Chapter 20

Gingernuts meowed from his bag. I drew him against my chest and scratched his head, which was sticking out. He shifted about, wriggling in there. “We let you out, and you bolted. No more leaving until we get to Crosswind.”

Gage gasped for air, his chest rising and falling while his cheeks glowed red. “Pretty sure you mean to say, you let him out and then I chased the damn cat like a madman through the woods.”

“But you caught him, so that’s what matters.” I lifted Gingernuts to kiss his head, but the cat gave me a filthy look filled with retribution. “Come on. Did you want to stay alone in the tower?”

Gage huffed and picked up my other backpack off the ground before hightailing it up the narrow track amidst the forest. “I still don’t know why I can’t fly us up into this town?”

“Because I don’t want the locals spooked. This is one of a few human settlements in Darkwoods, and it’s tucked in the corner of the realm too. They don’t welcome many shifters.”

I marched after him while Gingernuts vanished into the bag and settled down. I supposed being chased by a dragon-shifter had worn him out.

“So do you have any relatives or family friends?” Gage asked.

“Just this woman my dad used to know. After Mom died, my dad and I traveled from place to place, and Crosswind was our last stop before our attack. Back then, only a handful of houses and shops made up the village. Dad said he might settle down there because it was so quaint.”

Tire tracks from carriages had worn the path. Dad loved that it was quiet up on this mountain and that the village overlooked the forest below. Plus, he used to say the area made him feel like a bird perched on top of the world. Just like the Eagle-Man with Faye. How long before she tracked me down? Would Vanore’s spell be enough to halt Faye from resurrecting the gargoyle? Would we put an end to the kidnappings?

Lofty cypress trees swayed in the wind and muddy clouds rolled across the heavens. I rushed to keep up with Gage and not get caught in the approaching storm.

“Reed is a decent man,” Gage said.

My mouth fell open. “You gave him a compliment? Now I know something happened between you two in Tritonia.”

He pushed the straps of the two bags he carried up over his shoulders. We’d made a quick visit to his treetop house so he could pack a few clothes for his travel too. Gage suggested we leave Gingernuts there, but I couldn’t. He wasn’t familiar with the place, and he might run away. Plus, who would feed and snuggle him? “I misjudged Reed. He’s a ruler who’ll make a difference in this world and to his pride. Who puts his members first when danger appears. Anyway”—he looked my way with a genuine smile—“I like him and can see why you’re attracted to him.”

“Whoa, where is that coming from?” I gripped my hips, unsure I was liking where this was going. “What exactly did you two discuss?”

He threw an arm around my shoulders and brought me closer. “What happens in Tritonia stays in Tritonia. But the man likes you a lot. And I’m okay with that.”

Too many thoughts whirled through my head. “I don’t even know what you’re saying.”

“That I care for you more than my life, and I think Reed does too. So if you date us both at the same time, I’m fine with it. But on the condition you let me watch him take you at least once.” He winked, and I wasn’t sure if I should have been aroused or shocked.

My cheeks heated and not because I was shy. Far from it, but I lost all ability to respond. I waited for my subconscious to crack a joke, but she remained silent and distant. “While I love your openness, what if he doesn’t want that? Or me?” What if I considered adding Kahlo into that mix? Would Gage be so accommodating?

Gage ruffled my hair, and I adjusted the bag holding all my tresses on my other shoulder.

“Honey, there’s no doubt in my head you wouldn’t want two incredible guys like Reed and me by your side always. But just not at the same time. That’s where I draw the line, but observing, I can do.”

“Okay, so if you’re that open, you’d be happy for me to bring more men into this mix?”

He cocked a brow, studying me, and he’d be dumb if he didn’t sense my sarcasm. I hiked up the slope, my thighs stinging, saying nothing.

“Yeah, I’d welcome Kahlo, but I’d suggest capping it at three. I want you more than once a week all to myself.”

My breath hitched, and I glanced up at his smirk, his chin high and his hooded eyes fixed on me. “You surprise me,” I said. “But I’ve made it clear to all three of you I have no intention of starting a relationship with anyone until I’m free. If we eradicate the hooded man and Faye’s spell, heck, I’ll be the first to take all three of you out on a date.”

