Andromeda's Fall (Shadowcat Nation) (19 page)

Andie
felt a bit as if she were in the middle of the movie
Braveheart
, or some
other historical scene where two armies marched to a field to face off against
each other. She sort of expected bagpipes or maybe Native American drums to be
playing somewhere. With the entire Keller Dare at their back, she and Jaxon
went out to the land beyond the walls surrounding the compound, where Walter,
Kyle, and the rest of the Carstairs Dare waited for them.

This
would be a good place for a challenge. The field was fairly flat and open.
Woods at the Carstairs’ back and the compound at hers, the mountains climbed up
around them as though the gods themselves had created a natural coliseum just
for this moment.

Andie’s
eyes searched for her father, and she found him in the front row. She sucked in
a pained breath, which turned into a low growl as she noticed Kyle’s smirk at
her reaction. They’d beaten her dad. Within an inch of his life, she guessed,
based on the heavy bruising and crutches. But she also recognized the look Mark
Reynolds gave her. He wanted her to hold strong and stay exactly where she was.
He’d survived, as he always had.

Andie
was just happy they hadn’t killed him. Yet. When Shane had left, the only thing
that had protected his family from being killed— as had happened to previous
defectors —was that Andie had helped him fake his own death. Watching him rip
off his own ear to survive had been a major turning point in her development as
a shifter. It’d showed her exactly what she didn’t want in an Alpha.

But
her dad had insisted that she leave him and that escaping Kyle was worth any
threat of death to him. He’d stayed, knowing the risks, in order to enact his
own plans. As her eyes roamed over the rest of her people, she just prayed that
he’d been marginally successful… that she was right about the reasons for the
entire dare being there today.

Andie’s
resolve hardened, strengthened by the love and support she could feel coming
from her father. She would not run off and do something stupid in a misguided
attempt to save him. Instead, she’d keep her focus on surviving this battle.
Her father was a big boy who knew what he was doing.

Jaxon
took her hand and squeezed.
Not my only family now,
she thought, and
smiled grimly. They stopped and stood about a hundred feet away from Andie’s
dare across the way.

“We
demand that you release the people you have taken from our dare!” Walter called
across the distance. Exactly as she’d predicted.

Jaxon
held up Andie’s left hand, still clutched in his own, and turned the ring out.
“We are mated and married. I won’t be giving her, or anyone who asks for asylum
from the Keller Dare, to you anytime soon.”

Andie
watched as Kyle opened his mouth wide in a silent hiss, letting his cougar
show. Jaxon saw it too, but didn’t react… just waited for their next volley. It
didn’t take long. Kyle stepped forward. “I challenge you for the right to
mate.”

“You
may want to know that we’re Fated,” Jaxon warned.

A
dark scowl descended over Kyle’s face. “
Liar
,” he spat. “No family has
two. It’s unheard of. Andie is
mine
. My challenge stands.”

“Accepted,”
Jaxon said without hesitation.

That
fact that Jaxon didn’t try to negotiate or talk his way out of the fight gave
the Carstairs men pause, but not for long. Kyle moved out into the open area
between them and began to strip off his shirt.

As
Jaxon started to do the same, Andie called out, “And I challenge Walter
Carstairs for the right to lead the Carstairs Dare.”

Andie
glanced at her father and caught his small nod and a hint of a smile.

The
move made sense. Kyle and Walter wouldn’t see it coming. It split up the
Carstairs men, and it was time to end the Carstairs’ hold on one of the ten
dares of the Shadowcat Nation.

Hearing
a stirring behind her, Andie turned and discovered that every single cougar in
the group she’d been training these last weeks was stepping out of the crowd to
join the Commanders and Protectors. The show of solidarity and support from
these people that she’d pushed so hard moved Andie more than she could say. She
gave them a nod of thanks. As she turned back around, she glanced up at Jaxon
and caught the pride flashing in his eyes.

 “On
what grounds?” Walter called over, bringing their attention back to him.

