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 THE LION’S ARRANGED MARRIAGE

Enemies to Lovers Paranormal Romance

Beaufort Creek Shifters Book 5

Layla Silver

Copyright © 2023 by Layla Silver.

All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of
the book only. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or
distributed in any printed or electronic form, including recording,
without prior written permission from the publisher, except for brief
quotations in a book review.
 Contents
Chapter 1 - Neil
Chapter 2 - Gwendolyn
Chapter 3 - Neil
Chapter 4 - Gwendolyn
Chapter 5 - Neil
Chapter 6 - Gwendolyn
Chapter 7 - Neil
Chapter 8 - Gwendolyn
Chapter 9 - Neil
Chapter 10 - Gwendolyn
Chapter 11 - Neil
Chapter 12 - Gwendolyn
Chapter 13 - Neil
Chapter 14 - Gwendolyn
Chapter 15 - Neil
Chapter 16 - Gwendolyn
Chapter 17 - Neil
About the Author
Books by Layla Silver
 Chapter 1 - Neil

“There’s no way that’s going to happen in less than three

days.”
How many times had I said that at this point? Three? Four?
Several?
Pride wouldn’t allow me to say anything else. My alpha sat on
the couch next to an empty bag as I paced the room. I snatched up
a black turtleneck from one hamper and a pair of snug, flattering
black jeans from another.
A pair of socks hung over the fireplace. They had little
pineapples on the black fabric. “I thought I’d be able to wear these
out on the town.” My nose wrinkled up. It was less disgust and more
disappointment. “Trekking through the wilderness to where the
mountain gods decided to banish their own while wearing these
fancy little shits is still good enough.”
“It’s the swamp, not the mountains.”
I feigned a gasp and then winked. “That’s even worse.”
“If I had known you would be a diva about it, I’d have sent
my other best assassin.”
“You mean Veronica?”
He smirked confidently. “Who do you think is going with you,
dingus?” His precious mate was more than just a protector—she was
trained in the art of the kill. Just like me.
The smirk on his face brightened. “Though it’s not her mate
that needs rescuing.”
“Just when will that happen again, do you think? Her rescuing
you?”
His eyes narrowed. More out of pensive thought than
suspicion or disdain. “That’s why I plan on putting an end to this.”
 It should have been a joke. Just a jab to keep things light and
healthy.
But all I had done was remind him what was at stake.
Time to deflect. “You sure this woman I’m going after even
wants to be rescued? Has anyone asked her?”
“Mates bond spiritually during high-stress events.”
Right, because consent has nothing to do with it. “You would
know better than anyone about that.”
The smirk returned. “I would, thank you. I’ve experienced it.
Unlike you.”
“I don’t need to experience it to mate with someone.” I
sighed. “Though I suppose it doesn’t really hurt either. I just want to
make sure she’s fully on board with this, Alpha.”
I dropped the clothes I had collected into the bag. One
change of clothes was enough for a rescue mission. Any more than
that would indicate a vacation.
Which I so desperately needed.
I cleared my throat. “Better be getting a good honeymoon
like what Jermaine and Elva got.”
“You want to go to the mountains?”
I pawed the air. “Do I look like a mountain lion to you?”
His chuckles stung my pride—but that was all well and good
considering it was nice to see my alpha laughing instead of sighing
sorrowfully for once.
My attempts to lift his spirits had mostly succeeded.
“No, but you could have been in the circus,” he teased.
“Aunt Minerva would have never approved.”
“You mentioned you had considered it.”
Something else stung then. Not my pride. That was intact.
But my heart was coming undone. All the stitches were unraveling
from years of careful sewing. The poor muscle had gone through the
worst of it.
I would be sure to protect it better these days. Especially in
the days ahead. “I didn’t want my poor aunt to roll over in her
grave.”
“I’m sure she’d be proud of you either way. I’m sure she is
proud of you, Neil.”
Time moved too slowly for my tastes. Far too slowly. It made
my throat muscles lock up and my chest heave and that weird rising
feeling surged through my chest like I had a cold coming on. It was
the worst of the worst. It was a memory I didn’t need poking
through the surface of the canopy to peek at the forest beyond.
No, that wasn’t something I needed to see right this second.
It wasn’t necessary for the mission.
Before the black hole could suck me under, an arm circled my
shoulders. My alpha wrapped me up like a burrito in a blanket. He
angled me toward the couch. He sat me down. He rubbed circles
into my back, an activity that I kept hidden from the others because
it was hard being seen as weak after killing as many people as I
had.
Weakness and greatness simply didn’t coexist. It wasn’t right.
If I was to uphold a proper image, then I had to be the infallible
lion, capable of slaying ten men in under three minutes. Which other
shifters could boast of such an accomplishment?
Other than our dear Veronica, of course.
I leaned into my alpha. His strength, his comfort, his support
washed through me. Just a few rubs put me back into a standing
position. I dropped the blanket. A firm nod sent me back to packing
my bag.
I knew why he was still sitting there. It wasn’t just the
comfort. It was to make sure I fulfilled my duties, too.
But he would know better than anyone that I was dedicated
to this pack. Beyond words and worlds, I was committed to our
advancement.
Even if that meant taking up a mate, I had no interest in truly
taking.
“Is she even real?” I teased, though I wasn’t sure my playful
tone hid my anxiety. This woman was a total stranger to me. Who
was to say we would get along at all? “I’ve never heard of her in my
life.”
“Gwendolyn is quiet. She keeps to herself. She worked with
Dr. Windsor for a short time,” Alpha explained.
“Until?”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“The quiet ones are always the wild ones. She must have
done something if she doesn’t work with Dr. Windsor anymore.”
“She didn’t do anything.”
I shrugged. “I see. So, she’s lazy.”
Blake shook his head. “Far from it, Neil. She’s spectacular.
She’s smart. You’ll love her.”
“If she’s so smart and spectacular, why haven’t you mated
with her?”
“Why would I do that?”
Another shrug took me over. I was full of shrugs today
instead of words. How could I speak after that meeting had just
gone so beautifully? An announcement like that would be the gossip
of the season around here. Now that things were settled with
Jermaine and Elva, the pack needed to hyper-fixate on a new
couple.
That would likely be Gwendolyn and me.
I cleared my throat as I refolded an undershirt. “Some alphas
can take extra mates. I don’t know. I’ve heard of it.” It was a cheap
deflection, but a deflection nonetheless.
“I don’t think Veronica would like that.”
 “So, you have thought about it, huh?”
He laughed. “Neil, you’re deflecting.”
Damn it. “And you’re lonely. Admit it.”
“I’m more than happy with Veronica. She’s the only one for
me.”
His smile widened as he observed my actions—how I shoved
more items all willy-nilly into the bag as if that was going to save me
from this mission. Anything would be acceptable at this point. A
meteor or a stab to the heart. Maybe a bottle of wolfsbane would set
me straight.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to rescue her. No, I felt entirely
compelled to do that.
I just wasn’t sure about mating with her.
Blake folded his hands together. “And Gwendolyn is the only
one for you.”
“How do you know? How do you pick these pairings? Do you
just say names out loud until they sound correct?”
“I reach between the bond that cements us together and
search for the name on your heart.”
I stared at him for what felt like ages. My alpha sounded so
poetic—an odd thing for him, really, seeing as he was a brute most
of the time. Motorcycle badass with a penchant for being dangerous.
And with Veronica at his side, he had become something of an
adrenaline junkie. The two of them trained like warriors.
Bowing my head came naturally, though I wasn’t entirely sure
why I did it just then. Maybe it was out of respect. Or disbelief. I
couldn’t tell. “I didn’t realize you did magic.”
“Our bonds are made of magic. You know that.”
I looked at him. “I suppose I would.”
His turn to bow his head. The respect it exuded poured more
comfort into my wounded heart. Stitches repaired themselves. Just a
few at a time.
That was the idea behind mating, too. I hoped it would work.
Somehow.
I sighed. “Alpha, with all due respect, I work best by myself.”
“Jermaine said the same thing.”
“Jermaine has been wanting to fuck Elva ever since their first
argument.”
Blake cackled. “That’s true.”
“I don’t know Gwendolyn. I don’t understand why I need to
know her.”
“Your heart told me otherwise.”
I shook my head. “Well, my heart must be smoking reefer or
something. I didn’t know about her until you told me about her
today.”
“Are you kidding? You would never compromise your
awareness.”
“That’s a fine point, Alpha.”
He smiled. Wide and true. Comfortably. Warmly. Like a
brother would. The brother I never had, in fact, could be found in
Blake. That was the nature of our friendship. We were much like
brothers without being related. And I would do anything for him.
My heart belonged to his pack—our pack. “I’ll go. But I’m
going to complain the entire time. May the gods help you if you
happen to be tuned in to our channel.”
Our mental channel was what I meant. Most packs auto-
tuned in to each other in their animal forms. With Blake, that was
easy to do, and it involved the others as well—Milton, Tanner, and
Jermaine. The five of us were inseparable. Even with our mates—
minus me, duh—we couldn’t be without each other.
How could men who had saved each other go a day without
each other? It was hard to believe that Milton had ever lived
anywhere else. Though I suppose it had made sense at one point.
He had to stay with his family. Dragons were picky like that. They
protected their treasures. And family was a treasure.
So, I supposed I should feel relatively honored that Milton
lived here now.
Blake smiled. “I expect nothing less from my most finicky
lion.”
“I’m not finicky. I just have good taste in choices.”
“Most of the time.”
A smirk burst over my lips. It was hard not to find humor in
that statement. “Alright, point taken. What’s the backup plan?”
“Should you and the others fail—”
“And we won’t.”
He rolled his eyes. “—Milton and Tanner will come for you.”
“I don’t see why we wouldn’t send the dragon talons first.”
“Because this requires the stealth and skill of my best fighters
—you, Veronica, and Jermaine.” He pointed an authoritative finger in
my direction. “Which, before I forget, mating with Gwendolyn should
be your priority as soon as you get there. You must bite her.
Immediately.”
“Right, that makes sense. Waltz right in without even
introducing myself and just sink my lion-y canines right into her
flesh. Got it. That’ll go over very well, don’t you think?”
He glared at me. “Cut the crap, Neil. This is serious. Your lives
are on the line the longer you remain unmated.”
“Yes, I’ve heard it all before, Blake. I mostly believe it, but I
also firmly believe that a gentleman should be a bit less crass about
it, don’t you think?”
“You’re being obtuse.”
One more shrug for the road. “I’m just being honest.”
 “Well, allow me to return the honesty, Neil,” my alpha stated
as he drew to his full height. “If you don’t mate with Gwendolyn
when you get there, you won’t be welcome back in this pack.”
Heat rocked my body into action. I bent forward, preparing to
shift. The lion was too proud some days—but I had to rein him in
before he made an ass out of himself. And we didn’t want to turn
ourselves into our food.
Blake held up a hand, cutting me off before I could even
speak. “I don’t say that lightly. And yes, it breaks my heart to say
such a thing. But unless your mating gets interrupted by capture, I
expect to see a mark on her neck—and yours—when you walk back
into the compound.”
His words were molten steel wrapping around my body. What
he said embedded itself into my very molecules. That was the nature
of our individual bond. As his assassin, I took his word as law. To
deny it would put me in danger.
Well, it would put everyone in danger. Alpha knew best. And I
knew better than to deny my alpha.
I clasped my hands behind my back and bowed deeply. “Yes,
Alpha. Of course. I’ll do as you ask.”
Nobody else could have ever earned my allegiance with a
mere threat. But Blake didn’t make idle threats. He meant what he
said.
I believed him. At that moment, I had no other choice.
Silence settled around us as I slung my bag over my shoulder.
My belt held throwing daggers, potions for health, and a hunting
knife that I was skilled at wielding. Guns weren’t my style. Getting in
and out without making much of a fuss was my primary goal.
Grab Gwendolyn. Bite her. Get her back to the pack.
All in a day’s work.
 Chapter 2 - Gwendolyn

