Scent of the Heart (17 page)

Sev’s cheeks pinked, and this time it wasn’t from the cold. He snuggled in close to Casey. “The Alpha was right, you know. He said that you speak strangely, but your words are filled with great wisdom.”

“
I
speak…” Casey sputtered. “Zak doesn’t even know a freaking contraction. He’s like a butler or something, all prim and proper. I’m surprised Jake doesn’t rag on him about it constantly.”

Sev gasped, but then giggled. “I don’t know what that means, but you’re the only person I know who can get away with disrespecting our Alpha.”

Casey cupped Sev’s cheek. “Hold on. I might play with him, but Zak has my utmost respect. He gave up everything to move to the middle of nowhere to lead a group of people he never knew.”

“As did you and the Protector.”

“Jake wouldn’t be separated from Zak. Ever. He’d follow him to the ends of the earth. He might be the more powerful physically, but Zak owns him heart and soul. Me? I gave up nothing. I didn’t have anything back there. Here? More than I could ever hope for. I’d thought about going back to see my parents, but they cut me out of their lives a long time ago. I didn’t want to accept it, but being in the enclave, I see what family really means. I don’t want to go back again, because my place is here, with you and our brothers, and our people.”

“But your parents—”

“Aren’t like yours. My father gave me up to Jake’s guardians because he didn’t want to care for me, and my mother went along with it. It was easier, and cheaper, for them to let someone else raise me. At Jake’s house I learned responsibility, compassion, humility, and what love really is.

“They told us that Jake was adopted, and his parents were strict, but I don’t think either of us ever doubted they truly cared. When we found out Kell killed them, Jake and I grieved together while we were alone, but we were focused on getting here. I don’t know if he’d admit it, but I think it calmed his jaguar when Kell died. Out there,” Casey said, swinging an arm around, “they would have called it revenge. Here it was justice.

“So, what I’m telling you in my own delicate fashion… I’m here, with you, with our family, and I’m not going back. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t ever leave you behind. I feel you in my heart and mind every moment, and it brings me a balance unlike any I’ve ever known.”

“If it wasn’t so cold out here, I’d rip you out of your clothes, you know.”

“I’ve already undressed you in my mind, pulled the blankets up around us, because there’s a nip in the air, even with the fire going. Your brothers are tucked into their bed, so we can’t be too loud. I slide my fingers down your chest, lightly pinching the nipples, and—”

“No. Stop. You’ll make me spend in my pants, and then I’ll freeze.”

“Aw, am I turning you on, baby?” Casey said, fluttering his eyelashes.

“I promised you a night you’d never forget when this is over. I’m starting to think it will be memorable when I don’t give in for the next six months. Of course, I’ll walk around the house naked. Shifters and the people of the enclave are used to nudity.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“I went without sex for almost twenty years. I can go another six months.”

“I went without for six months once. It was the worst day of my life.”

Sev snorted before he banked the fire, then curled up behind Casey. “Sleep. You’ll need your strength tomorrow.”

“You, too. I’m going to need your help.” Then he whispered, “Tell me a story about life in the enclave. I want a happy story, so no Elizar.”

“He was there my whole life, so I don’t know any happy stories during that time, but before him, when our Alpha and Protector’s parents ruled, it was a wondrous place, my mother said. We are a small group, compared to that of others shifters we know of. And our enclave welcomes those who would not do well in other places for a myriad of reasons. Same-sex attraction in most would be a cause for death.

“Many of the people who live with us are considered prey animals. Like Mrs. Riley’s rabbit, they are small and weaker than most. Shifters who are not like wolves or jaguars or bears tend to not survive. If Mrs. Riley had not come to us, she would likely have perished long ago.

“Even those who are predators come to us with the understanding they must control their beasts. There will be no killing in the enclave; that is sacrosanct, an inviolable law. It’s why the bear that attacked me was killed.

“We don’t have many large shifters. The Protector is by far the most powerful. We have a few bears and elk shifters, but beyond that, most of our people are small animals. And why do you want me to tell you something you already know?”

“Because I like the sound of your voice.” They lay quietly for a moment before Casey broke the silence. “How did your family end up in the enclave?”

