Dare (27 page)

“I don’t need help. I take care of my territory.”

“I’m sure you do. I didn’t mean to imply anything.” I watched as she walked back and forth, tracing the same path. “I’m here as the Queen of the Nox. I’m here on their behalf.”

“Queen?” she snarled. “There’s only a king in this region. And he’s not really the type who shares.”

“I know.” I had to be careful. There was no telling what type of brainwashing Case had done. “The Nox are different. We’re a special band of she-panthers. We help each other. We stick together.”

She was listening so I continued.

“Look, we all have the same thing in common. The Nox do. We don’t want to give up our panther life. We don’t want to marry whom the council matches us with. We don’t want to have cubs and give up our magic. That’s what this is all about. We want to make our own choices. Live the lives we want.”

“Good for you,” she snarled. “What are you doing on my land?”

“Do you know the king, Case Maddox?”

Her ears twitched before she could steady them. “Case? Yes, I know him. His territory borders mine. This will all be his region.”

I smiled. It was exactly the scenario I was hoping for. “I’m supposed to marry him.”

She finally sat on her hind legs. “So, you’re wife number one.”

“It sounds like you know a lot about him. Are you in his line up too?”

“Number four.”

“Tell me. Do you want to marry him? Be his freakin’ fourth wife?”

Her tell flicked. “No, but it’s not like I have any options.”

“You do have options, Bey. You can join the Nox. You can be a part of something. Help us take out Case and his tribe. You don’t have to adhere to some ancient ridiculous tradition. You should be able to decide if you want to get married. Decide if you want to give up your panther side.”

“You’re going to defy the council?”

“Yes. We already have. I’m not marrying him. And neither are my friends. But we need numbers. He has kidnapped two of the girls as hostages until I agree. One girl he tricked into bonding with another in his tribe. We need more she-panthers to stand against him. We can’t do it alone.”

“How many others are there?” She finally sat and settled next to a tree.

“There are seven Nox. You would make eight. I’m hoping to recruit some others before I return home.”

“Have you faced the council yet?”

“No. I don’t think I should have to. I’m a queen. The magic has been in my family for generations, probably like yours. It should be my choice what to do with it.” I could feel the tenseness in my words. Just thinking about the council irritated me. I didn’t want to get into all those details with Bey. I only needed her support for our mission.

“I realize this is out of the blue and I’ve trespassed on your land without invitation, but lives are at stake. Futures are at risk. Our freedom to make choices is being stripped from us. I need to know, Bey, will you join us? Will you be a part of the Nox?”

It was a heavy question. It brought gravity and conflict. I was asking her to defy, to unite, to fight. I gave her time.

“Will I have to leave my territory?”

“Only temporarily. Case and his tribe are in Sullen’s Grove. I know they can move more freely than we can, but you’ll have to leave for a while. Until we can shut this down. We have to do it together. I know it’s not easy, and I’m asking a lot from you, but you’ll be able to keep your land and protect the people here as long as you want. You just have to be willing to leave for a little while.”

She didn’t want to leave. I got that. It was her nature to stay here and protect her borders, but we couldn’t take down the Tribe if we were split over two states. It had taken the other Nox a while to get used to the idea, but eventually they settled in at The Grove and focused on what we had to do.

I’d like to think we would all be friends regardless of how we came together. Maybe I was naïve that way, or too wrapped up in my mission, but we were more than friends out of necessity. I wish I had some kind of window into our lives to show Bey. It would make the decision easier if she knew what she was gaining in becoming part of the Nox.

“And what happens if I don’t go? What if I want to stay here?” she pushed.

“You want to marry Case? You want to be human? It’s your choice. That’s what I’m fighting for—the choice. But right now, it’s actually not up to you. If you change your mind or have second thoughts, there’s nothing you can do.” I walked around her slowly.

“Picture your life as a full human. Not being able to prowl at night. No more protecting the people in your area. No more power. No more strength. A life without shifting. A life without the night.” I let the words sit with her. “And you’ll have a cub. Probably a girl. We both know how rare it is to have a boy. And she’ll take your magic. You’ll give her every last ounce you have, and then you’ll have to raise her to be a shifter. You’ll have to teach her how to control the animal in her. How to stop the anger when it comes. How to stop the shifting from happening when she wants it the most. Then when she turns twenty-two, you’ll watch this powerful woman you’ve raised give it all up. Everything you taught her—gone. And why? Why do we have to do that?”

I sat in front of her, my eyes piercing the air between us. “It never ends. This is your chance to stop it. To change things. To make a difference. Take some control.”

“What happens if we don’t succeed? Can you protect us?”

