Chapter Three

Kal

 

“Cassidy.” I nodded at her and tried to hide my impatience as she studied me, then Iris. “Where’s your husband?”

“Oh,” Iris murmured. I glanced over at her, hunched on the forest floor and gaping at Cassidy. “Hello, I’m Iris.”

“Niles hates using the Hopper—you know that,” Cassidy said and shot me an annoyed look.

“It wasn’t a knock on your skills, kid,” I growled. “Just asked for him, was all.”

Cassidy Orlov was my pack brother Luke’s sister-in-law and one of the best healers in Winfyre Ridge. She’d come into her gifts slowly. Within the last year, however, her gifts had grown exponentially. She could now heal without the help of her husband or her mother-in-law.

“Oh, okay, sure,” Cassidy said and smiled.

“Hello, can you look at her?” I barked out and waved an impatient hand at Iris. I didn’t like how much blood she was losing. Or the possibility she was poisoned. Would explain her inane chattering and staring. “I didn’t call you here to exchange pleasantries.”

“Kal, you never exchange pleasantries,” Cassidy said, striding over and squatting down in front of Iris. “Hi, Iris, I’m Cassidy Orlov. Gonna take a peek under your shirt, okay? Back, right?”

We both nodded, and Iris gave me a reassuring smile. I resisted the urge to shake my head. Why was Iris reassuring me? I didn’t get gutted by the Butcher.

“Well, I don’t think you were poisoned, so that’s something,” Cassidy said and glanced at me. “No infection, either. Let’s clean you up.”

“Good,” I muttered and drew a hand over my face.

Xander must have caught wind of my fears when I’d telepathically reached out to him. I hadn’t meant to let that slip, but it had been hard to think when I’d had this odd woman bleeding all over the damn forest floor. And that friendly chatter, like we weren’t running for our lives from a black market auction.

“You probably won’t even scar too badly,” Cassidy said and glanced at me again.

She was tugging up the shirt a bit more. My shirt. A fact that hadn’t escaped Cassidy’s notice from that small smirk on her face. Damn. This is why I’d wanted Niles. He would’ve kept his mouth shut. Cassidy wouldn’t. She’d be off to tell her sister the moment she got home.

But Cass was also extremely capable. It was strange now to think Cassidy had ever been averse to her gifts or a bitter, withdrawn shifter when she’d first arrived. Now she was always on the move, babysitting her nephew and running all over Winfyre whenever anyone needed her.

“Where did you come from?” Iris asked. “How do you know my name and—ouch.”

“Oh, someone got you good,” Cassidy said, removing the bandages and letting her fingers hover over the gash. Light spilled out and sank into Iris’s skin. Any higher, and Sarrow would’ve killed her. Something I bet Iris didn’t even realize. “You one of Kal’s associates?”

From Cassidy’s teasing tone, I knew she didn’t mean it, but Iris gave me a nervous look and shook her curly head fast. “Oh, no.” She sounded rueful. “No, Kal saved me…”

“Oh?” Cassidy asked.

“From Billy Sarrow,” I explained, hoping that would shut Cassidy up.

“You’re kidding,” Cassidy said. “This was deep, but you’re gonna be fine.” She drew back and pulled out a jar from her bag. Dipping her fingers in, she smeared the thick paste on and put on fresh bandages. The old ones vanished with a snap of her fingers. “And I’m from Winfyre Ridge. Northbane, like Kal here.”

“Were you here the whole time?” Iris asked, and I felt a tinge of relief. She was no longer pale with that hectic flush. “I mean, I know this sounds crazy, but it’s like you popped up from nowhere.”

“Yeah, if you could keep that a secret, that’d be great,” Cassidy said.

“What?” Iris asked and tried to turn, but Cassidy stopped her.

“Winfyre Ridge magic,” she explained airily to Iris. “Almost done.”

“Wait, you said Hopper—so the Northbane can use the Rift to travel instantly?”

“How do you know about it?” I asked, frowning.

“Rumors,” Iris said, and her eyes shone. “Shifters from the Northbane popping up out of nowhere and vanishing. And something about firsase crystals. How exciting!”

Finch needs to stop bragging, I growled in my head, watching as Cassidy adjusted the bandages and checked Iris over. When Cassidy caught me watching, a smile curved up into her cheeks, and I looked away, scowling. And Cassidy needs to stop smirking at me.

“Okay, Iris is all set,” Cassidy said. “You did a good job, Kal. She would’ve been fine if you’d left it, but I’m glad I could help.” I looked back to see Cassidy jump up and offer Iris a hand. “Can’t believe you called a healer, though. How long have you two known each other?”

Iris darted a glance at me and shook her head. “We-we met, um—”

“Bye, Cass,” I interrupted, and Reagan’s younger sister shot me a mischievous smile. “Tell everyone I’ll be home soon.” I glared at her. And nothing else.

“You want to come with me?” Cassidy inveigled and flashed a smile that said, In your dreams, Deacon. “It’ll be fun.”