Dark, muddy, cold—that was all I could sense in such a dark

room. Any memories of my arrival had been zapped from my
system. Magic hadn’t erased them. Something more sinister swirled
through my blood with serpentine intent. It nestled right into my
heart and spread its snakelike tendrils throughout my body, strikingly
venomous. Heavy.
My eyelids fluttered. How long had I been under this time?
The back of my throat was drier than sun-bleached sand on a
beach. Salt pecked my throat, carried by every inhalation. A twinge
of copper touched the back of my nose—or maybe that was in my
throat too. It was difficult to tell. My senses had been dulled,
revived, and dulled again, a perpetual cycle that confused my
animalistic side.
Even now, she fought to harness her awareness. She was
tethered to me as much as any other shifter’s animal side was
tethered to them. And she yearned to be free.
Closing my eyes provided no rest. It only brought the
sensational pains warping my body. Dozens of miniature needles
penetrated my skin. The way it prompted suffering forced me to
isolate myself from reality. What else could I do to escape such
magnificent pain?
Drugs circulated my system, mostly opiates. Their heaviness
was familiar to me as an experienced RN. Though I hadn’t spent
much time in the medical field, I had learned plenty enough about
pain medication to recognize its effects. These were triple the usual
strength. They were probably using it more as a sedative than
anything else.
Yet pain radiated right through the muggy fog, invading my
mind and forcing me to ground back into my body over and over
again. The cycle was awful, turning me around like a wheel, hitting
the finer points of opiates—nausea, confusion, and ultimately a
temporary suspension of reality.
Bliss suddenly settled into my bones. It was the first I had
tasted it since my arrival. They had put something else in the IV drip
this time around. Who knew what they had done to me when I was
under? Partial awareness returned, just enough for me to search my
arms for injuries, scars, the works.
All I felt was a weighted chain. I followed the massive links to
my throat, shocked to discover a metal collar hanging around my
neck. With how much they had pumped into my system, why were
they bothering to chain me up? It wasn’t like I could shift and fly off.
The cage in which I sat was barely big enough for me to stand. Just
big enough for me to stretch out my legs.
Pure agony swept through me like a tidal wave. Tears burned
my eyes. I faintly felt the hot streams trickling down my face. They
pooled beneath the metal collar, going cold after several seconds of
sitting there.
Ah, the room was cold again. Was I beneath a window? Or a
vent? It was hard to tell. All I could sense now was the pain, the
moist earth beneath me, and the sound of footsteps approaching the
cage.
My vision warbled temporarily. I looked up at the figure,
trying to focus, but barely being able to cling to consciousness. He
spoke. He stepped to the right. He peered into the cage.
Then, the door was wide open and he was beckoning me to
crawl toward him. “That’s it…that’s a good girl…”
Gross. There wasn't a situation in my mind that I could think
of when that would ever be appropriate. Even my parents didn’t
bother with such odd phrases.
My parents—were they worried about my absence? What
about my alpha? Was anyone searching for me?
“That’s it…”
 The figure bent toward me. His lab coat hung open to reveal
a brown button-down shirt with a teal vest, a gold pocket watch, a
brown belt with darker brown slacks…
Part of the blanketed haze peeled back. I blinked a few times,
daring to reach up to wipe my eyes, trying to rid myself of the tears.
I didn’t want this malevolent doctor to see my pain. He had probably
seen it all at this point. Things I didn’t want to consider surfaced.
I watched. I waited. I knew what would come next.
And then it hit me. The scent of burnt rolling papers. A dash
of earthy tobacco and then the sharpness of something else, a
chemical smell. The scent coalesced and rolled into my nostrils,
smacking me right in the sinuses.
I cradled my aching head. With parched lips, I attempted
speech—though I knew better than to even try. The drugs they had
me on impaired everything from thoughts to actions.
It was impossible to do anything.
This is hopeless, I managed to think cohesively. Tears once
again stung my eyes. I don’t think I’m ever going to see my family
again. Not without some kind of miracle.
“You’ve withstood quite the barrage of tests, Miss Jennings,”
the dreadful doctor spoke carefully with a heavy Southern twang.
“The experiments are nearly complete. Perhaps you’ll be as strong
as Samuel one of these days.”
Samuel. That was a name that had been thrown around
plenty in the time I’d been here. It seemed to be seated on
everyone’s lips. And now it was fully burned into my mind’s eye, the
spelling and sound and everything.
I’d seen it in a file.
But where?
The doctor knelt in front of me. “Maybe you’ll be good
enough to mate with him. He needs a bride if he’s going to grow his
army. The Gilberts need so much more for their army these days.”
 Bitterness stung my tongue. Among the things most
disgusting about this situation was being considered as some kind of
breeding cow. This doctor—whose name slipped my mind as it often
did—saw me as special. I could remember being separated from the
others and being tossed into this cage.
Awareness slowly returned. The drugs must have been
wearing off at last. I blinked to clear my vision again, daring to gaze
at the face of my captor. He was a middle-aged man with deep lines
in his leathery clay-brown skin and white hair curling through every
other black curl. The rings hung messily around his face. What little
light was available illuminated these details enough for me to grasp
them all over again.
They would leave again soon. But at least I knew the face of
my torturer for the moment.
He stroked my chin. The sensation of his grubby fingers on
my skin made me recoil—and that just made him laugh. While
kicking back to my corner which was only a mere five inches from
the cage door, I caught a glimpse of the rest of the room. It was so
easy to forget how odd it was down here without any natural light.
A medical table sat in the center of the room with a huge
floodlight over it. Wires scattered in every direction, coiling over
each other like they would in a pit of snakes. Crates of unknown
items were stacked against the walls and crowded whatever
windows might have been there—if there were windows at all. I
thought I saw a sill or a piece of a pane or something.
Above, cement cracked in various patches, threatening to
come down on our heads. But the doctor didn’t seem bothered by all
that. I was his only focus at this point. When had I not been his only
focus?
Again, those thoughts weren’t for me to currently entertain.
Such dark thoughts weren’t what I wanted to break through my
drug-induced haze. I needed moonlight. I needed the cool night air.
I needed sturdy branches, purposeful gliding, creatures of the night
to provide the backdrop for my flight…
 An alarm broke through the silence.
Time warped as the doctor dashed away. The alarm
continued, a steady and aggravating blamp that worsened my
headache. I covered my ears. I bowed my head. I curled into as
tight of a ball as I possibly could.
My eyes snapped open.
Wait a second.
Through the agony of the alarm, I lifted my head.
The cage door was wide open. I could make a run for it. I just
had to get the metal collar from around my neck and—
A crash echoed through the room. Following it was the roar of
a creature, perhaps a lion, perhaps a couple of other roars, too,
maybe from a wolf or a bear. They were all certainly beasts, massive
and capable of taking down just about anything or anyone.
Instruments clattered to the ground. Metal scraped the floor. Growls
of warning and barks tangled up together, joining the messy alarm
that rattled my skull.
I was seeing red at this point. Anger wasn’t the problem.
It was frustration.
My freedom was right there. Inches away from me. The only
thing that prevented my escape was this stupid chain around my
neck. With such useless and weak fingers, it would be impossible to
pick the lock even as I regained my faculties.
Another roar shattered the sound barrier. That was most
certainly a lion I was hearing just now—and the pained whine it
released told me it wasn’t winning its fight.
Shouts climbed over the alarm and then the lion released a
wheeze, a signal that the fight had finally left him. My heart sank as
I did, bowing to the ground like a lost child. Granted, I was lost. To
the threads of fate. To the awful tests that would surely continue
until success—or death.
I was a lost cause. I had to resolve myself to that.
 I saw him then, the impressive creature, the lion as he was
dragged toward me. The sinister doctor had help from three other
characters, all of them nude. They must have stripped down and
shifted to handle the lion.
Though he didn’t look familiar to me. Was he a recent test
subject? Had he broken in? What were the other roars and growls
that I heard?
My eyes went wide.
Did Alpha send pack members to rescue me?
That might have been a good thought if I hadn’t been fighting
for space while the doctor and his minions shoved the gargantuan
creature into the small cage. The doctor stood back with a wide grin
as the cage door was locked in place. More defeat joined the
festering wound of regret in my core.
Instinct took over. I wrapped my arms around the neck of the
beast, noticing the surface cuts and the labored breathing. He was
alright—but they had definitely hit him with something strong by the
look of that gaping puncture mark in his neck. I applied firm
pressure to the wound.
“Gee, I wonder what a hungry lion would do with a bird,” the
doctor teased. As the minions moved in, each with their own sticks
carrying tranquilizer darts, the doctor waved them off. “No, no, leave
her awake.”
“But, Dr. Myrtle—”
The doctor growled at the man who spoke. “Leave her awake,
you fucking idiot. She’s not going anywhere. She’s chained up.” He
turned to me, smiling eerily. “Her friend will wake eventually. He’ll be
hungry. Then we can hit her with the shifting formula.”
I glared at him.
He must have taken my meaning from my eyes for he
continued, “It’s a special derivative of certain native plants in the
area—and it can force you to shift. For a brief period, but it’s a
success I’ve been dying to share with Raymond and his crew.”
 My mouth dried up. An injection that can force the shift?
What would even be the purpose of such a thing?
“Defiance will be a thing of the past with this formula,” the
doctor explained. I didn’t like his tone. Not one bit. “Without human
faculties, I can freely experiment on shifter creatures. No talking
back. No screaming. No interruptions.”
It was sickening to think he had used that formula on me at
some point.
Would I have ever remembered?
“Don’t worry. He has a while to recover,” Dr. Myrtle assured.
“But when he does wake up, be a good girl and give us a shout. The
Gilberts are paying us top dollar for our research.”
He waved as though we were old friends, taking his equally
sick minions with him. When all four men had vacated the area, I
adjusted my position and tore off part of my shirt, just the lower
bits. A few strips of that made it easy to patch up the lion. With my
head tilted back, I peered up at the ceiling, searching for the
dripping pipe that I had used previously for fresh water.
It was weird how my memories were suddenly coming back.
Though maybe it wasn’t too weird at all considering this was my first
lucid moment in...how long had I been here?
My arrival here, the tests, the injections, and the bare scraps
of food between cups of rotten juice were slipping back into my
awareness. This dripping pipe had been my saving grace. Now that I
could remember that, I could catch some of the water in my mouth.
As soon as I had a decent amount, I bowed toward the lion,
parting his gigantic maw to deliver the water. A weakened and
gravelly mewl met my ears. The poor thing was exhausted. How
many darts had he taken? I had to assume three.
Though if each of those men had been ready to stab me in
the cage, then maybe it was only one dart. Dr. Myrtle seemed
confident about him sleeping it off in time for me to be eaten. But if
this lion had been sent from my pack, then he wouldn’t dare risk
such a thing, no matter how strong his hunger was.
Well, not at first, anyway.
But that was the whole goal, wasn’t it? Dr. Myrtle wanted this
lion to murder me in cold blood. For whatever reason, he didn’t
seem too concerned about keeping me around for additional tests
despite what he had said about this Samuel character needing a
mate. And apparently, he needed an army.
But if he was working with the Gilberts, then why in the world
would he need more shifters?
My focus fell on the sleeping creature’s fur. It was
disappearing in patches and waves. He was shifting back to human
form.
Unless he’s trying to test my strength, I thought. Dr. Myrtle’s
motives aren’t entirely clear. But I know one thing.
The fur completely dissipated, leaving the athletic build of a
man with alabaster skin covered in tattoos in my lap.
My eyebrows knotted up. I know I don’t have much time
before those evil bastards come back.
 Chapter 3 - Neil

