Shifting the Night Away (33 page)

He didn’t talk on our way back to our room, so I took the opportunity to peer around. Most of the other rooms were unfurnished, the paint peeling and dust bunnies settled into the corners. There were too many rooms for it to be just a house—and based on the chalkboards I saw in each room, this must have been a schoolhouse at some point. Clearly it was abandoned, but the room they were keeping me in seemed to have been updated. The furniture was new, the paint recent, the floors clean, but for some reason they hadn’t bothered to even sweep the rest of the building.

I didn’t like that; men who have to hide from the world were dangerous. All I could hope was that if—when—Riker showed up, it was to break me free.

***

Despite all the stress and anxiety of my situation, I somehow fell asleep again. I knew this because I woke up with a hand shaking my shoulder rudely.

“It’s time to go,” Darren insisted, his voice harsh.

“Go where?” I asked, but no answers were forthcoming. They pulled me to my feet, bound my hands together again, and led me out the door.

“Wait.” Darren pulled out a blindfold and wrapped it around my head. The world darkened to the thin sliver of light that peeked through thin fabric.

My whole day here had seemed like a dream, almost as if it happened to someone else. I hadn’t taken any of it seriously until now, blind and bound, fear coursing through my veins.
They’re going to kill me,
I thought with sudden certainty.
I’m not going to let them.

With all my effort, I threw myself back against the hands holding me. I couldn’t see them, but I felt my head connect with something, and someone yelped.

“Hey!”

“Fuck—stop it!”

They struggled to hold me as I screamed at the top of my lungs, kicking and throwing punches wildly. For a moment I felt thin air around me as their arms broke away, and I rushed forward.

For a second—maybe two—I was free. But of course they caught me tight and held me close.

“Stop trying to escape,” Darren growled, his voice in my ear. “It’s useless.”

It was, I realized; the arms holding me had supernatural strength. But I had to try. If I was going to die today, at least I’d die trying to live. But a few more moments of struggle emphasized that he was right; it
was
useless.

“What are you going to do with me?” I screamed, despair rushing through me. “Please tell me.”

A voice answered; Killian’s by the sound of it. “We’re going to turn you into one of us.”

“If you don’t die in the process,” Darren added. “So you better pray you’re strong enough to make it out of the Cave of Sorrows alive.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Water Dark and Deep

The woods around the Cave of Sorrows were thick enough that the branches overhead shadowed the earth even at high noon. That made it difficult to sniff out Mara, especially with so many trails in the area.

Though he searched for their minds again and again, his clan was either hidden in the crowd or blocking him out. He’d put money on the latter option.

The panther paced and prowled inside him, tail swirling back and forth with irritation.
Mate. Find. Now.
Riker circled around the edges of the conclave, watching as the action at the foot of the cave heated up. He could
feel
the psychic energy of so many half-feral shifters in one place, teeth bared in ritualistic grins. They were feline and wolfish, young and old, male and female, and their pulsing energy drew him towards their apex.

There.
He saw her, held by the arms between two of his clan members, struggling boldly for someone so overpowered. His instincts screamed at him to rush to her, save her, but the entire shifter conclave was in the way and they wouldn’t let him through.

Mate.
The panther was insistent, and he felt it leaking through. His eyes were no doubt glowing, his canine teeth sharpening like spikes. Unbidden, a growl pulsed inside his chest and erupted from his lips.
Mate.

Beast that it was, the panther would not be denied. And, truth be told, Riker couldn’t resist the siren song anymore. He let himself go, muscles shifting as his bones poured into a new shape, skin and fur snapping around the distinct form of a predator.

In his panther form, the frenzy around Riker increased sevenfold in force. He felt the pulse of a hundred beasts around him, their minds slipping against his like shimmering fish. Distant but distinct was his pride, his clan, his family.

Give her back to me,
he thought, forcing himself inside their minds.

You’ll have to come get her.
Darren’s voice; he’d always been an upstart asshole.
Soon enough, she’ll be one of us.

He snarled, showing his long teeth.
Or dead, drowned by the water. You know it.

Sorrow pulsed through their connection.
You’ve given us no choice. This is your place, with us.

They’d dragged her near the water with the other sacrifices. Most were willing, but many were afraid; they knew there was a strong chance they would die in those still depths. For the few unwilling sacrifices, today was not a good day.

He rushed through the outer ranks and came face-to-face with the lion.

You are not welcome here.

They snarled at each other, fur ruffling, fangs bared.
I am more than welcome here. I
belong
here. And I claim my clan.

His mind rang out into the ether like a strike of lightning. The bond snapped into place quickly, forging between Riker and Darren, Cody, Jonathan, and Killian. Where they’d been like other shifters before, now their thoughts felt louder and clearer, and he could see from their eyes as easily as he saw from his own.

In their eyes, he saw Mara at the edge of the pool.
Let me through.

Though he was loathe to do so, the lion stepped aside, leaving a clear path into the Cave of Sorrows for Riker. He raced to her, roaring out his rage and agony. All around her the whirling mass of frenzied, feral beasts pushed the tributes closer and closer to the water.

