Scent of Salvation (Chronicles of Eorthe #1) (21 page)

“As a token of my alpha’s good faith, I am sure he’d allow some kind of trade. I can pass along the message after I collect the flowers.” Peder’s eyes lowered once more.

Kele’s eyebrows shot up. That scent had a slight tinge of anxiety. Not enough for a lie. What did it mean? Was someone ill? Packs didn’t disclose weaknesses. Withholding information was the only lie a shifter couldn’t detect. “Your pack has little to trade.” Her gaze settled on him. Two hostages in the same amount of days. Maybe she was becoming too much like her mother.

Bad enough she brought home a human stray, but an Apisi omega? “You’re placing me in a difficult position, Peder.” If she sent him home then she surrendered her only leverage.

“He’s just an omega. Sorin probably won’t even care if he’s missing,” Ahote whispered in her ear.

She turned her head and glared at his bestial profile. “Why would you think that? We care for our omegas.”

Peder climbed a step closer, still on his knees. “Sorin does care about his omegas very much.”

They both spun and faced him. Ahote bent, a little drool landing on Peder’s shoulder. “You’re very bold.”

“My alpha has been encouraging me to find my inner hunter.” The smaller male swallowed visibly as the larger, feral beast circled him. “I forget my place sometimes.”

He obviously did. The outer shell of this shifter appeared omega but she suspected, as did his alpha, that a hunter lurked inside. What had broken this male?

She straightened her dress and squared her shoulders. “Take him.” She addressed the other two guards. Where would she house Peder? Her stomach went sour. She had a big, maternal concern. Her mother would eat this omega male alive with his pretty face and all that golden hair.

She stared at Ahote—a strong, massive, dominating male—then turned toward her other two guards. “Peder’s existence will remain a secret among us four.”

Their ears perked and they looked to Ahote.

She clenched her jaw. “If you squeal to my parents or anyone else like a pair of frightened pups, Ahote will deal with you in my stead.”

The dark hunter went still and silent next to her. She sensed the wave of shock from his body.

“Do we have an understanding?”

The taint of the guard’s fear carried on the wind as they nodded.

She wanted to give Susan an avenue of escape if she needed it. The only way to ensure a meeting with Sorin was to keep Peder. What harm would it cause if he stayed a few days? She’d write a note and leave it on the Temple altar for whoever came to search for Peder with her terms for his return. She only wanted to speak with Susan one more time.

Peder glanced at the guards, then at Ahote as if assessing his chance of escape.

“Don’t, Peder.” She didn’t want him injured.

The omega cringed. There was something fragile about the male that she found fascinating. All the hunters of her pack were muscle-bound fools with little to offer in conversation. She sensed something different in him.

“We’ll sneak Peder into the den.” She faced her guest. “If you value your hide, you won’t leave your room. My mother will eat you for dessert if she catches you inside the den.” She tapped her foot and glared at each of the males. “I expect Susan returned in good condition, and we’ll do the same with Peder.”

The omega raised his chin and appraised her under downcast lids. His interest washed over her, and she drowned in his gaze. “As you wish, princess,” the omega whispered. A submissive answer, yet the invitation in his eyes offered her what no male of her race ever had.

Chapter Twenty-One

Sorin sat by the gate as the midday sun burned overhead. He whittled at a branch, doing his best to shape it like a horse. The pups needed more toys.

With purpose in her step, Lailanie crossed the den toward him. “The fevers are getting worse. This potion your human made is not working.”

He didn’t meet her gaze, just kept working his knife over the wood in slow, easy strokes. “Susan said it wouldn’t affect the fever, and what we gave the sick is a weak batch. We have to wait for it to strengthen.” He’d been waiting for this confrontation.

Lailanie paced in front of him. “If we don’t cool them, the fever will kill some by tomorrow morning. One of the pups has taken a turn for the worse.”

Glancing at the gate, he nodded. “Peder should have returned with the flowers by now.” He’d been trying to ignore his growing anxiety. Peder was an omega and couldn’t travel as fast as a hunter, but he’d had plenty of time.

If anything happened to him…

Susan strolled along the main avenue of the canyon. She carried something in her hands. As she drew closer, he could smell the roasted meat. “Lunch is served.”

Lailanie snorted. “Training her to be your private omega?” She stormed back into the sick room, leaving him alone with Susan.

“Nothing I say or do will ever make her like me, will it?” She stared after Lailanie.

“No.” He took the small platter of steaming meat and popped a slice in his mouth, savoring the hot juice. The food would give him the energy he desperately needed to make the trip to the cliffs after Peder. “I have to leave the den. Stay out of her way while I’m gone.”

She spun to face him. “Where are you going?”

“Peder’s missing.”

“You shouldn’t go alone.” She crossed her arms over her chest, and that mesmerizing stubborn streak returned.

“I can’t take any of the hunters with me. I need them to protect the den.”

She nodded. “I’ll go with you then.”

He raised an eyebrow yet kept from laughing. “I have to go over the mountains again. There might be more cliffs involved in the journey.”

“Dude, is there nothing easy in this world?” She ran her hands through her loose hair. The long strands fell below her shoulders in thick waves. Her hair was the kind a male could bury his face in and lose himself for hours.

He set the empty platter on the table next to him. “No, but struggle makes life that much sweeter.”

“Struggle? More like trying to survive hour by hour.”

The droop in her shoulders made him ache to take her in his arms, but with pack about doing chores it would be a terrible idea. Instead he offered her a piece of wisdom his mother had told him. “Life is not about surviving the storms, but learning to dance in the rain, Susan.” He gave her a small smile before untying his kilt.

She tilted her head as if trying to figure out who he was. “That’s very insightful.”