It wasn’t light that penetrated my eyes upon waking. It was

the murky nature of the room surrounding me. The persistent drip of
water echoed behind me while a musty taste occupied my tongue,
my awareness picking up a million things all at once. Whatever they
had stabbed into my veins had done a number, totally warping my
usual rhythmic intake of information.
Without the mask of the sedative, my body was absorbing
information all at once. The sudden onslaught overwhelmed me,
forcing me to wrap my arms over my head to dull some of it, to
maybe get myself a little bit of protection. Drip, beep, drip, bang.
Those noises were explosions in my otherwise perfectly trained ears.
My stomach rumbled. How long had I been out? And where
the hell were my clothes?
Moisture from the ground soaked my side. Disgust surfaced.
Then, concern. What exactly was I lying in?
Better yet, where was my rescue crew?
Had I been part of a lion’s pride, this rescue mission would
have been done a little differently. Lion leaders were full of
themselves. They insisted on doing everything. If Aunt Minerva
hadn’t taken me in, I might have been subjected to an alpha trial. I
might have even won with my skills.
But that wasn’t something that appealed to me at this point in
my life. Service was the name of my game—that and only that.
Service to my alpha and now service to my mate. Being mated was
merely a condition of my service. I was loyal through no fault of my
own and I was committed to delivering to my alpha the very
conditions of his command.
Reality settled in the moment I lifted my head. Something
slithered off my back. Cringing was the least of my worries at that
point. What others might have labeled a tiny yelp, I would call an
utterance of surprise. It made me twist my body, forcing my back to
the bars of the cage I had once faced.
The thing that had slithered down my back slapped the
ground—a hand. Attached to a woman.
A rather haunting beauty of a woman, if I dared admit it. The
drugs were wearing off, granting me better control of my ability to
imbibe information. She was a small thing, rather petite, with warm
ivory skin appearing somewhat ghastly in the poor lantern lighting of
the basement. Blonde hair, nearly white like freshly fallen snow,
curled loosely around her face, tickling the tops of her shoulders and
appearing frayed at the edges.
Sandy-brown eyebrows like two brush strokes sat over her
closed eyes. Lashes the same color as her brows fluttered slightly,
eyes rolling beyond her lids as she slept heavily. Cool colors seemed
to cling to her aura, blues and wintry greens swarming over her
whenever she twisted in the flickering light.
The sight of her captured my breath. Beauties like this don’t
get kidnapped.
I frowned at the chain around her neck. Unless it’s for a
specific purpose. Like whatever those scientists are up to.
A soft snore rose from the sleeping beauty. It was something
of a purring sound, though it hardly resembled that of a cat. More
like a slumbering bird. Annoyance crept into my awareness next.
Then disgust.
Did they seriously have to chain her up? She’s hardly a threat!
My eyes roamed her frame, thin limbs soft and delicate in such
lighting. Sure, her coloring was a painter’s dream, but her angles
would have been envied by a photographer. She doesn’t do
anything. She hasn’t made any waves in the political climate. I’ve
never heard of her. How did this group hear about her?
Her chest rose and fell raggedly. These scientists must have
wrung her dry for her to be sleeping like this. I didn’t understand
what they were doing with her. Had they been experimenting? Or
were they torturing her for information?
My eyebrows rose. Alpha mentioned she had worked with Dr.
Windsor.
There, that seemed to make sense. The woman probably had
some valuable medical knowledge either about the pack or in
general. Though her brief practice of medicine wouldn’t have made
her particularly useful in the general sense. And then if they were
after her knowledge, why was she locked in a cage and not being
forced to do the experiments I had spotted on my way into this
joint?
Nothing made sense.
And it didn’t have to make sense. All we needed to do now
was get the hell out of here.
The woman snorted. She struggled to lift her head, eyelids
batting rapidly, nostrils flaring as her features contorted. She was
dreaming fitfully.
I couldn’t imagine the things locked away in that brain of hers
from this abominable place.
Contempt for the scientists hardly melted away as I reached
for her and adjusted her. She was uncomfortable sitting up like that.
With her chin propped on her chest and her shoulders bowed
inward, she was probably struggling to breathe. Especially with that
clunky hunk of metal around her neck.
Why’s she on a leash if she’s in a cage? Seems like overkill.
Then again, most of this place was overkill. A crumbling
fortress in the middle of absolute nowhere without anyone guarding
the entrances or exits—which were many if I had counted properly
upon arrival.
It just seemed odd.
Aren’t they worried about animals escaping?
 I rubbed my neck. That dart had knocked me the hell out like
it was nothing. I could still feel the punch of the needle in my
muscle. That was something I knew I would feel for weeks to come.
With my luck, it would probably be years before the kink was out of
my neck.
I tried to raise my arms above my head—and hit metal. More
bars. How unexpected. It was just rude to shove me into a cage
with my brand-new mate and expect me to somehow be
comfortable.
That steady dripping sound came again. When I looked at
Gwendolyn—the drugs must have finally exited my system since I
was able to remember her name—I noticed water on her cheek.
Each tiny bubble was disrupted by a brand new drop. I glanced up
and found the leaky pipe.
It probably didn’t taste very good. But it was water. It was
something.
Gently moving Gwendolyn aside took little effort even with
the damage done to my muscles. She was small. I could probably
toss her over my shoulder and sprint out of this place. Assuming I
could get the chain off her neck, of course.
I tilted my head and opened my mouth. Cool water smacked
my tongue and spattered the walls of my mouth. It tasted sort of
musty. Sort of how my mouth had tasted when I first woke up. It
was probably just from the water dribbling in the old pipes.
It certainly wasn’t the grossest thing I had ever put in my
mouth.
“I hope you brought backup.”
Gods, even her voice was tiny. And I knew that was
Gwendolyn speaking. With my senses back online, I would have
heard someone sneak into the room. It wasn’t particularly big. There
were plenty of wires on the ground to trip anybody up. We had our
own personal security alarm in here.
 “I didn’t realize there was so much crap in here,” I
commented. The rasp in my voice hardly changed with another sip
of musty pipe water. “You’d think they’d keep it cleaner.”
“I don’t take these men as the organized sort.”
I studied Gwendolyn as she sat up. Heavily hooded eyes
peered back at me. Cobalt blue marbles glossy from an exhausted
sleep captured my attention—and then nothing else existed.
My vision tunneled and my ears clogged up. If any other
sound had gone off aside from the beeping machines and dripping
pipe, I had no concept of it. There was only her. It was odd to sit so
close with my attention fully stolen by a wiry thing with frosted eyes
and snowy flesh.
How long would it last?
Fair maidens never do.
Everything crashed back into my awareness just like it had
when I first awakened. The pipe. The machines. The proximity of my
mate—or rather, the woman assigned to be my mate.
It all came back at full volume as if it had never left.
Considering all the oddities in my life, this one had to be the
most baffling.
Gwendolyn traced the chain links with nimble fingers. It
seemed more like an idle movement than an active one. If I looked
deeper into her eyes, I saw she wasn’t quite all there. Yet her
question and subsequent comment had made her sound lucid.
It was impressive for such a petite woman who had been
captured for quite a few days.
“I had a team. They didn’t make it inside. But Milton should
be after us soon,” I explained in a low voice. “He’s a—”
“Dragon,” she interjected. “And you’re the trusty lion, Neil.
Though you’re not a beta, are you?”
“I believe that only applies to wolves.”
 She hummed curiously and then let her eyes wander. Blake
was right—she was smart. Observant smart. Intuitive smart.
Maybe I had underestimated her.
I cleared my throat. “By the way, we’ve been announced as
mates.” I puffed up a bit—I mean, as much as I could in such a
confined space. “It’s not every day you get to be mated with a lion
such as me. I’d call it an honor if the circumstances weren’t so damn
inconvenient.” My canines descended just thinking about her throat.
“Which means we must—”
Quiet, pensive eyes locked onto mine. A look like that could
render any man silent. But me? I was too old to be subjected to
such charms, especially from an owl. And I knew she was an owl
from the information that Blake had given me on my way out.
No wonder she was observant. She had huge eyes to take in
as much information as possible. Which made her a decent mate to
be paired with a lion.
Though the logic still hadn’t settled in just yet.
Gods, the silence just stretched on forever with her, didn’t it?
She stared and stared and stared some more, the blue of her eyes
becoming teal and then shifting into glassy oceans. She exuded a
coolness like the brisk chill on the first winter’s morning and maybe
even the bitey wind promising a fresh layer of snow.
She was that and so much more—yet she remained quiet.
Why was she so quiet?
After a second more of stunning silence, she lifted her eyes
about an inch, brightening up when she noticed my hair.
I flicked it over my shoulder. “Ah, you’ve taken note of my
mane. I go to painstaking lengths to keep it so delicious. What do
you think? Doesn’t it make you want to touch it?”
“No.”
I choked. “No one can resist these strands. We’re mates, after
all. Aren’t you curious about me in the least?”
 “Hardly.”
“That’s no way to speak to your future husband, is it?”
She leaned forward a centimeter, barely blinking as she stared
right past me. “Mates don’t have to marry legally.”
“Well, they don’t have to not marry either.”
Geeze, I was like a dog with a bone. Completely unheard of. I
had waltzed in here as I told Blake I would, put on a good fight, and
now I was falling right through the cracks of my usual cement
facade. She was breaking through—or reading through. Whichever
one worked as an explanation was fine by me because it was truly
baffling.
She squinted at me in the same fashion birds do before
they’re about to swoop down and snatch something out of the tall
grass. Was she hunting me?
That was cute. “Darling, don’t waste your energy here. We
can hash it out in the world beyond these walls.” I gestured
dramatically to the brick crumbling behind her. It was mostly a
performance. Mostly. “I know you’re dying to bite me. Let’s get this
collar off your neck.”
She didn’t move. She didn’t even blink. She didn’t seem to
register what I was saying, which reduced my first impression to
ashes. Perhaps she wasn’t as lucid as I had originally thought.
But when she smiled, my pride took as hard of a hit as it had
with my alpha.
That wasn’t a warm smile. It was an amused smile. It was the
kind of grin that people give to children—like when a kid has done
something absolutely foolish and someone is about to be truly
condescending about it.
Did she really have the nerve to smile at me like that?
“Listen, little lady,” I said firmly, “we’re paired and that’s the
end of that. I’m not happy about it either, but we have to do the
whole mating mark thing before we get out of here so we don’t end
up sliced and diced on a medical table. Understand?”
“You are adorable when you’re grumpy. Do you know that?”
She closed the distance between us to sift her fingers through my
hair. “Cats are cute. I wonder why we don’t ever get along?”
I pursed my lips. “Listen.”
“If you’re wondering how I know you’re grumpy, it’s the
crease in your brow. Just there.” She tapped the space above the
bridge of my nose. I blinked twice. “You get some lines here.” She
tapped the corner of my mouth. “And then your pupils turn into
points.”
The smile on her lips widened.
“Like right now,” she added. “Because you’re not used to your
girlfriends talking back to you like this, are you?”
“Girlfriends?” I huffed. “You know what? I take it all back.
You’re not a beauty at all. Your skin is the pallid texture of a
decorative pumpkin on a warm autumn day.” I crossed my arms over
my chest. “I don’t want to bite you, anyway. I don’t trust you.”
“So much for being a lion in white armor.”
As I prepared a retort, the doors burst open behind me.
Strangers were walking into the room. One of them smelled like
burnt paper.
“Ah,” I whispered. “I wonder if they’re bringing my clothes?”
But that was no way to act in the face of danger. I knew it.
Gwendolyn seemed lucid enough to recognize it. I couldn’t help
myself. A little dark humor helped me cope.
And I would need to do a lot of coping with the size of that
needle that man was holding up.
 Chapter 4 - Gwendolyn

Nobody spoke for a while. Neil had gone deathly quiet,

though I got the impression that he was studying the movements of
the men approaching us. Just a few short minutes with him told me
everything I needed to know about him.
Pompous, loyal, loud. That was the nature of lions. That’s
how they were with the people they cared about.
Neil—that was his name. It had come right back to me when
he’d mentioned his dragon friend. If the alpha had sent a team, then
I was sure a few of the other men close to him were likely part of
that team. Or perhaps Alpha had only sent three.
Three were all I had heard earlier.
“Ah, he’s awake,” Dr. Myrtle stated while reaching into his
pocket for a set of keys. They rattled as he approached the cage.
“Should we try the serum?”
The three men behind him chuckled. Rugged laughter like
that indicated malice. The amount of time I’d spent here wasn’t
clear, but I knew we were both in for something awful based on
what I had experienced thus far.
And that something awful would strip me of clothes.
Neil growled when the cage door opened. He shifted his right
hand into a paw and swatted the evil doctor who laughed
maniacally. The three men descended upon us with their large
calloused hands and sinister glares. Grubby hands grabbed my
shoulders and unlocked the collar. They tore off my shirt.
Neil growled viciously. “That was unnecessary!”
The man holding me chuckled.
I closed my eyes. I tried to hold back the tears. The air was
cold against my bare chest, causing me to shake. Warmth would
never meet my skin again, would it? When I dared to open my eyes,
they were as dry as they had been before these disgusting shifters
arrived.
Good—they didn’t need to see my tears. That would just
make this worse.
Dr. Myrtle oversaw the short walk to the medical table.
There was only one table. What were they about to do to us?
Neil fought against the two men holding him. “You’ll let her
go in my stead. Now.”
“This isn’t a negotiation,” Dr. Myrtle retorted. “She’s important
to my research. You’ll be just as important, too. Here, kitty, kitty…”
A fiery anger swept through me like a heatwave. Shouts and
sharp words erupted next to me, setting my heart into a
hummingbird rhythm. Instinct inspired me to lash against the man
holding me.
My collar was off. I could be free if I just fought back.
“Yes, darling. That’s it!” Neil cried over the chaos. “Fight back!
Keep going!”
His words imbued me with strength. While any
encouragement would have sufficed, his was otherworldly. It bit
right through the demure defeat that had crept into my bones. No
longer was I a weak and fragile bird locked in a cage.
I was a white snow owl. I had a massive wingspan in my
animal form.
And I was furious.
The man behind me grabbed my elbows and snapped them
together. Pain rushed through my shoulders which caused me to
bow forward. I cried out, drawing attention from Neil successfully
fighting the other two vermin.
Dr. Myrtle stood aside, feigned a yawn, and checked his
pocket watch—what a truly deranged shifter. He looked bored with
our escape attempt.
 And that just shattered my hope all over again.
Neil growled. His lion canines appeared in his mouth and then
a row of sharp teeth descended next, expanding his jaw. Yellowish
tan fur sprouted across his alabaster form. The inked skin seemed to
belong to a porcelain doll rather than a handsome man—yet it
wasn’t so out of place either.
With those wheat-yellow strands of hair and glowing golden
eyes, I was beside myself with the glory of his form. Pride should
have made him ugly, yet I found his pride to be endearing. It
certainly made him a strong protector. I could see that much now.
Hair swung in every direction as he landed a punch on one
man and successfully swatted the other. Dr. Myrtle laughed when his
attendant bellowed—bright red lines oozed blood across his
shoulder. It was absolute madness to witness. It made me feel sick.
Something sharp grazed my neck. The man holding me
tightened his fingers around my throat while angling a needle at my
main artery. “It’s cyanide. I don’t think a shifter like her would
survive such a thing, fella.”
His twang was Southern, much like Dr. Myrtle’s. I had to
assume they were from the same region. And seeing as this was the
first I’d heard any of his lackeys speak, it made me wonder if they
spoke much at all unless prompted by the maniacal doctor.
Neil froze with his claws extended at the two attendants.
Some of his teeth receded. A few tufts of fur disappeared. Golden
eyes reduced their intense glow and then returned to a hazy
mustard brown. Those globes reminded me of late nights with my
brother at the fair whenever it was in town.
Cesar and I had loved to get hot dogs. We always slathered
them with mustard. That was what Neil’s eyes looked like right now.
It was an odd memory mixed with nostalgia, physical hunger, and
fear.
My heart sank.
 Cesar must be worried sick, I thought. He’s probably begging
our parents to send a search party. Gods, I miss him so much. I
have to get out of here. I have to see my little brother again.
Neil focused on me. The light in his eyes burned brighter than
the floodlight above our heads. For a split second, it seemed like he
had understood my thoughts. The way the right side of his mouth
twitched told me he was about to speak—but instead, he released a
low, throaty growl, one that would signal an attack.
But I knew better. He knew better. We all were in agreement
that another fight would simply dish out defeat like Oprah Winfrey
handing out treats.
My eyebrows twisted together. He shouldn’t obey them for my
sake. He had to get back to the pack. He was far more important
than me.
His eyes narrowed.
I could have sworn he was reading my mind. Part of me felt
utter shame at the mere thought of my being somehow weighing
less than his. And I think he was feeling that. I think that was him
projecting the feeling on me, the shame of me thinking less of
myself in comparison.
How was that even possible?
Dr. Myrtle chuckled, the dreadful sound cutting into my soul.
“They’re lovebirds.” He winked at me. “Forgive the pun, but be a
good girl and run to your mate.”
The man holding the needle to my neck eased his grip on me.
He shoved my upper back, causing me to stumble.
Did they really expect me to obey?
“You’ll do as I say, my sweet little songbird,” Dr. Myrtle
rasped.
The sound of that gross nickname made me flinch.
Dr. Myrtle pointed at Neil. “Run to him. Show him affection
before I twist the two of you inside out.” His smirk grew more
devious than I had ever seen. “I want to see just exactly how mates
survive this next set of tests.”