“Ha, knew it. You want all three of us!”

“You’re confusing me. Was that all a game to get me to confess?” I didn’t have it in me for tricks when relationships were second on my list of priorities over surviving.

“Nah, but I wanted to hear you say it, that’s all.”

We traveled in silence as the skies rumbled with the promise of a heavy rain. “So you’re honestly telling me you would be okay with sharing me?” I couldn’t believe we were even having such a conversation, because I’d always prayed to the universe to give me the chance to have a future with an amazing man. But she’d given me three, so was I being greedy in thinking I could keep them, or was the idea to select one?

“Why choose?” Gage responded. “I’ve never had a real family, and I’m excited to have not only you, but two close friends.” He stared out into the distance as he spoke, not a flinch of disapproval or disgust.

Damn, he was serious, and I never would have imagined such words falling from his mouth. But when I thought about it, I understood. If he’d always craved a family, he’d see the notion of the four of us in a relationship as appealing.

“We should hold on to this thought until the other two arrive. They may not be so excited to share.”

He made a scoffing sound. “Be prepared to be surprised.”

At long last, we reached the top, and in front of us the road wove across flat land. The smell of a woodfire wafted through the air. By the time we arrived in a village surrounded by a man-made river, familiarity struck me. We reached a stone bridge arching over swirling waters, shimmering in the sunlight.

Crosswind was no longer the place I remembered. It now resembled a bustling town with a maze of narrow winding streets, an endless array of houses, and merchants selling clothes and food on the street. Even a church poked out from the back. When Dad and I had arrived here all those years ago, I’d stolen a loaf of bread and cheese for us, and we’d sat by the river’s edge that evening, sharing our meal. The silence of the locality meant tranquility. No streetlamps existed either. Now the reds, blues, and yellows of the painted homes reminded me of children’s toys.

“You okay?” Gage brushed against me.

I nodded but couldn’t speak. A farmer drew a single horse-drawn carriage filled with chopped wood toward us from the open field at our backs. We stepped aside as he passed us with a nod of his head and entered the town.

“Crosswind doesn’t feel the same.” I wasn’t sure how to word it, but it had lost its charm and looked like any of the other places I’d visited. I’d always pictured the location as idealistic, picturesque, and quiet.

“Everything changes.”

“Yeah, I know. Just expected something else, I guess.” I pushed forward onto the crossing. “I’m being silly, holding on to the past from thirteen years ago.”

His slid his hand into mine and we strolled toward the busy town, where voices boomed and pungent smells from baking blended into a strange concoction. “First thing, we find a tavern room, drop off our bags and Gingernuts. Then we mingle and ask locals about shifters and anything strange in the area. Even if that lion pride you mentioned earlier still lived near.”

“Agree.” Though I was still stunned at how fast a small place had blossomed. While advances were needed for the populace, there was something to be said about simplicity.

***

“How long do we wait for Reed and Kahlo to turn up?” Gage stuffed another piece of lamb roast into his mouth, lounging across from me at our table in the tavern.

“As long as it takes.” I glanced out the window into the night, the light pattering of rain hitting the glass pane. A storm had rolled through town, then vanished just as quickly as it had hit. I hoped Reed and Kahlo hadn’t gotten caught in it.

Now we waited for them in the tavern closest to the bridge, so we’d spot them. Crosswind now housed six bars. Torches lit up the street. It had to be close to midnight. No more couples or families wandered the streets. Just working women, two lingering nearby in tiny skirts, thigh-length stockings, and puffy shirts. Both had black hair tied in ponytails, so I assumed they were twins and potentially offering clients two-for-the-price-of-one deals. A seedy man wearing nothing but black within the shadows studied everyone who spoke with the ladies. The pimp.

Farther down the road lay the bridge, one light illuminating the passage, and still no sign of either shifter. I returned my attention to Gage, who’d eaten all night and now scoffed down the baked potatoes. How much did a shifter eat?

Despite the late hour, the tavern buzzed. Men drinking, laughing with friends, others fawning over the young women wearing just stockings with a tiny dress—leaving nothing to the imagination—selling pre-rolled cigarettes. They’d have no problem making killer sales tonight.

