by Maya Banks
“The only woman I’ve been around I picked up for trying to steal food from Margaret’s. She wouldn’t tell me her name or anything else for that matter so I held her at the station until Hunter came for her. Come to think of it, I still don’t know her name,” he added with a frown.
“Where is she now?” Aliyah demanded. “This is important, Duncan.”
“I suppose she’s with Hunter up at his cabin. He was the only one she’d talk to. Nick and I tried hard enough to get anything out of her. What the hell is going on, Aliyah? It’s not like you to get so freaky about a woman.”
Aliyah’s face was strained and worried, and she’d gone pale underneath the golden sheen of her skin. “Her scent, Duncan. I know it well. I should. It’s Kaya.”
His brow furrowed. “Kaya? Who the hell is Kaya?”
“My sister. Don’t you remember me telling you about her?”
“Yes, honey, but you said she disappeared years ago, when you were just a child.”
“Exactly. And now I smell her on you and you tell me a woman was in your jail, a woman who would tell you nothing of herself. She was probably frightened out of her mind.”
Understanding dawned. “Holy fuck. She’s a shifter? I know you told me she was a cougar, but are you sure this is your sister? I mean, honey, it’s been a lot of years. Are you certain you aren’t mistaken?”
“I’d know her smell anywhere,” Aliyah said quietly. “Take me to her, Duncan. I have to see her. I have to know if she’s my sister. I have to know what happened to her.”
Duncan sighed. “If it is her, it would explain a hell of a lot. Hunter’s protectiveness of her and why they were so damn secretive. You have to be prepared for the possibility that she won’t remember you and that they won’t welcome you asking questions.”
“I have to see her for myself,” Aliyah said fiercely.
“I know, sweetheart. We’ll go in the morning.”
“No. We go now. I won’t sleep until I see her.”
Duncan studied her in resignation. She was stubborn as hell when she set her mind to something, and if he didn’t take her, he knew she’d shift into a damn cheetah and take off without him. And that was going to happen over his dead body.
“All right,” he said with a sigh. “We’ll go now. But you have to promise me you’ll stay behind me until I say it’s safe. Do you promise?”
She nodded solemnly and then ran around to get into the passenger seat of his truck. Duncan blew out his breath and climbed back into the driver’s seat. So much for a nice evening at home and maybe some welcome home sex.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kaya lay on the couch between Hunter and Jericho as a fire blazed in the hearth to ward off the evening chill. She was tired and wanted nothing more than to drift off to sleep surrounded by their heat and their love, but she didn’t want the night to end.
They’d talked long into the evening. Hunter and Jericho had told her about the days in the hospital. Hunter’s despair when it looked as though he wouldn’t walk again and when he thought Jericho was dying. And then Jericho waking to discover so many months had passed and his panic that Kaya wouldn’t be there when they got back.
They talked about the coming baby and how excited they were at the prospect of having a daughter to spoil and protect. Hunter and Jericho had a million questions about raising a child who could shift to an animal. How were they to prevent the same thing happening to their daughter as what happened to Kaya? The idea terrified them all, and Hunter had quickly changed the subject when he’d seen the upset it caused Kaya.
The room had grown quiet, and the fire had burned down to a glowing bed of coals when a knock sounded at the door.
Hunter went stiff as a board.
“What the hell?” Jericho bit out.
“Stay here,” Hunter ordered in a steely voice. “I’ll go see who it is.” He cast a look at Jericho, and Jericho nodded as the two communicated silently. As Hunter got up to go to the door, Jericho was already getting up and moving Kaya across the room toward the shadows of the kitchen and in proximity of the back porch.
Hunter retrieved his pistol from the mantel and went to the door. He opened it an inch and peered through the crack into the night.
“Hunter, it’s me, Duncan.”
Hunter relaxed but still kept the door as a barrier between him and the sheriff.
“What brings you up here at this time of night?”
Duncan sighed. “Can I come in?”
Reluctantly, Hunter opened the door and allowed Duncan inside. Jericho moved in front of Kaya, and Hunter positioned himself between Duncan and Jericho.
It wasn’t lost on Duncan.
“Look I understand your caution, but I’m not here for any trouble. I just need to ask you a few questions.”
“Like?” Hunter asked.
Duncan glanced over at Jericho who stood unsmiling in the shadows.
“About Kaya.”
