Green Shadow, page 17
Connor’s smile was cheerful on the outside, but it was a mask. His fists clenched hard at his side, communicating his inner turmoil. I tasted his emotions, which were just as chaotic as I expected.
The Fenris shifter cleared her throat and gave Connor a guilty look. Then spoke her message in a loving tone. “Stay strong. Don’t give up. And for the love of the Old God, hug everyone for me.”
A strangled sound escaped Connor’s throat, and the stocky metal mage crumpled to his knees. Tears streamed from his eyes, and his love for his sister radiated off him in waves.
Two little bodies rushed out from behind their mother and tackled him. Timothy and Sara encircled his large shoulders in their small arms, and Connor released the grief he’d held in for months.
The boy patted Connors back in a comforting motion. “The nice lady said you’d need a hug after Ma gave you the message. Sara and I were to hug you for as long as you needed it.”
Dylan’s eyes shone with unshed tears as she watched her children continue to embrace the stranger at her feet.
Connor’s arms snaked around the kids, and he crushed them to his chest. I expected the children to protest, but they only hugged him tighter.
Dylan looked at me, allowing Connor time to gather himself, safe in her children’s care. “Mackenzie told me whoever arrived could get us in contact with people who could help us disappear.” Her tears were gone, but the soft look on her face was still there.
“What about your mate?” I didn’t know her well, but she didn’t seem like the type to abandon anyone she loved.
“Aden was murdered months ago, shortly after my previous Alpha set an ultimatum regarding our non-Fenris partners. Tribe or mate. I chose mate, so they tried to force my hand.” She looked at the children again, “It’s just us now.”
I nodded and siphoned some of her grief, immediately feeling guilty. The pride I’d felt only minutes ago crumbling under the shame of falling back on instinct. Opening my mouth, I owned up to my actions.
“I’m sorry. I should have asked first. I’m trying to change a lifetime of bad habits, and I keep backsliding.” Frowning, I pursed my lips.
“I learned a lot about magic from my husband.” She gave me a wink. “Including how hard it is not to use your passive fields.”
I sighed in relief. Whoever said being a good person was easy had never tried to break a lifetime of bad habits.
Connor’s wet eyes looked at us over the children’s heads. “I have a contact not far from here. Maddie will get the ball rolling, help you vanish.” He turned his attention back to the boy and his sister. “Thank you,” he said. “I needed that.”
“Me too,” whispered little Sara, a shy look on her face. She clutched Connor’s shirt in an iron grip. Timothy didn’t say anything, but he held on just as tight.
“We need to get moving,” I said, plans already forming in my mind. “If a team was already here, we don’t know how long until the authorities arrive.” The sooner we left, the safer we would be.
Everyone agreed, and as we walked back through the house, I couldn’t help but remember all the reports I’d scoured in recent days. I grabbed anything that might track back to Terra, desperately trying to find a pattern that would point us toward their home base. I didn’t find the information I sought. But seeing this scene, another pattern came to light.
It was eerily close to others I’d come across from the last year Terra was active. When I got back home, I needed to revisit those documents. Reassess my initial thoughts on some of those kills.
No one spoke as we picked our way out of the house. Darkness fully embraced the sky, making hiding our large group easier.
I turned to Dylan. “I need you to shift.”
Falling back into my Protector training, I began to analyze the best path to complete our goal. “It will be easier to travel If there are fewer people to look at.” Confidence filled me. This was familiar ground.
Bending down, I motioned for Connor to do the same. When he did, I helped Sara clamber on his back. The girl didn’t hesitate. Then, taking his sister’s lead, Timothy wrapped his arms around my neck without prompting.
Dylan didn’t waste time with questions and changed. In under a minute, a coyote panted where the human woman once stood. She circled the area with a quiet yip and used her enhanced senses to make sure the coast was clear. A nod of Dylan’s canine head and Connor whispered directions in her furry ear.
