by West, Tara
“Good. That bracelet stays on unless I authorize you to remove it, and you will make sure every one of your damn werewolf buddies behaves, too.” A wicked grin split the agent’s face in two, revealing two rows of blindingly white teeth. “Now let’s go catch this killer.”
Luc swore when he was hauled to his feet and dragged to a black van with tinted windows. He feared this lone wolf would not fare well under Agent Richter’s command.
“HOW’D YOU FIND US, Eilea?” Amara said warmly, hoping to get the doctor’s mind off the three horny shifters who had suddenly tried to claim a human as their mate.
“The GPS in my uncle’s truck.” Eilea’s voice shook. “I-I don’t understand. I’m human. Can humans even mate with Amaroki?”
Amara looked at Rone, who shrugged. She would’ve asked her other mates, but everyone else was outside. After Amara’s fathers had gone nuts, Bunic Nicolae and her alpha mates had driven them out the back door. Bunica was upstairs with Hrod, leaving Amara and Rone alone with the doctor in the living room.
“My birth mom was human.” Amara wasn’t confident in her answer. Her birth mom had given birth to her because she and her birth father were tricked by the goddess.
“Oh.” Eilea leaned back against the couch. “I don’t mean to offend, but I’m not hooking up with a pack of wolf-men.”
“It’s not common for Amaroki men to mate with humans.” Amara tried to sound reassuring. “They have to be mistaken.”
“Or else they have been bewitched by the Ancients,” Rone said, setting two steaming cups of herbal tea on the coffee table. He sat across from them.
Eilea cupped a mug with shaking hands. “Why would they do that?”
“I’m not sure.” Amara frowned. “I’ll pray to our goddess and ask why.”
Eilea sipped the tea and made a face. “Do you have anything stronger?” she asked Rone. “After the week I’ve had, I don’t think tea will cut it.”
Rone stood. “I make a mean mojito.”
“Sounds perfect.” Eilea wrapped her arms around herself. “Make it a double please.”
She felt sorry for Eilea. It had been scary enough when Luc first told Amara that he and his brothers were her mates, but at least she was a shifter, like them. She couldn’t imagine what it must feel like for a human to learn that a pack of supernatural creatures lusted for her. When Rone went downstairs to the bar, Eilea’s nervous gaze followed him and then darted toward the back windows overlooking the lake.
“Don’t worry.” She leaned into Eilea. “They’re not allowed inside.”
Eilea rocked back and forth, her normally olive complexion paling. “I really don’t understand what’s happening.”
“I’m trying to understand, too. Did you have any strong feelings when you saw them?”
Eilea looked away, her face coloring. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
She struggled to find the right words to say and gave up when she realized there was no polite way to put it. “Do they make you horny?”
“This is embarrassing.” Eilea buried her face in her hands. “I don’t think I can talk about this.”
“It’s okay.” Amara patted her back. “You don’t have to.”
Eilea jerked upright, eyes wide. “Will they try?” She paused, swallowing hard and wiping a bead of sweat off her brow. “Will they try to?” She stopped talking when Rone came back upstairs.
“They won’t rape you.” Rone handed her a tall drink. “We Amaroki cherish our women.”
She nodded and swallowed several gulps of mojito. Amara thought to warn her Rone’s drinks were strong, but she figured Eilea needed it.
Eilea said pointedly, “Even if your women are human?”
“My fathers are good men,” Amara tried to reassure her. “They won’t hurt you.”
“And they’re not already mated to another wolf?” she asked.
Oh, fuck! Rone’s thought projected into Amara’s head.
Stifling a few swear words of her own, she bit her lip. How was she supposed to word this?
“Well, they actually do have a mate, but she’s an unfaithful, hateful bitch.” Who claims to be pregnant, Amara wanted to add, but she figured Eilea had had enough drama for one day.
Amara jumped when the front door was flung open. For a moment, she thought her fathers were storming the house, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was Tor. That was short-lived when she noticed the thunderous look on his face.
Gold flecks sparkled in his eyes as he pointed at Eilea. “Dr. Johnson, you need to go.”