“Your
son is threatening my Fated Mate. As his Alpha, you must answer for the actions
of your people. Not only that, but I have video proof of his attempt last year
to challenge Nick Jensen for his Fated Mate, Hannah.”

“Let
her challenge!” a voice rang out from behind Walter.

More
angry voices rose in favor of the challenge. Walter had no choice but to step
forward. If he refused, his dare would turn on him. And that was her father’s
plan, she realized. He was banking on Jaxon’s and Andie’s skills as fighters.
But if that didn’t work, the dare was gathered and angered and ready.

Andie
felt Jaxon tense beside her. She turned her back to their foes and looked up at
him. “You hoped he’d back down, didn’t you?” she asked quietly.

“Your
father must have a lot of faith in you,” he muttered. Apparently he’d come to
the same conclusion she had.

“You’ve
seen me fight. He trained me.” She reached up and kissed his lips. “Don’t
worry, hubby. I have a strange feeling we won’t lose this one.”

He
gave her a speculative look but nodded. Jaxon shielded Andie from the view of
the crowds as best he could while she stripped off her clothes and shifted. He
then quickly discarded his own and trotted out beside her. Walter and Kyle were
already in their mountain lion forms and waiting for them.

Andie
bumped Jaxon as they walked, sliding across him in a gesture of affection. And
then, without warning of any kind, she charged Walter. After the slightest
pause, she knew Jaxon had taken her lead and done the same. She’d bet he was
swearing a mental blue streak at her right now. But she knew the Carstairs men
wouldn’t expect the move, and Jaxon and she needed every advantage they could
get.

She
was on top of Walter in seconds, but the big male lion wasn’t Alpha for
nothing. He stood up on his hind legs, holding his front paws up. Andie saw the
move and adjusted her attack. She also stood up as she got in close. She
managed to evade one massive paw as he swiped it at her head, but the second
paw caught her, knocking her off balance.

Instead
of dropping to all fours, Andie rolled to her back directly below Walter, who’d
tried to follow her down. She did a fast maneuver to tuck her hind legs in
close to her body and then slammed into his belly with her feet taking his
momentum, which was already moving forward, and flipped his great weight up and
over her head. At the same time, she took her front sets of claws and sank them
into his shoulders, which dragged her with him.

But
Walter rolled them in a way that flung Andie off him and away. He was on his
feet, but instead of coming after her, he lunged for Jaxon, who had his back to
them, focused on Kyle.

Dammit,
she thought as
she sprinted to intercept. Just before Walter hit Jaxon, Andie leapt, throwing
herself through the air and slamming into him from the side.

Instinctively,
she rolled as she fell and looked directly up into Kyle’s vicious glare. Andie
shifted to her human form, in which she crouched and did a series of back
handsprings, quickly getting out of his direct line of attack and putting him
back in Jaxon’s path. As she shifted back to her cat form, Andie was aware that
Jaxon blocked Kyle’s way, but her focus remained on locating Walter.

She
found him behind her, stealthily trying to sneak in. Andie hissed and bared her
teeth. And then she squatted and waited. She could hear the sounds of Jaxon and
Kyle going at it behind her, but she couldn’t worry about that right now.

Walter
prowled closer, looking for an opening, a weakness. Andie knew this dance. He’d
lunge. She’d counter. He’d leap. She’d move. Walter employed a lot of noise,
like a wild cougar cornered in the wilderness. It was an intimidation tactic.
Cougars were bad ass fighters, but they were better as stealth predators. In a
one-on-one fight, they’d rather attack hard and force their opponent to run
away.

But
this was supposed to be a fight to the death. She’d challenged an Alpha. To
win, she had to kill him. Andie kept silent and waited. Patience was the key. Walter
was starting to breathe hard. He was an older cougar now, one who hadn’t
trained or fought in years, depending more and more on his son’s strength. She
was wearing him down.

Moving
with lightning fast speed, she scooted in and up under his chest as if she were
going for his throat. Then she managed to swing her right foreleg up over his
withers. Sinking her claws into his hide, she pulled the rest of her upper body
up around his side. She snapped her powerful jaws down. She was aiming for the
back of his neck but got an ear.