A fire blazed from the cobblestone fireplace across from the bar, throwing shadows over the darkened room. A band with flutes and drums played a tune in the opposite corner. Behind the bar, a row of six wooden barrels lined the walls, and the barman tended to orders.

“So how do you feel about moving to White Peak? It’s beautiful there, isolated, and so much to see.” Gage wiped his mouth with a napkin, his legs reaching out beneath the table and clasping mine between his.

“For a vacation?” I didn’t understand where he was going with this, yet his gaze held an intensity behind them.

“No, permanently. Start a new life with me, the other men if they want to.”

“You’d be ready to leave behind your current home? What about your job and friends?” Besides, I had no intention of running away until I sorted out my shit.

He leaned back and threaded his fingers behind his head. In his black gambeson padded with studded sleeves with a matching undershirt, he screamed “chivalrous knight,” and all he was missing was a sword and a pledge to a royal family. At heart, he was my knight in shining armor already. His perfectly accentuated face had me admiring him, and his full lips parted in a provoking expression meant only for me.

“For you, yeah. I’ll go anywhere. I have no attachments in Darkwoods.” His eyes gleamed beneath the candlelight at our table. “Now that I understand why you’ve been pushing me away for years, I’m not leaving your side.” His eyes seemed to scream his intensity and emotions, and I didn’t doubt his words.

These weren’t from a delusional man, but someone devoted, and it warmed me to have him stare at me with such hunger. For too long, I’d kept him at a distance, and even now it terrified me to open my heart. What if we failed and Faye defeated me, locked me in a place no one could find me? A shiver rattled through me. I couldn’t bear to know Gage might spend his whole life searching for me. As much as it killed me, I hoped he could move on if that ever happened.

Though the way he stared at me now scared me that he wouldn’t. Whether I gave into him or not, he was still devoted to me, so maybe I ought to give in. My stomach tingled with the prospect. It would be a dream come true.

I scanned outside once again, and the rain had ceased.

Maybe part of the reason Gage had never turned into a true dragon was because of my hesitation. The guilt raked at my insides like claws, yet I couldn’t change. Not when being with me still posed a danger to him. It sounded foolish in my head, but it was the only way to deal with the fear chiseling away at my sanity. If I died or vanished, I refused to take anyone down with me.

Just then, the front door to the tavern snapped open with a flurry of wind. Reed and Kahlo strolled inside, their hair and coats wet. Kahlo carried a bag over his shoulder. A beam of excitement lit my insides at their arrival, and I smiled as I waved them over.

They turned our way, both grinning, and came over. The two strong men had others eyeing them. Even the women stopped and glanced their way, whispering and giggling.

A strange fire spiked through my gut…Was that jealousy? Surely not.

“Fuck!” Kahlo blurted out as he took off his leather jacket and draped it on the bench he sat on. “Why the hell is this place on the tallest mountain in the world?” He puffed and pushed the sleeves of his tunic-style shirt up. The shirt was the color of midnight and open at his throat.

“You ran the whole way?” I asked.

“Sure did.” Reed blew out a long breath. “Couldn’t wait to see you.” He winked, and my lips lifted. I adored how much he affected me, and it seemed he might be in a better mood than he had been back at my tower.

Gage got up. “Let me get you both drinks.”

“And food.” Kahlo sat next to me. “Sure hope Gage carried you up here?”

“Have you ever tried making her do anything she doesn’t want to?” Gage laughed and sauntered over to the bar. Already several cigarette women gravitated to him as if he were free candy on offer.

Kahlo’s thumb caressed my arm, drawing my attention to him while Reed drank down the rest of Gage’s beer. Their presence distracted me in the best way, and it was incredible to have all three with me. Knowing they were safe.

Reed’s hip grazed mine as he took a seat on my other side. He leaned in, stealing a kiss, the kind that started as a peck but ended in something deeper and longer. I lost my breath and drifted off into the clouds. Our tongues tangled, and I moaned under him. If this was after not seeing him for a day, I’d love to see what happened after a week.

