Scent of Valor (Chronicles of Eorthe #2) (22 page)

Chapter Thirty-Six

A boot that had seen better days appeared over the threshold, accompanied by the tip of a sword. The vampire slaver, stinking of fear, peered into the dark Temple interior, his gaze in Ahote’s direction. Slowly his eyes widened, but before he could backpedal, the hunter leaped forward, jabbing his claws into the vampire’s chest as if they were daggers.

Ahote dragged him deeper into the shadows where the vampire started screaming.

Kele turned her back on them, not interested in witnessing the carnage.

Leaning forward, Peder reached to touch her clenched hand, but a dart whizzed by his arm and he jerked back. “Fuck.” He snarled at no one in particular. “I’m tired of this.” His gaze pierced hers. “I won’t let them take me alive again.”

“Peder don’t—”

Too late—he charged out the doorway.

“Is he running away?” Ahote bared his teeth in a growl.

She slapped him across the back of the head since she couldn’t fathom that kind of cowardice from Peder. Not after everything she’d borne witness to in those slave pens. “Come on.” She didn’t bother using the stairs and jumped from the top straight to the forest floor. The impact rattled her teeth but she managed to clear the Temple without getting hit by a dart.

Ahote landed next to her with a grace she wouldn’t admit to envying. He used the jump’s momentum to carry him into a run that led him straight into two waiting vampires, knocking all the bloodsuckers head over heels.

She twisted around. Where was Peder? Then she heard the clang of a sword hitting stone followed by a howl of pain. “Peder!” He hadn’t left them—he’d gone to fight the vampires alone. Racing around the Temple, she almost tripped over a decapitated vampire body. The only way to kill them was beheading or tearing out their hearts. Peder really did mean to end this.

He stood in the clearing surrounded by armed slavers. Why was he still conscious? Had they run out of darts? That was the only explanation. He stood on all fours, the hair on his spine raised, and he bared his teeth as he loomed over the vampires. Even crouched in such a position, he could meet them eye to eye. And again, she was struck by how much he’d changed.

The shifter she’d first met would have crawled on his belly or hidden behind Ahote. Maybe even behind her. He had made her feel beautiful and desired. Something no male had ever bothered to try. His gentle nature and shy smile had melted her heart. The new Peder, the one leading the escape and fighting for their freedom, set her blood on fire. She could barely breathe for the swelling in her heart. It felt ready to burst.

It was as if the Goddess had heard her secret need for such a male and created him for her. He wouldn’t get away this time. She was a full-blown hunter and destined to be alpha. Peder might not realize it yet, but so was he. Her pack needed a strong, intelligent leader and she couldn’t think of a better male.

Peder kept his focus on Huan. She could smell the slaver’s fear from there.

She crept toward the group and added her growl to Peder’s.

The vampires closest to her jumped and spun pointing their muskets in her direction. They moved with confidence and pressed their backs to each other’s in a good defensive position. Obviously, they’d fought her kind before.

When a shifter and a vampire are pitted against each other in hand-to-hand combat, the shifter would always win. Add a firearm to the fight and it changed the odds. These weapons helped the vampires win the war—that and the inability of packs to work well together.

A scent drifted past her nose. So faint at first she had to inhale deeply a few times to be sure. Her heart raced as she searched between the trees.

Apisi.

The vampires had wasted most of their darts at the Temple, then used the remainder trying to stop Peder as he chased them through the forest. He’d gotten very good at dodging them. Still they managed to surround him before he could kill Huan.

Peder smelled both Kele and Ahote in the forest around them. The dark hunter should have used Peder’s distraction to take her back home. He snapped his teeth at the closest vampire, making him jump back a little farther.

The vampires carried muskets but hadn’t shot him yet. He was worth too much alive, and they knew it.

The breeze shifted direction and a sharp scent caught his attention so suddenly he stood straight up and looked past the slavers.

Sorin?
His pack was here. Part of him wanted to howl in relief, the other tensed in fear. He didn’t want any of them getting hurt—or worse, enslaved.

Huan aimed his musket toward the forest. “Something’s out there. Go check it out.”

Two of his men broke away.

The slaver turned his weapon upon Peder. “Are you worth all this trouble?”

Peder took a step forward. “Of course not.”

