Amber Eyes

by Maya Banks

  Hunter’s eyes held a whole lot of regret. “Yeah. We are. It’s a bad one. Members of Rebeccah’s medical team are trapped in a village being attacked. The U.S. basically told them if they went in not to expect any help. This one will be off the books.”

  Jericho swore. “What about Kaya?”

  Kaya, who’d remained a silent observer, stepped forward, still draped in the blanket Hunter had wrapped around her.

  “You’re going away?” she asked quietly.

  “You could stay here,” Hunter said to Jericho.

  “Fuck that,” Jericho said rudely. “I’m not letting you go in alone.”

  “I wouldn’t be alone.”

  “Forget it. Not happening.”

  They both turned to Kaya who watched them with uncertain eyes.

  “We have to go away for a little while,” Hunter said. “We won’t be long. No more than a couple of weeks. Just like always.”

  She drew into herself, her eyes flashing soft vulnerability. “Will you come back?”

  Jericho swore under his breath and reached for her, pulling her into his arms. She trembled against him and clutched at his chest with small hands.

  “We’ll be back, Kaya. Always. You’re ours. We want you to stay here. There’s plenty of food, and it’s warm. You’ll have shelter. When we return, we’ll bring more supplies and some decent clothing for you.”

  She nodded against his chest, but he wasn’t sure if he’d convinced her.

  Hunter cupped his hand under her elbow and pulled her away to look at him. He stared down at her, his expression utterly serious. “Promise me you’ll be careful. Stay close to this cabin at all times. No jaunts over the mountains as the cougar, and when you’re in human form, don’t step outside this cabin.”

  “I promise,” she said solemnly.

  Kaya sat on the couch in front of the fire, her knees hugged to her chest as she watched the two men prepare to leave. They worked methodically, as if they’d done this a million times before. And they had, she knew. She’d watched them from a distance as they’d donned their pack gear and hiked down the mountain.

  Only this time they were leaving her, and it frightened her.

  When the last of their supplies were packed, they turned to her. The moment she’d dreaded was here. The goodbye.

  “Come here, honey,” Jericho said in a low voice.

  She flew off the couch and into his arms, hugging him fiercely. He covered her mouth with his, kissing her with unrestrained passion. Then he tore his lips away and rested his forehead against hers.

  “We’ll be back soon. You won’t even miss us.”

  “I’ll miss you.”

  He smiled. “We’ll miss you too. Take care of yourself until we can come back and do it ourselves.”

  He walked around her to stand by the door and allow Hunter his goodbye.

  For a long second, she and Hunter stood staring at one another. Her heart swelled and ached with every beat. She didn’t want them to go. Selfishly, she wanted to beg them not to leave her, not to go fulfill the legacy of a woman they’d loved before her.

  A tear slid over her cheek before she could wipe it away.

  Hunter closed the distance between them and pulled her to him.

  “Don’t cry. We’ll be back before you know it.”

  She reached up to frame his face in her hands and then pulled him down to kiss her.

  “I love you, Hunter. Hurry back to me. I’ll miss you both so badly.”

  He kissed her lingeringly, touching her face with gentle hands.

  “Be careful, Kaya. I don’t like leaving you like this.”

  “I know,” she said sadly. “Now go.”

  Jericho opened the door, and the two men walked out into the snow. She stood at the window watching until they disappeared down the mountain. The cougar protested, wanting to bound into the snow after them, but she squelched the urge before it could take over.

  Her hand pressed against the frosty glass pane.

  “I love you,” she whispered.

  Chapter Twenty

  Kaya paced the confines of the cabin restlessly. Her skin crawled and itched with the need to shift. Every day after Hunter and Jericho had left, the cougar had tracked through the snow to a rocky overhang that afforded her a prime view of the path they’d take back up the mountain. And she waited.

  Today when she’d called to the cougar, the cougar had not risen. For the first time she couldn’t shift.

  What was wrong with her? Why was the cougar lying dormant? It frightened her. Made her feel insecure and uneasy. How could she protect herself if she couldn’t call on the beast?