When he withdrew, my breaths sprinted. Then he grinned, his eyes devouring me, and the temperature in the room seemed to rise. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

Kahlo huffed, and when I turned to him, I realized he’d shuffled closer on the bench and without hesitation, he combed his fingers through my hair, bringing me closer to his chest. Okay, this was new and oh-so-exciting. My heart skipped a beat, and when our mouths clashed, my hunger for him spiked. Both of us were lost in a jungle of sexual starvation. He held my head, and my palms plastered to his rock-hard chest, my insides tingling and diving south so fast, I was convinced that with a single stroke of his skin, I’d explode.

“Really?” Gage’s words sliced through our connection, and I drew back, chewing on my lip, tasting both men, their muskiness lingering over me.

Gage set down four mugs of beer, foam sloshing out over the rim and onto the table. “You want to draw any more attention to us?”

I followed his gaze to find the rest of the room staring at us. Heat hit my cheeks because I’d never flaunted my passion in front of others, but I’d just kissed two men in front of everyone.

“Now give me some of that sugar.” Gage smirked and rounded the long wooden table before leaning over my shoulder, pressing his lips to mine. An inferno erupted between our bodies, and I was convinced that with these men all happy to share me, I might have just discovered a brand-new level of ecstasy. Who the hell didn’t want three god-like men at their mercy?

Gage said, “Bet they don’t see that too often in this town.”

Jealous glares faced our way, and one man even groped his package. Gross. Okay, enough turning on other people.

With Gage back in his seat, we huddled close and drank as if an unquenchable thirst had set upon us. “Any luck today?”

Reed shook his head. “Not a fucking hint. All the packs we visited had shifters missing over the past few weeks, but it’s been quiet this week, as if suddenly the asses vanished. I don’t know where my sister is or how to save her.” He stared down at his beer, and I reached over, touching his thigh.

“We’ll find her. There are four of us and no matter what, we’ll rescue her.”

“My bet is they got a whiff of us snooping too close and changed tactics,” Kahlo said. “Moved to a new location to steal other shifters.” Kahlo gulped down half his beer in one go.

“Hopefully, that also means Faye won’t return and find me gone soon, and if she does, she’ll have trouble resurrecting the gargoyle.” My knees bounced under the table. After being locked up for so many years, I didn’t want to ever return to the prison ever again. I’d do anything to hold on to my freedom.

Kahlo cast an arm around my back, his attention reminding me he’d fight for me. They all would. And I’d do the same for them.

Gage piped up. “We had little luck ourselves. But we’ve only asked store owners. Tomorrow we head out to find shifters living in the nearby woods.”

The bartender arrived at our table carrying a silver tray piled high with dishes. A platter of cheeses and salami. Stuffed eggs. Roasted goose and vegetables. Blood sausages. Bread rolls served to each of us, the tops cut off, the insides scooped out and refilled with meat and potato stew. A side of corn cobs and a serving of fruit.

“Geez, that’s a lot of food.” I’d been eating non-stop most of the night but still planned to taste a few more of the dishes. “I’m going to grow into a hippopotamus if I keep eating this way.”

“More of you to love.” Gage smirked.

“Anything else ya lads will need?” the man with a goatee asked.

“Keep the beer flowing,” Gage said, and everyone dug into their meals.

Several rounds of drinks later, I was laughing hysterically. My stomach roiled from too much chuckling, but what made it funnier was that I couldn’t remember the joke. Something about a priest, a dragon shifter, and a giraffe walking into a tavern. Kahlo slammed his palm on the table, roaring in amusement, while Gage chortled, as if he might burst at any moment. But Reed simply smiled. I was a big believer that alcohol brought out a person’s real emotions. There’d be no more hiding. I couldn’t stop glancing over at Reed, who was on his sixth pint and grew more withdrawn with each drink.

Someone shouted from within the tavern, and I flinched, turning around to find three burly men swinging punches at each other. The bartender was there poking them with a long stick, telling them to cut it out. “Take it outside, the lot of you.”

Others sat around gawking, cheering on the battle. When the fighters toppled a table, taking down two more, like quick fire the fight spread and soon enough half the place brawled.

