8. Vix

Chapter 8

Vix

H er tigers were fast, almost as fast as her. Following the golden one through the never-ending trees was easy enough and she increased her speed just a little bit more the moment her magic sensed electricity.

It had to be close.

The autumn tiger managed to keep pace, but the other two dropped behind. Vix was about to tease them about it when she saw oak trees…

Screeching to a halt, she grabbed onto the trunk of one of those oak trees, claws digging in just before she burst free from the forest. Something like fear pricked her skin and Vix honestly had no idea why.

Probing the clearing beyond the trees with her magic, she buried down a shiver when she felt just how…empty it was.

There was no life in that clearing and the silence was unnatural. It didn't have the softness she was used to. No, it was an empty chamber bouncing that harsh silence around like an echo.

Rocking back and forth on her toes, Vix eyed the clearing between the forest and the large house, hesitating for the first time since she'd agreed to come here. It had been a very long time since she'd seen such a modern human dwelling like this brimming with electricity, let alone stepped foot in one.

Raven eyries weren't the same. They were built by magic and full of life even if it was quiet and deadly. The people there knew how to play games and they never made her feel strange for all the mood swings the stolen memories could give her.

No, Vix had always felt like she'd belonged with them even if she had eventually left the eyrie to find what was missing.

But this…

Her autumn tiger rubbed his side against hers before circling around to do it on the other side too. Vix trailed her fingers through the fur along his spine but kept her eyes on the house. It wasn't far from the trees, maybe half a klick, but she still didn't like it.

At least there was snow.

Autumn chuffed a laugh and sat beside her, close enough he was pressed against her. She settled her hand on the back of his neck, eyeing the oak trees on either side of her, and that strange feeling of dread filled her again.

She didn't think it was the empty space between the large house and the trees, or even the dark magic she could feel teeming around the house. That human dwelling didn't bother her really, but the clearing…

The silence was insulated—absolute.

A garden of death for her and her alone.

The alpha shifted smoothly out of his tiger form and walked toward the house, stopping a few feet out to look back at her. The way he tucked his hands into his pockets gave off the impression he was unbothered, but Vix could sense just how tense he was.

Was he rethinking his choice to bring her here?

Mylo bumped her with his head, pushing her past the final tree into the empty space beyond, and Vix clutched fur tight as she stumbled forward, gasping when she suddenly felt something warm.

She looked down at her toes in shock when the sharp contrast of red on white finally registered. There was so much blood it seeped into the earth, melting the snow, and she tilted her head as she stared at the ground, wondering why her feet were bare.

Mylo took the front of her fur coat between his teeth and pulled her toward the house like this was a game. Suddenly, her heart was pounding as he dragged her toward the center of that lake of blood where?—

"Wait…" she breathed, reaching back for the tiger sitting just beyond the first oak tree, stepping toward him to resist that overwhelming strength.

There was so much blood, she couldn't breathe. Vix didn't want to see what was in the center of the clearing – that garden of death, but she was no match for Mylo's strength and stubbornness.

" Wait ." Vix stared back at the other tiger still sitting in the forest, watching her like he didn't understand – like he couldn't see all the bodies…

"Rune isn't going to stay behind," the alpha snapped, startling her out of some of her panic. "Let's not make a production of this."

It didn't matter. There was too much blood and the way it lapped against her toes was even more disturbing than the deafening silence.

" No , I don't like how warm it is." Vix pushed Mylo off of her and ran back to her autumn tiger— Rune . "Can't we wait until it's night?" When it would be too dark to see whatever was in the center of that bloody lake.

Vix wrapped her arms around Rune's neck and buried her face in his fur, needing the comfort of his scent to offset the unsettling nothing of that clearing. Berries and woodsmoke curled around her…and something profound that reminded her of rich, dark chocolate with its bittersweet taste.

It gripped her hard and she hid her face in his fur so they didn't see how her eyes shifted, or the way her canines suddenly lengthened when she was almost destroyed by the urge to sink her teeth into his throat and claim him.

So…this was what that felt like.

One of these tigers was definitely hers and now she couldn't just abandon him, could she? Vix would have to brave that garden of death if she wanted a chance to?—

"We can't wait until it's night," the alpha growled, interrupting her thoughts. "The witchling is in there waiting for us."

The panic and fear from earlier was gone, washed away by the scent of mate surrounding her. She ducked her head under Rune's and crouched down, resting her hands on her knees as she pressed her back against his front legs so his head loomed over her – her mate's shadow covering her like a protective blanket.

Eyeing the clearing again, she saw there wasn't any blood at all and her feet weren't bare. No, she was still wearing her hunter's boots.