This
is for Shane, you son of a bitch
! She clamped her teeth down hard and,
using the leverage she already had with her claws embedded in his back, she
jerked her head back.

A
sense of justice welled in her as Walter yowled in pain. He shuffled away,
blood spitting from the gash on his head where his ear had been. She watched
him closely, waiting for the charge she knew was coming.

Only
some sixth sense alerted her a split second before she felt Kyle’s claws rips
through her back right hip and down her leg. It was her turn to scream in pain,
but she also didn’t hesitate. Andie spun on her other leg and used the momentum
from her body to pound her unsheathed claws across his face.

That’ll
leave a mark,
she thought with satisfaction. But she didn’t have time to dwell on it. Jaxon
was on top of Kyle, but Walter was still right there. And he’d used the
distraction his son had created to close in on her.

She
felt him come down on her and wrap both paws around her neck. Praying that her
injury wouldn’t buckle under the weight, Andie stood straight up on her hind legs.
When they held, she started pumping them in a move she’d seen football players
use. Just keep moving. She managed to drive him back and then topple him over.
She twisted as they went over.

Only
Andie’s acrobatic ability had her keeping her head as they fell. She managed to
rotate them so that Walter landed on his side with her on his back with a clear
shot at his neck. She didn’t pass up a gift like that. She clamped her teeth
down around his nape, working them between the vertebrae as he bucked and
writhed beneath her. With a final, satisfying crunch, the bones snapped as she
severed his spinal cord. Walter went limp.

Andie
gave herself only a few seconds to breathe a sigh of relief. She’d done it.
She’d won the Carstairs Dare. But Jaxon was still in battle with Kyle. And Kyle
was a mean, nasty fighter.

Keeping
her teeth in Walter’s neck, she dragged him toward the sounds of the scuffle.
It was a hard haul given that he was twice her weight. When she had him close
enough, she shifted, staying in a squatting position so that the entire
gathering wasn’t getting a complete eyeful. Putting her fingers to her lips,
she gave a high-pitched whistle before shifting back to her cat form.

Kyle
turned and looked just long enough to recognize his father’s limp form. He was
a smart man, in a weaselly kind of way. He knew that with his father dead,
Andie was now in charge of the dare. And he knew she’d order his immediate
execution for a multitude of sins. But more than that, he was injured, and
Jaxon still looked fresh and ready to go. Kyle was not going to win his fight.
Not today.

Kyle
took off at a sprint. A group made up of shifters from both dares took off
after him, determined not to let him get away. But Andie didn’t follow, and
neither did Jaxon. She looked at her husband with triumph just before she dropped
to the ground, her injured leg no longer able to hold her up.

Jaxon
padded over to Andie and made a whistling sound, asking if she was okay. Andie
chuffed in return. He relaxed a little, but rubbed against her, communicating
his concern. Someone brought over some clothes. Jaxon shifted and quickly
dressed. He then draped her with a blanket. Andie shifted, and then he scooped
her up in his arms.

“We’ll
be with the Healer,” he said to his men. “Gather the leaders of the Carstairs
Dare in our meeting room. We’ll talk with them to sort out details in about an
hour.”

He
didn’t wait for Nick’s nod before setting off. The crowds around them silently
parted as they passed by. Suddenly one person bowed as they moved back, and
then someone else followed suit, then another, and another, until everyone was bowing
as Jaxon walked by with Andie in his arms.

“Are
they bowing to you?” she asked, eyes wide. “Does the Keller Dare do that
stuff?”

Jaxon
smiled as he looked down at his love with tender pride. “No. We don’t. They’re
bowing to you. A sign of respect and acceptance – for both of us. That’s not
just our dare in there…. Many of those people are from your old dare as well.”

Andie’s
eyes flashed from face to face as they passed by, and she realized he was
right.

“Oh.”

“That’s
my girl,” he whispered back.

Andie
grinned, and he laughed.

