Chapter Twenty-four

This was the third time Saffron had eyed that tree. When she was younger, she was a tom boy. That didn’t mean she could climb a tree now. If she did would she become stuck? It made sense that if she went up, there would not be any other place to go. The trees were close, but the branches didn’t look strong enough for her to go from one tree to another.

Instead, she dragged her weary body a little further. She wasn’t certain if she was staying ahead of Richard and his gang, or if they were playing an elaborate game of cat and mouse with her. She was sure of this; she couldn’t go on much longer. The banging in her chest accompanied with the pain she felt clenching her heart told her she wasn’t going to last. Every time she picked up a leg, it was like dragging lead.

The need to give up battered inside her head making her feel like a fool for trying. The voices in her head weren’t cheering her on, they were jeering. They told her in succinct words just how much of a fool she was. The part that scared her was that it was tempting to believe them.

She knew better, but tell yourself that you’re a loser long enough and believing becomes second nature. It was hard, but she turned her mind to other things like the feel of Xander’s arms and even to her victories. She would remember the things she accomplished and what made her feel good and right. It was the only defense she had against the desire to stop.

“Wild cat?” His mind rubbing against hers making her want to weep for joy. The fact that he interfered with the tape running through her head gave her relief.

“How close are you?”

“We’re here. Where are you?”

She didn’t know where she was. Panic started to set it, but Xander stroked her through their bond helping her to hang onto her sanity.

“Take a deep breath. Your heart is beating much too fast.” He was right, but every time she got it to slow down something happened to spook her.

“They’re playing with you. Now that we’re here they will try to capture you. So now we work together.”

“How?”

“Remember I told you that Caden and I can look through each other’s eyes?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s find out if it works for us.”

She felt him like he was close. She almost turned her head to see if he was over her shoulder. Knowing better she stayed still and invited him deeper into her body until she could feel his heat surrounding her. That bit of comfort made her feel like she could overcome whatever happened next.

“Not climbing the tree was the right choice. I can see where you are. Stay there if you can I’m on my way.”

There was a crack of a tree branch that made her turn her head. Richard walked out into the small clearing a gun in his hand.

“This is an oldie but goodie.”

“They’re here Richard. You have been judged and found unworthy to live.”

“Maybe. However, I’ll be taking you with me.”

She could live forever, and she’d never understand why he was doing this.

“Why?”

“It started simply just a few of us upset about how we thought the country was going. Then I was contacted by the Jeren.” He waved his gun.

“Walk.” She went in front of him heading back the way she had come. “I’m amazed you evaded us for so long. The Jeren fed into every dream I ever had about being the one who should be in power. I realized it was us against you.”

“Black against white?”

“If only it could be that easy. Too many of my people believed just like you. No, it was us the few who knew the truth against the rest of you.”

“The Bible says that families will fight.” She said softly not wanting to rile him up any more than he was.

“Exactly, I’ve often wondered if this was the very thing those words refer to.”

“It’s not too late.”

“It is.”

For a minute, she thought she heard honest regret in his voice. Then he shoved her.

“Move, I won’t be the only one dying tonight. I intend to take you and the rest of the world to hell with me.”

“I intend to kill you.”

He laughed it was sharp, maniacal, and it went through her body like a blade.

“Look at me, Saffron. I’m not alone.” That’s when she saw Koyzal covering him like a cloak, they were beginning to become one.

“You won’t be around to witness the ending.” He raised the gun to shoot her. There was a sound that felt like the world might be breaking into, and then heavy hands with sharp claws pulled her away taking the bullets that were meant for her.

Richard turned and ran. Xander followed before she could see how he was.

She went to stand only to realize she was surrounded by Jeren.

“You know one of the things I love about the Kur’iks?” Sage said as she was uncloaked.

“No, tell me.” Fire said standing next to her.

“I have an idea,” Jessie said looking at her nails.

“It’s the fact that our mates can cloak us from prying eyes.”

“Ding, ding, ding, Deja wins the prize.”

Saffron looked around. In the midst of danger, she couldn’t hide her smile because her family had come out to fight with her.

“That one is mine.” A current of electricity left her hand hitting the shadow in its chest.

Jessie shrank down and flew upward before she dived at one of them kicking it square in the face and covering it with a net she discovered in practice.

“Kill them don’t incapacitate. There will be no coming back to fight another day.” Safire was tearing one apart with her mind.

Deja became a hybrid dragon and was using her tail as well as her dragon’s breath to wreak havoc.

Sage moved over to where Saffron was, and they stood shoulder to shoulder tearing their opponents apart.

Saffron stopped and stared. The Kur’iks had changed form, and each of them was fighting. The woods looked like a battlefield.

“Is that Cait?”

“It is,” Sage told her.

“I’ll think twice before I challenge her again.” Cait was taking on the Jeren tearing them apart with her bare hands.

Xander was tracking Richard through the trees. Richard was running, but his pace was a fast walk, enough to stay behind him but not over take him.

“I’m coming for you.” His voice echoed making it hard for anyone to pinpoint where he was.

“I’ll kill you.” The voice was strained and frightened.

Xander continued to track him. The blank expression on his face never changed.

When he left the tree filled area, Richard was standing there with several of his men surrounding him.

“Caden?”

“I’ll take care of them.”

The men around him no longer existed his focus was on Richard.

“You’re outnumbered and out gunned.” He puffed his chest up like a proud peacock.

“Do you know what your first mistake was? It was shooting Saffron.”

“The police will be looking for me. If you kill me, they will be looking for you.”

“You assume they will find your body.”

Caden slipped behind Richard and broke the necks of three men on one side of him.

“Three down and three to go.”

“I don’t need them, Koyzal and I are one.”

His body grew to well over twelve feet.

Xander’s werewolf body changed becoming the thing that hunted on the battle fields. They clashed together shaking the ground they were standing on.

Richard slashed him going for the bones near his heart that would cause immediate death. Xander turned and felt the slash against his arm, warm blood gushed down.

Xander’s claws dug deep into Richard’s arms before he picked him up and slammed him on the ground.

The three men still watching were knocked down as the ground shook. They got up to run. Caden killed them each taking his time.

Richard rose wearing Koyzal like he was a suit of armor. Xander’s claws grew longer becoming black. He lashed out slashing Richard in the midsection. Red blood flowed with green. The two were now one. They would live or die together.

Caden shrunk back to normal and caught Saffron when she tried to throw herself at Xander.

“Let him have his fun. He needs this.”

Richard was trying to walk backward and keep his hand over his intestines.

Xander kept paced and lashed out clawing off the shoulder that held his protective hand.

“Second mistake you went after my sister.”

He systematically took him apart until his body looked like a jig saw puzzle. Then he grabbed onto Koyzal, who wasn’t dying fast enough for him and shredded him into pieces.

Once he was done, he stepped back to admire his handiwork. It was only then that he looked over at his mate expecting to see disgust and maybe fear in her eyes.

Saffron pulled away from Caden and threw herself at her mate. He found himself shrinking so he wouldn’t hurt her.

“Someone take care of that mess.” He walked away carrying Saffron with him.

“And that’s why I stay clear of Xander when he’s in his werewolf form,” Declyn told his mate.

“Understood.”