“Thank you. That’s the best I have so don’t expect more.” He winked at her. He’d seen Peder do that to females in the pack when he teased them. They seemed to like it.

Susan laughed. Apparently, humans liked it too.

He grinned and spotted Lailanie standing in the shadows of the cave, watching him flirt. His grin faded. What would he do with that female? He needed to find her a good hunter. In the meantime Susan would be in danger. “Maybe you should come with me after all.”

“But you said mountains and cliffs.” She stepped away.

“You’ll ride on my back again. I didn’t let you fall last time and I won’t this time either. Trust me.” He dropped his kilt and shifted to feral form. He offered her his hand then waited. This time he wouldn’t take her against her will. He needed her to want to be with him.

She stared at it for a second then set her small hand within his. “I’ll do my best not to tug out more fur.” This time she winked back at him.

The ride over the mountain pass was easier the second time around since Susan knew what to expect and—and well, she trusted Sorin.

He trotted to a stop by a cliff overlooking forest below. What was left of the Temple’s roof peeked through a small opening in the tree’s canopy.

“This is where he was supposed to be.” Sorin snuffled along the ground.

Susan clung to his shoulders still, her thighs around his narrow hips as she pressed her breasts to his strong back. The power he exuded in feral form was exhilarating, like a roller coaster ride with muscles. She didn’t want to get off and mess up any scent trails or anything.

“He was here but not for long. There are no signs of those flowers here or of him picking any.” He stared out over the cliff and snarled.

The sharp noise made her jump.

“I told him not to go on Temple lands alone.” He strode along the top of the cliff face until he came to a less steep slope, then descended.

She snapped her eyes shut too late. Sweat trickled down her spine as she imagined the fall and the pain. How her frail human body would break on the rocks below and how 911 was not available here.

Sorin’s pace increased as their trajectory changed.

She peeked, seeing trees flash past in blurs. Sorin had been injured and exhausted when they escaped the Payami so she’d never known how fast he could truly run. The wind clung to her hair as strands flapped over her shoulders. She had to swallow a whoop of exhilaration at the sense of freedom. Until now she’d never known how empty and selfish her life had been.

The outline of the Temple drew closer. Sorin slowed to a stop and sniffed a specific spot of stunted grass. “Blood.” He assessed the surrounding area. “There was a struggle here. I’d say at least three shifters fought. This blood smells like Apisi. It has to be Peder’s.”

She released a small yelp as he raced to the Temple without warning, almost dislodging her from his back. A cold ache settled in her chest where her first taste of freedom had been. Peder was in trouble.

A low rumble rolled under her body as if the earth quaked. Then she realized it was Sorin making a continuous growl. He stopped suddenly at the stairs leading into the Temple and began to track with his nose once more. “Kele! That female is becoming troublesome.”

“Kele took Peder?” She twisted to stare at the forest in hopes of catching a glimpse of the pale shifter. “Why?”

With a shrug, Sorin gently set her on the ground. “Let me search the Temple. Stay here.”

She nodded. She wouldn’t make the mistake of running from him twice. Sitting on the steps with her legs tucked against her chest, she kept an alert eye on the wilderness around them. What if this was a trap? Kele had seemed like such a nice person. Susan couldn’t imagine why she’d take Peder.

Something shimmered between the trees. She blinked and leaned to the side. It couldn’t be. She rose to her feet. It was.

The Gate was flickering not far away. She took a step toward it.

“Susan?”

She twisted around.

Sorin stood in the Temple entrance, his feral face twisted with worry and exhaustion. He’d aged in the two days she’d known him. “I won’t stop you this time, but I’d like you to stay.”

Her breath caught in her throat. She glanced over her shoulder at the blue light dancing in the forest.

Home.

Safety, coffee, hot showers. She could go back to her empty apartment and start looking for a new job. As what? Who would hire her after she’d destroyed DOUG? Heck, she’d be lucky if the military didn’t take her away and force her to build another machine. Or send her to prison.

The light flickered and faded a little. This Gate wasn’t stable. She wasn’t even sure what kept making it open. Without the crystal matrix, the energy to punch through dimensions was erratic. She might step through and find herself in a completely different reality.

She returned her gaze to Sorin. Beautiful, majestic male who needed her. His people needed her even more. She was doing something good here. Saving lives with the knowledge she’d spent a lifetime building. Could she return home and leave these people to flounder? The penicillin might work, but then again, it might not.

The thumping in her chest slowed as she took the steps up to Sorin.

He raced down them and met her halfway, hugging her tight against his chest.

She stroked her hand over the silken fur of his back and languished in the pure joy soaring within her soul. All her sacrifices were worth this moment. She leaned to side and watched as the Gate faded.

Bye, Earth.

Sorin held a sheet of thick paper in his hand.

She gazed at the writing but couldn’t read it. “What does it say?”

“Kele will trade Peder for you. She’ll meet us here in two days to make the exchange.”

She jerked from his arms. “Is that why you wanted me to stay?” Oh, how much more naïve could she be? This male had never wanted her; geeky, skinny Susan with more brains than ass.

Sorin tugged her close, almost snapping her head back. “Stop it. I’m not making the trade.”

Her mouth remained unhinged, open for flies to take residence.

“We will have to make other arrangements with Kele for Peder’s return.”

“Let’s go now. Their border’s not far.”

Sorin’s ears drooped. “We can’t. No matter how much I hate leaving Peder in their tender care, we have to bring home flowers to stop the fever. We can’t waste any more time.”

She chewed her bottom lip. Being alpha was a very tough job. Sorin took so much on his shoulders and carried it with such dignity. “Show me what we’re looking for. Let’s pick flowers.”