When Eilea trembled, Amara took the drink from her and set it on the table. “Why?” she asked her father-in-law.
“Agent Richter called.” He approached Eilea, his eyes turning from mahogany to gold and back again. “He says humans are no longer allowed on the reservation. He’s sending in a team after you if you don’t leave immediately.”
Amara gaped at Tor and then at Eilea. “Who is Agent Richter?”
“He took Uncle Joe’s place.” There was no mistaking the venom in Eilea’s tone. Amara shot a pleading look at Tor. “I need to go with her to heal Agent Johnson.”
“No shifters are allowed off the reservation.” Tor grimaced. “Richter’s orders.”
Amara threw up her hands. “Seriously?”
Jumping to her feet, Eilea punched numbers on her phone. “Richter knows Amara can save my uncle. I’m calling him.” She turned from them, holding the receiver to her ear. A litany of swear words poured from her mouth. “Richter, this is Dr. Johnson. Answer your damn phone, you goddamn asshole. You know Amara Thunderfoot can save Uncle Joe. Let her off the fucking reservation!”
Wow. The doctor sure didn’t mince words. Good. She’d need to have that attitude if Katarina ever found out about her.
Amara heard a familiar racket in the distance. Tor opened the door and peered at the sky. He turned to Eilea. “You need to go, Doctor.”
Stomping toward the door, Eilea threw up her hands. “But my uncle!”
Amara followed Eilea, repressing a shudder when she saw the large chopper hovering above the forest by their house. “Why is that here?”
Eilea looked at Tor with watery eyes. “Chieftain, my uncle has days to live, weeks at best.”
“We will come up with a plan.” Tor nodded at Amara. “Get her phone number.” He scowled at the helicopter, twin firestorms brewing in his eyes. “I will find a way to get Amara to him.”
Amara only hoped Tor came up with something soon, before it was too late.
THE SHORT REPRIEVE offered by darkness vanished when the sun peeked over the horizon. Luc rubbed the leather bracelet digging into his wrist while glowering at the back of Richter’s bald head.
As if sensing Luc’s eyes boring into his skull, Richter turned around, fixing Luc with his serpentine stare. “Once you find the bitch, you and your squadron will back off and let us handle her.”
Luc shared dark looks with his team. “She will respond better to her own kind.”
“That was not a request,” Richter snarled. “Do I need to remind you again who’s in charge?” He glanced at the guard standing ready with a stun gun.
Luc feigned submission. “No, sir.”
Richter harrumphed. “That’s what I thought.”
Sharing one more stealthy look with the other members of his team, Luc decided his tracking abilities wouldn’t work well today. He’d blame it on the jolts he’d received, telling Richter it had adversely affected his senses. Maybe Richter would think twice before shocking them again. More importantly, Luc’s delay would give the she-wolf time to flee. Even though he desperately wanted to find her and bring her to the safety of the reservation, he had a feeling Richter had a more sinister plan in mind. Balling his hands into fists, he strengthened his resolve. Screw the consequences. He would not let Richter get the girl.
Chapter Twelve
Takaani sat across the table from her brother, alternating between sipping coffee as thick as sludge a
nd eating runny eggs drenched in hot sauce. It was a far cry from the breakfasts she remembered at her nana’s house. Those had been wonderful summers, waking up with Cousin Amara and skipping down the stairs to a platter piled high with bacon, pancakes, and fluffy eggs. How she’d missed those days, back before her father’s accident, back when her family was normal. When she was normal.
Roy licked his plate clean and dumped the dishes in the sink. He hadn’t noticed that she’d washed all the dishes and cleaned his entire cabin while he’d been gone. Not that she expected recognition. She’d eaten most of his food.
It bothered her that Roy never took notice of the things she did for him, just the things she didn’t do. It had always been that way between them. Even though she loved her brother, she wished he would occasionally see the good in her instead of constantly mistrusting her.
“I owe a girl some money,” he said as he warmed his hands by the small pellet stove. “I need to go into town. Want to come with me?”
