Authors: Harmony Raines
Tags: #General Fiction
Kieran’s head jerked up. Despite himself, he knew he had let on that this resonated with him. Although the man in front of him kept his reaction neutral, as if he hadn’t noticed.
“So who is it you’re running from?” Misty asked, stepping forward.
“Right now I’m running from a new pride leader. Someone who came and took over not so long ago. A face from the past.”
“Does this new pride leader have a name?”
“Kane. Apparently he’d been on the other side of the border, hiding out amongst humans until he came into his prime. But he’s back now, and has picked up where his uncle left off. And so I’m on the run.”
Kieran didn’t know what to make of it; this man appeared to be telling the truth. His story fitted in with what they knew. It seemed Darius had been hiding Kane, grooming him for power, and now he had returned and taken over. No wonder people were after information on Darius.
Beside him he could feel Misty trembling, he wanted to speak to her in private, so that they could work out what exactly was going on. But he also didn’t want to let this other lion out of his sight. They needed to get as much information as possible from him.
“So why was he hiding over the border?”
“The guy, Darius, has been protecting him. After the old pride leader was killed, he was taken there, to grow up where there would be no repercussions.”
Kieran balled his hands into fists. So Kane, and Darius were the bad guys, they were the ones responsible for his father’s death. How could that be, Kane had lost his father too?
“No I can’t believe it,” Kieran said
“Of course not. Who would? And through all this, I’ve been watching out for the other sons of the old leader. There were three children. Kane is a lost cause, manipulated by Darius. But the other two, they could come and take back what was stolen. They could avenge their father’s death.”
Lies and deceit. Is that what was coming out of this man’s mouth? Or did he speak the truth? Kieran didn’t know, but why would he lie? And how would he know that Darius was really a shifter, unless he knew him?
The rain was coming down through the trees, soaking them, and Misty was shaking so badly he knew that she was freezing. They had to get into the dry. And that was where the man in front of them played his trump card.
“Listen, I have a cabin not too far away. Why don’t you come back there with me, I have food and you can dry off. There’s a fire to keep us warm. It’s not much. You’re welcome to share whatever I have.” The man looked sincere, and Kieran figured that as long as they kept their wits about them, it was worth the risk.
“Lead the way,” Kieran said.
“I’m not so sure about this,” Misty said, at last finding her voice, through her chattering teeth.
“We don’t have any choice,” Kieran said quietly to her. “We’re so wet and as long as we don’t take what he says as the truth, as long as we are careful, we should be okay.”
She didn’t look too happy about it, but she nodded her head in agreement. And so they shifted and followed him through the trees, although Kieran realised he should have at least asked what his name was. But there was time for that later.
After ten minutes, he smelt wood smoke in the air and knew that they were nearing the cabin. Cabin was a little bit of an overstatement, though; it was more of a shack that had definitely seen better days. Kieran wasn’t even sure if the roof was sound, but it was shelter from the rain and as they reached the porch he shook his lion body, droplets of water springing off in every direction.
They all shifted into their human form and the guy opened the door. “Here we are, you’ll be safe and dry inside.”
“I never asked you,” Kieran said. “What is your name?”
“They call me Serrif,” the man said.
“It’s good to meet you, Serrif, and it kind of you to invite us in.”
“No problem, now let’s get in to the dry. Ladies first,” Serrif said, opening his arm to Misty and ushering her into the cabin. And then everything happened at once; the cabin wasn’t empty.
As if history was being repeated, two men grabbed Misty, covering her mouth so that she couldn’t scream. Kieran didn’t know what to do, although his lion wanted to burst out and kill them.
But then Serrif spoke. “Don’t be too hasty in your actions, Kieran.”
“How do you know who I am?” Kieran asked.
“Because my friends on the other side of the border have been looking after you. And now you’re here I have a job for you.”
“What do you mean looking after me?” And then the pieces fit together. “Lance worked for you?”
