Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
I jumped to my feet, not wanting Killian to walk in on me straddling his best friend.
Oh, dear God. That sounded horrible, and what Killian had said to me last night about Griffin not being the right guy for me made this entire situation surreal. But I’d been honest with him, and he knew that I wanted to explore things with Griffin. Granted, I was pretty sure completing the mate bond with him tonight wasn’t exploring so much as committing to each other.
My gut screamed that something uncomfortable was imminent, but this was something Griffin and I should do together. Either way, Griffin had become determined that I was going to be his.
The thought both thrilled and terrified me.
Griffin chuckled as he stood next to me, taking my hand.
A pause in Killian's footsteps told me he’d figured out that Griffin was here. A low growl emanated from him as he hurried into the room and stopped short.
"What’s going on?" Killian straightened his shoulders as he stared at his best friend.
"I came over to ask Ster— Dove out tonight." Griffin leaned closer to me.
"Griffin, she’s important to me," Killian said. "I don’t want to see her get hurt."
I hated that these two were arguing over me again.
"That’s fair. And I know I’ve been behaving like an asshole, but that’s changing from now on." Griffin lifted our joined hands. "She’s my fated mate."
Killian closed his eyes and exhaled. He looked up and met first my eyes, then Griffin’s. “I can’t stand between something special like this, but no more fucking games." Killian’s shoulders sagged. “She’s lost so much already.”
"There won’t be." I straightened my shoulders, standing tall beside Griffin. I couldn’t let him be the only one fighting for us. "I told you last night that I felt the connection. It’s real."
Killian’s jaw tightened as he glared at his friend. "Remember when you told me you’re not the ‘settling down’ type of guy?"
Wow, I figured this was going to be tense, but I hadn’t expected Killian to call out his friend directly. Though I guessed I shouldn’t be surprised that he was protective of me after all we’d gone through.
"Yeah, I remember, but ever since she walked into our lives, I've been pulled in her direction." Griffin faced me. "That damn tug had me going into that coffee shop the first day without Luna having to nag me. Then I saw the most beautiful girl standing behind the counter, and I froze—then acted like a dirtbag."
"I can't argue with you there." If he wanted me to comfort him, he’d come to the wrong person. He had been an asshole that day.
"He hits on every woman that way." Killian dropped his backpack on the floor and locked eyes with me. “He tries humping anything with two legs when the mood strikes.”
"This is different ," Griffin rasped. "When I realized what she was to you, it drove me insane. Every time you touched her, I wanted to punch the shit out of you. That's one of the reasons I left for so long. I had a ton of stuff that I needed to do with Mom and the council, but also, I couldn't stand to see her with you, and I didn't want to be tempted to interfere. You're my best friend. If she made you happy, I had to leave in order to respect that."
Killian rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “Dude.”
But I wasn't sure if that was the only thing. Maybe his reasoning was a tad bit selfish. "Griffin and I decided to pursue this, but know you will never lose either of us."
"If you break up, I will." Killian hung his head, but then he stalked over and hugged me. "You're my family now, and I don't want to risk that."
Griffin growled but didn't do more than that. "Man, I would never hurt her. I know I have a bad track record, but I'm serious about Dove. She’s it for me."
"If you were being all noble and left out of respect for the relationship that you thought she and I had, then why did you come back last night?" Killian released me and faced his friend.
"I couldn't stay away any longer. Hell, Mom told me if I didn’t stop frowning and snapping, she would personally put me in Shadow City’s jail. I could barely pay attention to the council meetings because all I wanted to do was come back here to her." Griffin sighed. "I wasn't going to act on it. I wanted to see her for a few minutes to subdue whatever this urge was inside me. But then the whole Luna thing happened, and I found this note that our little runaway left you." He pulled the piece of paper back out of his pocket.
I inhaled and held my breath, guessing how Killian would react.
"Note?" Killian asked and took it from him. His eyes scanned it, and I saw when realization sank in. " This was how you were telling me goodbye?"
"We've gone through this." I didn't want to talk about it again. "I couldn't say it to your face because I wouldn't have been able to leave. But I had to make sure you knew I left of my own free will—and how much your friendship means to me."
"Don't make her feel bad," Griffin said as he touched my arm. "She thought she was doing the right thing."
Killian's jaw tightened, and he folded my letter up and put it into his back pocket. "Can I talk to you alone for a minute?" He pointed at Griffin.
"Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of Dove." Griffin tightened his hold on me. "She and I are a package deal.”
"No, it's fine." Griffin was already acting like we were together, and though I loved the sound of it, I had to make sure Killian was okay with it. After all, he'd been there for me first. "I'll go outside and get some fresh air."
"Stay close, please, and make sure the guards are in sight," Griffin said. He kissed my cheek and released my hand. "There've been enough attempts on your life to last a lifetime."
That was a very true statement. "I don't plan on venturing far." Not wanting to affect their conversation, I slipped out the back door and made my way around to the side of the house near the living room. They still had no idea how strong my hearing was, and I couldn’t help but want to listen to what they had to say.
"Do you realize how important she is to me?" Killian asked. "If you ever hurt her—"
"I couldn’t. It’s not possible." Griffin sounded so sincere. "The connection is real. I swear it is."
Hope blossomed in my stomach. The scary truth was that I was at the mercy of our connection. I had no clue how powerfully the bond would impact us, but the more time I spent with him, the harder it was to leave his side. Each kiss and touch made the tug so much stronger.
"Oh, I believe that you think that." Killian sighed. "That's the only reason why your ass hasn’t been beaten to a bloody pulp."
A smile slipped into place, and I made my way toward the wood’s edge, not wanting to hear any more. They were coming to an agreement, and Killian hadn't wanted me to listen.
