Chapter 8
Shy watched as Kaya hugged every female in the Centaur city, speaking softly to each of them. Her cheeks were wet with tears, but she was smiling. She lingered the longest with Sophie and Arsen. Although Shy was anxious to return to their den, he didn’t want Kaya to feel rushed.
Daeton was saying goodbye, too. The time to return to her realm had come, and their family’s visit had ended. As a safety precaution, the Centaurs wanted them to leave the city before the sun rose, and Daeton and her family had to leave through the portal to their realm before sunrise, too.
“I very selfishly wish that you would all come live in the Medes Realm with us,” Daeton said as Shy bent and hugged her. “I wish my family could be there when our daughter is born.”
Elizabeth said, “We wish you could stay in the Mortal Realm.”
“I hope you have a safe and easy delivery,” Shy said.
Daeton rubbed her swollen belly and smiled. “Since she’s not a Centaur, I get to deliver her regularly and not by caesarean. Compared to how Adi tried to kick his way free of my body during his birth, I’ll gladly take an old-fashioned, normal birth this time around.”
Kaya joined him and Teck. They immediately hugged her between them, and she rested her head on Shy’s chest with a deep sigh.
“Are you ready to go, lilenta?” Teck asked.
“Yes,” she said.
When the final goodbyes were said, and the last hugs and kisses had been given to Daeton and her family, Shy and his family piled into the vans, with Kaya on the bench between him and Teck.
“In a few hours, we’ll be at the RVs,” Adriel said. “We’ll split the drive home over two days.”
“I’ve never been in an RV before,” Kaya said.
“They’re similar to the trailers the herd lives in,” Filene said.
“Why can’t Aunt Daeton live with us?” Elisia asked.
“Because the Centaurs believe it’s too dangerous to live in public,” Axe said.
“But they’re basically shifters, right?” Malia said. “Why is it more dangerous for them to be known to the public than for any other variety of shifter?”
“Some people have long memories,” Elizabeth said. “They were abused in the past, and they don’t want to risk it again. I don’t disagree in theory, but I think they could live in safety even if their existence were common knowledge.”
“Arsen is old-fashioned, but he’s doing his best to keep his people safe,” Adriel said. “No one understands being king until he wears the crown.”
They reached the RVs several hours later. After thanking the Centaurs, their group turned to the RVs and split up between them. Rysk and Tyrant each climbed into one of the trucks that would lead the convoy and bring up the rear.
Shy opened the door to the largest of the RVs, and Kaya stepped inside. Axe was going to drive the RV, with Griegs and Adriel driving the other two. Teck, Shy, and Kaya sat at the large kitchen table with Shaylee, Elizabeth, Tavian, and Ash. Lynk sat in the passenger seat.
Within minutes, the steady rumble of the tires on the road put Kaya to sleep, with her head resting on Teck’s lap.
“I suppose you’re going to move down to the den?” Elizabeth asked.
Shy smiled. “Yes.”
Tavian said, “We may have enough supplies to enlarge your tent, but if not, we’ll order them.”
Tavian, Lynk, and Shaylee lived in the den with their children, Jolon, Mika, and Suni.
“Our situations are kind of similar,” Tavian said. “Lynk didn’t think he’d share Shaylee with me, but she was meant for us both. Teck never saw you in the mate-dreams, so he thought he’d have Kaya all to himself.”
Shaylee smiled. “It’s funny how life works out sometimes.”
“It’s interesting that many of the males in our family are pairing up,” Elizabeth said. “When I mated Ash and Axe, they said that it wasn’t a normal thing for bears to share, and they most likely were drawn to share me because they were twins. Lynk and Tavian are brothers but not twins.”
“The great bear spirit knows what we have need of in our lives, even if we don’t understand it at the time,” Ash said. “Kaya was meant for the two of you to share. Why the dreams happened the way they did is something we may never understand fully, but you can be grateful that you found her when you did.”
Teck nodded. “A month later and she might have moved away from the Centaur’s city and found a new place to live.”
“Timing’s everything,” Elizabeth said. “In love and in life.”
* * *
Bry trekked through the streets of Lorence in the Medes Realm. He was in his fully human form so he didn’t attract unwanted attention to himself. His brow dripped with sweat, and his legs ached. He’d come through the portal from the Mortal Realm without asking permission. First, he’d ensured that his own people had seen him leave through the portal, and then he’d slipped back through so he could spy on Kaya. Once he’d learned what he needed to, he’d gone into the Medes Realm through the portal, arriving in the Centaur settlement and darting away into the darkness before anyone knew he’d arrived. His brother, Manu, lived in this realm with his mate and their young son, but Bry wasn’t there for a family visit. He had one purpose, and that was to make Kaya pay.