  She sensed the cougar had withdrawn. Why? She was still there, but she had settled deep within, refusing to be drawn out.

  If only Hunter and Jericho would return. Then she wouldn’t feel so scared. Maybe she’d feel more herself. Maybe the cougar would return.

  The shadows had lengthened and dusk settled over the cabin. They wouldn’t return tonight. Dejected, she went into the kitchen and consoled herself with a hot meal. The novelty of cooked food hadn’t worn off.

  Her gaze took in the canned goods in the cabinets. Plenty of food to last several more weeks. Jericho and Hunter would return well before then.

  Feeling marginally better after filling her belly, she went into Jericho’s room and crawled under the blankets. They still held his scent, and she inhaled deeply to allow it to surround her. She alternated sleeping in their beds, wanting to keep them near at all times.

  Tonight, she was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. Deep and dreamless. In the recesses of her mind, she became aware of a comforting warmth. Gentle sunshine and a touch so light that it carried her along before she realized she was floating.

  A smiling woman, familiar and yet strange, with long dark hair. She carried a blanket-wrapped bundle in her arms. When she stood in front of Kaya, her expression filled with love and joy. Then she lowered the tiny bundle into Kaya’s arms.

  Kaya looked down to see a baby. The child opened her eyes and their gazes connected. Immediately, Kaya was filled with indescribable pride and happiness. Her finger carefully touched the little one’s cheek. The baby turned, trying to suck the finger into her tiny mouth.

  A sound forced Kaya’s gaze beyond the baby. A beautiful silver wolf stood a few feet away. Strangely she felt no fear for her or her child. The eyes were familiar.

  The wolf lowered its head and walked slowly toward the baby. Its nose pressed against the baby’s cheek and then both baby and wolf looked up at Kaya again and she saw their eyes were identical blue. Ice blue.

  And then the wolf disappeared. But Kaya understood. This was her child. The Maker was gifting her child with the spirit and soul of the great wolf.

  The child squirmed and turned toward Kaya, rooting until it found her breast. She latched on and began to suckle as Kaya tenderly kept watch over her.

  Kaya came awake with a start, her hand flying to her stomach. She sat up, sweat beading her forehead even though a heavy chill lay over the cabin.

  Could it be? She rubbed her belly, but she now knew why the cougar had refused her. Knew why the Maker had come to her in a dream.

  A baby. Her daughter.

  She slid her legs over the side of the bed and sat there, both hands covering her still-flat stomach as she stared down in wonder.

  A child. She was pregnant with Hunter and Jericho’s child. A child who would grow to be a great silver wolf. Strong and majestic. Would it anger Hunter and Jericho that their daughter would be like Kaya?

  No, she didn’t think so. It would cause them endless worry, but they would embrace her heritage as they had embraced Kaya’s.

  She smiled as tears of happiness welled in her eyes. They had given her their love and she would give them a daughter. She would have her own family. A tiny circle of people who she loved and who loved and accepted her.

  She couldn’t wait for Hunter and Jericho to return so she could sh
are her wondrous news.

  “I don’t like this,” Hunter muttered.

  Jericho stared through the scope of his rifle and grunted his agreement. “It’s too easy.”

  Hunter held up his hand as the rest of their team fell in behind them. He positioned the tiny mic close to his mouth and addressed the others.

  “This stinks to high heaven. I want everyone on their guard. Jericho and I will go in first. K-man, you and Dierks swing around and come in from the north. The prisoners are being kept in the middle of the camp. Make sure they aren’t compromised. The rest of you split into two teams and take out the guard towers to the east and west. Get in and get out. Fast.”

  K-man and Dierks disappeared from sight while the other team members moved noiselessly left and right. Keeping their weapons up, Hunter and Jericho crept forward.

  No noise emanated from the encampment. Only the sounds of distant predators filled the night. The eerie laugh of a hyena sent a shiver over Hunter’s skin.

