tugged at the younger girl's arm until she turned a petrified mask his direction.
"Don't send me away, Father."
"You'll be with Elise," he said more softly. "Everything will be fine. Now, let her go."
Elise stared at my horse's dark hooves.
Like she knew what was coming. What her sire would command. Who in the hell could bring himself to bite such a terrified female? Grant it, she's attractive even in the large clothes she'd chosen. But the marking was wrong. Gods-be-damned wrong.
Normals and their fears.
Violet's arms fell away from Elise's plaid shirt, pulled by Langston, over to Sherry, where Violet reattached herself to her other sibling and buried her nose in the redhead's chest.
Only then did Langston release Sherry's arm.
Probably because Violet's weight would prevent the hothead from moving. Running.
"What do you say, Lucius?" Langston asked again, carefully and rather quietly.
No. Not with my clan at risk. I could take them back. But I'm not about to make an enemy. Even of a terrified female. If I reveal the point, will he listen? The man is so desperate now that he doesn't care about his children's feelings. Hell, Elise looked one blink shy of fainting. And the young Violet begged to stay.
"Remove your jacket, Elise," Langston commanded.
Her eyes widened as big as the full moon.
Pale gray like it too.
She raised shaking fingers to the uppermost button holding her shirt closed at her chest and fumbled with the black disc.
Protect , my Wolf snarled.
Undoubtedly as sick of this lunacy as much as I am. "She doesn't have--"
"Hurry," Langston barked.
Violet began to sob.
Trembling like Elise's fingers at her buttons. But the woman never looked us in the eye. Embarrassed. Ashamed. This had to end. "Enough!"
Elise and Langston flicked their gazes too me.
The things a Shifter is forced to endure in the company of Normals. "Bring the Gods-be-damned horses. I don't have time for this."
Langston didn't have to say anything for the lurking male Normals standing behind him to leap away and assist the first one sent to saddle two mares. They returned almost instantly with the mounts, both loaded with saddle bags and bedrolls. One male darted out of a lodge with two backpacks and handed them to the older sisters. All else was implied in the looming silence.
****
Father had lost his mind. Done the unforgiveable in whatever he offered the pack of Shifters. It didn't matter how much the Shifters were renowned as Guardians when my father wanted me to strip my clothing off for them. For whatever reason. For this Lucius. I had to go now. Simply to escape the man who no longer made rational choices. Who tried to have me barter with my body. I stared at Lucius' blue eyes.
Eyes that held an indefinable awareness.
A chill crept down my arms.
Whether a warning or a sign of my partial understanding of what just transpired, goose flesh didn't jar me into a newfound sense of security. Two mounts loaded with supplies and my father's decision to send us away, whatever the cost, meant we're leaving with strangers. Men altered genetically by the aliens. Men who know what symptoms a person exhibits when carrying alien DNA.
This is a foolish move for Langston. Even though he's the only person who knows my sisters and I are truly half alien-- more alien than a Shifter--because he's the damned ass who told me. Shackled me with the knowledge about my heritage. How are we supposed to keep our ancestry a secret surrounded by strange Shifters? Shifters who sense things Normals can't. Their alien DNA might measure up to only ten percent, but they have heightened shape-shifter senses that my sisters and I don't possess.
Yet, Shifters protect women at all costs. For the greater good of humanity. Fearing them is suicidal. Something Sherry would do. But caution saved one's ass after extraterrestrial invasion, AEI. I
"Don't send me away, Father."
"You'll be with Elise," he said more softly. "Everything will be fine. Now, let her go."
Elise stared at my horse's dark hooves.
Like she knew what was coming. What her sire would command. Who in the hell could bring himself to bite such a terrified female? Grant it, she's attractive even in the large clothes she'd chosen. But the marking was wrong. Gods-be-damned wrong.
Normals and their fears.
Violet's arms fell away from Elise's plaid shirt, pulled by Langston, over to Sherry, where Violet reattached herself to her other sibling and buried her nose in the redhead's chest.
Only then did Langston release Sherry's arm.
Probably because Violet's weight would prevent the hothead from moving. Running.
"What do you say, Lucius?" Langston asked again, carefully and rather quietly.
No. Not with my clan at risk. I could take them back. But I'm not about to make an enemy. Even of a terrified female. If I reveal the point, will he listen? The man is so desperate now that he doesn't care about his children's feelings. Hell, Elise looked one blink shy of fainting. And the young Violet begged to stay.
"Remove your jacket, Elise," Langston commanded.
Her eyes widened as big as the full moon.
Pale gray like it too.
She raised shaking fingers to the uppermost button holding her shirt closed at her chest and fumbled with the black disc.
Protect , my Wolf snarled.
Undoubtedly as sick of this lunacy as much as I am. "She doesn't have--"
"Hurry," Langston barked.
Violet began to sob.
Trembling like Elise's fingers at her buttons. But the woman never looked us in the eye. Embarrassed. Ashamed. This had to end. "Enough!"
Elise and Langston flicked their gazes too me.
The things a Shifter is forced to endure in the company of Normals. "Bring the Gods-be-damned horses. I don't have time for this."
Langston didn't have to say anything for the lurking male Normals standing behind him to leap away and assist the first one sent to saddle two mares. They returned almost instantly with the mounts, both loaded with saddle bags and bedrolls. One male darted out of a lodge with two backpacks and handed them to the older sisters. All else was implied in the looming silence.
****
Father had lost his mind. Done the unforgiveable in whatever he offered the pack of Shifters. It didn't matter how much the Shifters were renowned as Guardians when my father wanted me to strip my clothing off for them. For whatever reason. For this Lucius. I had to go now. Simply to escape the man who no longer made rational choices. Who tried to have me barter with my body. I stared at Lucius' blue eyes.
Eyes that held an indefinable awareness.
A chill crept down my arms.
Whether a warning or a sign of my partial understanding of what just transpired, goose flesh didn't jar me into a newfound sense of security. Two mounts loaded with supplies and my father's decision to send us away, whatever the cost, meant we're leaving with strangers. Men altered genetically by the aliens. Men who know what symptoms a person exhibits when carrying alien DNA.
This is a foolish move for Langston. Even though he's the only person who knows my sisters and I are truly half alien-- more alien than a Shifter--because he's the damned ass who told me. Shackled me with the knowledge about my heritage. How are we supposed to keep our ancestry a secret surrounded by strange Shifters? Shifters who sense things Normals can't. Their alien DNA might measure up to only ten percent, but they have heightened shape-shifter senses that my sisters and I don't possess.
Yet, Shifters protect women at all costs. For the greater good of humanity. Fearing them is suicidal. Something Sherry would do. But caution saved one's ass after extraterrestrial invasion, AEI. I
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