Page 34 of Gold & Shadow

An Elandor elf. She was fast, shifting between forms as Orson tried to land a blow, but I had to trust he had her.

I yanked the arrow out of me and turned my attention to Victor, who had gone pale and fearful in the bloodbath.

“We can work this out, Lis,” he said, holding up his hands beseechingly as he backed away from me. “You want more gold? Your own house in the city? I can make it happen.”

“You’re done, Victor,” I seethed, hearing footsteps in the hall. Mora and Sera came barreling in, both looking a little sweaty but at least not bloody. Sera moved to intercept the Elandorean while Mora came to my side, glancing quickly at my shoulder before pinning Victor with a hard look. “Give me Orson’s amulet and tell me who the buyer was.”

“I don’t have a name, Lis, you have to believe me,” Victor said, turning pleading eyes to Mora. “Search my memories. You’ll see that it’s true.”

“Do it,” I commanded, throwing out more shadows with a final push of effort to pin Victor in place. The move jammed my shoulder, but I ignored the stab of pain.

“I never liked working for you anyway,” Mora hissed as she grabbed his wrist, her eyes going blank.

I turned as Mora rummaged through Victor’s mind to see Orson advancing on Sera, who kept flitting in and out of illusion, her magic clearly failing her.

“Tell your boyfriend to back off,” she shrieked, looking panicked. Orson swung toward me, his expression feral and completely without recognition.

“Kjære,” I said, holding out my hand before the bear. My shadows were drained, the last of my power spent holding Victor in place for Mora, and Orson growled as if he truly was lost. “Orson, it’s me. Lis. Melisande. Come back to me.”

“Lis,” Sera urged, her hands going to her daggers. “Do something.”

“Orson,” I said, focusing all of my attention on him as I tried to force him back into his mind. “It’s me. Your Kjære. I broke into your cabin and you healed me and you knit me socks and you call me Little Thief. Come back, my love.”

Sera looked ready to throw her dagger when Orson shuddered, his big eyes blinking as he took me in. His lips curled back in horror. “Lis,” he growled, stepping backward. I didn’t let him runfrom me, throwing my arms around his neck as Sera blew out a relieved sigh. “You’re hurt.”

“It will heal,” I said, my shoulder stinging, but not badly enough to slow me down.

“I forgot you,” he rumbled, his voice pained as I buried my face into his soft, cinnamon smelling fur. “Again.”

“And then you remembered,” I said, stepping back to check him over for injuries. There was blood coming from somewhere, but it wasn’t a lot, and his fur made it impossible to tell. I was still bleeding too. We were all a bit worse for wear. “I love you.”

“Crime now, confessions of love later,” he rumbled, sounding entirely too pleased with himself. “Where is the amulet?”

“Mora?” I asked, turning with my hand still on Orson’s neck, just in case he got lost again.

Victor was slumped to the ground, his expression slack and my shadows still around him.

Mora was rummaging in the drawers of his desk. It looked like she had jimmied them open with a letter opener. “Is this it?” she asked, holding up something gold and round.

“Yes,” I laughed, the sound a blend of relief and mild hysteria. “Toss it here.”

She threw the amulet and I caught it neatly, looping the chain around Orson’s neck.

He shuddered, the bear dissolving back into a male. A very naked male covered in new wounds and scars. I sighed as my sisters yelped in surprise, Mora nearly toppling over in her shock,

“Wow,” Sera breathed, her eyes going wide as I glared at her. “What? I can’t help having eyes! Totally get the appeal now though, sis!”

“Not the first impression I wanted to make,” Orson growled, accepting the cloak I handed him to cover his nudity. We had left our pack in a nearby alley, and, of course, all of his clothes were in it.

I practically growled at Sera, who was still ogling my mate, Orson caught my chin. Gods, he had hands again. “Easy, Little Thief. I have eyes for only you.”

“You’d better,” I huffed, pulling the cloak tight and standing so my body blocked him from my sisters’ view.

“I’ll go get the pack,” Mora offered, a hand covering her eyes as she blushed. “Sera, come help me.”

“That’s a one person job,” Sera argued, still looking at my mate in an interested sort of way.

“Now, Sera!” Mora rarely pulled rank, Sera being older by several minutes, but my sister finally rolled her eyes and followed her twin after another growl from me.