Don’t fight me, Isaiah.
It was an impossible request. He couldn’t turn his Addy into a beast. He couldn’t see her struggle, couldn’t deal with her hate, couldn’t be the one to kill her if it all went horribly wrong.
There’s no point in fighting.
The order echoed in Isaiah’s mind, bouncing off barriers until it found a weak spot to glide underneath. It found his beast with unerring accuracy, soothing it into a semblance of calm.
She needs you.
Insidious and debilitating, the truth wended deep.
With you, she’ll have life
.
His
no
wasn’t as strong as it should have been.
She’s your mate. It’s your duty to give her what she needs
.
Duty. He understood duty.
She needs you.
He remembered her smile, her fear, the way she didn’t need her worry stone around him.
Yes.
Complete the bond. It’s your duty.
No.
If you don’t,
They
will.
They
’re dead.
No,
They
’re not. Without the bond, she’s not safe. You have to keep her safe.
He’d promised to keep her safe.
It’s the only way.
He’d never let
Them
have her.
She needs you.
Yes. She needed him, he needed her. Isaiah leaned down, or did Blade lift her up? He didn’t know. He heard a groan.
“Hurry up,” Reese said. “Cole’s coming awake.”
Addy’s scent grew stronger, even through the coppery stench of blood. So pure, so perfect.
She’s yours.
Yes. Mine.
She needs you to make her strong.
Strong. Addy was always strong. But she had to be stronger to fight
Them
.
Do it. Do it.
The order echoed in his head, gaining strength with every reverberation in his ears, different voices all with the same imperative—save her. His mouth flooded with that spicy taste he’d known only once before.
Now
, he thought,
now I am ready
. He touched his lips to her throat. His Addy. His sweets. He kissed the side of her neck.
In the second before he bit, he whispered, “Forgive me.”
His teeth pierced her skin. Her taste filled his mouth. All went dark and then there was a sensation of being in a tunnel, buried beneath an overpowering, cloaking darkness.
Wait.
The beast? Blade? He didn’t know, but he waited, not trusting that darkness, holding Addy tightly. At the edge of the tunnel, sparkles of light appeared, tiny flickers that built to streaks. Around his hands more appeared, solidifying as he watched, glowing strong enough to push the darkness back. There was the impression of movement, of going deeper, yet he went nowhere at all. Another flicker of light joined the others. This one was more centered and blossomed at his approach, luring him closer.
“Addy.” Her name came out in a breath of recognition.
The light flared in response, filling his vision, before flickering. He lunged forward. The light surrounding him surged, too, wrapping around Addy, trying to hold her. Her light whooshed back down the tunnel, growing smaller and smaller. Somewhere a waltz played.
“He’s a heavy son of a bitch,” he heard from afar.
“Move him over before he crushes her.”
“If we can get them on these horses, can you get them somewhere safe?” Reese asked.
No, he wouldn’t leave Addy.
“Yes.”
The last thing he heard before the darkness smothered him was Reese.
“Make sure it’s far enough away that Cole can’t track them.”
“He’ll follow?”
“Yes.”
Yes.
17
REAPER!
Isaiah slammed into consciousness, nerves snapping taut. Keeping his eyes closed, he took stock of his surroundings. Clean air, scented with leather and wood smoke. Warmth on his feet and shaded light on his eyes. Two people—
“About time you woke up.”
Blade.
Images flooded his mind. Addy in her blue dress, laughing. Reapers attacking. Blood in a pool. Addy . . . He shied away.
“Hate to break it to you, Blade, but as ugly as you are, I just didn’t feel inspired.”
Fingers toughed his cheek in a fluttery caress. Addy.
“How about me? Do I inspire you?”
Isaiah opened his eyes. Addy stared down at him, a forced smile on her lips. He had a vague memory of that face streaked in blood, the lips pale, the eyes closed. Reaching up, he pushed a loose tendril of hair off her cheek. His beast moaned in pleasure at the contact. He knew exactly how it felt. The man was pretty pleased, too. “For you, I’d not only wake up, I’d get up.”
She chuckled. “That might be a bit ambitious. You’ve been unconscious forever.”
Her fingers quivered against his temple. Beyond her head he saw a mesh of twigs and leaves. They were at his lean-to. Interesting that Blade would bring them here.
“Forever? I must give ‘ugly’ a new definition.”
“You look good.” Addy’s smile was as soft as her touch and just as shaky.
“I was just thinking he looked about as attractive as a pig in a wallow,” Blade interjected. “So if you do get him up, steer him toward the pond.”
“Blade!” Addy pressed her hand against Isaiah’s shoulder in the delusion that she had a prayer of keeping him down.
His beast didn’t like her familiarity with the handsome Reaper. He wasn’t too fond of it himself.
“Just saying my nose could use a break,” Blade clarified.
“He was hurt.”
“So were—”
Blade cut him off. “Well, I’m the one who’s hurting now.”
Isaiah cut Blade a glance. He didn’t want him talking about her injuries? Running his hand over the beard on his cheeks, Isaiah sighed. “I must look a sight.”
“Been sleeping like an angel over there for two whole days,” Blade snorted. “You ought to look like something.”
