Chapter Four
Libra is gracious.
The flight to Ireland proved uneventful, as had Teagan’s most recent attempt to shift. Archer hoped that once with her kind and their healers, her ability to connect with her animal part would return. She should be at her most powerful now, but the wound didn’t seem to want to heal and, worse, it hindered her from flight, as she couldn’t even shift. She’d supplied him with coordinates in the Burren area and fallen asleep. So far, he found no evidence of any slayers in the area.
He pulled the car off the road and watched Teagan sleep. Her heart was so pure. She’d risked everything to be with a human everyone had abandoned. To what result? For those trusted in protecting humans to shoot her. As always, the gods had been cruel when handing out their punishment to the shifters. A race hunted because two primes, the ram and the bull, had dared to challenge their place in the order of things. Demanded more than a month of power.
Fearful Olympus might have an uprising, the gods took the initiative to take the shifters out. In a god’s minute, Teagan’s kind went from protecting to being hunted. Not all gods had been on the same page; a few saw the error and did their best to help where they could. The goddess of justice, Dike, managed to protect them for eleven months of the year. But, with the powers of the shifters growing so strong during their zodiac month, even her powers couldn’t hide them from the Foniás.
He could no longer deny his growing attraction to this woman. Making love to her the evening before had only cracked open the ice block he’d placed around his heart. He could no longer stay aloof and unaffected by her. Teagan represented everything he loved in humanity. Kindness, forgiveness, honor, and selflessness. He would drop her off and leave it to her to contact him when she returned to her life. If she called, he would come. If she did not, he would stay away. Her needs must be placed above his own.
“Teagan, we’re here.”
She moaned, rubbing at her shoulder. A red streak had started to move over her collarbone. Easing back her blouse, he noted the wound looked angry with several red lines moving away from the scar. Brushing his fingers over the skin, he found it was hot to the touch. “Teagan.”
She moaned again, this one tinged with pain. A fever had come over her in a short time. She complained of exhaustion, but he had put it up to the long trip and jet lag. “Baby, I know you don’t feel well, but I have to get you home. I can’t do this by myself, and you are so close.”
He didn’t know where to take her, but staying in the car was a bad idea. Grabbing her backpack, he threw it over his shoulder. He would come back later for her bags. He lifted her from the car, and she clung to him. “Don’t leave me.”
“I’ll take you as far as they’ll let me. But I don’t know where to go from here.”
“Head to where the sun shines brightest at midmorning,” she mumbled against into his neck. “It’s cold.”
Glancing up the rocky landscape of the Burren before him, he saw a bright spot through the Irish mist. Each step he made, he calculated over the cracked, limestone-roped rocks for fear of falling into a cavernous pit and placing her into more danger. A large raven flew at them, shifting a few feet from the ground and landing in a crouch.
“Finally. We have been expecting you.” The naked man straightened up, his long dark hair blowing in the wind. In quick, birdlike movements he cocked his head to the side. “Is Teagan all right?”
“Her fever is raging again. She isn’t healing.”
“Why does she not shift?”
“Can’t,” she coughed out, still clinging to him. “Hurts.”
“I’ll take her from here.”
“No!” She tightened her grip on Archer when the other man went to lift her from his arms.
The other man tried again but stopped when she cried out in agony. “Teagan has known me her whole life.”
Archer had a decision to make. He either handed Teagan over, which went against every fiber of his being, or he admitted to this sentinel who he was, giving in to the need to be with her. “Archer. Mate.”
His world came into focus. She was it.
“You are her mate?”
“Apparently.”
The other man jerked his head. “And you accept her as such.”
“I do.” He didn’t really know what that meant, but she calmed in his arms, and his chest filled with pride.
“Come, then. We need to get her to our healers. My name is Colin.” He led the way to the center of a large rock formation, and Colin turned. “Hold on to her tight.”
