27. Vix

Chapter 27

Vix

I t took far too much effort not to snarl at the alpha's cub.

Surprising to see she didn't look much more than five or six years younger than Vix though. A pretty little thing too with all that blonde hair and warm brown eyes, but she found the stench of her fear revolting when the witch possessed so much power.

Unfortunately, this added a complication.

If the witch didn't want the raven to leave and Vix did, then it was up to the alpha to make the final decision, wasn't it?

She took a step toward the glass wall, turning to put her back to the forest and keep everyone in her field of view. Then she looked to Samuel.

The alpha was still holding the blade he'd pulled from her side, staring at her stomach like he couldn't believe she'd done that. Vix almost felt bad for him, but he still smelled too angry – too conflicted.

Her gaze shifted to Mylo then.

The other alpha had his claws wrapped around Rune's throat to hold him back, and his golden eyes were scorching. Vix felt her heart skip a beat when she saw he wasn't staring at her like he couldn't understand what the hell was going on, but like he knew exactly what she was thinking, down to the very last detail.

She saw conflict in him too, but it wasn't the same as Samuel's. No, Mylo was disturbed she was looking to him for the final decision, but he was so very pleased about it too.

"I can't stay here if the raven won't leave," she tried to explain, not daring to drop her gaze. He hadn't wanted her to before. "I'll have to break the rules."

Mylo narrowed his eyes. "You attacked Rune."

His statement forced her to look at the giant who was willingly letting the golden alpha hold him back and she couldn't quite look at his face, but she could still remember what they looked like. "I woke up and saw green eyes in a face I've never seen before. It scared me. Hurting him was an accident. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Honestly, I deserved it for grabbing your tongue like that." Rune shrugged and it was obvious he wasn't holding a grudge, but the tension in the room didn't ease. "Plus, you didn't try to kill me, so technically, you didn't do anything wrong."

Vix managed to look at his mouth, swallowing hard at the sudden urge to cry. His reassurance meant so much more than she could have imagined. It really had been an accident and the slash marks on his shirt that were evidence of what she'd done made her feel horrible.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, bringing her eyes up to his mouth. "I'll be better."

"You don't?—"

"Mylo, I need Valentina to stay here with me," Morgan interrupted, her words as sharp as a blade. "This is just a misunderstanding."

"One you purposefully created," Vix snapped, her irritation burning through the self-loathing. This whole fucking thing was ridiculous. Not to mention that witch was still in the doorway, blocking her exit. "Stop acting like you don't know why this is a problem, mind reader."

That snapped Samuel out of his conflict, and he snarled at her like she'd crossed a line. "Vix, that's enough."

It would be so simple if she could just tell them why , but they were outsiders.

Vix still had a collective. She could be punished for violating the rules, and Valentina didn't. There was no reason for her to withhold information from the tigers, and if the witch could read minds, she could just fucking tell them what they needed to know.

There were only two ways to solve this problem. This raven needed to be removed from the situation. Dead or alive, it didn't matter to Vix. If that was impossible without violating these ridiculous rules the alpha insisted on, she'd need to get permission to tell her mates whatever she wanted.

For that, she needed the guardian.

It wouldn't take long to run up there and ask, but that witch was still in the doorway and if she ran toward her, everyone would believe she was trying to kill her.

See, this was why she'd decided to live in the forest. People were fucking exhausting.

"We need to have a discussion about this," Samuel said, turning to Morgan with a tone she recognized. "Obviously, you left out some important details, didn't you?"

This was his cub. The alpha couldn't be rational about the situation at all.

Vix eyed Mylo, knowing he wouldn't challenge Samuel for her when he couldn't scent the mate bond. His pain wouldn't let him. Rune…

She couldn't even fucking look him in the eyes and that hurt more than all the other shit. Why did the one who actually wanted her have to have green eyes that were almost identical to his?

There was no easy way to get what she needed, so she needed fast, and Vix had always been faster than any mortal had the right to be.

Dropping her eyes to the floor, she vanished her blade, annoyed she didn't have time to get her boots. It would be fine. She'd heal eventually.

"It's complicated, Alpha," the witch said, clearly trying to appease the tiger. "You know I can't tell you everything?—"

She moved , running as fast as she could, but not for the door. No, Vix ran straight for that two-story wall of glass.

Leaping right at it, she tucked and covered her head, shattering the glass with the force of her compact form and a tiny jab of magic to minimize some of the damage to her body. Vix hit the ground running, barely slowing down at all despite the glass that sliced into her bare feet.

Snow numbed most of the pain as she headed north, letting herself run as fast as she could, faster than was possible for someone like her, even if she was a hybrid.

The trees called to her and wildness sang through the earth. She was bleeding but it would stop soon enough, and even her blood had no scent so at some point her trail would disappear.

Kenji would be able to help her.

Just before she reached the tree line, she felt it even if it made no earthly sound – softer than snowflakes and as silent as death.

There was no way he should be able to catch up with her when she didn't hold back, but she didn't bother trying to understand it. She just reacted to the threat.

Vix dug her claws into the ground, turning sharply to face the white tiger who was eating up the ground with the same kind of speed she had. She crouched low, ready for this fight even if she didn't want it.

For the first time since coming here, Vix felt the overwhelming urge to go back. She wanted them to just let her go so she could go back to her quiet life where she tended those gardens of death until the day she came face to face with Gabriel and asked him why .

Samuel slammed into her with his full weight, not holding back his vicious strength.

