1
Black shadows slid between the trees, frantically fleeing for their lives as Natania took chase. If there was anything she enjoyed more than a run through the mountains at midnight, it was the fear of her enemies. Especially when it came from those who had tried to harm her people.
Natania let them stay ahead of her. If she had run full out, she could have caught them easily. Could have ripped the flesh from their bones like a knife through soft butter, but her wife was getting sick of cleaning blood off the carpet, and Natania didn’t feel like taking a midnight swim.
So she let them flee. This time.
The wolves slowed as they crossed out of her territory, expecting her to stop now that they were no longer trespassing. But while she may not have wanted to kill them, she wasn’t letting this go without a warning. Picking out the largest of them, she increased her speed just a bit, and barrelled into them. Using their momentum, she snapped her teeth into his scruff and rolled, throwing him into the closest tree and growling with satisfaction at the crack of breaking bones. Not all injuries required getting bloody.
The wolf left out a pitiful sound that elicited no sympathy from her as she turned to the other two intruders. They stared at her, wide eyed as she bared her teeth. “Tell your alpha,” she snarled, “that the next one will be returned to him in pieces.”
There were easily a dozen packs that found fault with her tribe. That painted her as the villain for one reason or another. Mostly for allowing the other beast bound, the wildcats and coyotes, into her pack. No telling which one these ones were from, but it didn’t matter. They all died the same.
Pining their ears, the intruders slunk their way over to their downed packmate and started dragging him away. Natania watched them until they reached the road, her honey gold pelt bristling with rage, then headed back to camp.
“How’d it go?” Gretchen, her wife, asked as Natania wiped her paws on the mat. The mountains were unnaturally dry for this time of year, and while she was glad not to have to trudge through mud, the dry ground left her coated in dust and sand instead. Both of which embedded themselves under her fur and made her itch.
“Three intruders,” Natania said, speaking directly into her mate’s mind through the witchbond that lay between them. She stretched out her back, then wandered over to the couch where Gretchen waited. Putting her head on her wife’s thigh, she sighed heavily and said, “I’m getting incredibly sick of this.” It was the second attack this week, and they were coming closer and closer to camp. None of their people had died yet, but it was only a matter of time.
As a pureblood, an alpha, she was larger and stronger than the others within her tribe, the halfbloods, but she couldn’t run every patrol herself. She was already running an evening and a midnight patrol herself, to take off some of the burden she had created by increasing the frequency and size of the other patrols.
“You’d think they would have learned by now.” Gretchen ran a hand through her fur, then started massaging her ears.
Natania let out a little chuff of pleasure and leaned harder against her. “They never learn.” Her jaw cracked as she yawned and Gretchen slid one hand under her chin and kissed the bridge of her nose.
“Time for bed?”
“I guess so.” Backing off from her mate, Natania shifted back to her human form and held out a hand to pull her up. “Unless you want to finish, uh, that.” She waved a hand at the tablet that had been abandoned on the table.
Gretchen shook her head and reached over to turn the device off. “Nah, that’s next week’s lesson plan. I was just waiting for you to get home.”
Natania glanced over at the clock on the stove. It was almost 1am. “Not a lot of time for sleeping.” Her wife usually got up around 6am. “You don’t have to wait up for me.”
Gretchen gave her a quick kiss and brushed one hand over her cheek. “I took a nap earlier and woke up not too long ago. Knew you would be back soon, so I did some work while I waited.” Taking her hand, Gretchen tugged her up the stairs to their room.
It felt like she had only been asleep for minutes when a hand touched her shoulder. “Nat, wake up.”
Natania almost leaped out of her skin as she blinked open her eyes to the eerie red gaze of a vampire. She took a quick breath, catching their scent, and relaxed slightly.
“Fucking christ, Lily,” Natania hissed, quietly so she wouldn’t disturb her wife, who was sleeping soundly beside her. “Please stop doing that.”
Lily was a vampire with the ability to teleport. Unfortunately for Natania, that meant when she had something she wanted to say, she could, and often did, just pop straight into her bedroom. They were still working on the concept of boundaries.
Natania trusted Lily with her life, they were best friends and had been since Lily’s maker, Vincent, had taken her in thirteen years ago, but one of these days, the vampire was going to give her a heart attack.
“Sorry,” Lily whispered, running a hand through her hair, it was a deep red this year. Not quite a match to her eyes, but almost. “But you’re going to want to see this.” She held out a hand in invitation.
Natania blew out a breath and looked at the clock on her bedside table. It was just after 2am, which meant she had only been asleep for an hour. Great.
“Okay,” Natania whispered. She grabbed her phone and typed out a quick text to her wife. She didn’t want to wake her up, nor worry her if she woke up alone, then tossed it back on the table. The hum of electricity the phone made drove her nuts if it was on her person.
Natania met Lily’s gaze and cocked her head. “Is there time for me to get dressed?”
Lily brushed her fingers under Natania’s chin. “If you insist.”