***

In this musty old basement, time was an illusion. Neil caught

me when I ran to him. He didn’t hesitate for a second when I threw
myself into him. Having his strong arms around me eased the
tension from the cold—even as the perverted men around us
chuckled.
Maybe I was touch-starved. Or maybe I was just tired of
having to sleep by myself on a wet hard floor without any proper
clothes.
The possibility of us having a predetermined mate bond also
crossed my murky mind at some point.
But since time passed so vividly, so slowly, it was hard to say
what I was thinking and when. Shadows passed over my eyes. Light
invaded my awareness every so often. A white wing appeared—I
was sure it was mine—and then I noticed golden fur beneath me.
Heavy breathing. Laughter.
This continued for an unknown period. It felt like it had been
days, though it was more likely that hours had passed. To be put
through such experiments messed with the mind in irreversible
ways.
Even if we did survive this and escape, how would we fare in
the outside world? Our faculties had been stripped and our senses
were sanded away. It was hard to imagine ever hunting again with
my wings spread in liberation.
I hit the ground with a hard thud. Neil landed beside me in
his human form with lacerations all over his chest and arms. The
squeak of the cage door pierced the air and the explosion of the lock
clicking into place made my neck ache. I bowed toward Neil and
huddled in his arms, wrapping my limbs around him to keep him
from shaking.
He was so cold.
“Hang on now,” I whispered. “Just hang in there.”
His teeth chattered. His eyelids fluttered. He looked utterly
horrible. Skin as sweet and inviting as moonlight carried with it a
pallid sheen. Illness had descended on him like those mad scientists.
They couldn’t even be called proper scientists given the nature of
their experiments.
Which still completely eluded me.
The fog lifted slightly from my mind. I managed to peel my
eyes open wider and peered around, searching the area for any of
Myrtle’s lackeys. They were gone. The other cages dispersed
throughout the room registered as new. They weren’t freshly built—I
just didn’t remember seeing them before now.
I squinted. I thought I saw a shadow or two.
Neil circled my waist, his large hands cupping the small of my
back and drawing my attention away from the other cages. Heat
bruised my skin, causing me to cry out.
I shivered when he slid his hands up my back. “How are you
doing that?”
“My aunt taught me that trick,” he whispered. “You take the
energy from a potential shift and turn it into heat.”
“You’ll have to explain that one after we get out of here.”
He chuckled weakly. “So, you do have hope.”
“I don’t know if I have hope. I was just saying it like that for
you.”
“You can’t fool a lion, darling. We’re too smart for you.”
Amusement laced up my throat. I tried to laugh but choked
instead, sputtering and then coughing and then burying my hot face
into his chest. He barked with a quick laugh, groaned right after, and
tensed his muscles.
Seconds later, he relaxed, allowing his limbs to melt around
me.
It felt good to be held.
The steady drip of the water pipe came into focus. I listened
intently for a while, counting the individual tinks like sheep. What
should have lulled me to sleep instead put me into a trance where I
pictured life beyond this cage.
How terrifying to try to conceptualize.
Neil had come to rescue me with a team. His team had been
thwarted, but he made it through just fine—until he had gotten
captured. If we were going to make it out of here alive and elope,
then it was important for me to understand what that life would look
like.
I lifted my head. “Why haven’t you eaten me?”
“I didn’t think that was an option.”
“You’re a cat. I’m a bird. That’s the way it works, right?”
He huffed once through his nostrils. It sounded like
amusement. Or maybe he was offended. “How dare you reduce me
to my baser instincts.”
Yep, it was offense.
There was the pride that I knew lions possessed. It was kind
of adorable coming from him. “You’ve had the opportunity once.
Haven’t you? I know you’re starving. I can hear your stomach right
now.”
He blanched and then cupped his gut—which hardly existed
right now. “Don’t comment on my body’s functions. I get very self-
conscious about them.”
“What kind of lion are you?”
 “The dashing kind.” He gave me a smoldering look as he
caressed my waist. The touch was light and kind, like we had known
each other for ages. “Also, poultry makes my tummy ache.”
My face contorted. My gut clenched. Every inch of me wanted
nothing more than to burst into a witchy cackle. But I knew Dr.
Myrtle and those weirdos were lingering nearby. Any disturbance in
here would invite their attention.
I didn’t want to be on the testing menu again so soon.
Instead, a sharp snort erupted from me. Such silliness coming
from such a vicious and capable creature made me feel right at
home. It was the kind of humor that could get me through the
darkness.
Like the darkness we were battling right now.
His eyelids grew heavy as his lips parted ever so slightly. The
fine details of his face darkened, shadowed by his proximity. He
tilted forward and nestled closer, huddling like I had, curling toward
me, wrapping me around him and him around me.
His mouth grazed my lips.
The cage faded. Fear plummeted. Golden light swept away
the shadows. What was left were a pair of mustard eyes glimmering
with affection and desire. So close. He was just so close to me right
now…
I drifted back. I broke eye contact. I tucked myself into a ball
pressed tightly into his torso and willed away my longing. Where had
it even come from? I hardly knew Neil. This wasn’t the time or the
place to be making any kind of moves. Rest was essential. We
needed to sleep first.
But after that, who knew what would happen?
 Chapter 5 - Neil

Gwendolyn and I agreed that our time in the cage was

immeasurable. Nothing could have provided us a measure even if we
had wanted to get it straight. Whatever items were in my bag or my
pockets had been taken by Dr. Myrtle and his men. They had either
stored them or tossed them.
My bet was that they had tossed my things. What was the
use of keeping items for a dead lion? That was presumably what
they wanted at the end of their tests—a dead lion. With my fate
declared as such so silently, it seemed almost useless to hang on to
hope.
But that would have been true if I hadn’t had a pack like mine
behind me.
After Gwendolyn had fallen asleep in my arms, I turned my
eyes to the pipe above, searching the shadows for a sign of life—or
anything else. Many hours were spent that way with my newly
announced mate. She was understanding, compassionate, and full of
stories.
Not a moment went by without her telling me about
something.
One hour was spent rattling off string theory. Another was
carefully constructed of all the constellations she could remember.
Without a window and a proper view of the heavens, we were left
with our imaginations. But that didn’t stop my snow owl from
describing in great detail the cosmos above our heads.
She couldn’t see the sky. Yet she could bring it to life right
behind my eyelids. I was amazed by her skill and sweetness,
impressed that such a woman could be hidden in a modestly sized
pack without my knowing.
My eyes roamed the room. Other cages existed next to ours.
There were possibly three, maybe even four, additional creatures
with us. However, they never spoke. They didn’t make much noise.
Whatever signs of life were around us were nearly nonexistent.
They were probably as tired as we were.
On an unknown evening—or perhaps it was morning—I
cradled her in my arms. We were becoming accustomed to this
position. Occasionally, we would switch and she would hold me. But
ultimately, she liked to curl up under my paw and trade heat.
She tilted her head to rest it on my chest. “Do you think
we’ve met before?”
I hummed, the sound rumbling through my chest and
vibrating my hand that rested at the base of my ribs. So close to her.
So close to touching her shoulder…
“I suppose,” I replied logically as I let my hand fall. “It would
stand to reason that being in the same pack means we’ve crossed
paths.”
“Maybe at a meeting.”
I nodded. “Have you been to many meetings?”
“Yeah, most of them could just be newsletters if you ask me.”
I chuckled. “I hate attending them. However, it’s my honor to
stand with my alpha. I could complain...”
Silence stretched between us.
She perked up and squinted playfully at me. “Are you going to
complain?”
“I said I could. I didn’t say I would.”
“You’re a silly lion.”
A smirk crawled over my lips slowly. “Would you prefer me to
be stern and serious all the time? Like Blake or Jermaine?”
Her nose wrinkled, causing her lips to twist upward as she
huffed through her nostrils. “Great bountiful plains, no.”
I snorted once out of amusement. “See? Case closed.”
 “Hardly closed at all. It doesn’t explain how you can be so
funny at a time like this.”
“Again, darling, would you prefer anything else?”
“You ask as if I have a choice.”
Her point was well taken. Our lives had become enmeshed
because our alpha dictated it. We didn’t have a choice. Though if
Blake’s explanation of how he chose mates was to be believed, then
maybe we did have something of a choice in the matter.
Was one look all it took for my heart to pick Gwendolyn?
Her features softened as they did before she fell asleep. But
instead of drifting off, she simply slumped in my arms, keeping her
lazy gaze steady on me. Something about the way she relaxed
against my body made me feel like a good protector, a strong and
capable shifter.
It made me feel less awkward about not getting us out of
here yet.
“Would you sing for me?” she asked in a low voice. “Like you
did the other night?”
My eyes rolled. “You heard me singing? I thought you were
asleep.”
“I heard you singing, too,” came a low voice.
The way it startled me made Gwendolyn jump. We both sat
up—or as well as we could in such a confined space.
I leaned into the bars. “Hello?” Had I imagined someone else?
Was I finally losing it?
“Yes, hi—” The shifter coughed violently. When his voice came
again, it was but a muted wheeze. “I’m Troy.”
“Are there more of you?”
Troy sucked air into his lungs. “One of them is Wendell and
the other is Elias.”
 “So, there’s only three of you?” Gwendolyn asked. “I’ve been
here for a while. Were you here when I got here? I thought I saw
cages the other night but...”
Troy coughed again. The sound was wet, sick. “I...I don’t
remember.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “I’ll try to get us all out of here.
We have backup coming.”
“Backup?” That was a different voice. It was a bit farther
away. “Sure would be nice to be rescued like a damsel in distress.”
Bars creaked. Some shuffling sounds ensued. This must have
been the most lucid we’d been since that dreadful doctor began his
torturous tests.
While my brain swam in a drug-induced goo, my vision
cleared up a bit more.
Four additional cages circled the room between broken
concrete revealing decrepit dirt and crates full of what I assumed
was knowledge only for the gods.
That made five cages in total including ours. But I didn’t
remember seeing more cages when I had first broken in.
My brain was a mess.
The shifter closest to us, Troy, spoke a little louder, speaking
to the shifter across the room, “Isaiah, you son of a bitch.”
“That’s me,” the other shifter replied proudly. “What else
would you expect, Troy?”
“When did you get here?”
Isaiah huffed. “No idea. Been knocked out the same as you
kidnapped princesses.”
I frowned. “Charming.”
Isaiah sighed. “I don’t suppose any of you got a light?”
Gwendolyn laughed. “You think we’d be stuck here if we had
fire?”
 Isaiah chuckled. “It was worth a shot, sweetheart.”
I growled. “Don’t call her sweetheart.”
“Oh, someone has a temper,” Isaiah said with a hint of humor
—though I hardly found what he’d said humorous at all. “Didn’t
mean to hit on your mate, my bad.”
Gwendolyn leaned into me. She practically shrank under my
arm. The poor dear was simply exhausted by everything. While this
little meeting had been nice, it was time for us to get some kind of
rest.
I hugged Gwendolyn a bit tighter. “We should sleep while we
can.”
“Might be helpful to take turns watching the door,” Isaiah
suggested. “Seeing as that cranky old fucker likes to sneak in here
sometimes.”
I nodded. “That’s a good plan. I’ll take first watch with
Gwendolyn. You should all get as much rest as you can.”
“Could use a damn smoke before my little nap,” Isaiah
complained. “But I guess I’ll wait for my next morphine injection.”
Morphine—no wonder I feel so fuzzy, I thought.
“We should come up with a plan,” Troy suggested, “while
we’re all still here, sort of.”
I hummed. “That’s not a bad idea. If that doctor opens your
cage, grab something to pick a lock and throw it this way.”
“Why can’t it be me?” Isaiah snapped. “I can pick a lock just
as good as anybody.”
“Fine then,” I retorted. “If he’s closer to you, then he can toss
it to you. Or if the doctor opens your cage, then you throw us
something to pick our locks. Deal?”
Isaiah blew air between his lips. “Alright, don’t get your tail
wrapped around your balls. That’s fine with me, tiger.”
“I’m a lion.”
 “And I’m tired,” Isaiah said with a yawn. “Goodnight, jerks.”
I sighed as Gwendolyn adjusted under my arm. She craned
her neck so only I could hear her whisper, “Gee, he sounds like a
fantastic friend to have.”
“Yeah, fantastic. That’s a word for it.”
“It’s not his fault, you know,” Troy claimed. “He’s just cranky
without his smokes. Maybe he’ll quit when we get out.” He hesitated.
“...If we get out.”
“We’ll get out,” I assured. “I promise you that. We’re not
staying here.”
Troy sighed. “I sure hope so, my friend. I’d love to get back
home.”
Silence resumed around us.
And that was the end of our little meeting.