“I can see you’re putting altogether. I had wanted you killed, but Lance insisted he could control you. Although Lance was about to mess it all up, all those questions about Darius, and then he kidnapped little Misty Blue. My guess is Darius won’t survive long over there now. And when he comes back, I’ll be waiting for him.”
“You are a monster,” Kieran said.
“Oh yes, I know. I left you all alone, watched you from when you were a child. Philippe was right to be always looking over his shoulder. But that is in the past.” Serrif’s eyes went distant, as if he was reminiscing, then he continued. “You are the last brother to arrive in the Prime, Kieran. You should have stayed fighting in the cage. But now you are here, you’re my greatest chance for revenge. Kane took the pride back from me, and they locked me in prison. He was stupid to think that I didn’t have friends, that I wouldn’t get free.”
“What do you want?” Kieran asked.
“Oh, this is my favourite part,” Serrif said. “First, though, a little history lesson for you. And before you think of striking out, you should remember I have something very precious of yours.”
Kieran had never felt so useless. His hands were tied. While Serrif had Misty, he couldn’t act.
Then Serrif began to talk. “
I
am the one who killed your father, I am the one you’ve been hiding from your whole life. The three of you, you and your brothers, were taken across the border to hide from
me
. Darius took Kane, and Nora took Daniel. And you were taken by poor Philippe: he was like a little mouse, how he hated to go. But he did it because they all loved your father so much.”
“That still doesn’t tell me what you want?” Kieran asked, his eyes darting to Misty, who looked terrified.
“What I want is for you to go and kill your brother, so I can take back what is mine.”
“You’re mad,” Kieran said.
“Oh no, no I’m not. You see I have leverage, I know I can’t beat him myself, so I will use what you love to make you fight your brother. She’s your mate. And if you want her back, you’re going to do exactly as I say.”
Kieran looked from Serrif to Misty, and knew that Serrif was right. Kieran would do whatever it took to get Misty back. He didn’t care about the pride; he didn’t care about his brother Kane.
Misty was his mate, the only one who mattered.
Misty had always loved being a horse, but at this exact moment, she wished with all her heart that she was a predator, with sharp teeth and claws that could rip the throats out of these men holding her.
As she listened to Serrif telling Kieran what he wanted him to do, she felt a rage inside of her, like she had never known. What Serrif was asking Kieran to do was monstrous. If Kieran carried out Serrif’s demands, he would never forgive himself, never be able to live with himself. He would be changed, no longer the man she had fallen in love with. She could not let that happen.
But standing there with her hands held by two men, one of them covering her mouth, she couldn’t say or do anything. She was powerless. Inside her head, her horse screamed with rage, rearing up, hooves flailing, but it was all for nothing. Even if she shifted, there was nothing she could do—a horse against three predators stood no chance. All she was thankful for was at Kieran hadn’t tried to fight either.
“So what’s it to be? Are you going to do as I ask, or are you going to watch while I kill your mate? And don’t think I’ll make it quick. Don’t think I won’t let these hyenas have their way with her first.”
Kieran’s face was filled with rage, but it was all for nothing and he knew it. And her heart went out to him as he realised that he could not win; he could not fight his way out of this situation.
“Where? Where do I find him?” Kieran asked, his voice sticking in his throat as he swallowed his anger.
“You were heading in the right direction, you have to go north, ask for the Talamo Pride Lands, and you’ll find him. They’ll welcome you in, the last long-lost brother, and that’s when you will strike. I would ask you to go for a run with him, and kill him in the mountains in the same spot that I killed your father. But I’m not that tied to history. You just need to make it quick, or there might not be much of your mate left to come back to.”
“Misty, I will come back.” And with that Kieran shifted into his lion and disappeared into the trees.
“That was easier than I thought,” Serrif said sneering. “Take her inside, and tie her up.”
Misty was pushed and shoved into a room at the back of the cabin. Inside the small cramped room, was a wood-framed bed. One of them tied her to it, with her hands behind her back. Then they left, and she slumped forward, trying not to cry.
