Page 25 of Conflicted Fate
He kissed me a second time with a growl that stole my breath. “Be careful.”
Then he was gone with the others, leaving the unconscious bear shifter and me just as the rattling grain cart appeared. I jumped up and down as it did, waving frantically at the driver and two men sitting with him.
“Help!” I shouted. “Please, help!”
I fell to the side of the shifter, cradling his head in my lap as the cart owner hurried closer, urging his animals into a short burst of speed before he jumped clear and came over.
“What is it? What happened to him?”
“I don’t know!” I wailed. “He just fell over for no reason. Please, help me!”
“We have to get him to Teagan. The healers there can help,” he said, looking over his shoulder. “Get down here. Help me out.”
The two other men swarmed over the unconscious shifter.
“Oh, please do be careful!” I moaned as they went to d pick him up.
All I heard was a rustle, and then Kiel was there with the others. They quickly subdued the farmers, knocking them out and tying them up with rope they found in the cart. It wouldn’t hold them for long, but we didn’tneedit to.
“In and under,” Kiel said as he hopped up in front next to me. Husband and wife teams were quite common, and we hoped would draw less suspicion as we approached the target bridge.
The others climbed into the back of the cart, hiding themselves from the cursory inspection that we’d seen the guards give the other carts. As soon as they were in, we started the horses forward, the seat rattling under our butts.
“So far, so good,” I said, leaning my head on Kiel’s shoulder.
He rested his on mine for a moment. Was that just him acting the part? Or was he truly taking comfort in my touch? I wanted to ask him, but I didn’t want the others to overhear.
Or is it because you don’t want to know the truth?
I was still asking myself that question when we pulled to a halt in front of the guard booth. As usual, they just glanced under the tarp and then waved us forward, not bothering to climb in and ensure everything was fine and that, say, half a dozen hard-nosed warriors weren’t waiting to jump out and attack.
We crossed the bridge, and halfway along it, I banged a hand hard, three times, against the wood seat to alert the men in the back that it was almost time.
Reaching the bottom of the bridge, Kiel brought the cart to a stop. One of the guards standing around noted it and frowned, starting to wave us forward, wanting us to move out of the way.
“This is not a stopping zone,” he barked, coming closer to my side of the cart. “Get a move on.”
“All yours,” Kiel said as the guard approached with his spear held straight up.
“Thank you, darling,” I said and launched myself toward the guard, tackling him to the ground. The whiplash of my attack snapped his head back hard, knocking him out. Then I stole the spear from his hand and attacked the remaining guards, who stood still, stunned.
The men poured out of the back of the cart as we swiftly overwhelmed the guards. Behind us, the sound of clanking armor announced the impending arrival of the guards from the bridge’s entrance on the opposite side.
They never made it. Jurvin and the rest of the warriors caught them completely unaware in the middle of the bridge, rolling over them like a tide as we swept into the city and headed straight for the palace. The pair of two-man patrols we came across didn’t stand a chance.
The stone-walled estate that served as home to Teagetes fell swiftly, though the guards did manage to take down a trio of Jurvin’s warriors before they fell. Those were the only casualties we took as we stormed the grounds.
“This way,” Kiel said, heading down a set of stairs deeper into the palace. “His vault will be here.”
Jurvin skidded to a halt at the top. “We’re here to kill an Alpha,” he snarled. “The vermin’s quarters will bethatway.” He pointed up the hallway.
“Won’t work,” Kiel said sharply, still descending. “He’s immortal. We have to do it this way.”
The centaur snarled and stamped his front legs hard enough to shatter tile underneath. “That was not the plan!” he roared, his men coming up on either side of him, their chests swelling with battle rage.
Yet again, I stepped in between the two towers of testosterone-infused rage, hoping I could settle things a third time. Or fourth. Was it five? I’d lost count.
“Kiel is right,” I said gently, holding up my hands to urge them to back down. “Remember, we told you we knew how to kill the Alpha. It’s not as simple as ramming a sword down his throat. We have to do this first.”
