Mate Bond

Kenzie therefore had been raised by Cristian and her grandmother, Afina. They’d both loved her plenty, but she’d always known they’d considered her father weak. A fool, Cristian had said, to join the humans. Cristian’s clan had hidden out in the mountains during the war, waiting for the stupid humans to grow tired of killing one another.

That war had changed everything, though. Wild lands became fewer and farther between as humans took them over to feed a growing population. Automobile and airplane use became commonplace, erasing the quietude of the wild. It became increasingly difficult for Shifters to hide their true natures, simply because humans were everywhere, even in the lesser populated areas of Eastern Europe. Living behind an iron curtain made things even more difficult. A few of Kenzie’s clan had gotten out to Western Europe and the States, but they’d found themselves alone there.

Once the wall fell in Berlin, things had begun to change even more, and Shifters had to make choices. Then Shifters had been outed. Kenzie’s clan was rounded up and shipped off to the States. They’d learned English on the fly, and had found themselves dumped in a high school gym in the state called North Carolina, where Kenzie had seen Bowman for the first time.

Cristian spoke English with a thick accent, though his accent came and went depending on who he talked to and how much he wanted to manipulate them. When he was alone with his pack, he ceased bothering with English altogether, as he did now.

“What happened last night?” he asked her in a dialect of the Transylvanian mountains. Ryan, in a hurry to rejoin his friends, slipped his hand from Kenzie’s and jogged on down the road toward Cade’s place. “My Lupines are giving me garbled accounts, and Bowman’s trackers won’t talk to me at all.”

Probably because they didn’t trust him. Neither did Kenzie. She loved her uncle, but Cristian was slippery, had preferred the world when he was leader, and wanted to be leader again. He was still alpha of his pack, but he hated to be subordinate to anyone else.

“You’re getting garbled accounts because we don’t know what happened,” Kenzie answered. “Whatever attacked us was huge and not normal. We don’t know what it was.”

“And Bowman brought it down himself?” Cristian threw her a skeptical look. His hair was dark, but brushed with gray, the same color as his wolf’s fur. His eyes were a deep gold, like Kenzie’s and her grandmother’s. “Our fearless leader took down an animal ten times bigger than any Shifter? By himself?”

“Yes, but with our help,” Kenzie said, keeping her impatience in check. “We attacked it, and Bowman got it after we harassed it a lot.”

“Got it with what? His teeth? His claws? His body odor?”

“Don’t be a shit,” Kenzie told him in English. “With Cade’s truck, and I’m betting you already heard the story, so don’t mess with me.”

Cristian lost his derision as he let out a real laugh. “No wonder Cade snarled at me. He must be in mourning. He worshiped that stupid truck.”

“It wasn’t as funny as it sounds. Bowman was nearly crushed to death, and even then the thing only ran off.” She remembered her terror as she’d rushed to Bowman lying bleeding under glass and bent metal. She’d nearly wept in relief when she found him still alive. “That creature didn’t die. It’s still out there.”

“I know.” Cristian stopped, turning a sharp gaze on Kenzie. “What is Bowman doing about it?”

“He’s getting over being hurt first.” Kenzie returned his look with a scowl. “He doesn’t want to rest, but I’m making him stay down for a while. And you’ll leave him alone while he recovers.”

Cristian gave her an innocent look that Kenzie didn’t believe for a minute. “You think I would rush in while he’s injured and try to take over Shiftertown?”

“Yes,” Kenzie said steadily.

“Give me credit for some honor, please, sweetling. When I fight him, we will do so on equal footing. I would not creep up on him while he is down and take him out.” Cristian looked genuinely hurt that Kenzie would think so, but Kenzie knew better. Her uncle would take any advantage he could—he always did.

In his sweats, his skin sheened with perspiration, Cristian looked like any other man out for a jog—any tall man in great shape. Cristian was a hundred years older than Bowman and had a hundred and fifty on Kenzie, but he was at the height of his strength. “My niece, when I do take Bowman down, you must be ready to decide whose side you are on. I will not let you get in my way. And if I defeat him, you must be prepared for those consequences too.”

Kenzie glowered at him. “Don’t threaten me, Uncle Cris. You know I’m not afraid of you, and you’re just pissing me off.” Not exactly true—she did worry a lot about what Uncle Cristian got up to.

Cristian knew she did. “You share no mate bond with Bowman. We all know this. If he dies, you will be free, not dead inside yourself. When that day comes, I know you will be strong. I will need you.”

“I’ll stand by him,” Kenzie said, her jaw so stiff it hurt. “He’s my mate. Unlike some people in this family, I know what loyalty means.”

Cristian’s lip curled. “If you refer to me killing my father to take over the clan, he was very old and knew it was his time to die. He fought well, and was grateful to go out with some dignity. He smiled at me when the Guardian came to send him to dust. He knew I could well look after the pack and Afina.”