The Journal Keeper (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (15 page)

“Cheater,” Rianne accused, unable to hold back her laughter as she raced after him.

“Hurry up, Ri—” Dorin started, but a loud blast quickly cut him off.

“Dorin!” Rianne screamed as Alyla reared back before taking to the skies.

“Hold on, Rianne!” Dorin shouted.

Rianne saw Rysad following her and Alyla, Dorin somehow still managing to keep his seat. Another blast ripped through the air and Rianne screamed again as Alyla turned sharply, nearly throwing her off in the process.

“Rianne!” Dorin yelled, but Rianne was too busy trying to stay on Alyla’s back to answer him.

“Oh, God,” Rianne moaned, burying her face in Alyla’s mane.

“Take us to the trees,” Dorin ordered the two
pegamies,
and they instantly turned in that direction.

Rianne held on tight to Alyla as the large mammal beat her wings against her body. The motion was unfamiliar and difficult to get accustomed to, making Rianne feel as if she were always just a slide away from falling to the ground. As soon as they reached the trees, Alyla landed on a sturdy branch, shaking out her mane and pawing the bark nervously.

“Shh, girl. It’s all right,” Rianne soothed, searching for Dorin and Rysad.

They landed beside them a moment later, Dorin instantly sliding off Rysad and leaping to Rianne and Alyla’s branch.

“I’ve got you,” Dorin murmured, reaching up for Rianne.

“What was that?” Rianne asked, sinking into his arms.

“Are you all right? Were you hit?” Dorin asked, his hands shaking as they checked her over for injuries.

“I’m fine, Dorin. Really,” Rianne assured him.

“Thank the gods,” Dorin sighed, pulling her close.

“What was it?” Rianne asked again, resting her head on his chest.

“I think it was a gun, but I can’t be sure,” Dorin told her, his hands running through her hair.

“You have guns here?” Rianne squeaked, jerking her head back, although she supposed it would explain the stories Carme had told her about shifters dying when no one was close to them.

“Shh. Yes, we have guns. When the humans invented them, we had some of the scouts bring a few back so we could know what we were up against. The kings and High Council members agreed that we would not recreate them, but unfortunately, some of the revolutionaries have found a way to make them,” Dorin explained while his eyes scanned the surrounding area.

“But the people don’t know about them,” Rianne said, already knowing the answer.

“No. Only those who need to use them have knowledge of them,” Dorin agreed, still watching for movement around them.

“Um, Dorin? How are we going to get down?” Rianne asked, eyeing the ground about a dozen feet beneath them.

“Don’t worry,
danalya
. There are grooves in the tree,” Dorin told her, smiling gently.

“Oh. Well, then, can we go?” Rianne requested, uncomfortable being so high up.

“Of course. I’ll go first to show you the way,” Dorin said, leading her to where the grooves were carved into the soft wood.

Rianne focused on placing her feet just right as she followed Dorin down, refusing to look at the ground until she was about two feet off it. Only then did she allow herself to jump into Dorin’s waiting arms.

“We need to get back to the castle and tell them what happened,” Dorin murmured, his arms tightening around her.

“You think they were shooting at us?” Rianne asked, surprised.

“I think we were the only targets they could have been aiming for,” Dorin answered, taking her hand and leading her through the forest.

“Why would they shoot us?” Rianne asked, still not quite able to believe it.

“Any number of reasons,
danalya
. If it was the revolutionaries, they’re against all things having to do with a monarchy. I’m a prince, so they would want me dead because without me the monarchy ends. If they were humans, they were most likely Hunters, and so would want me dead simply because I’m a shifter. With you being with me, they would have assumed you were a shifter as well,” Dorin said, continuing to scan the area.

Rianne chose to remain silent as he continued to drag her along, his hand tightly wrapped around hers. The moment they passed through the castle gates Dorin had a member of the Guard lower the portcullis behind them. By the time they had made it to the front steps of the castle, the gate was shut and the entire castle was locked down.

Dorin spotted Carme as soon as they entered the castle, instantly pulling Rianne toward the small redhead.

“Ah, Carme, good. Send one of the men to fetch Nikolas from the lists, will you? Have him come to my father’s study when he comes in. Oh, and when you get a chance, would you please have Cook brew a pot of tea? I have a feeling we’ll be needing it,” Dorin requested.