***

Some time later after the guys fell asleep, Gwendolyn tapped
my arm. “Your voice is lovely. I want to hear it again.”
“People are sleeping, snow,” I claimed, though truly it was
only because I hadn’t known I had a greater audience than just
Gwendolyn. If I had known that other people were around, I might
not have shown off my voice. It was still a work in progress. “If only
I had my guitar.”
She smiled wistfully. “You play?”
“Most evenings, yes. I like to keep practicing even if I don’t
have a band.”
“So, you play guitar and sing. Anything else I should know?”
I grinned mischievously and leaned toward her, my heart
swirling with an unfamiliar desire. “I have the appetite of a lion.”
 She whimpered softly. It was barely a sound at all, something
I shouldn’t have even captured given how much my senses had
been dulled from repeated tests. Yet the way she looked when she
released that light utterance set my entire body on fire. Molecules
roused to life that I had forgotten about, dancing in my center and
down into my pelvis.
My chest swelled. She rose with the motion, scrambling up to
grab my shoulders, positioning her mouth for me to take.
And then I kissed her.
Moments like this—those potential seeds of affection—had
passed plenty in this hellhole. There were more important things to
think about than her delicate petal-soft lips and her doe-like eyes. It
hadn’t even occurred to me that I wanted to kiss her until she made
that lustful sound.
Was it because of me? Or was it because we were trapped
together?
It doesn’t matter, I thought. I pulled her into my lap, eager
for her closeness, trying to make her get even closer than we had
been. She’s mine now either way.
Hands scrambled up the sides of my neck and settled on my
face. Such dainty fingers could surely do damage in the right
environment. She hadn’t quite fought back against Dr. Myrtle and
those creeps, yet she also hadn’t given in. And I had a feeling it
wasn’t because she was weak.
No, this superb little snow owl was far from weak. She had
power resonating inside her. I could feel it.
A soft sigh split our kiss. She broke away for a moment to
suck air into her lungs and then dove headlong back to my lips with
a tenderness I had missed. How long had it been since my last
relationship? Years?
My eyelids fluttered. Nothing else matters.
The squeak of hinges rattled me from my trance. I set
Gwendolyn on the ground beside me, smooshing her against the
brick at the back of the cramped cage. Footsteps ruptured across the
room. Something hit the ground with a loud clang.
Voices. Too many voices. More than there had ever been. And
then Dr. Myrtle standing in comfortable yet tasteless clothing right in
front of the cage, a syringe at the ready.
He tapped the iron bar with his pen. “Come along, pets. We
have guests today. I can’t wait to show them what you can do.”
My veins burned. The sight of that syringe made my knees
weak—and I hated it. Ever since he had started his warped
experiments on us, I couldn’t escape the nightmare of that needle
piercing my flesh over and over. The feeling haunted me, and the
way the tip winked in the dim light caused nausea to roll through
me.
I grabbed Gwendolyn’s hand. We wouldn’t have much time
once that door opened. But I was willing to bet I could take a few
assholes down in the process. Whatever it took to get Gwendolyn
out of here—whatever the cost.
Fear crawled between my fingers and scampered up my arm.
The sensation gripped my heart and made me wheeze, prompting a
terrified image to pop up in my mind’s eye. Gwendolyn on a slab.
Gwendolyn with wires in her arms. Gwendolyn begging to be
released.
I could hear her now in my head, whimpering, pleading for
relief.
And so I would give it to her.
My face contorted as Dr. Myrtle opened the cage. While a
growl danced up my throat, my legs coiled beneath me, preparing to
lunge forward and out with Gwendolyn in tow. We were going to get
the hell out of here. Tonight. Today. This morning.
Whenever the hell it was.
Just as the cage door heaved open, shouts echoed from the
hallway. Somebody screamed. A thunderous roar cracked the
anticipatory silence and then rumbled the very oxygen in my lungs.
 A smile split my lips. I knew that roar.
And it was a welcome sound.
Dr. Myrtle frowned while standing up. Once his focus broke, I
pounced forward, sinking my canines into his leg. The evil doctor
yowled in pain as I plunged my partially shifted lion nails into his
thigh, forcing his knees to buckle. Wings fluttered behind me.
Humans barked commands and wood splintered.
Then there were flames.
Great hot waves of flames spread across the room. The heat
warmed my face and illuminated the circular basement room,
providing me more light to proceed with my attack—and showing me
that the other shifters were wide awake. Once part of me was
shifted, the rest came easily, my human side giving way to my lion.
I yanked Dr. Myrtle to the ground, providing room for
Gwendolyn to fly over my head. She released a tiny but mighty
screech as she plummeted toward one of the closest shifters,
stabbing her talons into his eyes. He cried while waving her off,
trying to keep her from repeating her attack.
Once she had him down, she snatched something from his
pocket—it looked like a set of keys—and flew it toward the closest
cage. She dropped the keys into the cage and the shifter inside
scrambled to grab them. Then, she turned her attention to the next
nurse, swooping down viciously with a harsh cry.
That alone encouraged me to keep going. I snapped at Dr.
Myrtle’s legs, sending him scampering off toward the medical table
in the center of the room. He knocked the table over, sending tools
and various items in every direction. A syringe skittered toward me. I
batted it away.
He held up his hands, appearing like he was trying to reason
with me as his lips moved. But I couldn’t hear a word over the
authoritative growl coming from one of my closest friends. The
screams of his victims were like music to my ears. Though the
ground quaked under my massive paws, I didn’t mind it a bit.
Another random document with
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nevelői hivatalra tett szert. A ház, melybe jutott, a jobbaknak, azaz
azoknak egyike volt, hol a nevelő szép fizetés és nyugpénz mellett a
szakácscsal s komornyikkal majdnem egyenlő lábon áll, s noha két
fiú bizatott gondjára, mi már csak azért is elég baj, mert két úrfi
mindig többet lármáz s kevesebbet tanul, mintha csak egy volna, s
noha apai s anyai szeretet a két fiú között megosztva, a nevelő
fáradozásai sikeres ellensúlyát képezék, s mindazon kis bajok s
szenvedések, melyek egy nevelőnek életét elkeserítik, nem
hiányoztak nehéz ösvényén, – Jónás mindezt eltűré. Minden jobb
ember életének legfájdalmasabb időszaka az, melyben
meggyőződve magas terveinek kivihetetlenségéről, egoismusra
kényszeríttetik, s kik előbb az egész emberi nemet vagy legalább
hazánkat akartuk boldogítani, vérző kebellel egy kis szerencsét
keresünk önmagunknak, Jónásra nézve rég eljött, ő szerénynyé vált
kivánataiban, Erzsébet vele egy házban lakott, jövője biztosítva volt,
ő megelégedett helyzetével. – Sorsa máskép határozá. A ház,
melyben nevelősködött, katholikus volt, ő reformált; mint midőn még
kántor volt s katholikus nőt választott magának, az egész község,
úgy most az apa barátai s az anya rokonai felzúdultak e vallási
botrány ellen, s jeléül, hogy e honban minden vallásfelekezet
legalább a keresztyén türelemre nézve egyenlő, Tengelyi ismét
elbocsáttatott, s mint gazdasági tiszt kezdé meg újra éltének nehéz
ösvényét.
Tengelyi azon emberek egyike vala, kik minden foglalatosságnál
föltalálják az összeköttetést, melyben az valamely szép vagy
nagyszerű eszmével áll; s innen van, hogy valamint senki magát
könnyebben új életmódhoz nem határozá el, úgy senki többször
csalódva nem érzé magát. Így járt most is. Midőn magát
gazdatisztségre szánta, Virgil Georgiconja tölté el képzetét, később
csak ablaka előtt a magas szemétdomb s azon még sokkal
mocskosabb érintkezések maradtak meg ábrándjaiból, melyekbe
hivatala által jött. Virgil Georgiconában egészen megfeledkezett az
urbariumról, s mégis ennek alkalmazása volt Tengelyi tisztségének
egyedüli, vagy legalább fő kötelessége, mihez még az járult, hogy
ura – igen szabadelvű nagyságos úr, ki Voltairet s Rousseaut
majdnem könyv nélkül tudá, – az urbariumot elavult s felvilágosodott
századunkhoz nem illő törvénynek tartva, azon szebbnél szebb
javításokat kisértett meg, melyek szegény Jónásunkat majdnem
kétségbeejték.
Miután parasztjai sokkal kevesebb földet birtak, mint az úrbér
szerint birniok kellett volna s tudta, hogy egész idejöket, mely az
Isten, úr s megye szolgálatából fölmarad, telkeikre nem fordíthatják,
a méltóságos úr, ki a henyeség veszélyeit magáról ismeri, mint jó
apa gondoskodott, hogy gyermekei az úrbéri kötelesség felett is
elégséges munkával láttassanak el. Ezenkívül még más, igen
czélszerű javítások hozattak be e nemes férfiú jószágain. Így, mint jó
hazafi nem ismervén el a devalvatiót, mennyire hatalma terjedett,
azaz jószágain, csak ezüst pénz fogadtatott el s természet szerint
ebben szedette a füstpénzt is. Hasonlókép gondoskodott jobbágyai
neveléséről. Nem azon közönséges nevelést értem, mely irásban,
olvasásban s több ily haszontalanságokban áll, hanem azon
fontosabb gyakorlatit, mely az életre készít s mert ezt természet
szerint az urasági udvarban kaphatni legczélszerűbben, egész háza
teli volt jobbágyfiúkkal s leányokkal, kik majd mint lovászok, majd
mind konyhaszolgálók, vagy a fonóban minden díj nélkül az élet
leghasznosabb mesterségeiben oktattattak.
Jónás, ki mindezen dolgokban akaratlan eszköz vala, szive
keserűségében evé mindennapi kenyerét s csak a szükség
ellenállhatlan philosophiája tarthatá őt vissza helyén, mely
érzeményei- s meggyőződéseivel egyaránt ellentétben állt. De mit
vala tennie? hisz Erzsébet legalább boldognak érzé magát s itt-ott
volt egy köny, melyet letörölhetett, egyes szenvedések, melyeknek
enyhet nyújthatott e helyzetében is. Két év mult el így, midőn
egyszerre fenyegető levelek szórattak szét, melyekben az uraság
minden épületeire a vörös kakas leszállása igértetett. A vizsgálatnak
nem lett eredménye s épen pünkösd napján egyszerre csűrökön s
aklakon kívül Jónásunk háza is lángban állt. A többi tisztek lakásai
cseréppel lévén födve, kárt nem szenvedtek. A gonosztevők egyike
tetten kapatott s a statarialis biróság s később az akasztófa alatt
nyilván kimondá, hogy csak mindazon kegyetlen igazságtalanságok,
melyek rajta az uraság által elkövettettek, birták őt gonosztettére s
hogyha a tisztek előbbi bánásmódukat meg nem változtatják,
találkozni fognak utána többen is, kik rokonaik kedveért tettét
ismételni fogják.
A botrány irtóztató vala. A méltóságos földesúr, kiben a megye
egyik legfelvilágosodottabb s szabadelvűbb táblabiráját tisztelé, ki
soha templomba nem ment, soha még az esküdtet sem nevezé
máskép, mint uramöcsémnek s ha az utczán végig ment, minden
gyermeknek nyájasan arczára veregetett (később, ha ily gyermekek
lovászokká vagy más cselédekké nőttek, e veregetés velük együtt
nőtt), ily földesúr miként lehetne ily úrbéri kihágásoknak elkövetője?
Természetesen csak a tisztek egyedüli okai mindazon
elkeseredésnek, mely a jobbágyok között létezett. Itt példa kelle, azt
átlátta mindenki s leginkább a méltóságos úr maga; s mivel minden