It took a moment to take in all that had happened, to put all of the pieces that had been floating around in her head together. Everything that had happened since she left Darius’s mansion, was down to Serrif. The man who had killed Kieran’s father had somehow reached across the border and manipulated his life.
He had been the pride leader for years; he would have connections. Most leaders did. The humans thought that the two worlds were separate, but they weren’t: deals were done across unofficial trade routes along the border, and both information and goods could be bought for a price.
She pulled at the ropes that bound her wrists; they were tied fast. Closing her eyes, and trying to ignore the cold that was seeping into her body and her bones, she tried to figure out what exactly she was going to do. It was one thing to get her hands untied, but would be another to actually get away from here.
And if she did, if she managed to leave the cabin, she would have to run faster than she had ever run before.
Or should she just wait to Kieran to return? She couldn’t believe that he would actually go and kill his own brother, so maybe he was working on a plan to rescue her. He would still have to overpower the three men outside, unless he managed to lure them out, one at a time. Serrif would be easy; he was older and if Kane had beat him, then Kieran should be able to.
She sat and thought for a while knowing that the best thing was to do nothing, until she had a clear plan. She didn’t want Kieran to return and find her already dead.
Slowly, her clothes dried and she moved around just enough to try and create some heat in her body. If Kieran did return for her, she had to be ready to fight, she had to be ready to run, and she couldn’t do that if she stiffened up in the cold.
She wriggled her across the bed, and then looped her hands over her feet so her arms were in front of her, and then she set to work untying the rope with her teeth. As she worked, she kept listening in case anyone approached the door, but all was quiet until, in the distance, there was the sound of a bear roaring.
Her senses kicked in, her horse alert as they listened. Was the bear working for Serrif? Perhaps he was on guard out in the forest, just in case Kieran doubled back. Did that mean something had happened to Kieran?
Misty decided she had to get away and help Kieran. Working on the ropes, she managed to undo them, and sat for a moment flexing her hands to let the blood flow back into them, before she headed to the door and listened for any sounds.
There were mumbled voices, and then she heard a door slam. And then silence.
She couldn’t just wait here, it was time to make a run for it and try to find Kieran. Moving quietly across the room, she headed for the window. It was small and it wouldn’t be easy to climb out of, but she was going to try.
The catch was stiff, as if it hadn’t been opened for years, and she had to use the heel of the hand to bash it open, hoping it didn’t draw their attention to her. Only when the window was open, did she stop to consider if it was a trap.
She had to risk it. Dragging a chair over to the window to stand on, she prayed she was doing the right thing, and she climbed out of the window.
Her feet hit the ground, but she made sure she didn’t injure her ankle again, then she stood still, listening, allowing her senses to drift as far as they could into the surrounding area. She hoped she would pick up some clue as to what she should do. But all was quiet.
“Where the hell are they?” she asked out loud. Not that she really wanted an answer.
Summoning her horse, she shifted and headed into the trees, galloping as fast as she could while weaving in and out of the thick tree trunks. After a hundred yards she slid to a halt and stood, head up, ears pricked trying to listen.
She had heard something. It came from in front of her. Off in the distance the bear roared again, and then mingled with the sound of a lion. Was it Kieran; was it her lion? Was he fighting a bear?
She headed in the direction of the sound, not fearing for her own safety. All she could think of was that she had to save Kieran. But as she ran she felt the presence of something else behind her, and using her peripheral vision, she was shocked to see a lion running through the trees towards her. Putting her head down she ran faster, jumping over fallen logs and swerving around trees, but still the lion was there, but she had stamina and she could outrun him.
Hearing the bear again, she altered her course towards it, knowing that she had to find Kieran.
When he left the cabin, he had no idea what he was going to do, or where he was supposed to go. He knew that Serrif wanted him to go and kill Kane, but that wasn’t going to happen. Somehow he had to find a way to save Misty. He needed time, time to think his way through this. He was a fighter, but he couldn’t take on all three of them and win without putting Misty at risk.