Werewolf's Way [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 1] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) (29 page)

For a few moments, Sage remained quiet. “I just…I know it is not my place, Highness,” he said finally, “but the company has been concerned about you.” He shook his head and amended, “
I
have been concerned about you. What with your two hundredth birthday approaching—”

“Now is hardly the time for this conversation, Sage,” Karein said, interrupting him. “I appreciate your concern, but I have a duty toward the Emperor. That will have to be enough.”

Likely, he was far harsher that he usually would have been, because Sage frowned. “Highness, I can sense something is wrong. I have been loyal to you for decades, Highness. Trust me. I will not fail you.”

Karein would have trusted his lieutenant with his life, but this was a far more delicate issue. Nevertheless, Sage was too smart for his own good and had already figured out something wasn’t quite right. Granted, he thought it was connected to Karein’s two hundredth birthday, but still, he had felt it.

Taking a deep breath, Karein decided to take a leap of faith. The truth was that, while he had a plan in place, walking through the palace carrying both of them would draw attention. “I’m getting them out of here. They’re not dead.”

Sage’s eyes widened. “But how? They weren’t breathing. Their hearts weren’t beating. I looked.”

“It’s a spell,” Karein answered. “I don’t have time to explain it now. Since I drained them of energy, it’s going to fade soon.”

Indeed, just as he spoke, the illusion making Caelyn and Graham seem dead cracked. Karein had expected it, but he still cursed. “All right, you have to help me. We need to take them out onto the cliff and down into the forest.”

From that point on, he was very much relying on someone else, but the circumstances had forced him into solutions he wouldn’t have normally considered. Overlords, involving Sage was already something he’d have preferred to avoid, but he couldn’t change it now.

“As you wish, Highness,” Sage answered.

He took Caelyn in his arms while Karein draped Graham’s body over his shoulder. “Don’t hold him like that,” he said to his second-in-command. “Someone will see his chest move or his eyelashes flutter.”

Immediately, he changed the position to echo the way Karein was holding the wolf. As they exited the room, Karein added, “Keep a steady stream of conversation. We need to cover the sound of their breaths.”

They started walking down the hallway and few awkward moments passed. Neither he nor Sage had ever been too open. It just wasn’t their way. The only time they even spoke was when he conveyed orders, with few exceptions, such as inquiries on Sage’s twin sister, to whom he was very close. But those times were few and far in between, and it would be a little strange to discuss family when he’d just killed someone.

In the end, Sage was the one who broke the silence. “Has the identity of the prisoners’ accomplices been discovered?”

Karein twitched. Out of all the possible topics of conversation, why was that the one Sage had picked? “Not just yet,” he replied curtly. “We’re looking into it, but all clues lead to mercenaries.”

His own personal inquiries had led him to the identity of the man who’d shot him back in Sacramento. He hadn’t shared it with anyone, not even Hareem, and he congratulated himself for it now.

Sage must have noticed Karein’s reluctance to talk about it, as he fell silent once more. Karein detected a few guards up ahead, and decided the quiet simply would not do. The sound of Graham’s heartbeat seemed obscenely loud, so he had to cover it.

“I wanted to thank you for your concern,” he finally said. “I assure you I’m perfectly all right.”

After a brief moment of pause, Sage took the opening and answered, “As always, I have complete faith in you, General. But if there’s anything I can do to help, you only need ask.”

Karein chuckled. “Only one person can help me now, and that’s my anchor. So unless you’re that person…”

Sage’s breath caught, and he gave Karein a wide-eyed look. “You just have to say the word, General,” he blurted out.

Karein released a heavy sigh. This was definitely not the right moment to have his second-in-command declare his feelings for him. He’d have felt embarrassed, except he knew that Sage had only offered out of loyalty, not out of true desire for him. Perhaps under different circumstances, there might have been a measure of attraction between them, but Sage feared him too much for that to be possible.

