Shadow Of A Mate (13 page)

Blinking, Kyle wondered if he should have eaten some more of the food Logan had made before seeking Merrick out earlier. Comparing magic crystals to food was a little weird.

“Kade,” Logan whispered, coming forward and reaching out although not trying to take the crystals. Logan looked...crushed.

Kyle shared a brief glance with Merrick as everyone else turned to narrow in on the wolf shifter. “What?”

“She had a young man apprenticed out to her. Kade. He and I...but he disappeared about ten years ago. She killed him.” Logan’s bottom lip quivered and sadness leaked off him steadily.

Lowering the blood crystals, Merrick nodded, actually being surprisingly sensitive about the issue. “I’m sorry.”

“What do we do with the crystals?” Tryst looked back and forth between Logan and Merrick.

After a moment of silence, Merrick rolled the glowing rocks from hand to hand, seemingly testing them for something. “I can take the energy, release it and redirect it as an intense healing power.”

This time everyone turned to Rogo and the lion shifter didn’t exactly appear overly enthused by the idea. In fact, Kyle would have to say he looked nauseated. He didn’t blame him. Kyle wouldn’t want to benefit from someone who was murdered either. It just seemed wrong.

“I don’t want anyone’s blood and suffering to help me,” Rogo said, shaking his head and refusing to take them. “Keep it to use for Jay.”

“It won’t work—” Merrick motioned to the walls growing around them. “See the way the trees and plants grow toward us and are trying to box us in? That’s her. As soon as we leave this place the witch will know and she will cut the connection with the crystal magic. They’ll just be rocks then.” Merrick held one up in the dwindling light as the jungle closed into a canopy above them, blocking out the bright moonlight.

Surprisingly, it was Logan who walked over and knelt down next to Rogo to try and convince him to use the magic. “Please take it. I don’t want the last thing Kade—or what is left of him—does to be evil. Besides, he always had a strange fondness for cats. He wouldn’t mind going out helping you.” Logan even managed to muster a small smile.

Rogo’s lips twitched at the tortured attempt at humour.

“Please.” Logan took one of Rogo’s large hands. “Please help put my friend at peace.”

Appealing to the large lion’s sense of honour was the best play. Kyle wasn’t shocked when Rogo caved and gave permission for Merrick to use the magic crystals.

“If that is truly the case, I will agree. I would not see a good person’s last act taken from them or tainted. What do I need to do?” Rogo asked with a heavy sigh and a wince of pain, clutching at his damaged side.

“Nothing.” Merrick crushed the crystals in one fist and bright light leaked out from between his fingers, light so bright they couldn’t look directly at it. With the other hand, Merrick held Rogo down, motioning for Kyle to come and help. “Keep him still.”

No sooner had Kyle crouched and secured Rogo’s shoulders, Merrick slammed the glowing stones to Rogo’s chest. The lion reacted instantly, back bowing and mouth wide open in a silent roar.

It only lasted a moment, but Kyle saw the energy pass from the stones into Merrick’s hand then into Rogo in one continuous glowing stream.

With his eyes snapped open, Rogo’s pupils flashed red. That passed quickly and soon after Rogo’s human body burst apart, leaving Merrick and Kyle holding down a panting lion with fur the colour of the night sky above them.

“Easy,” Kyle soothed, patting the lion’s shoulder.

“You’re fine, just a little disorientated because of the rush, I bet.” Merrick looked into Rogo’s eyes, getting a lot closer to the massive lion’s face than Kyle would have been comfortable doing.

“It might be best if you stay in your lion skin for a while to help absorb the energy,” Merrick added.

“We need to get moving again, we’ve wasted over an hour here already with the snake,” Tryst said with a curse as he and Mack in human form began searching for a way over or through the barrier.

Rogo tensed and the large lion’s head snapped around to stare at the betas who were trying to unsuccessfully climb the blackened wall of roots. The dark fur immediately began to recede.

“I told you to stay as a lion. But no, why would you listen to me, I’m only the one who knows what he’s fucking talking about. And now I’m talking to myself. I hate this fucking place,” Merrick spat, growling and swiping at on overeager root that snaked along the ground to try and encircle Merrick’s foot.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Rogo said, bowing his head.