In a series of caws and clucks, the other man chanted. There was no reason for him to hide what was said because Archer could not mimic the sounds. Ravens flew around them, and the ground quaked. He clung to Teagan as the rocks beneath his feet fell away. As soon as he started to follow them, the darkness turned to light, and they stood in a small chamber lit by a single wall sconce oil lamp. Colin was nowhere to be seen, and the longer Archer waited, the angrier he got. The Libras had to know they were there, that Teagan’s fever burned hotter by the moment. Why weren’t they taking action?
Finally, a rock slid to the side, and a short, pencil-thin old woman with silver hair falling to her knees came forward. “Oh, my Teagan. Bring her through, so Nettie can take care of her girl,” she demanded in a thick Irish accent. “In case ye don’t get it, I am Nettie.”
He followed, keeping his eyes ahead. Twenty steps into the cave, Teagan’s head fell back, her eyes rolled into her head, and her body started shaking. “Teagan,” he yelled.
The woman barked out orders in Gaelic, throwing open a door at the end of the hall. “This way.”
Archer ran the last few steps and placed her on the bed. Beside the bed, sat a pitcher of ice water. He ripped off his T-shirt and tore it into strips then dunked them into the water, and placed them on her neck and armpits. “She’s burning up.”
“Get her naked so she can shift,” Nettie demanded. Another woman came into the room with a large wooden bowl of herbs. Together they sprinkled both Teagan and the bed.
He doubted her herbs would do much to bring down her fever but took her clothes off obediently, anyway. “She hasn’t been able to shift since she awoke after being shot.”
“She hasn’t been in a healing sleep?”
“For a couple of hours, she remained in raven form, but then she shifted into human and has been restless most of the time.”
The older woman came over and pressed on the puffy, oozing wound. “She is infected. I need to drain it if she can’t shift to heal, but that may not be enough.”
“Can’t you compel her to shift?”
“Compel?”
Shit, he was a walking minefield. What he knew about shifters didn’t always transfer across breeds. “Can no one here force her to shift by voice?”
“No.” Nettie gave him a look of amazement. “I have never heard of such a thing. Do you know someone who can?”
“I do, but I’m not sure how it works or if it can happen over a phone. “He pulled his phone out of his back pocket.
“If you can get her to shift, then we should try it.” The healer didn’t hide her concern.
“Do you have a phone that works here?” His cell, as expected, had no bars.
“Give me a moment.”
“Make sure it has a speaker.”
The woman ran into the hall. A few minutes later, she returned with another woman who held a phone, feeding out a long cord behind her. She handed the antique device to him and left. He couldn’t remember the last time he had used a phone that plugged into the wall. This one reminded him of the kind you’d have found in an office thirty years ago or so, with a few lines. After searching his memory, he recalled the number Teagan called from his home and dialed it then hit the speaker button.
Jeffrey answered on the first ring. “Is she safe?”
“She’s with her people.”
“Oh good.” His voice became muffled. “She’s safe, dear.” Jeffrey must have been talking with his wife.
“I need a favor.” Though he remained calm, the dire situation Teagan was in gave him serious reason to worry.
“Anything what?” the other man said without hesitation.
“Can you get in touch with Leonidas?”
“The lion shifter? Why?”
“He has a skill that might help save Teagan. She is really sick.”
“I thought you said she was safe,” he demanded.
“No, I said she was with her people, but she can’t shift, and I don’t think they can help her if she can’t. Can you get in contact with Leonidas or not?”
“I’ll have him call you at this number.”
“Quickly, please.” He had never before begged anyone for anything, but he was begging now. He paced the room as the healer lanced the wound, drained the infection, and packed it with the herbs. But her fever remained high. The phone lady and another woman brought in ice, which they packed around her.
After the helpers left, Nettie looked down at Teagan, eyes narrowed. “Is it possible that the bullet was tipped in poison of some sort?”
“Anything is possible. But the Foniás would have to know what poisons to use,” he said, though he knew of none.
Without looking his way, the elderly woman asked, “You know a great deal about our kind, don’t ye?”
“I know enough to be dangerous.” The phone rang saving him from answering any questions bound to come his way. “Hello?”
