Soul Mates: Scent (The Soul Mates Series) (25 page)

Always.

“Max, dude, Coach is looking for you!” Tony shouted at me as he punched my shoulder. “You have that far away, talking to Anna look on your face,” he said softly.

I glanced around to see who was around before grabbing Tony and turning him toward the stands. “See our special friends in the audience?”

“What the hell are they doing now?”

“Being helpful,” I said trying not to laugh. “Sneezing fit…”

“That was them?” Tony snickered as we headed off the field down to the locker room.

“Fumbled ball in the second quarter…”

“Classic!”

“I told Anna to ask them politely to stop. It’s funny, but I don’t want to win that way.”

“Yeah, it would be sucky to win that way. Funny, but sucky,” Tony agreed. “Come on, Coach is gonna kick our asses for taking forever.”

We hustled down the rest of the hallway and pushed open the doors to the locker room where Coach was going over all the plays we’d made, the good and the bad.

“Nice of you to join us boys, I’m sorry if our football game was getting in the way of your hook-ups.”

“Sorry Coach!” Tony and I said at the same time.

“Darn right you’re sorry! You two will be running extra laps at practice on Monday!”

“Yes Coach!”

“You’re just lucky I’m in a good mood because we are currently winning! You lose this game and you’ll be doing more than running laps, you hear me?”

“Yes Coach!”

“Good, now keep your heads in the game! We still have half a game to play! No slacking off now! I’m sure Coach Jones is reading the Huskies the riot act for that fumble in the second quarter, and some of the other bone head plays they pulled in the first half. They are better than that and I am sure they are going to come out harder and stronger in this second half. So you all better be on your best game!”

“Yes Coach!” we all shouted.

I glanced at Tony and grinned. I was betting most of those bone head plays came out of the minds of a couple of Fae warriors heads. This second half was going to be much tougher than the first half. The Huskies were going to be angry and take it out on us. For a moment I regretted calling off Cole and Daire, but only for a moment.

“Now, get out there and win this game!”

“Yes Coach!”

We took the field again and were setting up for the first play when I felt the first sense of some kind of disturbance. From our huddle I stopped talking and look out at the trees in the forest to the west, I could smell a fresh kill, venison, more than one.

“Max, call the play!”

“Yeah, sorry, play twelve, to the right. I’ll snap it to Dean. Tony cover Twenty-six, Steve, go for Thirteen, Dean stay open. Brian cleared the way. Break!”

I figured Rik must have gotten hungry, took out some deer, so I put the scent out of my head and got my mind back on the game.

We gained twenty yards and set up the next play. As I was getting into position I glanced over at the darkened tree line and noticed an odd shadow shaped like a dragon sitting on top of the tall oaks. “Well that explains the venison smell,” I said under my breath.

The play went off, but as soon as I snapped the ball my back was slammed to the ground for the first time that night. I glanced up into a face a didn’t recognize, but knew he wasn’t a regular Husky football player, he was too old.

“Shit!”

He had the front of my jersey in what was now a lion paw. “Anna, will be mine, this is just a warning…” he said as he dug his claws into my side.

I lifted my feet to his middle and kicked him off of me, healing myself as I did so. The last thing I needed was the medic to come rushing out onto the field seeing my side gushing blood from Frederick’s dig. How he managed to get on the field and into the game… well, I suppose it really wasn’t all that hard. There were probably a couple of knocked out Huskies locked in a closet somewhere with missing uniforms.

I watched as Frederick flew backward farther than I should have been able to knock him as a human. He landed on his feet and started for me again, but the Ref blew the whistle, throwing a flag on the play that had just been made.

I looked around at my team, half of them on the ground beneath Huskies. Taken out by illegal moves. I glanced at Tony, who was now at my side. “What the hell is going on dude?”

“Hell if I know,” I whispered back. “Seems Frederick and his boys decided to play a little football with us.”

“Dude. We need back up.”

“Got it covered.”

Anna?

Max
what
is
going
on?
I
smell
fresh
kills
and
half
your
team
is
on
the
ground
.

Frederick decided to play with his food.

