Prince of Cats - Tasha Black Page 0,20

urged her, grabbing her arm again and taking off.

This time Killian was holding the baby, so she was able to move faster. The child’s weight seemed to have no impact on Killian’s speed. The huge fae prince was even faster and stronger than he looked. She wondered vaguely if his ability to shift into a lynx had anything to do with it, or if it was some other kind of magic.

Then he was pulling her into the trees, and she had no mental energy to do anything but follow and try not to bash herself into a tree or tangle her feet in the undergrowth.

The forest closed in around them until they could no longer move side by side.

“Go ahead of me,” Killian urged her, stepping back.

Piper sprinted on, wondering what he hoped to find that would save them. Surely, they were only prolonging the inevitable. If the beast couldn’t be stopped by her bow, and they couldn’t outrun it, what hope did they have?

She pressed on, trying to come up with any kind of solution. But she stopped in her tracks when she spotted the man. In the clearing ahead, a tiny patch of sunlight illuminated a figure standing against a tree, waiting. He was huge, even bigger than Killian, wearing the same costume as their assailants.

Piper pulled out her bow and grabbed another arrow, refusing to think about the fact that she was starting to run low. She drew back, hoping that a man wouldn’t be able to shrug off her shot the way the hellhound had.

The bow reached full tension and she was releasing the string when Killian grabbed her shoulder.

“Wait,” he cried.

Though her fingers had already begun to release, the change of angle caused her to fire off into the woods.

The man leaning on the tree waved.

“That’s my brother,” Killian said cheerfully.

Piper stared at the big man in front of her in complete shock.

“I almost killed him,” she said softly.

“You’re not the first woman to have that idea,” the man said with a smile as he approached. “I forgive you.”

His hearing must be phenomenal to have heard her.

“Heath,” he said, offering her his hand.

She offered hers and he grabbed her by the elbow and shook.

“That’s a fine bow,” he said. “I have never seen its like.”

“It’s from… the mortal realm,” she told him.

It was an odd thing to say about the place she’d called home her whole life. She wondered if it had been a good idea to share that detail.

“You mortals invent the most ingenious things in the absence of magic,” Heath said, nodding approvingly

“Thank you,” she said uncertainly.

He winced.

“Our kind doesn’t care for thanks,” Killian said. “It implies a burden, that’s all.”

That explained Killian’s reaction to her thanks earlier.

“Oh,” Piper said. “I’m—”

“We don’t like that either,” Heath interrupted, laughing a deep barrel laugh that told her he wasn’t offended.

“Not to break up the party here,” Killian said. “But we are running from a hellhound and two men in Autumn Court livery.”

Piper turned to see how close their pursuers were.

But there was no sign of the men or the hound.

“They’re probably too wise to attack two Autumn princes, eh brother?” Heath teased, but there was tension in his voice.

Heath eyed the baby in Killian’s arms, but didn’t say a word about him.

“Let’s get someplace relatively safe,” Killian suggested. “And then we can talk all you want.”

“My men made camp at an old hunting lodge,” Heath said. “It’s on a ridge, with a creek below and a cliff behind. No one will bother us without a warning there.”

Killian nodded and they followed Heath in silence through the trees. Before long, Piper could see a log cabin on a ridge ahead, a steep cliff face rising behind it.

But a swollen creek blocked them from it.

“How will we get across?” she asked.

“Oh, I’ll take care of that, lass,” Heath said.

“Great,” Killian teased. “You’ve given him more reason to show off than usual.”

Piper turned to Killian, unsure of his meaning. When she turned back, Heath was gone.

In his place stood a massive grizzly bear.

She stepped back instinctively.

“It’s him,” Killian whispered.

Of course.

“Hop on,” Killian said.

She approached the grizzly with caution. But he lowered his snout and gave her a friendly head butt to show he was gentle.

She laughed and allowed Killian to set her astride the beast’s broad back.

Under warm fur she could feel thick, reassuring muscle.

Killian handed her the baby and climbed on behind her.

Instantly, the bear waded into the water and began carrying them across as Kieran squealed