Chapter Thirteen

 

“Alright,” Gage said, beer bottle swinging from between his fingertips. “We have an asshole tied up in the back yard and a pack of more assholes coming for us.”

During the fight, Ashe and Cohen had forced Killian into telling the truth.

“Sounds about right,” Joanna groaned, letting her head fall into her hands. Archer moved to stand behind her, rubbing her back and turning his body into a shield against the world.

Cohen knew something was up between them, but he couldn’t quite place it. They were hiding a secret, one that had changed their dynamic. Cohen wanted to figure it out, but there were other matters at hand. Besides, who was he to throw stones for keeping secrets. He’d run away from them.

Ashe stood by the back door, her arms crossed over her chest. Even if she looked like she was casually leaning against the wall, he could tell she was ready to run. She watched the room with wary eyes. He moved to stand near her and she offered him a weak smile.

He couldn’t stop himself. There was no more hiding it. He moved closer, his fingers gently tugging at her chin. In moments, he claimed her mouth. Her arms unwound automatically. She grasped the front of his shirt as his tongue explored her mouth. When he pulled back, she was breathless.

“About damn time,” Joanna grunted. “I know Cohen has a few years on you, but I have been waiting for this to happen since before you assholes left.”

Both Ashe and Cohen turned to stare at Joanna with wide eyes. Ashe still gripped the front of his shirt, as if he, too, belonged to her. Then, Ashe’s surprise fell away and her brows dropped into a hard line.

“It won’t matter if they decide to burn me.”

“For what?” Gage scoffed.

“For doing exactly what they burned my mother for!”

Gage shrugged. Archer surprised them by mimicking the gesture.

“Do you really think we’ll let them do that to you?” Joanna challenged. The Alpha in her had risen to the top today. Her words were laced with determination.

“Well…” Ashe fumbled for words.

“Besides,” Gage said, stopping his words with a swig of beer. “We all know you wouldn’t kill the old man.”

“You know that,” Ashe began. “But, does my Pack? They’ve been waiting my entire life for me to screw up. This is their chance. I intervened in a formal challenge and showed my true colors.”

Cohen’s lip curled. He spun on her, taking her face in his hands. “Your true colors are brave and powerful. Don’t ever think they are anything but that.”

She covered his hands with her own, tears welling in her eyes.

“Gross, get a room!” Gage said before Kaylee entered and smacked him aside the head, saying something about not insulting their Alpha.

Cohen ignored them, even as a smile slipped over his lips. They were his. The bear knew that and loved them for it. It would protect them, protect Ashe with it’s last dying breath. Cohen was starting to realize what Ashe had said was true.

His strength lay in those around him. In his Pack.

“I will fight my way to the top of the asshole ladder just to keep you safe,” he whispered, letting his forehead touch hers.

“Right where you belong,” she whispered back.

“Do I have to say it again,” Gage asked his mate, his voice hushed. She growled in response.

“We will deal with our own Packs later,” Joanna said. “Right now, let’s focus on the threat coming toward us.”

“Agreed,” they all said in unison.

Cohen released Ashe, reluctantly letting her move about the kitchen. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and make sure she was safe against any threat that might come their way. He had to remind himself that she was strong, too. He didn’t have to hide her away from the world like a fragile being.

While the family sat down at the cheap Formica table as if it were a war council, Ashe went about making food. Korean barbeque tacos with siracha coleslaw would sate their beasts and kept their minds sharp. After she finished serving, Cohen grabbed her and pulled her into his lap. He couldn’t bear being too far from her now that he knew.

Mate, the bear growled. It explained why her presence had always calmed him, why he’d craved her even then. He was glad they discovered this now, not while she was still a young teen. He only wished she hadn’t been unprotected while he was gone. Guilt weighed heavy on him, but the bear knew it’d made her stronger. It’d turned her into the enchantress they loved. He gripped her waist and held her tight.