I focused on the sounds of the animals in the forest and glanced at the sun. It was midday when the sun was at its highest point in the sky and the moon farthest away, which meant I was at my weakest for the next few hours. At some point, I wanted to be able to shift and run free.
A crack sounded about a mile away and I jerked to a halt. Was that a gunshot? I scanned the area, realizing that the guards weren’t in position. I’d been so caught up with Killian and Griffin that I hadn’t been paying attention.
The noise took me back to the day when my pack had been murdered. I scanned the area, looking for one of the guards to alert, but I couldn't find one.
That was odd. They were supposed to be surrounding the house.
Another shot echoed, this one closer, followed by a low grunt.
Somebody was in trouble. I started to run in the direction of the shot, but I stopped. I couldn't leave Killian and Griffin and run off on my own. They'd be pissed, and rightfully so.
I rushed to the back door and threw it open. "Someone is in trouble, and the guards have disappeared." I stuck my head in to find them running toward the kitchen. Good, they were moving. "Call for backup. I'm going to go see what I can do."
"No," Griffin said absolutely. "You're staying here. It could be a trap."
Oh, hell no . "I may be attracted to you, but that doesn't mean I’ll hand over my decision-making to you. I am going out there. It's up to you whether you come along for the ride."
A scream pierced the air, urging me back outside.
"Dove!" Griffin yelled as his footsteps pounded behind me. "Stop. We need to wait for backup."
"They can find us by following the noise." I spun around to face him. "We'll do recon first. We need to see what we're up against."
Killian stepped out of the house. "More of my guards are on their way."
“So are Shadow City guards,” Griffin said.
"Great, let's go." I took off again and heard Griffin grumble something, though I couldn't make out the words.
Dad had taught me never to go on a mission without at least one other person knowing where I was headed.
I pulled magic from my wolf and picked up my pace with the guys on my heels as the trees flew by. We were headed in the direction of Killian's fishing spot from that day not too long ago.
When I crossed a path that appeared to have been made recently, the scent of the guards hit my nose, along with at least six others. Judging by how the branches were broken and scattered, someone had been dragged to wherever they went. Had someone gotten the jump on the guards?
It had to be the same assholes who’d attacked my pack.
The surrounding area was creepily quiet now that we’d stumbled across the trail. I slowed and lifted my hand, pivoting toward the two men. I placed a finger to my lips and gestured at the worn path.
Killian nodded as he walked over and touched the grass where it'd been flattened. I squatted next to him and held up four fingers, one for each guard. How the hell did they take the four guys?
"What—" Griffin started to ask quietly, but I covered his mouth with my hand. There was no telling how close anyone was.
This would have been when a pack bond would have come in handy.
"Come on out, Sterlyn," the voice of the auburn-bearded man called to me. He must have been at least a half-mile away, but I could hear him clear as day. "Or should I say Dove? We know you and those two guys that are always sniffing around you aren’t far away."
Great, these assholes knew my names.
For them to know we were here meant someone was either listening for our progress or watching us. I tapped into my wolf more and scanned the area with precision. That was when I noticed a crow sitting on a tree branch not too far away. I sniffed the air, looking for a human smell mixed in with the vanilla of the animal.
When the bird flapped its wings and cawed, that confirmed all I needed to know. He was gloating, knowing we’d overlooked him.
Dammit . Crow shifters normally flocked in small groups and stayed out of matters unless it benefited them. What in the world were my hunters offering all of these different kinds of shifters to get them to work for them? They must have some incredibly enticing plan to get others to follow across races.
Another piece to the ever-growing puzzle.
There was no point in pretending that we weren't there. "How do you know my name?"
"What are you doing?" Killian whispered. “And when did you plan on telling me your name?”
"That crow—” I pointed to it “—already spotted us and reported back to Auburn Goatee." There was no point in pretending that we could do recon now. We were all-in, and I hoped the new guards would follow us soon. “And I was going to but got a little distracted.”
Paws padded in our direction, and I assumed wolves were circling to trap us. The best thing we could do was try to get them talking. We needed to buy time for backup to find us. If we ran, they might take us down before the others could reach us.
"Please, come and join us." Goatee chuckled, no doubt loving that he had the upper hand.
"I’ll come if you let the other two go." If I could protect Griffin and Killian, I would.
"Like hell." Griffin took my hand and shook his head. "There’s no way I'll leave you."
Killian arched an eyebrow, and his mouth dropped slightly before he schooled his expression into one of indifference. "I'm with him. We aren't leaving."
"You need to go. They want me—you can’t help me if they capture all of us." If I lost them, I wasn't sure I could stay in my right mind. "You two are alphas, for God's sake. You have to stay safe for your packs."
"Stop bickering," Goatee commanded. "They aren't going anywhere, and they aren’t shifting. "
Four wolves stepped through two trees and circled us. The one right behind us growled and nodded his head forward, his milky brown fur blowing in the slight breeze.
Great, they were herding us to Goatee.
We started walking, slowly, Killian and Griffin flanking me as if they could protect me better than I could protect myself. They should be linking with their packs, pulling more guards toward us. But it could take time before they got here. I didn’t know what skills either had, but I’d guess Killian might have been trained to fight similarly to me, given he was the alpha's son of the protecting pack. Griffin hadn’t seemed to have formal training, but he was strong.
The river grew louder, and after a few more minutes, the trees grew thinner as we neared the embankment, close to the spot where Killian liked to fish. The four guards and Lucas lay dead on the mulchy ground, bullet holes between their eyes.
The present-day picture merged with the memory of my pack, and my legs grew shaky.