Page 2 of Tangled Hearts

“It doesn’t seem likely that he is a spy,” Ryder said while studying me. “Hasn’t he been with you since the beginning?”

“Yes, he has,” she said, looking up at him. “It’s always been Loki and I.”

When I grimaced at the name, she looked at me sheepishly.

“I’m sorry. What is your name again?” Her melodic voice eased the tension in me.

“My name is Maxton.”

“Maxton,” she said, like she was testing out my name and I wondered if it might bring back some memories.

“I’ve been just as stuck in that tower and the house before that as you have been,” I said, looking for a place to sit. “When I found out where she had taken you, I foolishly thought I could bring you home. I was an idiot for thinking I could do it alone.”

Oria bit her bottom lip, looking at Soren and Ryder. She was curious, but I hated the wariness in her eyes. It made me want to be that cat that sat in her lap, offering her comfort and someone to ease her burden even though I couldn’t speak to her. My legs felt shaky, not used to standing in my human form. I spotted a rock by me and when I moved to sit, all of them tensed.

“I know me being a man is hard to comprehend, but I’m still the same cat, who has been with you all these years. The cat who has seen you cry, stayed close when you were scared and the same cat who's tried to keep you safe from doing something stupid,” I said, running my hands through my short hair.

“The same cat who has watched her get roughed up and seen the abuse without ever shifting,” Soren snapped. “You didn’t protect her.”

“I was stuck as a cat,” I growled. “I haven’t been able to shift in almost two hundred years.”

Oria covered her face, hiding behind Soren. My outburst wasn’t necessary, but the situation was making me irritated. I craved her trust again, but I craved my friend too.

“How have you not gone crazy?” Ryder asked. “If I stay in my wolf form too long, I feel like I’m losing a piece of myself.”

“I don’t know, but I’m not the same type of shifter as you,” I said, getting weary. “I don’t have a separate consciousness like you do. Anytime I shift, it’s just me.”

My body felt heavy like lead, I wasn’t used to gravity in my human form, but I was also tired from pushing myself. Shifting to the cheetah, fighting and then pushing myself to shift into a man had exhausted me.

“Loki, I mean Maxton,” Oria whispered, and I hated that name in her mouth, but appreciated that she corrected herself.

“Shit, he’s getting tired. We need to get going before he passes out,” Ryder said, walking to me. “Come on big guy, we need to get somewhere safe, so you can rest and put some clothes on.”

The authority in his voice helped my body move. Not that I doubted it, but I had assumed Ryder had some Alpha blood in him. It made sense that he ran his group of merry thieves.

“Yeah, you're going to poke someone's eye out,” Soren mumbled, and Ryder laughed.

My coordination was awful as Ryder kept me upright. I looked over to see Oria smiling and even though I had no idea what was going on, I loved to see her smiling.

The field we transported to was empty and once we got into the forest, my worry subsided. We walked in silence as I got better control of my body, almost debating on shifting again because walking on two legs was hard and awkward. We hadn't walked far when I was out of breath.

“I have to shift,” I groaned.

Ryder stiffened next to me.

“I don’t think that is the best idea,” he said, stopping.

My actions had never been questioned so much, I was used to having people trust me because I was a guard. It made me realize that I never had to earn it.

“We’ve been out here for too long and we need to get her safe,” I said, speaking logically, I knew they would understand.

If I had learned anything about these guys, she was their priority, even if they denied their feelings. I glanced at Ryder, wishing I was in his position. What I wouldn’t give to be her mate...

“You want to shift so you can go back?—”

“He’s right, we have to hurry,” Ryder interrupted Soren.

Soren glared at me with distrust in eyes.

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