 

***

 

Her life was quickly turning sideways, but Cohen held her steady. He kept her from falling down. Her Pack thought she’d killed their Alpha, and there was a pack of crazy shifters on their way to them. She didn’t know what she could do to make the world right again.

She leaned her head back and tried to take deep steadying breaths. It’d taken everything she had to do what she had earlier. The desire to bend to Killian’s threats had been almost overwhelming, fear of her own Pack running deep. But, she’d fought it and won, if only for the moment. That small victory had given them the time they needed to prepare.

In the kitchen of Vancourt house, they formed a patrol schedule. They would walk the borders of the territory at all times, running back at the first sign of the incoming shifters to warn the rest. They wouldn’t be caught off guard.

If anything, they would try to reason with them first. They would give Killian back to the shifters. If that didn’t work, then Joanna promised her pack would help. They weren’t alone in the war that was coming.

When the impromptu council disbanded, Ashe pulled Cohen aside. She glanced around, making sure no one could hear them.

“Why are you being so shifty? Don’t tell my you’re going to confess that you actually killed Sampson. Don’t say it. I don’t care if you did.”

She scowled at him. “I did not hurt him!”

He licked his lips and nodded.

“I was going to ask for your help. I want to… I want to help patrol.”

“But you only have a human form.” Cohen touched her arms with concern in his eyes.

“I think… I think there’s another form in me and it might be ready to come out. I know I always said there wasn’t but I’m starting to think it could have been tied to the power I wasn’t using. The more I use my mother’s magic, the stronger it gets. What if I have a form and I can help the patrol?”

He scowled. She knew he wasn’t going to like the idea of putting herself in harms way. She could see the affection that pulled him toward her, a single world lurking in her mind. She batted it away and turned back to the conversation.

“I think my animal is some kind of bird. I wouldn’t even be on the ground.”

“I have never, in all my years, heard of a bird shifter.”

“Well, thanks for your support and trust,” she scoffed.

“I’m sorry, I just… I don’t know. It sounds farfetched. Even if there was a bird inside you, how long would it take for you to learn how to fly? It’s nothing like walking. It’s a whole new set of skills I know nothing about.”

She growled in frustration. “What does it matter? Just help me do this!”

“Calm down, woman. I will help you, but you have to promise me that you won’t try to use it until this is over. Promise me you won’t shift and find yourself stranded.”

Ashe hesitated. She could promise that, but there was a desire inside her to fly. It craved the freedom of the open skies. She swallowed. It could wait. She’d waited twenty-four years to even find the shape of the creature lurking inside her. Flying could wait a little longer, too.

“I promise,” she said.

“Alright. Let’s get this started.”

“Right now?”

“Was there some other time you thought this would happen? It’s not like we have all the time in the world.”

“You’re right. You’re right,” she said, following him outside.

Archer’s truck was parked in the muddy lawn again, the word PUSSY halfheartedly scrubbed from the side. It made her smile. There was a life waiting for them on the other side of this. It was a life that could be filled with joy and laughter.

She knew Joanna’s secret, just by looking at her. The way she held herself, the way she cringed at the smells Ashe’s cooking had left in the kitchen. The Alpha of the Bart Pack was very much pregnant. She just hadn’t told anyone other than her fiancé yet.

Ashe didn’t worry about herself anymore. She had a lot more to worry about. Joanna had a small one on the way, a life that would demand stability. That wouldn’t be found until they’d rid their lives of the plague that was Killian.

Behind them, the shifter grumbled and shouted through the fabric gag in his mouth. His hands and ankles were bound with the same silver wire he’d used on Gage and Cohen. It would keep the man out of trouble for a while.

“We should move him to the shed, at least,” Ashe suggested. “I almost feel bad leaving him outside like this.”

“We’ll do it when we get back.” Cohen waved her off and continued forward.

She shrugged at Killian as if to say, what else could she do, and turned to run after her mate.

Mate.