Gritting her teeth, she tried not to fixate on that strange vision when one of these tigers was her mate . These three…their scents were so intertwined she would need to carefully choose what games she would play with them.

The tiger's raven circled above and Vix ignored her as she studied the house. There was a witchling in there. It had been a long time since she'd seen one. Was the dark magic warding this place hers?

"A witchling?" She wondered what kind.

"Yes," the alpha said, his irritation fading away. It shifted into curiosity, and she liked that scent better. "A witchling, like you."

She jolted, dropping her gaze to the glyph on the back of her hand. "Like me?" She was pretty sure it wasn't the same, but she couldn't remember exactly why. The witch who lived in her eyrie didn't understand Vix's magic, but she'd taught her other things.

"You used magic." The alpha tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowing. "Didn't you?"

"My magic doesn't smell like your charms," Vix countered. "It's different."

No one seemed to know what to say to that and the following silence was uncomfortable. Vix bit back a sigh and studied the alpha, who looked ready to drag her into his dwelling by force.

But he wasn't.

It was obvious even to someone as deeply connected to their animal as her that these three needed her for something, but she wouldn't figure out what it was if she didn't go in that house. They'd politely ignored her hunting grounds as well as the blood-splattered fur she wore.

They'd even brought her to this dead place like they really, truly planned to claim her, but all three of them were dangerous . She could scent it under their humanity, roiling like the clouds did sometimes.

All of them her mates – or so they said.

They wouldn't be able to confirm it since she didn't possess a scent, which made her wonder why they were so eager to have her here. They had to be desperate .

Running here had given her the time to consider what games she'd play with them, and how she'd manage her lack of scent with three tiger shifters who thought she was their mate.

If she wanted to confirm the witch's declaration, she had to get close enough to all of them to scent it.

Autumn…he was definitely hers. She'd already caught the scent of mate on his fur. Out of the three of them, it was easy to see how much more open he was to accepting her touch and his eyes rarely left her.

But the others?

Mylo had so many sharp edges. The scars all over his body looked like someone had ripped him apart and then put him back together again. They called to her like the whispers on the wind despite the warning they so obviously were.

That one kept taunting her with things she wanted, like somehow he knew exactly what she liked despite how much he despised her lack of scent.

And the alpha? He didn't like her at all, but she couldn't say why, and a gut feeling told her it wasn't because of what he'd seen—maybe a little, but it was more than that.

So…what game should she play to tug on their shifter instincts? Vix needed to offset their distrust that her lack of scent always incited, especially with the apex predators.

The biggest issue was these three were more human than tiger, except maybe Rune. Mylo's was right under the surface of his skin, but he had the tiger locked down – choking its instincts with a death grip she'd normally find impressive except it seemed to make him irritable because the tiger kept clawing to get out.

Vix looked up at the alpha and it was easy to see how much she unnerved him. He thought she was feral and thoughtless, but he just didn't understand. That could actually work to her benefit. Alpha instincts were difficult to ignore, especially when it came to a mate.

If she was his, he'd feel it even if he couldn't scent it, but that might not matter.

Still…

Making them want to protect her instead of kill her was the only way to survive stepping into that lifeless house.

Rune clamped his teeth down on the back of her coat, lifting her like he would a cub. Vix bit back a snarl of irritation. She wasn't his cub, she was his fucking mate , but she supposed this was better than being dragged.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at the house and lifted her knees to make it a little easier on him – he was her mate after all, no matter how annoying he was being.

Despite being in her awkward human body, he was carrying her as if she weighed nothing.

Such strength.

What would it feel like to have it surround her, protect her from all the memories that haunted her dreams? Vix never really remembered them when she woke up, but they clung to her like frost on flowers, winter desperately holding on until summer finally came and put it out of its misery.

A shame someone couldn't put Vix out of her misery.

The golden tiger fell into step beside them, shoulder pressed to Rune's as they walked side by side. Mylo's scent intertwined with Rune's effortlessly and she couldn't help the way she relaxed as it surrounded her.

How long had it been since she'd slept? Vix couldn't remember.

She's definitely a shifter , Rune said.

A feral one , Mylo agreed.

Assholes . "I can hear you," she grumbled, swallowing down a smile when Rune almost dropped her in surprise.

Can you? Mylo asked, eyes glinting a warning. Why is that?

"I don't know." Whether he liked that answer or not, it was the truth and they'd be able to hear it even without a scent.

That dangerous glint in the golden tiger's eyes faded away when he realized she wasn't lying. How interesting.

