Juneau Heat (19 page)

The scent
of blood permeated the air, and it stained the snow in too many spots. Shiya
scanned them for Birk. This was her fault. If she’d never slept with them, never
asked to get out into the field . . .

When her
feet began to freeze, she looked down and winced, remembering her boots had
been taken away. At another cabin, she heard her brother’s cry and ran in
through the open door. Birk and Kasen faced off. Her brother’s right hand hung
at an awkward angle, but he’d switched his weapon to the left. A gun lay
discarded, and she figured Birk had disarmed him earlier.

“Kasen,
give up,” she demanded. “If you and your people leave Alaska, we can end this
fighting.”

Her brother
sneered. “They all deserve to be killed. You saw them out there, didn’t you?
There are more shifters here than your two lovers, and every one of those men
are carriers. I can guarantee you that. Besides, they cut down too many of my
men. I can’t let that slide.”

“You
started this!” She took a step closer to her brother, but Birk reached out and
snatched her back. In one fluid motion, he whipped her around him and thrust
her in Kotori’s direction. Kotori held her close to his side, and she couldn’t
make him let go no matter how hard she struggled.

“And I’m
going to finish it.” Kasen feinted left and went right to drive his knife into
Birk’s side. Birk blocked the move and sent Kasen flying backward. Her brother
smacked into the side of a table and doubled over. He spit out blood and
dragged a hand over his mouth.

Shiya
searched her mind for a way to stop this. “If you don’t back off, he’s going to
kill you. They’ll kill all of you. I’m willing to bet you’ve never come against
this many shifters and carriers at once. You’re out of your element here,
Kasen. Kotori’s family are used to the climate, and they don’t interact much
with those on the outside.”

Her brother
sneered again. “Meaning they’re wilder than the animals we’ve come across
before. They deserve to be wiped off this planet.”

Kotori
moved up to Birk’s side. Where he’d calmed down some after finding her, she saw
his rage resurface. She had to end this, or they would bury her brother just as
they did her mother.

“If you
don’t stop, I’m going to wipe out every piece of information you have on the
shifters, every contact, every lead.”

Kasen
swore. “That can be gotten back.”

“Ten years’
worth? In how long?”

He seemed
to debate over it. Her threat didn’t hold much water. All Kasen needed to do
was contact her dad or someone else at their headquarters and get an IT person
to change the access. In seconds, they could lock her out of the system and
back everything up.

“Kasen!”

Shiya
jumped, and all of them turned toward the new voice in the doorway. She
couldn’t believe her dad stood there, as calm as if he’d been out taking an
evening stroll. His angry gaze locked on Kasen.

“Please
explain to me why you have my daughter in the midst of all this fighting.”

“Daddy, I’m
fine.” She tried not to draw his focus on her feet.

“Dad, I—”
Kasen began.

“Outside! I
want a full report!” Her father spun on his heel, and it was as if both sides
agreed to back off for now. Shiya noted from the doorway that all fighting in
and outside of the cabin halted. Polar bears melted into the trees, camouflaged
by the white snow. Kasen rushed to the edge of the cleared area, frustration
obvious in the set of his shoulders and his clenched fists.

“Dad, you
know they’re shifters, right?” Kasen demanded.

Her dad
ignored him and crossed his arms over his chest. Shiya noted how fast Kasen
calmed down. No one disrespected her father and got away with it—even her
brother.

Shiya began
to step out of the cabin, but Birk blocked her path. “Kotori, she needs boots.”

Her lover
disappeared and returned in seconds with a pair. She wondered whom he beat to
take them, but didn’t ask questions. Her feet were freezing. Kotori stripped
her wet socks off, and held her up while she stuck her feet into the warm
boots. Birk waited close by, alert to anyone trying to hurt her. Her heart
warmed at seeing them there, but so easily they could have been killed. All
around lay injured men, and a couple of Kotori’s people picked up their fallen
and melted into the scenery.

“We’re
going, Shiya,” Birk said. “I have the feeling your father won’t allow your
brother to go too far again when it comes to you.”

Her stomach
dropped. She felt a sob rise in her throat, but swallowed it. The hesitance in
Birk’s expression made her wonder what he wasn’t saying. “Yes, I’m safe. My
dad’s never been a fan of using us girls. Birk, what are you not telling me?”

He scanned
the area. Several of Kasen’s men were close, but not in hearing distance. They
stood at alert as if they suspected Birk and Kotori would take her. She
resented the thought since her brother had started this mess. Birk eyed the men
and turned toward the trees. He found his route blocked. Now she knew her dad
coming hadn’t put an end to the fighting. He’d stopped her being used as the
pawn. As far as he was concerned, Birk and Kotori were still on his list. Had
anyone told him about her relationship with them? They must have, or he would
wonder why she would work as bait in the first place.

Kotori held
his hands to the sides, claws forming from his nails. Each one slowly turned
black, and he growled low and threatening. Something told her Birk wouldn’t
stop him if he attacked her family.

She swung
to face her father and brother and raised her voice. “Dad, please, just let
them go.”

Her dad
held out his hand to her, standing several feet away. All she had to do was
step away from her lovers and over to her dad, but to do so meant turning her
back on them. With Shiya so close, her dad wouldn’t give the order to shoot
Birk and Kotori. She knew how he worked. Yet, she also knew, out there in the
trees, even though she couldn’t see them, Kotori’s people weren’t far. They had
a standoff, and it depended on her decision.

She looked
up at Birk. “You don’t want me long term, right? You think I’m weak because I’m
human?”

“I don’t think
you’re weak.” He touched her cheek, and she heard her brother swear. Birk
didn’t spare him a glance. He smiled at her. “I should kiss you thoroughly
right here, but it might be too much for them.”

“Birk.”