He leapt for her, legs outstretched as he flew through the air. She turned to him, their eyes colliding across time and space. In that moment he swore she knew it was
him,
and no one else.

She was horrifyingly close to the edge of deep, clear water when he fell between her legs and its edge. He braced himself against her, his toes barely slipping into the water as he ushered her away from damnation.

Moments that seemed like hours passed, and they were at the edge of the cavern, on dry land. Riker could hear Mara’s heartbeat thrumming beneath her skin. He curled around her, a deep purr rumbling from his body to hers.

Leaning over, she threaded her fingers through his fur.

“Pretty kitty,” she murmured, her touch a soothing balm on his still-fiery anger.
Mate.
For once, Riker had to agree with the infernal beast.

***

The pool in the Cave of Sorrows was so dark and still that looking it at gave me the impression I was staring down into infinity. I shivered at the thought of falling into those depths, and was truly grateful for Riker’s solid form against my legs.

He started to change, and I turned away, staring out of the cave into the crowd beyond. Beasts of a dozen shapes and sizes stared back, not at me but into the pool, their eyes seemingly frozen to that spot. Dark forms slipped further and further into the darkness of the water, disappearing possibly forever.

“We should go.” Riker’s voice was in my ear, his arms loose around my waist. He was done shifting into his human form. “I’m sorry.”

Somehow, despite everything, I believed him. “I just want to get out of here. Will they let us?”

Turing to face me, he looked into my eyes with his own bright, sharp yellow gaze. “No one is getting in my way.”

“For some reason, I find that very comforting.”

He smiled, slipping his hand in mine and leading me to the edge of the cave. I watched as lions, wolves, tigers, and bears acknowledged his passing and stepped aside. I couldn’t tell exactly what he did, but there was a feeling in the air like static electricity after a long thunderstorm. We walked through the space they made, Riker pulling me close with a protective arm.

I can’t believe that just happened,
I thought, dizzy at the near miss. It had all happened so fast; last night I’d been in bed, and this afternoon I was yanked from the edge of a mysterious, supernatural pool of water.

At the fringes of the gathered group, I spotted the distinct form of black panthers making themselves scarce. They pushed past the other shifters, heads low, tails tucked beneath their legs. I spared them a glower for what they’d done.

“Don’t worry,” Riker murmured to me, his voice low, “I’ve punished them for what they tried to do to you.”

“Punished them how?”

His eyes sparked with fierce anger. “I shut them out of the telepathic bond we share. It’s hard to explain, but it’s like yanking the rug out from under someone, or falling off a cliff forever. They’ll feel pretty shitty right about now.”

I almost pitied them, but not quite. The only one who’d shown me any kindness was the last guy to show up, waiting until we reached the cave to join the others. He hadn’t seemed to want to go along with their plan; I didn’t catch his name, but he’d looked at me with pitying eyes.

“I’m not sure I understand this telepathic bond thing. Or any of it, really,” I admitted to Riker as we passed into the woods beyond, “but I’m grateful that you saved me. If I’d fallen into the pool I think I would have drowned by now.”

“Not everyone who falls in drowns.” Riker’s yellow eyes were slowly changing to a more normal green. “The rest of us become… something else.”

“Shapeshifters? Like you?” My voice was quiet in the space between us.

“Yes, shapeshifters. But there are others, or at least I’ve heard there are. Witches and seers, telepaths and… other things. But only the shifters stay in our community. The others are left to fend for themselves. If they survive.”

I shivered. “It sounds lonely.”

“It can be. But it’s tradition.” He stopped, turning towards me with a very serious look on his face. “Mara, I know you’ll probably never forgive me for all the lies I’ve told you and the danger I put you in. But I have to say it anyway: I’m sorry. I wish I could’ve told you about everything, but it was… hard. I didn’t know how you’d react, and telling you would’ve put you in even more danger. And I swear—on my
life—
that I didn’t touch a hair on that jackass Danny’s head. I know I probably seem violent and crazed to you, but I would never hurt an innocent person. Not even a less-than-innocent person.”

By the end, he almost sounded like he was pleading with me. I studied his face, which was so familiar to me now. The last day had been an eternity, but now I was just grateful for his warm presence.
Of course I forgive him.

“I get why you had to keep things from me. And I trust you. How could I not? You saved my life. There’s nothing to forgive.”

Then, standing up on the tips of my toes, I kissed him. He pulled back for a moment, surprise written all over his face, then brought me close for an earth-shattering kiss. Just then we were the only two people in the world, safe and separate.

Until a voice interrupted us.

“Riker.”

It was the werepanther I didn’t know, back in human form, his warm brown eyes imploring us. Riker let go of me to put himself between me and the other man, a growl rumbling in his chest.

“What the hell do you want, Jonathan?”

He sighed, running a shaky hand through his hair. “It’s the clan. All of them. If you don’t step in and do something, Dan and Kip are gonna kill all of them. Or worse.”

What could be worse than death, I wondered? Riker seemed to know. He’d gone paler than death itself.

“I’ll take care of it. Mara…” He gave me a regretful look. “I have to go back.”

“Then I’m coming with you.” I wasn’t getting left behind again.