Primal Bonds

  A white light blinded him. Damn, wasn’t it enough that Wade had them cowed without the man beaming light in his eyes?

  A stench went with it, a cross between smoke and mint. Cold wind blasted through the cave, and suddenly it was filled with people. Sean could scent them: the acrid mint odor he’d come to associate with the Fae, the rather ripe smell of a pissed-off bear, the scent of his own father, and the cool honey tones of his mate.

  Andrea.

  Sean opened his eyes. At the same moment, Dylan reached down and hauled Wade, half shifted, to his feet.

  Dylan’s eyes were white-hot with rage. His Collar sparked, but Dylan, the best trained of them all against the Collars, wouldn’t feel it. Behind Dylan, the tall Fae drew a sword.

  Wade gibbered in terror. “I was keeping them safe. I was keeping them safe!”

  “Lying shithead,” Glory whispered.

  Sean let out his breath and turned his head to inhale the goodness of Andrea. She dropped the Sword of the Guardian and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in Sean’s mane.

  “I found you,” she sobbed. “Sean, my mate. I found you.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Healing Sean was a joy. Andrea felt her magic connecting with the shimmer of Goddess magic inside Sean to soothe his hurts and heal him. He slowly shifted back to human as she worked, the threads of his pain unsnarling and smoothing at her touch.

  Andrea knew when Sean felt better, because she felt his gaze fix on her, strong and blue. He snaked a hand around her wrist, fingers hard, and pulled her down to him. Andrea came willingly, sensing their threads twine together, the mate bond tightening.

  “Thank the Goddess you’re all right,” she said.

  The look in his eyes told her he had more than prayers of thankfulness on his mind. Sean rolled her over into the dirt, and his mouth landed on hers, hungry and desperate, seeking with primal need. His body was hard and heavy on hers, hot through the silk.

  Ronan chuckled. “Looks like he’ll be okay.”

  “Glory.” Dylan’s moan of anguish made Andrea break the kiss at the same time Sean did.

  Dylan had Glory’s head in his lap and was stroking her hair. Sean picked up the sword and moved to them, Andrea right behind him.

  Together they healed her. Andrea grasped the blade, letting the edge nick her hand as she had when she’d healed Ely. Sean held the sword steady as the magic poured from him, the blade as a conduit. Andrea directed the heady magic into Glory and watched her wounds close, her strength return. Glory had been hurt far worse than Sean, shot and left to bleed out, but Glory’s healing, boosted by the combined strength of the Guardian and the sword, was swift.

  Glory at last drew a long breath, smiling up at Dylan with her usual verve. She was a long way from completely well, though. She’d lost a lot of blood, and she’d need a doctor.

  Andrea let go of the sword and leaned back against Sean. “You’ll need to get her to an ER,” she said, her body warm and tired. “That’s all I can do.”

  Dylan’s eyes were wet when he looked up, Glory still cradled in his lap. “You’ve done enough, child. Thank you.”

  “Now, we need to save Liam’s butt,” Ronan said. “Especially if Fae are popping out of nowhere and shooting poisoned arrows.”

  “Indeed,” Fionn said. “Leave the Fae to me. My own fighters are standing at the ready, and they’ve not had a good battle in a long time.”

  Sean’s scowl was fierce. “Fae are shooting poisoned arrows at Shifters?”

  “Yep,” Ronan said. “They got me, but Fionn here has this magic powder ...”

  Fionn interrupted. “My warriors know they are to be of assistance to my daughter on her command. They always will be.” Fionn gave Sean a pointed look. “You’d do well to remember that.”

  Sean’s brows climbed, and Andrea wanted to laugh. “Hey, I’m a warrior princess, remember?” she said.

  Sean growled as he leaned into her. “A warrior princess with lacy underwear.” He pressed a promising kiss to her mouth. “Now, let’s go kick us some Feline ass.”

  “Love to,” Andrea said.

  Dylan stayed behind with Glory. He told them he’d get her to a hospital, and then he’d deal with Wade. He sent the unconscious Lupine a vicious look that didn’t bode well for him.

  “You sure, Dad?” Sean asked. His sword gleamed, his naked body tall and strong, the Guardian ready for battle. “We could use you.”

