Sorin jumped in next to the hunter then rolled through the muck, getting a thick layer over his skin. He crawled to his feet and followed Peder’s trail to the road where the omega waited with an angry skunk.
Ahote joined them, wiping his eyes.
“The mud should prevent the skunk’s spray from sticking to your flesh.” Peder bent over the sack. “Turn so it doesn’t land in your eyes.”
Twisting around, Sorin chewed on the inside of his cheek to keep from snarling. Should prevent it from sticking? The strong smell of skunk drove shifters into illness. Even the nose-blind domestic ones in the castle would avoid it, but he had to admit Peder’s idea was sounding good.
A warm spray hit the back of his thighs. The stench slammed into his nose, and his mind went blank from the overload. He gagged, and his knees wobbled. An image of Susan shimmering with sweat in the firelight came to his mind. He straightened and swallowed his queasiness. Something knocked into his legs.
Ahote had fallen, head bent to the ground. “Mother Darkness, save me.”
The world’s scents faded, covered by the stink. Sorin shook his head, disoriented. He could only smell skunk. Nose blind. His heart raced as he glanced at Ahote. They’d lost a sense. It made them less effective hunters. They would have to rely on their vision and hearing more. “Peder?”
The skunk scrambled into the underbrush.
“Climb into the cart and act sick if a guard lifts this cover.” He held up a dirty blanket. “Leave the rest to me.”
Pressed close to Ahote in a cart was not how Sorin had planned to spend his evening. “This bites.” He pulled the cover over their bodies. “Can you act?”
The cart jerked forward with a tortured groan of effort from Peder.
“Yes. You?”
“No. Be prepared to spring out of this cart if I fail. We can’t afford to get pinned in here.”
“Just clutch your stomach and wretch over the side of the cart if they come too close.”
The cart jolted, and Ahote’s elbow stabbed Sorin in the kidneys. Pain shot across his side and he wheezed through it. With the slow, rocking motion of the cart rolling over uneven ground and the stink, he didn’t think he’d need to act.
A way too long, intimate moment with Ahote later, he heard the wheels make contact with the wooden bridge to the castle gate. The sound sent a wave of tension through his muscles. He clenched his fists. Attacking would be unwise, attacking would be unwise…
Tossed in the air by a hard bump, he landed hard, knocking his head against the cart’s side. Stars flashed in his vision and he groaned.
“What do you have here, pup?” The rough male voice sounded close.
Sorin held his breath.
“My sire and his litter mate, sir.” Peder’s voice sounded higher than usual. “They’re ill. My mam rushed me to bring them to the castle healer.” The omega acted well. Sorin could hear the tears in his voice.
The guard made a reassuring noise. “The healer’s on the far side of the castle yard by Lord Benic’s tower. Follow this road to the right.”
Fresh air assaulted Sorin’s face as the blanket was lifted. His heartbeat charged and he tensed for an attack.
Groans mixed with curses greeted them. “Cover them,” someone shouted. “What a stink.”
The guard’s gaze met his. “You’ve got a good boy.” He tossed the cover on him before he could answer. He knew Peder’s worth more than the guard. The plan was working.
“You’ve got coin?” the guard asked.
“N-no, but I can work it off.” Peder spoke with a meek voice.
Sorin’s heart silenced. They were so close. Would they refuse them access because of coin? What kind of place was this? Vampire society made no sense.
Something jingled. “Here. Take the coin. Return it to me when your da is better.”
Holding his breath, Sorin waited for the cart to move but they remained still. He clenched his jaw to keep from yelling at Peder to move his hide. What was he doing?
“That’s very kind of you, sir.” Peder sounded genuinely surprised. The cart rolled and swayed again.
Sorin released his breath. Domestication didn’t seem to have destroyed the core of shifter honor. What else was preserved of their culture within these walls? Did they continue to live as pack? Was there an alpha? Maybe they hadn’t deserted the tribes as believed but were forgotten by them.
The sounds changed within the walls, and he struggled not to spring from the cart. It echoed off the buildings in unfamiliar ways, mixed together so he couldn’t tell his direction or the spacing around them. Out in the forest, sound traveled in a more linear way. The effect in combination with being scent blind disoriented him further. What a hero.
The cart jerked to a stop and the cover was removed. Peder stared down at them. “What do I do with the coin?”
Sorin leaped out, racing Ahote over the edge. “I don’t care.” He crouched, searching their vicinity—empty courtyard, stables, no torches casting any light. Good.
“It feels like I stole it.”
Sighing, Sorin resisted the urge to shake his sensitive omega. “We have greater concerns. You can donate it to a cause later if you wish.”
He nodded and stuck the coin in his pocket. “There’s water to wash with.” He pointed to a full trough with a hand pump next to it.
Ahote lay in the trough and scrubbed while Sorin pumped water over his body, letting the mud slide off in clumps. The noxious smell helped them past the guards but they didn’t want to attract attention once inside. Most of the skunk washed away. Sorin shook the excess water off and reassessed the area. A stone tower rose above them. The guard had called it Lord Benic’s tower. “We’ll start the search in there.”
Ahote stepped next to him and shook dry. “Where’s Peder?”
Spinning around, Sorin searched for the omega. The cart lay empty with no omega next to it. “Bugger.”
Peder returned in silence with blankets from around the corner of the stable. He handed them over. “I didn’t see anyone in feral form as I crossed the village. I think you’ll stand out naked.”
“We’ll need clothes then.”
A female giggled close by.
The three of them melted into the shadows surrounding the stable.
She strolled into the courtyard with a guard on each arm. They entered the stables.
Sorin scratched his chin. “Peder, you’ll get a chance to wear a dress after all.”
Inacio watched Kele with hooded eyes. The lazy interest didn’t fool her. Her father played games like this. If the incubus’s curiosity wasn’t stirred by her presence, he wouldn’t be sitting on a cushioned chair across from the bed where she’d been chained.
His dark hair curled slightly around his ears, inviting her to run her fingers through the strands. Warm brown eyes softened by thick lashes regarded her. She didn’t enjoy the lust he invoked. The desire seemed stirred by his scent rather than from her heart.
“I’ve never seen a shifter with pale hair. Your people are more like mine, bold in coloring and passionate.” He leaned his head on his hand.
“Not many are born so blonde.” She ran a finger under the metal bracelet clasped around her wrist, trying to ease the tightness.
“Is it too tight? If you shifted to feral form, it would break.”
She scowled. If she could have, she would have been free already.
“If you’re shy I’ll wrap a blanket around you to cover your nudity before you shift.” He gestured to the bed.
A flush burned her flesh up to the tips of her ears. She didn’t know much about incubi except they fed from sexual energy. Indescribable and unnatural desires for Inacio burned in her blood. They were fake. She focused on the emotions Peder inspired with his shy smiles. Those were true. The need faded but did not disappear.