Two days. It usually only took a few hours for a Reaper to heal, unless the wounds were mortal. Two days meant he’d been near death.
“Two days, huh?” He ran his hand over his chin, rasping his nail on the rough beard. “I must have been tired.”
The wind changed direction. The aroma of roasting rabbit joined the other scents. His stomach rumbled.
“Must have been, but don’t think we’re going to let you lollygag once you get up.”
Addy gasped. “Blade, hush!”
Isaiah cocked an eyebrow at Blade. He was willing to bet that the last time the big Reaper had been told to hush was never. “Guess I can take a hint.”
“Don’t you dare get up.”
And the last time someone had given him an order had to be never times two.
“Sweets, I need to get up.”
“A bath can wait. You were very . . .” Addy’s fingers dug into his shoulder in a rhythmic pattern and her gaze skirted his. Licking her lips nervously, she finished, “There’s no rush.”
Rub on me instead.
He put his hand over hers, not stopping her rubbing, just shielding it from view. She must have lost her worry stone in the battle. He didn’t mind filling in.
“Sweets, I’ve been lying here for two days. There’s a need.”
Blade chuckled. The rubbing continued another second, hesitated, and then stopped altogether as his implication sank in.
“Oh.” She sat back. Blade chuckled. Addy snapped, “Shut up, Blade.”
Another chuckle. Isaiah caught Addy’s hand and brought it to his lips. Something he most likely would not be able to do later. She was Reaper now, but judging from her calm, she didn’t know it. When the reality hit, there’d be no more soft touches. Just hate and anger.
“And since when do you go calling a strange man by his first name?”
Her smile tightened. “Since he doesn’t seem to have a last name and since he saved both our lives.”
Blade turned the rabbits. “The lady is eminently logical.”
And Blade liked that. Isaiah’s beast snarled a silent warning. Blade tipped his hat. Isaiah bared his teeth before nodding to Addy.
“I thought his name was Billings.” He shifted up on his elbows.
“He says it’s not.”
“Always the man of mystery.”
Blade didn’t deny it. “Yup. You going to lie there all day?”
“No.”
Addy pressed her hand against his shoulder again and shot Blade a dirty look. “I’m not sure you’re ready.”
Isaiah met the worry in her gaze calmly. “I’m getting up.”
She took her hand away with a huff, clearly not happy.
She fussed with the folds of her skirt. Arranging them to hide stains in the once-fine material. Folding and tugging until the tears in the fabric were aligned in the manner which, he recognized, meant she was struggling for calm. How much did she know?
He looked at Blade. Blade looked at him. Addy rolled her eyes and put her hand to her shoulder where he’d bitten her. “I’ve seen that look before.”
“What look?” Blade asked.
“The one that says the men want to talk without the risk of upsetting the women present.”
“I can see there’s going to be a downside to you being raised by your cousins.” Isaiah tossed the pelt off his legs, and then immediately yanked it back. “Where the hell are my clothes?”
Addy didn’t even blink. “There was nothing left to save, and I don’t consider being raised by my cousins as a downside.”
Blade chuckled. “Logical and smart.”
“Thank you.”
“Shut up.”
Blade’s smile never slipped, but he picked up a small pail and held it out. “Addy, would you please get some shaving water for Isaiah?”
Addy stood and took the pail. The white of her petticoats showed thorough the gashes in her skirt. Black stitching held together the rips in the top. “I’ll be right back.”
That warning was directed at Blade.
Blade waited until she was a good twenty feet down the path before saying, “Translated, that means we won’t have much time to talk.”
His beast growled. Isaiah echoed the sentiment. “You two seem to have gotten very chummy over the last two days.”
“It would be a waste of time we don’t have for you to be jealous, Guardian.”
“Why?”
Blade shrugged and tossed him a pair of pants. “She doesn’t want me, and that’s not a woman a Reaper can influence.”
Good.
“Why don’t we have time to waste?”
“With word out that you broke the law in regard to consorting with human women—”
“Thanks to you.”
Blade nodded. “Some information it pays to control.”
“So they could come after me faster?”
Blade met his gaze. “So they’d know where I stand on the issue.”
Blade had tried to alter the law. For him.
Shit.
If anyone could change Council law by simply voicing his displeasure, it was Blade. A spark of hope flared. “And?”
And died just as quickly as Blade let out a long breath. “They’re a bullheaded bunch.”
Isaiah slowly pulled on his pants, absorbing the possible implications. “They sent you to kill me?”
“You know I don’t belong to the council.”
Yes. He did know. The newly formed council would have loved to have Blade—the oldest known Reaper—as a member, but Blade preferred the title of Rogue to Guardian.
“But someone is coming.”
“Yes.”
Isaiah buttoned the fly. “What about Addy?”
“They don’t know about her change, but when they do . . .” Blade shrugged and checked one of the rabbits before turning it on the skewer. “The law says she has to die with you, but that might change when they find out you were successful in making her both Reaper and mate. That had not been considered possible.”
No it hadn’t. Hell, he still didn’t believe it. “Shit.”
Blade nodded. “That about sums it up.”
“What does Addy know?”
“Nothing about the council.”
“And about her . . . situation?”
Shit
, again. He didn’t even know what to call it.