King of Prey: (A Bird Shifter Novel) (10 page)

“Know what?”

“Who and what we are,” he said, his voice even.

Suddenly, the idea of knowing everything terrified her more than her current state of ignorance. Blood-tinged water slid down the man’s bare torso and into the top of the loincloth he wore. Rayna glanced around, trying to see if anything would work to bind his wounds.

“If your goal is to escape, you should understand the portal back to your world is at an elevation from which you will plummet to your death. Should you attempt to cross it without one of us there to hold you, it will not end in your favor.”

“I was looking for something to help stop your bleeding,” she said, not bothering to hide her annoyance with the man.

“Oh.” He appeared puzzled and then something in his expression seemed to soften. “I am Lazar of the
Falco Peregrinus
.”

She clutched her knees to her chest tighter. “As in a falcon?”

The corners of his mouth twitched slightly. “Yes. As in a falcon. And your name is?”

“Rayna, as in not in Kansas anymore, Rayna,” she said, unsure why she gave him any details without fully understanding what was going on.

“I am sorry to be the one to tell you of all you did not know.” Lazar went to one knee and looked out from sympathetic eyes. For an abductor, he wasn’t as fearsome as he’d first seemed. Setting aside the fact he had wings that sprouted from his upper back and then disappeared within seconds, he wasn’t so bad.

She steadied her breathing and avoided making any sudden moves. “Does it hurt?”

Lazar lifted a brow and glanced at his wounds. “I have been hurt worse.”

“I meant your wings. When they come out and go back in, does it hurt?”

A slow, steady grin spread over his face. “If I go too long between shifting, my skin itches and I long to feel the air against me as I soar in the skies above. But no, the shift itself is painless.”

“Why,” Rayna focused on the ground, “did you call Kabril a king? He’s a doctor and he doesn’t have wings.”

The sick feeling in the pit of her stomach returned and she was positive she didn’t want to hear Lazar’s answer. He cleared his throat and she met his gaze. “How is it you could spend so much time with him, yet know so little?”

I’m wondering the same thing.

She shrugged.

“Maybe you are not the one he seeks. When I witnessed the two of you conducting the starts of coupling, I thought you were she. The human it is said he is destined to mate with.”

Rayna ran her hand through the grass next to her, wanting desperately to be home. Her bottom lip trembled as the thought of Kabril taking another woman to his bed beat at her mind. The implication of what Lazar was saying wasn’t lost on her. “Kabril is like you? He can—” She ripped a handful of grass from the ground and clutched it to her. “—grow wings too?”

The pity in Lazar’s eyes only served to cut deeper into her heart. None of what was happening was a dream. It was as real as the grass she held and the air she breathed. It also meant Kabril had lied to her. Gained her trust and used her.

“My orders were to seize the human female, alive or dead, and return to the castle at once.” He looked to the sky. “I do not think it wise to follow these now.”

“W-why?”

“Because it is clear his omissions have hurt you enough. I wish not to see my king inflict more pain upon you for simply falling prey to our enemy. As I have said, our king is not without fault. Trust when I say he not a king anyone sets an innocent before. There is a time to follow blindly. This is not one of them.”

Inflict more pain?

Rayna gasped. “They want to hurt me? Why?”

His refusal to answer left Rayna wondering how much to the story there was. Lazar was clearly hiding something. What? She wasn’t sure.

Lazar touched his wounds with reluctant fingers and she knew he was in a good deal of pain. “We should rest. Others will come in search of you.”

“Others?” Rayna moved towards him quickly, no longer caring that he had the ability to sprout wings.

Lazar chuckled. “I will allow no harm to come to you, Rayna.”

She eyed his wounds, the one on his side in particular and snorted. “No offense but I don’t think you’re—”

“The soil from Earth has something ours lacks. Something in your soil inhibits our ability to heal quickly. Under normal circumstances, my wounds would be nothing more than faint scars by now.”

She vividly recalled the dirt hitting him after she threw the rock. “I’m sorry.”

Lazar patted her hand. “You were attempting to protect yourself. You have nothing to be sorry for. I—” He sighed. “—on the other hand, do. As soon as I am able, I will return you to your realm. It would be wise if you were to disappear for a while there. The Falco wish greatly to possess you. They believe King Kabril will lay down his sword and barter for your safe return.”