“Of course, Highness.” Carme bowed, casting a worried frown Rianne’s way.

“Thanks, Carme.” Rianne smiled before Dorin whisked her away again.

Dorin practically dragged her up the stairs in his hurry, his eyes wider than usual as he raced down the hallway.

“Dorin,” Rianne protested when he jerked her along.

His only response was a low growl as he pulled her into his father’s study, shutting the door firmly behind them. Silal looked up from his desk, clearly surprised at the interruption.

“Dorin? What’s happened?” Silal asked, standing abruptly.

“We have a problem,” Dorin informed him, breathing heavily.

“What is it?” Silal pressed, coming around his desk to clasp his son’s shoulder.

Before Dorin could answer, Nikolas came barreling into the room, his eyes instantly falling on Rianne.

“Thank the gods,” Nikolas breathed, sweeping her into his arms.

“I’m fine,” Rianne assured him.

“I thought you’d tried to leave,” Nikolas said, breathing in her scent.

“No. I wouldn’t leave without saying good-bye. Dorin and I just had a little bit of trouble on our ride,” Rianne told him, snuggling into his chest.

“What happened?” Nikolas demanded of his partner.

“We were shot at while riding through the southern meadow. Alyla and Rysad took to the skies immediately, probably saving our lives, but the shooter still attempted to hit us again. He missed Rianne by mere inches. It was only Alyla’s quick maneuvering that saved her,” Dorin said, running his fingers anxiously through his hair.

Nikolas instantly drew her away from him, checking her body once more for any sign of injury. Rianne smiled weakly at him, her hands wrapping around his large wrists.

“I’m fine. Really. The only time I was worried was when Alyla took off. I thought for sure I was going to fall.” Rianne grinned wryly.

“Did you get a look at the shooter?” Silal asked his son.

“No. I was too busy trying to make sure Rianne didn’t fall or get hit. It sounded like it came from the forest, but we weren’t shot at again when we made our way to the trees,” Dorin answered, sinking into a chair.

Nikolas led Rianne over to the one opposite Dorin, pulling her into his lap as he sat down. She curled into his chest, happy to let the men discuss the specific details of the shooting. In all honesty, she was pretty sure she was in shock. She’d read about it and knew sometimes it took a while before the realization of how close death was came to pass. In that moment, she just felt tired. The adrenaline crash would come later, but for the time being, she was perfectly content right where she was.

* * * *

Dorin couldn’t take his eyes off the girl sleeping in Nikolas’s arms, couldn’t get the sound of gun shots out of his head. Even after repeating the tale twice, he couldn’t keep the image of Rianne almost falling to her death out of his mind. Over and over he berated himself for taking her riding, especially without some of the Guard for protection.

“It wasn’t your fault, Dorin,” Silal murmured, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Damn it, I never should have taken her outside the castle walls,” Dorin swore, ignoring his father.

“How could you have known someone was targeting you?” Silal argued.

“Spare me, Father.” Dorin spat, rising from his chair.

“Dorin,” Nikolas snapped, drawing the wolf’s attention.

“What?” Dorin nearly growled.

“It wasn’t your fault. All that matters now is that Rianne is safe and we know someone is after you. We can protect her now,” Nikolas said slowly, helping to calm his friend.

“You didn’t see her, Nik. God, she was so close. The bullet blew her hair. Do you realize how close the shot had to be for it to do that?” Dorin groaned, pulling at his hair.

“Calm down, son. We’ll send some of the Guard to see if we can’t sniff the shooter out,” Silal suggested.

“If he’s anywhere nearby, the Guard will find him,” Nikolas added.

“I want his head. He dared shoot at our mate, and I want his head,” Dorin growled.

“You’ll have it. No one shoots at my family and gets away with it,” Silal vowed, already moving to call a footman.

“I’m going to take Rianne to her room,” Nikolas murmured, standing easily despite having Rianne in his arms.

“I’ll come with you. We need to discuss placing some of the Guard to watch her,” Dorin said, following his friend.

“I’ll see to the search for the shooter,” Silal assured them.

