Loving Lucius (Werescape) (2 page)

"I see your confusion, Lucius." Langston took a step toward my horse and stopped, one palm raised as if he intended to touch me for reassurance. "These are not youngsters, my friend. My daughters are older. Two of age." He nodded slightly.

The dark-haired hunter beside him almost winced.

Apparently disgusted by the fact two Normal females old enough to mate were being offered into Shifter care.

"But," Langston added, his brown eyes bright with promise, "I will allow you the choice, Lucius, the daughter of your choice for your mate, if you don't already have one, in exchange for this favor."

With all that running for his life, he'd lost his home, probably most of his wealth, and his mind, how can he give his daughter to a stranger? As a mate. Unless there is more. Something deadly. Dangerous.

Absolute silence from my kinsmen and friend almost knocked me from my saddle. But I managed to lean a forearm on the saddle's pommel and stare the warlord down long enough to trigger more of his nervous chatter.

"Do you have a mate, Lucius?"

"No." Hopefully the reply was snipped enough to reflect my worry with this situation. "And traveling with three females back to my sire's outpost is risky. Perhaps too risky to accept your offer." Still silence from my fellow Shifters.

"But you can't pass up this type of deal. Think of the two others who will mate with my daughters given time. Surely with the lack of females in The Wild, there are Shifters among your clan who would welcome my girls. Who would welcome mates."

Oh. Yes. More than two Shifters. But we're talking here and now. Like my companions wouldn't vie for the females' favoritism on the trail. Besides, taking a warlord's daughters into the sanctuary's community is too risky. What if this is just an infiltration scheme? We can't afford a mistake that would inform the aliens of our medical lab's location. What's left of the entire human race relied upon the experiments held in that lab. I studied the ragtag group of Normals.

"You look like a wise warrior," his chatter started again. "Even now you lead your friends. Tell me, Lucius, what is a harder fight to win? The battle of a weapons and mind? Or the battle of a lonely heart?"

Profound words. Maybe after I met these daughters I could swallow the whole idea. Choke it down. Decide if saving them is worth the trouble of choosing my battles. Because two other males in my party kept their comments to themselves. The two other unmated Shifters. As if they
considered
taking the women wise.

The door from the same cabin Langston emerged from burst open.

A slender redheaded female raced into the sunlight. Slim. Tall. Curvaceous in her faded blue jeans and long-sleeve green t-shirt. Her long mane of wavy red hair waved behind her like a cloud of bright red haze.

Wolf perked up his ears.

Must have shoved into my eyes and ears because I could hear every accursed heartbeat around me, including my brothers'. All telling me how two Wolves behind me were thinking the same thing.
Mate
. But I'm the one who made decisions for the clan at the moment. They'd all have to live with my choice.

The redhead's pace slowed, and she quickly strode toward Langston. "What did you want, Father?"

He shot me an evil knowing grin and turned to her. "Come meet this Shifter, Sherry." He extended a hand to her.

She took his palm without hesitation. "Since when do you introduce me to strangers, especially Shifters?"

Interesting point. So she didn't know what her sire planned although her curious tone noted she wasn't buying the situation as casual.

"Today is a special day." Langston pulled her to stand at his side and met my gaze. "Lucius, this is Sherry. My middle child." He tugged her hand toward me, drawing her gaze to mine.

"Nice to meet you, Lucius," she condescended. Her gaze darted back to her sire's where she studied him with a furrowed brow.

Langston ignored her irritated scrutiny.

Watched my reaction. While I tried not to laugh at Red's snip. She had every right to be defensive. I did. The last thing I needed on this trip was a belligerent female.

"What do you say, Guardian? Will you help me?"

The horses began shifting their footing.

Tired of standing. Or waiting. For me to deny these females the one thing all humans, whether Shifters or Normals, deserved. A chance to live free of enslavement under the aliens. All of that obvious in my title of Guardian. One that pushed me to reply yes to the female. Sherry's long legs and crisp green eyes are awfully perfect. Pretty. Intelligent by her reaction to her father's strange behavior. And naïve in not suspecting her sire's betrayal. Most of all, she'd be safe mated to a Shifter. Protected from aliens and Normals. I have to agree. At least to a point. Maybe not actually mate one of these daughters though. But agree to take them to safety. They'd help perpetuate the human species in bearing children, at least. I nodded.

Langston's brown gaze slowly turned to his daughter.

"Why are you looking at me that way?" she instantly snapped.

"You and your sisters are going with these Guardians."

"What?" She eyed me and companions warily. "Why would you leave us to the care of them?" she droned.

The dark-haired hunter's eyes slowly closed.

Pained or humiliated. Not a good sign. Especially when he wanted us to take pity on this one who just insulted us with her obvious prejudice against Shifters.

Langston jerked her elbow.

She snapped her scowl back to him.

"Do not snarl at me," the warlord warned her. "I'm not the one who has an issue with Shifters."

So much for Langston's idea of one of us marking his daughter. No Shifter wanted a racist mate.