Kaya was beautiful, and he’d made it known to the unmated males in the Centaur city that she was off-limits, but for some reason he’d never understood, she hadn’t wanted him for more than a fuck during her needing times. Twice a year, she was hotter than any female he’d ever had the pleasure of burying himself in. She’d fall on him, desperate and mewling, and it had always made him feel special. And maybe he would have thought he was, if it weren’t for how much she seemed to dislike him at other times. She was a proper princess, never outwardly showing that she found him distasteful, but he knew her well enough to know that she didn’t care for him in a loving way.
The situation wasn’t fair. His mate had been killed before he’d even had a chance to meet her. That the fates would bring a female with long-life into their midst but deny him the pleasure of mutual attraction was beyond cruel. He’d warned Kaya that she should choose him instead of the bear shifters, but she hadn’t listened. And now she’d pay…one way or another, and so would the bears who had taken her from him.
As he left the relative safety of the town of Lorence, following a dirt road that led to the next town of Netic Springs, he watched the wooded expanse on either side of the road, looking for the Raiders. They were the Medes Realm’s nastiest, cruelest slave traders. They would kidnap anyone or anything for the right price.
He heard galloping horses, and he palmed two daggers as he turned to face the group of men on horseback that approached him. He’d been alone on the road, but his path was now blocked from behind and in front. He knew them without being introduced properly, recognizing them from their pirate-like garb of billowy white shirts, leather trousers, and knee boots. There were a dozen males, all middle-aged or older, unkempt and scraggly looking, as if it were against their principals to bathe.
They climbed from their horses and surrounded him, but he tamped down the fear that rose inside him.
“I’ve come to offer you a proposition,” he said.
The males parted to let through a very tall male. He wore a crown of twisted metal on his head, and one of his eyes was entirely white, in a face that was heavily scarred. His scarred lip gave him a permanent sneer.
The male sniffed the air. “What seek ye, horse?”
“Are you the leader of the Raiders?”
The male didn’t say anything for a long moment, and then he gave a curt nod. “Aye. My name is Glane.”
“I’m Bry. There’s a female in the Mortal Realm I believe you’ll be interested in obtaining.”
“There are females here.”
Bry shook his head. “She’s rare and powerful. She’s known as a barsei.”
Without much difficulty, Bry had hidden himself in the Centaur city so that he could overhear everything that Kaya and her mates’ family discussed. He’d heard everything about her.
Glane’s nostrils flared. “They’ve died out.”
“She must be the last one, then. She enhances the power of anyone she’s mated to.”
“So take her for yourself.”
“I don’t want her,” he said, hotly. “I want her to suffer. She’ll bring top dollar as a slave. She’s beautiful and powerful.”
Glane’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know any males of worth who would put a female on our radar. You want her to suffer? What did she do to you?”
“She chose another.”
One of the males next to Glane snorted. “I think we could get a lot of money for selling a male horse, and we wouldn’t need to travel to the Mortal Realm to do so.”
“True,” Glane said. “But I’m a businessman. What’s in it for me?”
Bry looked at him in confusion. “You can keep whatever you sell her for. Hades, you can keep her for yourself, and she’ll make you infinitely more powerful.”
The Raider said nothing, staring at Bry with an inscrutable look. Then before he even knew what was happening, a young female was suddenly in front of him, and he’d been pushed to the ground on his knees. She placed her fingertips on his temples, and his eyesight went dark. Bry struggled, but he couldn’t stand because the heavy hands on his shoulders forced him in place.
He felt his mind being opened, and he saw the portal he’d used to come to the Medes Realm, the path he’d taken from the portal entrance in the Mortal Realm to the Centaur’s city, and image after image of Kaya. Bry’s heart ached at seeing her, but he shoved the feeling away.
The female’s face came into view as she lifted her fingers from his temples. She smiled in an eerie, unsettling way. “I can find this barsei, if she truly is one. She’ll fetch a good price at the market. There are twin bear shifters who have mated her, but once they’re dead, her power will be free to join with another.”
Glane stared down at Bry. “I’ll be sure to let the female know that you betrayed her before I strip her and test out her powers myself. Kill him.” Then the leader turned on his heels and strode to his horse.
Bry’s heart leaped into his throat, and he shouted, “No! Wait! Don’t kill me!”
One of the male’s holding him laughed loudly. “He doesn’t need you now, horse. Don’t you know how to play cards? You never show your hand until you’re sure you’ll win.”
Bry felt the bite of cold steel on his throat and then a flash of pain so sharp and bright.
And then nothing.
