Rae scented Lupine, light and blending with the sharp pine smell of the forest. The woodsy odor catapulted Rae back home, to runs in the mountains with her brothers, she a tiny wolf cub trying to keep up with two long-legged felines. Logan and Colin had always waited for her though or stopped to carry her. They never once left Rae behind.
The door opened. The tall man who emerged reminded Rae of Eoin enough to make her breath catch. This man was a Lupine, though, not Feline. His gray eyes and rangy look, not to mention his scent, told her that. He was middle aged, for a Shifter, probably in his two-hundredth year. His dark hair held no touch of gray, his face was unlined, and his body was solid but ropy, as though he liked to run.
The man’s gaze connected with hers, recognized her as a fellow Lupine, then shot back to Zander.
“That’s the Guardian?” he demanded, his thick brows drawing together. “I know you said she was female, but I expected a woman of decent years. She’s still a cub.”
“This is Rae Lyall,” Zander said in a hard voice. “Honorary member of the Lyall clan of Montana, foster daughter of the clan leader. Show some respect.”
“She’s so bloody young,” the Lupine continued.
Rae walked forward until she stood next to Zander. She shook all over but she lifted her head and met the man’s cold gaze. He wasn’t Collared and this was his territory—there was nothing to stop him tearing apart Shifters he considered a threat.
Rae couldn’t show fear. The Lupine already knew she was afraid—he’d scent it—but she had to prove to him that she would do her job, no matter how much he tried to intimidate her.
“I passed my Transition five years ago,” Rae said in a clear voice. “I’m no cub, and I’m here to help.”
Zander rocked ever so slightly on his heels, waiting for the Lupine’s reaction. Nothing to stop Zander tearing into the Lupine if he attacked either.
The Lupine pinned Rae with his gaze for a while longer then let out a long sigh, shoulders slumping. “I don’t have a choice, do I? But you leave my territory the second it’s done.”
Zander gave him a nod, not looking offended. “Agreed.”
The Lupine moved aside, opening a narrow way through the front door. Zander swarmed up the steps and inside at the tacit invitation, somehow not touching the Lupine as he ducked inside.
Rae followed, her heart pounding. The Lupine’s gaze burned her, his eyes white gray, as she turned sideways to get past him.
The Lupine waited until Rae had crossed the threshold, then he slammed the door behind them, shutting out the air. The house was stuffy and dim, the only light a bare bulb in the hall that led to the bedrooms in the back.
The house wasn’t primitive though or even a messy bachelor house. The big living room was furnished with a comfortable-looking sofa and chairs, a large dining table, and a big, flat-screened TV on the wall. Rae had noticed a small satellite dish on top of the house, something no Shiftertown Shifter was allowed. Paintings and photos on the walls added a homey touch.
The Lupine faced Zander. The Lupine’s hostility didn’t drop but both men opened their arms and pulled each other into a Shifter embrace.
The hug was wary but necessary, Rae understood. The Lupine was promising that he wouldn’t kill Zander while he was a guest under his roof. Zander, in turn, was promising to behave and respect his territory.
But it was more than that, Rae sensed, as the embrace continued. Zander pressed his closed fist against the man’s back, massaging him a little, and the Lupine started to relax, his belligerence fading somewhat.
Zander was soothing him as he’d soothed Rae, no doubt sending a tingle of his healing ability into the Lupine to calm him. Rae had watched Daragh comfort others enough to realize that the Lupine’s anger had to do with his grief, his knowledge that when his dad was gone, he’d be alone. The Lupine lowered his head to Zander’s shoulder and he hung on to the bigger man.
After a while, Zander put both hands on the man’s shoulders and gently eased him away. “All right?” he asked.
The Lupine nodded and wiped his eyes. “Damn it, now I’m going to smell like bear.”
“Hey,” Zander said softly. “The ladies love that.”
The Lupine snorted, straightened up, and turned to Rae. “I’m Ezra Wilcox. My dad is Robert. Welcome, Guardian.”
Rae wasn’t sure how she was supposed to respond, so she gave him a polite nod. The sword in its case moved on her back.
Ezra’s gaze snapped to the case then away, and he turned from her, but not in rudeness. “This way. I warn you, he’s not in the best of moods.”
Some instinct told Rae to take the sword from her back but not to open the case. Walking in with the sword ready to go might not be the most reassuring thing to do.
Ezra led the way and Zander followed, Rae coming behind. Zander’s bulk and presence was comforting, his glance behind him with his dark eyes more comforting still. Rae had resented being dumped on his boat but now she was grateful he’d be with her every step of the way.
As she walked into the bedroom, she recalled Daragh telling her how some Shifters who were dying welcomed him, while others didn’t want to see him. The families would sometimes try to pretend he wasn’t there, despite his large size and giant sword.
The same sword Daragh had carried now rested on Rae’s back. Daragh, if you can hear me, please don’t let me screw this up.
The bedroom was even stuffier than the front room, the scent of wolf pervasive. Rae saw Zander politely try to hide his flinch.
The old Shifter, Robert, wasn’t in bed. He sat in a chair, a blanket covering his lap, leaving his chest and arms bare. He was very old, even for a Shifter—his nearly white hair and his scent told Rae that—but his eyes were as full of fire as his son’s.
“Great,” Robert said, glaring at Zander as Ezra led them in. “I’m dying and I have to put up with the obnoxious bear. Who let you into my house, Alexander Johansson Bloody Moncrieff? Goddess, what a mouthful. Bears don’t have last names, you idiot.”
“My mother thought otherwise,” Zander said smoothly. “I keep the names to honor her.”
“Of course you do,” Robert growled. “Let’s get this over with. I’m about to expire and I don’t want some fecking Fae sucking my soul into Faerie to play with. Where’s the Guardian?”