***

Sev had not thought about the tales his parents had told in years, but knowing that his mate wanted to hear them, to know them better, warmed Sev, despite the bitter cold.

“My great-great-grandparents left Russia in 1864 during the reign of Alexander II. The story was that he was a good man in many ways, but one of my kin, a man called Vitaly, could not control his shifting ability as he aged. My family was terrified of being found out, so they fled. They lived as gypsies for many years, never staying in one place for long, lest Vitaly give them away.

“By chance, they found another shifter, a porcine, who told them of a wondrous place where shifters lived with humans in peace. He offered to lead them there for their worldly goods. By this time, Vitaly was a skunk more than man, and they felt for his safety there was no choice. They agreed.”

“And of course the man betrayed them.”

“No. He was good to his word. He led them for months, trying to avoid populated areas, traveling over treacherous terrain, until they were near what we know as the enclave. Unfortunately, Vitaly’s mind had given up, and he was now wholly skunk. He fled from his family and went to a township one day, likely in search of food, and caused a disturbance. They hunted him down and were about to kill him, when Piotr, the porcine shifter, saved him. Sadly he was struck down as he attempted to run away.

“My family found him and encouraged him to shift, hoping to ease his wounds, but he was old and the shift did not heal him as hoped. He told them of the pass to the enclave, bade them good travels, then died. My family shifted to their skunk form and using their claws on the frozen ground, buried him before they continued on their way.

“They made it to the safety of the enclave and settled there. There were sixteen people they left with, but only seven made it. They were welcomed to live with the others and raised a family.”

He heard Casey’s light snoring and smiled. His mate was exhausted and needed his rest. There would be time later to tell the story again. He pressed his lips to Casey’s neck, then shifted to his skunk form. This close to the fire, wrapped around Casey, they both drifted to sleep.

***

First light brought Sev awake. The fire had burned down to ash, though thankfully the temperatures had risen slightly. It was still cold, but the bitterness had lessened. He went out, hoping to scavenge a bit of food to share, but the earth was frozen solid, and even with his claws, he wouldn’t be able to dig deep enough to find anything. He could probably try to kill something so that Casey could eat, but he wasn’t really built for it. He never realized how much living in the enclave meant to him. A temperate climate, food from the garden, shelter. All things he took for granted.

Casey was still fast asleep when Sev returned and a lump formed in his stomach. His mate was playing a dangerous game, and Sev was afraid. Casey’s skin had an unhealthy pallor, nearly white as the snow and, for a brief moment, Sev wanted to force Casey to break the spell, but he grudgingly admitted that Jake would track them down, and he and Casey would be the losers. As much as he hated the idea, he pushed it to the farthest recesses of his mind.

“We have to go,” Sev whispered, tugging Casey’s ear.

“Five more minutes, Mom. Just five more.”

“If you wake up now, I’ll give you a kiss.”

Casey pulled a face. “I don’t want to kiss my mom. Especially when she’s got morning breath.” Casey reached out and grabbed Sev by the arms, pulling him close. “But if Mom won’t mind mine, I guess I won’t mind hers.”

“That is so wrong.”

“Yep, but you love me.”

They shared a brief kiss, then Casey sat up. “What are you doing without your clothes? You’ll freeze to death.”

“The temperature went up overnight. I’m actually okay.”

“Oh yeah? These tell a different story.” Casey slid his hands over Sev’s chest, touching the goose bumps that were obvious.

“You make your sacrifice, I’ll make mine. We have to go now. It’s still a ways to where Elizar climbed into the mountains.”

“I’m guessing breakfast is out of the question?”

Guilt hammered at Sev. “I couldn’t find anything.”

“Just as well. I need to lose some weight. I was getting a bit of a paunch.”

The note of humor in Casey’s voice did nothing to assuage the gnawing in Sev’s stomach. Though skunks in the wild tended to be solitary animals, Sev wanted to care for his mate, and his skunk found the fact they weren’t to be very distasteful. The beast tried to claw its way out, wanting to take Casey to a den where they would be curled up for the winter. It was only through force of personality that Sev held it at bay, even if he felt the same way.

They traveled in silence. Each giving heed to only his own thoughts. Sev kept an arm around Casey as they went. His concern ratcheted up as Casey leaned heavier on him. With his shifter strength, it wasn’t a burden on his body, but it played havoc with his heart.