“No, Roy.” She set her plate of half-eaten eggs on the floor, letting Mako finish them off. “I need to get going.”
“You’re leaving? You just got here.”
Takaani made the mistake of looking into his eyes, hating herself for the hurt there. “I know. I’m sorry.”
His eyes narrowed, and his mouth set in a firm line. “Where are you going?” Fucking druggie! His shrill thought pierced her soul.
Her shoulders slumped at the realization that it would always be this way with him. He’d never trust her, which meant she could never trust him. “I’m going to find Cousin Amara.”
“I already told you she doesn’t want to see us.” There was no mistaking the derision in his tone.
The other reason why she had withdrawn from her brother suddenly occurred to her. He was a condescending ass.
“No, Roy,” Takaani said sharply. “You told me she doesn’t want to see you.”
He folded his arms, looking smug. “And what makes you think she will be any nicer to you?”
“I’m not sure, but I have to try.” She leaned over and petted her dog, whose nervous gaze flicked from Amara to Roy and back again.
“So I’m not good enough?” Roy stomped a foot like a wayward toddler. “Do you think Amara will have drugs?”
She threw up her hands with a curse. “For the last time, Roy, I do not do drugs.”
“Then why did you pull away from me?” he cried. “From the world?”
Her inner wolf growled as she approached him, standing so close they were nearly toe to toe. He wasn’t much taller than her, so it took little effort for her to look him in the eyes. “You really want to know?”
“Yes.”
She wished she could reveal her wolf to him, but how would he react? After the way Roy had referred to Amara’s mates as demons, she didn’t think he would show her understanding, especially if he discovered she’d killed her boss. No, he’d probably just be terrified of her, and then she could never speak to him again. “I’m different, and I didn’t think you’d understand me.”
“I’m comfortable with different.” His eyes softened. “If you like other girls, I’m fine with that.”
She refrained from rolling her eyes. “That’s not it at all.” If only it were that simple.
He grasped her shoulders, searching her eyes. “Then tell me.”
She looked at her feet, eyes welling with tears. She couldn’t tell Roy. She just couldn’t. “You wouldn’t understand. You’ll judge me. Maybe even hate me.” She wiped her eyes. If Roy only knew how much she wished she could confide in him, in someone. “I could never hate my own flesh and blood. Please tell me.”
The desperation in his voice made her knees go weak. She swayed toward him, tempted to tell him the truth. She even opened her mouth to speak but was stunned into silence when a howl sounded in the distance, followed by another.
She broke away from him. “Do you hear that?” she asked, throwing open the door.
Mako whined and scented the air. He’d heard their calls, too.
Roy stood behind her. “What is it?”
“Wolves.” She held up a silencing hand while her magic-touched senses struggled to make out what they were saying. It was a warning of some kind, a dire, desperate warning.
When the howls intensified, he grabbed her, pulling her inside. “Annie, get inside!”
Her wolf clawed at her insides, her instinct telling her to run. When Roy refused to release her, she shrugged him off with a growl, then froze when he stumbled back, pointing at her eyes.
“What the fuck, Annie!”
Damn! He’d seen her wolf.
Mako raised his head and howled.
She looked from her dog to Roy, and her pounding heart came to a grinding halt when he grabbed a shotgun.
“You’d shoot your own sister?” she screamed. “I knew you wouldn’t understand.”
A helicopter was heard in the distance. Takaani was out of time. She broke from her mortal skin and soared out the door as a wolf. A shot rang out and she yelped when she hit the dirt, a blinding pain shooting up her hind leg. Mako yipped, too, dodging a spray of bullets. She and Mako took off at a gallop as the blades from the chopper beat on their backs. They disappeared into the thick brush, her heart racing as she dodged shrubs and branches. She ran and ran until the sound of the helicopter was a distant echo in her ears. They reached a stream and swam to the other side and then ran until Takaani’s heart nearly gave out. When Takaani slowed to catch her breath and lick her back leg—which thankfully appeared to have only a flesh wound—she didn’t think the strain on her heart was from her injury or the exertion. Roy had done more than wound her body when he’d shot her. He’d crushed her soul. She knew he wouldn’t understand when she revealed her wolf to him, but she’d never expected he’d try to kill her.
