Secret: Of Amber Eyes

by D. K. Davis

Then, suddenly, Morgan’s voice echoed in my head, “Rowan, are you there?”

  Oakly’s hand clamped over my shoulder. “Hey, are you all right?”

  “Rowan?” she called to me again.

  I pushed my brother away. “Just a minute, I hear Morgan.”

  Oakly’s brows shot up, and he nodded.

  I hollered in mind-communication to her, “Morgan, where are you?” As if a vacuum pulled all sound from my mind, I waited for her reply, covering my ears with my palms and wondering if that actually helped.

  The sweet sound of her voice fueled me, “A cover over my head, and my hands and feet tied. I’m on the floor of a moving vehicle,” until her words sank in.

  “Oakly, she’s tied-up on the floor of a vehicle that’s moving, and they covered her head.” That sounded so ominous, like a horror story of impending murder. My stomach boiled, and of all things, I bent over and threw up. I wiped my face with the bottom of Jobey’s borrowed shirt.

  Oakly waited a few steps away, and when I straightened up, he said, “Wish I could help locate her through Lara, but turns out, she’s not my mate, and we never exchanged blood. Although she wanted to, probably to track us.”

  “What about all that electrified current flying through the air? You couldn’t take your eyes off from her.” I swore the two of them had connected like Morgan and me as if the air thickened and sparked around them when they stood close to each other.

  “I keep thinking about that. What if I got dosed with some attractant? Maybe it happened when I followed her scent through the woods to Becka and Charlie’s barn. These dudes used poison, paralyzing drugs, weapons, darts, and traps, why not an attractant? Those guys we captured in the forest used a scent cover-up,” he reminded me.

  Wow. Oakly was right. These guys had access to a lot of chemicals and weapons. “Thank the gods you didn’t exchange blood with Lara, or she’d be onto us right now.”

  Then Morgan’s voice came through my mind, loud and clear, “Rowan. Lara’s driving. Male passenger. Their destination is Mackinaw City.”

  “They’re headed to Mackinaw City. That might mean Jack is already there. I’m calling Dad, so he stays put. You call Becka and let her know what happened. She’ll be anxious about Morgan. You and I are heading for Mackinaw City.”

  We climbed the hill as I pulled out my cell phone and hit Dad’s number. I glanced at Oakly. He was already talking to Becka.

  “Son, we’re about ready to head back home.” Dad sounded out of breath. “Just loaded the car.”

  “Don’t leave. Oakly and I will meet you there. Morgan got taken, and I know she’s headed to Mackinaw City. Lara is driving her there, and someone else is in the vehicle.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Mind-communication from Morgan. We had a blood exchange. I never told you that she ended up with some of mine when I got hers.” I hurried through the events that happened. Oakly and I backtracked across the road toward our house and my truck. I told Dad about how we got duped by Lara, including Oakly’s pretend relationship with her. “We were fooled by her, except Morgan. I’m not sure she ever believed Lara’s story.”

  “I have a feeling I know Lara,” Dad said. “She goes by many names and has been with Jack for a long time. Do you know what kind of vehicle she’s driving?”

  “No idea. We never saw it.” And then I thought about Sh-a, all of the cameras posted around his property. “We think the capture happened on Sh-a’s property. Maybe he got a shot of it. We’re almost home. We’ll drive over there before we leave town. I’ll call you when we’re on the road.”

  Oakly and I ran the rest of the way home. I called Addison and asked if she’d take care of the dogs until we got back. She insisted on an explanation, so I gave her a quick version.

  “Come on, Rowan, let me come with you,” Addison begged.

  “We need you at our house to help with the dogs and pups, plus Becka and Charlie need you. I’ll keep you informed on what’s happening. Gotta run.” Then it hit me, Addison could check with Sh-a for us. Then we could get on the road right now. “Wait, I got something we need you to do right away.” I explained everything to Addison about the piece of Sh-a’s property where Morgan’s abduction took place and told her to have him check any of his two-tracks for parked vehicles. “Call us to confirm anything you find on Sh-a’s cameras.”

  “Headed there right now, and thanks for letting me help with Morgan. Talk soon.” Addison clicked off.