"Let me go," Sherry yelled, jerking her arm, trying to step away from him.

Futilely. The father had no intention of allowing her to leave. His gaze flicked to us.

Halting when finding mine.

The hunter opened his eyes. "She had a bad encounter in the past. Please don't hold her prejudice against Langston's other daughters."

Yes. The truth be known now. He'd expected the redhead's reaction all along. So it was my call. My choice to continue with this charade or wash my hands of a potential fiasco with an uncontrollable caustic female in our party's midst. Nor can we take her home and risk her escaping and informing Normals about our subterranean village.

Another lodge's door opened, spitting forth another female.

Taller. Dark hair like her sire's. But extremely long, pulled into a tail. And a shorter girl. One of eleven or ten. Both in blue jeans. Both wearing flannel shirts. The lined type that kept a person warm on cool autumn days. Sensible.

The older female paused, studying us from a distance, then snatched up the younger's hand and hustled toward what had to be a questionable scene by the way her pinched expression noted her confusion.

"Run, Elise," Sherry twisted and screamed where her sire gripped her arm.

The dark-haired female's gaze darted over us as if she wasn't certain whether to bolt or ignore her obviously insane sister. Three steps from her sire, she snapped a demanding stare on the warlord. "What are you doing to Sherry?"

The younger girl hung back like a lead weight.

Elise continued to pull her toward our little discussion.

It was almost crazy to leave. To miss the rest of the fireworks. Normals could really entertain a bored Shifter. At least on a good day. Besides, this Elise seemed rational. Not so slender and curvaceous. Probably because of her over-sized quilted shirt. But a wise female hid the things that attracted males most.

"I'm sending you all west," Langston finally replied.

Elise scanned our faces and mounts again.

Quickly. But long enough to lose the exaggerated assessing pinch in her mask. To flash us all with her calmer and more appealing intricately-carved nose and lips. "Why?"

Here stood the daughter sporting the intelligence to survive.

Something drew my thoughts back to find Langston studying me.

Scrutinizing my reaction.

"Will you take them?" His tone now sounded more hopeful than pleading.

The youngest threw herself under Elise's arm and clutched her around the middle.

Just enough to show Elise had ample curves and a slim waist. Just enough to make my Wolf pop back into my eyes and ears. To listen to her rapid steady heartbeat. Why is this beauty worried? Did she fear leaving the protection of a warlord? The man had nothing here in The Wild. Nothing but a few Normals who fancied what remained of the shadow of what he had once been, powerful enough to cling to.

"You can have all the money I brought as well," Langston added with slow calculated words.

Measured for my benefit. Expressing his desperation instead of tempting me.

My mount shifted his front hooves.

Noting money isn't what we'd need. Smart horse. The females would require their own mounts to travel.

Langston's confident demeanor began to fade.

Probably because of the redhead trying to wrench her arm free of his grasp once again. Why should the other two suffer because of the crazy sister. Sherry should think of her siblings. Her family. "I don't need your money."

Langston perked up.

Did he have enough horses though? "They'll need horses."

"No," Sherry howled. "I won't go." She flailed against his whitening knuckles.

The dark-haired hunter shut his eyes as if deeply disillusioned.

Noting even more the issue was more the redhead would be too much trouble for us on the trail. "I don't think she's capable of traveling with us."

Sherry stopped fighting.

Like she'd secured her safety and would be remaining with her sire.

Langston's brown eyes pinched slightly. "Take all three or no deal. You can have horses. Hard tack. Ammunition. A gag and rope," he added, jerking Sherry's arm.

She glared at her sire.

"Anything you need." Langston clamped his jaw tight.

Set with determination. Muscles moving in his cheeks, grinding his teeth in frustration. Or willed me to agree.

"Bring the horses," Tacitus boomed. "If you want them to go with us. We've no time for this display."

He was right. Always right. The reason why I always brought him along.

"Get the horses and load them with supplies," Langston muttered to the other hunter standing beside him before uttering the inevitable. "Which one, then, Lucius?"

Neither older daughter missed the lingering question.

"What have you done?" Elise carefully asked.

Langston's stare never relinquished mine, ignoring the sane daughter. "Bought you safe passage to a place far from here. Now, mind your tongue."

But marking an unknowing and unwilling female seemed barbaric. The females didn't need to feel threatened. "We'll take them. You have my word. Back to--"

"I don't want to know," he interrupted my declaration. "Just hide them away. Any place is safer than with me."

"Father?" the youngest called. "Please don't send me away."

Something flickered in the man's eyes.

Maybe pain. He had balls. Enough to protect his children. I had to give him credit for assuming the ultimate responsibility.

"Elise, then," Langston announced. "She attracted most of the attention in New Boston."

Red burned up Elise's neck, into her cheeks.

"She's young. Never married," Langston began to barter. "I couldn't just give her to any warlord. Not Elise."

Her face drained of all color as if her father slit her throat and stood there while she bled out. But she never looked our direction.