The sound of bodies hitting the ground reached his ears and he gave Huan a toothy grin. From the way Huan paled, he must have heard it too.

“I’m not alone.” In feral form, his smile carried a meaning different than that in civil.

The other two vampires gathered closer together, back to back, their guns pointed outward. They left Huan out of their defense.

From between the trees, Sorin strode forward in his massive feral form, dragging an unconscious vampire in each hand. “They’re not dead.” He paused. “Yet.” He dropped them and rested a clawed foot on one of their chests. “Let him go and you can have your warriors back.”

Huan kept the musket pointed at Peder’s chest but glanced at Sorin. His eyes went big.

Sorin’s size and scar gave him a menacing appearance. Peder had seen the intimidating alpha roll in the sand of their den floor with the pups too many times to be affected until someone new reacted to him. “He might let you live too,” Peder whispered to Huan. “But I won’t.”

Ahote’s black furred body raced around the other side of the nervous slavers, and one of the vampires let off a shot.

“I said I wanted them alive,” Huan shouted.

“They don’t seem to want to come along nicely.” The one who’d shot aimed his musket at Peder.

While Huan faced his partners, Peder drew closer. He extended his claws then thrust both sets in Huan’s throat. They slid in flesh as if he were made of butter. His blood was much thicker and darker than a shifter’s.

Huan gurgled and a red bubble broke from between his lips. This seemed to break the spell holding Peder still. Using both sets of claws, he tore Huan’s head off his shoulders and tossed the remains away.

A shot rang out.

He flinched at the sharp noise.

“No,” Kele screamed and ran toward him with her arms extended.

Reflexively, he reached out for her as well.

The vampire who’d been aiming his musket collapsed to the forest floor next to his comrades, a nice-sized hole in his head. It wasn’t decapitation, but apparently close enough that he was dead.

Kele slowed and blinked at his body, then at Peder. Her muzzle trembled and she made a soft whine. “I thought—I thought he shot you.”

Benic rode into view. His vampire elite soldiers surrounded everyone, muskets raised and aimed at Huan’s men.

“About time.” Sorin crossed his arms. “I thought I was going to have to do all the work again.”

Benic bowed from the saddle. “You’re welcome, Alpha. Your gratitude always swells my heart with joy.”

Kele sat on the forest floor with a bone-jarring thump and shivered.

Peder knelt at her side. His heart was racing as it hadn’t when he’d faced Huan and his armed men. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m tired.” She shifted to civil form all of a sudden and buried her face in his fur. “I thought he had shot you,” she repeated against his chest. When faced with emotional and physical stress, sometimes their bodies reverted to civil form on reflex. Their civil bodies took less energy since they were smaller. It was never good for a shifter to run so low of energy.

He gathered her into his arms. “She’s exhausted.”

Ahote approached them carrying his backpack. “I have some blankets in here.” He pulled one out and wrapped it around her.

“Build a fire so we can make camp.”

The hunter nodded and began gathering wood while Peder settled Kele against a tree. He caressed her cheek. “Rest here until I’ve dealt with these slavers.”

She turned her face into his hand and kissed his palm.

He rose to his feet and came face-to-face with Sorin and three of his hunters. “Gather the slavers and secure them. We’ll take them with us.”

Sorin’s ears lowered and no one moved. He gestured to one of his hunters to do as Peder asked. Then Peder realized he hadn’t really asked.

Sorin pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. “Susan and I have been worried sick.”

Peder tensed in his arms and struggled in his hold until he shoved Sorin away. Panting, he stalked into the forest. He had changed. Instinct cried for him to challenge for dominance but he wouldn’t do that to his friend.

Benic knelt by Kele, offering her some food from his backpack.

Peder snarled and lunged at him. She was his. The vampire had tried to steal her from him once and he wouldn’t ever let that happen again.

The bloodsucker fell away from Peder’s sharp teeth.

“Peder!” both Sorin and Kele shouted. Sorin laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Easy, hunter, he was just helping her.”

Peder ran his fingers over the thick fur covering his head. His shoulders were so stiff from tension he almost couldn’t reach. He took a deep, shuddering breath. “My apologies, Benic. I’m not well.”

Understanding flashed over Benic’s face. He’d seen what the slavers had done to him and to Nahuel, but the vampire only witnessed a fraction of it. Who was Peder now and where did he fit in a pack?

