A high-pitched noise reached my ears, but Dathan had already picked up on it. He stood perfectly still and when the shout came, he was ready.
“Werewolf lover!”
Dathan’s hand struck out, catching the stake-wielding wrist. “You were attempting to kill me.”
The attacker stared in wide-eyed terror as he became aware of the power far beyond his own. And with a stake in his hand, he couldn’t deny his intention.
“Who else is with you?” Dathan asked.
“No one,” the attacker answered in an unsteady voice.
“Lies,” Dathan whispered. “One more chance. Who are your accomplices?” He waited a moment, but the vampire remained silent.
An involuntary shriek escaped me when the vampire’s head flew off at the flick of Dathan’s wrist. The head landed a yard from me, and I turned away to bury my muzzle in Zack’s shoulder.
“Cedric will send someone to clean up the mess. Let’s get you two inside.”
I wanted to check over my shoulder and see if I recognized the dead vampire. But I wasn’t sure if I wanted the gory details. I didn’t want to test Dathan’s patience either.
As I trotted after Zack, I wondered how many more attempts there would be on our lives if Zack and I stayed together, and how we would survive them all. We couldn’t, not on our own.
My parents would never fully embrace Zack and if I followed him into SWAAST—if he even wanted me to—I’d lose my parents. But if I joined SWAAST while keeping my parents in my life, we’d all be marked for death by every werewolf in the world.
I had no clue what to do, but I’d have to make a choice, and soon.
† † †
Zack set aside a magazine with a shiny red sports car on the cover and raised the bedspread for me to crawl under. “I thought we had a deal. It’s hard enough resisting you when you’re fully clothed.”
“Says the guy wearing no shirt.” Dressed in an old tank top and flannel boxer shorts, I slid into bed with Zack. Putting ourselves at risk wasn’t a good idea, but if I could lose Zack any day, I intended to use our time well. I snuggled up to him, my arm slung across his midsection, my leg entwined with his.
He bent toward me, his lips seeking out my neck. I ran my fingers through his damp hair, while my other palm explored his bare chest. He shivered. Remembering my limited time with him, I turned away and flopped against my pillow. “Zack...”
He ground his teeth like he knew by the tone of my voice I was about to delve into topics he wanted to ignore. “We can’t run away together, Autumn. It’s too dangerous. Renzo will probably be looking for us and if he finds me, he’ll find you too. No sense in both of us getting killed.”
I stared at the ceiling, not wanting him to see how truly disturbing I found the idea of separating from him, maybe never seeing him again. “My parents have been running a long time. If they can survive, why can’t we?”
“Your parents aren’t mixing species. Much easier for them to stay under the radar. Wouldn’t matter if they were willing to take me on, because I can’t put their lives at risk that way.” He paused a second. “Or yours.”
I rolled toward him so we were both lying on our sides facing each other. “I could join SWAAST.” I secretly hoped he’d jump on it, beg me to go with him.
“Autumn...” He lifted himself up to rest on one elbow. “I can’t ask that of you. You and your parents are screwed just by being shape-shifters. If you joined SWAAST and kept in touch with them, you’d be putting them in more danger. The only way to avoid that is by saying good-bye. Seriously, could you really let them go? Take it from someone who’s been there, it’s not easy losing your parents.”
But losing Zack wouldn’t be any easier.
“Don’t make this any harder than it has to be,” he whispered, gliding his fingertips along my cheek. “It’ll just ruin what little time we have left together.”
I reached over and switched off the lamp. He didn’t need to see me cry. That would make things harder and I already knew his feelings on that. As unshed tears pooled in my eyes, I pressed my lips against his and hoped to figure out a way to keep him without giving up my parents. And I prayed Zack wanted me enough to cooperate.
† † †
The next day, we shadowed Kayla and trained until our muscles turned into noodles. We were wrapping up for the night when a vampire arrived, dressed in baggy jeans and a hoodie shadowing his features. He didn’t have to expose his face for me to know it was Dathan.
“Uh, hi, Damon,” I said, careful not to use Dathan’s real name since anyone could overhear us on the other side of the gym door. “What brings you by?”