It took us over an hour to navigate to a storefront a few miles away. We’d had to stop twice and hide when our Fenris scout detected people. Now, Dylan and her children were in the safe care of a burly, clean-shaven man and his petite, plump wife, Maddie.
“Thanks, Maddie. I appreciate you taking this risk.” Connor bent low to peck the woman on her cheek. She giggled.
“None of that, you. I knew I might be called upon when I made that deal with your sister all those years ago. And I don’t regret it one bit. This family will be fine in our care. Promise.”
“Never doubted it, Madds.” Connor smiled.
While they spoke, Dylan came to stand beside me. “Thank you. I don’t know how she got word to you, but I will forever be grateful.”
A sad weight pressed on me, but I kept it from showing. “I’m happy we could help.”
She huffed and gave me a sad smile. “You’re too sad to feel much joy right now.” She tapped the side of her nose.
I’d heard rumors that Terran shifters could sense more than they let on. I smiled at her, and this time it was more genuine. “I am happy and sad. I wished to hell I’d been able to get here in time to help her.”
Dylan nodded, then held out her hand. “If there is anything I can ever do to help, find a way to ask. I pay my debts.”
I took her hand and shook it. “If you ever make it to GreenRiver, look me up.”
Her piece said, she wandered over and fussed with her children. Connor finished his conversation with Maddie, then we both took our leave.
While we walked, I’d expected the tension leaking from Connor to lessen. Our task was complete. But instead of dissipating, the muscles in his shoulders bunched, and a white line traced along his jaw.
“What else did you see?” I coaxed.
Connor shuddered, and a hesitant look entered his eye. I was only now seeing that he was just as wary of strangers as his older sister, no matter how carefree he pretended to be. The trust he had extended now felt like a huge boon.
I held my magic back. Linked so closely to the part of me that made an excellent Protector of Dragons, it wanted to surge forward and soothe the man, entice him to share. Before meeting Mackenzie, I may have done it and rationalized my actions, convincing myself I had the boy’s best interest at heart.
Mackenzie had opened my eyes to the seductive nature of my abilities. It was a crutch, a thing I used instead of putting effort into earning a person’s trust. I didn’t want to be like the people who held her. To have people like and trust me because I manipulated them into it. I wanted all those things only if I had earned them.
“I wasn’t going to tell you. I thought I could hide it, carry this burden alone. But it’s eating at me, Lucan. I can feel it eroding my soul.” Connor stared up at the moon. “It wasn’t an impression she wanted me to have. It slipped in with one of the others, tied to her feelings.”
I waited, allowing the silence to go on as long as possible. Eventually, my impatience got the better of me. “Mackenzie wouldn’t want you to carry this alone,” I reasoned.
Connor looked at me, young and vulnerable. “She would, though.” He grumbled. “She’s so strong. We all took her for granted at times, and she never said anything.”
I searched my brain for the right words to say, but nothing came forward to lift him out of his depressed state. So, I spoke from the heart.
“Stubborn is a better word.” I gave the mage a wry grin, one he reluctantly returned. “And I promise I will help her break that bad habit.”
“Good luck with that,” Connor’s reply had a touch more humor, and I was glad his mood lightened.
“She never told us why we ran when we did. Why we chose that moment to take off.” Connor’s voice was low, and the sadness returned.
Now that he had started, the words poured out of him. “We weren’t born,” he shared. “They made us, mad scientist style.”
Rage built within me. My dragon and I in accord.
“You mentioned that before. How old were you?” I kept a lid on my temper by mere threads.
“Young, Kenzie was the oldest, almost six. Brooke, the youngest, only four.” I closed my eyes, hands clenched into fists. My fingers shifted to talons and broke the skin of my palms.
“You mentioned that the Triad took prospective Protectors young, and that they segregated you in your teens.”
I nodded.
Connor shrugged. “You have a vague idea, then. But it was bad, Lucan. So bad.” He turned his face from me. “It was ten times worse for Kenzie. She let them do things to her, to protect us.” Connor’s dark skin paled as memories swam behind his eyes.