  Oakly had gone into the house to grab an extra pair of jeans and a shirt for both of us. When he walked out, I climbed into the driver’s seat.

  As soon as he closed his door, we took off. “Set your GPS for the Mackinaw Overlord meeting site.” That place reminded me of our house, a fortress that retained some families if needed and was surrounded by a forest with trails for running or walking. The Mackinaw site also included large meeting rooms, where Dad spent most of his time whenever we’d visited.

  “You better kick it into high gear, bro, it’s already three o’clock. Lara’s got a couple of hours lead on us.” Oakly clicked the screen of his phone. “It’ll take at least two hours to get to the city, and a little longer to arrive at the site with all those dang narrow dirt roads.”

  “Buckle up, butter cup.” Hot prickles spread like wildfire over every inch of my skin and two hours was too damn long. “When we get close, we’re shifting. I think Lara’s going to our site.” I glanced at Oakly.

  He turned toward me. “How in the hell do you know that?”

  I shook my head. “I have no idea.”

  * * *

  Morgan

  No informative conversation happened between Lara and her male passenger after my last shout-out to Rowan. But the radio got turned on, so perhaps that covered some of their talking, or they knew I’d awakened.

  The vehicle slowed, made a few turns, and then we stopped. Both the driver and the passenger door opened and closed. They’d left and didn’t check on me.

  My brain felt rattled from the constant vibration, but the pot holes of the last half hour or so took my headache to a whole new level. I reached deep into my thoughts and said, “Rowan, we’ve stopped. Total trip two or three hours.”

  After I’d gained consciousness, I worked to loosen the ropes around my wrists. They’d connected my hands to my feet by another cord just long enough for me to lay flat on my back. It hindered my possibility of stretching the ropes. I rolled to the side of the vehicle, using it to prop myself into a sitting position. My knees folded to my chest, and I let my arms drop over my legs.

  I guessed the vehicle was a van and that I sat directly under a window. Voices carried from a short distance away.

  “I saw her eyes glow.” Lara bragged to someone.

  “We already knew she had pryde blood.” Jack. I would recognize his voice anywhere. He was supposed to be in Florida with my mother. “Thank God you bloodied her lip and wiped it on your shirt. Now we know exactly whose pryde.” He chuckled.

  And then I heard some footsteps through the leaves and gravel. “We’ve got eyes on the place and a few men posted on the grounds out of sight. The screens for the cameras are set up inside if you want to take a look.”

  “How far away are we from the site?” Jack asked.

  “Between ten and fifteen miles. We’re sure they’ve got surveillance around a five-mile radius. Our distance keeps us from being detected.” I didn’t recognize that male’s voice.

  “I’ll take a look in a minute,” Jack said.

  Footsteps walked away, and I assumed it was the security guy.

  “What did you do with your so-called wife?” Sarcasm laced Lara’s words, but most especially “wife.”

  “Why? Are you jealous?” Smooth laughter from the snake-in-the-grass, Jack.

  Oh, my gods, Jack didn’t love my mother. He was using her, but to what end?

  “Of that old hag? Hell, no.” Silence, maybe kissing sounds. Yuck. In a softer voice, Lara asked, “So, what d
id you do with her? Leave her in Florida?”

  “That was my initial intention, but she overheard a conversation she shouldn’t have, and then confronted me about it. I couldn’t have her blatting to her sister or any pryde member for that matter.”

  My heart slammed into my chest, beating so hard I thought it would burst. Ripples of hot coals slid over my skin like waves breaking on a shore. The urge to scream sent spasms to my throat, but I refused to make a sound. Pain spiked my brain and then sheared my bones as they cracked and bent. Muscles, tendons, and skin snapped into place. The ropes, head cover, and clothing binding me shredded and dropped away. I stood on four sturdy legs, looking around and realizing my prison was a large van. Every part of my body had an urgency to run, chase, and kill, which scared the crap out of me.

  Mr. Marcus’ words streamed through my mind, we’re only going to capture the bad guys, no killing. That’s not our way. Understood? Agitation to move shivered through me and I slammed my body with force new to me against the back doors, and they gave way. I shot out the door like a cannon, making enough noise to raise the dead.