He slid the hoodie down to rest on his shoulders and scanned the room. His long hair was gone, shaved about a quarter-inch against his scalp. I imagined getting a simple number-five buzz was probably easier than finding someone in the palace to cut his hair, especially since we were trying to keep his identity a secret.
“His Majesty gave me the thumbs up to mingle so long as I’m discreet.” He strolled along the weapons wall, stopping now and again to pick up a dagger. “Thought I’d have a more thorough look at the rest of our new acquisition. When I last saw Cedric, we were in Australia.”
“Right then. I’ll be in the weapons room.” Kayla bowed and disappeared through a door by the weapons wall. I wondered what else could possibly be in that room that wasn’t already on the wall.
“His Majesty actually asked to meet me here.” Dathan ran his hand along the handle of a sword.
“Why would the king come here?” Unless he wanted a good laugh, he wouldn’t want to observe us while we trained.
Dathan shrugged. “Guests arrived. A couple of werewolves, one male and one female.”
The new arrivals weren’t my parents since my parents were shape-shifters, not werewolves. Surely, Dathan knew the difference. SWAAST? Please, no. I wasn’t ready to let Zack go yet. Not that I’d ever be.
“Were we expecting them?” Zack asked with a cock of his head.
“Cedric didn’t seem surprised,” Dathan replied, continuing his exploration of the spacious gym.
When I glanced away, Zack’s arm snaked around me. “This is only a meeting, so I’ll know where I’m going after your parents come for you,” he said. “I’m not leaving right away.”
Still, meeting with the SWAAST guys put Zack one step closer to joining them. And we’d already agreed we wouldn’t be on the road together. I buried my face in his shoulder, trying not to think about any of that.
The door opened from the atrium and motes surfed on the sunlight before the door closed again. Zack and I turned to see Cedric, along with a dark-haired man and a girl near our age. My breath caught.
Zack stiffened and released me. “You brought him here?” he practically shouted. “He’s the reason we’re running. To get away from him.”
Deep gray eyes riveted to Zack’s, then slowly approached us.
What the hell was Renzo doing here? I grabbed Zack’s hand, willing him not to do anything rash. There had to be some kind of explanation, right? And Cedric had sworn to protect us. If Renzo should attack, we would have help. No need to panic.
I hoped.
Cedric glanced between Renzo and his niece Alura, then back to us. “You asked me to contact SWAAST. So I did.”
I nearly fainted from relief. Zack’s shoulders unbunched. “You’re with SWAAST?” Zack asked Renzo.
Which explained why Renzo had kept insisting he was “on vacation.” And why he hadn’t eliminated Zack and me when he’d realized I wasn’t human and, worse, that I was a shape-shifter fraternizing with a werewolf.
It also explained why he hadn’t killed me on the spot as soon as he’d learned that Charles, the werewolf scout who’d been assigned to keep tabs on Zack, was dead and why. It all made sense now. But why hadn’t he told us he was on our side?
“And you’re running from King Mortimer apparently.” Renzo’s eyes flared. “Wish I’d known. What now, young
Zack? Will you finally trust me or do I need to jump through a few more hoops?”
“Easy, Uncle. We all want the same thing.” Alura beamed at us, pretty as ever in a tight-fitting black cat suit. She wore her hair in a long afro and her brown skin glowed. She gathered me into a hug. “I’m so happy to see you two.”
I returned her smile. “Yeah, it’s nice having a friendly face here.” I glanced around the room at Kayla and the two vampire kings. “I mean, not that these guys aren’t friendly, but...”
“No one asked you werewolves to come here.” Hard lines formed at the corners of Dathan’s mouth.
Cedric sent him a chastising look. “The wolves didn’t ask the vampires to try to kill them either, but you’d think otherwise by the way our people are behaving. Let’s retire to my rooms—which are becoming rather crowded,” he muttered the last part. “Kayla, please make sure the guest rooms get freshened up.”
Right, because if Renzo and Alura stayed overnight, they’d have to sleep on the fourth floor or risk being murdered.