“It’s never been done before, so I’m not going to lie to you and tell you I know, but I have to try. The Nox are trying. I’d rather live my life like this than wondering if I could have done something.”

I didn’t know Bey’s story. I didn’t know her mother or how she was raised. I didn’t know if her father ever came to visit or had so many children he forgot their names. But she was one of us. It didn’t matter what the stories were; they were all going to end the same way. In total submission.

“Ok.”

“Ok? You’ll come with me?” I hadn’t been able to gauge which way she would lean.

Her ears twitched and her front paws slid forward as if she were bowing. “Yes. I don’t want to leave my territory, but I turn twenty-two next year. I’ll be waiting for Case to make his way to me, and then it will be stripped from me anyway. This might be a way to save it. I’ll follow you to Sullen’s Grove.”

“It is. We’re going to save it.”

She stood, stretching each leg. “I’ve never been a part of a group before. Not even as a human. I wanted to try out for cheerleading in high school because I knew I could do more flips and jumps than anyone on the squad, but the thought of spending that much time with all those girls…” Her words trailed to a growl.

“Don’t worry. It’s not as hard as you might think. It took a little adjusting for each of us, but there is something empowering about being with others like you.”

We walked side by side through the forest.

“But they listen to you? They have to obey? Since you’re the queen and all.”

“There has always been a royal hierarchy in the shifter world. You know that. Most of the kings take it seriously. They give orders and expect everyone to follow them like lost little puppies.” I stopped on the trail. “When my father died, I vowed I wouldn’t rule like that. I’m a part of the Nox, but when the hard decisions have to be made or when they need someone, that’s when I’m their leader. Make sense?”

She tilted her head, her eyes gleaming against the moon. “I guess so. You never give orders?”

“I wouldn’t say never.” I thought about the few times it had happened.

It wasn’t like a light switch I could turn on and off. I knew they listened to everything I said. I liked to think we made decisions together, but I knew if I made the slightest suggestion, they would do it. Vix might grumble at first, but they always considered my advice.

“I figured. Royal shifters have that natural ability.”

“What do you mean?”

“Shifters listen to them. It’s like we can’t help it.” We stopped in front of a clearing. I could see deer grazing in the center of the field. They hadn’t spotted us yet.

“But that’s not what I want. I don’t want anyone blindly following me. This is all about choices.”

Bey smiled. “I’m going with you to Sullen’s Grove, and I’m going to help the Nox. But you might need to come to terms with what being royalty really means.”

I stared at her, my heart racing. I didn’t like the words. I didn’t like how the words made me feel.

“That’s not the kind of queen I am. You always have a choice when you’re in the Nox. I won’t force you to do anything. I swear.”

“You realize I’m leaving my territory to go home with you; something I’ve never done. How many girls tell you no? It feels like I’m making the choice, but I think we both know that there is a part of me that has to listen to you.”

“No. I don’t want that kind of power.”

“You seem like a cool queen, really you do, but I’m not going to start pretending that royal shifters are the same as regular shifters, because you’re not.”

“I am,” I roared into the sky, scattering the grazing deer. “I don’t want you to join us if it’s not of your own free will. I never want that.” I started to run where the deer had darted.

Bey was on my heels, her paws matching my steps. “Wait, wait. I do want to join the Nox. Does it really matter what the magical elements are? I know without a doubt that I don’t want to give this up. I love being a panther. And if you’re giving me a chance to hold on to that, I’m going to take it.”

I stopped running, my breath floating over the tall blades of wheat. I closed my eyes. She was right. I knew there was a reason they followed me, and I always tried to make excuses, but it shouldn’t matter. The Nox had the right to marry whom they wanted, be panthers if they wanted, and I was going to make sure that happened—magic or no magic. Now was the time they needed a queen the most.

“Bey, thank you. You’re going to fit in perfectly.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m still nervous about it. It’s not like because you’re a queen all my worries are gone.” She laughed.

“I guess that’s something.”

“Want to chase those deer we saw?” She had a spark in her eye.

I nodded. “Definitely.”

I took off after Bey, hurtling my legs through the woods, picking up the scent where the deer had escaped. A little night chase was exactly what I needed.

Bey and I traveled to the neighboring town the next morning. By the end of the weekend, I had added five she-panthers to the Nox. All the conversations didn’t run as smoothly as my talk with her, but it was to be expected.

I was happy with what I accomplished. From what we could tell, Case didn’t know I was in Tennessee. I checked in with Vix almost every hour. He hadn’t announced anything evil while I was away. She shadowed him and Noah wherever they went.

The numbers were back in our favor. We would drive into Sullen’s Grove tomorrow, a caravan of cars behind me. We would have to rearrange a few things in the lair, but that was an easy sacrifice compared to what lie ahead.