Forever Our Ever (26 page)

How was she supposed to do that? The pain of losing her children was a physical as well as mental agony. Her chest ached and her eyes burned, but the tears still continued to flow.

Kris sat down beside her. “You have to fight this, Ever!”

Throwing up her hands, she spun on him. “Fight what? There is nothing to fight. I want to rip Tella’s head off, but we don’t know where she is. Tell me how to fight an enemy who isn’t here to do battle against.”

“We are not talking about fighting Tella. We are talking about fighting for your life, and for the children who were left behind. How about for the men that love you? Damn it, Ever. I know it hurts, but until we get some information, life goes on and we have to go on with it.”

She sighed and leaned into him, dropping her head onto his shoulder. Kris shrugged her off, getting up and walking away. It was all Ever could do not to fall sideways onto the platform. Demetri made no attempt to help her. He simply snorted and got up, striding down the path after Kris. She was physically alone, just as she had mentally curled up into herself and withdrawn from everything.

Flopping back onto the wood, she stared up at the sky. A hawk soared into view, circling her and getting progressively lower. It settled on the seat at her head and, very slowly, she sat up and turned to face it. The creature had the most amazing light-blue eyes as it stared at her. Ever opened her mind, inhaling in deep, soothing breaths. The words, “help you,” sank into her brain in such a willowy tone, she thought that maybe it was just the wind.

“Help me how?”

“Amnesty.”

She had no idea what it meant, but she would give anything to have her babies back. “Anything you want.”

The hawk looked around as if fearing something, and then the body began to change. A woman morphed from the feathers, getting taller and thinner until she was a normal human size. “You have to protect me. If they catch me here, they will kill me.”

“Who will kill you?”

“The weres.”

“Who are you?” Ever removed her oversized short-sleeve shirt and handed it to the woman.

She thankfully slid the shirt on, the fabric looking more like a huge dress on her small body. “My name is Charity. I’m a shifter, and weres hate shifters. I was also flying over your property and saw the woman who took your children. My family has been following her as she moves from place to place.”

Ever was stunned. “You know where they are?”

“I don’t personally, but my family knows. I have only to contact them to get a location.”

“Why are you risking your life to help me?”

“I am repaying a favor.”

If weres hated shifters, then who did she owe a favor to? Ever certainly didn’t know her. Maybe she was talking about Demetri. “To whom?”

She heard a growl from behind her and turned, staring at a large wolf. Ever had a feeling that it was a were who was probably trying to protect her. They still had guards watching the house in case Tella came back. She lowered her lids, leering at the creature. “If you fuck with me, I will fucking turn and kill you. Leave me alone!”

The creature seemed to hesitate and she dropped to all fours, threatening firmly with her body language. The werewolf probably knew better than to attack her, because it turned and slinked back into the woods. Ever stood and looked at Charity. “To whom?” she asked in a voice that was far wolfier than she intended.

“Carmen. I have heard that he turned you, which was something that he swore he would never do. He must have really loved you.”

Ever nodded. “He did. Seren has his hair.”

“Is he one of the children?”

“Yes.”

Charity nodded. “If I help you and your family, we want sanctuary here on the clan property. It doesn’t have to be anything large or special, just someplace safe. We are tired of living like gypsies because we can’t live with humans. They find us out and we have to kill them to protect ourselves. The war with weres started long before my family and I were even born. I want to end it.”

Ever nodded. She had never heard of this war or read about it in the journals, but that didn’t mean that it didn’t exist. “Fair enough. You had better be telling me the truth.”

“I am.”

“Then come with me back to the house. I will protect you. I don’t think anyone would have the balls to attack me, anyway. I’m the alpha’s mate.”

“I know who you are. That is why I came directly to you. Women always have more sense than pigheaded men.”

Ever couldn’t help but laugh. The woman was so right. Charity stepped down and stood beside her. The woman was extremely petite, even in comparison to her, and she wasn’t all that tall.

