Just when Rae thought they’d move through these woods forever, Zander stopped. Scrub had been piled up in this cluster of trees, blocking the view of a casual passerby—if any had bothered to walk this far off the road. Zander lifted away enough of the broken branches and brush to reveal a hole in a clearing, within which was a house.
A nice house. Rae gazed in surprise at a snug log abode that was fairly large, with a veranda running the length of the front. A firebreak separated the house from the bulk of the trees and a fence enclosed a garden. While no vehicles stood near the house, an open shed showed her a pair of sleek snowmobiles.
Zander gave Rae a look of faint amusement. “You think we live out here like rats in a hole? Don’t think so.”
He strode forward, slower this time, his smile fading. He stopped at the porch’s bottom step and looked around in growing alertness.
Rae knew he wouldn’t simply walk up the stairs to the front door. This was another Shifter’s territory—Zander and Rae had to wait to be invited.
Rae scented Lupine, light and blending with the sharp pine smell of the forest. The woodsy odor catapulted Rae back home, to runs in the mountains with her brothers, she a tiny wolf cub trying to keep up with two long-legged felines. Logan and Colin had always waited for her though or stopped to carry her. They never once left Rae behind.
The door opened. The tall man who emerged reminded Rae of Eoin enough to make her breath catch. This man was a Lupine, though, not Feline. His gray eyes and rangy look, not to mention his scent, told her that. He was middle aged, for a Shifter, probably in his two-hundredth year. His dark hair held no touch of gray, his face was unlined, and his body was solid but ropy, as though he liked to run.
The man’s gaze connected with hers, recognized her as a fellow Lupine, then shot back to Zander.
“That’s the Guardian?” he demanded, his thick brows drawing together. “I know you said she was female, but I expected a woman of decent years. She’s still a cub.”
“This is Rae Lyall,” Zander said in a hard voice. “Honorary member of the Lyall clan of Montana, foster daughter of the clan leader. Show some respect.”
“She’s so bloody young,” the Lupine continued.
Rae walked forward until she stood next to Zander. She shook all over but she lifted her head and met the man’s cold gaze. He wasn’t Collared and this was his territory—there was nothing to stop him tearing apart Shifters he considered a threat.
Rae couldn’t show fear. The Lupine already knew she was afraid—he’d scent it—but she had to prove to him that she would do her job, no matter how much he tried to intimidate her.
“I passed my Transition five years ago,” Rae said in a clear voice. “I’m no cub, and I’m here to help.”
Zander rocked ever so slightly on his heels, waiting for the Lupine’s reaction. Nothing to stop Zander tearing into the Lupine if he attacked either.
The Lupine pinned Rae with his gaze for a while longer then let out a long sigh, shoulders slumping. “I don’t have a choice, do I? But you leave my territory the second it’s done.”
Zander gave him a nod, not looking offended. “Agreed.”
The Lupine moved aside, opening a narrow way through the front door. Zander swarmed up the steps and inside at the tacit invitation, somehow not touching the Lupine as he ducked inside.
Rae followed, her heart pounding. The Lupine’s gaze burned her, his eyes white gray, as she turned sideways to get past him.
The Lupine waited until Rae had crossed the threshold, then he slammed the door behind them, shutting out the air. The house was stuffy and dim, the only light a bare bulb in the hall that led to the bedrooms in the back.
The house wasn’t primitive though or even a messy bachelor house. The big living room was furnished with a comfortable-looking sofa and chairs, a large dining table, and a big, flat-screened TV on the wall. Rae had noticed a small satellite dish on top of the house, something no Shiftertown Shifter was allowed. Paintings and photos on the walls added a homey touch.
The Lupine faced Zander. The Lupine’s hostility didn’t drop but both men opened their arms and pulled each other into a Shifter embrace.
The hug was wary but necessary, Rae understood. The Lupine was promising that he wouldn’t kill Zander while he was a guest under his roof. Zander, in turn, was promising to behave and respect his territory.
But it was more than that, Rae sensed, as the embrace continued. Zander pressed his closed fist against the man’s back, massaging him a little, and the Lupine started to relax, his belligerence fading somewhat.