“I can walk,” I said. I did sympathize with Niles’s aversion. The Hopper was awful. “Thanks.”

Cassidy turned to Iris and beamed at her. “Nice meeting you. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you soon. Take it easy on our guy Kal, here, too.”

“Grace,” I growled.

“It’s Grace-Orlov,” Cassidy retorted and tossed her short black locks. “Bye, you crazy kids.”

With that, Cassidy closed her eyes and stuck her hand in her pocket, then there was a whoosh of air, and she was gone.

“And that’s why I don’t call,” I muttered.

“Whoa, she’s…that’s amazing,” Iris breathed. “So…”

We looked at each other, and silence fell.

Alone with Iris, in her too-big t-shirt that she was twisting in her fingers, and her honey-colored curls falling into her eyes, I suddenly had no idea what to say to her. Or how to act. I felt too big, too brutal. She’d seen me rip apart a criminal camp and all but dispose of Billy Sarrow. Then I’d carried her through the woods without her permission, dumped her on the ground, and sprung a healer on her. Yet she was still standing there with bright eyes and a nervous smile.

I’d alerted Xander to those guys making off with the contraband, though, when I called for a healer. He’d pass it along to the Burnfur and Greyclaw. They’d get those guys. I didn’t have to worry about that. No, I needed to figure out what to do with Iris and the book.  My glance went to it, lying innocently on the forest floor. On closer inspection, though, a strangeness hung around the faded black book. Shadows seemed to cluster and lick up its edges.

Walking over, I stooped down and flipped it over. Stamped on the cover in silver were three interconnected circles with an arrow drawn through them.

“I knew exactly what it was when I saw it.” Iris’s voice had a hushed, serious note to it. I turned to her. Now I saw a woman with quiet strength and an intense gaze. The one who’d been willing to sacrifice her life to keep Sarrow’s hands off this book. “I knew it couldn’t fall into the wrong hands.”

“This is the second time I’ve held this book,” I said slowly, not sure why I was telling her this. “I don’t know how I keep ending up with it. Maybe this time, it won’t vanish.”

“You lost it?” Iris asked, her voice sharp and accusatory. I gave her a surprised look, and her eyes went wide. “I-I’m sorry, it’s just…”

“No, it’s okay,” I said. “I didn’t lose it, exactly. An Excris stole it.” Or at least I think they did.

I’d replayed that moment a dozen times in my head. The book snatched from my fingers and vanishing into a seam in the sky. Sometimes I had dreams I fell in, too, and kept falling.

Another reason that I hated using the Hopper.

“Oh, right, of course. You guys have fought Excris and stuff,” Iris murmured. “I’ve never even really seen one. I mean, I think I did once, but…” She broke off as I took out a length of cloth from my bag and wrapped it around the book. “Well, maybe the book is like a boomerang or something.”

I heard myself laugh again and shook my head.

Laughing? What am I, going to flirt next?

“So,” I said as I tucked it into my bag and stood up. Now that Iris was healed, we could get down to business. “You found it?”

“Yes,” Iris said, and her face became pensive. “I was traveling from the Burnfur to the Greyclaw. I help out a little here and there.”

She explained how her Riftborn gifts lay in language, and she handled messages and codes. On her return trip home to the Greyclaw early this morning, she came upon an area of scorched earth and the book lying in the middle of it, with symbols all around.

“I took the liberty of drawing them in case they were important. Would you like to see?”

“Maybe later,” I said and rubbed my forehead. During her story, I’d been wondering how to take the book and send Iris on her way. Now, I didn’t know if that was prudent. “You’re tellin’ me you stumbled upon it?” Iris’s brows twisted up at the harshness in my voice. “Seems unlikely.”

“Well, I did,” she said with a shrug. “Wait.” Her big eyes went huge. “You think I’m lying?”

“Nah, you don’t seem very good at it,” I mused, and Iris pursed her lips to the side. My own twitched, and I mentally slapped myself. Don’t get in any deeper with this woman. “It’s only that this book shouldn’t exist. I saw it vanish, along with Orion.”

“Is that what happened to that bastard?” Iris asked, and her eyes became fierce. “He was more of a monster than any damn Excris.”

“I thought you’d never seen one,” I said and tried to fight back a smile.

“Well, I’ve heard stories,” Iris said and waved her hand. “So, he’s…”

“He’s gone,” I said.

"Good," Iris said vehemently and bit her lip. "Also, thank you again, Mr. Deacon, for helping me back there. Now every time Sarrow’s arm hurts, he’ll think of me and you.”

Again, I found myself fighting a smile. “What do you know of Orion?”

Iris shook her head. “I’d rather not say. It’s…”

“That’s okay.” The softness in my voice surprised me. But Iris had looked so miserable for a second, I couldn’t bear to press her on this. “Uh, let’s see.” I tapped my fingers on my chin. “You found this book, and then what happened? Wait, is the place you found it close to here?”

“I don’t remember, exactly,” Iris confessed, and I bit back a groan. “I mean, the place where I found it.” I know what you meant. “Everything happened so quickly.”

