Chapter 3
Victor spread his wings and soared through the sky.
A brisk wind caressed his body, freeing his spirit and awakening his imagination.
Nothing felt like this. There was no peace more complete, no activity more exhilarating.
The landscape scrolled beneath him. Steep gorges gave way to tree-covered hills and finally expansive meadows and cool crystal lakes.
Rydaria was beautiful, an unspoiled wilderness.
But another image overshadowed the scenery.
Ever since Victor saw Claire, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
And now that he’d touched her, tasted her, he would do anything to claim her as his mate.
Well, his and Raphael’s mate. He released a sigh of frustration and sped his pace.
Sharing a female wasn’t natural for Victor.
He understood the necessity, but it was one more unavoidable change he laid at the feet of Nuevo Biotech.
The bastards held him captive for years, subjected him to countless experiments, and mutated his body.
His thinking evolved, became more instinctual and focused.
Raphael and Gabriel were the first to change their names.
They no longer recognized themselves as the men they had been on Earth, so they chose names more fitting to the beings they were now.
Many of the raptor hybrids followed their example, but Victor refused to abandon the name his parents had given him.
It might be the only thing left of his old life, but he refused to give it up.
He spotted the rock formation marking his destination.
Circling the area twice, he confirmed that no one was there but Kyle, the Shadow Team scout who was Victor’s contact in the feline village.
There was no visible indication that Kyle had arrived, but Victor hadn’t expected there to be.
He eased his body down through the trees and released his partial shift once he reached the ground.
His wings disintegrated, becoming pure energy once again.
Kyle released the light refracting shield that rendered his body invisible. “You’re late,” he teased with a good-natured smile. They both prided themselves on their punctuality. The only time either was not when and where they were expected was when something went horribly wrong.
“Couldn’t be helped.” Victor maintained a serious expression. “I had to try out all the females. That took all night.”
Kyle laughed as he shook his head. “Oh, the mental image that just popped into my head. That will keep me entertained on the run back down the mountain.” His amusement faded as quickly as it had formed. “I take it from your smartass remark that the rescue was successful?”
“Was there any doubt? I’m insulted.”
“If we didn’t think you could handle the mission, we wouldn’t have asked you to do it,” Kyle assured him. “Were there any casualties? Are all the females unharmed?”
Victor shrugged, unsure if Kyle’s interest was general or if the cats had changed their minds about allowing the raptors to keep the females.
He tried not to react, but having ready access to potential mates was one of the reasons they’d undertaken the dangerous mission.
“Our team had some scratches and bite marks. That shit is unavoidable when you’re taking on wolves.
The women are exhausted and undernourished, but we’re confident they will all recover quickly. ”
“Good. That’s all very good.”
Victor was glad that his allies were satisfied with the outcome, but he needed to confirm that the operation had been worth the risk.
“I have a couple of questions for you as well.” Kyle just looked at him expectantly, so Victor asked, “Does Zion intend to uphold the agreement Raphael made with Shadow Team One?” Kyle was a member of the team, but his coalition mate, Jon had negotiated the agreement.
“I wasn’t there,” Kyle reminded. “What are the specific elements of the agreement?”
Victor didn’t believe a word of it. Coalition mates, not to mention soul-bonded mates, were incapable of keeping secrets from each other.
Kyle knew damn well what Jon had proposed, but Victor wasn’t opposed to reviewing them.
“We have one month to convince the females to remain in Eagle Village. At the end of one month, we agree to return all the females who prefer the feline village.”
“And will Raphael actually return them?” Kyle countered. “Eagle Village has been an option for all the females since you joined the alliance. Most of them don’t want to be separated from their friends.”
“Raphael gave his word that the females will have a choice; that means they have a choice.” He paused dramatically then grinned as he added, “Unless they’ve all been claimed, of course.”
Kyle did not seem nearly as amused by the conclusion as Victor had been. “You said you had a couple of questions. What’s the other one? I need to get back.”
“Are you planning to retaliate for the attack?” Victor asked. “The wolves kidnapped females under your protection. I know we wouldn’t allow something like that to slide.”