That was what he was. He belonged to her, and she to him. It’d always been that way, no matter how near or far they’d been from each other. Their strengths might not have been the same, but they both feared their own power. Together, they found a way to balance their power.

She watched Cohen stalk ahead of her, enjoying the view of his round ass and the breadth of his shoulders. He prowled like a wild beast, his footfalls precise and his muscles screaming with power. It surprised her to think they were evenly matched for one another. She’d felt weak and submissive her whole life, not daring to look toward the clout that swirled through her.

It seemed as if they’d both lived in fear of themselves. Cohen glanced over his shoulder. There was no more of that wary fear in his eyes. They burned like ice and sent chills up her spine, stopping at the smile that curled over her face.

“Should you be walking through brush and mud in those dainty shoes?” Cohen asked.

She looked down at her feet. The toes sticking out of her sandals were plastered with mud. She scowled at them, not once thinking about her shoes. There’d been too much going on. There was a war to prepare for.

Cohen smirked and turned toward her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He hefted her off the ground as if she weighed nothing at all, when she knew that was very much not the situation. His hand covered her ample ass, squeezing a cheek.

“Hey, now! I didn’t ask for a ride.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he purred.

They reached a clearing, probably the same one Gage and Kaylee had used while she learned to master her second form. Ashe would have to ask Kaylee for some pointers if they all lived through this.

Cohen set her down and her gaze lifted to the sky above her, her heart soaring with excitement. Wings fluttered inside of her. She closed her eyes and reached inside, trying to coax the creature out. Feathers scraped along her skin, but nothing moved. The animal stayed stuck deep within.

“What is it?”

She hadn’t realized she’d been grinding her teeth. Forcing herself to let go of the tension, she sighed.

“Did you really think it would work on the first try?”

“Maybe?” she said, cracking open one eye to look at her mate.

He tried to hold back his laughter, but failed, the sound bursting into reality. She scowled at him. Her mate wasn’t supposed to laugh at her. She needed this form if she was going to be of any help. If she could fly, she could be the first one to know when the dangerous pack arrived. She could give them the advantage they needed.

“This isn’t going to happen overnight,” Cohen told her.

“But, I need it to. I need this.”

She felt him step closer, his body heat caressing her skin moments before his fingers did. He pulled her closer. Possessive hands gripped her tight. She wanted to push away, to try to focus, but his presence was too much. She melted into him, her hands running up his chest.

He growled, the sound turning into a purr. Her hands glided up to settle behind his neck.

“We didn’t come out here for a quickie,” he said, even though she could hear the desire in his voice. He nuzzled her neck, breathing in her scent before exhaling with a groan.

“I thought we came out here to find my inner animal.”

Cohen growled. He sank to the ground with her in his arms. “I know one way to become an animal.”

She warmed through and through at the suggestion in his voice. Until the other day, she’d been untouched. Untouchable. No one had ever looked at her the way he did, no one saw the woman behind the witch. She’d tried hard to use a fraction of her magic, the parts that were harmless. Simple incantations. A bit of astral projection.

Yet, she unfurled the full potential of her mother’s power before him and he barely flinched. It was frightening, but so was he. She could feel the strength coiled in his muscles as his hands ran down the length of her. His touch worshipped her, and it made her eyes drift shut.

“Practice,” she managed to whisper.

Cohen paused. When she looked up at him, she saw the indecision cutting him in two. He clearly wanted to move forward, but they both knew they would need the animal inside her for what was coming.

A sly smile cut across his face. It was boyish and took her breath away. She could barely react as his head dipped and his fingers brushed aside the fabric of her dress. The sensation of skin on skin made her gasp. Every time, it was a new sensation.

“Cohen,” she breathed.

The sound in her voice was permission enough. She lost the fight and fell into him. He growled, a deep and rumbling sound that shook through her. It should have terrified her. It should have made her want to run.

But, she was not the rabbit anymore.

She was a predator in her own right.