Natania shoved her lightly. “I do, actually.” She slept in pajamas. When everyone considered your home to be an open invitation, it was best to stay clothed, which was a lesson they’d learned the hard way. But she’d still rather not leave the house in her pajamas. Climbing carefully out of bed to avoid waking her wife, she went over to her closest and changed quickly into a t-shirt and pants.
Lily trailed cold fingers over her back as she tugged on the shirt. Natania gave her a look over her shoulder. The vampire liked to flirt, and she especially liked to flirt with her.
“My wife is right there,” Natania scolded. She had long given up hope that Lily would stop. Gretchen didn’t like it, but as long as she stayed faithful, and she had, always, her wife no longer complained about it. Lily would do whatever she wanted anyway.
“Easy enough to change that,” Lily muttered under her breath and Natania rolled her eyes.
It was no secret that Lily hated her wife. The two had a rivalry stretching back to a choice Gretchen had made ten years ago, one that had left Natania in bad shape, and Lily had never, and likely would never, forgive her for it. Even though Natania had. Civility was all she really hoped for when it came to the two of them.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
Lily grabbed her hand and there was a disorienting moment where it felt like they were falling, before they landed in the parlour room of Vincent’s home. He hadn’t changed anything about the house in the thirteen years she had known him. He had a thing for red velvet furniture with gold fixtures. Antique red velvet furniture.
Natania grinned at the vampire that had ended up becoming a father to her, then immediately got distracted by the falcon that was perched on one of his chairs. Turning a confused look to Lily, she asked, “Did you really wake me up to show me a bird?” It was weird, sure, but not enough to warrant a late visit.
Lily scowled at her. “No.” She cocked her head thoughtfully. “But I’m going to now.”
Natania laughed. She had set herself up for that. There was no doubt in her mind that on some distant day, long after she had forgotten about this conversation, Lily was going to wake her up to show her another bird. “Can you at least pick like, a cool bird, and not a pigeon?”
“What’s wrong with pigeons?” Lily said, narrowing her eyes.
“Nothing, they make great snacks,” Natania replied. Lily gave her an appalled look and she grinned, flashing her fangs.
Vincent cleared his throat and they both stopped talking. “Kelrin, would you mind?” he said. Natania turned back to him and raised an eyebrow.
The bird moved to the seat of the chair, shifted its wings restlessly, then started to ripple.
“What in the hells?” Natania said as the bird seemed to collapse into a bubble, then reform into a white wolf. “You found a goddamn shapeshifter?”
Her species were considered shapeshifters, but beast bound only had one animal, in her case, a wolf, and one human form. Real shapeshifters could turn into anything. Assuming they had seen it. They were also nearly extinct.
“I found him, actually,” the wolf said and Natania blinked at it. It had spoken. In perfect English.
“You can talk?” While beast bound preferred to communicate with their mental bonds in beast form, they could speak verbally, but the language was animalistic not… human. Their throats weren’t equipped for it. She had no idea how the shapeshifter was managing it.
Kelrin raised her muzzle and sniffed crossly. “Of course.”
Lily took her hand and squeezed it. “Told you you would want to see this.”
“If you’re done gawking,” Kelrin said, changing into a snowy owl and scraping her talons on the chair. “Can we get back to business?”
Natania gave Vincent a wary look, the vampire did not like his furniture being damaged. Or anything in his house.
“Of course,” Vincent said, frowning at the shapeshifter, though, much to her surprise, he didn’t say anything against it. “Natania, this is Kelrin. We were wondering if your tribe would provide sanctuary to her for a couple weeks, while we take care of some hunters.”
“Wait, this is the Slayer?” Kelrin said, frowning at her. A nickname Natania had earned after killing a particularly nasty black witch, but she found it stupid and wasn’t a fan. “You look like a child.”
Natania scoffed. Her human form had stopped aging around twenty five years old, though she was currently thirty five, that was still hardly a child. She flashed her fangs at the owl and shifted forms.
She was by no means intimidating in her human shape, five foot six with short black hair. But her wolf sat at almost five feet at the shoulder. Which was pretty damn huge for a wolf. Most of the half bloods were in the two-three and a half foot range.
Kelrin took a few steps back, shifting into a snow white tiger. “Damn, you’re pretty big.”
Natania dipped her head in a nod, then shifted back. “Who is hunting you?” she asked. She had no doubt that Vincent could take on virtually anyone, there was a reason she had come to him when she had been on the run, but anything he pissed off would likely come after her tribe as well. “Also, watch the furniture, it’s antique and easily damaged.”
“Fae,” Vincent answered, at the same time Kelrin said, “A skinwalker.”
Natania raised an eyebrow. “Which is it?” She didn’t have much experience with fae, who could range in power from a tiny spark to levelling mountains, and had never met a skinwalker. So she wasn’t particularly excited about either of them.
Kelrin scowled. “A skinwalker has hired some fae to hunt me and bring her my skin.”
“Oh, lovely,” Natania said. Eugh. “Why?”
Vincent answered her. “It is believed that a skinwalker can take a shapeshifter’s ability if they assimilate their skin.”
She was liking the sound of that less and less. “Is it true?”
