Page 54 of Taken By Raider Kings
Themajirwould know that a shaman was in trouble, and still alive.The shamans—two from the Bear Tribe, one from the Felinii, and a slim-hipped kohl-eyed woman of the Tanuki—all had the glaze-eyed look of listening to the spirits, but not the devouring sadness that would mean Sophie had joined the earthbound wisps.
“Since when do we just letupirtake and kill our shamans?”Zach asked quietly.
Julia let out a sobbing breath.She was healing, but painfully slowly,upirvenom working in the clawmarks.
Sophie simply couldn’t dead.She was fully triggered, themajirwould know—wouldn’t they?Unless she hadn’t been far enough through transition, maybe, despite everything.Or if something was wrong, or if?—
He told that rabbit-jumping part of himself to shut up.Every creature in the bar was looking at him as if he was a new species of animal, one they weren’t quite sure they liked.
Of course, without a shaman, he and his Family were only here on borrowed grace.
“Carcajou.”One of the Felinii females made a swift, slinking movement, stopped when he glared at her.“There’re somanyof them.”
“Fine.”Zach folded his arms, one final red grinding of pain in his hand as the beast turned over briefly inside his bones, finishing the job of healing.“Where are they likely to be holding her?”
Cullen finally spoke up.“You’re not seriously thinking?—”
“She’s our shaman.”And my mate.Though she doesn’t know it yet.“What do you not understand about this?Where are they likely to hold her?”
“Zach.”Eric surged forward once more, was held back yet again.“You’re not going without me.”
“Or me,” Julia piped up.Brenn muttered something that might have been assent or “Here we go again.”
Zach ignored every word.“Where?”
Cullen shrugged.The feathers in his hair rustled.“Armitage has estates.But Harris has a house out in Hammerheath—the tony section of town, a suburb.One of our sleuth did pool cleaning up there, says it smells like death all over, especially in the past six months.But?—”
“Addresses.I’ll start at Harris’s house.”Probably the same place listed in the divorce papers.Wish I’d thought to write it down.
“You’re not seriously considering—” It was hard to believe Cullen was a shaman.
The door opened, a few more Tribe trickling in.They could smell something happening, of course—and the entire city outside was probably crying with Sophie’s distress.
Zach took a firmer hold on his temper, and didn’t bother to let the Ursa finish nattering.“If she’s still alive, they’re probably not going to kill her tonight.Especially if they’re using the crucion, they’ll want from dusk to dawn to do it right.”
A shudder of distaste and fear ran through the entire room.One he shared, right down to his beast.Thinking of Sophie strapped to an X-shaped frame while the wheel turned and bones splintered…
Stop it.Themajirwould know, they always know.It’s their job.
“We can’t let him go alone.”A Felinii, her hands clasped together like a schoolgirl’s, straightened as a fresh ripple swirled through the assembled Tribe.“They outnumber us, yes.But we have several advantages.”
“It’s that kind of thinking that got our other two shamans killed,” the Tanuki shaman said, her narrow nose lifting.
“Small teams headed by a shaman don’t work,” the Bear alpha said, quietly, but with a great deal of rumbling force behind the words.“What if we emptied out the city?Got every Tribe and every shaman involved?”
“Coordinating Tribe is like herding cats,” one of the Tanuki muttered, and quickly ducked his head when a Felinii gave him a meaningful look.“Sorry.”
“I don’t have time for consensus building.”Zach’s fists ached to batter something, anything else.“I need to find my shaman, and I need to find hernow.Either help me or not, I don’t fucking care.Either way, I need those addresses, and I’m going to teach those bastards not to hunt Tribe.Andespeciallynot to hunt a Carcajou shaman.”I’m not too picky about how I apply the lesson, either.
“Itmightbe possible.”The Tanuki shaman’s clever dark eyes sparkled.Her fingers twitched.“Think of it.We could take our city back.”
“If we could have done that wewouldhave, ages ago.”Cullen sighed, rubbed at his eyes.Exhaustion sat heavily on his big frame, darkened the rings under his eyes until he looked almost like Brenn, or the Tanuki.“I know it’s rough, Carcajou, but?—”
“Fine.”Zach’s hands ached to grab the Bear shaman and throttle him.But of course, that was unacceptable—not to mention useless.“I’ll track her my own way.”
He turned on his heel, surveyed his Family.
Eric, his prized leather jacket nearly shredded.Julia, peeling the blood-sodden towel away from her arm, her chin set and eyes flashing.Brenn, who looked steadily back at his older brother.
