Page 45 of The Stones for It
Who had blood under their claws and needed to die in the most painful and creative manner.
The boudas were all in warrior form, the seamless blend partway between their human form and a giant rabid hyena. They stood on two feet, most well over six feet tall, but none looked bigger than Vrath.
Golden fur, speckled with black, covered their toned frames, and a thick brown ruff drew a line from the top of their head like a mohawk, down their spine, to end in their stumpy tails. Most wore plain black trousers, some kind of stretchy, loose material.
Nobody had white fur on their chests, which Vrath had explained was the marker of their royal line, and I blew out a relieved breath.
Even with Vrath’s earlier briefing, the jackalopes were more of a mystery to me. Horned and rabbit-like, they seemed waifish beside the blocky werehyenas. Like a shifter’s warrior form, they were a blend of animal and man.
Earthy shades of fur covered them, and long ears rose from their hair to frame pale horns. One had huge branching antlers like the stag shifters they’d been with earlier, the other two had short spikes like a baby deer.
Each of the three jackalopes, both males and the lone female, wore waistcoats, shirts and slacks, reminding me of waitstaff at a fancy wedding. Their magic was nature-based, but given the thick bands of what I suspected was iron on their wrists, I wouldn’t have to worry about them using it.
There weren’t many of their kind left after a long war with the bouda court. Clearly, they’d lost.
Even Vrath agreed that fae court politics was a twisty, ever-changing maze.
Unlike their earlier ambush, no stag shifters were present, and I hoped they weren’t hiding out somewhere ready to attack.
Drawing a steadying breath, I tapped Vrath’s forearm. He’d been scanning the clearing with as much intensity as I had.
I jerked my chin the way we’d come, and he nodded. We crept back smoothly to avoid giving our position away, retreating from our viewpoint. It hurt to leave Neiron behind at their mercy for even a second longer, but if I wanted to save him from that many powerful fae, I needed Vrath, and we needed a plan.
When we reached a safe distance away, Vrath pulled me into the shelter of a tree trunk wide enough to cover even his broad frame.
“You should stay here,” he whispered, eyes meeting mine briefly before they continued on their loop through the dim jungle. “If I attack before their royal line arrives, I should be able to get Neiron out.”
His tone was steady and unyielding, but I heard everything he didn’t say.
“I’m not sacrificing you to save him,” I hissed. “Even for you, there’s too many to take on alone.”
“How could I let you get hurt? You’re more precious than every shadow weapon in my arsenal.”
“Stop flirting,” I huffed, unable to hold back the twitch of my lips despite everything we faced.
“If I fall, at least you’d be safe.” He cupped my cheek, thumb brushing across it. “And Neiron is your mate.”
Anger lit a fire in my middle. Even after everything we’d shared, he truly believed I’d just let him waltz off alone on a suicide mission.
“You’re my mate, too, Vrath. Being a protector doesn’t mean you’re disposable.” The words hit at something buried inside me, a hurt I’d been harbouring for too long. “Not to me,” I whispered.
Emotion churned in his eyes, but his neutral façade didn’t crack as he dropped his hand. My cheek cooled without his touch.
“We can’t just leave him,” he said. “The bouda’s new king will execute Neiron during the Hunt and enslave the kitsune court while the Council looks the other way.”
“We’re obviously not letting him die,” I muttered, my brain whirring overtime as pieces of a crude plan formed. “I’ll distract them while you untie him, and then the three of us will fly out of there. Those bastards are wingless peasants like myself, and that clearing should give you and Neiron more than enough room to take off with me in your arms. Simple.”
Vrath’s hands fisted at his sides. “Kelsea, no.” His whisper was a harsh exhalation of sound. “You’re not acting asbait.”
I arched a brow. “Aye, you have a better plan then, fae?”
“No,mortal. But what kind of mate would I be if I threw you into danger? You can’t even heal, and neither Neiron nor I have that type of magic… This is just one reason I never wanted to mate a human.”
It felt like a slap, but the shock quickly faded under my anger. “Fuck you, Vrath. Just because I’m human, doesn’t mean I’m some weak, pathetic creature.” My snarl was whisper-quiet, but that didn’t lessen the rage drenching it.
Vrath dropped his gaze before meeting mine, filled with a fire of his own. “I know you’re not weak, Kelsea. You’re strong in countless ways.” His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “But I can’t lose you.”
The level of devotion pouring off him should have sent me running the other way, but that stupid squishy organ in my chest was only tugging me closer, and his fear snuffed out my anger.