tisztjei között nem volt senki, kihez ő méltósága kevesebb szívvel
viseltetett volna, mint Tengelyihez, miután ő vala minden tisztek
között az egyetlen, ki az igazgató világos, noha csak szóval adott
parancsainak ép az úrbéri viszonyokra nézve ellentmondott, ki
midőn a szerencsétlenség kitört, nyilván és kiméletlenül az uraság
ellen szót emelt, végre ő, kinek háza felgyujtatott s kit e szerint maga
a gyujtogató mint azt jelölte ki, ki ellen az ingerültség legmagasb
polczra hágott: semmi sem természetesebb, minthogy ismét ő
választatott áldozatul s minden kérés ellenére röviden elbocsáttatott.
Kevés butora s az, mit magának szolgálata alatt szerzett, elégett
s szegényebben, mint kiindult, tért vissza két évi fáradozás után
Porvárra, honnét annyi reménynyel távozott.
Itt kezdődik hősünk életének legszomorúbb, habár épen nem
legköltőibb szaka, mely alatt számtalan inség s önmegtagadás közt
mindennapi kenyeréért küzdött s melynek részletes leirásával
olvasóimat nem fogom fárasztani. Tengelyi kész vala mindenre,
elvállalt volna minden szolgálatot, nem irtózott semmi munkától,
hasztalan! a sors nem engedé, hogy valahol megpihenhessen. A hol
gazdasági tisztséget kért, ott utolsó szerencsétlensége, – ha pört
keresett, a taksonymegyei birák ellenségeskedése, mely miatt
minden pöreit elveszté, – ha mint nevelő ajánlkozott – majd elvei,
majd vallása, majd nyugtalan természete, mely miatt eddig nem
férhetett meg sehol, hozattak fel ellene, egy szóval, ha egy vagy
más ügyvéd helyett itt-ott replicát vagy kérelemlevelet nem ir s neje
mosás- s varrással nem keres pár forintot, Tengelyi minden
tudománya s szorgalma mellett koldulni kényszeríttetik.
Így mult el ismét három év s a mit nem csudálhatunk eléggé, a
nélkül, hogy Réty, ki azalatt apja után örökségébe lépett s alispánná
lett, barátjáért csak a legkisebbet tett volna. Annyira tisztelé barátját,
hogy őt még legnagyobb inségében sem akará valamely adomány
vagy ajándék által megsérteni; a mi pedig befolyását illeti, mely által
hősünket valamely hivatal vagy tisztséghez segíthette volna, Réty
azon ritka erényű emberek közé tartozott, kik hatalmukkal soha
barátjaik elősegítésére vissza nem élnek; s így elvei által lekötve,
azon szomorú helyzetben látá magát, nem tehetni semmit leghivebb
bajtársaért. De az akarat egyiránt erősen élt keblében s miután
Jónásunk három évig ennyi bajjal küszködve, már majdnem
lemondott minden reményről is, egyszerre ott terem kis szobájában
a nemeslelkű alispán s tudtára adva, hogy a tiszaréti jegyző meghalt,
kéri, nem vállalná-e el hivatalát? nemeslelkűségének túlzásában
annyira menve, hogy valamint az azelőtti jegyzőt, úgy őt is a
hivatallal összekötött telekre nézve fölmenti minden úrbéri
tartozásoktól.
Jónás megköszöné Réty gondoskodását s még azon héten
kiment Tiszarétre, hol őt történetünk kezdetén, mint e helységnek
húsz éven át hivataloskodott jegyzőjét, ősz fürtökkel, de még testi- s
lelkikép ép erőben találjuk.
Ha olvasóim ezen időről valami érdekest kívánnak tudni,
legfölebb azt említhetem, hogy Tengelyi pár évvel történetünk előtt
Tiszaréten egy kis curialis házat s fundust vásárolva magának,
jegyzőségén kívül gazdasággal foglalatoskodott; hogy egy leánya,
Vilma s fia, Pista született, kikkel mint az egész környék legszebb
leányával s legpajkosabb fiával nemsokára megismerkedünk; hogy
Erzsébet asszony egy idő óta jóval többet pöröl s Jónásnak Rétyvel
való barátsága főkép az utolsó követválasztás óta igen elhidegült.
Más érdekest nem mondhatok. Tengelyi e hosszú idő alatt nem
változott; annyi szenvedés kissé elkeseríté, de azon
igazságszeretet, melyet rajta ifjúkorában láttunk, a bátorság,
melylyel minden elnyomás, minden törvénytelenség ellen fölszólalt,
ugyanazok maradtak s Erzsébet asszonynak igaza volt, ha fejét
csóválva azt mondá, hogy férje soha megokosodni vagy valamire
menni nem fog.
Tengelyinek már külseje is tiszteletet gerjesztett, de még inkább
nevelé ezen érzeményt a komolyság, vagy hogy úgy mondjam,
ünnepélyesség, mely e férfiú magaviseletét legszorosabb házi
körében is jellemzé s mely által, ha társasága kellemetlenné vált is,
a falusi jegyző azon megvető barátság kitöréseitől őrizteték meg,
melyekkel leereszkedés neve alatt sok becsületes ember felsőbbek
által annyira kínoztatik. Felsőbbekkel, kik által a megyei nemességre
gyakorlott befolyása végett fölkerestetett, senki az udvariasság
szabályait szigorúbban meg nem tartá, de senki hidegebb
közönyösséggel nem viszonozhatá barátságukat. – Felsőbbjeink –
így szóla többször – minket alsóbbakat csak annyiban becsülnek,
mennyiben hasznunkat vehetik, mi őket, csak a mennyiben tőlük
félünk; én nekik használni nem akarok, félni nincs okom, miért
fogadjam hát, vagy keressem barátságukat? – Hogy Tengelyinek
ezen tulajdona neki barátokat nem szerzett, azt olvasóim könnyen
átláthatják. A felsőbb osztályok, midőn az alsóbbak legaljasabb
hibáit magokévá teszik, eléggé leereszkednek; ki vehetné nekik
rossz néven, hogy legalább tulajdon hibáikat, minő a büszkeség,
másokban tűrni nem akarják. De falusi jegyzőnél, ki befolyása által,
melyet a nemességre gyakorol, hivatalában biztosnak érzi magát s a
kis házat, melyben lakik, mint nemesi tulajdont birja, én függetlenebb
teremtést nem ismerek. Így hősöm nyugodt lélekkel nézheté
mindazon neheztelést, mely az alispántól az utolsó esküdtig
majdnem minden kebelben ellene forraltatott. Tengelyi egyike vala
azoknak, kik – mint mondani szokta – Cæsaroknak vagy falusi
jegyzőknek születtek; azaz, ha véletlenül Cæsarokká nem lettek, a
jegyzőségnél magasabbra emelkedni nem tudnak s ő rég nem
vágyódott más után, mint a mivel birt, – meggyőződésből, mint maga
mondá, vagy kénytelenségből, mint ellenei hirdeték, én nem
mondhatom; de józanul mindenesetre, mert azon út, melyen
magasra haladhatunk, nem olyan, hogy az által, ki azt meghajlott
fővel keresni nem akarja, föltaláltathatnék. De valamint Tengelyinek
ezen hibái vagy jó tulajdonai (nem tudom minek nevezzem s
olvasóimra bízom e fölötte kétséges tárgy elhatározását, mely
bizonyosan a szerint fog történni, a mint az alispánhoz vagy falusi
jegyzőhöz állnak közelebb) őt előljárói előtt gyülöletessé tevék: úgy
nem vala talán az egész ország jegyzői közt egy sem, ki azon nép
között, melynek ügyei rá bizattak, annyi népszerűséggel birna, mint
ő. Voltak itt is, kik elveinek túlvitt szigorúságát rossz néven vevék s
azon fellengző igazságszeretetet, melylyel minden jó ügyet
személytekintet nélkül pártola, sokallák. De végre Tiszaréten s tíz
mérföldre a környékben nem volt talán ember, ki Tengelyiről el nem
mondaná, hogy becsületes ember; s ez legbizonyosabb jele annak,
hogy csakugyan az volt, mert valamint nagy körökben semmi sem
csalódik többször, mint a közvélemény, úgy egy falu szűk korlátai
közé szorítva biztosan építhetünk reá. A szinhely nagyságával
nőnek a csalódások, kis szinpadon csak azon hibák nem vétetnek
észre, melyek nem léteznek.
Szorosabb barátságban azonban Tengelyi csak egy férfival állott,
Vándory Boldizsárral, kivel őt olvasóim most a Török-dombon
először láták. S e barátság vala az, mi életének egyik fő örömét tevé.
Vándory s Tengelyi egyébiránt a legkülönbözőbb emberek
valának, a kiket csak elképzelhetünk s ép ez vala talán oka
változhatatlan barátságuknak. Ugyanazon tulajdonokat, melyeket
magunk birunk, csak egyszer, azaz önmagunkban szoktuk szeretni.
E két barát hajlamai s tulajdonságai kiegészíték egymást. Mintegy
azért látszának egymás mellé állítva, hogy bennök mindent, mi
emberi kebelt nemesíthet, egymás mellett találjunk. Tengelyi
szigorúsága után, melylyel az emberekről szólt, Vándory derült
életnézete, ki mindennek jó oldalát kiemelve, mindenben valamit
talált, mit szeretnie lehessen, jóltevő vigasztalásként hatott reád.
Ötven éves koráig mindenki vagy kibékült, vagy
megboszankodott a sokaságra; s ha oly férfinál, ki, mint Tengelyi,
többször szorult barátaira, ez utóbbi történt, nincs mit bámulni s
nincs mit neheztelni, főkép ha e szigorúság csak az elméletben
létezik s így volt ez Tengelyinél. Ki őt beszélni hallva, azon
ingerültséget, melylyel minden gonoszról szólt, összehasonlítá
tetteivel, meggyőződhetett, hogy irgalmasabb férfi széles e világon
nem volt annál, ki önmagát minden gonosz kérlelhetlen üldözőjének
hirdeté. Ne vádolják azonban olvasóim következetlenséggel e férfiút,
főkép a fiatalabbak ne, kik éltökből még csak föltételeiket ismerve,
nem tudják, mennyi erényeket vesztünk az életben, mihelyt
gyakorlásukra alkalmunk jutott. Ezer ember közt alig van egy, ki nem
épen azon tulajdonokról szólna legtöbbet s legszivesebben,
melyeket nem bir s nem ép azon dolgokra nézve szerezte volna a
legtisztább elveket magának, melyekre nézve érzi, hogy ily elvekre
szüksége van. Gyávák bátorságról, rossz birák részrehajlatlanságról,
önzők a hazáról szólnak legszivesebben; miért ne tárhatna ki jámbor
jegyzőm is néha szigorú elveket? Nyugodtan eltűrjük az
alávalóságot, szenvedjük, sőt néha kedveljük a legocsmányabb
erkölcstelenséget, ha kellemes alakban közelít hozzánk, miért ne
volnánk engedékenyek az erény kis hibái iránt? Ha tetsző formába
nem öntetett is, azért senki sem taszítja el magától az aranyat s nem
panaszkodik senki, hogy terhes elhordani vállain.
Vándoryról csak keveset mondhatok; azon idő óta, melyet mint
lelkész Tiszaréten töltött, hol hősünknél pár évvel előbb telepedett le,
nyugodt egyenlőségben folytak napjai. Multjáról mást nem tudunk,
minthogy Heidelbergben tanult s hogy ott, noha majdnem tíz évvel
idősebb s theologus, mégis egyedül Tengelyivel társalkodott.
Családjáról s gyermekkoráról soha nem beszélt. Azon, hogy magyar,
senki sem kételkedett, ki őt szólni hallá s ki Tiszarétre jövén, az agg
lelkészt ott látta hivei között, apának hinné gyermekei körében, annyi
tisztelet környezi a jámbor öreget, annyi szeretet mosolyg arczain
mindenkinek elébe. Maga a Réty-család osztozott e köztiszteletben
s talán nem volt ember, ki ez oly büszke házban annyi tekintélylyel
birt, mint Tiszarét szerény lelkésze.
Ez az, mit hőseim mult életéről mondani szükségesnek tarték. Ha
hosszasabb voltam s valakit olvasóim közül untattam, gondolja meg,
hogy nem éltem azon irói jogommal, mely szerint őt hosszú
előszóval vendégelhettem volna meg s ne tegye azért félre
könyvemet. Regényem csak az élet képe akar lenni s az nem lehet
mindig mulatságos.
 Már a nap lealkonyodott s csak még néhány piros felleg jelölé a
helyet, hol az eltünt, midőn a barátok a faluhoz értek s Vándory jó
éjtszakát kívánva, Jónástól elvált.
Hősünk magánosan s meglehet, mert a törvénykezési jelenet,
melynek a Török-dombon tanuja volt, érzelmeit sérté, vagy talán
mert multjára gondolt, komorabban, mint máskor, tért házába. De
midőn a kapunál Vilmát látá, ki vigan elébe lépett s midőn kebléhez
szorítá a nyájas gyermeket, a gond, mely homlokát ránczokba voná,
eltünt s csak boldogságának érzete tölté el szivét.
Be akart menni, leánya nyájasan visszatartóztatá:
– Előbb még egy kis kérésem van – szóla mosolyogva, – míg
nem igéred, hogy teljesítni fogod, nem eresztlek be.
– S mi volna az? – kérdé Jónás jókedvűen simogatva leánya
arczát.
– Hogy meg nem haragszol – felelé Vilma kérőleg.
– Én – s ugyan miért?
– Tudtod nélkül tettünk valamit.
– Ha csak az, hogy meg nem haragszom – szóla Tengelyi
nevetve, – azt megigérem.
– És hogy helybe fogod hagyni.
– Ez más kérdés, de ha te tevéd – folytatá mosolyogva, – legyen
megigérve ez is.
S apa és leány bementek a házba, boldogan s meg kell vallani,
jegyzőnk részéről nem minden kiváncsiság nélkül.
 III.