Kyle lifted his chin and stated clearly, “They won’t get away with stealing our females, but we need to know how aggressively to respond. Were any of the women abused by the wolves?”
Victor had wondered about the same thing.
The wolves weren’t known for their respectful treatment of females.
Unfortunately, he didn’t yet have an answer.
“We need to earn their trust before anyone is going to tell us the truth. I know that a couple of the females were claimed, but rape doesn’t require a soul bond. ”
“It might work best to focus on one female. Earn her trust and see if she’ll tell you what happened during their captivity.”
Victor smiled guiltily. “That’s already in the works, my friend.”
Kyle arched his brows. They had known each other for years so it was unlikely Kyle would be fooled by Victor’s nonchalance. “What does that mean? Have you and Raphael picked out a mate from the women you just rescued?”
Abandoning all attempts at casualness, Victor allowed his excitement to show. “I’m more enthusiastic about the possibilities than Raphael, but he has agreed to explore the situation.”
“Raptors choose their mates, correct?” Kyle asked, curiosity narrowing his eyes. “Are your instincts involved at all or is it a decision like any other?”
“Eagles choose their mates, so we all assumed that an instinctual drive wouldn’t be involved like it is with you or the wolves. None of the females we’ve interacted with before have triggered any urgent feelings, which made it feel like our assumption was right.”
“But then?” Kyle prompted with a grin.
“But then I saw Claire for the first time. She is physically attractive. There is no doubt about that, but I have never reacted to any female the way I reacted to her. It was like my entire body was suddenly electrified.”
Kyle chuckled and held out his hand. “Welcome to the I-found-my-soul-mate club. She will drive you absolutely crazy until she’s ready for you to claim her, but it’s worth every sleepless night.”
“I don’t just have to convince Claire. I have to convince Raphael.”
“I know Raphael almost as well as I know you, so I can predict with relative certainty that he will not take long at all to come around.”
“He was the one who first suggested we start looking for a mate, so I hope you’re right. However, he insists that he doesn’t want a female he has to tame, and Claire is as wild as they come.”
“Feisty women are the only way to go.” Kyle flashed another blinding smile. His coalition had recently claimed a spirited woman named Tara, so Kyle’s attitude was understandable. “I suggest you—”
A massive gray wolf bounded out of the shadows and leapt for Kyle’s throat. A second wolf followed close behind.
Victor dove for the first wolf, refusing to let it get its jaws around his friend’s throat. His shoulder connected with the wolf’s side, knocking him away from his intended victim.
Letting out an enraged roar, Kyle faced the second wolf. The smaller wolf lunged as the first repositioned. Kyle punched the wolf squarely in the muzzle, first one side and then the other. The wolf yelped and its jaw hung down at an unnatural angle.
Victor snapped his attention back to the larger wolf.
The creature roused, scrambling back to his feet with a menacing snarl.
Victor manifested lethal talons as he circled the larger wolf.
If he attempted a full shift, the wolf would attack while he was facilitating the transformation.
And the forest was too dense here. His wings would be a hindrance, not a help.
No doubt Kyle was hampered by the same problem.
The larger wolf lunged again. Victor twisted out of the way and kicked the wolf hard in his side.
The maneuver gave him just enough time to reverse his talons and draw his pulse pistol.
He blasted the creature as it turned and charged yet again.
The hybrid instantly collapsed, so Victor spun toward Kyle.
The lion hybrid lay on his back, the smaller wolf on top of him.
The fucking wolf had shredded Kyle’s chest with his claws, and the only thing that kept him from ripping out Kyle’s throat was his obviously broken jaw.
Victor fired, but the shot was slightly off and hit the wolf in the hindquarters.
The wolf yelped then ran off into the forest.
Victor rushed over to his friend as Kyle tried to rise.
His torso had deep furrows running diagonally from shoulder to waist. He needed medical treatment immediately, but where?
The feline village was closer, but Raphael could accomplish more than simply sewing the wounds shut and letting them heal on their own.
“Grab my neck,” Victor ordered as he bent and lifted the wounded cat off the ground. Victor grunted but managed to hoist Kyle chest high.
“Are you going to be able to carry me all the way to my village?”