Guardian's Mate

Rae felt Zander’s breath on her cheek as they both bent over the open box. Inside lay a ring—an unadorned gold wedding band. Rae lifted the wedding ring, examining it, but it was plain all the way around. No inscriptions.

“Look at this, Little Wolf.” Zander had clicked on the picture frame. He swiped through a series of photos, most containing the same young woman in the printed photograph. One had Carson and the woman together, Carson smiling, his gray eyes full of warmth. Zander slid his arm around Rae’s waist as they studied the pictures together. “Is this human enough for you?”

“Who is she?” Rae touched the photo of the man and woman pressed together and looking happy about it.

Zander brushed a kiss to Rae’s hair. “I say we go ask him.”

* * *

Carson looked up wearily as a key scraped into the lock of his prison cell. If it was the bear coming to give him more food, he’d throw it in the big man’s face.

Only Zander had been coming down here—obviously he didn’t trust Carson not to overpower the other male Shifter or to talk Miles into letting him out. Carson knew he couldn’t fight a man who could shift into a polar bear—but he could annoy Zander as much as he could, biding his time until he got out of here and hauled the lot of them to Shifter Bureau.

Carson hid a start of surprise when he saw the young woman, Rae, in the doorway behind Zander. Neither held a tray of food. The big sword was strapped to Rae’s back, the hilt rising above her right ear. The sword was broken, Carson had seen, but even a broken blade could kill.

His heartbeat sped, his battle-ready nerves coming alert. Had they come to kill him?

Rae seemed a bit tenderhearted for a Shifter—or maybe she was just squeamish—so his death might not be a violent one. Carson wouldn’t put it past Zander to give him an overdose of tranquilizer. Problem solved. Carson would slide into sleep and total oblivion. Just like Viv.

He was up and off the bunk as soon as Rae turned around the photograph of Vivian and held it out to him.

“Don’t touch that.” Carson snatched the photo from Rae but stopped himself in time from hugging it to his chest. “It’s none of your damned business.”

“Who is she?” Rae asked.

Her gray eyes held concern. Carson hardened his heart, remembering that Rae had tricked him at first, pretending to be human.

Looking at her now, Carson wondered how he’d not seen she was Shifter. While not containing the thinness that people considered beautiful these days, Rae’s body was lithe and strong. He’d watched her through the high window practicing with the samurai sword on deck, seeing how she quickly learned her balance and how to use momentum as well as strength.

The Collar that winked on her throat brought home the fact that she was Shifter and illegally out of her Shiftertown. She’d not trick him again.

“I said,” Carson answered Rae, “none of your business.”

“Better tell her.” Zander’s voice was deep and big, like the rest of him. The bear sometimes behaved like a crazy idiot but Carson clearly saw that this was an act. Zander was careful, watchful, knowing everything that went on around him. He turned his assessing black eyes on Carson now. “She’ll pry it out of you if you don’t. Rae can’t leave anything alone.”

“Is she your wife?” Rae asked. She held up the gold ring Carson kept locked away when he was on missions so he wouldn’t lose it.

Carson’s vision filmed with red. They had broken into his personal belongings and touched the things he held most dear. He lunged at Rae and found himself stopped by Zander’s strong arm.

“Give that to me,” Carson snarled at Rae.

Rae, to his surprise, handed over the ring. “I didn’t realize you were married. What happened to her?”

“See what I mean?” Zander asked. He’d trimmed the goatee on his hard face, which brought out the firm lines of his jaw. No Collar was around his neck but anyone who didn’t realize this man was Shifter was a fool. “She’ll keep on until she gets what she wants.”

Carson had no intention of talking about Vivian with these outlaws but he heard himself saying in a harsh voice, “Yes, she’s my wife. She’s in a coma.”

The concern on Rae’s face turned to sympathy. Surprise flickered in Zander’s eyes. “Seriously?” he asked. “Aw, man, I’m sorry. That sucks.”

“Don’t pretend you care,” Carson returned. “Shifter filth like you put her there.”

“Shifters did?” Rae asked him, her eyes widening. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. I witnessed it.” Carson’s jaw was so tight it ached. “I couldn’t stop it.”

He needed Zander to let go of him. The bear-man’s hand held a lot of heat and that heat seemed to be leeching through Carson’s body, weakening him. The last words came out trembling and broken.

“Easy,” Zander said, his voice quieting to something almost gentle. Carson found himself guided back to the bunk though he didn’t remember wanting to go there.

Carson sank to the cot, holding the ring tightly between his first finger and thumb. He remembered when Viv had started to slide it onto his finger in the church, then laughed at him because he’d fumbled and made her drop it. Carson even now heard the clink of gold on the church’s slate floor and Viv’s laughter.

He wrapped one arm around the photo and then realized Rae was sitting on the bunk beside him, the sword’s hilt near him. The crosspiece was old, soft silver, Carson saw, covered with some sort of writing.

Zander remained standing, not about to give Carson the chance to run. Rae said in her gentle contralto, “You’re hunting Shifters to try to find the ones who hurt her?”

“I think he’s taking it out on any Shifter,” Zander said to her. “Odds are he’ll get to the right ones eventually.”

“Stop telling me my motives,” Carson snapped. “Shifters are dangerous and need to be confined. Or killed. For what they did to her, I will gladly wipe them off the face of the earth.”

“Would your wife want you to do that?” Rae asked.

Carson looked at her, stricken. This woman is a wolf, for fuck’s sake, he told himself. He’d seen Rae become a leggy black wolf, running around and around the deck like the hounds of hell were after her. It had been almost amusing, watching her run and jump, working off whatever was making her itch, before he’d reminded himself she was a wild and dangerous creature.