The dragon in me wanted to rip and tear. The man wanted the same things. I’d thought my anger had been hot when she left. It was nothing to the raging inferno threatening to boil over.
I locked it down. Right now, it wasn’t about me, or my anger. It was about Connor and his pain. And I’d be damned if I threw this nascent trust in his face.
“The process they used to create us is gone,” he whispered. “I didn’t know, not until tonight. But Kenzie did. It’s why we left when we did.” He looked away and clenched his fist. “They need Kenzie to create more soldiers. And with magic hampering all artificial methods. They’ve reverted to getting results the only way they can.” Connor choked on those words, and before I could respond, he broke down into swirling metal dust and merged with the lump of metal around my neck.
It took a moment for the importance of his words to hit me. Then it clicked. What was happening to her, possibly right now, created a hollowness inside me. My dragon froze—the horror of it snuffing the flames of his anger in a single blow.
The metal touching my skin was warm but didn’t penetrate the chill creeping into my soul. All thoughts of Terra and the unforgivable acts she’d committed fled from my mind. All I could see was my strong, compassionate, stubborn Mackenzie subjected to unbearable cruelty.
My human skin became too tight. Too confining, and I didn’t fight my dragon when he pushed forward. I was eager to immerse myself in his baser instincts. He was me, but a me that didn’t let silly human shit color his world. A me that would spend days in a dirt hole protecting a woman, who, at the time, I barely tolerated because a mythical bond told him to.
It was hiding. I knew that and accepted it anyway.
Neck stretched up to the sky. I loosed a bugling roar, announcing my pain to the world. Then in a single bound. I launched myself into the night air.
Chapter 19
Lucan
I stayed silent as conversation flowed around me. Connor had calmed down during the journey home and was emotionally stable enough to put on a strong face for the family.
Of course, Alec, Tyr, and Brooke saw through the façade, forcing the metal mage to disclose most of what we found on our trip. The atmosphere was quiet and somber as the family digested the news.
Connor and I agreed not to talk about the hardships Mackenzie was facing. It wasn’t a burden either of us wished on anyone present, and I wasn’t sure I could stomach repeating the news.
I watched with concern as Brooke got up and left the room. Then, worried that she didn’t return, I followed her into the kitchen.
The warm wood counters and rustic white cabinets of Quinn and Alec’s home had been lovingly polished and cleaned. The floor - pine planks - were scrubbed to a point I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up a piece of food and eat it. The mated pair were doing wonders to make this place the heart of their family.
Brooke was doing the lunch dishes, her hands moving on autopilot while her eyes stared out the window. Her thoughts were a million miles away. Currents of wind tugged at her clothing and hair as wisps of magic escaped her rigid control.
Walking over, I picked up a kitchen towel and dried the dishes. I let the silence between us linger. Watching Brooke from the corner of my eye, I focused on studying her physical cues. If I was determined not to rely on my magic as much, I needed other ways to interpret a person’s emotional state.
Brooke’s hands shook as she pulled the plug on the sink. Her brow furrowed when she wiped it out. By the time she began pacing, her whole body thrummed with anxiety.
Finishing with the last plate, I leaned back against the counter, paying attention to my body language. Arms at my sides, my hands lightly gripping the countertop. Consciously relaxing my neck, shoulders, and chest muscles, I waited for her to make the first move. The last thing Brooke would tolerate right now was me trying to force her to talk.
It didn’t take long for my patience to bear fruit. After only a few minutes, she nodded to herself, squared her shoulders, and turned to face me head-on.
I wouldn’t admit it out loud, but I was slightly intimidated by the sheer determination in her gaze.
“I’m quitting school.” She held my eyes, daring me to forbid her. Instead, I waited. One of the things I’d learned early with Brooke was that it was in my best interest to let her finish her spiel. Only then would she be ready to listen to any counter-argument or to compromise.