When both kings, plus Kayla and Tony, had settled into Cedric’s office, along with Renzo, Alura, Zack and me, Cedric paced the room. “I was hoping you two would stay a few days,” Cedric told the newcomers.
“In a vampire lair?” Renzo laughed as his head wagged from side to side. “No way. This is only their third day here and already several attempts have been made on their lives. Your coven will tolerate our presence even less.”
Cedric paused mid-stride. “Precisely my point. I’m hoping the traitors in the ranks will become twice as outraged and speed up their plan. Once I’ve caught who’s behind this, everyone goes home. Just give me a few more days. Please.”
“If you two can’t stay, I’ll meet up with you when this is over.” Zack cast me a glance.
“You should leave now.” Renzo scowled. “What’s the hold up?”
I opened my mouth, but Zack beat me to a reply. “Her parents are coming for her, then she’s going with them.”
Announcing our plan out loud to other people made our inevitable separation so much more real. Nausea swirled in my belly. These next few days were all I had with Zack.
Renzo’s gray eyes turned charcoal, making him seem colder. Which was normal for him, probably because of the zillion fine scars all over his body. But today he gave the impression of being extra worn and tired, like he’d had a lifetime of worry since we’d last seen him. “So you’d rather wait and put yourself in more danger?” he asked.
I had hoped my parents would be delayed until I’d had a chance to map out what I was going to do. I wanted extra time with Zack. But what if delaying him for my own selfish reasons meant risking his life. “Zack, I can’t let you wait with me if it means you’ll be on your own later. You should leave with Renzo and Alura now and be safer.”
“Autumn’s right.” Renzo gave me a disdainful look, his mouth skewing. “No point in pushing your luck here.”
Well, lovely. Renzo clearly disliked me every bit as much as he did before.
Zack shot up from his chair, his hands balled as he glared at Renzo. “I want to join your cause, but I’m not leaving her. You can stay or go, I don’t care.”
Alura laid a hand on Renzo’s arm and twisted to face Cedric. “We’re staying and we’ll help anyway we can, Your Majesty.”
Renzo scowled at Zack. “Acting on your emotions won’t get you far when you’re a fugitive and on the run from the werewolf king.”
“Yeah, well, at least I have emotions,” Zack snapped. “And don’t act like you’re better than me. I’m not the one who showed up in town and hid who I was and what I wanted.”
“Enough, Zack.” Cedric aimed the next words at Renzo. “You’ve been a loyal friend and I can’t have any harm coming to you. I regret not thinking this situation through before bringing you here, but there’s nothing to be done about it now. I understand you being anxious to leave, but if any of my people follow, you may not survive it. Here you have protection.”
“I’ll stay,” Renzo growled. “But I have an idea I’m going to regret it.”
Yeah, in theory Renzo was on our side. But Zack was right about him dropping into our lives without being upfront about his motives. Had he sought out Zack specifically or discovered us by coincidence? My gut told me there was so much more to know about him.
Chapter Thirteen
Zack
Renzo and Alura accompanied Autumn and me on our nightly run. Dathan went as backup. After a few minutes as a wolf, I morphed back into my human form. With Autumn already at my side, we waited out in the open for the others to catch up. Renzo and Alura emerged from the trees, followed by Dathan.
We’d survived another evening run. If we were alive days from now and made it out of the vampire palace, things wouldn’t be easier and I still wouldn’t be with Autumn. And Renzo’s attitude wasn’t helpful. He’d been right though, and I hated him for it. Autumn and I were both safer apart, and I belonged with SWAAST. But out of all the werewolves in existence, why did Renzo have to be the leader?
The smartest thing I could do would be to leave with him and never look back. But I couldn’t, not yet. Not without knowing Autumn was safely in her parents’ care.
In just a few days, she’d be out of my life forever. Why couldn’t I find a way to keep her safe without letting her go? My temples pounded from squashing the need to smash something.
By the time Autumn and I made it back to our room from the woods and we were finally alone, frustration gnawed at me like a chainsaw.