Zander was soothing him as he’d soothed Rae, no doubt sending a tingle of his healing ability into the Lupine to calm him. Rae had watched Daragh comfort others enough to realize that the Lupine’s anger had to do with his grief, his knowledge that when his dad was gone, he’d be alone. The Lupine lowered his head to Zander’s shoulder and he hung on to the bigger man.
After a while, Zander put both hands on the man’s shoulders and gently eased him away. “All right?” he asked.
The Lupine nodded and wiped his eyes. “Damn it, now I’m going to smell like bear.”
“Hey,” Zander said softly. “The ladies love that.”
The Lupine snorted, straightened up, and turned to Rae. “I’m Ezra Wilcox. My dad is Robert. Welcome, Guardian.”
Rae wasn’t sure how she was supposed to respond, so she gave him a polite nod. The sword in its case moved on her back.
Ezra’s gaze snapped to the case then away, and he turned from her, but not in rudeness. “This way. I warn you, he’s not in the best of moods.”
Some instinct told Rae to take the sword from her back but not to open the case. Walking in with the sword ready to go might not be the most reassuring thing to do.
Ezra led the way and Zander followed, Rae coming behind. Zander’s bulk and presence was comforting, his glance behind him with his dark eyes more comforting still. Rae had resented being dumped on his boat but now she was grateful he’d be with her every step of the way.
As she walked into the bedroom, she recalled Daragh telling her how some Shifters who were dying welcomed him, while others didn’t want to see him. The families would sometimes try to pretend he wasn’t there, despite his large size and giant sword.
The same sword Daragh had carried now rested on Rae’s back. Daragh, if you can hear me, please don’t let me screw this up.
The bedroom was even stuffier than the front room, the scent of wolf pervasive. Rae saw Zander politely try to hide his flinch.
The old Shifter, Robert, wasn’t in bed. He sat in a chair, a blanket covering his lap, leaving his chest and arms bare. He was very old, even for a Shifter—his nearly white hair and his scent told Rae that—but his eyes were as full of fire as his son’s.
“Great,” Robert said, glaring at Zander as Ezra led them in. “I’m dying and I have to put up with the obnoxious bear. Who let you into my house, Alexander Johansson Bloody Moncrieff? Goddess, what a mouthful. Bears don’t have last names, you idiot.”
“My mother thought otherwise,” Zander said smoothly. “I keep the names to honor her.”
“Of course you do,” Robert growled. “Let’s get this over with. I’m about to expire and I don’t want some fecking Fae sucking my soul into Faerie to play with. Where’s the Guardian?”
He looked around the room, taking in his son, Zander, and Rae, looking past them for a big Shifter with a sword. Obviously, Ezra hadn’t told his father that the Guardian would be Rae.
Zander motioned Rae forward. Somehow knowing it was the right thing to do, Rae laid the case on the bed, opened it, and withdrew the sword. It rang in the silence, filtered sunlight coming through the shaded window to glitter on the silver blade.
Robert’s mouth dropped open. “She’s the Guardian? Are you having a joke, Moncrieff? Who the hell are you, little Lupine?”
Rae quickly spoke before Zander could answer for her. “My name is Rae Lyall. Lyall is my foster nam
e—I don’t know my true family or clan. I was made Guardian of the Western Montana Shiftertown at the last Choosing.”
Robert continued to stare at her, then he turned an incredulous gaze to Zander. “Holy crap on a crutch, she’s serious.”
Rae swallowed but moved to Robert, stopping a few feet before his chair. “If you prefer another Guardian, arrangements can be made,” she said. “But it might be many hours before they can come.”
“I don’t have many hours,” Robert snapped. “You were pushing it to get here this soon. I swear I can smell the taint of some asshole Fae, just waiting for me to expire. I . . .”
Robert broke off, his sour nature evaporating as his body spasmed. He changed in an instant from crabby old man to a being in fear and pain. He clutched his belly, breath heaving in his chest.
Ezra dove for a bottle on the nightstand but Zander held out his hand, signaling him to stay back. Zander dropped to his knees in front of Robert, and Rae backed away, clutching the sword, her palms sweating.