Envisioning Kabril wielding a sword wasn’t as hard as it should have been. All the times she’d referred to his behavior as regal and his speech as implacable haunted her. As much as she wanted to argue the point that Kabril wasn’t the king Lazar spoke of, in her heart she knew Lazar spoke the truth.

She picked a purplish-colored leaf from a plant near her and dipped it into the crystal clear water. “This isn’t poisonous, is it?”

Lazar shook his head and chuckled. “No. The flowers the plant will get late in the season are harvested and used in medicine. Was your goal to poison me?”

Rayna knew he was joking. She took the leaf and pressed it to his open wound as gently as she could. He hissed but let her continue, pulling leaves, wetting them and putting them over his open wound.

He caught her hand in his and stared at her, their faces dangerously close. “You tend to me when, by rights, you should be vexed by all I have brought upon you.”

“Without you, I’ll plummet to my death, remember?” She smiled, trying to make light of a situation she wanted nothing more than to crumble and cry in. Falling to pieces would accomplish nothing. She wanted to go home. Lazar could get her there. Something about him seemed genuine and she needed someone to trust.

His smile faded as his gaze flashed towards the sky. “Run!”

Confused by his sudden change, Rayna simply stared at him. “What?”

Dark shadows eclipsed the sun. In an instant Rayna was yanked to her feet by her hair. She cried out and tried to break free, only to find herself being thrust towards a hulk of a man. Dark brown, almost black wings spanned out at least twelve feet in each direction. The menacing stare he leveled on her shook Rayna to the core.

“Humbert,” Lazar said, his voice strained. “No.”

The brute holding her glowered in the direction Lazar’s voice had come from. “Is this the human?” His lip curled. “Disgusting creatures.”

“No. I took the wrong one. She was near their king but is…”

Humbert’s lecherous gaze slid over her, making her skin crawl before moving back towards Lazar. “You have always been weak where females are concerned.” He spat as he glared at Lazar. “The king anticipated as much from you, Lazar. He sent you to test your allegiance.”

“But I seized the wrong—”

“It matters not. She will not be permitted to leave now that she’s seen our realm. And you, Lazar, you shall be handled accordingly.” The man untied one side of his loincloth and fear coursed through her veins.

Lazar moved quickly, attacking the man nearest him. In an instant, the man was sinking in the water, his throat sliced open. Lazar’s fingers were bloodied. She looked closer and realized his fingernails were now long, dagger-like. She had little doubt they were the weapon Lazar used to kill the man, even in his weakened state. He held his wounded side and staggered. “Humbert, I will not…will not…”

He swayed and went to one knee, dashing Rayna’s hopes of being spared from Humbert. She tried to rush past Humbert but he extended his wings, blocking her path. He stuck his chin out defiantly. “Going somewhere?”

Without thought, Rayna kicked him square between the legs. Humbert doubled over, clutching himself as a choked gasp broke free of him. Her gaze snapped to Lazar. Beads of sweat broke on Lazar’s brow and he swayed a bit, touching the ground with one hand to steady himself. Rayna rushed to his side. “Are you okay?”

He nodded a second before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he tipped forward, splashing into the water. Rayna didn’t hesitate. She dove in after him. The icy water shocked her system but she didn’t stop. She continued onward, reaching for him through the clear, cold water.

Chapter Twenty

Kabril grabbed hold of his chest and felt as if someone had hit him with a block of ice, stealing his breath. His arms cramped and he lost his focus for just a second, but long enough to jar him from flight. His wings folded in, cradling his body as he fought and failed to draw in air. Something seized him from behind, lifting him and ceasing his decent.

“Kabril!” Sachin’s voice pushed through the pain, clearing Kabril’s head.

The icy feeling vanished almost as quickly as it had arrived. The innate knowledge something was wrong with his mate settled over him. His iron will surged forth. “Rayna!”

“What vexes you, my lord?” Sachin asked.

“Rayna is hurt. The situation is grave.”

“Is she…?” Sachin swallowed thickly. “Is she still alive?”