Gage was on his feet, swaying, his eyes glazed over. He dusted his hands. “I’ve got this. Dealt with these kind of scuffles at Brawl all the time.”

“Don’t.” I reached out for him, but he’d already set off across the room. “Idiot.”

“Leave it to me.” Kahlo hiccupped and took two tries to stand before he finally got up. My head swam, the room spinning around me, but you didn’t see me get up to join a fight. I should have had only two drinks.

In the time I took to calm my whirling head, Gage and Kahlo were in the thick of the rampage, tossing people about as if they were toys. Shit! They were going hurt someone.

A man picked up a chair and brought it down on Kahlo’s back, but my mountain of a man jerked around and lifted the man off the ground by clenching his shirt.

“Don’t!” I jumped up, and Reed had already darted across the room toward them. Someone punched him square in the face, and he stumbled back, shaking himself with shock.

His body trembled, and my worst fears squeezed my heart. They would transform into their animal forms. Panicked people would draw knives and other weapons to kill them if threatened. I hefted the bag with my hair and threaded my arms into the straps, then ran to Reed’s side, but my feet wobbled. I crashed against a table before finding my balance again.

Kahlo had already ripped his shirt off and growled, his body transforming. I tottered toward him, tugging at his furry arm, but he fell to all fours, his trousers splitting as he morphed into a monstrous tiger, reaching my waist. Stripped and gorgeous, he was the epitome of beauty, except everyone backed away from him. He sniffed the air, his eyes golden green scanning the room. Powerful muscles shifted beneath his shiny coat. Hot air floated from the corners of his mouth before his upper lip curled over long canines, and I flinched away at first. His broad nose creased, and he crouched low, his haunches high, ready to attack.

Oh, shit!

Knives were drawn by all the surrounding men, and dread swallowed me. “Don’t hurt him.” I stepped in front of Kahlo as Gage exploded with a thundering growl, and his wings spread out, almost reaching either side of the wall.

Nothing made sense, and sweat dripped down my back as my attention darted between the panicked humans and the shifters.

All I needed now was for Reed to turn furry and they’d be the perfect set of loose cannons. Except he remained there, his body shaking, his skin gleaming with sweat, and thank fuck he had control of himself.

The bartender turned to us with his stick, which might as well have been a pitchfork the way he poked it toward us. “Fuck off. Shifters aren’t welcome in this tavern.” Others screamed at us, brandishing weapons, and my stomach clenched. So this town hadn’t changed, even if it had appeared so from the outside.

“Killers!” another man shouted.

“They won’t hurt anyone,” I called out. Sure, shifters were stronger, but this intolerance of difference races was bullshit. “You’re the ones holding the weapons.”

The bartender glared my way, his shoulders curled forward, his earlier cheer replaced by repulsion. “Get out. You’re all the same, coming into our town and killing humans.”

Reed was at my side, his hooded expression dark and swimming in shadows. “Shifters came in here and attacked people?”

A man with a cut lip grunted. “Fucking abominations. Your kind attacked two men in the woods just yesterday.”

Horror locked me on the spot, and I rubbed my eyes, trying to wade through my foggy head. “What did they look like?” Of course my thoughts went straight to the hooded man.

“Freaks! Like that horned lion.” He eyed Kahlo and Gage, who’d already retracted his wings.

I rocked on my heels. “Was he white and did he also have a scorpion tail?”

The man’s face warped, and his lips twisted. “Get the fuck out before we skewer you to the walls!” he yelled, not answering my question. But he didn’t need to. It was too much of a coincidence to not recognize this as the same monster. Why were they hunting humans? Did they see them as a free feast, or had they stumbled into the wrong place?

Others raised their weapons and hooted for our destruction. I looped an arm over Kahlo’s neck and pulled him away. Already under my touch, he vibrated and transformed back into a man.

Everyone gawked with disgust while I watched in awe at the magnificence of this change. Within moments, Kahlo stood next to me, naked and delicious. The women lowering their gazes smiled.

“Leave!” the drunk mob chanted, and we all turned for the door, retreating, my skin crawling. Reed collected our clothes and his bag from our table. No one had ever driven me out of a tavern before, but that rumble might have been exactly what we’d needed.