  Dylan shook his head. “This is your fight, Sean. Yours and Liam’s. It’s time for me to focus on different things.”

  He was conceding his place to his sons. Firmly and finally. The tender way Dylan looked at Glory and the gentleness of his touch told Andrea what decision he’d reached. Sean squeezed his father’s shoulder, understanding.

  “Don’t worry,” Ronan said, his energy restored. “I’ll make sure Liam and Sean win. And then we’ll party.”

  “Bears,” Sean said. “Always wanting their honey.”

  “And beer. Don’t forget the beer.”

  “Are you sure you want to stay with these animals, daughter?” Fionn asked.

  Andrea took Sean’s hand. “Very sure.”

  She used the sword to open the way. Light flashed, along with the sharp, clean stench of Faerie, and then the four of them were gone.

  Wade remained unmoving on the ground, but he wasn’t dead. Dylan suppressed his instinct to stroll to the man and snap his neck, much as he wanted to.

  Glory’s lovely body was covered with dirt and blood, but her skin was warm, her breathing even. “I feel like shit,” she said.

  Dylan touched her face. “But you’re alive, love. That’s the important thing.”

  “Yeah, you’re right, that’s pretty important.” Glory tried to sit up, and Dylan had to support her against him. “I heard what you said to Sean,” she said, “but they really will need you back there. Callum’s crazy, and if they’ve got Fae on the loose ...”

  “I made my decision.” Dylan’s words were sharp, final. “I’m taking care of you, and that’s all.” Dylan pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “For always, Glory.”

  Glory’s eyes widened. “That sounds perilously like a commitment.”

  “’Tis not a joke. I need you in my life, my girl. It’s empty without you.”

  “You’re very flattering. Is that because I was almost dead?”

  Dylan ran his hand through her sleek hair. “Knowing you’d gone missing, thinking I might lose you forever ... Everything in my life suddenly lined up, from most important to least. At the top was finding you.”

  “Oh, yes?” Glory’s smile was a pale shadow of her usual one, but her eyes glinted. “What was number two?”

  “Bringing you back into my life. Permanently.”

  “I think I like this priority list.”

  “It’s not easy for someone like me to ask for forgiveness, love. Alphas don’t have to talk—we just stare at people until they fill in the words for us.”

  Glory’s smile grew stronger. “A good way of putting it. Are you saying you want to move back in with me?”

  “I’m saying that—using a word Andrea likes—I’ve been a dickhead. It was easy for me to leave for weeks at a time when I knew you’d be there when I came back. I took that for granted. You were right to kick me out.”

  “I know.” Glory touched his cheek. “But I also think I’m right to give you a new key to my house.”

  “I still have the old one. I kept it, just in case.”

  “What if I’ve changed the locks?”

  “You didn’t.”

  Glory smiled again. “You’re such a know-it-all, Dylan. What are we going to do about you?”

  Dylan leaned to her again, and this time he licked her ear. “I’ll show you when we get home.”

  “Mmm, sounds good to me.” She looked across the cave at Wade, still unmoving. “But we’ll have to do something about him.”

  Dylan followed her glance. “I’m thinking there n
eeds to be a challenge for pack leader. If you want to make it, I’ll back you.”

  Now Glory sat up, her delectable naked body brushing his. “A female pack leader? You’re kidding me. How very modern, how cutting edge.”

  “I can’t think of a better one than you, love. You’re far stronger than you think you are—than they think you are. You’d make a hell of a leader.”

  “And if I lose?” she asked. “I admit that if I could fight the challenge using sarcasm, there’d be no contest, but I might have to battle Wade’s nephews tooth and claw.”

  “If you lose, then we retreat and lick our wounds, ask Liam for protection. Maybe go to a beach somewhere, lick our wounds there.”

  “I like the way you think, furball.”

  Dylan cupped her face in his hands. “I like you, Lupine. No, Glory, I love you. You’re crazy and you piss me off, and you make me do insane things, and I love you to pieces. I’d be more than honored to have you as mate.”

  Glory’s usual smirk dissolved. “You damned irritating, high-handed, full-of-yourself, shithead alpha male.”

  “Does that mean yes?”

  Glory’s answering kiss was smoldering. “Yes. I love you,” she said between breaths. “Damn it, Dylan, I love you so much.”