Regardless, Karein respected his lieutenant as a person and as a soldier. “Thank you, Sage,” he replied, “but I still have hope that the Overlords will guide me to the one person who can open himself to what I offer.”

He didn’t know why he said those words, or where they came from. He didn’t even know why he had said
him
. After all, he didn’t know for a fact that his supposed and unknown mate was male. But he’d said it regardless, even if a part of him didn’t believe in them. A true mate as an anchor was more than he could expect from life.

In three months, his two hundredth birthday was coming up. If he didn’t have a mate before the eve of that date, he would be imprisoned for all eternity in the bowels of the mountain, or perhaps even killed. By rights, the thought should have frightened him, but Karein was resigned to his fate. Likely, he deserved whatever happened to him, and more.

But that didn’t matter right now. Graham and Caelyn did. During his conversation with Sage, they’d crossed the castle at speed and finally reached the side entrance. When they bypassed the last guards inside the building, they stepped into the cold of the night. “So what now?” Sage inquired once they were convinced no one was within earshot.

“Now, you have to cover my tracks while I carry them to the foot of the mountain,” Karein replied. There were still plenty of soldiers patrolling the area. Karein’s presence would undoubtedly be spotted, but Sage might be able to distract them long enough for Karein to finish his task.

Thankfully, Sage didn’t ask any questions. “I understand,” he replied, placing Caelyn on the cold ground.

Karein abandoned Graham’s still form next to Caelyn’s and straightened his back. Closing his eyes, he allowed the change to flow over him. The dragon roared out of him, powerful and wild, more so than most people even imagined. Soon, in the place of Karein the man stood a great, black beast.

Now ready, Karein took Graham and Caelyn into his clawed paws. With a final look toward Sage, he launched himself into the air.

For a little while, he flew straight up, as if he were intending to dump the two bodies from an elevated position. Then, when he was safely away from the mountain, he flew down, until he reached the forest.

He found the meeting spot with ease. Philip Strange was already there, and while he seemed alone, every tree around them held one of his mercenaries. Karein didn’t acknowledge them in any way, although he could have easily disposed of at least a couple of them.

Instead, he landed next to the panther-shifter and deposited the unconscious couple at Philip’s feet. The mercenary was wearing a mask, but even so, Karein could read the tension in him. “What did you do to them?” he asked.

Karein shifted into his human form to look a little less threatening. “I used my powers on them and drained their energy,” he replied. As he did so, Karein knelt next to Caelyn and Graham, willing the energy he had taken from them back into their bodies. It wasn’t a perfect transference procedure, as some of it had already been absorbed within Karein and could no longer be returned. He would have done it earlier, but the process took time, more than Karein had afforded when at the palace. But even with the delay, it would help in their recovery.

“They should be all right soon,” he said when he finally got up. “Once they awaken, make sure they get lots of rest and fluids, perhaps IV lines. Particularly for Caelyn as he is with child.”

Philip’s breath caught. “And you still…” He shook his head, as if disgusted. “Never mind. I can’t expect anything else from the Dog-Catcher.”

The comment bothered Karein more than it should have. He had done everything that had been in his power under the circumstances. He’d been careful so as not to harm Caelyn’s unborn child. But had it been enough?

Frustrated with himself, Karein pushed those thoughts away. It didn’t matter. Once Caelyn and Graham were gone, he could return to his duty. In the end, he still had a job to do. Caelyn and Graham might love each other very much, but they were just two people. The ninth caste remained a dangerous element that needed to be contained.

“No, you can’t,” he replied coldly. “Be very careful who you cross, Mr. Strange. I found out who you are. I can easily track you down, even if you are seventh caste. And without me, your friends wouldn’t be alive.”

It was true. Karein hadn’t revealed the extent of his knowledge of Philip’s operations. He had chosen to only send a message to the man through the underground grapevine. Fortunately, Philip seemed quite fond of Graham as he had readily agreed to pick the werewolf and his mate up.