“Stop fussing,” Casey hissed.

“You’re right. Let me not care that my mate is bleeding to death and won’t stop it. How foolish of me.”

“I don’t want to fight with you.”

“I don’t either, but I need you to let the spell drop.”

“I told you, Jake—”

“Will be freed when you die. So he’s still going to come after me. I think the two of us have a better chance of fighting him than I do alone. You don’t understand how much I need you, do you? Not just for this, but for everything. If you die, half my heart goes with you.”

Casey paused, then reached into his bag and withdrew a small, round thorny cluster. “If I do this, we may have to kill Jake. You know that, right? Because I have nothing else to use. He might be less in control since Elizar has him, but he’s still the Protector, and I’m not as powerful as he is.”

Sev swallowed hard. “Like you said, he would give his life for the enclave. There was talk of his guilt over killing someone. If you died, do you think he’d forgive himself for that?”

A silence hung between them before Casey crushed the thorn. “He’s free. And we need to move.”

Sev lifted Casey’s shirt and watched as the puckered wound closed and the bleeding ceased.

“How do you feel?”

“Nervous. Agitated. Jake and I had our share of fights growing up, but there was never any that we couldn’t come back from. I’m afraid one of us will die. And knowing Jake, it’s gonna be me.”

Sev hissed. “He won’t kill you. It’s still your friend in there.”

A sad shake of the head and Casey turned from Sev. “It’s not. That’s Elizar. Unless we can get him out, Jake’s just a meat puppet.”

The shudder that went through Casey couldn’t be mistaken for the cold. Sev’s mate was heartbroken. The pain radiated off him. Even without their link, Sev would know.

“If I get Jake back, we’re going to the spirit realm and I’m going to rip Elizar’s soul apart. I don’t care what tradition says or that he might be doomed to wander forever. There’s always the chance that he’ll find a way to get back, and I won’t have it. Even if it costs me everything, I swear you and the enclave are going to be safe.”

The sheer venom in Casey’s words forced Sev to pull him closer. He wouldn’t say anything, because he understood. He fully intended on joining Casey, even if it was in the next life.

Knowing that Jake was probably stalking them again, Casey wanted to push Sev away. Force him to leave so he’d be safe. He understood now how Jake must feel when Zak waltzed into dangerous situations. The pit that formed in his stomach, watching as his mate entered a potential shitstorm. Trying to ignore the fact Sev would be at risk sent shudders through Casey. The urge to tie Sev down hammered at him, but he quelled it. He wasn’t Jake. And Sev wasn’t the Alpha.

“Stop glowering,” Sev grumbled. “It won’t do any good. I’m going with you.”

For a moment, Casey thought Sev had read his thoughts as Jake and Zak were able to do, but then he realized Sev was picking up the strong emotions.

“I wasn’t going to say anything.”

“You’re a bad liar.”

Sev pointed at the side of the mountains as they approached. The peak was shrouded in a dense layer of clouds, and snow had begun falling.

“Do you see the base where the tree line ends? Elizar climbed there. I know there’s a path that leads up, but after a time, it becomes a sheer wall. I didn’t have a way to follow.”

There was a pause before Casey cracked his knuckles. “It just so happens, I climb. I went a few times with Jake, but normally I ended up alone. It’s not difficult, and if you’re careful and do exactly what I say, we’ll head up together.”

“You lead, I’ll follow.”

“I’m serious. The wall seems to start off at a soft angle, before it would get treacherous, so climbing it wouldn’t be too bad, but there are a lot of things that could go wrong. I don’t have the equipment here that I used back at college, so this will take a lot of concentration. And the weather isn’t helping either.”

“I’ll follow your directions to the letter. I promise.”

Good to his word, Sev did everything exactly as Casey instructed. They made an interesting pair. Sev climbing naked, with the exception of some covering on his feet and hands that Casey made from the small satchel he had. He ditched the remainder of his supplies in order to help Sev as much as possible. The climb was every bit as treacherous as Casey feared. These weren’t the hills back at the college, with their challenging grade, but thought to be safe for even beginner climbers. This was a mountain. Harsh and unforgiving of mistakes.