  She smiled her triumph, but Dylan didn’t mind. As long as this tall, beautiful, sanity-stealing woman was in his life and in his arms, he didn’t mind much of anything at all.

  Shiftertown was in chaos. There was too much fighting, too many Shifters on the ground bleeding, and Sean started growling even as they stepped through from Faerie.

  Andrea was right behind him, like a living goddess in that body-hugging silk. He wanted her with a fierceness that threatened to overwhelm him, but first, they had to fix this mess. From the determined look on Andrea’s face, she agreed.

  Sean ran toward the Morrissey house, sword in hand, in time to see Connor go down under two Shifters, a Fae pointing an arrow into the mass.

  Sean froze, rage and fear pouring through him. Take care of Con for me, Kenny had whispered as he’d died. Promise me, Sean.

  That day flashed back to Sean, the feral Felines attacking Sean and Kenny as they tracked them through the brush alongside the river, the snarls in the darkness as the Collarless Shifters turned and fought. Sean weeping after the fight as he covered Kenny’s fallen body with their discarded clothes, then calling first for an ambulance and then his father and Liam. Kenny had died before they could reach him.

  Dylan crouching down and covering his face when he beheld Kenny’s lifeless body, Liam standing stiff and still, face wan with grief and shock. Sean had unsheathed the sword while Liam had watched with tears pouring down his face. Dylan hadn’t been able to look up.

  Sean had said the prayer to the Goddess in a broken voice and plunged the sword into Kenny’s chest. Sean had followed the sword down as Kenny had gone to dust, landing flat beside the ash that had been his brother. And then Sean and Liam held each other hard while they cried, while Dylan still hadn’t managed to unfold.

  All this flashed through Sean as he saw the Felines go for Connor. Callum circled, ready to attack Sean to get the sword, and Sean heard Connor scream.

  Fucking, bloody hell. Sean snarled as he started to shift. Screw the sword. No way was an ancient relic more important than Connor’s life. I won’t let him die, Kenny. I promise you.

  “Sean!”

  Andrea shouted at him. Sean turned, saw her outstretched hand, the strength in her eyes, Fionn right behind her.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Andrea cried. “Me and my dad.”

  The empty places in Sean’s heart filled as Andrea met his gaze. He already loved her with intensity that made him insane, but right now he loved her more than ever. Andrea understood exactly what was going through Sean’s head as he watched Connor struggle, knew exactly what Sean needed. She was offering Sean a solution with her brave generosity. She was his mate all right.

  You should see my girl, Kenny. She’s beautiful.

  Sean threw back his head and laughed. “All right then, Xena. You look after that now.”

  He tossed the sword high in the air, the blade glittering in the sunlight. It flew end over end, perfectly balanced, singing as Andrea stepped forward and caught it by the hilt, her silk robes billowing around her. Fionn closed in behind her, his bow and arrow ready, and Ronan, a bear again, stood defensively in front of her.

  Still laughing, Sean shifted. Strong with Andrea’s magic, he lifted his head and roared.

  The roar echoed up and down Shiftertown, proclaiming that the Guardian was there, the second-in-command of this Shiftertown, mad as hell and ready to fight. An answering roar came back to him, filled with family pride, Liam tearing it up.

  Sean pounced on Callum, lifted the wildcat high with his paws, and threw him. Callum tumbled through the air, crashed into the Fae with the bow, and went down with him. While they fought to untangle themselves, Sean charged the Shifters fighting Connor and burst them apart.

  Connor rolled from the ground, teeth bared, his eyes red with fury. His wildcat’s mane wasn’t well developed yet, Connor barely more than a cub, but his rage was plenty strong.

  Sean took the brunt of the fight, but he let Connor battle it out alongside him, knowing the lad wouldn’t be happy to be too protected. Connor’s Collar was already slowing him down, but he bravely stayed on his feet and helped drive the other Shifters back toward Liam.

  Sean heard Andrea shouting at the Felines around her, Ronan roaring as he fought them away from her. He knew Fionn had her back, and that fact warmed him. The family that fights rogue Shifters and upstart Fae together ...

  Liam charged through the clearing to complete the family togetherness. Liam leapt on Callum at the same time the slit to Faerie opened and about a dozen or more Fae warriors boiled through with the help of Callum’s Shifters.

