Raven and the Dancing Tiger (25 page)

"He
ain't
in there, is he?" she accused.

Peter crossed the hall to where
Tisha
stood. "He was friends with Chris. You know. The guy who
left
today."

Tisha
looked down at the floor. "Is he what happened to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Peter said. He didn't know what kind of trouble he'd get into if he admitted to fighting.

"Look, if your friend's gone, you need to report it. You know there are wolves out there.
Coyots
. Foxes. Lots of critters who wouldn't mind a bit of raven fricassee."

"He's had a really rough day," Peter said, still stalling
Tisha
, still not saying anything that was untrue. "Leave him alone."

"It's my job to report things like this. I'll catch hell if I don't."

"It's my job to watch his back," Peter said, though that wasn't strictly true.

Jesse had never asked for that. Just to watch for charms and spells.

With that thought, Peter turned and looked at the door. Was there something more on Jesse's door? Something that had alerted
Tisha
? But he needed Cai's help for that, and Cai didn't want anything to do with Peter still.

"I
gotta
report him."

"Please, don't," Peter said. "Give him until the morning."

Peter closed his eyes and swayed with exhaustion. He realized what he'd just said.

Run, Jesse, run. Fly hard and fast.

Tisha
gave him an odd grin. "Hell, no. Reporting him might get me out of monitor duty for the rest of my life. If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known,
ya
know."

Peter knew she lied—she'd been watching Jesse, waiting for something like this.

He had still betrayed his one friend.

He watched
Tisha
go down the hall away from him, wishing he could stop her. The only way would be to fight her. Reason wouldn't work.

But he couldn't fight her. Couldn't risk being declared a rogue himself.

He couldn't save Jesse. That had never been his fate.

With his heart aching and as sore as his body, Peter finally dragged himself back up the stairs and tumbled into bed, his exhaustion overriding his fears, at least for the time being.

Peter sat on the bed in one of the guest dorms with Sally, the same sort of room he'd stayed in when he'd first come to Ravens' Hall with his parents, with beige walls and an adjoining set of rooms. He hadn't let go of Sally's hand once. The bed was narrow and hard, and the cover felt scratchy under Peter's other hand. Outside the balcony door, the rich night called.

The prefects had let them go off by themselves reluctantly, only after they'd verified for themselves that none of the tiger magic remained, enslaving Sally. Prefect Aaron had also taken one look at how Peter and Sally had stood holding hands, then had clapped them both on the shoulder, saying, "Well done."

Peter knew the prefect understood that Sally was his mate, and so let them go. He knew they'd want to talk with her later.

Sally hadn't said much of anything yet. She appeared to be thinking.

Peter leaned closer and breathed in her now-clean scent—no traces of Tamara,
Brin
, or the damn tiger magic remaining.

"Okay," Sally said, breaking the silence. "Okay. So I ran into
Brin
at the grocery store. Though she was probably waiting for me, wasn't she?"

Peter nodded. "Yes. Because that's the one place she knew you wouldn't take Pixie."

"Lots of people take their dogs to the grocery store," Sally protested.

Peter raised his eyebrows at her.

"You're right. I wouldn't do that." She sighed. "I did sneak him into work. Just because he seemed so frantic when I left the apartment alone."

"I'm glad you did," Peter assured her, squeezing her hand.

"It's kind of fuzzy after that," Sally admitted. "But some part of me knew, and accepted, what was happening. Like, it was okay."

"No," Peter said automatically. "They took you against your will—"

"I knew they were bringing me to you," Sally said quietly.

Peter let go of Sally's hand and drew her into his arms, finally holding her close against his heart where she belonged.

Cai sent him the image of
nest, home, now.

"So they brought me here. To Ravens' Hall. And Tamara—she isn't quite human, is she? She, um, changed. Into something that wasn't human at all. I don't think I was supposed to see or remember that. I remember her and
Brin
laughing at how they could do anything in front of me. Them kissing. Then Tamara changing."

"What else did you see?" Peter asked, hoping that Sally might focus on just that.

"She taunted me, telling me what a fine tiger warrior she made."

Peter felt his spine grow stiff with fear. "And?"

