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  Zander, Eoin, and Dylan had been stupid and arrogant to come up here, sure they could take down a small nest of ferals and their new human friends without much effort. They were paying for that arrogance now—this would be a battle to the death, a bloodbath.

  As Zander clawed, pummeled, bit, fought, one thought was foremost in his brain. Get Rae to safety. Protect the mate.

  Rae snarled as two ferals came at her. She took one step back, burst into her half-beast form, and went at them with the samurai sword.

  Damn, she was sexy. Her lithe body dodged and moved as she fought with athleticism. She made a fine warrior—Zander’s samurai friend would be proud. He noted with interest that Rae’s half-wolf form handled the sword better than did her human body, a split second before he barreled into the ferals she fought and tore them away from her.

  Rae glared at him with wolf-sharp eyes. “What the hell? I had them!”

  She didn’t have the Shifter who leapt at her now, a leopard with a too-crazed look in his eyes. Zander sent him flying with one swat of his paw, and Broderick ripped into him, Broderick’s Collar sparking.

  Zander took the moment of relative calm to shift to human, his skin covered with blood, scratches, and bite marks. One of his braids had come unraveled, the beads in it scattered on the ground. “Get back to the shore!” he shouted at his squad. “Protect the Guardian. They can’t get the sword.”

  “It’s broken,” Rae yelled. “What does it matter?”

  Zander rounded on her, the snarl in his throat holding near-feral fierceness. “Get the hell down to the beach, Little Wolf. I’m not losing you. Carson, take her.”

  Carson didn’t want to. He wanted to kill feral Shifters. Zander saw in his eyes his terrible need for vengeance, to gut those who’d hurt his wife. He couldn’t save Vivian, but he could kill those responsible. That was all he’d lived for these past two years.

  Zander faced him. “Don’t let what happened to Viv happen to Rae. Please.”

  Carson’s fury matched Zander’s. His face was dark with anger, his eyes fiery. The savage instinct that lurked inside humans as well as Shifters gripped him hard.

  Zander said nothing more, only pinned Carson with a stare. They only had a few seconds before Zander would have to simply pick up Rae and Carson both and run down the hill with them.

  Carson hated Zander at that moment, Zander saw in his eyes. Carson didn’t want to make a choice. He wanted to fight until all the Shifters were dead and then go back to grieving.

  Carson glanced at Rae, who hadn’t said a word. She’d shifted to human as well, her clothes torn from the change to her half beast, and waited. She understood exactly what Zander was doing.

  Carson’s jaw clenched. He threw Zander a look of killing rage but turned away, slung the tranq rifle over his shoulder, and said, “Come on, Rae.”

  Zander’s relief was short-lived. Broderick and Mason were backing toward him, fighting for their lives against at least a dozen ferals. Zander shifted back to bear to help them. He roared at Carson, who grabbed Rae’s hand and ran with her toward the path that led down to the shore.

  There was nothing to do but retreat. The crazed thing inside Zander wanted to dive into the middle of the ferals and not stop until all were dead at his feet. The tiny spark of sanity he had left told him it would be a last stand. He’d go down swinging, but he’d go down. If he did, he’d be no help to Rae, to Shifters who were hurt in this battle, to anyone.

  Zander slashed and ripped, then turned and ran, herding Mason and Broderick before him.

  Carson had Rae halfway down the trail. Feral Shifters surged to either side of them, the faster Felines sprinting ahead to cut them off. Carson and Rae were forced to veer straight into the woods along rocky cliffs and keep running.

  Too many were coming. Zander waited until Mason and Broderick had caught up to Carson and Rae, then he turned to face the ferals, planted his feet, and roared—the giant, earth-shaking roar of the polar bear.

  The front line of Shifters hesitated. They were a motley bunch, wolves and Felines with ragged coats, hatred in their eyes, claws ragged, gums black with disease. Yet they were fighting together, organized, popping in and out of Faerie like they owned the place.

  They looked at Zander, Zander looked at them, and then the ferals attacked.

  I tried, Rae, was Zander’s last coherent thought before a dozen feral Shifters were on him.

  * * *

  Rae heard Zander roaring. She broke from Carson and started back up the hill, roots and rocks clutching at her boots.

