Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
Colbie
Igrumble when Liam bangs on the door and tells us we need to get moving. All I want to do is lie in front of the fire and enjoy snuggling with my two new mates, but that isn’t going to happen.
“Come on, we’re losing daylight. Let’s go,” he shouts, but he doesn’t come in.
Brodie would have just let himself inside, so I appreciate Liam’s restraint.
I groan and stretch and untangle myself from our pile.
Gem mutters something and snuggles closer to Gryffin who just lifts his arm and pulls him closer.
I giggle at the sight. Both of them are lightly dozing and don’t look like they have any intention to move.
“Fucking cockblock,” Gryffin grumbles as Liam bangs on the door again, but he kisses Gem. “Come on, we need to move. Colbie is in danger until we cross the plain and get to the village.”
Gem grumbles again and pushes a rogue curl back off his face. “Fine, but I vote we spend a couple of days doing nothing but fucking and snuggling when we get back.”
“Sure,” Gryffin agrees, stretching before getting to his feet. “After she’s crowned and challenge day is over.”
Gem grimaces and does the same thing, and the three of us get dressed. My clothes are in the bathroom where I left them, and when I return, the guys have covered up all their delicious, mouthwatering flesh, and I pout.
Gem winks. “Don’t worry, mate. You get all this for the rest of your life now,” he tells me, brushing a finger over the living flame beneath my skin on my chest, which is exposed by the small V-neck of my shirt. I shiver at the touch, and he grins.
“Right, let’s go. It’s still a bit of a distance, and Liam is right, we want to get to the village by dusk.” He waves a hand, and the fire in the hearth extinguishes with a puff of smoke. I blink in surprise.
“That’s handy,” I remark as we walk out the door.
“I’m not just a pretty face and a sexy body,” he retorts.
“No, but they help,” Gryffin teases as he follows us out. Gem scowls at him, but I know they are being playful. Before I can say anything, Brodie tackles me, sweeping me into his arms and swinging me around while planting little kisses all over my face.
“I missed you,” he says breathlessly when he finally puts me back on my feet.
He rests his forehead on mine and sighs.
“So much. My wolf has been howling, insisting we join the three of you in front of the fire, but I told him he had to wait. There is plenty of time for group activities.” My eyes widen at his suggestion, and his lips turn up in a grin.
“Group activities?”
“Yes, baby. When all your mates worship you together. Imagine eight cocks and tongues seeing to your every want and desire.”
My sated creature perks up and cracks open an eye, tempted by the suggestion, but then she closes it again. She knows we have two more mate bonds to seal soon, and she’s resting in preparation.
“No time for that now,” Liam growls, snatching me out of Brodie’s arms and giving me a quick kiss. “Did they take care of you properly, mate?” he asks, his black eyes serious.
“Yes, they definitely did,” I promise him, and he releases me, looking pleased.
“Good, then let’s go. Hunter and Micah will be getting antsy, and I want to know if they found the equines.”
He shifts, as does Brodie and Gem. Gem takes off into the air, a loud screech echoing through the small clearing.
I see him fly through the trees, his flames contained against his body so he doesn’t set them on fire, but he circles around before he is out of sight, waiting for us.
I guess we’re not taking any chances again.
Gryffin shifts, but I hold up the backpack. “Are we taking this with us?”
He shakes his big tiger head, but I hear Liam’s voice in my head.
No, Brodie and I polished off the jerky and water, and we won’t need it once we get to the village. I don’t want you getting tangled in it. We need to run fast if we are going to get to the village before dark.
I toss the bag back inside the cabin and pull the door closed before stepping down into the snow and shifting into tiger form.
It’s a little smoother now, but there’s still a bite of pain.
As soon as I stretch, Liam and Brodie move out, and Gryffin flanks me again.
We move fast, almost in a full-on sprint, Gem keeping pace above.
There is cloud cover now, and the forest seems darker and even quieter than before.
All of us are on high alert, but nothing jumps out at us again, and we finally breach the edge of the forest. I pause, staring in awe at the mountainous Aramis Rift that seems to stretch forever, looming above the plain we need to cross.
My tiger eyesight can see the village in the distance, and there’s nothing between us and it that I can spot.
