Dev scooped up the cub, who whined in protest. She was too young to be teleported with their powers. They couldn't use them on her without the risk of killing her. Solid black, she was huge in Dev's arms as he cradled her to his chest.
Gilbert buried his face in the cub's fur. "Stay safe, ma petite." He kissed her on the ear.
Bastien stood up and it was then Sam realized he was the twin brother of Zar...the father to Yessy and Josie. Poor Dev, to have stared into the face of the brother he'd lost....
And poor Nicolette.
"I'll draw their fire." Bastien glanced down to Aimee and Dev. "Bon chance. Je t'aime." Good luck. I love you.
Then he was gone so fast Dev couldn't even say good-bye. A heartbeat later, Dev heard the sound of gunfire. He clutched Aimee harder as fear ate at his insides.
Please don't be dead....
"Go!" Gilbert snapped.
Dev didn't want to. He knew the human-Arcadian bears would kill both of his brothers. That he'd never see them again. His heart shattered as he was torn between the loyalty he had for his sister and that he had for his brothers.
How could he choose between them?
They'd only come here this afternoon to pick blackberries and let Aimee roam away from humans while his brothers had helped him train and hone his magick. It was supposed to be a perfect, happy afternoon. And it had ended when the Arcadians had come for Gilbert.
Not because he'd done them wrong.
Because he'd been mated by the Fates to the Arcadian bears' sister. They wanted Gilbert killed before he completed the ceremony so that their sister wouldn't be forced to lie down with an animal Kattagari.
For that, Bastien and Gilbert would die. And the worst part was that Bastien was an Arcadian too. Those bastards were about to commit murder even in the eyes of the Omegrion.
And they didn't even care. So long as they took out Gilbert, the rest of them were simply collateral damage. Animals to be slaughtered.
If Dev told them he was an Arcadian, they would spare him because he was one of them. But not his sister. The Arcadians would kill Aimee too and use her fur for boots. Gods, it was so unfair.
He heard Bastien cry out--a cry that was cut short to a silence so foul it tore through him. An instant later, the Arcadians cheered. "Is it the right animal?"
"No. It must still be inside."
Gilbert gripped Dev's shoulder. "You must go now. Protect Aimee for us."
Dev nodded as his brother stood up and slipped from the stall to turn into a bear--Gilbert's weakest fighting form, but it would distract the Arcadians and give Dev more time to escape. The Arcadians knew there were four of them. Once they killed Gilbert, they'd seek out him and Aimee.
I have to go.
Tears flowed down his cheeks as he buried his face in Aimee's fur. Holding her close, he slipped out the back while Gilbert fought their enemies. It was so cold outside.
He heard more gunshots and then a loud shout of jubilation from the Arcadians.
Gilbert was dead....
The Arcadians cursed as they realized Gilbert was human and that they had just committed a murder that would cost them their lives. "Find the other two. We have to kill them before they tell what we've done."
Aimee let out a baleful cry.
Dev held her close as he covered her mouth with his hand to muffle her wail. "I've got you, Aimee. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. I swear. I'll never let anyone hurt you." And with that vow, he slipped out the back and into the trees that surrounded the farm where they'd taken temporary refuge.
It took him an entire night to make it back to the small house in London his family called home. He was completely exhausted. Weak. His wounds were bleeding profusely.
But Aimee was unharmed.
The moment he opened the door, his mother was there in her gown and bathrobe. Beautiful and blond, she was a study of grace as she looked past his shoulder, into the dawning sky. "Mon Dieu, Devereaux! Where have you been? Have you any idea of the hour? We've been trying to track you and..." She paused as he came in and locked the door. The panic in her eyes tore through him. "Where's Gilbert and Bastien?"
Dev choked on the words he didn't want to utter. He'd used his powers to mask his scent so that the Arcadians wouldn't be able to track him. He'd never thought about the fact that his parents wouldn't have been able to do so either.
His mother moved past him to look out the door. "Are they in tending horses? What keeps them?"
Dev laid his sister's sleeping body down before he turned to face her. "They're dead, Maman."
The look on her face emblazoned itself on his heart. It was a look of pure agony...a look Sam knew far better than she'd ever wanted to.
All the color drained from Nicolette's cheeks. "What?"
"We were attacked and--"
She slapped him hard across his face. "You left them to die?"
Dev wiped his hand across his mouth, smearing the blood that ran from his busted lip and nose. "I protected Aimee."
Nicolette screamed out, waking up the rest of the house. Aimee went running to hide under the table while their mother seized Dev by his shirt and shoved him back against the wall. "You're the one who wanted to go. You lured them there."