As much as Kabril wanted to believe she was safe and all would be well, his gut told him differently. He pushed off Sachin and flew in the direction his mate’s distress signal had come from. “I do not know.”

The Tocallie Mountains spanned a great distance and were easy to get lost in. Nothing could keep him from Rayna now that he’d connected with her on another level. Sachin tried to change course, heading in the logical direction—towards the closest portal—but Kabril remained steady, following the pull of his mate. A clearing appeared and he spotted a Falco warrior near the edge of a spring. Red tinged what should have been crystal clear water. A knot formed in his throat as his heart hammered furiously.

Rayna.

A strangled cry ripped free of him as he began his rapid decent. Kabril broke through the surface of the icy water, already knowing how cold it was. The velocity at which he hit the water left him shooting past his target. Rayna’s long hair danced in the water, lifting and swaying with a sickening silence as her limp body headed downwards. A Falco warrior was near her, his body lifeless as well. Kabril recognized him immediately as one of the men he’d fought with. Torn between rage and concern for Rayna, he thrust his anger down and seized hold of his mate. Her body was as cold as the water she was submerged in.

Holding her close, Kabril kicked, using his powerful body to take her quickly to the surface. He drew in a deep breath the moment he emerged, but Rayna did nothing. Her body remained listless. Every fiber of his being called out to the Epopisdeus, begging them for forgiveness and to spare the life of the one he loved.

More than loved.

The scope of his feelings hit him hard. This was his woman. His destiny before him and she was gone. It couldn’t be. He’d had only moments with her, what felt like seconds in the span of his long life. He wanted more.
 

Needed more.

He could not go on if Rayna were not by his side. She had somehow managed to become his everything and so very much more.
 

“Rayna,” he breathed, unshed tears filling his eyes as his chest tightened at the thought of losing her. He could not remember when he had last wept. Kings did not cry. They did not show weakness.

For her I would give up everything.

Someone pried Rayna from his cold hands before someone else yanked him free of the water. Kabril knew his men were close, trying to help, but he needed to be near Rayna.

“N-no!”

His teeth chattered as he reached for his mate. The moment he touched her cheek, a sob fell from his lips. “Magaious, I beg of you, take my life in place of hers. Take me. Spare her. She is young. A long life before her. I have lived many hundreds of years. Me for her!”

He meant every word. He didn’t want to walk the path of life without her there. Without her smile, without her laughter.

A circle of gasps sounded around him but Kabril ignored them. It mattered not what his men thought, only that Rayna survived. He would rather die knowing she lived on than to go a single day without her by his side.

Chapter Twenty-One

Sachin stood silently watching his long-time friend hold firm to the woman he’d grown to love. It pained Sachin, knowing he’d withheld the truth of who Rayna was from Kabril. He directed his gaze skyward and closed his eyes as Kabril openly prayed to the Epopisdeus he’d shunned so long ago. Sachin joined in, silently calling upon the bird gods to intervene.

He glanced to the side and found Humbert being lifted away, his wings, hands and ankles bound. Curses spat forth from his foul mouth and Sachin vowed to cut the man’s tongue from his head before the night was out.

His men lifted a second Falco warrior from the depths of the frigid water, not bothering to tie him. They followed behind Humbert and the others in the direction of the castle. Sachin didn’t need to instruct his men to put the two in the dungeon. It went without saying. He did have to give a rather stern look at the remaining guards, fearing they’d take it upon themselves to kill the Falcos instead of allowing the king the pleasure.

Sachin eyed his friend and went to turn his back to give Kabril a private moment for mourning Rayna when a bright light shone down upon them. At first, it bordered on blinding before dimming enough to allow Sachin to make out Kabril’s and Rayna’s outlines.

The sound of Rayna coughing was music to his ears. It was as if the heavens opened and harps played. Afraid his imagination and wishful thinking had run away with him, Sachin watched his old friend carefully. The moment Kabril tipped his head back and let out a fierce growl of triumph, Sachin drew his sword and held it high.

“Praise Magaious!”

Kabril rocked Rayna, holding her so tight Sachin wondered if his friend would hamper her already labored breathing. He moved to Kabril’s side quickly. “I can carry her while you regain your strength, my lord.”