* * *
Teck had moved Kaya to the back bedroom in the RV and settled next to her. She’d been sleeping for an hour, and he wanted her to get as much rest as possible. He still couldn’t fathom how much his life had changed. He’d honestly expected to go on a journey once they came home from their trip, to begin searching for the female from his dreams. He hadn’t planned how to go about it, but he knew she wasn’t in their den and he had planned to find her. Somehow.
Instead, she’d been practically waiting for him in Canada. Her presence and easy acceptance of them had healed the rift between he and Shy.
“What are you thinking about so seriously?” Kaya asked, her voice a low murmur.
He smiled down at her and brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “That I’m glad I found you. I was planning to go searching for you.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh?”
He shrugged. “Of course. I didn’t know how to find you, but I knew sitting around in the den and waiting for you to walk by wasn’t working.”
She smiled. “I wish it had been that simple.”
“Me too.”
Her smile slipped slightly. “If I hadn’t met you, I would have left the herd at the end of the month. I don’t know where I would have gone or what I would have done for money, but I would’ve rather been homeless than mated to a male who wasn’t mine. Papan didn’t give me a lot of choices, but I would never have betrayed you and Shy like that.”
He ran his thumb along her jaw. “I know, lilenta.”
“Why were some of the dreams bad?”
“I’m not sure. If someone with bad intentions found out what you are, they could attack us to try to get to you.”
“I liked the sexy dreams much better.” Her voice sounded husky and his body tightened.
Before he could respond, the RV lurched to the side suddenly, and Kaya slammed into him with a squeak of surprise. He covered her with his body, gripping the side of the bed with one hand to keep them in place. The wheels screeched as the brakes were applied.
“Shy!” Teck yelled.
“Someone just shot lightning at the front of the RV. Stay back there,” Shy warned.
“What?” Kaya asked, her arms looped around Teck’s neck as she trembled underneath him.
“Why would…” he said, but he stopped talking as the RV lurched a second time. Panicked screams from his mom and aunt followed.
He kept Kaya safe by burying his hands in the bed and holding on for dear life. They were unprotected in the bedroom, and if the RV suddenly flipped over, he wasn’t sure he could keep them from harm, but he’d damn well do his best.
Kaya groaned, anchoring herself more tightly to him. “What’s happening?”
He was going to tell her that he didn’t know what was happening, but then there was another crack of lightning, and it seemed to strike very close to where they were in the RV. A bright blue flash was followed by a deep, bellowing thunder clap, and his bear went on high alert. Although he didn’t know what was out there, he was very certain at that moment that he knew exactly why they were being attacked.
Kaya.
The RV shuddered to a stop, and Teck looked down at her, unlocking his hands from the bed and pulling her up with him as he stood. She looked dazed, and he patted her cheek until her eyes focused on him.
“Someone’s come for you,” he said.
Shy rushed to join them, linking his hand with one of Kaya’s. “Mom’s cast a protection spell, but it won’t hold. Whatever’s out there is very strong.”
Kaya, breathing hard, blinked rapidly and then straightened her shoulders. “Let’s put my skills to the test.”
Teck looked at his brother, and they shared an intense, unspoken thought. No matter what happened, Kaya had to be protected. She was too powerful and too important to be left to fend for herself.
“You lead. I follow,” Shy said.
“We’ve got to get out of the RV,” Teck said. “Dad!”
Axe answered, “I’m a little busy, son.”
“We need weapons.”
“There’s a hidden cabinet inside the closet. Turn the knob to the left and then push in.”
Something crashed loudly outside. Shy went to the small window and lifted one section of the blinds. “There’s a portal out there, and people are running out of it and surrounding us. There’s some kind of witch, and she’s throwing blue lightning at us.”
“Bitch!” their mother shouted, her voice tipping to a growl.
After finding the small knob and following his dad’s instructions, Teck opened the cabinet to reveal blades of every size and shape. He pulled out two swords and sheaths and handed them to Shy. “Help Kaya put on the sheaths.”
Then he armed himself with two swords that he strapped to his back and four blades – two in sheaths on his wrists and two in sheaths on his thighs. He turned to face his brother and mate.
Kaya rolled her neck. “I’m ready,” she said.
Teck handed Shy two blades which he strapped to his waist.
Teck stepped close and looked down at his mate. “I need every ounce of your focus. Whatever your power is that enhances ours, this is our battle test.”
Her eyes flashed for a moment, from the brilliant blue and green he adored to the amber of his bear. A soft growl rumbled in her chest, and he knew that she’d reached for whatever part of her was connected to them. Taking one last look at his mate, he strode from the bedroom. Shaylee stood in the center of the room, watching through the window as their parents fought.