As soon as she closed our bedroom door, I crushed her against my chest. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to do.”
Her cheek pressed against my shoulder as she stroked my back. “About what?”
I framed my fingertips around her face. “The thought of being without you...” My mouth flattened into a straight line. “It’s killing me, Autumn.”
“Me too,” she whispered. “But we could still be together if I joined SWAAST.”
I rested my forehead against hers. “Allowing that would be the most selfish thing I could ever do. You’re safer with your parents.”
“But I’m happier with you.” She cupped my cheek, her lashes sweeping up so her gaze could meet mine.
Happier with me... I could feel my heart expanding. When she’d almost died last month and I’d finally admitted to myself I was in love with her, I didn’t think I could love her any more. I’d been so wrong. I loved her ten times more now, and I didn’t want to imagine my life without her.
But I couldn’t say that to Autumn or she’d fight even harder to be with me, and then her chance at living a long and healthy life of freedom would be gone. The deeper she got into me, the more dangerous her life would become.
“Happier with me, huh?” I flashed a mischievous grin. “Imagine how happy you’re going to be all night.” And then I tossed her onto our bed.
† † †
Right after breakfast the next morning, Cedric ushered us out of the suite and into the gym. With word out that he was not only protecting four werewolves, but also training some of them for battle, the dissidents could strike at any moment. Autumn and I needed to be ready.
We’d been at it for hours now, me dodging Renzo’s attacks and Autumn fending off Alura. It made sense for Alura and Renzo to train with us in order to free up Kayla. She needed to concentrate on her real job—security. But why did I have to get stuck with Renzo?
I sailed across the room and smashed into the wall. Drywall crunched against my shoulder, and I crumpled to the floor. Groaning, I checked to see if I could feel my spine. I wanted all the battle training I could get, but did I really need my ass handed to me over and over? He was supposed to be teaching me to fight, not humiliating me.
I refocused on Autumn and Alura across the room. Autumn was kicking a punching bag, not getting a smackdown. I would’ve pushed to switch trainers, but I didn’t want Autumn to get stuck with Renzo. I’d have to tough it out.
“You’re acting on your emotions again.” Renzo zoomed to me and held out a hand. Pretending his outstretched hand didn’t exist, I scrambled to my feet. “If you had taken a moment, you would’ve noticed I was anticipating you using your legs,” he said.
“Whatever.” I turned away from him. “I need a break.”
“No, you don’t. You’ve already healed. There’s no reason for us to stop.”
Fury rose up in me and I rounded on him. “Maybe I don’t like getting the snot knocked out of me every five minutes. Ever think of that?”
“Then maybe SWAAST isn’t the place for you,” he countered. “If you can’t take a beating and you’re going to give up so easily, maybe you should go with Autumn. Just keep running from every fight. Seems to be what you’re good at.”
I swung at him and he twisted my arm, pulling me down to my knees.
“This is life and death, Zack. We’re only as strong as our weakest member.” Renzo released me and shoved me away. “Being impulsive won’t help our cause. When you act, think it through and make sure it’s right. Lives could be depending on it.”
Renzo was on our side—I knew that. But it sure didn’t seem that way now. “If you don’t want me to join, then say so.” I hoped he wouldn’t. I needed to be a part of SWAAST. Once Autumn left, I’d have no purpose. I didn’t think I’d survive without a goal, something to fight for.
Renzo paused, taking a long moment to study me and I prayed he wouldn’t send me away. He’d been acting like a douche bag since we’d stepped into the gym, and I couldn’t figure out why.
“Why are you so mad at me?” Renzo actually had the balls to look baffled.
Seriously? I was damn near positive that Renzo was hiding something. I just didn’t know what and I had little faith he’d cough anything up. I stuck my hands in my pockets, wondering why he had ever been in my neighborhood in the first place. “I could ask the same of you. You’re not making things easy and you could leave anytime.”
Renzo swiveled away, giving me his profile. He didn’t utter a syllable for so long I thought I’d gone too far. “Yes, I’m free to leave and I’m confident I could handle any vampires who may follow. But I need good, honest people to join the cause.”