“Partially,” Kelrin growled. “It allows them to take one form. Whatever they use it for first is all they get.” Natania didn’t want to know how she knew that particular fact.
“So in theory, they could get a dragon,” Natania said. That was the first thing she would try, if she got that kind of shapeshifting. Frankly, who wouldn’t? Flying and fire breathing would be cool.
“Or a mouse.” Kelrin shrugged. “If it gets to that point, it’s not my problem. I’d prefer to just keep my own skin. Thank you.”
“And you want to hide in my territory?”
Vincent cleared his throat. “We figured she could take one of the beast forms within the tribe, and just blend in.”
Natania frowned at them. “She doesn’t smell like a beast bound.” The beast bound of her tribe smelled of mountain, wilderness, and fur. Kelrin smelled like magic and mist.
Lily handed her a container of purple pills. “A daily dose of this will remove the magic from her scent.”
Natania turned the bottle around in her hands. “All right,” she said hesitantly. “But you’ll have to pick one shape. Unless you want the entire tribe to know what you are.” She frowned at Kelrin. “And we can’t talk in beast form.” She couldn’t bind her to the tribe link either. Natania chewed on her lip. “I’d have to tell at least one wildcat, or else they’ll wonder why you can’t use mindspeak.”
Most of the beast bound could communicate mentally with the other beasts, but it was only the wildcats who could also speak to others, humans or other non-beasts. Thanks to their connection to her pack bond, Natania had also gained the ability to use mindspeak with non-beasts, but she kept that fact secret from the rest. Only Gretchen, Lily and Vincent knew about it.
“It doesn’t matter if the tribe knows,” Kelrin interrupted, “as long as they keep their mouths shut.”
“I can’t promise that.” There were dozens of people in the tribe, and nosy children. Even if they were inclined to do as she asked, things would slip out when that many people knew about it.
Kelrin frowned at her. “Aren’t you some big shot alpha?”
“Only in name,” Natania replied. The tribe looked to her to make decisions for them, but she wasn’t some all powerful dictator, and she didn’t want to be. She had promised them when they made the tribe that she wouldn’t use her control over the pack bond, and thus those within it, to command them, unless it was an immediate threat of death.
Kelrin made an irritated noise. “So, you’re useless then.”
Lily hissed and Natania snorted, waving a hand at the vampire. She didn’t need defending. “I am what I am. I can offer you protection, but not silence.” If Vincent was asking her, she would protect the shapeshifter with her life, but she wouldn’t break her word to her tribe. They trusted her, and she intended to keep it that way.
Kelrin looked around the room, hissing with frustration, while she considered their words. There were probably other places Vincent could store her, but none of them would be as well protected as her territory. Unless she wanted to stay trapped within Vincent’s house.
A shapeshifter may not have been an animal at heart, but given the restless way Kelrin shifted forms, Natania imagined she wouldn’t accept being locked indoors. “What is your base form?” Natania asked.
Kelrin scowled at her. “Whatever I want it to be.”
“Shapeshifters can shift from the moment they are born,” Vincent explained. “Their birth form will match whatever form the mother took during labour, but they are not strictly one thing or another.”
“The essence of all living things,” Kelrin agreed, with notably less of an attitude when it was Vincent she was replying to.
“Though there is a limit to how large she can be,” Vincent added.
Kelrin scowled, but nodded. “There are rules I have to follow. I can’t make a wolf that big, but I could make an ogre that’s bigger.”
“Well,” Natania said dryly, “our homes are designed for animals and humans, not ogres.” She put a hand over her mouth and yawned. It had already been a long day, and it was only going to get longer now.
Vincent gave her an appraising look. “We can drop her off closer to sunrise if you want to get some more sleep, Wolf.”
Natania waved a hand dismissively. What was one more sleepless night? She’d get the shifter settled in, then catch a nap. “I’m good, unless you have more things to go over.”
“I think we’ve covered it all,” Kelrin said. “Skinwalker. Fae, Try not to die, not much more to it.”
Natania looked at Vincent to confirm. He came over to her and put a hand on her head. Natania rolled her eyes. She was the shortest of them, and they were all fond of messing up her hair. Mostly, she thought, because they knew it irritated her.
He leaned close to her ear and spoke quietly, so Kelrin wouldn’t overhear. “If it comes to it, don’t risk your life for her. Just summon us.” He tapped one of the bracelets she wore on her wrists. She had two, one red and one pink. Gifts from the vampires. If she bled on the stones, it would alert them that she needed them, as long as it was nighttime.
Natania flashed her fangs. “I’m far from helpless,” she said, in the same quiet tone.
“No,” he agreed, brushing one hand down her cheek, “but you’ve never faced a fae. And I refuse to lose you in defense of a stranger.”
She couldn’t argue with that. With a shrug and a nod, she turned back to Kelrin and held out a hand to Lily. “Then let’s go.” Kelrin grimaced, but shifted to a human form, female with blonde hair, and reached for Lily’s other hand. “Preferably to the living room this time,” Natania told Lily. The last thing she wanted to do was scare the crap out of her wife.
Lily shook her head with mock disapproval. “You’re no fun.”
