“Not the happiest…that is reserved for you,leelan.” Brushing a strand of Lucius’ hair off his forehead, Brady gave his mate another light kiss, before saying, “I also know how hard it was for you to decide to stay here…but that doesn’t mean you aren’t protecting me, because you are. Choosing to do what you think is best for me, instead of you, is proof that you will do anything to protect me. So, no,leelan, the Fates did not make a mistake when they picked you to be my mate…and I hope to prove myself worthy of such a gift.
“Now, why don’t you get dressed and come say hello to Vasile and Mystia,” Brady said softly. “I feel your hesitation, but trust me, neither are like the vampires and witches you knew in your former life…and both of them will guard your safety with their lives.”
“I don’t understand why they’d agree to do that,” mumbled Lucius, shaking his head while selecting clothes to put on.
“Because they both refuse to let evil find a foothold in their souls,leelan…and that is why I…and in time, you…can trust them to do what is right.”
Pulling up his jeans over his briefs, Lucius asked, “Even if it means dying?”
“Even if it means dying.”
Picking up a violet t-shirt that matched his eyes, Lucius tugged it over his head, his muffled voice coming through, “You know that’s hard for me to believe…you know, about them dying for me.”
Chuckling, Brady reached up to smooth the wrinkles in Lucius’ shirt. “I would be surprised at this point in time if youdidbelieve it…given what Valerian put you through.”
“Yeah…well, I guess you’re right about that,” Lucius replied, bending down to tie his sneakers. Then, standing up, he held out his hand. “Okay, let’s go meet your friends.”
~/~/~/~/~
“What the fuck?” growled Ivan, as they finally got out of gunshot range, “Who the hell is shooting and at what?”
Raising an eyebrow, Smokey stared at Hawkeye. “You were saying?”
“The opening to the cave is blocked by three armed men…probably the ones responsible for the shots,” Hawkeye replied.
“There’s more?” asked Smokey.
Nodding, Hawkeye drew a map in the dirt, marking the location of the other men he spotted from the air. “These two are further up the mountain, in front of another opening in the rocks.”
“Another cave?” asked Smokey.
“Maybe…but I think it’s connected to the main one.”
“A back door,” Smokey murmured, glancing at Hawkeye.
“Yeah,” Hawkeye agreed. “From what I could see, it’s small…not really big enough for anyone inside to stand up.”
“So what are these two assholes doing there?” Smokey asked, pointing to the remaining ‘x’s’ on the map.
“Backup in case anyone escapes. I couldn’t see any weapons but since everyone else is armed…”
“They are, too,” Smokey mused, staring at the map.
“One other thing,” Hawkeye said, “I could smell blood.”
“Fuck!” Smokey muttered; his gut told him it belonged to one, if not both, of Kevin’s parents. Waiting until dark wasn’t an option anymore, which gave him only one choice. Using Hawkeye’s map, he quickly explained the plan to his men, assigning each according to their skills. Rising, he signaled them to strip and shift. And when he was satisfied that everyone had done so and that no further orders needed to be given, he shifted too and headed up the path that would lead him to the cave.
~/~/~/~/~
Pressing down on her husband’s shoulder wound, Elen Pilip tried to stem the flow of blood but could only slow it down slightly. She was running out of time; his lips were getting bluer as shock set in. Glancing around the cave, she searched for something that could help her save him but found nothing. He needed to shift if there was any hope of him surviving but Elen knew the tiny trickle of water running down one of the walls wasn’t nearly enough for a Narwhal. His only hope was the river they passed on their way up the mountain, but that could only happen if she shifted into her animal and carried him there. And that was the conundrum—once her horse appeared, she wouldn’t be able to help him climb up on her back.
“Elen…go…save yourself.”
Locking eyes with her husband’s while shaking her head vigorously in disagreement with his suggestion, she said, “You listen to me, Harte…I won’t leave you, so get that idea out of your head. We are going to get out of here together…understand?”
Giving a tiny smile, Harte whispered, “Stubborn…always so stubborn.”
“That’s right,” Elen murmured, “so you might as well stop that kinda talk because I have a plan to get us to safety.”