"And that you're a raven warrior, and how your kind, the tigers and the ravens, have been at war for centuries."

"That's not true," Peter said dismissively.

"She believes both parts. But are you? A raven warrior? Please, Peter."

All the recitations Peter had copied for a decade were clear. He was never supposed to tell her, only the barest minimum, even if she was his mate.

Cai, however, pushed forward without warning. "Yes," he croaked.

Cai held them frozen.

Peter shook inside with fear.

Sally looked deep into their raven eyes for a heartbreaking time. Finally, she reached one hand up and stroked her fingers across his cheek, then up into hair that had already grown stiff, like proto-feathers.

"And you…you can turn into a raven," Sally said. Wonder filled her voice.

Cai faded back, leaving Peter on his own to answer.

Peter wanted to say no. All his teaching and training had laid his path clear.

But his heart bade him to say yes.

He nodded his head once.

Prefect Aaron was going to kill him, if Tamara didn't.

"It's okay, it's okay," Sally said, pulling Peter to her, holding his head against her chest. "I will never, ever tell anyone. Ever. Your secret is safe with me. I promise."

Peter heard ringing undertones in Sally's words, as if they'd been sung across a clear blue sky. Hope filled him as he raised his head. The words continued to reverberate, as if touched by magic. Sally looked to the corners of the room, as if following the notes, then looked back at Peter.

"To hurt you would be to hurt me," Peter said, taking Sally's hands, the old words of the brotherhood blessing springing to his lips.

"To hurt you would be to hurt me," Sally repeated easily.

The charm tightened around both of them, singing out in jeweled tones.

"One flesh, one blood, one wing, one soul," Peter recited.

Sally's eyes widened but she repeated word for word, her voice strong and sure.

"Come be my mate, casting aside all others," Peter said, changing the last few lines.

When Sally repeated the words, Peter merely whispered, "I will."

The tears gathering in Sally's eyes spilled down her cheeks, while her smile was radiant. "I will," she said firmly.

Peter crushed Sally to him, kissing her madly, wildly, with all the love and passion he had. Her lips were soft, and as hungry as his, as she kissed back with strength and skill.

Cai did a bouncing somersault, cawing loudly.

Fly with mate.

And for the rest of the night, Peter and Sally, his true mate, soared.

* * *

"So what happens tonight?" Sally asked, drawing Peter's hand into hers.

They sat together on the bed, almost exactly as they had the night before. Now, even though it was morning and they'd already showered and eaten, Peter could still smell the heady odor of their sex, could still feel Sally's pulse strumming beneath his skin.

"There will be combat," Peter told her.

He didn't care what Prefect Aaron said about the other raven warriors who'd gone against tiger warriors, or the pitying looks the elders had given Sally that morning at breakfast. He was going to win. There was no other choice.

"Today I need to practice." Magic. Combat. Sliding in and out of the glass armor. "Then tonight—"

"I will be there," Sally assured him.

Selfishly, that was what Peter wanted. "Are you sure?" he asked. He suspected the combat would be bloody, and he while he wanted her strength there, he didn't need her to be burdened with that.

"Of course," Sally told him, squeezing his hand. "Ready to kick your butt if you do something stupid."

"Thank you," Peter said, kissing her cheek. "For today, how about—"

A knock on the door interrupted him.

Peter glanced at the door. The strip around the lintel didn't flare. Someone neutral, then.

"Good morning." Peter didn't know the young man in front of him, but his orange sash proclaimed him as a regular hall monitor. A quick look confirmed him as a raven warrior.

"Someone is here to see you. They're waiting in the Warrior Room."

"It isn't Jesse, is it?" Peter asked, his hopes skyrocketing.

"No." The boy shook his head. "We're still all in mourning for our lost brother. It's someone else. I'm sorry."

Peter felt the weight of Jesse's loss return, like a stone in his soul. Sally squeezed his arm briefly. Peter turned to her and said, "I suppose you could—"

"Excuse me, I'm sorry. I wasn't clear. The person is here to see both of you."

"Who is it?" Peter asked.

Cai puffed his feathers up, ready to defend his mate.