So, neither did she.

Claws on her fingers and toes found purchase as she rolled backward, kicking him over her. It was impressive the way he landed on all fours, but she'd expected that.

Blades sliced through the air before they sank into his flesh as he tried to attack again, and his roar of fury had her entire body trembling, but she dodged his next strike that would have knocked her head clean off her shoulders and then summoned a short sword made of silver, not stars.

He couldn't land a hit on her no matter how hard he tried. The way she dodged and slid was too unpredictable. Vix's body remembered what she couldn't and she flipped backwards until she had the space she needed.

There was nothing but ice in his eyes and the fury riding him could end worlds if she let it. He prowled toward her as if he felt no pain despite the blades sticking out of his sides, blood staining that pretty white fur.

Vix set the edge of the silver sword against the rune on her neck and watched as the tiger's fury stumbled at the sight. The scent of real fear curled around her and she couldn't help but feel a little relieved he cared about her at all after what had happened.

When he looked at that blade against her neck, it almost looked like he was staring at his own death, not hers. The alpha didn't dare move, he didn't even speak to her, but maybe he didn't know he could.

Such a reckless creature, letting all these killers into his den.

One quick slice across her neck and the roar of pain she heard from him made her smile slightly. It was endearing the way he lunged for her, shifting mid-air to grab her as if he thought he might be catching a dead body.

The force of his desperation slammed into her and they went sliding across the snow, his arms wrapping around her, protecting her from the ice. The moment they stopped, Samuel sat up and grabbed her face, his eyes wild as he tried to see if she could be fixed.

Just in time to see the rune on her neck suck up all the blood, making it glow.

"You know, you're terrible at this." Vix reached up and brushed her thumb over his cheek. "You want to be human too much to really listen to your instincts, even when I'm telling the truth. It's very annoying."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Samuel pushed her into the snow with a childish glare. "Were you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"You'd have to have a heart for that." Vix got to her feet and rested the flat side of the short sword on her shoulder. "I'll get what I need to prove I'm right. Just watch."

Then he came, slamming into the snow between her and the alpha.

Vix grinned, delighted his timing was so fucking perfect.

"You never call, and when you do, this is how I find you?"

Vix looked up into red eyes full of disapproval and opened her mouth to explain when a deep growl vibrated the air, and she slid around the raven, shielding him from the alpha.

" No . He's mine." She enjoyed the perverse pleasure she felt when the scent of jealousy teased her.

"Vixen." Fingers tangled in her hair, yanking her back and around so she was forced to look up at him. "What the fuck is going on?"

A screech of the raven overhead caught Kenji's attention and he looked up, the corner of his mouth quirking up. "Ah."

"Release her," Rune snarled.

It seemed the other two tigers could be just as silent as their alpha if they wanted to be.

Kenji released her, but he kept his eyes on the white tiger, one hand reaching out for her. Vix stepped into him, letting his arm wrap around her waist as she did the same, facing the other two in the opposite direction – ready to protect each other to the death if need be.

But shame filled her when she couldn't quite bring herself to look at Rune, even now. Her eyes were on his chest, not his face, as Kenji took a step to keep the alpha in his direct line of sight and she moved with him effortlessly.

It made her feel ridiculous to press her face into Kenji's shoulder, hiding from those green eyes that made her want to run and run and run?—

"Why did you call me here, Vix?" Kenji didn't look away from the alpha, but he shifted slightly when Mylo moved a few steps to her left so they were surrounded.

Vix studied that bare chest decorated with ink, her eyes drawn to the waistband of the same sweats she wore by the black art on that ‘V' of muscles, dipping down…She forced her eyes back up to his chest, wondering how his shoulders could be so wide and strong without the same kind of ridiculous muscle mass Rune had.

" Vixen ."

Right, she'd called him here for a reason.

"The tigers are my mates," she whispered into his shoulder, keeping her eyes on Mylo instead of Rune. "They took me from my garden of death?—"

" Took you?" That question was sharp enough she winced.

"Convinced me to see their den," she amended. "But they allowed a raven without a collective inside their dwelling."

Kenji chuckled, but his body was tense as he held her. "What's the plan then, Vixen?"

It would be so easy to tell him to take her home. Then she wouldn't have to worry about any of this, but…she couldn't leave her mates unprotected no matter how stupid they were.

Her silence must have convinced Rune she was going to leave, because he took a step forward, snarling at Kenji. "You can't just take her. She's my mate."

"Ravens have no mates," Kenji informed him. "Sounds like your problem, not hers."

" Vix ." The agony in that voice forced her gaze to those green eyes, and the evergreen sea tried to drown her once more, taunting her with all the things she'd lost. "Whatever I did wrong, punish me for it, but don't leave. You haven't even tried my steak yet. I made sure it was bloody and everything, but I couldn't find angel blood for you to drink…I'll find it, I swear. Just stay."

Those green eyes were a shade brighter than the ones that haunted her, and she'd never once seen that kind of agony in them. They'd always been so empty and lifeless, but not these green eyes.

More like ivy than evergreen really.

Tears started to run down her cheeks, which was ridiculous, but his agony and despair felt like they were digging into her chest until she couldn't breathe.

"I can't stay," she whispered. "I'll break the rules."

" Fuck the rules," Rune snarled, taking another step toward her. "If you don't like that fucking raven, I'll kill her for you and take all the blame. Would you like that?"

Yes, she would.

She would like that very much.