The vampire rose to his feet. “You’re home now. I’ll take these slavers with me.”

Peder’s head jerked at his offer. “They can’t be allowed to return to New Berg. They know too much already of our lands and people.”

Benic gave him a small smile that chilled his blood. “Don’t worry. They’re not going anywhere. I have a good use for them.”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Kele watched as Benic and his men led the remaining slavers away in chains. She should rejoice at the irony of their role reversal but she found no joy in her captors’ fate. She shivered. Benic could be cruel and these vampires had crossed him in a bad way.

Peder had shifted to civil form and wore a loose kilt he’d borrowed from his packmate. He crouched next to her. “It won’t be long. The fire is started. Let me just set the bedding and send the hunters out for fresh meat before I settle you, okay?”

She touched his bruised and beautiful face. There he was. The gentle and caring omega she’d first met. She had feared that Timothy had destroyed him. No matter how much she admired the new hunter aspect of Peder, she would always remember the omega half that she’d first fallen in love with. He was still inside the hunter Peder had become. “I’ll be fine.”

He kissed her forehead before heading toward Ahote. His shoulders rolled when he walked now. When he scanned the forest, there was nothing meek in his gaze. Her parents would approve of him. Or they would have…

Her chest tightened and a sob escaped. She clapped her hand over her mouth before someone heard. What a silly thing to do. Her mother would crawl out of her grave and bite her ankles for being so weak. A tear spilled down her cheek and she struggled to breathe. Something inside her shattered. She jumped to her feet and searched the forest through tear-filled eyes. The last thing she wanted was for Apisi hunters to watch her fall apart.

Stumbling over a fallen branch hidden by the ground foliage, she half ran, half fell through the forest making enough noise to scare any game in the area. She didn’t know which was worse—that or the crying. She needed to get control over her emotions but the harder she tried the more tears spilled down her cheeks.

What happened to all those slaves they’d left behind? And Pemma—what would happen to her if Ewald ever found out she helped her escape? Kele should have forced the omega to come with her. Her pack contained many single male hunters who would have been happy for a pretty omega mate.

Each step seemed a chore and the muscles in her legs cramped from the small effort. No doubt about it. She was exhausted. Sleep sounded so good but she feared what dreams would haunt her. One needed a clear mind to find rest and hers was filled with too many worries.

She broke into a clearing where Ahote added wood to a small fire and Peder unrolled bedding next to it. She wiped her nose on her sleeve. “Can I help?” Her voice cracked.

Both of them stared at her as if she’d grown horns.

Ahote had remained in feral form, as did most of the other shifters. “If you want, I can carry you the rest of the way home, Kele. We don’t have to spend the night here.” Their den wasn’t far away, the path by their camp actually led to the entrance.

She shook her head. Peder and she had endured too much over the last few days. Their feral forms insisted on rest before continuing the journey, and when she returned to the Payami den, she needed to appear strong. Not like a crying pup who’d lost her mother. A small whimper escaped her sealed lips.

Peder strode to her and gathered her against him in a tight embrace. “Maybe you should spend the night with Sorin, Ahote.”

“What?” The hunter sounded insulted.

“Ahote,” Peder growled. “They have food. Go eat. Sorin will make sure they share.”

The hunter glanced at her before following Peder’s order.

Peder ran his hand over her long hair and down her back over and over in a soothing rhythm until she stopped shuddering. “Want to talk about it?”

She shook her head, not trusting her voice yet. She glanced at their small camp. Why wasn’t Peder with his own pack? She would have thought he’d stay close to Sorin—his alpha—now that they’d returned home. Especially after what they’d endured. Alphas were a source of comfort in times like these. Not that she wanted him to go. She clung to Peder even harder. She had no one to make her feel safe, except for Peder. He made her feel so much better. Without him she felt hollow.

“Come on.” He pulled her away from the fire. “Let’s clean up.” He took them to a nearby stream and began to undress her without asking permission. “I got soap.” Grinning, he showed her the small piece he pulled out of the kilt’s pocket. “Susan insists Sorin carry some when he leaves on overnight journeys.”

Kele gave a small weak laugh. “How is she?” The last she’d heard, Susan was pregnant. “Did she have the pups yet?”