“I don’t know what they are,” she said. “But the woman at the back is a witch, probably dark magic. Can you smell the sulfur? Nothing good ever smells like that. Watch your backs.”
Teck, Kaya, and Shy moved past Shaylee, leaving the RV and joining their parents. Their mother’s hands were glowing with blue flames, which she struck out at their attackers. Their fathers were battling with blades, joined by Rysk, Tyrant, Lynk, Tavian, Griegs, and their grandfather.
Teck centered himself and drew on his Wiccan power, reaching for that part deep inside him that was connected to the earth. As quickly as he reached for his power, it filled him; his nerves tingled and his mind filled with spells. He felt the power swelling because of Kaya, and he let loose a fearsome roar, while shoving his power into the ground. Vines shot up from the ground like tentacles, lashing around the legs of the males and twining together to pull them down. The males shouted in surprise, hacking at the vines, which gave Teck’s people the upper hand.
A streak of blue lightning arced in the sky over them, heading right for Kaya. Shy stepped in front of her and lifted his hands, countering the lightning with a bolt of fire. The lightning dispersed with a crackling sound, and the witch screamed in anger. She began to throw lightning like arrows. Their mother joined them in knocking the lightning away, but the sky soon filled with bolts, and Teck knew that they had to take out the witch.
Kaya roared, the deep bellow of a furious she-bear, and clanged her swords together. She raced off into the thick of the battle, leaping over their attackers and hacking her way to the witch. Teck immediately focused his power on Kaya, covering her with his protection as she neared the witch.
A large male moved in front of the witch. He looked like a pirate from the movies, all he was missing was an eye patch. He seemed to be the leader, as others rallied around him in a loose circle. The pirate raised his sword high with one hand and beckoned Kaya with the other. His mate was fierce, but Teck didn’t know if she could handle the male, if she could even get through the wall of fighters.
“Mom?”
“I’ve got this. You go get your mate,” she said, yelling over the sound of cracking lightning and roaring flames.
Teck pulled the sheaths from his body and dropped them to the ground and then shifted. He shifted faster than he ever had before in his life. One moment he was on two legs and then he was on four, racing after his sweetheart. He swiped at their attackers as he moved, knocking them down and sending them flying out of his path. Behind the witch and the leader wielding a sword was a shimmering black hole, which he suspected was a portal.
“Get the girl!” the leader shouted.
Kaya moved so fast that she was a blur. Her swords sliced left and right, as expertly as anyone Teck had ever seen. She ducked and dodged swords and fists with a steady growl in her chest. He joined her, fighting through the group, moving toward the witch and the leader. Teck found he still had access to his Wiccan power, and he slammed his paws to the ground, which shook like a mighty earthquake. The witch’s lightning strikes faltered, and Kaya spun behind the leader and buried one sword in the witch’s chest.
The leader grabbed Kaya by the throat and lifted her off the ground, her other sword falling to the dirt.
Teck roared.
“Ah, ah,” the leader said. “Stand down or she’s dead.”
Teck growled but took one step backward. He glanced behind him and saw that their attackers were all dead or on the ground. The air scented heavily of blood and death. His family moved forward, with Shy coming to stand next to Teck.
“Release our mate,” Shy demanded.
“I don’t think so. She’s valuable.” He squeezed her throat, and her face turned red as she struggled to breathe. “I can kill you both and mate her myself. I’ll be the most powerful Raider in the realm.”
“You’re mistaken if you believe we’ll let you leave with our daughter,” Axe said. “Release her now, and maybe my sons will let you live.”
“You have no power here,” the Raider said. “More of my people are coming through the portal. I’ll resurrect the witch and kill you all. Except maybe the Wiccan. I’m sure she’d fetch a good price on the slave market, once she learns her place.”
Kaya went very still and closed her eyes. Teck snarled, worried she’d fainted. But then her eyes opened, and they were brilliant blue and green. Little blue arcs of light flashed over her skin.
“Snes itsta fial,” she said, her voice a rasp as she spoke an ancient Wiccan spell. “Snes itsta fial, fial!”
The Raider’s skin split, stripping from his muscles as he was flayed alive. Kaya dropped from his grip, and she rolled away, gasping for air. Teck raced to her, covering her body with his until her breathing calmed.
Shy struck out with his blade, cutting the Raider’s throat and releasing a spray of crimson blood. The Raider fell to his knees, clasping his throat and wheezing out a death rattle. He collapsed, and his lifeless eyes stared at the sky.
Kaya grabbed Teck’s neck, and he nuzzled her bruised throat. She passed out, going limp under him.