"I'm afraid I can't say. If you'll come with me, sir, ma'am," the student said.

Peter looked at Sally and shrugged. She shrugged back.

After Peter closed the door behind them, he rested his hand on the wood for a moment, leaving more of his presence there. He would know if anyone crossed the barrier. He didn't want any surprises.

When he turned away, Sally was looking at him with big eyes. But she didn't say anything, just took his hand as they went down the hall.

The Warrior Room hadn't changed since Peter had been there last. The dark wood shone from its recent polishing, the fluorescent lights in their protective cages still hummed from the ceiling. Pole weapons, swords, and pads covered the far walls, and the scent of boys' sweat and feathers remained.

A silver-haired man with a laughing smile stood barefoot in the middle of the room, dressed in a plain white shirt and black jeans. It took Peter a moment to place him, momentarily not recognizing him in such a different environment.

"Rudi?" Peter asked, surprised to see the dancer here.

"Peter! Sally! So good to see you both." Rudi strode across the floor, his hand out.

Peter had his hand shaken vigorously, while Sally got a quick hug.

"What are you doing here?" Sally asked.

Peter nodded, confused. Rudi had always been friendly at the dance hall, always willing to give impromptu dance lessons, but they'd never been close or hung out outside of the dance hall. Sally seemed to share his bewilderment.

"Ah. Well. I was sent," Rudi admitted, rubbing the back of his head and looking down at his feet, as if he was embarrassed. "By Pixie, as you know him."

"What?" Sally asked. "Is he here? Did you bring him?" She'd gotten in contact with her dog sitter the night before, so she knew that Pixie would be taken care of for the weekend.

"No. I left him in Seattle. He sent me instead."

"Who—what, is Pixie?" Peter asked, bewildered.

"He's our prince," Rudi announced proudly. "Well, he's a little insane. But still. Royalty all round."

"Our?" Peter asked, taking a step back. He suddenly remembered that time at the dance hall, when Rudi had had that same sort of magical flash that Tamara had.

"Rudolf Von
DeWhite
," he said, with a smile and a deep bow. "Proud warrior of the hound clan."

When Rudi straightened up, his face had changed: The front pushed out into a snout, his eyes liquid brown, his silver hair shooting up into spikes.

Peter didn't know what to say. Even Cai was speechless.

Rudi gave a barking laugh, probably at their expressions, before shaking himself like a wet dog, reverting to fully human. "Your prefects just about had a heart attack when I showed up last night."

Peter snorted. "I'm sure."

"Took me too long to run you down," he said. "Damn tigers messed up the scent. Sorry about that," he added, nodding at Sally.

"That's okay, but—what do you mean, Pixie's insane?" Sally demanded.

"No, no, not like human crazy. Dog mad. He's just, um, stuck. In the one form. Cute, small dog. He can't change at all."

"I saw him transform into something else. A huge hound," Sally said.

"I did, too," Peter said. "His paws grew bigger than my hand," he added, throwing an apologetic look at Sally for not telling her sooner.

"The hell?" Rudi said, rocking back on his heels. "That can't be right." He paused, looked at one, then the other. "You're both sure, aren't you?"

They nodded.

Rudi gave a low whistle. "He's been playing at being afflicted since he was a boy. Seven or so. Hmmm." He paused, deep in thought.

Peter looked at Sally and shrugged. He'd never heard of such a thing before, being stuck in one state or another. He suspected that the prefects would have killed any raven warriors who'd shown such an affliction.

Finally, Rudi gathered himself together. "So, since Pixie can't come himself, probably because that would give his dang-blasted secret away and he
should have told me
—anyway. Sally, I'm here to be your guardian, to hound any who would bring you harm." Rudi's stance shifted, and he grew taller, stiffer, almost military. He gave her a sharp nod.

"Why me?" Sally asked, perplexed.

Peter nodded. He knew why Sally was special to him, but why was she special to the hound clan?

"Ma'am, I have no idea," Rudi said formally. "And Pixie isn't talking." Then he relaxed and grinned again. "I'm also here to help Peter."

"How?" Peter asked. He wasn't about to turn down any help, but he wasn't sure what a hound warrior could do.