  Carson was right behind her, hand closing on her arm. “What the hell are you doing?”

  Rae shook him off. Broderick and Mason cut in front of her, blocking her way up the hill.

  “We’ll go back and help him,” Broderick said, breathless. “Zander’s strong and the Guardian’s sword needs to be protected. Go!”

  “Fuck the sword!” Rae snarled. “The stupid sword is not more important than Zander. Than any Shifter.” She unslung the Sword of the Guardian from her back and dropped it to the ground. “Take it. I don’t want it anymore.”

  She pushed around them and sprinted up the hill, feeling lighter than she had in weeks. Behind her she heard Broderick growl. “I’m not touching that bloody thing.”

  Zander was fighting hard when Rae reached him, his white fur scarlet, blood dripping from his fangs. He roared and struck, scattering Shifters, but too many sprang up to go at him again.

  Rae let herself shift to her half beast between one step and the next. She could do that when she was agitated and this situation counted for some serious agitation. She flourished the samurai sword and swung it hard.

  A wildcat screamed as the blade sliced him, then he came at Rae, claws reaching. Zander intercepted him and slammed him to the ground.

  Zander growled at Rae, but just then a feral wolf landed on his back, claws and teeth tearing into Zander’s flesh. Rae struck him away from Zander then swung around, sword singing as she danced and sliced, moved and thrust.

  Broderick, Mason, and Carson reached them and now the two Lupines were fighting furiously, trying to clear a path so Rae and Zander could escape. Carson, deep anger in his eyes, took down ferals one at a time with the tranq gun.

  Rae rolled across Zander’s back to come to her feet and swing at another feral. Her Collar was shocking her but she didn’t care. She could barely feel it as the crazed wolf inside her fought to defend her true mate.

  True mate?

  The stunning thought cut through her fighting frenzy. Well, why not? Rae couldn’t imagine her life beyond this not involving Zander.

  Her heart warmed and burned. The wolf in her knew. Mate bonded. Yes.

  The split second of acknowledgment allowed a Feline Shifter to get under Rae’s reach. One moment she was drawing back the samurai sword, the next, a set of claws pierced her stomach and ripped it open.

  She swung the sword, but weakly, barely cutting the Feline. He fell in the next moment, neck broken, giant bear paws twisting his head around.

  Rae’s legs gave out and she found her knees hitting the wet ground, a little sapling scraping the hell out of her arm and side as she went down.

  She heard Zander’s roars and the ferals’ jackal-like cries. Carson was swearing, Broderick and Mason snarling in fury.

  Dizziness sent Rae falling forward, the samurai sword sliding out of her hand. Doesn’t matter if I’m hurt, she thought dimly. Shifters heal quickly. Right?

  The next thing she knew, Mason was lifting her, and then she found herself on something hard, furry, warm, and moving fast. Rae had been here before, on Zander’s back. The last time, he’d run with her out of a bar where they’d all been drunk and working off steam, and Rae had hung on and enjoyed it.

  She hung on now, locking her fingers around Zander’s fur. He swayed as he ran, but he could move.

  Rae tried to turn her head and see what was happening behind her. Mason and Broderick were back there, and Carson
. She couldn’t leave them. Plus she’d lost the samurai sword and thrown away the Sword of the Guardian. Stupid. All the Shifters and Guardians would be pissed off at her now.

  Sorry, Daragh, she thought muzzily. Hey, if I come to the Summerland today, don’t be mad at me, okay?

  Rae thought she heard Daragh’s low chuckle, then his smart-ass voice saying, If you abandon your mate right now, cub, I will kick your ass.

  “Wrong way!” Carson was yelling behind them.

  Zander didn’t swerve. He kept charging. A big-ass bear like Zander didn’t need a path, Rae decided. Things just got out of his way.

  Even so, once she saw sky again instead of trees and more trees, Rae knew they were on the wrong beach. This cove was different, less sandy, with cliffs forming a U-shape out into the sea. A good place to defend, Rae thought critically, but they’d have to fight to the last Shifter standing before her dad, brothers, or the other Shifters could reach them. And they’d probably get wet.