Iris explained that she’d found the book, realized what it was, and shoved it in her bag. She’d barely gone a mile or so when Sarrow and his men had cornered her. Once they’d found her bag and the paper with the symbols on it, that’s when things had gotten ugly.

“Sarrow kept pushing that paper in my face and asking me if I knew what it meant,” she said. “It’s in the front of that book, by the way. He seemed to think that I’d done something to interfere, although what, I don’t know—I was just walking by.”

“Wrong place, right time,” I said. “Or right place, wrong time?”

Iris gave me a small smile. “When you put it that way...”

I ignored the kick in my pulse as she continued, explaining how Sarrow had dragged her to the black market. He was so convinced she was a spy or had something to do with thwarting their plans that he’d decided to sell her.

“And that’s when you showed up.” Iris gestured to me.

Leaning back against a tree, I folded my arms and stared at the ground. None of this added up. How was it that this Iris Lisay had stumbled onto the book this morning, and then I’d stumbled onto her? And Sarrow had been there, determined to kill for it? Why did he want it off his hands?

Probably none of these questions had good answers. I snorted. Good thing I’d tracked those trails through the Delvik Hills, though.

“Um, Kallen?” Iris asked, and I looked up. “I mean, Mr. Deacon.”

“Kal,” I said. “Or Kallen, if you’re into extra syllables.”

Iris laughed. I had no idea why I’d said that. I didn’t make jokes.

“I was wondering—what now?”

“Hm.” I looked from her to the book, then to the sky, and sighed. “Well, I believe you.” She beamed. “However, I think you’ve become entangled in whatever this situation with the book is. Sarrow and others are gonna be lookin’ for you now. So, now, you’re with me until we get back to Winfyre.” I didn’t leave room for questions or conversations. “Let’s go.”

“Not the Greyclaw territory?” she asked, sounding hesitant. “We’re just closer, is all, and I was on my way there...”

“No. Winfyre.”

The last thing I wanted to deal with was Norson and the Greyclaw again. Besides, if they couldn’t watch their own borders, how could they watch a book?

“I’ll help, of course,” Iris offered eagerly, and I almost smiled. “I’ll come right away, right after I go back to the Greyclaw and—”

“No,” I interrupted. “You’re coming with me now, Iris.”

“But, you’re Kal Deacon,” she said and absently twisted a curl around her finger. I tried not to think about how adorable that was. “You’re an Alpha—you must have a lot of important things to do. I don’t want to get in your way or cause any more problems than I already have.”

"Lisay," I drawled. "You're the most important thing I gotta do-deal with."

“Oh,” she said, and her shoulders rose up as she blushed beautifully. “Thanks, but—”

“No buts.” I gave her a look. “Now, listen. Alpha rumors are just that. Rumors. A pain in the ass. It doesn't matter that I have that status in Winfyre or even in the territories. Or how busy I am. At the end of the day, I'm no better or worse, I'd hope, than any other shifter. You’re in danger, and I’m responsible for your life now, okay?” Iris nodded, and I swallowed, a little thrown by the weird lurch in my gut at her wide-eyed look. “I’m not trying to scare you—”

“I’m not scared,” Iris interrupted brightly. “I’m concerned.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” I rubbed my face, looking down at her and trying not to groan. “Please stop, I’m begging you.” So odd. Not scared of me at all, or really of Sarrow, at the moment—only worried about being a bother. “Dammit, maybe I should have sent you with Cassidy.”

“I’d rather walk,” Iris spoke up. “If you don’t like that Hopper thing, I’m sure I won’t.”

I raised an eyebrow at her, mildly impressed. “How’d you know I don’t like it?”

“You wanted to walk.”

“I think I need to watch out for you,” I said and picked up my cloak. It was a little dusty, but no blood had gotten on it, thanks to her shirt soaking it up. “Here, why don’t you take this?”

“It’s a bit long for me,” she said.

“Shoot, good point,” I said and folded it up. Grabbing my jacket from my bag, I slid that on and then pulled out an old sweatshirt. Holding it up, I offered it to Iris. “Warmer than it looks.”

“Wow, I haven’t seen a sweatshirt in a long time,” Iris said and smiled at me. “Are you sure?”

"Yes, put it on," I said, shoving the cloak in and zipping the bag. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Iris pulled on my hoodie. It was so long, it almost reached her knees. "Sorry it's so big."

Iris hugged herself and smiled at me. “Don’t be—it’s perfect.”

I wanted to smile back but stopped myself. Swinging my bag on, I hesitated as Iris stepped up next to me and gave me an expectant look. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to shift. Safer that way.”

“Of course,” Iris said with another sweet and unsettling smile.

Hastily, I shifted and began to trot along. Iris was on my left, and I caught her scent, clean of blood and muck for the first time.

A sweet, warm scent with a slight tang to it, like caramel and sea salt.

Delicious, came an unbidden thought, and I shoved it back.

Honestly, though, I had no idea what to make of this woman.