Rune gently set her down at the bottom of the stairs as the alpha jogged up them to the cedar porch wrapping around most of the house. He glanced back when he reached the top, jade-green eyes narrowed when she sat in the snow, legs crossed underneath her.

It was kind of funny to see just how uncomfortable she made the alpha, but it was also dangerous. She needed to get him to trust his instincts more than his human eyes, and the best way to do that was to act like she was unfamiliar with so much humanity.

What did he know about her anyway?

The door beyond the alpha was big and red…

Vix got to her feet, one hand gripping Rune's fur tight as she stared at that horrible door pulsing with dark magic that peeled away as if inviting her inside a trap. It didn't smell like blood, but she could still smell a metallic tang that made her hackles raise.

Rune shook her off of him and pinned her down with a single paw when she tried to grab on again. What's the problem?

"It smells weird," she said, wrinkling her nose at the door. "I don't like it. It's not my den."

He tilted his head down at her. Are you insulting my den, little mate?

Uh-oh. Vix slid her gaze to her autumn tiger, feeling anxious. He'd sounded so offended. "It's been a long time…" she tried to explain.

But that wasn't the only reason.

Suddenly, Mylo shifted into his human body and crouched down beside her. Vix took in the pristine suit he wore and decided it still looked fucking ridiculous out here in the wilderness. Why would he wear that when it was cold anyway?

"You can wear my clothes," Mylo suggested.

Such a tempting offer but she frowned at the suit he wore. No way she wanted to wear that.

It surprised her when Mylo chuckled, but she couldn't sense a single drop of humor in it. No, he was feeling something but not amusement. It was darker, and she tried to figure out what it was when his gold eyes glimmered at her.

"Not this, something soft," Mylo explained.

Her breath caught when he grinned at her. It was so sharp she could see his canines that were actually a bit longer than hers. He wore them even in his human body?

"Borrow my scent for a while?" Mylo asked, tilting his head slightly.

Vix pushed Rune off of her, too excited to hold back when this beautiful, dangerous creature was being so…possessive. He may not want her, but his tiger already saw her as his.

"Really?" Vix almost couldn't believe it. "You don't mind?"

"Not in the least." Mylo reached out and tugged on a stray curl of her hair. "But we need to get you cleaned up first."

Oh, right.

She did smell like rotten angel blood. Vix chewed on her bottom lip as she considered how to make this work. Getting clean wasn't difficult. She could do a tiny bit of magic like she normally did, but if he meant bathing…

The icy lakes were what she typically preferred. Vanya made her soap, but she'd ignored her hair for so long now it might not be salvageable. Then there was another, completely different problem.

What did they expect from her?

How could she find out what they liked if they didn't show her?

Vix looked to the alpha, knowing he would be more inclined to take care of her than the other two despite their dominance being nearly as deep as his. "Alpha?"

It almost looked like that pretty brown skin paled, and she swallowed down a laugh, tugging on her hair instead. "Can you…" she trailed off and took a step up toward the stairs, dropping her eyes to the ground so he would be more inclined to listen.

"Yes?" The alpha's voice was surprisingly steady despite the swirling, twirling emotions she could scent as he desperately tried to remain impassive.

"Can it be you?"

Oh, he liked the sound of that, even if it was obvious he had no idea why, but the scent of wild tiger rose between them when he took a step toward her.

"Why me?"

Vix climbed two stairs before pausing as if she were nervous, her claws digging into the railing, keeping her eyes down so as not to challenge him. "It's been a long time," she admitted, tugging on the curl that still had a touch of Mylo's scent on it. "Do you like long hair?"

The scent of suspicion rose, and she snuck a look to see his eyes were narrowed. "I suppose."

She'd need to get to the point soon or this might not work. "I don't want to cut it," she confessed, climbing up to the next stair so she was only one lower than him. "Bathing like a human…I don't remember how to do it right."

Not exactly a lie, but they would never scent it or even hear it since the ‘right' way would be theirs.

This might be dangerous, but she had to admit, it was fun.

Vix tilted her head, baring her neck to the alpha so he'd see she had no plans to hurt him, that she trusted him not to kill her on the spot despite the conflict she could scent on him.

Nearly there. "Will you help me, Alpha?" Vix kept her eyes on his boots and inched a little closer, like she might just be afraid he'd strike her for daring to ask.

Just like that, the alpha was reaching for her, pulling her up straight so she was standing tall like a human, his eyes on her throat like he wasn't sure if he wanted to tear it out or claim it.

"And see you stripped down to your skin?" the alpha asked, his tiger leaking into his voice.

There he was.