Hunter frowned. “I’m pretty damn certain I never told you her name, and I know she didn’t say anything to you. Want to tell me how you came up with it?”
“I need you to answer some questions for me first. Actually I’d prefer it if Kaya would talk to me herself.”
Hunter shook his head even as Jericho bristled menacingly.
“Not going to happen,” Hunter said evenly.
“Look, I understand. Believe me, I understand. I wouldn’t allow Aliyah in this kind of situation either.”
“Who the hell is Aliyah?” Hunter asked.
Behind Jericho, Kaya stiffened and curled her fingers into Jericho’s shirt. He reached behind for her hand and squeezed reassuringly. Holding onto his hand, she moved from behind him to stare at Duncan. Duncan looked back at her expectantly, as if he were waiting for a reaction.
Hunter cursed and moved closer to Kaya, so that he and Jericho flanked her protectively.
“Aliyah is my wife,” Duncan said evenly. “Aliyah Carver was her name before she married me. Does that ring a bell, Kaya?”
“Why the hell should it?” Jericho snarled.
Kaya put a reassuring hand on Jericho’s arm and then moved forward into the light.
“Why are you asking me about this woman?”
“Do you remember her?” Duncan asked in a gentle voice.
Her brow furrowed. “Why should I remember her?”
“Damn good question,” Hunter muttered. “I don’t like this. Duncan, get to your point or get the hell out. I don’t want you upsetting Kaya. She’s already been through enough.”
“Because she’s like you,” Duncan said, ignoring Hunter.
Kaya froze and retreated behind Duncan and Jericho once more.
“Get out,” Hunter said in a dangerously low voice.
Jericho put both his arms behind him, pulling her against his back. She laid her cheek against his shirt, her breaths sticking in her throat. How had he known? What would happen to her now? Was he here to take her?
“Let me call Aliyah inside,” Duncan said evenly. “I’m not about to put my wife in danger any more than you’re going to place Kaya in danger. Aliyah wants to see her. It’s important, or believe me, I would’ve never allowed Aliyah up here.”
Without waiting for an answer, he went to the door. Kaya watched around Jericho’s arm, frightened and intrigued at the same time. He’d said his wife was like her. How could that be?
Duncan leaned out the door and motioned with his hand. A few seconds later, a beautiful young woman walked in, and like Jericho and Hunter had done with Kaya, Duncan tucked her behind him, his gaze wary as he looked over at Hunter and Jericho.
“Where is she?” Aliyah demanded.
Duncan pointed to where the two men stood, and before he could hold her back, Aliyah hurried forward. She stopped in front of Hunter, her expression pleading.
“I won’t hurt her. I have to see her, though. She’s my sister.”
Kaya gasped, and Hunter merely closed the distance between him and Jericho,
forming an impenetrable wall between the two women.
“If you’re her sister, you’ve already hurt her enough,” Hunter said darkly.
“What are you talking about?” Aliyah asked, hurt in her voice.
Kaya’s heart thundered against Jericho’s back. Was she telling the truth? She closed her eyes, reaching for the memory of the cheetah. A girl with long golden hair and golden eyes and a beautiful smile.
“Her family abandoned her,” Jericho growled. “We’re her family now. She doesn’t need you.”
“That’s not true!” Aliyah gasped. “Kaya, please, talk to me.”
Racing side by side and then the cheetah spurring ahead, leaving her as she raced across the Alaskan terrain. The two girls laughingly playing tag. The memories tumbled through Kaya’s mind. Was this her? The cheetah?
Tears formed, and Kaya swallowed them back. Slowly she pushed at Hunter and Jericho until she was visible in the space between them.
“I remember you,” Kaya said in a low voice.
Aliyah made a small sound of joy as the two sisters stared at each other. Duncan was right behind Aliyah, his hand protectively at her shoulder as he watched Hunter and Jericho warily.
And then Aliyah’s gaze fell to her belly. She rounded on Duncan, her eyes accusing. “You didn’t tell me she was pregnant! Duncan, how could you? She must have been so terrified. You know how our kind feels about cages.”
Duncan sighed patiently. “I didn’t know who she was, Aliyah. And I put her in a cell so she’d have a warm place to sleep and food to eat. She looked as if she was badly in need of both.”
Aliyah turned her accusing stare on Hunter and Jericho. “Why was that? Why haven’t you taken care of her?”