Tiszarét helységében, hová a jegyzővel s lelkészszel mi is

visszatérünk, azalatt csend és béke uralkodik. Egyes munkások, kik
a mezőről haza térve, kaszával vállaikon házaik felé ballagnak, itt-ott
pár csevegő szomszéd a kapuk előtt, vagy egy gyermekcsoport az
utcza közepén, porban játszva, ez minden, mit észrevehetünk s mi
felett az estharang elzengi dalát, lassú kongásokban, mintha fáradva
volna ő is s félig szunnyadozva mondaná el esti imádságát. Maga a
korcsma, hol máskor vigan folyt a táncz s Iczik zsidó jó áron, de
hitelbe, még nem termett gabonáért méré borát, ma üresen állt; s ha
a csapszék ajtaján benézünk, csak a Rétyek cseh kertészét s Ákos
vadászát látjuk, kik, mint Izráel a pusztában Egyiptom hústálaira, híg
italok mellett hazájok jobb sörére emlékeznek. Ugyanazon csendet
találjuk az uraság udvarában is, mely köztudomás szerint hazánkban
a korcsma után a legzajosabb hely. Az úrfi, mint tudjuk, kutyáival
együtt agarászni ment. Az alispán a főügyészszel s jegyzővel
szobájába zárkózott s kétségen kívül igen fontos tárgyakról
beszélgetne, ha a közelgő est homálya s talán maga a beszédnek
fárasztó fontossága álomba nem szenderíti mindnyájokat. A teins
vagy nagyságos alispánné pedig, ki mint csattogány a berket, e
házat máskor mindig eltölti szavával s e kedves madártól talán csak
abban különbözik, hogy szava hangosabbá s szüntelenebbé lett,
mennyivel inkább előhaladott élte nyarában, a kertben sétál.
Kövessük őt.
A tiszarétiek kertje, mint már említém, csudája vala az egész
vidéknek. Remeteház, szilvaaszaló, templom formára épült
galambház, halastó s hozzá halászkunyhó, barlang, parasztház stb.,
– mert ki mondhatná el egyszerre a Rétyek képzelet- s
szeszélyeinek fényes eredményeit, melyek a szerencsés utast, ki
kertökben körüljárhata, nem szünő meglepésben tarták. Mindezeket
bámulni lehet, leirni nem. A kertnek legtávolabb részét mintegy húsz
holdas erdő foglalá el, melyet a teins alispán úr már rég kivágatott
volna, ha a főispán – ki megszállva Rétyéknél, ez erdőt dicséré
leginkább – a tiszteletreméltó magas nyársudarakat nem menti meg
urok kertészi izlésétől. A magas nyárfák messzeterjedő ágai s
alattok a bokroknak egymásba font zöldje valóságos vadont
képezének, hová a dél forró sugára nem hatott; s ha a tizennyolcz
tálas ebéd után visszavonulhatál, itt félórára legalább szabadnak,
nyugodtnak érezhetéd magad. Ez erdőben csak egy út volt, mely
számtalan tekervényekben rajta keresztül vagy inkább körülvezetett
s ez az, melyen most Rétyné ő nagyságát leghivebb szolgájával,
Macskaházy ügyvéd úrral, a legfontosabb beszélgetésben találjuk.
Októberben vagyunk, az estharangot is hallottuk már, mint
olvasóim talán emlékezni fognak, e mellett még erdőben járunk, hol
nappal is minden homályosabb s azért olvasóim természetesnek
fogják találni, ha személyeink részletes leirásába nem ereszkedem,
mit én, főkép Rétyné ő nagyságára nézve, úgy is nem szivesen
tennék. Ha azonban nappal volna, olvasóim láthatnák, hogy Rétyné
negyven és ötven között, azaz azon korban áll, melyet negyvenen
túllévő emberek a férfikor legszebb idejének tartanak s mely e
szerint ily férfias asszonynál is talán a legszebbnek nevezhető.
Termete magas s mint egyéb birtoka, szépen arrondirozott. Haja –
de ehhez mindaddig, míg olvasóim őt főkötő nélkül nem látják, mi
alig fog történni, jóformán közünk sincs – az erős szemöldek s
gyönge bajszocska szerint ítélve, hihetőkép fekete. Arcza csupa
nagyságos méltóság, néha s pedig elég csudálatosan, harmincz
hónap után visszatérő s hat hónapig tartó időszakokban, midőn a
tisztujítás közeledik, szerfölött nyájas és leereszkedő; egyébkor
fölséges büszkeségű, mit két hatalmas szemölcs még inkább nevel;
egyike felső ajkának jobbik oldalán, mely arczának, még ha
mosolyog is, megvető kifejezést ád, másika álla fölött. Királynőnek
gondolnád, ha a megyei hajdú, ki mellette áll, nem intene, hogy
alispánnéval szólsz. Rétyné dáma volt a szó legszorosabb
értelmében. Háztartása pompás, ebédei soha két óránál nem
rövidebbek, udvara telve apró marhával s vendégekkel, melyeknek
előkelőbbjei a legpontosabb szolgálatot találják. Ha beszélni hallod,
valamely gazdag forrásnál képzelheted magadat, mely nem szünő
futásban minden tárgyakon elárad. Szava hatalmas és csengő, hogy
Jerikó falai rengenének s az egész háznép elhalványul hallatára. Az,
a mit mond, bámulásra gerjeszt minden elfogulatlant, nemcsak mert
majdnem szóról-szóra ugyanaz, mit az alispán mondani szokott s
ezen házassági egyetértés romlott korunkban csudálkozásra méltó,
hanem főkép azon mély juridicus tudomány által, melyet napjainkban
már magyar asszonyoknál is csak ritkán találhatni s mely az
asszonynak oly különös bájt s kellemet ad. Nem vala ügyvéd széles
e hazában, ki törvényes tárgyakról szivesebben s többet szólott
volna, mint Rétyné s annyi tudománynyal s mélységgel, hogy
Macskaházy úr sokszor megvallá, miként legjobb replikáit egészen ő
nagysága tanácsa szerint készíté.
Ez utóbbi, kit most kegyes uraságával az erdőben sétálva
találunk, mintegy ötven s hatvan év között lehet; alacsony, száraz
férfiúcska, kit inkább hosszú megszokás, mint évek terhe hajtott
meg. Halvány arcz, hegyes orr s áll, bizonytalanul tekintgető szem,
melylyel csak néha s mintegy véletlenül találkozol, de mely szuró
tekintetét azonnal elvonja, mihelyt észrevétetett s kopaszság által
nagyított homloka, melyet néhány ritka ősz fürt környeze, oly
egészet képezének, mely előtt minden ember – a Réty-családot
természetesen kivéve – rosszul érzé magát. E családnak hivebb
embere nem volt. Közel harmincz évet töltött a háznál s annyi jó és
rossz napokban részesült, hogy szinte a család egyik tagjává vált s
érdekeit talán állhatatosabban védé, mint a család maga. Csupa
haszonvágyból, mint ellenei hivék, valódi hajlandóságból, mint Réty
gondolá s ki tudja, némi tekintetben talán igaza volt mind ennek,
mind amazoknak. Az ember oly csudálatos vegyüléke a jó és rossz
tulajdonságoknak, hogy alig van, ki sokáig alávaló czél után
fáradhatna a nélkül, hogy valami jobb érzemény ne támadjon
keblében, valamint ritka az, kinek nemes indokai közé ne vegyülne
előbb-utóbb egy kis haszonvágy, hiúság, vagy más, ehhez hasonló
nemtelenebb anyag is; s meglehet, hogy Macskaházynak is előbb
csak szinlelt ragaszkodása utóbb valódi érzeménynyé változott, de
nem engem illet ítélni az ember fölött.
 Most azonban az egyetértés, mely Rétyné s hű ügyvéde közt
létezett, úgy látszik, meg vala zavarva. Az alispánné sebes léptekkel
s látszó fölgerjedésben jára föl s alá a fák alatt, Macskaházy egy
lépéssel hátrább s a szokottnál még inkább meghajolva követé
hatalmas asszonyát; csak néha egy-egy engesztelő szót szőve
felingerült beszédei közé, de a mint látszék, kevés sikerrel, mert
amaz nyughatatlanul rázá fejét ily félbeszakasztásoknál, mondva,
hogy beszélni könnyű s hogy jól tudja úgy is, miként Macskaházy
senkit sem enged szóhoz jutni, de hogy a valódi hűség csak tettek
által bizonyulhat be s több efféléket.
– S én nyiltan megmondom önnek – mondá végre Rétyné, ki a
szüntelen beszélgetés vagy járás miatt fáradtan megállt s szemeit a
kis ügyvédre szegezve napernyőjével a földet üté, – az, mit ön
mond, engem kétségbeejt.
– De mikor mondom nagysádnak – viszonzá Macskaházy, ki mint
látszék hasonlókép kétségbeeséshez közelgett, habár egészen más
okból, – hogy erre semmi ok nincs, hogy kétségen kívül – –
– Oh tudjuk, – szakítá félbe az alispánné, – hogy ön kétségbe
esni nem fog; mit bánja ön a mi bajainkat. Ha koldusbotra jutunk,
vagy az egész világ előtt meggyaláztatunk, ön azért ügyvéd marad s
ki tudja talán – –
Macskaházy sértve érezé magát s miután türelme elfogyott,
véletlenül azon nagy találmányt tevé, melyet a társas életben oly
fölötte jól használhatunk, hogy szenvedély ellen csak hasonló
szenvedélylyel léphetünk föl sikerrel. A harag, melylyel most szólt,
sokkal inkább hatott Rétyné kitöréseire, mintha a világ minden
philosophjainak okoskodásaival lép föl ellenök. – S hát ez a
köszönet, – szólt a kis ügyvéd nemes haragjában, – ez a hála,
melyet harmincz éves szolgálatimért érdemeltem? A család disze s
becsülete fentartásáért én, Macskaházy Ádám, fejemet
koczkáztattam s köszönetül gyanusítást találok.
 – Az, mit ön mond, engem kétségbeejt.