  I never looked toward where I knew Jack and Lara stood, afraid of the temptation to maim and kill. Instead, I opened all senses and ran toward what I hoped was safety. I needed help to save my mom if she were still alive.

  I sent a mind-communication, “Rowan, I escaped. I’m running through the forest toward your father’s scent. There are men with guns around the place he’s staying. Jack’s men. He’s here with Lara. My mother’s in danger.” That mind-talk seemed a lot easier to do in beast-form. Seeing nature from waist level on four legs that had the agility and stealth to run miles filled me with excitement and fear at the same time. The excruciating pain getting into this form made me wonder how much pain tolerance was required to get back into human-form.

  A flare-up of prickles crawled over my skin. I sensed someone or something following me. I kicked up my speed and my stealth, freeing resistance and fear of what or who lay ahead or behind me. To save my mother, I had no choice but to make it.

  * * *

  Rowan

  “Oh, my, gods.” I had no choice but to pull off the road. “Oakly,” My breath stuck in my throat. “Get over here and drive.” I struggled to get out of the door and around the truck to the other side. When I reached the passenger door, I bent over squeezing my eyes closed and adjusting to the pain of Morgan’s shift.

  “Get in,” Oakly hollered at me through the open window.

  I managed to climb back in. Morgan’s panic, pain, and then her adrenaline rush crashed through me like a tsunami. I clenched my mouth shut, afraid of the sound effects might scare anyone passing by.

  “What’s happening?” Oakly got back on the road and revved the speed up to busted if we got caught by a cop.

  “Morgan, she just shifted.” My cell phone rang. Addison’s name highlighted my cell phone screen. I pulled myself together and answered. “What did you find?”

  “Lara and some big guy I’ve never seen before knocked her out with crossbow darts and carried her to a huge camouflaged van. They threw her in the backend, covered her head, and tied her up. We couldn’t make out the plate numbers.” Addison’s breath caught in a sob-gasp, then she added, “Rowan, find her before they hurt her.”

  “Thanks, Addison. I gotta call Dad and tell him about the van. Don’t worry. We’ll get her back, unharmed.” As soon as I hung up, a message from Morgan popped into my mind. I grabbed my cell phone and tapped Dad’s number.

  “Son, what’s happening? We got some area alarms going off, but so far, no visuals.”

  “Morgan shifted. She’s escaped and is connecting to your scent. She’ll need a way inside. Jack’s about fifteen miles away. Lara’s vehicle was a large camouflaged van, so I’m guessing all of the vehicles are similar. There are men with weapons outside the fence. I don’t know how many, only that they are there.” The tall fence barrier would keep her from entering on her own, plus the electricity running through it might knock her out. She would need someone to let her inside.

  “Son, you’re aware of the tunnel about a mile outside our fenced perimeter. I’m on my way there. I’ll personally bring her in.”

  “Dad, hurry. Someone’s chasing her.” We disconnected.

  “Morgan told you that?” Oakly’s eyes widened as he took a glance my way.

  I checked the GPS on Oakly’s phone. “We’re still an hour away.” All my body systems screamed for me to shift, a tremor slid through like what happens when the shift begins. I closed my eyes and beckoned for it to wait. “As soon as we hit the first dirt lane, you’re parking, and we’re shifting.”

  Oakly nodded. “You didn’t answer my question about you know someone’s chasing Morgan.”

  “As I mentioned before, somehow I just know.”

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Morgan

  I stretched out my body as far as I could, widening my stride and increasing my speed even more as Mr. Marcus’ scent grew stronger the closer I got to their post. Whoever chased me gasped for breath not far behind. My senses only flowed forward. New to the cougar sensitivities, I didn’t know how to surround myself with it, allowing it to pick up everything around me including the distance of danger behind me.

  Claws bit into my haunches, causing my backend to hit the ground. I flipped over on top of my assailant, knocking her to the ground. Lara. She bucked me off, and I rolled to the side. Her fangs dripped with saliva, and her claws turned rusty with my blood. She readied to charge, mouth gaping and snarling.

  And then I sensed another cat rushing up behind me. Mr. Marcus. We stood together, matching the same stance as our opponent.