ROY RAISED HIS WEAPON and fired, narrowly missing a bald man in dress pants and a camo vest who’d shot at his sister. He pumped the shotgun and aimed again. As he was about to fire, about a dozen armed soldiers emerged from the woods, aiming their weapons at him.
“Federal agents!” the bald man hollered. “Drop your weapon.”
“Not until you drop yours.” Roy’s hands shook and his heart pounded a gong in his ears as he held tightly to his gun. The longer he distracted these men, the better chance Annie had at getting away. Dear god in heaven, his sister had changed into a goddamn wolf in the blink of an eye. Why hadn’t he known about this before?
The bald man surged ahead of the soldiers, holding out his hands in surrender. “I’m Special Agent James Richter. These are my men. Lower your weapon, son.” He trained a serpentine stare on Roy. “Do you know the penalty for shooting a federal agent?”
Roy glared at Richter, imagining his eyes were loaded guns firing holes through his chest. “You shot my fucking sister.”
Agent Richter shook his head. “I shot a wolf.”
“Quit with the bullshit,” Roy ground out, waving his barrel at the soldiers. “You knew goddamn well what she was.”
Richter took a few more steps forward. “We know she’s wanted for a brutal murder.”
Roy arched back, looking at the agent through hooded eyes. “You lie.”
“Lower the gun, son, so we can talk.” Richter continued his advance. “We’re not going to hurt you.”
Half a dozen naked Native men sprang from the forest. What the fuck had happened to their clothes?
“Why would you shoot her?” One of the men stomped up to Richter. “She was unarmed.”
“This is above your pay grade.” Richter gave the naked man a look of pure malice. “Stand down, Thunderfoot.”
“Thunderfoot?” Roy murmured. Was he related to the brothers who were holding Amara? And why the hell was he naked? A few pieces of the puzzle fell into place, like why Annie had withdrawn from him and why Amara was keeping her distance. The women in his family were wolf girls, and they’d somehow connected with wolf boys. But how?
“If yo
u would’ve let me handle it,” Thunderfoot continued, his eyes shifting from brown to yellow and back again while he pounded his chest like an ape, “I could’ve deescalated the situation.”
Richter let out a shrill whistle, and in the next moment, several armed soldiers flanked Thunderfoot, aiming their weapons at him.
“Stand down!” Richter boomed again.
“You’d shoot me? For what? I’m the Army’s best goddamn tracker.”
“Not anymore. You are hereby relieved of your duty,” Richter said and turned away dismissively.
The soldiers cocked their guns, visibly shaking as they centered them on Thunderfoot.
Thunderfoot shook his fist at Richter. “You don’t have the authority!”
A shot rang out, the force of the blast ripping Roy’s gun from his hands. He swore, falling to the ground when a blinding, burning pain raced across his hand and extremities. Rolling over on his back, he clutched his chest, blood soaking his favorite jersey.
Roy gaped up at Richter, whose triumphant smile belied the malice in his beady eyes. “Send the mutts back to their reservation.” Richter pointed at the naked Natives before thumbing in Roy’s direction. “Bring the boy in for questioning.”
LUC CRIED OUT, CURLING into himself when Richter hit him with another jolt. He reached for the bracelet. If he could just rip it off, he’d shift and run, or maybe he’d shift and bite the shit out of Richter.
Richter hovered over Luc, holding the stun gun close to Luc’s throat. “What were those howls about?”
Luc struggled to speak around a swollen tongue and a mouth that felt as dry as the Sahara. “I told you already. I was communicating with my team.”
Richter stood, resting his boot on Luc’s neck. “Why did she flee?”
Luc glared at Richter. Bracelet or no bracelet, Luc could’ve taken on Richter as a human, if only his hands weren’t bound and there weren’t a dozen snipers pointing their barrels at him. “Because she was scared.”