Frederick is on the field?

Yep. Along with at least four other shifters. I need James, Rik, Cole and Daire, now! Get them to the ramp, I’ll get them into uniforms and on the field without anyone the wiser. If Frederick wants to play, we’ll play.

They are on their way, Cole picked up James and Rik in the forest. Thomas is here too, mon amour, but he is dragon.

I know, I saw him watching. He can’t show himself, it would cause a panic.

No, that would be bad. I’m sorry Max.

For what babe?

For not realizing that he would attack as human. I really thought it would be as lion.

Oh this isn’t his attack. This is a warning. He’s coming for you. I’m not going to let him have you. Stay with Auberon and Tatiana, Anna, don’t leave their side, for any reason. Please.

I won’t mon amour, now hurry.

I set up a glamour blinding everyone to what I was doing with Daire, Cole, Rik and James. The glamour involved the Ref’s arguing with the coaches over the previous play. I glamoured our team, everyone human, except Tony who glamour wouldn’t work on anyway, into believing that the Fae warriors and shifters had always been part of the team and planted false memories in their heads about them. Then I got them out on the field and we huddled up to set up the next play, facing off against Frederick and his four shifter friends. Among them I smelled another lion, a couple of tigers and what I thought might be a cheetah. I looked at Rik for confirmation.

“Five? Two lion, Two Tiger, one cheetah?”

“Nailed it,” Rik grinned. “Let’s kick some ass.”

“So what’s the play?” Tony asked looking nervous.

“James, snap me the ball then go long, run full out, go over ‘em if you have to, I don’t care. I’ll get you the ball and you go for the touch down. Rik, Daire, Cole and I will take care of the front line, Tony, you stay on twenty-six don’t let him get in our way, he’s liable to get hurt. This is going to get messy.”

“How messy?” Tony asked.

“Very.” I replied.

“Deaths?”

“Doubt it. Bloody though.”

“Got it.”

“Glamour?” Cole asked

“Working it on the humans,” I said concentrating hard.

“Need some help?” Daire asked.

“Naw I got it for now, if I start to slip I’ll let you know.” I looked around at my latest team made up of super-naturals and humans and grinned. “Let’s do this!”

I put my game face on and got into position. At this point we were all ignoring Coach who was shouting plays at an imaginary team. I was blocking the sound of his voice from the humans on the field. Later I would be amazed at the amount of glamour and Fae magic I was expending to cover for what was going on in reality. For now I couldn’t think about the kind of psychic energy I was using, I had an enemy to deal with.

Frederick took on the position of quarter back, growling at me from the twenty yard line. I didn’t bother to growl back, Rik was doing enough snarling for our team. Frederick hadn’t realized it yet, the switch of players, my glamour had been that good.

“You’re going down hard Freddy!” I taunted.

James called, “ blue twenty two, blue twenty two, hike!” and snapped me the ball before leaping over the backs of the Huskies front line and sprinting down the field to the end zone.

I flicked my arm back let the ball fly straight to him before Frederick had a chance to get to me. I had my claws out as he rushed me and we crashed to the ground, my claws slicing open his chest and his slicing into my abdomen. Rik pulled Frederick off of me and flung him across the field. I was bleeding pretty badly before the wound healed and my uniform looked like I taken some massive trauma but I was feeling pretty good.

At the end of the third quarter I looked around and noticed that while most of my team was up and healthy, I couldn’t say the same for the Huskies. I grinned at Rik. “Nice.”

Rik clapped me on the shoulder. “We got this. That lion is going to think twice before coming after you in a full force attack.”

“We’ll see. He’s not stupid, this is just a game to see what kind of fire power I have at my beck and call. He’s assessing me, gauging me, seeing how I react,” I replied. “He’ll finish the game and analyze me before he makes his real attack.”

“Dude, you‘re doing that to him, aren‘t you?” Tony raised an eyebrow with a sly smile on his face.

“Maybe,” I grinned. “There is a reason I am good at chess, Tony, it hasn’t all been Irish luck.”