“I’m sure if it had been that easy, you’d have killed me a long time ago,” Philip replied.

Karein just smiled coldly. “If I killed everyone who hates me, half of the world’s paranormal population wouldn’t see the next sunrise.” Philip might not realize it, but Karein knew everything about him now. He was no idiot, and he realized exactly why Philip Strange had been able to come to Germany on such short notice. He had actually considered handing the mercenary in to his father, but had changed his mind. Philip was undoubtedly the person who could incriminate the Norrenddare family most. His capture could have easily sparked the war Karein had been trying to avoid.

But he didn’t tell Philip any of that. “Take care of your friends, Mr. Strange. Next time I see them, I won’t be so merciful.”

Without further ado, Karein melted into his dragon form and launched himself into the air. It was time to put Caelyn and Graham behind him and deal with his more pressing concerns. Hopefully, what he’d done today wouldn’t come back and blow up in his face.

* * * *

As the black dragon disappeared into the distance, some of Philip’s tension finally vanished. He dropped to his knees next to his unconscious friends. “Cal,” he shouted, “come on. “We need to get them out of here.”

As Cal joined him in the clearing, Philip slapped Graham’s face, trying to wake his friend up, but to no avail. Caelyn was just as unresponsive. Philip was no healer, but he had to do something to help them. “To the jet, quickly,” he ordered. Rest, fluids, and an IV line. That was what the draechen had said. He could provide that.

He took Graham in his arms, while Cal lifted Caelyn. They rushed to the jet that had carried them here from Berlin. He was fairly certain he’d revealed far too much about his location by jumping to Graham’s assistance like this, but there had been no other option. He couldn’t have abandoned Caelyn and Graham. They just had to relocate from Germany and find a different outpost.

The small jet was hidden within the vegetation. As everyone hastened inside, its doors closed, and the engines already started to rumble. At this point, humans would have been smart to buckle their seat belts, but feline shifters had excellent balance. Instead, Philip ran to the back room of the plane.

Inside, he found two beds prepared for the injured couple. His mother was in the room and gestured him to hurry. “Place them here. Quickly now, boy.”

Philip complied and positioned Graham on one of the beds. Cal did the same with Caelyn, and Philip watched as his mother started to look over Graham and Caelyn. He couldn’t help but be a little nervous. Of course, he trusted his mother would take care of his friends. Diane Strange might not have been the warmest, kindest mother in existence, but she’d always been there for him when it mattered. Still, he didn’t know the exact extent of the damage, so he felt naturally concerned.

“Are they going to be all right?” he asked.

“For the moment, they are very weak,” she answered. “I can’t tell you anything certain until I examine them more closely. Go on. I’ll watch over them.”

Her voice was both gentle and stern, and Philip found reassurance in it. “Come on, Cal,” he told his friend. “We have some arrangements to make.”

As they left the room, they headed into the cockpit. The plane was just taking off, the pilots guiding it back to Berlin. “Set a course for Brasilia,” he said without preamble. “Europe’s not safe for us right now.”

Germany had been perfect precisely because the draechen would have never thought to look for Philip so close to home. But now, they had no choice but to relocate. Brazil was as good a place as any.

“We’ll have to stop to refuel,” the pilot warned.

“Unfortunate, but necessary. Get us out of here. This place is making my fur itch.”

“I could scratch it for you,” Cal purred in his ear.

The idea held some appeal, but sadly, it wasn’t feasible, not with Caelyn and Graham unconscious in the other room. “Maybe later. We’ll see.”

Cal narrowed his eyes at Philip, but didn’t comment. Instead, he slipped back into the main area of the plane. Philip wanted to hit his head against the plane door. As bad as the draechen were regarding the ninth caste, felines didn’t like werewolves much either. The first time, Philip’s people had obeyed him mostly because of the generous pay involved, courtesy of the fae. But Philip’s willingness to jump to Graham’s aid didn’t sit well with many of them, especially Cal, who was aware of Philip’s history with Graham.