“Archer?” The deep voice of the Leo prime rolled through the phone line.
“Leonidas,” he breathed on a sigh of relief. “Thank you for calling.”
“Jeffrey said it was important. Teagan is not well?”
“She can’t shift. I hoped you could compel her to.”
“I’ve never tried compelling a Libra or using my voice commands through the phone,” he admitted.
“Are you willing to attempt it?”
“It can’t hurt.” He said something to someone on his end then returned. “Clearing everyone out of my office here. You might want to do the same on your end, but we’ll need one Libra in the room to know if it worked at all, if Teagan doesn’t shift.”
“The control.”
“Exactly.”
Placing the handset on his shoulder, he turned to Nettie. “I need someone willing to be the test subject, and I think you might want to leave the room.”
The old lady nodded. “I’ll go out and send someone in. Should I clear the surrounding rooms?”
“I would,” Leonidas purred.
A minute later, a young man entered. This one grunted; only a beta would show such arrogance. “Let the lion do his best.”
Oh, how the young could be so arrogant and stupid rolled into one. “Ready, Leonidas. We have a beta here.”
A roar came through the phone, followed by “Shift.”
A funny tingle started at the center back of his skull and worked down his shoulders. The beta remained standing, but at a second command deeper than before, black feathers started to form on the other man’s arms. At a third, the man became a squawking bird.
“The man has shifted, but she has not.”
“Hmmm. Hold on. Let me ask my healer.” Mumbling ensued for a moment before Leonidas addressed him again. “Okay. She has a thought. Please place the phone closer to Teagan but do not take it off speaker just yet.”
He did as requested. “Ready.”
“Teagan, you must heal.” The deep voice had Archer closing his eyes, nearly overwhelmed by a desire to sleep. “Heal.”
Teagan arched her back and let out a piercing scream so high the mirror cracked across the room.
Leonidas repeated the words to her, compelling her to heal. One second she lay in human form, the next her black feathers were a stark contrast to the pale linen sheet she lay upon.
“It worked.” Archer rested his head on the mattress as relief washed over him.
“Now, take me off speaker phone. I have something for your ears only.” Leonidas paused.
“Okay, just me now.”
“When word gets out what you are, Teagan is likely to be banished. Melissasande, the Libra prime, isn’t flexible on the best of days. She encompasses the worst of the Libra traits: holds a grudge, is unemotional, condescending, and likes ultimate control.”
“I should leave, then, to avoid conflict for Teagan.”
“I doubt that would help. Teagan needs her mate. I believe she’ll be banished whether you are there are not.”
“Why? She has done nothing wrong.”
“Because she has dared mate with Foniás.”
“Yet, this is not of her choice.”
“No one understands that better than I. But some purists believe it is better to live alone forever than to taint the line.”
“Had I not been there, she would have died.”
. “You can’t protect her if you are gone. Your staying is the only way to keep her alive.”
“I see.”
“What I’m trying to say, fílos, is that I have a place you can come, both of you, and be safe. It’s not very comfortable, but it’ll allow protection and an open space where she can spread her wings. My loyalty must be to my pride, so I can’t ask you to come to our sanctuary. Although Teagan is welcome, she will not leave you.”
“I understand and appreciate the offer.”
“Contact me when you’re ready. Jeffrey can get in touch with my betas if I’m not available. I’ll have the hut made ready and as comfortable as possible, just in case.”
“I appreciate it.”
“They didn’t bug this line, yet, so far as I can tell. Even if they had, anyone listening would have shifted to sleep. Do not assume it will be safe to talk openly a second time, however.”
The lion cut the connection, and Archer stared at the raven. He didn’t dare touch her for fear she might shift back. The other raven shook its head, and hopped out. Perhaps unable to shift back, quite yet. He should have asked how long the compulsion would last. But if she was healing, any amount of time would be better than none. While he stood there, Nettie returned.
“Oh it worked,” the older lady said on a sigh. “I’ll leave her to heal. You understand that you’ll need to stay in here. I have to lock you in.”