– Ne vegye fel úgy ön – szóla közbe engesztelőleg Rétyné, ki

észrevevé, hogy kissé túlment hevében s hogy Macskaházy nem
férje, kitől válóper nélkül nem lehet megválni, – lám én asszony
vagyok és szerencsétlen viszonyaim – és –
– Asszony, asszony! az mind szép és jó, – szóla amaz, ki
észrevevé, hogy a csata rá nézve kedvezőleg fordul, – én ismerem
nagysádat, nagysád nem oly asszony, mint a többiek. A mit szól, azt
replicába tehetni. Látom jobb lesz, ha más helyet keresek
magamnak, – ügyvéd, ki a család bizodalmát elvesztette –
 – De ki mondta, hogy bizodalmunkat elvesztette? – szakítá félbe
kérőleg a nő, – mi csak önben bizunk, mit tegyünk, ha önt
elveszítjük? Azonkívül – tevé hozzá a már ellentállhatlanná vált
alispánné – ismeri igéretünket. Azon nap, mikor az irományok
kezembe jőnek, elmegyünk a káptalanhoz s az inscriptió, melyet
maga kívánt, kezében lesz.
– A mi az inscriptiót illeti, – dörmögé Macskaházy szelidebb
hangon, – Isten látja lelkemet, hogy nem azért teszem. Ám, ha
méltóságtok hű szolgálatimért, ob fidelia servitia, – felőlem
gondoskodnak, én éltem végeig meg fogom hálálni – de – –
– Hisz tudom, ön lelkéhez nem fér haszonvágy, de az inscriptió
szép s habár nem éri is föl azon szolgálatot, melyet családomnak
tesz, mégis szép osztályrész.
– Melyet bizonyosan meg fogok érdemleni, habár még száz
akadály gördülne is elémbe, – szóla nemes lelkesedéssel
Macskaházy.
– S valóban azt gondolja, kedves barátom? – sóhajtá az
alispánné, – én kételkedem.
– S miért? Mert az első próbatét nem sikerült? Gyermekség!
Minden jól s helyesen vala elkészülve, ki tehet róla, hogy az ég ez
egyszer nem kedvezett. Az ember, ki Vándorynál betört, biztos és
ügyes. Mondám neki, hogy ne csak az irásokat, melyeket nagysád
kívánt, hanem pénzt s egyéb valamit érő dolgokat is vigyen el
magával, azért, hogy a dolog közönséges lopásnak látszassék s
reánk semmi gyanú ne háromoljon. Ez volt oka, hogy az egész nem
sült el. A szerencsétlen tolvaj csak néhány garast találva az
asztalfiókban, több pénzt keresett. Az alatt a tiszteletes visszajött s
lármát ütött, még mielőtt Czifra az irásokhoz juthatott. A tolvaj az
ablakon ugrott ki s így illant el – Vándory nem véteté űzőbe, mint
másnap mondá: mert félt, hogy statarium alá kerülne; s így látni,
hogy néha a philanthropiának is vannak hasznai. – Az iratok most
Tengelyinél vannak, mint az öreg szolgálótól tudom, a nagy
vasládában az ajtó mellett, hol a jegyző a maga s a község
irományait tartja; s ne féljen nagysád, megtaláljuk azokat ott is. Sőt
még szeretem, így két legyet ütünk egy csapásra, úgy is Tengelyivel
van még egy kis számolásom.
– Remegek – szóla az alispánné, – a jegyző háza teli van
emberekkel, hátha a tolvajt megfogják.
– Fölakasztatjuk – szóla közönyösen Macskaházy – hisz
statariumunk van.
– És ha az egészet megvallja?
– Nem fogja megvallani. Azt igérjük neki, hogy ha hallgat,
bántása nem lesz; ha pedig – tevé hozzá a kis ügyvéd enyelgő
hangon – mégis vallani akarna, nem lesz rá ideje; fölakasztatjuk,
minekelőtte vallhatna.
– Oh ha tudná ön, – szóla Rétyné sóhajtva, szinte érzelgő
hangon, – mennyit küzdék, míg e lépésre határozám magam,
mennyit szenvedek még most is, ha arra gondolok, hogy – – –. De ki
tehet róla? nevem becsülete, gyermekeim java, – minden, mi az
életben kedves s neki becset ád, kényszerítnek –
– Mit nem tesz az anya gyermekeiért – viszonzá meghatva
Macskaházy, midőn szemeit törlé, a sötétségben könyekre nem
levén szüksége, – mily szív lakik nagysád keblében, azt csak én
tudom. Ha tudná a világ, leborulna előtte.
– Isten mentsen – szakítá félbe ügyvéde lelkesedését Rétyné, ki
egyébiránt nem vevé kedvetlenül óriási hizelgéseit s örült, midőn
hallá, hogy egy kis ügyvédi ügyességgel tette, melyet a pór lopásnak
nevezne, nemes feláldozásnak tekinthető, – Isten mentsen, hogy e
tettről kivülünk más valaki tudjon. A világ kegyetlen ítéletében, ki
tudja, nem mondaná-e – – – S itt az alispánné elakadt, talán
bámulatában, mert érzé, hogy arcza pirulni kezd.
– Ugyan miért kínozza magát nagysád? – szóla közbe
Macskaházy, földesasszonya zavarodását észrevéve, – mi rossz van
az egészben, a mit teszünk? Egy kis irományelsikkasztás, – oly
dolog, mely naponként történik, – s mely Magyarországban oly
közönséges, hogy legfelebb az által, ki magát sértve érzi, tartatik
különösnek. Hányszor nem hallotta nagysád, hogy egész perek
vesztek el, nem hónapos vagy éves, hanem harmincz éven át
vastagra nőtt perek, minden irományokkal együtt, s mi lett belőle?
Keresték s végre, ha lehetett, újhoz fogtak, s nem szólt senki felőle.
Hát még ez esetben? Kötelezvényeket orzunk-e el, vagy fassiókat,
vagy donatiót? Isten ments! közönséges magánleveleket, melyeket
nagy részben maga a nagyságos úr irt s melyeket épen mert családi
dolgokat érdekelnek, más kezekben hagyni nem akar. A dolog maga
egészen ártatlan, legfelebb módja ellen lehetnének kifogások.
– Igen, igen, de a mód, – sóhajta az alispánné – háztörés, rablás,
mit tudom én, mily iszonyú neveket fognak adni az egésznek.
– Igen, háztörés, rablás, – szóla nyugodtan a tudományos jurista,
– mennyiben az egész a tett elkövetőjét illeti, de mi közünk hozzá?
Ha valaki más embernek, kit épen szentnek senki sem mond, de ki
most büntető per alatt nem áll, s ki mellett e szerint a «jus connatum
bonae existimationis» szól, beszéd közt elmondja, hogy tiszteletes
Vándory hálószobájában nagy diófaszekrény áll, melynek felső fiókja
jobb oldalánál bepecsételt s zöld szalaggal összekötött iratcsomó
van, melyet ő – t. i. a szóló – annyira szeretne látni, kiváncsiságból
vagy tudományos czélokból vagy akármiért, hogy annak, ki azt neki
elhozza, száz forintot adna, kérdem, van-e ebben valami vétkes
vagy épen büntetésre méltó? Kétségen kívül nincs. S most megyek
tovább: ha ugyanazon ember, például mondjuk A., a másiknak, B-
nek, még azonfelül azt beszéli, hogy a tiszteletes úr szombaton
estve az udvarban vacsorál, s hogy mivel kertfelőli ajtaját bezárni
nem szokta, félni lehet, hogy egyszer valaki estve a kertfalon át
minden akadály nélkül házába mehet, azután háló szobájába s így a
szekrényhez, melynek felső fiókja jobb oldalán fekszenek az iratok,
ismétlem, ha valaki mindezt csak úgy beszélgetés között elmondja –
van-e ebben valami vétkesebb az első beszélgetésnél? S ha később
ezen egyed B., ki mellett a jus bonae existimationis szólt, betör s az
iratcsomót kezembe adja: én törtem be, én raboltam a
tiszteletesnél? Nem volna-e bolond, ki ezt mondani merészlené? A
mit igértem, azt megteszem, a száz forintot kifizetem, mert
természetesen szavát megtartani minden becsületes embernek
kötelessége, a többihez közöm nincs.
 – Igaz, igaz, – sóhajta Rétyné, ki lelkiismeretét ez okok által
teljesen megnyugtatva érezé, – de a világ nem így okoskodik!
– A világ mindig ferdén ítélt, s így fog ítélni az utolsó ítéletig, s ez
kétségen kívül az első leend, mely általánosan elfogadtatik, – szóla
komolyan Macskaházy, ki mint jó reformált, theologiával szivesen
fűszerezé beszélgetéseit. – Az úgynevezett erényes embereknek
egyik mesterségök az, hogy legszebb oldalukat fordítják kifelé. Ne
féljen nagysád, erről a közönség beszélni nem fog.
– Ha az iratok még Vándorynál volnának, elhinném, – viszonzá
Rétyné, – de most Tengelyinél a falu házában, hol annyi ember jár-
kel, hol éjjel őr áll, kételkedem.
– Azt bizza nagysád reám; az iratok a vasládában vannak, ez
elég; a vasládának csak két kulcsa van, s mennyi lakatos e világon!
– – Itt Macskaházy gondolatfolyamát Ákos vizslája szakítá félbe, ki
urát megelőzve, Rétynéhez szaladt, s hizelkedve ugrándozék
körülte.
– A vadászok hazajöttek – szóla Rétyné, – menjünk. – Már
indulni akartak, midőn a vizsla egyszerre a sürűnek fordulva, ugatni
kezd. Az ágak közt gyönge csörgés hallatszik, a kutya ugatva a
bokrok közé szalad, s észrevehetni, hogy valaki az ágakon keresztül
tör. Végre a vizsla fölsikolt s jajgatva sántán tér vissza az
előbbiekhez, ép midőn Ákos Etelka testvérével hozzájuk lép.
– Mi a baj? – kérdé Ákos, mostohájának kezét csókolva, ki
azalatt hiv ügyvédével együtt néma rémülésben állt.
– Nem hallottál semmit? – kérdé remegő hangon emez.
– Igen, vizslám ugatott, talán nyúl vagy róka.
– Nem, nem, tekintetes uram – viszonzá Macskaházy, még
mindig arra szögezve szemeit, hol a zaj eltünt, – fejemet teszem rá,
hogy ember.
– Meglehet, szegény ficzkó a faluból, – szólt Ákos, vizsláját
simogatva, – ki megtudta, hogy holnap gyümölcsöt szedünk, s még
egyszer használni akarta az alkalmat, s az egész idő alatt, melyet
rejtekében töltött, hihetőkép ép úgy remegett, mint most barátom
uram. Ej, be merész ember ön; a franczia közmondás szerint a bátor
csak a veszély után ijed meg, s ezt soha sem láttam oly mértékben,
mint most.
– Ez az ember hallgatózott, minden kérdésen kívül csak azért
jött, hogy hallgatódzzék, – szóla közbe aggodalmasan Rétyné, míg
Macskaházy, karját taszítva, vigyázatra figyelmezteté.
– Nem hiszem – szóla Etelka nevetve. – Macskaházy igen
mulatságos úri ember, de alig hiszem, hogy valaki, csak hogy
beszélgetni hallja, októberben ide a hüvösbe álljon.
– Édes Etelka kisasszony, magácska azt nem érti, – válaszolt az
ügyvéd, kihez nyugalmával egész ildomossága visszatért, – ő
nagyságával fontos dolgokról, pereinkről szóltunk.
– És hihetőkép az ellenfél ügyvéde azért rejté magát el e fák
alatt, hogy mesteri fogásait előre kitudja, nemde? – szakítá félbe
Ákos nevetve a szólót. – De ha annyira szivén fekszik, miért nem
fogta el a zsiványt? Tekintetes s vitézlő Macskaházy úr megbirkózik
tízzel, s azt hallám, csak egy volt – – –
– Én? – kiálta föl Macskaházy elrémülve már a gondolatnál – én
magam?
– S miért ne? De jőjjön velem, most ketten vagyunk; ha
csakugyan volt itt valaki, mit még most sem hiszek, elfogjuk; ha nem,
jót kaczagunk.
– De kérem domine spectabilis – szólt zavarodva Macskaházy,
kit Ákos kezénél fogva maga után húzott – így fegyvertelenül, sötét
éjszaka, mégis jobb lenne, ha cselédeket hínánk.
– Hova gondol – nevete Ákos, – hisz míg cselédeket találunk,
gonosztevőnk tízszer megszökik. Csak bátran barátom, anyám
Etelkával addig haza megy, mi pedig regényes kalandunkban járunk
el; s győzünk vagy – – – elszaladunk. Nemde barátocskám? – tevé
nevetve hozzá, – ha csak ijedtünkben a guta meg nem üt.
 Macskaházy, ki még mindig annyira el vala rémülve, hogy e
tréfákon megharagudni eszébe sem jutott, csak némely észrevételt
rebegett: mennyivel jobb s czélszerűbb volna cselédeket vinni
magokkal! De miután Rétyné is kéré őt, hogy menjen Ákossal, s
miután mint ildomos ember kiszámítá, hogy az üldözendő
gonosztevő hihetőleg utólérhetetlen, a kis ügyvéd nagy merészen
begombolá felső ruháját, s azon ünnepélyes óvással, hogy mi őt
illeti, ő nem fél, Ákos után elindult.
Rétyné s Etelka, amaz aggodalmak közt, ez Macskaházy
félelmén kaczagva, hazafelé indultak s a vizsla, hihetőkép az
erdőben tett kellemetlen tapasztalásaira emlékezve, ura helyett most
az egyszer őket követé.
A bátorságnak különböző nemei között, melyek egyenlő
mértékben senkinek sem tulajdonai, Macskaházy ép azt birá
legkevésbbé, mely zsiványok elfogására szükséges, s habár nem
merném állítani, hogy félt, legalább annyit mondhatok, hogy nem
igen kellemetes helyzetben érzé magát. Képzelje ugyanis magát
valaki helyébe. Macskaházy járatos vala a törvény
legtekervényesebb ösvényein, s a homálynak nem épen ellensége,
de ily út, milyenen most vékony lábacskái botorkáltak, ennyi tőke s
ág, mely járását egy hosszú botlássá tevé, fölülmulta képzetét,
valamint azon sötétség is, mely az erdő sűrű lombja alatt a
haladókat körülfogá. Gondoljuk ehhez, hogy Ákos fiatalsága
hevében az úton inkább szaladt, mint ment, úgy hogy ügyvédünk
minden erőlködése mellett alig követheté vezetőjét, ki minden
kimélet nélkül törve az ágakon keresztül, hű követőjét szünni nem
akaró vesszőzés processusán vezeté keresztül. Más alkalommal
Macskaházy megemlékezve nemeslevelére, nem tűrte volna e
bánásmódot, most, miután szerény észrevételeire, melyeket e
rohanó haladás ellen megvesszőzött arcza tekintetéből tett, csak azt
nyeré válaszul: maradjon valamivel hátrább, hallgatott; s minden
verés, botlás daczára nem maradt hátrább egy lépéssel sem, hanem
néma méltóságban, mint a haldokló római, köpenyegével takarva
arczát, nyomban követé Ákost, azon gondolattal bátorítá magát,
hogy ily sötétben puskával senkit sem lehet eltalálni, azon esetben
pedig, ha véletlen szerencsétlenségből mégis találkoznának keresett
ellenökkel, ő Ákosnak segítséget szerezni azonnal haza szalad. Erre
azonban nem nagy valószínűség mutatkozott. Sötét éjszaka, zárt s
még e felett kék köpönyeggel takart szemekkel, még oly ügyes
ember, mint Macskaházy ügyvéd úr, sem lát igen tisztán; Ákos
pedig, mint látszik, barátja kedveért csak a legsűrűbb helyeket
keresi, s a zajt hallva, melyet követőjén a visszacsapó ágak tevének,
oly jó kedvben érzi magát, hogy e perczben senkinek, habár a világ
legnagyobb zsiványa volna, kellemetlenséget okozni nem akarna.
Negyedórai keresés után az erdőszélhez érve, Ákos végre
megállt s midőn Macskaházyhoz fordult, ki szemeit fölnyitva ismét
lélekzetet vett, így szólt: – Az erdőben nincs senki, arra esküt
tehetünk, itt nem látszik s nem hallatszik egy emberi teremtésnek
legkisebb nyoma, most talán csak elhiszi, hogy csalódott, s legfölebb
nyúl volt, mi előtt annyira elrémült.
– Egészen úgy tetszett, mintha emberlépteket hallanának, édes
anyja ő nagysága is megesküdnék reá.
– Ha úgy van – viszonzá Ákos, alig tartva vissza nevetését, –
menjünk még egyszer vissza, két vagy három sűrű helyet tudok, hol
még nem voltunk, talán ott van – –
– Dehogy van – sóhajta fel Macskaházy, Ákost, ki már
visszafordult, feltartva, – ha egy egér lenne is ott, ráhágtunk volna,
annyira keresztül-kasul jártunk, alig birnak lábaim, – s a kis ügyvéd
sóhajtozva törülé homloka izzadtságát.
– Jól van, – mondá Ákos, – ha azt hiszi, hogy az erdőben nincs,
menjünk itt a kert körül, talán másik oldalán találunk valakit, itt
minden csendes. – S ezzel Ákos átugrott az árkon, Macskaházy
előbb az árok közepébe, azután pár csodálatraméltó gymnastikus
evolutióval föl másik oldalára mászott, s a két kereső némán haladva
egymás mellett, rövid idő után a kert szögleténél fölfelé a fák által
eltakartatik szemeink előtt.
Minden hallgat. Az éj sötét s kedvetlen, mint októberben lenni
szokott. A tiszta napnyugot után mindig több fellegek vonulnak össze
a láthatáron, s a téren hosszú sóhajokban lejt át az őszi szél, hideg