When Zander spoke, he used a tone of kindness Rae had never heard in him. “I’m going to take away your pain,” Zander told him. “Don’t fight me. Be at ease.”
Robert coughed. “Not like this.” His voice rasped. “I came in as a wolf. I’m going out as one.”
“Don’t shift, Dad,” Ezra cried. “You’re too weak.”
Robert wheezed. “Shut your gob, cub. When I’m gone, you find yourself a mate, ye hear me? Bring in the cubs you would have if you hadn’t stayed here to look after me.”
“Dad . . .”
“Don’t argue with me, son.” Robert’s words ended in a half growl. “I love you, you know. Thank . . . you . . .”
His bones crackled and he began to shift. The blanket fell and Zander caught Robert as he slid from the chair.
Zander unfolded to his feet, his arms full of shivering gray wolf. He laid the wolf on the bed and stroked his fur, while Ezra folded his arms and leaned on the doorframe, fists clenched.
Zander knelt beside the bed and put his broad hands on the wolf’s side. For a moment, all was silent. Then a low sound worked from Zander’s mouth, a note so deep Rae was surprised his throat could make it. The note resonated for a long time, filling the room, until there was nothing to hear but that low vibration.
The intonation changed to words, Zander’s voice forming the chant to the Goddess in an ancient Celtic language from a time long lost.
Rae whispered along with him. “Goddess, Mother of the Moon, be with us.”
A calm stole over her. Zander’s chant was mesmerizing, his voice unraveling every knot of tension, every fear inside her. Peace trickled through the room, and warmth, until Rae wanted to bend her knees and slide into the cushion of sound.
Ezra also relaxed, his eyes closing. His grief seemed eased a little bit, Zander taking away all hurts.
Under Zander’s hands, the wolf drew a long breath and let out a sigh. His gray eyes cleared of pain and the look he turned to Zander was one of gratitude.
“Ezra,” Zander paused the chant long enough to whisper.
Ezra darted forward as Zander continued the prayer. His eyes wet, he laid his hand on his father’s head. The wolf sent up a look of love and reassurance, then his eyes slid closed, and a last breath left him.
Ezra moaned. He leaned down and pressed his face to the wolf’s, his back shaking with sobs.
Zander lifted away from the wolf but remained on his knees. His face was gray, his eyes full of pain, but he gave Rae a nod.
Rae went cold, her heart banging. Her hands were so sweaty she could barely hold on to the sword.
Zander watched her, not speaking, not reaching out to her. Rae had to do this herself and she knew it. She’d never felt so alone in her life.
But Robert had been correct. He couldn’t linger to give the Fae a chance to grab his soul. Daragh’s soul had been taken immediately, though his family hadn’t realized it. Daragh, it was true, had strong magic in him that the Fae had likely picked up on, but all Shifters carried Goddess magic to one degree or another.
Rae lifted the sword. She moved to Robert’s unmoving wolf body and touched the blade to his fur.
Panic suffused her. She hadn’t been able to pinpoint Zander’s heart—how would she find Robert’s? Especially with him as wolf?
Rae was Lupine but picturing herself in her wolf form didn’t help. When she was running around on all fours, she wasn’t worrying about exactly where her heart was in her chest.
Ezra, fortunately, didn’t notice her hesitation. His head was bowed, his hands curled to fists as he waited for the very end.
Rae moved the point of the sword to the wolf’s ribs, where she thought Robert’s heart would be. Zander, watching her, gave her the slightest shake of his head.
Bloody hell. Goddess help me, she prayed.
The Goddess remained silent. Rae slid the tip to the right and Zander shook his head again.
Show me, Rae sent the silent appeal to him.
Zander climbed shakily to his feet, looking ill, and gripped Rae’s shoulder to steady himself. He took a ragged breath, closed his hand around Rae’s over the hilt, and moved the blade a couple inches to the left.
Rae swallowed hard. She gripped the hilt tighter and gave Zander a faint nod. Strength flowed from him into her as she and Zander together sent the sword into the wolf with one swift push.
The wolf’s body jerked, then a breath like a sweet sigh flowed from him. Rae felt a shudder all the way up the blade, and the sword gave a sharp hum.
