Kayden couldn’t sleep. He stared at the ceiling, trying to get Arelyn out of his head without luck. Taking care of his throbbing cock would help some, but he didn’t touch himself, knowing that it wouldn’t be enough. No. He wanted her and not his own hand.

  As he tortured himself with delicious fantasies, he felt a wave of magic washing over him and he was on his feet instantly, heading for the door, but it didn’t open. Not even when he tried to blast it with fire. The waves shot back at him and he jumped onto the bed, moving his arms in a circle to put out the flames.

  The train jerked, the breaks active, noises of action came from outside and his anger rose along with a hint of fear. Arelyn. He’d promised her shelter. Letting low-life, shit-eating bandits rape her definitely wasn’t an option.

  What he needed was an action plan. First, he needed to get out of this wretched cabin to fight on his own terms and not on theirs. With a warlock backing them up, there was no way he could predict how his door would open. If they were stupid enough to let him out.

  He turned and tried the window. And surprisingly enough, it opened. He cracked his neck and climbed up, trying to fit through the narrow space. The roof was too far away for him to reach and without a handle, he couldn’t get out more.

  With nothing to hold on to, he had only one option: to shift. Just like Kieran had done it, unless there was another hawk circling the air above the train.

  Even though the train was slowing down, it was still moving fast. Kayden swore before shifting to fit through the window. Pushing himself off the side of the train with his paws to avoid falling under the wheels, he landed in the sand, hitting his shoulder hard in his attempt to get as far from the tracks as possible.

  “That was graceful.”

  Kayden growled at Kieran’s mocking tone, then shifted back, rubbing his shoulder. “Fuck you, Kieran.” The damn joint hurt like a bitch. It would bruise, but at least it wasn’t broken or dislocated. “What happened?”

  “Organized crime?” Kieran shrugged. “I flew along the train before you made your sexy exit. They’re going along the train, getting people out of their cabins. The others are stuck. None of them will be able to get off before the bandits get to them.”

  Kayden nodded and looked after the train as it kept slowing down. He had a warlock and three more men on board. Which the robbers knew exactly. This was something way too organized for a random hit. They’d seen him board, they’d known he was there, yet they still proceeded with their plan.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “Deserters from Nolan’s army,” he said. “Untrained men wouldn’t try to rob a train with us on it.”

  The train came to a jolting stop, and the locomotive tipped to the side.

  “We need a plan.” He looked at his brother. “But for that we need to know what’s going on.”

  “Just don’t do anything stupid while I’m up there.”

  “I’ll stay put.”

  Kieran shifted and Kayden was left with his frustration and worries.

  He closed his eyes, his fingers touching the charm under his shirt. He focused on the magic coming from the necklace and cleared his mind to concentrate on the facts. Three wagons for commoners. Had he seen anyone suspicious? The darkened cabins for demons. A few of them must have been in there. Trained men, at least one warlock. But to risk fighting with them, there had to be wielders too. He couldn’t count on his men and he couldn’t attack like a brute. An evasion plan.

  He opened his eyes again and focused on the train. Fire and ice flew out the windows, Kieran was flying above, but Kayden couldn’t make out more. He needed to get there; he needed to make sure Arelyn was alright.

  Fucking attraction. He should’ve pushed her for more, to satisfy his urges to get her out of his system. That idiot promise lay heavily on his shoulders. How was he supposed to protect her from a distance?

  Kieran landed next to him. “Twelve men, damaged tracks. Your guards are still inside, injured, or dead, I’m not sure. They lined everyone else up next to the train.” He pointed to the right side of the train. “If we go from there, we might have a chance to surprise them. But they have guns and magic.”

  Kayden nodded. “Reinforcements? They have to have an escape plan. And they have to know we got off.”

  “Four of them just arrived with horses and a cart. But no one else is within sight. They aren’t looking for us right now.”

  “We’ll need to circle back and use the train as cover. Are you good without water?”

  Kieran smiled. “I’ll use the train’s water tank.”

  “Right.” Kayden waved away his forgetfulness. “I’ll build a wall between the passengers and the bandits then we fight.”

  They both shifted and took off, Kieran easily keeping up with him in the air. When they were far enough, Kayden circled back towards the train, hoping that they didn’t have eyes on this side.

  Kayden was within shooting range when a man climbed on top of the train. He shifted back and released a swirling fire ball, hitting the man right in the middle of his chest. So much for a surprise attack.

  “I’ll go around, you attack from above,” he said to Kieran.

  He should’ve grabbed his sword or at least a knife. But no, he’d been distracted with fear for Arelyn’s safety, so now all he had was fire.