Kaya ignored everything but the woman standing in front of her. Tentatively she stepped forward, reaching out to touch a strand of golden hair. She inhaled deeply, allowing herself to be surrounded by this woman’s scent.
As she fingered the strand of hair, her sad gaze found Aliyah’s. “Why did you leave me?” she whispered.
“Oh, Kaya, we didn’t leave you.”
Impulsively, she hugged Kaya, wrapping her slim arms around her as she squeezed. Kaya closed her eyes as more buried memories roared to the surface. The two girls sitting cross-legged on the floor of a house. Trading dolls as they combed each other’s hair.
When Aliyah pulled away, her eyes glittered with tears.
“You still have the most beautiful eyes,” Kaya said solemnly.
Aliyah reached for Kaya’s hands and squeezed. “Can we sit on the couch? There’s so much I need to tell you and questions I want to ask.” She looked to Jericho and Hunter as if seeking their permission.
Kaya also looked at her two mates. “I will be fine.”
Reluctantly, Hunter nodded, but they both stayed close as Aliyah led Kaya over to the sofa.
“Why do you think we left you?” Aliyah asked when both women had found comfortable positions.
“I went back,” Kaya said. “When I was able, I made my way back home. The house was empty. I waited and waited, but no one ever came.”
Aliyah’s eyes filled with tears. “This will destroy Mama and Papa.”
Kaya cocked her head to the side. “I don’t remember them. Are they like us? I always thought my family was human except for you.”
Aliyah shook her head. “No, they are like us. Mama is a great eagle and Papa is a Kodiak bear. When we lost you, they were devastated. They were afraid the same would happen to me, so we moved to Africa until I grew older and more restrained. You must have returned to Alaska while we were there.”
“They wanted me?” Kaya asked in a small voice.
“Oh, Kaya, they’ve mourned you since the day you went missing. Not a day has gone by that we haven’t thought of you. They’re going to be so thrilled when I tell them that I’ve found you. You can’t imagine what this is going to mean to them.”
Again her gaze fell to Kaya’s stomach. “Is your child going to be like us?” she asked softly.
Kaya smiled and started to reply, but Hunter stepped forward, his expression fierce. Kaya’s mouth snapped shut. Hunter didn’t want her to trust Duncan and Aliyah, especially when it came to their daughter’s safety. He was right. She should exercise the same care she always had when it came to other people.
Aliyah sighed, and then her gaze found Duncan’s. Whatever it was he saw in his wife’s eyes, he didn’t like it.
“Oh no, Aliyah. Hell, no. Don’t you dare.”
She ignored him, rising as she started to pull at her clothes. Duncan descended on his wife, hiding her from the others’ view as her clothes fell away.
Kaya watched in fascination as Aliyah dropped to the floor, her body contorting. She couldn’t remember seeing another person shift before, and now she realized how she must look to Hunter and Jericho. No wonder they watched her in such agony.
Duncan whirled around, his gun drawn, his eyes cold as ice. “Make one move toward her and it’ll be your last.”
A cheetah arose where Aliyah had fallen. The cat padded over to Kaya and rubbed against her leg. Her childhood playmate. Kaya dropped to the floor on her knees and threw her arms around the cheetah’s neck. Her purrs filled the room, and she licked Kaya’s cheek.
Kaya buried her face in the cheetah’s fur and held on as tears slid down her cheeks.
The men weren’t unmoved by the sight. Duncan slowly put away his pistol and Jericho and Hunter both moved forward, their faces softening as Kaya wept.
The cheetah waited patiently as Kaya clung to her sleek body. When her sobs quieted to silent hiccups, the cheetah retreated and went back to the shelter of Duncan’s body. Shielding her from the others, Duncan waited as she shifted back to human form, and then he hastily helped her into her clothing.
Aliyah returned to the couch and held out her arms to Kaya. The two women embraced, both crying noisily while the men looked on in discomfort.
“How did she know?” Hunter asked Duncan as they watched over their women.
“She scented Kaya on me and freaked. Demanded I bring her up here immediately.” His expression grew serious. “Her folks are good people, Hunter. They didn’t willingly abandon Kaya. They thought they’d lost one child, and they didn’t want to lose another.”
Hunter just nodded as he and Jericho continued to watch over Kaya.