  Something wasn’t right. It was all too pat.

  Jericho moved ahead before Hunter could motion him back. Jericho laid aside his rifle and hauled the makeshift trap door up a few inches so he could peer inside the pit.

  “Hunter, the west guard tower is empty.”

  The words echoed in his ear just as Jericho made a slashing motion to indicate the pit was also empty.

  Christ. “Pull back,” Hunter hissed into the receiver. “Get the hell out. Now!”

  Jericho dropped the door. Before he could pick up his rifle, the world around them lit up.

  “Get down!” Hunter shouted as he lunged to cover Jericho.

  The two men went down as a blaze of orange filled their senses. Heat. Then pain. Then nothing.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Kaya stared dully out the window over the newly reawakened earth. The snows had melted and in their wake, green burst from the ground and the trees.

  And still Hunter and Jericho hadn’t returned.

  She folded her hands over the swell of her belly, reassured by the steady kick of her daughter.

  Her supplies were exhausted and with the ability to shift gone until her baby was born, she had no way to feed her or her child.

  Left behind.

  Abandoned.

  All the feelings of her childhood bubbled up, only these were sharper. They cut. They made her bleed.

  She dropped her head and closed her eyes. Why hadn’t they kept their promise? The days had turned to weeks, and the weeks into months. Winter had given up its stranglehold on the mountains, and wildlife was on the move all around her.

  Her belly had swelled as the life within her grew. How she’d longed to share these moments with Hunter and Jericho, but they hadn’t come back, and now she was forced to face the uncomfortable truth.

  They weren’t going to.

  She would have to venture down to the town below. The idea terrified her. While she’d walked among humans, she’d never had to try and play by their rules. She needed food and clothing, and she had no idea how to go about getting either. All she knew was that she couldn’t get it here.

  Knowing she was only putting off the inevitable, she moved from her position at the window. She took special care in her appearance, or as much as she could manage. She used the men’s brush and worked the tangles from her hair until it sparkled and shone.

  The sweatpants fit her a little better now that her belly had grown larger, and the flannel shirt hit her at mid-thigh instead of falling to her knees. She looked somewhat normal.

  Then she looked down at her bare feet. She had the boots that Jericho had made her wear, but they were far too large for her and would look ridiculous if she tromped into town with them. Maybe she could find shoes later. For now she would make do.

  She let herself out of the cabin and looked sadly back at the place she’d considered her home if only for a short period of time. She wouldn’t be back. There was nothing here for her any longer

  “Help me, Maker,” she whispered. “I’m so afraid.”

  Jericho opened his eyes and blinked when everything stayed blurry. His head ached like a bitch. Then he realized that he couldn’t feel much more than the vile ache at the base of his skull and the burning of his eyes.

  He looked down, trying to see the rest of him. His arms, his legs, something.

  “Ahh, you’re finally awake. You had us worried, Mr. Hartley.”

  He turned blindly in the direction of the voice. “Jericho. No one calls me Mr. Hartley.”

  “Okay, Jericho.”

  “Who are you? Where are you? I can’t see you. Where am I?”

  “One question at a time.” The voice was soothing. Feminine. “My name is Susan. I’m the nurse assigned to your care. Give yourself a few minutes to orient yourself. Your vision should clear soon.”

  “Hunter,” he croaked. “Where’s Hunter?”

  “Your friend is alive.”

  That didn’t say a whole lot. What the hell had happened? He strained to remember, but all he could summon was an image of fire. An explosion so loud it had split his ears. And then nothing.

  “Oh, look, someone is here to see you.”

  Jericho turned again, blinking, furious that he couldn’t make out more than a fuzzy shape moving toward the bed.

  “Hey, man. God am I glad to see your ass awake. I was sure you’d decided to take a permanent vacation on us.”

  “K-man.”

  “Yeah, in the flesh. Can you see me?”

  “Move closer.”

  The blur came into sharper focus, and some of the burning in his eyes eased. He could make out K-man’s face. See his eyes even. They looked worried.