  They were way too close to Liam. Sean crashed the last of the Shifters he fought to the ground and ran to help his brother.

  The Fae looked smug as they pointed knocked arrows at Liam. But Fionn was bellowing in an alien language, and more Fae popped out of his hole to Faerie, these armed with wicked-looking swords. The first set, alarmed, turned and tried to fire at the second set.

  The Fae fought dirty. While Sean knew Liam wanted the battle settled with as little Shifter bloodshed as possible, the Fae killed each other without remorse. It was chilling to watch one of Fionn’s men drive his sword clean through another Fae and laugh as his enemy’s blood showered over him.

  Callum’s Fae were defeated. Cut off from retreat by Fionn’s warriors, they died to the last man. The remaining one who struggled up from under Callum saw what was happening and took his revenge by turning on Callum.

  Before Liam or Sean could reach them, that Fae clenched an arrow in his hand and drove it straight into Callum’s heart. Callum bellowed in agony, paws scrabbling in the dirt, and the Fae wrapped his arms around Callum’s neck and broke it.

  That Fae died an instant later when Fionn’s sword swiped his head from his neck.

  As soon as the last Fae fell, whatever Fae spell had been helping Callum’s Shifters fight despite their Collars dissipated. Feline Shifters howled in pain and dropped all over the clearing. Liam loped to Sean and rose, shifting as he stood.

  Eric, the Shiftertown leader from Las Vegas, shifted to stand beside Liam and survey the battlefield. “Sun and moon, what a mess.”

  Sean remained wildcat, his nose wrinkling at the stench of dead Fae. Fionn’s warriors began carrying them back to Faerie, the bodies of friend and foe alike. Callum, they simply left where he was.

  Fionn stepped back to let the last of his warriors go through. As that door to Faerie winked out, Fionn wiped his sword clean on the grass.

  “The rest will be taken care of on my side,” Fionn said to Sean. “It is finished.”

  “Sure about that, are you?” Liam asked him.

  Fionn shrugged. “I am a Cillian. We always prevail.??
? He walked away, his stride long and still energetic.

  “And he’s going to be your father-in-law, Sean,” Liam said. “Whew. Better you than me.”

  “Hey, he helped save our asses,” Connor said. He’d shifted back to human and sat, panting, at Sean’s feet, looking a little green from the effects of his Collar.

  “So did Sean.” Liam’s hand landed on Sean’s mane. “Thank you, brother, for coming to Connor’s aid. I couldn’t reach him in time.”

  “Yeah, good save, Sean,” Connor echoed.

  Good save. Sean wanted to laugh and settled for a Feline growl. I’ll always save you, Con. Kenny never has to worry about that.

  Liam turned a sudden furious eye on his nephew. “And what the bloody hell are you doing in Shiftertown anyway, Con? You’re supposed to be guarding Kim at her house.”

  “Kim insisted we come back,” Connor said. “And I wanted a piece of these gobshites.”

  “You should have talked her out of it. Stolen her keys. Anything. I see we need to have a little chat about clan leaders and orders and shite like that.”

  Kim came around the house at that point, her Mustang in the driveway. It was over and she knew it, and she added her voice to what she thought about Shifters expecting her to stay away while they went out to nearly be killed.

  Sean left them to it and returned to where his heart was. Andrea.

  Andrea greeted him with a big smile and a hug around his wildcat neck. Sean decided to shift while her arms were around him and found himself against her delectable body. The silk that covered her let him slide against her in a delicious way.

  “Sweet lady,” he rumbled. “I’m thinking I can’t wait for that moon blessing.”

  Andrea’s answering kiss heated his blood. The fighting frenzy coupled with mating frenzy made him almost forget he was in the middle of Shiftertown surrounded by family, friends, and enemies.

  “Sean,” Liam’s voice cut through his joy. “You’re needed.”

  Sean eased Andrea from his arms with reluctance, but he knew Liam was right.

  Callum was one of three Shifters who’d been killed in the fighting. Liam, Ronan, Eric, and Ellison helped lay all three of them out under the trees, surrounding them with fresh branches, murmuring prayers as they did so. They brought Jared from the back of Dylan’s truck, his body still wrapped in the tarp, and laid him next to the fallen.