Tryst and Mack turned to him and mouthed
sir
with a questioning expression.

Shrugging, Kyle didn’t have an answer. He found it weird, too.

Seemingly unbothered by the title, Merrick sighed. “That’s okay. I’m sorry I yelled.”

This just kept getting freakier.

With only a grunt of pain and effort, Rogo sat up and grabbed Kyle and Merrick’s sleeves, tugging them closer with wide panicked eyes. “I heard Beta Tryst say that you had wasted an hour. I’ve been lost in this jungle for two days.”

Silence met that announcement.

Scouring over the map Logan had drawn up for them, Kyle marked off the places he thought they had been by trying to match landmarks and rivers from where Logan remembered them being.

He wished Jay was here. His mate was great at this kind of logical thinking and would no doubt have a kick ass map, accurate down to the last acorn on the ground before ten minutes were up.

From Rogo’s revelation that he had been gone two days, unable to find the path back to camp because the trails played tricks and changed directions they had been able to determine that they were closer to the lair than originally thought. Logan was positive that time fluctuations only occurred when someone got to within a certain distance of the river that protected Katrianna’s home.

None of their radios or phones worked and the GPS kept showing them walking in circles even when they tested it and knew for certain that they had travelled in a straight line.

The swamp had delayed them and the jungle was trying to confuse them.

No one was to separate now. He’d told everyone to stay within eyesight of each other. Not even Merrick had argued with that order.

“Don’t nudge me,” Mack snapped.

“Stop kicking stones at me then,” Tryst shouted back and Kyle could hear the edge of leopard in the tone. He was close to shifting.

Kyle lifted his head from where he was hunched over his annotated map and glared at his betas in worry. They were all starting to bite at each other. It had been around four hours since they discovered that time was moving strangely. The sun should have risen by now, but through the small gaps in the thick canopy Kyle could still see the moon high in the sky.

“Guys, break it up. You know it’s the jungle doing this to you. Get a grip!” He let a little of his dominance leak into his words and the betas immediately stopped arguing and turned to him, hands on their hips like stroppy teenagers.

“So you’re shouting at us to stop shouting?”

“Yes!” He kept the straight face until he noticed the twitch at the corner of his betas’ mouths. They broke up into chuckles, and laughed harder when Merrick began muttering about stupid children running around in adult clothes causing trouble.

Even Rogo cracked a smile as the lynx stalked off to scout ahead.

Kyle’s humour vanished when Logan sidled up to him with a serious air about him, and he could tell he was worried about something. “You shouldn’t push him too much. He’s very strong. Perhaps even strong enough to take an alpha.”

Pride ruffled, Kyle narrowed his eyes. “I took him once.”

“From what Jay says, Merrick might have let you win,” Logan pointed out gently, tilting his head to the side to offer his neck in submission when Kyle growled a warning.

That would have been the end of the issue if Merrick hadn’t sauntered back over, clearly having overheard and grinning smugly from ear to ear. Kyle was only mildly annoyed with his pride dented. He’d taken worse.

Smirking back at Merrick, he reached for his jaguar, thinking he could roar at the shifter to win the little competition that had arisen between them. Lynxes could not roar louder than a jaguar. That would prove who was king of this jungle.

Unless of course Merrick was like Jay and could call shifters to him. He was willing to bet not, though.

As soon as his jaguar was close enough that he would be able to give a truly impressive roar that even Rogo would be envious of, Kyle opened his mouth.

Dark rage slammed into him, breaking his spirit apart and remaking him in a blink of an eye. It eroded his sense of self and he ceased being able to tell friend from foe.

Everything seemed distant. The destructive power coursing through his body was well beyond that of his jaguar. He shook with it. It made the rush he’d experienced after pinning his father seem like child’s play. This was the major leagues and it was...intoxicating.

Fisting his hands, he closed his eyes and revelled in the feeling of supremacy.

He felt like a king...like a God.

Opening his eyes, he flicked his gaze up and examined the shifters around him. They did not glow with power. There was a lion, two leopards and a wolf directly in front of him, staring at him. Their animals were not as powerful or dominant as his, they were weak in comparison and no threat to him.