  “How long have I been here?” he asked. “What about Hunter? The others.”

  “Several months, dude. You’ve been out of it for a long while. We weren’t sure you were going to make it.”

  Months.

  Panic kicked him in the gut and crawled up his throat until his chest felt like it was going to explode.

  “Months? Months? Tell me you’re joking, K-man. Don’t bullshit me. This is too important. I need to know exactly how long I’ve been here.”

  K-man touched him on the shoulder. “I wouldn’t lie about this. We brought you in four months ago. You’d just about bled out, had enough shrapnel in you to build a missile, and you had more broken bones than bruises.”

  “Kaya,” he whispered. Dear God, what was Kaya thinking? They’d told her they’d be a few weeks. They’d left her alone with only enough food for a few months.

  “I’ve got to get out of here,” he said as he sat forward.

  Immediately, pain speared through his chest, leaving him gasping for air. He tried to swing his legs over the edge of the bed, but they didn’t cooperate.

  “Whoa, man, chill out. Are you trying to kill yourself?”

  Jericho found himself held down on both sides. He struggled against the constraints. “I have to go. You don’t understand. I’ve got to get back.”

  K-man got in his face, his eyes blacker than night. “What I understand is that I’ll sit on you if I have to. Lay back and keep your ass in bed, or I’ll have you physically restrained. You got me?”

  “Kaya. She’s alone. You’ve got to let me go, K. This is important.”

  “I can’t do that, Jericho. Not until the doc clears you. You almost died. I doubt you could walk out of here if you wanted.”

  Frustration beat painfully at his temples. His jaw clenched until his teeth ached. “I’m only going to ask this once, K. And you better be straight with me.”

  “You know I will.”

  K-man relaxed his hold on Jericho and nodded at the nurse, who also let go. She backed away. “I’ll be outside if you need me,” she said quietly.

  “I need to know exactly what’s wrong with me, and I want to know what happened to Hunter.”

  “You’re pretty busted up. Ribs. Left leg. Dislocated shoulder. Concussion. Numerous cuts, burns and bruises. They
put you in a drug-induced coma for a long time until the swelling in your brain went down.”

  “And Hunter?”

  “Pretty much the same. He was paralyzed for a while. We worried it would be permanent, but they removed a piece of shrapnel from his spine and when the swelling went down, he regained feeling in his legs. He’s been out of it. He keeps calling Kaya’s name. Interesting that you mentioned her as well.”

  Jericho’s lips pressed together in a tight line. “I need to see him.”

  K-man shook his head.

  “Don’t tell me no,” Jericho said fiercely. “I don’t care how it happens. I have to see him. Get me a wheelchair or help me out of bed. Just get me in there.”

  “I think it’d be easier to have him come here,” K-man said dryly. “At least he can walk.”

  “Get him. I don’t care how it happens. And then we’re getting out of here.”

  K-man stared hard back at Jericho. “What’s going on here, Jericho? What’s so important that you’d risk leaving when you’re not even close to being ready? We’re a team. You know if you need something, you only have to ask. We’ll take care of it.”

  Jericho closed his eyes. What K said was true. If it were anything else, he wouldn’t hesitate to ask K-man to take care of it. But he couldn’t ask him to go to the cabin and get Kaya. It was too risky. He’d given his word that he’d never share her secret with anyone. He wouldn’t risk her that way. He had to talk to Hunter, and they had to get the hell back to Colorado.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Kaya stood outside the small general store, her heart pounding thunderously. Her palms were damp, and her stomach rolled and heaved. How silly that the thought of going inside terrified her so. She belonged in this world just like everyone else did.

  But humans had a history of letting her down.

  She jumped when a man came out of the shop in front of her. He stood there, holding the door open as he looked at her. It took her a moment to realize he was waiting for her to go in.

  “Thank you,” she murmured as she hurried by.

  She was immediately assaulted by a barrage of smells. Meats, so many different kinds. Her first priority had to be food. Clothing could wait. She had