“I understand.” He debated asking someone to get her bag, but if she was likely to be thrown out, it would be best to leave it where it was. “Can I keep the phone in case I need to call to have her shift again?”
“Of course. I’ll ask the kitchen to send a tray of food for you both. Can I get you a pint or perhaps something stronger?”
He didn’t trust anything they gave him wouldn’t be drugged. But he trusted they would do no harm to Teagan. He would take the offering out of respect but wouldn’t touch it. “A pint would be great. And I had a backpack when we came in. It’s Teagan’s. I’m thinking she might want a change of clothes and to brush her teeth when she wakes up.”
Nettie offered him a crooked-toothed smile. She leaned around the corner into the hallway and dragged in the bag. “Here it is.”
The bag had been gone through. The zippers were on top of the bag when he had made sure they were placed to the left. Little clues allowed him to know when things were tampered with. But he couldn’t blame them for making sure this visitor wasn’t here to hurt them. If they discovered who he was, he doubted they would listen long enough to know he never hurt innocents. “Thank you.”
“Is there anything else?”
“No.” He pulled a chair up to the bed. “Wait, there is one thing. How long will she stay in this form?”
“Hard to say what the damage is on the inside. Sometimes it’s a couple of hours, other times, days. I think ye can expect somewhere in between.”
“In that case, perhaps an extra blanket and pillow might be helpful.”
The other woman bowed and shut the door behind her. The sound of the bolt sliding into the lock echoed through the room. Teagan appeared to be calm and in deep sleep, but what did he know about shifters. Hell, what did he know about birds and their sleeping patterns. He looked around the bare room, hoping for a book to read. Anything would do. Hell he would read the entire encyclopedia at this point; there had to be something about the T. rex or the history of baseball he didn’t know.
Twice, they brought him a food tray. He flushed the food not trusting the kitchen staff. Unlike Teagan, he didn’t need much food, but he could go only so long without nutrients. He asked both times for something to read. Both times he had been ignored. The walls seemed to be closing in. Fifteen steps across the room from front door to the bathroom. Ten steps from the wall to Teagan’s bed. One thousand seven hundred twenty-five stones created the walls in the main room, and six hundred forty-three in the bathroom. Twenty-five slate tiles made up the floor.
He stared at Teagan, who had shifted to human a short time before, before returning to his pacing. He contemplated another round of sit-ups followed by pushups, but his abs already burned from the first hundred sets he had done.
“Lie down.” Teagan’s voice was soft and weak.
He knelt beside her. “How are you feeling?”
“I would feel better if your stress level lowered.” She scooted to the far side of the bed, making room for him. “Trust me, please.”
“You I trust.” By now he was sure they had bugged both the phone and the room. He lay beside her and calmed at her touch.
“These rooms can become claustrophobic,” she whispered.
“How do you stand it for a full month?”
“Like this.” She spoke in a language he couldn’t comprehend. The room turned dark, and the ceiling disappeared. The sky and stars appeared above their head. “Better.”
If this was a trick, it was a dammed good one. They had been in the room for two days from where the stars lay. “Is this…”
“A projected image of the sky above us. It’s not perfect…”
“It’s perfect enough.” Seeing his beloved stars was enough at this point.
“Good.” She snuggled against him. “Thank you for staying.”
He couldn’t tell her Leonidas believed she would be banished. “Where else would I go when my mate is here?”
Her head shot up, and even in the dim light, he could see her eyes filled with hope. She moved her lips then shrugged, so he brought his lips to hers and let her tell him with a kiss how she felt. He had to pull back as the desire to make love to her became a need he knew she couldn’t fulfill yet. “You need rest.”
Her response, a single yawn. A second later, her breathing slowed into the rhythm of deep sleep. Peace filled him as he ran her soft hair between his fingers. She was his, and he would protect her with his life. Injured, still in need of healing, she had come out of the sleep to ease him. No one had ever done that for him before. Not even his first wife. She had made sure food was on the table and took care of him, sexually, but if he had shown stress, she would have sent him into the hills.