Page 99 of Shifters Unifying

“I’m never going to be able to?—”

“Shut up,” I growled, my tone harsh. “You can’t afford to break down here, now. Not in front of your clans. Not in front of your warriors.”Now get up.

She blinked as though I’d slapped her face. “What?” she rasped. “What are you saying?”

I leaned close to her ear. “He put runes on the trees, Emma. While he’s been in hiding, he’s been working out this exact moment, risking it all on this one chance to weaken you. He couldn’t overcome the strength of the magic in your cells. If he could have, he would have. No, this was his attempt to force you to give up, but you won’t. You can’t.”You are the multimorph.

She stilled.I am the multimorph.

And Acheron is afraid. Of you.I added, trying to push as much strength as I could through our bond.I believe in you. This isn’t a failure.

She said nothing for long moments, didn’t react. Suddenly, her shoulders stiffened, and she sat up, almost woodenly.Acheron is afraid.

“This wasn’t the last battle,” I said, climbing to my feet and offering her my hand. “It was a show.”

She stood. “A show, theatrics,” she muttered, glancing around as though seeing the forest for the first time since she’d collapsed. “But how many died?”

“Fewer than could have. He spent all his energy on the shifter, the boy, and the tornado. He was too busydirectingmagic that he couldn’t do anything other than hold the ward. The woman had to hurt Marcus for him.”

“Marcus… That was his sister.”

“I guess Acheron wanted to hurt Marcus, too,” I said.

“Yeah, Marcus must be important…” Her voice trailed away as she studied the ground, distant. “The clans should see me,” she murmured. She scanned the forest, not quite meeting my eyes. “Maybe I can heal some of them.”

“We’ll regroup and make a plan,” I said. “Back in Six-Mile where it’s safer.”

Emma chewed her bottom lip and startled as though she’d just realized I’d said something more to her. “What?”

“Meet me back in Six-Mile.”

“Uh, huh. Sure,” she answered, withdrawn, obviously still shaken by what had happened and trying not to be. Or maybe there was something else… Processing the feelings in our link only told me that she was holding back, but that could be holding back emotion, a break down, or any number of words she wanted to say.

I laid my hand on her shoulder, hoping the warmth of my touch would break through whatever had turned to stone inside her and bring her back to herself, back to me. “Emma. What is it?”

She shook her head and sighed. “It’s nothing I can talk about yet.”

“We can’t afford secrets between us.”

She gestured to the crowd of shifters beginning to limp around us. “But I can’t tell you here, in front of everyone. I’m not ready for all of them to know, so it has to be done in private.”

“Then tell me when you get back to Six-Mile.” I crushed her against my chest, thankful she hadn’t been harmed. Glad it hadn’t been the final show down with Acheron.

She relaxed against me and wrapped her arms around my torso. “When I get back to Six-Mile,” she agreed, stroking the place over my heart. “I’ll tell you then.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

emma

On the border of Bear Trees

When you get back to Six-Mile…

Logan had gone to direct shifters back to Six-Mile by way of Bear Trees, but his words echoed in my head. Rubbing my temples and squeezing the bridge of my nose didn’t alleviate the headache beginning to form.

With a nod my direction, Torbin lumbered by. An uninjured Salali sped from place to place, speaking to a dozen people in the time it took Torbin to cross the battleground. Phil was still alive. Olivia and Jasper, too. I didn’t spot the younglings, but I hoped someone had the sense to send them back to Six-Mile, away from the fighting.

I spun in place, searching the other faces, and each injury took a notch out of my heart and threatened to buckle my knees. I did this to them. We rushed in with no plan, no idea what we were getting ourselves into. The multimorph should be moreskilled in the art of warfare than that.Ishould be much better than that. I still had so much to learn.