Peder shook his head. “Not yet. Very soon though. I’m surprised Sorin left her side.” He pulled her dress over her head and sat her in the cool water.

“What could be so important on Temple lands?” She cupped water in her hands and poured it over her head.

“The portal that brought Susan to our world is still opening.” He poured water over her as well, except his gaze seemed riveted to her breasts.

Heat crept over her cheeks and between her thighs. “The blue light?”

“Yes, it’s moving. Susan wants to send a message through it, warning her people not to let anything through to our world.” He smirked. “Can you imagine what would happen if the virus that changed the humans of this world escaped into hers?”

“That would be horrible.” She met his soft gaze and realized what he’d done. He’d guided her thoughts away from the pain inside and soothed her turmoil.

Peder rubbed the soap in her hair and washed the long, pale strands between his hands. “I love your hair.” He poured water, rinsing the suds away. Then he lathered his hands before tending to her dirty skin.

She sat very still. Was he expecting her to do anything? She’d bathed with others in the pack but Peder was different. When his hands stroked her skin, it set her body on fire. She half expected to see the cool water touching her to turn into steam.

“Lift your arms.” He continued to scrub.

“I can wash myself, Peder.”

He chuckled and leaned close to her ear. “Not as long as you are mine.”

She glanced at his kilt, which was gathered high on his thighs so it wouldn’t get wet. With agile fingers, she unfastened the ties and tossed it to the shore.

He sat in front of her and handed her the small piece of soap. Days’ worth of grime coated his skin and she added some sand to the lather so she could clean him properly. He flinched as she washed around his ribs.

“Sorry. Are there any other tender spots?”

Grimacing, he nodded. “There are too many to count.” He dunked her hand in the stream then raised it to his lips for a kiss. “Nothing you do hurts me.”

On her knees, she worked at cleaning and unknotting his hair. “I wish I had a comb.”

He’d gone very quiet. “Hmm?”

She glanced down at him.

He watched her breasts sway as she scrubbed at his scalp.

“You’re quite the scoundrel.”

He smiled without his gaze rising to meet hers. “I’ve been called worse.” He flicked a nipple. “Scrub harder.”

She laughed and did as he asked, making sure to add some extra sway.

“You know how to make a male happy, Kele.”

She grinned. She didn’t, but she knew how to make Peder happy and that was all that counted. Laying him back in the stream with his head in her lap, she traced the mottled bruises on his face with her gaze. If only she could resurrect Timothy so she could kill him all over again.

Peder closed his eyes as the moving water flowed around his head and face. “I should have done this to rinse yours.”

“Anything to get my head in your lap.” She combed her fingers through his knotted hair and let the current rinse out the dirt.

His smile grew wider. “You really do know me.” He turned and placed a tender kiss on her stomach. “You’ll stay the night, Kele?”

She couldn’t stop the blush racing across her cheeks. “Of course.” Even if she hadn’t been so tired, she would have wanted to stay. They were meant to be together.

“With me?”

Desire returned, setting her blood on fire. “Yes,” she whispered, anxious to feel his hands upon her once more.

He sat up and leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. “It doesn’t feel real, does it? Us escaping and being here. Safe.”

She ran her hands over his strong back. “No, it doesn’t, but you feel very real to me.”

“It doesn’t seem fair either.”

She sighed and held him, offering what comfort she could. He could have leaned on his alpha or his packmates but chose her. Her chest swelled at the honor of owning his heart. He deserved a better female, someone gentle and sweet who’d make him meals and sing loving songs to him. Not an emotionally stunted hunter who only knew how to fight and worshipped a goddess no one else did. What did he see in her?

He shivered in her arms.

Rising to her feet, she waited for Peder to join her. Together, they returned to the fire and she leaned against him in the grass as they dried. They both watched the flames in comfortable silence. She hadn’t realized how noisy the New Berg had been until now and she took solace in the forest’s quiet.

Laughter drifted from the other camp and Peder stirred. “I’ll get us some food.” He dressed as he walked to the Apisi camp.

She gathered her dress and hung it on a low branch. Peder would share her bedroll tonight and keep her warm. She settled under the blankets just in case Ahote decided to return with him.

Carrying a plate made of large fresh leaves, Peder sat next to her.