The two leopards he knew belonged to him bowed their heads to him, baring their necks when he rumbled softly as a reminder that he expected acknowledgement. Good betas.

There was one more shifter present however. He turned his attention to the Lynx. His power reached out to taste the air around the shifter as his jaguar breathed deep and assessed the scent.

Magic, old, powerful. Those were the things he picked up from the lynx.

“Kyle. Remember who you are. Remember why we’re here.”

Bristling at the presumptive and unflinching tone, Kyle curled his upper lip to display his teeth.
He
was alpha here, not some interloping glorified housecat. “We are here for my mate.”

“Yes, we’re here for Jay. He’s dying and we need to help him,” the lynx said.

“My mate. Jay.” He tasted the words. He needed his mate. He wanted his mate
now,
but he couldn’t have him because the evil witch stood between them, hurting Jay. “Take me to the witch,” he ordered.

He would defeat this witch then return for his mate. Nothing would stop him. Nothing could.

One of the leopard betas stepped forward, smelling of worry and a little fear. “We’re trying, Kyle.” He could see the leopard was struggling with something and he felt a need to help or offer comfort, but he repressed it. It wasn’t the job of one as powerful as he to coddle those beneath him.

Kyle shook his head to clear it of the persistent pressure.

“I know you won’t believe me, cub. But I am sorry for this.”

“I challenge you,” the lynx announced darkly, swinging him around.

Before Kyle could demand to know what the stupid lynx was blabbering about, a large fist smashed into his face and he stopped being aware of anything as blackness descended.

Kyle blinked and groaned, rolling to his side as pain exploded across his face. What the hell had hit him, a wrecking ball? He could hear people moving around him, but their voices were as loud as a hurricane and he curled into a ball, shielding his ears. His whole body felt like it had been ridden hard and put away wet.

Someone poked him in the side and he flinched. “He’s been out for an hour. Will he be himself again when he wakes up?”

The words were loud and painful to hear, but as he breathed the pounding in his head and his ears lessened enough for him to focus and identify Tryst, Mack and Merrick near him from their scent. Logan and Rogo were further away yet still close.

“How should I know? I’ve got no bloody idea what is going on around here and I swear to God the next time a plant tries to feel me up, I’m razing this fucking freaky jungle to the ground.” That had to be Mack.

“Will you two shut up? I have no idea how the hell Kyle puts up with you both yammering and bickering. If we come across another anaconda, I’m going to feed you both to it just to get some damn peace and quiet.” He’d recognise Merrick’s put upon and annoyed voice anywhere.

In a quiet whisper, he heard Tryst growl and say to Mack, “Asshole. I never liked him.”

“I’m going to tell Jay that Merrick was picking on me so I can watch the bastard squirm when pint-size rips him a new one,” Mack replied in an equally low voice.

“I can still hear you!”

Realising that they were just going to keep talking and arguing until a fight broke out, Kyle forced himself to unclench his hands from his ears and uncurl from the foetal position. “I think you’re meant to, Merrick. Jay really likes Mack and Tryst, they’re his friends and he’ll protect them.”

“Kyle!” Tryst and Mack took one of his arms and helped him into a sitting position, taking his weight until he got comfortable. Both betas looked tired and worn out with slight dark circles under their eyes.

When they didn’t let go immediately, he looked at them and nodded, seeing how worried they were. “Thanks, guys.”

“Are you
you
or are you that other psychotic glowing dic...tator?” Trust Tryst to put it that way and with a teasing smile.

“I’m me. I think,” he added taking stock. He didn’t feel the need to dominate and his jaguar was back to his normal aggression level. Something told him Merrick had had something to do with that. “You hit me,” he accused with a glare in the male’s direction.

Conveniently, his betas suddenly found something much more interesting to look at on the ground a few feet away from them, far enough away to give them some semblance of privacy, but close enough to step in if needed. He and Merrick didn’t exactly have a good track record.

“So...that happened.” What else could he say? Tryst had summed it up pretty well. He busied himself with picking at the hole at the knee of his jeans. He smiled as he realised that it was a habit he’d picked up from Jay.