He let go of his shift and returned to his human form. Kneeling next to his sweetheart, he found her pulse on her wrist and bent over, listening to her heartbeat and her slow, steady breaths.
“Shaylee can help heal her,” his mother said as she came to stand next to them. Shy knelt on Kaya’s other side and picked up her hand and pressed it to his cheek.
“I thought he was going to take her through the portal,” Shy said.
Teck looked over his shoulder. “The portal disappeared.”
“It started to fade when Kaya killed that witch, but it went away entirely when the Raider died. Whatever the hell a Raider is,” Axe said, coming to join them.
“Are you two okay?” Ash asked.
“We’ll be fine once Kaya is awake and we’re home in the safety of the den,” Shy said. Teck grunted his agreement.
Lifting Kaya gently into his arms, he carried her into the RV and set her on the bed once more. Shaylee, joined by Tavian, began to use her healing powers on Kaya, and Teck moved to the small window and lifted the blinds. His mother and Shy watched as the males in their family lifted the bodies of all their attackers. The ones who hadn’t died during the battle were killed by his people so they wouldn’t be able to harm anyone else. The bodies were piled near where the portal had been. When the last body was tossed onto the pile, Shy and their mother pressed their palms together and chanted. Although Teck didn’t have the power over flame, he recognized the spell, which was used to incinerate enemies.
The fallen bodies caught fire and were swiftly engulfed. The flames turned from orange to yellow to bright blue. Teck could feel the heat of the fire even in the RV. But the powers of his brother and mother protected them from harm.
“Wiccans have a spell for everything, don’t they?” Tavian asked as he looked out the window.
Teck smiled. “Yeah, we do.”
“Boil some water, would you, Tav?” Shaylee said. “I want to give her a draught.”
“How injured is she?” Teck asked, turning to the bed.
“I’ve healed her throat and the minor injuries she had. What she’s dealing with now is…I don’t know how to describe it other than she’s been drained of energy. She just needs to rest, and the best way to do that is with the help of a sleeping draught.”
Teck mulled over that for a moment. “She was channeling my Wiccan power. I felt her tap into it, but I’m wondering if she did it on purpose.”
“What do you mean?” Tavian asked as he came into the bedroom with a steaming aluminum pan, Shaylee’s medical bag, and a coffee mug.
“I think that her power, the barsei power, protected itself when she couldn’t. She was being choked into unconsciousness. She couldn’t fight with her sword, and he was too strong for her to get out of his hold. But somehow, she found Wiccan power within herself and recited an ancient spell.”
Shaylee stirred several powders into the pan and then Tavian poured some of the liquid into a coffee mug, which he handed to Teck. He sat down next to his mate and slid an arm around her shoulders and lifted her, pressing the cup to her lips.
He poured some of the liquid into her mouth, and she sputtered and choked a little, but slowly she began to swallow as he helped her finish the mug. The liquid smelled like chamomile and vanilla, but he knew it wasn’t as simple as tea and spices.
“Thank you,” Teck said as he handed the empty mug to Tavian and settled Kaya on the bed.
“We’re family. Everyone who was with us is alive and safe because of the three of you.”
Shaylee and Tavian left the bedroom as Shy and their parents came in.
“The bodies are gone,” Shy whispered. “How is Kaya? Has she woken up?”
“Shaylee gave her a sleeping draught. She said that she was drained from tapping into the Wiccan power.”
“That makes sense,” Elizabeth said. “When I was young and learning about my power, I tried out a few really powerful spells. If you’re not trained to handle the power of a spell, it can literally take your energy. I’ve seen Wiccans pass out mid-spell because they were in over their heads.”
Axe said, “Fortunately, your mother’s protection spells kept the RVs from being destroyed.”
“Shaylee said everyone is safe. Are the girls okay?” Teck asked.
“They’re fine. All the kids stayed in the RV with Filene, and the girls were casting small protection spells of their own,” Elizabeth said.
Within minutes, the RV was moving, and Teck stretched out on his side next to Kaya and breathed out a sigh of relief.
“I wish we knew how those Raiders found out about Kaya,” Shy said.
“I suspect it had something to do with that disgruntled Centaur, Bry,” Teck said. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he went into the other realm and we had trouble. The leader said that he would mate Kaya himself, but then said he would sell Mom as a slave.”
Shy joined them on the bed, turning onto his side and resting one hand on Kaya’s stomach. “If Bry did attempt to have her kidnapped or sold as a slave, then I hope he’s dead and that he suffered.”
Teck agreed. He linked his fingers with Kaya’s and rested his head on the pillow. “I can’t wait to get home.”
“Me too,” Shy said.
Closing his eyes, Teck let the steady hum of the RV’s tires lull him to sleep.