The
Healer made short work of Andie’s ripped up leg, as well as Jaxon’s and her
other minor injuries.

“That
was quite a fight,” JoLynn said, as she moved her hands over Andie. The scene
reminded Jaxon of the fateful day his mate had appeared at the Keller Dare.

“Oh,
you saw it?” Andie asked.

“Yes.”
Jaxon caught JoLynn’s glance. “And if I might be a little forward, you’ve
chosen yourself a good woman, Jaxon.”

Jaxon
grinned and looked down at his wife. “Glad you approve, Jo. I certainly think
so,” he said, as he smoothed his hand over Andie’s hair.

As
soon as they were both healed, he took them back to their rooms to shower and
change. Andie had just pulled her shirt down over her head when he couldn’t
wait a moment more. He strode over to her in three rapid steps, grabbed her and
spun her into his arms, capturing her mouth under his.

But
he
didn’t end the kiss, unable to pull away.

She
leaned back. “We can’t,” she whispered.

He
placed his forehead against hers. “I know. Business. But before we go deal with
all that hoopla, can I just take a moment?”

She
smoothed a lock of hair in a casual caress that tugged at his heart. “You need
a moment?” she asked.

“Yes.”
He took a deep breath. “You are the most amazing creature I think I’ve ever
witnessed. In action, you are a thing of beauty.”

She
smiled and tilted her head to the side, waiting for him to continue.

“But
despite the fact that you’re bad ass, watching you fight to the death just took
a good ten years off my life.” A full body shudder ran through him.

“I’m
fine. I’m right here.” Andie laid a sweet, soft kiss on his lips. “I knew you’d
keep me safe.”

“Just
let me enjoy the simple fact of your existence in my life for a moment. I don’t
think you realize how bad it would be for me if I lost you.”

Andie
took his face in her hands. “We’re Fated Mates. I love you with everything I
have inside me. So much it scares me sometimes. I imagine it’s about the same
with you.”

Jaxon
felt his chest expand with love. “How’d I get so lucky to find you? Sarai said
that it wasn’t guaranteed we’d end up together. Even after we met. Our destiny
was always up to you.”

“You
never told me that,” she murmured, a frown marring her brow.

He
shrugged, but even now he could feel the toll that not knowing had taken on him
these last months. He felt a little sick at the thought of never winning this
amazing woman.

“Well,
I found you, anyway,” she said.

“No.
You came to me, but I found you. My stars and my moon.” She shivered, smiling
as she recognized the phrase he’d used to describe her mother’s love shown in
Andie’s unusual name.

He
traced the contours of her face with the tip of his finger. “I woke in the
middle of the night absolutely sure that if I went to that room, something
monumental was about to happen. It was a ridiculous thing, and even more
singular that I followed the instinct. I waited in the shadows and in you
sailed, poetry in motion. I couldn’t see your face. I had no idea who you were
or why you were sneaking into my compound. But I think I fell in love with you
when you jumped through the window into a perfect tuck and roll.”

Andie
grinned. “And then I opened my big mouth.”

“And
I wanted to kiss those gorgeous lips, and at the same time laugh at your
daring, even while I had to make sure you weren’t a threat to my people. You
really knocked my socks off from the word go.”

“And
I knew when I was so determined to impress you. I only ever react that way with
people I care about. I fell in love with the man who’d fought with me and then
kept me company every evening so I didn’t lose my mind. And now I’m your bride.
And I’ve never been so happy. I never dreamed that I could be.”

He
pulled her tightly to him and brought his mouth down on hers in a heart-stirring,
bone-melting, brain-scrambling kiss. She wrapped herself around him, and he
reveled in the sensation.

After
a few moments, he pulled back. They were both breathing hard. “We have to go,”
he muttered.

“Ahhh…
Can it wait?”

“Afraid
not. Thanks to your kick ass fighting skills, we’re now the Alphas of two
dares. You got us into this. Now you get to deal with the consequences.”

“Damn.”

“Yup.”