  Lara deepend her snarl. Another cougar, a male, prowled in and stood next to Lara, but he wasn’t Jack. The man-cat appeared as large as Mr. Marcus. He strutted forward, snarling and hissing, showing his claws. His big paw fanned out and swiped. I darted in front of Mr. Marcus and caught the hooked-nails in my shoulder, flipping me on my backside. Lara chose that time to strike, pouncing on my chest and biting at my neck.

  I struck her face with my front claws over and over. Her clamp on my neck never lessened. Mr. Marcus was up to his armpits with Lara’s male champion. Although, he appeared to hold his own.

  I shoved my lower claws into Lara’s belly, shredding her underside. Her jaw released my neck, and I flung her off with the strength in my lower legs. She flew through the air and slammed against a tree trunk. Dang, I’m good.

  Mr. Marcus had the big guy in a strong-hold, jaws clamped around his neck. The big dude lay on his side. His front leg looked broken. I jumped on it, snapping my jaw over it and shattering the broken bone. He snarled in pain, and Marcus released his hold.

  More snarls and cat-calls blew through the air. Two more cougars arrived, running toward us. Rowan and Oakly.

  Lara took off like her butt was on fire, and the big guy limped off.

  Rowan came to me, rubbing his face to mine and sniffing. He licked at my neck, and when he stepped back, I saw the blood on his face and mouth.

  “Your hurt. Let’s go inside and get you mended.” Rowan’s clear voice spoke inside my head. He stared at me as if awaiting my response.

  “How will we get past the guys with guns?”

  “We have our ways.” He winked with his cougar eye.

  I wanted to laugh like Aunt Becka’s belly roar. Instead, I nodded my head.

  Mr. Marcus and Oakly led the way. Rowan followed behind me. We ran about a mile and stopped at a copse of trees. In the center of them, a camouflaged colored access hatch and it opened as we neared.

  A woman stepped out, covering each of us with a blanket. “Shift, and then enter.”

  Mr. Markus shifted so fast I missed it. He wrapped the blanket around his middle.

  Oh, yeah, we lose our clothes when we shift.

  Oakly and Rowan shifted at the same time, each wrapping themselves in a blanket.

  “You boys head down. I’ll take care of Mor
gan.”

  “Mom, I’m not leaving you and Morgan up here by yourselves.” Rowan let out a frustrated breath. “I’m not even sure she should shift until she’s completely healed. This time was her first change.”

  His mother looked me over, gently touching my neck. “She’s already healed.”

  “I’m not leaving.”

  His mother’s gaze met mine. “Morgan, I want you to picture your human-self. Close your eyes. Think of you in human form. Your arms, your legs, your hair hanging down, your smiling mouth, looking into a mirror at the color of your eyes.”

  I did what she said exactly, but nothing happened. I thought about it all again, nothing.

  “Okay, sometimes it’s easier to picture yourself as a human with another human. It prompts the change faster. Close your eyes and picture someone you’re close to standing in the mirror with you. You can see the color of their eyes, their strong or slender arms, their muscular or shapely legs, their long torso, and their short or long hair.”

  I closed my eyes and saw Rowan in the mirror with me. His strong arms wrapped around my waist, his dark-blond fluffy hair tickled my cheek, his beautiful hazel eyes stared into mine, and his ripped torso pressed against my abdomen. I sucked in a deep breath and opened my eyes, and then looked down my body and saw all naked human parts. I quickly slipped the blanket around me.

  “Your back.” She smiled, and so did her eyes. “Let’s hurry down before Linden comes looking for us.”

  Rowan’s mother led the way down the steps. Rowan pushed, turned, and slid security locks in place on the door. “We don’t talk while passing through the tunnel in case anyone above ground might hear.”

  We traveled at a fast pace through the lighted two-mile tunnel in silence until we reached the basement of their building.

  “Morgan, we can talk now.” Mrs. Marcus opened the entry door to the basement, which looked more like a giant recreation center. No one occupied the space, however. “Please call me, Willow.” Again, she smiled, and her whole face lit-up. “Sounds like a lot has happened since you’ve come to town.” She chuckled in a light whispery way.