“Thank you, Father,” Dorin murmured, bowing his head once before leaving the room.

He followed his friend and mate toward their rooms, closing the door behind him as Nikolas moved to lower Rianne onto the bed. While Nikolas got her settled, Dorin walked over and stirred up the fire. Within moments, he had a large fire roaring, helping to warm up the room for his mate.

“Are you all right?” Nikolas asked, sinking into a chair.

“I’m better now,” Dorin sighed, sitting opposite of him.

“You know you’re not to blame for this, Dorin. Nobody could have prevented it,” Nikolas told him.

“It’s our job to protect her. How can she trust me to do that if I can’t even keep her safe on a ride through the country?” Dorin fumed, making sure to keep his voice down so as not to disturb their mate.

“Damn it, Dorin. You need to snap out of this. If she wakes up and sees you beating yourself up over something you had no control over, she
won’t
be able to trust you to protect her. You need to show her you can be strong for her, no matter what occurs,” Nikolas insisted, leaning forward anxiously.

“You’re right, you’re right,” Dorin moaned, taking a deep breath to settle himself.

“Good. Now, I’m going to send someone to bring up dinner. I think it would be a good idea for us to eat up here with her. I don’t like the idea of taking her through the castle until we know the shooter wasn’t someone from within the walls,” Nikolas said, standing.

Dorin nodded to show his agreement, his gaze finding the sleeping beauty on the bed. His body was drawn to hers, pulling him closer until he was standing over her. He couldn’t stop himself from reaching forward to brush her hair away from her face. His heart felt like it was going to pound out of his chest when she moved into his touch, sighing softly.

“I’m so sorry,
danalya
,” Dorin whispered, leaning down to kiss her temple.

His entire body trembled with suppressed emotions as he watched her, the way her chest rose and fell with her soft breathing. Unable to stop himself, he ended up lying down beside her, his arms pulling her close until her head rested on his shoulder and he could breathe in her sweet scent with every breath. The trusting way she curled into his body helped to banish the horrid images of the previous hours.

As caught up as he was with Rianne and her body pressed against his, he didn’t realize Nikolas had been gone until he returned, dinner tray in hand. Dorin didn’t bother moving from the bed right away, instead watching as Nikolas set up dinner for them.

“Wake her up, will you? We need to talk about what needs to be done to keep her safe,” Nikolas insisted.

Dorin smiled as he leaned over her, his lips seeking out hers to wake her up. His fingers threaded in her hair, tilting her head to give him more access to her sweet lips. A soft sigh and the opening of her lips, allowing his tongue to slip inside for a deeper taste, signaled her awakening.

“Mmm. Hello,” Rianne hummed when they parted.

“Hello. Are you hungry?” Dorin asked, skimming his nose along her cheek.

“Starved,” Rianne admitted.

“Nikolas brought up dinner for us,” Dorin told her, sliding from the bed.

Rianne sat up more leisurely, looking around the room sleepily. When she saw Nikolas standing by the fire, she gave him a slow smile.

Dorin helped her from the bed and led her over to the fireplace where Nikolas had set up their impromptu dinner.

“Did you sleep well,
capora
?” Nikolas asked.

“I did. Thank you,” Rianne murmured, sinking into a chair.

“Good.” Nikolas smiled softly, kissing the top of her head as he handed her a plate.

Dorin took the seat next to her, holding his own plate as Nikolas sat across from them. Rianne eagerly dug into her food, giving a soft moan of contentment that interested Dorin far more than the food on his plate.

“Rianne,” Nikolas called to gain her attention.

She looked up from her plate, raising a brow in question.

“We need to discuss security for you until the shooter is caught,” Nikolas told her.

“Why would I need security?” Rianne asked, frowning gently.

“Because this shooter could come after you again,” Dorin answered, taking her hand.

“But you said they were shooting at you because of who you are,” Rianne said, her frown deepening.

“I know, but we don’t know that for sure and until we do, we all need to be careful,” Dorin soothed.

“Whoever shot at the two of you probably knows what you look like, and they could try again. Guards will accompany you until he is caught, or we know for sure you are no longer in danger,” Nikolas insisted.

“That’s ridiculous. I’m not in any danger,” Rianne claimed, wide eyed.