“Beautiful
Shiya.” He sighed, and she thought she saw pain in his eyes. “Kotori killed
several men today.”

She gasped.
The man in the cabin with her wasn’t the first.

“If he
feels you’re threatened, I can’t make him back off. Do you understand the kind
of man he is?”

She nodded.

“He won’t
hesitate if it’s your dad or your brother. He won’t even hesitate if it’s your
precious sister. Had she stood in the way today . . .”

Her throat
dried, and she swallowed, trying to find moisture where there was none. They’d
been to her suite, where she and Kasen had left Shae. “My sister—”

“She’s
fine.”

“Th-Then we
can’t be together,” she concluded.

“You’re
from a family of hunters. Unless they back off, which I think they won’t now
that they know there are others like us here, we’re at an impasse. They kill
us, or we kill them. If we kill them, you will never forgive us.”

“If they
kill you, I won’t forgive them either,” she insisted.

Birk went
on. “Your dad’s going to call you to his side, and to keep you safe, we will
allow it.”

She
frowned.

He ran a
thumb over her bottom lip. “Damn it, I want to taste that mouth once more. Go
to him.”

“But
they’ll—”

“
Go
.”

No! I’m not going to let this happen. I
can’t.

“Tell me
one thing, Birk.” She turned to Kotori, whose glittering dark eyes barely
reflected reason. Even though he hadn’t shifted into the bear, he appeared to
be all animal. “Kotori.”

He looked
at her, and she didn’t see recognition in his gaze, but she trusted he knew who
she was.

“I want to
know how you two feel about me. I want to know if I wasn’t a Keith, and if my family
had nothing to do with us, what would you do?”

Birk leaned
toward her, and his breath warmed her ear. He whispered, “I would move heaven
and earth to be with you forever.”

Tears
sprang to her eyes and fell down her cheeks. She peered at Kotori, and at
first, she thought he wouldn’t answer or that he didn’t understand her words.

“I love
you.”

The three
words stole her own rationality, and she knew what she had to do.

Shiya took
a tumble into the snow for the millionth time. She couldn’t believe she’d just
taken off running like she did, with both sides on her tail. Birk and Kotori
could shift and catch her, but she noticed they stayed behind the humans just
enough to be out of sight. She had no doubt they were back there—or hell, ahead
of her—somewhere. Several of her father’s men dogged her heels. When one caught
her arm, she went down on purpose and took him with her. A punch to the throat
or a knee to the groin got her free.

She had to
keep moving. If she didn’t, Kotori would attack. She couldn’t let the death of
another man be on her conscience, but she wasn’t willing to give up her lovers
either.

She wasn’t
fool enough to think she could run back to civilization, but if she could get
enough distance between her and her father’s people, Birk would come and get
her. Then she would ask him to take her somewhere she could execute the second
part of her plan.

When her
lungs burned and a stitch had started in her side, she began to think this
whole situation was a bust. Her eyes blurred, and she blinked them several
times to clear her vision. A shadow to her right and just ahead brought her to
a stop, and she fought to hold her breath so she could hear something other
than herself. The effort proved to be too much. She blew out a noisy breath and
took a stance, her fists raised and legs planted firm, one leg forward so she
could throw a kick.

In every
direction, there was nothing, just trees and more trees. Out here, the snow was
deeper, and even the boots didn’t keep her feet warm. She needed socks. No, she
needed a warm fire, some cocoa, and a blanket.

A hand came
down on her shoulder. She grabbed the wrist, flipped the hand off, and spun
around to throw a punch. Kotori caught her fist in a huge palm, engulfing it
with little effort. Curved dark nails touched her skin where he held her, but
didn’t cut her. When he let go, she threw herself into his arms.

“Birk,” she
mumbled against his chest.

“I’m here.”

She looked
around and found her other lover. Just as she thought, they’d circled around
and gotten ahead of her.

“You caused
quite a stir back there,” Birk told her, amusement in his eyes.

“I had to
do something.”

“Kotori and
I could have taken care of it.”

She moved
out of Kotori’s arms and put her hands on her hips. “Yeah, like leaving me.
That was an unacceptable solution. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m freezing my ass
off out here. Can you take me back to Juneau?”

Birk
frowned. He scanned the distance past her and sniffed. “They’re close. Honey, I
don’t think they’ll let you go so easily. Your dad may have already called
ahead to have someone waiting at your suite. Maybe your sister and that other
person.”

Shiya
almost laughed at the disgust in his tone when referring to Joe. “Don’t worry.
I’m not going back there, but I need civilization just for a short while. I
need access to a computer, and then I’ll go anywhere we need to, to be safe—
together
.”

“You’re
determined.”

“I’ve never
been so sure. I think we Keiths have been blind for a long time, and there’s
nothing I can do to make up for all the damage we’ve caused, all the pain and
suffering. I threatened my brother with wiping out everything, but I don’t
think he believed me. I’m hoping he didn’t, or that he’s been so distracted he
didn’t call it in. Their network is about to disappear permanently.”

The trek to
Birk’s car felt like it took forever with her being worn out. She resisted
being carried, and Birk and Kotori shifted into their bear forms to stay
warmer. They flanked her on both sides, small ears perked up on their heads to
listen out for the enemy. By the time she climbed into the SUV, she didn’t feel
like arguing against Birk’s suggestion that she curl up on the backseat. She
slept all the way to town—or what she’d assumed would be Juneau but wasn’t.

She sat up
and rubbed her eyes, yawning. The surroundings were still mountainous, full of
trees and snow, but several buildings dotted the landscape, with plenty of
space between them so one occupant wouldn’t feel like their neighbor crowded
them. The cabins were all of the quality Birk’s and Kotori’s cabin had been
when she spent several days with them alone. Behind the cabins, some ways off,
was a body of water, and polar bears dotted the shoreline.