Andie
blinked up at him. “There’s something I need to do first.”

*****

Per
her instructions, Jaxon had Andie’s father brought to their room. As soon as he
walked in the door, Andie threw herself in his arms, careful not to knock him
off his crutches.

“Are
you okay?” Andie asked, choking back the tears.

“Nothing
I can’t handle,” her father answered.

“We
have a Healer here. She can take care of you in no time.”

He
gave her a tender look and shook his head. “I’m so proud of you, Andromeda.”

Andie’s
eyes widened. The nickname of A.J. had been her father’s idea since he’d always
wanted a boy.

“Thanks,
Dad.”

She
led him to a couch, and they caught up on the past few months. About twenty
minutes later, Jaxon knocked on the door and poked his head in.

“Dad,
I’d like to introduce my Fated Mate and the Alpha of the Keller Dare. This is
Jaxon Keller. Jaxon, this is Mark Reynolds, my father.”

“We’ve
met before,” her dad said, as they shook hands.

“Of
course. You probably would have at any Shadowcat Nation meetings,” she
realized.

The
men nodded. “Although I didn’t know he had a daughter,” Jaxon added.

“Sarai
told me to keep her a secret from you, actually. And to send her to you when no
other choice was available.”

“You
know, that girl has a lot to answer for,” Andie said with a chuckle.

Both
men smiled.

“Andie
and I have talked, and we have a favor to ask you,” Jaxon led off.

Her
father lifted his eyebrows.

“Dad,
I’d like you to run the Reynolds Dare,” Andie said.

Immediately
he held up his hands. “I haven’t earned the right. You are Alpha, A.J., not
me.”

She
nodded. “But you’ve earned that right too… what you’ve done over the years, and
setting up that scene today. You banded our people together, Dad, not me. I
just cut the head off the snake. Besides, Jaxon and I can’t be in two places at
once, and we refuse to be separated. We need a leader on site.”

“Wouldn’t
one of the Keller Council or Protectors or Commanders be a better choice?”

Andie
took her father’s hand. “You let them beat you into a pulp rather than reveal
my location. You protected me, Dad. And you did your best to protect our
people. More than I think you give yourself credit for.”

She
could see she still wasn’t getting through to him.

“And
we want someone who understands the dare implicitly and has the respect and
power to enable change,” Jaxon added. “Plus you have knowledge about Carstairs
politics that even Andie wasn’t privy to. Like a treaty with a pack of wolf
shifters, perhaps.”

Mark
pulled his lips back over his teeth. Wolf shifters had murdered his wife. He
held a special kind of hatred for them. “There are no wolf treaties. They’re
still just as much a threat to us as they are to you.”

“Dad,”
Andie said softly. “I know you’ve always suspected that the wolves who killed
Mom weren’t there by chance. Are you sure?”

He
squeezed her hand. “I never could prove that theory. That was grief talking,
I’m sure.”

Jaxon’s
jaw hardened. “How sure? We were attacked by a pack in Montana. All indications
show the move on us wasn’t random. It was deliberate. We thought maybe Walter
and Kyle had sent them for Andie.”

Her
father’s eyebrows drew together. “You’re sure it wasn’t random?”

Jaxon
rubbed a hand over his jaw. “I’m convinced. They were too prepared – bringing
tranquilizers.”

Mark
shook his head. “I’d say I’m absolutely sure, but with Carstairs – Walter or
Kyle – I can’t put the word absolutely in there.”

Jaxon
nodded. “Thank you for your honesty. This does mean we’ve got another issue
that we’ll deal with later. In the meantime, we still need you, Mark.”

They
spent the next thirty minutes convincing her father of their plan. Finally
Andie said, “Dad, it’s now the Reynolds Dare, and I need a Reynolds helping me
lead it. As your Alpha, I order you to rule in my stead when I’m not on
location.”

Mark’s
lips tightened, but respect and admiration shone from his eyes as he gave a
terse nod of acceptance. The three of them made their way to the conference
room where the leaders from both dares were gathered and waiting.