  Wolf paws caught Rae’s shoulders and lowered her from Zander’s back. Mason again, with Broderick right behind him. Zander shifted to his human form and caught Rae, his dark eyes glinting red but with terrible fear behind his anger.

  The ferals were coming down through the woods, humans with them, and those humans had rifles with scopes.

  One of the humans called out to them, taking aim over his weapon. “You don’t have to die, you know. Join us, Battle Beasts, and you can live another day.”

  Zander jerked his head up, the beads on his intact dreadlock glistening in the sunlight as he slowly turned around. He studied the array of Shifters and humans, at least fifty of them, waiting to rush across the narrow strip of sand and kill them all.

  Zander said, in a voice that rolled around the cove and echoed up into the woods, “Not today, Fae slaves.”

  He raised his arm high and made a pointing signal with his hand.

  The boom from the sea shook new pain through Rae’s bones, and she cried out. An explosion blossomed on the shore, right in front of the ferals. Humans and Shifters scattered, yelling, men shooting wildly, then screaming when yet another explosion tore through the air.

  Rae, supported by Mason, tried to shield her face, but debris cut it, stinging her eyes.

  Then Zander had her in his arms, lifting Rae against his chest. Out on the water, a heavy rubber raft was speeding toward them, the man at the helm familiar.

  “Miles!” Rae tried to shout. “It’s Miles.” Nothing came from her throat but a feeble whisper.

  “Hush, Little Wolf,” Zander said. “Almost there.”

  Miles drove the raft right up onto the sand. He leapt from it, dashing to help Zander and Rae into it, then climbed back to the tiller. Mason, Broderick, and Carson wasted no time shoving the raft around and heaving themselves in.

  As Miles gunned the engine and the raft skimmed back across the water, Rae peeled open her eyes. Zander was holding her, his braids, one now minus its beads, brushing her skin. She saw a glint of silver, and turned her head enough to see that Broderick held the sheathed Sword of the Guardian; his brother, Zander’s samurai sword. Broderick did not look happy, but he clutched the sword grimly.

  Zander caressed Rae’s face, moisture on his dark lashes. “Hang on, Little Wolf. I won’t let you go.” His hand went to her chest and she felt a hot tingle, a brush of his healing magic.

  “Where did you get a rocket launcher?” she tried to ask.

  The corners of Zander’s lips twitched and he shrugged. “Wasn’t hard. I know a guy.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Rae was dying. Zander knew it even as he lowered her onto the bunk she’d used when they’d been on Miles’s and Carson’s ship before. The feral had torn open her abdomen, her blood was pouring out, and the feral’s dirty claws had the potential to give her a deep infection.

  They’d found Piotr at the helm of the boat, which Miles took back from him as soon as everyone was aboard. Miles steered into the next cove, then he and Carson launched the raft again to go pick up Eoin’s and Dylan’s Shifters who’d retreated to that beach.

  Zander closed the door of Rae’s cabin, laid the Sword of the Guardian on the cabinet by the bunk where she lay, and knelt on the floor.

  Rae’s wound was bad. Healing her was going to hurt like a bitch and knock him out for a long stretch, and Zander didn’t give a shit. He’d take the pain of death itself to keep Rae alive.

  The boat listed as Miles took them into deep water. Zander’s worries about the feral Shifters, and the deep dread that had bitten into him when the human had called him Battle Beast—the Fae’s name for Shifters—receded and vanished.

  Nothing was more important than saving Rae.

  Zander peeled away her tattered clothes, carefully lifting them from the wound. She’d shredded much of her shirt and jeans by shifting in them and Zander was able to simply slip the fabric from around her. Rae’s eyes remained closed, her face wan, her chest moving with shallow breaths.

  Outside, he heard Rae’s brothers in the hall, followed by the rumble of her father. “Open the door, Moncrieff,” Eoin commanded. The handle rattled.

  Carson’s voice followed, firm and angry. “No. Let him do what he needs to.”

  Mason’s Lupine voice joined his. “Zander’s a healer. He’s the only one with a hope of saving her. But you have to leave him alone. Trust me.”

  Mason had seen what happened, knew what Zander had to do. Zander was silently grateful to his friends as the voices in the passage faded and were gone, a clank telling him they’d closed the outer door to the cabins.

