hand it to the McCarthys. They could’ve done the same as the Clarksons and brought everyone with them. Instead, it was just the inner circle. It was a ballsy move.
Finn stepped forwards. I’d never seen such fury on his face. “Ye’d better have a good explanation as to why ye’ve invaded our lands.”
“Invaded is such a loaded word,” Neil drawled. “We’re simply requesting a meeting.”
Logan snorted. “Aye, I often go to meetings with numerous weapons strapped to me. Must be why I don’t get invited often.”
Neil’s eyes glinted. “Given the war declaration that was issued, ye can’t really be surprised.”
“This is how ye repay us after we showed ye mercy?” Finn growled. “We could’ve executed you, but instead we set ye free. Now, once again, you’ve broken the terms of the treaty. Make no mistake, if ye try and take Reid from our land, we won’t stay our hands. We’ll execute every one of you.”
“Ah, the treaty,” Neil said. Beside me, I felt Evan suddenly tense like a current had passed through him.
From the corner of my eye, I saw the other McCarthys doing the same.
What was that about? “I’m so glad you brought that up.
We’ve been doing a little digging, and it appears there’s something that supersedes it. ”
I didn’t get a chance to ask any of them what they’d felt. The question was answered from above. A beat of wings on the air.
My jaw dropped as two beings landed in the clearing on feather-light feet. Their wings were spread wide as they positioned themselves between the two clans of shifters, each of them facing a different group.
Angels.
I already knew they existed, but I’d never seen one in real life before. Whenever one had paid a visit to the Clarksons, I’d been locked inside my room and forbidden from leaving.
The two of them were so beautiful that it almost hurt to look at them. All supes were attractive, because life was just unfair like that. But these angels seemed almost…unearthly.
The one facing us was tall, his blond hair neatly styled. There was an aura surrounding him that exuded power and control. I didn’t need to see him in action to know he wasn’t someone to trifle with.
From my position, I could just about see the other angel. He was on the short side for a supe, his gaze completely focused as it swept over the Clarksons. Something about what he saw had his green eyes narrowing and his spine stiffening.
“What is the meaning of this?” the tall angel barked. “This is not what we agreed.”
Neil stepped forwards, his smarmy smile in place. “Forgive us, Micah. We got word that the McCarthys were planning to abscond with our clan member, so we had to move the meeting up.”
“Do you normally come to meetings armed to the teeth?” the smaller angel asked mildly.
Neil sniffed, flushing slightly. “We’re just concerned about Reid’s safety.”
I snorted loudly, causing both of the angels’ attention to land on me. “Well, if that were true, I’d say there’s a first time for everything. Good thing we know it’s complete bullshit.”
Micah tilted his head as he studied me. “Are you Reid Clarkson?”
“For my sins,” I said. “Let me be very clear that I do not consider myself a member of the Clarkson Clan, and haven’t done since I ran away at eighteen. The McCarthys have been kind enough to offer me sanctuary and protection. I’m here of my own free will.”
Micah’s eyes lingered on my hand. How tightly it was gripping Evan’s fur. “Interesting. Benji, were we informed of the fact that Reid left the clan of his own free will when the Clarksons approached us to mediate?”
“We were not,” Benji said. “The opposite, in fact. If I recall correctly, and I always do, the Clarksons claimed that Reid had been kidnapped by one Evan McCarthy and was being held against his will.”
Evan growled, his hackles raising. I stroked him gently. We know the truth. I love you. I want to be here.
“Why would ye assume they were telling you the truth?” Finn demanded. “We’ve always been cooperative with the Seraphim, Micah. Why didn’t you reach out to us?”
The Seraphim. Suddenly their presence here made sense. The Seraphim were God’s most elite unit of soldiers. One of their roles was to mediate and settle disputes among rival clans of all kinds of supes. Given their base was in London, we fell under their jurisdiction.
Micah sighed. “That’s what this…meeting was meant to be about. Given what we were led to believe, we felt it best to not reach out in advance, on the off chance that you were holding Reid against his will.”
Evan wasn’t the only one growling now, Calan’s bass joining his. Logan stepped forwards, fury etched into every line of his face. “You truly believed us capable of that? Fuck you, Micah.”
I froze. I knew Logan was reckless, but insulting an archangel? One who was part of the Seraphim?
He was insane.
To my surprise, Micah held up his hands in a calming gesture. “We always have to give these claims the benefit of the doubt. You know that, Logan. We wouldn’t be doing our duty if we didn’t.”
Logan bristled, but a glare from Finn had him settling.
“Well, as ye can see, Reid is safe and well,” Finn said. “Everything he said is correct. He’s here under our protection after the Clarkson Clan attempted to kidnap him, injuring one of our warriors in the process.”
“Interesting,” Micah said mildly, his gaze drifting to the grip I had on Evan. “Without being indelicate, can I assume that he’s emotionally involved with a member of his clan?”
Finlay hesitated before shooting me a questioning look. Evan didn’t move closer either, just stayed completely still. I melted, just a little. Even with a cabal of danger facing them, they were giving me the choice as to what was disclosed.
I lifted my chin, answering for him. “Aye. I’m in love with Evan, here. He’s my partner and I’m not leaving him. And I’m definitely not being married off to a complete stranger. Fuck that.”
From the horror that flickered over the Clarksons’ faces, they hadn’t been aware we were privy to that information. Neil’s nostrils flared as he stared at us. Logan smiled smugly, waggling his fingers in a patronising wave.
Both the angels tensed, Micah’s expression turning thunderous as he wheeled on Neil. “Wait, that’s why you’re demanding his return?”
Neil shrank back. “It’s our business what we do with Reid. He belongs to us.”