Aliyah pulled away and smoothed Kaya’s hair from her face. “It’s funny. You’re the older sister, but I’ve always felt as though you were the younger. Even when we were children. I guess I didn’t look out for you well enough, though,” she said sadly. “How did you survive, Kaya? Where did you go?”
“It’s not your fault,” Kaya said in a low voice. “I haven’t lived much in the human world. I spent most of my time in cougar form. Until I met Hunter and Jericho, I rarely shifted to human.”
Aliyah stole a glance at the two men hovering so closely to Kaya. “Are they good to you, Kaya? Did one of them father your child?”
Kaya almost smiled at her sister’s surly tone. “They are very good to me, and they are both the father of my daughter.”
Aliyah gasped softly. “Daughter?”
Kaya nodded. “She will be a great silver wolf.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Aliyah said as her eyes teared up all over again. “Mama and Papa are going to be so happy.”
“How is it that you’re all so different?” Jericho asked in a bewildered tone. “Your mother is an eagle, your father a bear. It doesn’t make sense.”
Duncan grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. “Why don’t we step outside and let the girls do some catching up and I’ll tell you all about the family you’re taking on.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Kaya was still awake as dawn crept over the sky. She sat on the porch steps watching as the earth came to life around her. Birds sang, and the rustling of smaller animals in the undergrowth could be heard as they set about their day.
The air was still chil
led enough that she could see her breath escaping in a small cloud, and she wrapped the blanket tighter around her.
A family. She had a family. And they hadn’t abandoned her. It was hard for her to change her way of thinking after believing for so long that they hadn’t wanted her.
She couldn’t remember her mother and father, try as she might. Had she blocked them out on purpose? She could clearly remember Aliyah, but could not conjure images of the people who had given her life.
The door opened behind her, and Jericho stepped outside. He eased awkwardly down onto the steps beside her and handed her a cup of hot chocolate. She smiled as she took it. One of the things she’d developed an intense craving for was sweets, and the hot, sweet drink was one of her favorites.
“You shouldn’t be out here, honey.”
She looked in concern at the lines on his face. “Neither should you.”
“I was worried about you,” he said quietly. “How are you handling everything?”
She sipped the chocolate and stared out over the rugged terrain. “I don’t know,” she said truthfully. “It’s all a little hard to comprehend.”
“We’ll take you to Alaska if that’s what you want.”
She immediately shook her head. “No. I don’t want to leave here.” She turned back to look at him again. “I know it sounds silly, but I feel safe here, and I don’t want to go back to the place I found empty so many years ago. It holds too many unhappy memories.”
Jericho touched her cheek and then leaned in to kiss her forehead. “Then we’ll stay here. Your folks can come visit you whenever they like.”
“I don’t remember them,” she said sadly. “Do you think it will make them angry?”
Jericho slipped his arm around her and hugged her close. “No, honey. They’re going to be so happy to see you. They’ll understand. You’ve been alone for such a long time. No one will expect you to remember.”
His hand slipped underneath the blanket and molded to her belly. “How is our little one this morning? Is she kicking yet?”
Kaya smiled and set aside her cup. She placed her hands over Jericho’s and moved it upward until it was in just the right spot. “Feel here.”
A tiny little bump, barely more than a muscle twitch, pittered and pattered against his palm. His entire expression transformed to one of intense awe.
“That’s her,” he whispered.
She leaned forward and brushed her lips across his. “She’s glad to see you.”
When she pulled away, Jericho leaned down and kissed the spot where the baby had been kicking.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” he murmured against Kaya’s belly.
Kaya tangled her hands in his hair, holding his head as he nestled it against her belly. The future was a very uncertain thing indeed, but she held to the one thing she knew. Jericho and Hunter would be with her. They would take care of her and their daughter. She’d never be alone again.
A sound made her look up, and she saw Hunter standing there, holding a cup of coffee as he stared down at her and Jericho.
Wordlessly, she held up her hand, an invitation for him to join them. Hunter set his coffee on the railing and settled on the other side of Kaya, his arm going around her. She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes as she held Jericho’s head in her lap.
“I love you both so much,” she murmured. “I think I loved you from the first moment I saw you.”
Hunter kissed her forehead and stroked her hair. “I love you too. More than I imagined ever loving another person. It scares me sometimes.”
She smiled and nestled closer as she ran her fingers through Jericho’s hair.