“I can’t believe you are playin’ him,” Daire frowned. “Why haven’t you pulled your swords and ended him already?”

I stared at Daire and shook my head. “I can’t just end him in front of my entire high school Daire. Glamour or not. Especially when I know he isn’t here to kill me at the moment. So I’m playing my cards close to my chest. I’m not giving away everything. He still doesn’t know about Thomas, he doesn’t know about the swords or Auberon and Tatiana. For that matter, I don’t think he knows I’m the one doing the glamour.”

“Well that is a plus at least.”

I nodded. “Come on, one more quarter to go. Everyone healed up?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” James replied. “That Cheetah is pretty fast, not as fast as me, mind you, but still…”

“You’re the wind James, nobody can touch you,” I said with a grin. “This time when you hike it to me, I’m gonna pass it off to Cole. Cole flash yourself down the field and pass it to James in the end zone.”

“Got it.”

“Everybody else stay on that front line,” I called the play, “break!”

We got into position and I looked across at Frederick who grinned ferally back at me. I could tell he was enjoying this way more than I was. Of course he was, I had way more to lose than he did and he knew it.

“Last quarter Fergus, We’re going to put a massive hurt on you and yours!”

“Just try it Freddy, we’ll see who’s the better strategist here…”

“Blue forty five, blue forty five, hike, hike!” James called as he shot me the ball.

I passed the ball off to Cole and we both flashed out of sight at the same time, I hoped making Frederick think Cole took me with him down the field. I figured right as I watched Freddy spin around to see where Cole and I had flashed.

With his back to me I charged him, silently, pouncing on him as if he were a deer. No, I didn’t deliver a killing blow, though I was mighty tempted by that point. I did sink my teeth into his shoulder and my claws into his stomach ripping him open before he had a chance to turn back around.

James took his time getting to the end zone, running a zig zag pattern all over the ten yard line with the cheetah chasing him close on his heels. I glanced up at the clock and realized he was running it down on purpose. “James, fifty eight more seconds!”

“Got it!”

I glanced over at Cole who kept flashing from one side of the ten yard line to the other so the Huskies would stay off of him. This was the most bizarre game of football I had ever played and I’d never had more fun. Crazy that.

I still had my claws in Freddy’s stomach, and he just sort of hung from my paws too weak to move. He wouldn’t be able to heal until I removed my claws. “Now listen up Freddy boy, I’m not some little boy to be trifled with, or easily dispatched. You aren’t getting Anna, she is my mate. I will protect her from you, from anyone or anything at any cost. Now you have two choices, run home with your tail between your legs, or come after me and die. Because that’s what will happen if we meet up again. I’ll kill you and anyone you bring along as back up. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal,” Frederick nodded.

I let him slide off my paws and onto his knees as James reached the end zone to receive Cole’s pass just before the buzzer went off. I waited for Freddy and the rest of the shifter Huskies to make themselves scarce before I lifted most of the glamour.

“Cole go find the Huskies that Freddy and his cohorts knocked out and do what needs to be done.”

“Yes my Prince.” Cole replied as he quickly jogged down the ramp.

“Daire go report to Auberon, fill him in on everything.”

“Yes my Prince.”

I watched Daire take off up into the stands before turning to Rik and James. “Thank you both for your help. I couldn’t have done any of this with out you.”

“It’s not over you know,” James said with a frown.

“I know. Freddy isn’t going to give up that easily. He’s going to go lick his wounds and come at me again when I’m more vulnerable.”

“Don’t be vulnerable.”

I grinned at Rik. “Yeah, well that’s the plan.”

“We’ll be around to help out. It’s in our best interest if you take over the Felidae.”

“Why do you think that?”

“What makes the goddess happy…”

“Makes the tribe happy.” I got it.

“Turns out I enjoy kicking lion ass, so I’ll stick around too,” James grinned.

I laughed. “Glad to hear it.”

“Max, where’s Anna?” Tony asked searching the stands.

Anna?
I spun around my heart in mouth, panic filling my head as I searched the crowd in the stands.
Anna
where
the
hell
are
you?
I
can
’
t
see
you
in
the
stands!