Cohen’s lips left a trail down her stomach, one that danced with fire. She belonged to him, body and soul. There would never be anyone else who would know her the way he did. There would be no one else to find their way inside her, and she was okay with that. Cohen was all she would ever want.

She reached down, gripping his hair, and gently pulled his head up so that she could kiss his lips. He tasted of salt and earth on her tongue. His hands worked at his belt, fumbling as if he couldn’t move fast enough. The belt came free, then the fly, his jeans sliding down his hips to reveal the length of his hardened cock. He was ready.

She felt her core pulse. She was ready, too. He let out a small groan as his fingers slid between her folds. She arched into him, uncaring of the dirt floor beneath her. She wished she could have said her gaze was caught on the drifting night clouds over head, or the sparkling of the infinite stars, but her gaze was stuck on Cohen as he lowered himself over her.

Her breath caught in her throat as the head of his cock rubbed her entrance. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to that sensation. It heightened as he pressed forward and sank into her. Cohen let out a small sound, somewhere between a sigh and a moan.

He filled her to the brim, almost uncomfortably. Pain tingled around her core, making her bite her lip. Cohen looked down at her, a softness in his eyes, and gently touched her cheek. As his hips began to move, the pain melted away to be replaced by a wave of pleasure. It arched and crashed into her, like the ocean waves on her feet as she stood on the shore.

She rolled her hips, waiting for the big wave to crash and take her away. Her nails raked over his shoulders, catching on the fabric of his shirt. The sound of her moan echoed between the trees. It was followed by his rough groan.

Small creatures skittered through the wet underbrush, running away from their lovemaking as his grunts grew ferocious. He slammed into her. She cried out in surprise. Her nails sunk through his shirt and into flesh.

The beast inside her sank its talons into Cohen. It would never let him go. They were meant to be together. She’d known it since the very beginning. It’s only taken time.

Time she wished they had more of. Before she could think of what was coming, her orgasm rose and thundered through her. Cohen’s hand fisted in her hair, tugging as he gave one, last, hard thrust. He spasmed into her and the thunderous wave of her orgasm multiplied.

Her limbs trembled as the pleasure reached into her fingers and toes to render her boneless. She fell back into the ground, unable to move as it coursed through her, the last of the aftershocks becoming an echo. This time was unlike the first, all at once greater and better.

Cohen sank forward, rolling to lay beside her. “We came out here for a reason. Right?”

Ashe had no words to use. She had no voice. All she could do was turn her head into him and nod. The beast inside her was closer to the surface. Its wings beat against her skin and made her shudder again. Cohen’s arm around her tightened in response.

Even though her legs wobbled beneath her, she forced herself up. She tightened the belt of her dress and readjusted her panties with warm cheeks. Cohen watched her move with hungry eyes before standing and fixing his own pants. Her mouth went dry as she watched his hands deftly tuck his cock back inside his jeans and button them back up.

With their hunger for one another gorged for the time being, they were able to turn back to the mission. Ashe wanted to free the beast inside her, yet, as time passed, she realized it was not going to happen that night.

Frustration tightened her shoulders and made her jaw ache. No matter what they did, the beast stayed tucked away. She started to feel a little ridiculous, throwing her hands into the air as if she could fly away.

“It’s no use,” she cried.

Cohen stifled his sigh. “We’ll figure this out. Maybe not this time, but another. We have all the time in the world.”

Her eyes burned. “How can you say that? We don’t know anything. We don’t know if there will be a tomorrow for us.”

His lips formed a flat line. He looked away. They both knew she was right. The future, in that moment, was a precarious precipice. They didn’t know which direction to move, not until something happened. As it was, they were merely passing time until the next shoe dropped.

Unable to get what she wanted, they both stomped back toward the house. While Cohen ducked inside to grab food, she hesitated. She wasn’t ready to face the rest of them. For a brief moment, she’d thought she could be like the rest of them.

Like her Pack.

Yet, she was still trapped in her human body. She pushed Cohen to go ahead and lingered outside the door. The darkness of the night fell and wrapped around her.