As the wolf dissolved to dust, Rae lost her balance and tumbled forward. She caught herself on the sword, whose point now rested on the bed.
The dust that had been Robert rose in a soft cloud then gathered itself and streamed toward the window, dissipating in a shimmer in the late afternoon light.
Ezra threw back his head and howled. He half shifted into wolf, his muzzle pointing to the sky, mouth open in a heartfelt cry.
The compulsion to join him overwhelmed Rae’s self-control. The howl left her throat, her cry blending with the lonely sound of a wolf deserted by all he loved.
Rae remembered wandering in the woods long, long ago, lost and terrified, her mother gone, her father gone, wandering on her shaking paws. She’d cried until she realized she should remain silent, knowing predators out there stalked her . . .
A vibrating growl jolted Rae back to the present. She was alive, an adult, standing on human feet, and she’d had a good life with a loving family. Her biggest fear about the Shifters not accepting her as Guardian was that she might lose her father and brothers and be as alone as she had been as a cub.
The growl had come from Zander, who was grieving with Ezra. The loss of a Shifter was felt by all.
Zander’s voice weakened and he sank back to his knees. “Rae,” he whispered. “Get me outside.”
CHAPTER NINE
Zander’s breath was labored, his face wan. Ezra had crumpled to the floor in grief. Rae realized that at this moment she was the strongest Shifter in the room.
She sheathed the sword. The runes spun as she slid the blade home but the sword seemed calmer now, as though it knew its job was done. Rae returned the sheath to the fishing rod case, slung it over her back, then leaned down and helped Zander to stand.
Zander’s strength had gone. Rae had to heave him up, one of his arms across her shoulders. She was much smaller than he was but Rae was Lupine, with wiry strength, and got him to his feet.
Zander sagged against her, sweat beading on his face, as they walked together out of the bedroom, through the big living room, and onto the porch. Rae thought Zander would want to collapse into one of the chairs there but he motioned her to take him down the steps to the yard.
Once in the wide space in front of the house, Zander pushed away from her. To her surprise he peeled off his sweater and shirt beneath it, then pried off his boots. He unbuckled his belt and let his jeans fall, kicking them away. Underwear followed.
&nbs
p; Rae found herself gazing at the man who’d leapt bare onto the deck of the boat and stood upright, sunlight gleaming on his wet body.
The body was the same but Zander was now cramped in pain, his tattoos stark black against his skin. He struggled against the shift that came upon him but his body changed as though Zander no longer had any control.
His face went first, his nose elongating to the polar bear’s, his head going flat, his hands becoming formidable paws. Within a minute or so, Zander’s body fully changed and he landed on all fours. He opened his mouth in a roar, loud and full of anguish.
Zander rose onto his hind legs, his body impossibly big, his fur so white it seemed to glow in the shadowy light. His paws were black with massive claws, his head immense as he roared to the sky high above the trees.
The polar bear came back down, crashing into the ground as though the strength had gone out of him. He took one long, shuddering breath and lay still.
Rae ran to him and dropped to her knees. “Are you all right? What’s wrong?”
Zander’s eyes opened but they were unfocused and filled with agony.
“What’s happening to you?” Rae asked fearfully, her hands furrowing his fur.
Zander growled low in his throat. Rae didn’t speak bear, so she had no idea what he said, but she recognized distress when she saw it.
She leaned into his body, resting her head on his side. Zander gave a low grunt, his eyes sliding closed again. Shivers broke in waves across his fur.
Rae became aware that Ezra had come outside. He watched them forlornly a moment then sank to the top step of the porch.
Rae knew she should go to him, comfort him somehow, but she couldn’t leave Zander. He needed her.
For a long time, all was silence. Rae remained half lying on the polar bear, stroking his fur, which was warm and wiry, yet soft. Ezra sank his head into his hands but made no sound. Zander continued to take shallow breaths, shuddering and emitting little moans.
Rae had no idea how to help him. Zander was the healer—there was no other for thousands of miles that anyone knew about. Had his attempt to ease a dying man taken all his strength? Should Rae try to get him back to the boat, call her father and ask him what to do?