“I’m putting my trust in you. I knew Carmen well, and to know that he changed you makes me believe that you’re a very special woman. I hope that I’m right.”

“I don’t know how special I am, but I want my babies back and if you can help me get them back, then you can trust me implicitly.” Charity nodded and Ever knew that she had to trust this woman also. She had no feelings for her, neither good nor bad, but if she was forced to choose, her instincts were leaning toward the side of good. Ever began to walk and Charity kept step with her.

“We are being watched.”

“I know that. They are guards, sent to make sure I was okay as my men made a point of leaving me to myself.”

“I was stunned that they did that. Why?”

Ever gave her a reluctant smile. “I think that they were making a point. I have been alienating myself and when push came to shove, I really didn’t want to be alone with my misery. They tend to be a bit dramatic.”

“You seem fine now.”

“I have hope now. It doesn’t take much to change my perspective, given the right circumstances.”

“I guess I can understand that,” said Charity. “You know that I can’t promise you anything. I simply know where they are.”

“That’s all the information that I need. I want my babies back.” She could feel her nostrils flaring simply from speaking the words. One of the wolves along the path stepped out toward them and Ever narrowed her eyes again. “Leave us alone! She is here to help and I will not have her harmed. Got me?” she called out so all of them could hear her.

Kris and Demetri jogged toward her in human form. They stopped, staring at her and then at Charity. Kris’s eyes turned amber and his top lip curled. “She’s a fucking shifter.”

“I’m aware of that. Calm your hackles. She has information for us and you will settle down and hear her out,
Kris.
”

Inhaling a deep, angered breath, he nodded and turned, putting himself between Ever and Charity. Demetri fell in behind them, watching their backs as they headed to the house.

She heard Liam growl before they even got through the front door and she glared at him. “Knock it off.”

“You bring a shifter in our home and you have the nerve to tell me to knock it off.”

Ever turned to Kris as she walked into the living room. “What the fuck is the deal with weres and shifters? I didn’t even know that shifters actually existed until I saw her change into a human. Talk to me.” She gestured to one of the chairs with her hand. “Please have a seat, Charity. You have my promise of protection.”

Liam glared at Ever as she sat on the sofa and Kris and Liam sat to either side of her. Demetri took the seat closest to the doorway, sitting sideways so he could see if anyone entered. Ever raised her eyebrows at Kris. “Well?”

“We are mortal enemies.”

“Why is that? Can you be a bit more specific?”

“Five hundred years ago, the shifters declared war on us. That war has continued.”

“Oh, goody. Do you even know what this war was about?”

Kris looked loftily toward the ceiling. “No, but I know that a were can never trust a shifter. They are shifty and dishonest.”

“On the terms you are speaking, there should still be family feuds raging all over the country. That is utterly ridiculous. I presume that you have never in your life met a shifter?”

“Of course not. They avoid weres for good reason.”

“Yet this shifter is sitting in our living room after offering to help us find our children. Her name is Charity, by the way.”

Kris turned to look at her. “What do you know about the children?”

“My family has been watching yours, or more specifically, Ever, since you moved here. We saw the children, or, more aptly, heard them when they were taken. My family has been following them ever since.”

“How did you know that they were taken and didn’t simply go out with a family member?”

“Tella is no one’s family member. A family member doesn’t usually attack your guards and kill your help. They also don’t usually remove children packed in a large shipping box. They were screaming bloody murder.”

She felt both Kris and Liam calm at her sides, the anger radiating off them fading. “Charity knew Carmen and she says that she owed him a favor. She also wants sanctuary for herself and her family.”

“Why were you watching us in the first place?” asked Liam.

She seemed to contemplate her reply. “I know about Ever, okay? Carmen told me. He said that he had many dreams about her. She is supposed to be a woman of legend and he said that it was very important to protect her. I promised him that I would. Then she got involved with the three of you and I was out of the picture. I don’t break a promise once I make it. I made sure that my family always knew that Ever was safe. My aunt is a seer and she said that Ever is a person we want to be near when the end comes. The world is ending as we know it, and we believe that it is happening a lot faster than people want to think. Ever is a key to that.”