The scent of meat hit her hard and she had to wipe a small drop of drool from the corner of her mouth. Dismayed, she glanced quickly at him. Had he seen?

A huge grin spread across his face as he offered her a piece of meat. He’d seen.

Chagrined, she ate slowly, forcing herself to seem as civilized as she looked even though the feral part of her wanted to gobble it whole. Grease still managed to dribble down her chin. “It’s good. Where did they manage to find a moose?”

“I didn’t ask.” He offered her the plate. “Eat more, Kele. There’s plenty.”

She took a morsel and offered him the bite. She’d seen omega females do this in the pack gathering room. The hunter males always seemed to like the gesture. From the way Peder’s gaze softened, she’d say he was touched by it as well.

He took the mouthful and did the same for her. It didn’t take long for the full plate to empty. “That’s the first real meal I’ve had in days.” He rubbed his stomach. “I better not overdo it. I don’t want to feel sick.”

“How is Ahote?”

He set the leaves on the fire to burn. “Fine. Hunters are hunters no matter what pack. I’m sure by the end of the night they’ll be measuring dicks.”

She clapped her hands over her mouth and laughed. She could imagine. Scooting over in the bedroll, she tapped the empty space next to her.

He lowered his face close to hers. “Are you sure? Because I don’t plan on being civil with you tonight.”

She tried to answer but her lungs had forgotten how to work.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He stood and undid his kilt, then let it drop to the ground. Firelight licked his skin, sending shadows to define the peaks and valleys of his muscled form, showing broad shoulders, corded arms, and solid strong legs. Fine golden hair dusted his chest and left a tempting trail leading to his groin.

A shiver of anticipation ran over her limbs. If he stood by the fire the rest of the night for her viewing pleasure, she would be happy. He dropped next to her and slid under the blanket, which made her even happier. He wasn’t like those effeminate omega males. She wouldn’t have felt such lust for him otherwise. There was nothing boyish about Peder.

He rolled on top of her, lowered his head and took her mouth. The warmth of his firm lips combined with the possessive flicks of his tongue sent a moan vibrating in her throat. Desire bloomed as he slowly tightened his grip on her hair, pulling her closer. His other hand roamed with a dominating hunger as he explored her curves. Muscles between her thighs clenched in response, almost throbbing with need. She clutched him, digging her nails into his back.

Moisture developed between her legs. She’d been told the first time would hurt but she’d become well acquainted with pain.

“You’re so beautiful.” He cupped her breast and ran his thumb over her nipple. “It’s taking all my control to go slow.” His skin burned against hers as if fevered. He covered her body with his, using his skillful hands to stir her passion into near anguish.

“Oh Goddess, I wish you wouldn’t go slow.” She sensed more than saw his smug smile. Pulling his face down, she slid her lips over his and thrust her tongue into his mouth.

A greedy rumble rolled from his chest and she found herself pressed hard into the bedding as he ravished her with a kiss hard enough to bruise. She didn’t care. She wanted this. She wanted all of him.

Untamed, demanding, feral in his need for her.

“Wrap your legs around my hips, Kele.”

She didn’t hesitate. His thick shaft slid against her inner thigh and he reached down between them. She closed her eyes and braced for the discomfort.

Instead, he slipped his finger inside her, stroking with gentle thrusts at first. Pleasure built within her and she rolled her hips to his rhythm, arching her back in ecstasy. “Peder.” His name came more as groan than a word.

He bent over her, his mouth over her nipple, sucking it so hard it tore a cry from her. Then he delved deeper, adding another finger and increasing the pace. She clung to his shoulders, gasping. Her nipple throbbed, aching from the ceaseless attention. With a finger slicked from her wetness, he circled her clit using firm, undulating strokes.

Flares of sensation erupted inside of her, making her restless beneath him. Her pulse thundered in her ears and her flesh burned for Peder’s touch. “Please,” she begged over and over until suddenly his hand was gone.

She gasped at the sudden loss then something far thicker pressed at her core. She shuddered. It was so unbelievably hot and rigid.

He pressed a gentle kiss to her ear before whispering, “I’m going to make you mine now.” His hands settled around her hips. Then he thrust forward, stabbing deep and hard. Sharp pain speared inside of her, tearing a cry from her throat. Instinctually, she struck him and tried to crawl away but he held her tight.