  Zander put his hands on Rae’s bare and bloody abdomen. He started to close his eyes but jerked them open again. He wanted to look upon her face. If this didn’t work, Zander didn’t want Rae slipping away while he wasn’t watching.

  He knew how to put himself into a deep meditative state without closing his eyes. But when he tried to clear his mind, which was a riot of fear, grief, and loneliness, the quietude didn’t come.

  I can’t lose her, I can’t, he thought desperately. He knew that the heat wrapping around his heart was the mate bond, the mystical joining of a Shifter and his mate. The fact that the woman lying before him was his true mate put a different spin on things. If Zander couldn’t heal her, he might as well die with her. A broken mate bond was devastating—many times the Shifter never recovered.

  I’ve only just found her! he shouted silently to the Goddess. I haven’t had any time with her. No time . . .

  Zander was supposed to relax and begin his chant to the Goddess, picturing something calm and beautiful, but the only images that came to his mind were of Rae. Rae climbing up into his boat for the first time, resentment in her gray eyes. Rae’s dark head bowed over his finishing line as she untangled it with deft fingers, the scorn in her sideways glance that had made Zander want to laugh.

  Rae standing up in her underwear, screaming when Jake the Snake made his presence known in her bed. Her clumsy swings of the sword when Zander had started to train her, then her eyes going soft as he’d kissed her for the first time. Rae’s terror when she’d had to drive the sword through Ezra’s father’s heart, her silent plea for Zander to help her slide it into the right place.

  Next, her laughter as she won the drinking game, Rae throwing up her hands and shouting her victory. Then her sudden rage and dismay when the man in the bar tried to shoot Zander, her courage in running to his rescue. Her courage again when they’d floated through the Graveyard, her fearlessness when she’d stood up to Carson and made him let Zander out of the cage.

  She’d come to Zander at the resort cabin, uninhibited and unashamed, letting her mating frenzy match his. Rae had loved him wholeheartedly, rising to his thrusts, drowning in her joy and pulling him down to drown with her.

  Zander couldn’t lose her. He’d die a thousand times in his heart every day if the Goddess took this little wolf away from him.

  The chants, the prayers wouldn’t come. “I can’t,” Zan
der whispered, his hands curling on her belly. “Don’t leave me, Little Wolf. I love you too fucking much.”

  Rae’s eyes opened a crack. “Love you too, Zander.”

  It was a mumble, but her little smile, the warmth in her eyes, suddenly removed all doubt.

  “Goddess, mother of us all, lady of the moon,” Zander began in a rapid voice, which grew louder as he went on. “I beseech thee to get your ass down here and fill me with your holy goodness and all that crap, and Let. Me. Heal. My. Mate!”

  The words exploded into the room and the Sword of the Guardian tinged faintly in response. Zander trailed off to a growl, and all was silence.

  Total silence—Zander didn’t hear the rumble of engines, the slap of water on the hull, the voices of a dozen alpha Shifters in a confined space with a problem on their hands. Nothing.

  The air in the room took on a sudden freshness, erasing the diesel smell. A breeze brushed Zander’s cheek and he thought he heard the faint note of feminine laughter. Then a man’s voice, a low vibration of it. The little wolf cub is all growed up, isn’t she? Heal her and then heal my sword, bear. They’re both very special to me, but Rae is the most special of all. Take care of her, or you’ll hear it from me when you finally cross over.

  Daragh, Zander realized. People from the Summerland were talking to him now. Shit, he really was insane.

  “Rae,” he whispered. “I love you. Before the Goddess and in front of witnesses—okay, one witness who is in the Summerland—I claim you as mate.”

  Rae’s eyelids flickered again, the gleam between them weak before it faded altogether.

  Zander bent his head, sent every bit of concentration he possessed to his healing gift, and willed Rae to live.

  * * *

  Fire flared through Rae’s body, hotter and with a fury more painful than anything she’d felt in her life. She screamed but nothing came out of her mouth.

  Her abdomen was searing, her blood hotter still. Rae jerked and found a weight holding her down. She had to get away, run, escape this agony.

  Rae peeled open her eyes to find herself on a bunk in a cabin that was pitching and moving. She clutched the bunk, pain unceasing, and realized that the weight on her was Zander.