Ever chuckled. “I’m a key to the end of the world?”

“No. You are the key to staying alive.”

“Again with this fucking prophecy. I don’t know shit about being a survivalist.”

“Maybe not,” said Charity. “But we do. We can help you. If you let us. I honestly believe that if weres and shifters work together, we all have a better chance to survive.”

Ever set her sights on Demetri. “Any comments?”

He chewed silently on the inside of his lip. “I have been reserving them, but I think Charity is right. Both breeds have different talents and abilities, and together they would be a formidable force.”

Demetri cringed as Julius stormed into the living room. “A fucking shifter? Are you fucking kidding me, Ever? I didn’t believe it when the guards said that you were protecting a damn shifter. Now I see it with my own eyes.”

She was in no mood for the added drama. They still hadn’t gotten to the base of what they were supposed to be discussing and that was where her children were. Her temper, however, was on the upswing. Charity was slowly rising out of her seat, looking like a scared rabbit. If Ever figured correctly, she probably felt like exactly that. A rabbit in a house full of hungry wolves. Ever sprinted out of her seat, racing across the living room and grabbing the much larger man by the throat. She slammed him solidly against the wall with strength that she wasn’t aware that she possessed. “Charity is my guest, in my home. She knows where our children are, so shut the fuck up and sit down, Julius.” Without further word, she put him back on the floor. Julius started to turn, his body thickening with fur. Ever stood her ground. “Do you really dare to think that you will be able to attack me, Julius? Do you really want the war that was avoided on the gathering grounds only weeks before?”

Ever could feel the energy in the air. Her three men were changing, turning into wolves with a desire to protect her. Charity had slinked into the corner and was standing with her back plastered to the wall. In reality, she had nowhere to run. “Fucking knock it off!” Ever growled, her voice reverberating around the room. It held quite a powerful punch now that she had magic and a small idea how to use it. She was afraid to speak again and risk shattering the glass in the room, but she fully intended to if the lunacy didn’t stop. “Well? Turn back! All four of you.”

Two small wolves raced out of the bedroom. They howled and then joined their mother, sitting at her feet before turning back into babies. Ever smiled and bent down, lifting them both in her arms. Demetri and then Liam both turned back into humans. Kris and Julius were another matter. Both men were now in full wolf form. Ever sighed and at present was still standing directly between them.

“If the two of you really need to get this out of your system, then please go outside. I’m going to look for my missing babies.” Giving Avia and Lash each a kiss, she turned and handed them to Liam. Ever extended her elbow to Charity as she walked toward her. “Let’s go find my children. I have a witch and a fool to kill.”

Kris snarled at his father and then turned back into a man. He grabbed his clothes, walking past his father, who looked more dumbfounded than vicious. Demetri and Liam were both on his heels as they strode out the front door. Ever was leaning against her car, talking to Charity.

“Nice of you to join me. Are we all going? Do we have car seats for the children?”

Sherra opened the door of Julius’s truck and got out. “I would be honored to watch them. Is Julius still alive? I told him to stay out of it. He just wouldn’t listen.”

Julius spoke from the porch. “I’m still alive, not by my own common sense, but through my son’s. I’m sorry again, Ever. If this woman can help you save your children, then I was wrong to threaten her. I was just taught to hate shifters.”

“Yeah, well, that was a problem your ancestors had, and until someone can give me a good answer of why shifters are so evil, I will make my own decisions.” She turned a grin on Liam. “Is the mother hen staying or coming with us?”

Kris snorted a short laugh and Demetri rolled his eyes.

“I find it amazing that you have gone from a sniveling ball of tears to a woman who is calling me a mother hen in such a short time. If Sherra doesn’t mind watching them, I would rather go with you.”

“I would rather have you with me, my sweet. Better that the pack fights together. Charity, how do we find your family?”

Charity was staring at her with a profound expression of awe and it was making Ever rather nervous. “Can I borrow your phone?”