The four of us start across the plain. Gem flies low in front of us, skimming the surface of the snow, and his body explodes.
The snow melts, creating a path for the four of us to run along, unencumbered.
We move a lot faster, mud flying up behind us as our paws thunder across the plain.
We’re still on high alert, but we can see for miles on either side.
Unless the enemy is buried beneath the snow, there is no sneaking up on us.
We make good time, and just as the sun sinks below the rift, we approach the outskirts of the village. We shift into human form and look around the quiet, eerie community.
There is no sign of Hunter or Micah anywhere, but there are a couple of piles of ash, and some of it swirls around our feet with a gust of wind.
“That’s not good,” Gem mutters after he lands and shifts, crouching down to study one of the piles. “Yup, this is the work of Hunter’s dragon, and they used to be shifters.” He wrinkles his nose and stands up, brushing his hands off on his pants.
“So where are Hunter and Micah now? I don’t see any blood, so I doubt they are hurt.” Liam scans the surrounding area, and my own gaze follows, looking for a hint of my two remaining mates.
“Do you think something happened to them?” My heart races, and it isn’t just from exertion. I’m worried they were attacked when they arrived, but there doesn’t seem to be any sign of a fight. Nothing is on fire, so Hunter’s dragon didn’t lose his shit.
“This way. We’ll check out the town council building, and if they aren’t there, then we’ll go door to door and see if anyone else has seen anything. If there is a curfew in place, then everyone is behind closed doors this close to dusk.” Gryffin takes the lead, the rest of us following behind him.
Brodie grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. “It will be alright. Neither Hunter nor Micah have said anything telepathically to us.”
“Can’t you ask them where they are?”
“Neither of them is responding,” Liam replies, and that makes me even more worried.
“But they may just be distracted. Sometimes it’s hard to concentrate on two things at once, even for shifters like us, who have been doing it for a long time.
Micah’s new to the connection, so it’s even harder for him. ”
That sounds reasonable, but it doesn’t lessen my concern.
Streetlights come on, and I take in the quaint little village.
It’s picture perfect, with snowy streets and cute, old-fashioned lamp style lighting.
The houses are adorable but spacious, with large yards giving everyone their privacy while still maintaining that village ambiance.
We reach what looks like a town square. The houses give way to shop fronts, and in the middle is a large building with a fountain out front.
The fountain is stunning, with gorgeous colored lights lighting up the water and a gorgeous pegasus statue that has streams of water coming from its outstretched wings.
Behind it is a large, three-story building with arched windows in the second and third floors.
I can see lights on through some of the windows, but there is still no sign of anyone.
“Come on, hopefully someone will be in there. It’s the alpha’s house.
” Gryffin turns back to us, and my mouth drops open.
I thought it was a council building, but it’s a residence.
He must see my surprise, because he chuckles.
“The bottom levels are all public space, but the top two are personal living quarters for the alpha. I wonder if the alpha had a family. I didn’t see one when I was here before, but he may have kept them hidden from me. ”
He doesn’t hesitate to approach and open the door, and when he does, there are finally signs of habitation. Voices can be heard from inside, some are shouting, and I hear the sound of crying as well. Brodie and I exchange a worried look and follow Liam, Gem, and Gryffin inside the building.
The foyer is empty of people, but we follow the direction of the noise and find two large doors thrown open.
When we stop in the doorway, we find an enormous meeting space full of males and females of all ages as well as children.
I blink in surprise. There must be at least three hundred people in this space.
All of them look dirty, unkempt, and tired, and some of the children are whining about being hungry.
None of them notice us. I see Micah and Hunter in the middle of the group, talking to a woman flanked by three men. She has Hunter’s hands in hers, and tears are streaming down her face.
“What is going on?” I mutter to Gryffin, who looks as bewildered as I do.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” he says and moves into the room.
People part, allowing him through, all of them eyeing him with no small amount of suspicion or fear.
Silence falls as more people notice our presence.
The rest of us follow behind him, and I hate the wide-eyed terror that starts to appear on the faces watching us.
Micah notices us and gestures us over. “Gryffin, Colbie, good, you’re here.”