The explanation rushed out of her in a wave of verbal diarrhea. “I want to be stronger, faster, better. My teachers won’t let me. They say I should look for a respectable job, find a good husband, and have a bunch of mage babies to carry on and spread my power.” Disgust layered her voice, and I could see her anger rising. Hell, I became affronted on her behalf! What the hell were schools teaching kids these days? Did her teachers live in a different, picture-perfect world?
Brooke plowed on, determined to make me see her side of it. I couldn’t help the amused smile that tugged at my lips. She was fighting so hard, even though I hadn’t said no.
“Most guilds have programs to train future members.” She stood straight. “I’ve talked to three already, and they’re all willing to have me.” She crossed her arms, hunched her shoulders, and set her mouth in a mulish line.
Our eyes met, and I spent the next few minutes staring at her. Brooke began to fidget, then finally threw her hands in the air. “Well…say something!”
In all honesty, I was impressed that she asked. I had only been her guardian for a blink of time, and she easily could have gone around me. Maybe this was a sign of her maturing.
I thought about what she said. How much effort she put into presenting her arguments. It wouldn’t be fair to dismiss her wants and needs. Brooke’s life experiences exceeded those of a regular child her age, and if she needed this, really needed it, then I would do everything in my power to make it happen.
Guilds were still a sore point for me, and though I’d come to accept the members of Catch and Release as good men and women, I wasn’t ready to trust Brooke to just any guild. If she wanted to do this, then I was going to make damn sure she did it right.
Pushing off the counter, I motioned for her to follow. “Come with me.”
Gesturing for her to grab a light jacket, then, angling my head over my shoulder, I yelled. “Brooke and I are heading out for a while. I’ll keep you in the loop.”
A chorus of goodbyes followed us out of the house.
The sun beat down warmly on my face, but the light breeze held a slight chill. I took in a deep breath. It was a gorgeous day; soon, fall would begin coloring the trees. I led Brooke down the drive and along Wing Street, heading towards the bridge that would take us to the Working District.
“If you’re going to show me something horrible in an attempt to change my mind, you’re wasting your time,” she grumbled after walking for about twenty minutes.
I snorted. Brooke had seen far more horrific things in her short life than I could ever stomach showing her, even to scare her. “I’m not going to try and frighten you away,” I started as I stuffed my hands into my coat pockets. “This is important to you. I heard that. I might have a plan, but I need to run it by a couple of people before I tell you.” I bumped her with my elbow. “Protectors deliver.”
Words have profound power to affect someone. The hardest part was that different words meant different things to other people.
Brooke gave me a long look, smiled softly, and moved closer.
Ninety minutes later, with both of us calmer and our cheeks a bit redder from the wind, we stopped in front of Catch and Release. Waving for Brooke to follow, I pushed through the main door and headed straight up the stairs. Brooke followed, eyes wide.
Chris stood at the landing on the second floor, a warm smile directed at Brooke. But, unfortunately, that smile took on a wolfish edge when she glanced in my direction. “Curtis is ready for you.”
Ahhh. I should have called ahead and given the Guildmaster a heads-up. My dragon snickered in my head. I still occasionally forgot that I wasn’t in charge and everyone needed to dance to my whim.
Chris pulled open one of the massive double doors leading into Curtis’s office. I thanked her and marched in, Brooke close behind me. Keeping a close eye on her as she nervously scanned the room, I made sure not to invade her privacy magically.
I saw when the smells of earth, water, and plants reached Brooke. She tensed, her eyes tearing, and her hands clenched hard at her sides. Sympathizing with her, I vainly tried to quell the visceral pang throbbing in my chest.
Brooke’s eyes locked on the oasis tucked into the corner. Then, walking over as if in a dream, she reached out and fingered one of the giant leaves thriving around the pool.
Speedy looked at Brooke, and a mischievous glint entered the reptile’s beady eyes. Oh no, you don’t!
Glaring at the being, I put myself between my ward and the familiar. Locking eyes with the creature, my dragon rose to the forefront. This turtle needed to learn who the top predator was and why messing with anyone I considered mine was a terrible idea.
