Prey

by Rachel Vincent

  A soft beep drew my attention to my father as his phone call ended, and he set the receiver on the bar. “Carver, hand me that list. Everyone takes a page. Start at the top and work your way down. Call them all in—everyone who isn’t looking for Marc.” A strong undercurrent of danger hummed through my father, thundering in each step he took, echoing his every word.

  Dan shifted nervously on the love seat, and I shot him a small, reassuring smile. Then I swallowed thickly, clenching my hands together to hold them still as I looked for an opportunity to interrupt my father.

  “I want them here by noon tomorrow,” he continued, oblivious to my nerves. “Keep it brief. Ethan has been attacked and killed on our own land by as yet unidentified assailants.” Because some of our Pride members were born into other Prides that might be loyal to Malone. News like what had really happened to Ethan would be delivered in person, so my father could watch the reactions carefully. “If you have to leave a message, just give my private number and instructions to call back immediately.”

  Dr. Carver straightened and rolled his chair back to the front of the desk, where a three-ring binder lay open on the blotter. He popped the rings open and began pulling pages from the notebook.

  “Daddy, wait.” I patted Owen’s knee and he lifted his arm to let me up. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  “Not now, Faythe.” He took the pages Carver handed him and gave one to Jace. “Most of these are cell-phone numbers, but since some of them are patrolling in cat form, you may have to leave voice mails. Make a note in the margin for each tom, to indicate whether you spoke to him or left a message.”

  “It’s important.” My pulse racing, I stood, forcing my father to notice me.

  He stalked around the love seat and held out pages for both me and Owen. “This is important.”

  “I know, but…” I took the paper he handed me, because there was no other choice. So much for a private intervention…“I think charging in with our guns a-blazin’ might not be the best way to handle this one.”

  My Alpha’s face hardened in an instant, and he suddenly seemed to take up much more room than his actual physical bulk should have. His nostrils flared, as if scenting the air for the stench of my fear, and I have no doubt he found it. I’d just stepped into the inferno blazing inside him, and could practically feel my flesh smoldering.

  Everything went still and silent around me. The guys knew better than to move and attract his attention, except for Jace, who nodded at me almost imperceptibly. I’d picked a very bad time to question the Alpha’s authority. But I’d had no choice.

  “If we wait, we won’t have the element of surprise,” my father said through clenched teeth, his fist crumpling the pages he still held.

  “We don’t have it now,” I insisted, trying to bolster my courage with the knowledge that I was almost certainly right. That my father wasn’t thinking clearly, and that if I couldn’t make him see that, more cats would die.

  “Faythe, you have no idea what you’re talking about. And beyond that, this is not a democracy!” my father roared, so deep and loud I had to fight the urge to cover my ears, afraid the sudden movement would trigger something even worse. “I am still the boss here, no matter what the rest of the werecat world seems to think. I am your sire and your Alpha, and you will respect me!”

  Startled, I sank onto the couch, and Owen flinched beside me. Dan’s breathing had quickened noticeably. The tension in the room felt like an electrical charge, and I was afraid that if I moved, I’d be shocked by the air itself.

  “Yes, Daddy,” I said, because he seemed to be waiting for an answer from me. I’d never seen him like that before—in the grip of so many conflicting emotions. On the surface was the expected pain and rage over Ethan’s death. But below that, there was frustration in the line of his jaw, guilt in the slant of his eyes, and determination in the hard, straight slit that his mouth had become.

  I wanted to leave it at that. A large part of me wanted to pull my cell phone from my pocket and start dialing the numbers on the list, just to keep from further upsetting him. Questioning my father’s judgment—even for a very good reason—felt like a bitter betrayal, especially when his fellow Alphas had already cast such serious public doubts about his abilities.

  However, letting him take the wrong road this time would only lead to more doubt and mistrust when our invasion failed. So I spoke again, trying to calm my heart so the obvious sign of fear wouldn’t set him off.

  “But going in now—”

  My father had started to turn away, but when I spoke, he whirled on me, so angry I barely recognized his face. His lips were curled back from his teeth, and his eyes blazed with anger. In fact, they looked a little strange. His pupils weren’t round anymore; they’d started to take on familiar points at the top and bottom.

  Son of a bitch! His face was starting to change! He was well into a partial Shift, with no instruction at all, and no warning.

  My mouth snapped closed and I stared at him in surprise for a moment before realizing I could hear a very feline growl coming from deep within his throat. Was it Shifting, too?

  Shit. My pulse spiked. It was not the time to admire his accomplishment. His temper had given him feline attributes for a reason, and soon he might have teeth to match his eyes and voice. And while I was sure he would never, under any circumstances, actually hurt me, he looked ready to eat me alive, and I wasn’t taking chances.

  I had to talk him down. Quickly. There was no time for pulling punches.

  “Look at us!” I spread my arms slowly, avoiding sudden movements, to include Jace, Dan, and Owen. But I was unwilling to take my eyes from the enraged Alpha. “Do you want all of us to die, too?”

  My father blinked those increasingly catlike eyes and froze. I took that as my signal to forge ahead.

  “Because if you send us into Malone’s territory today, that’s exactly what will happen. He’ll be expecting us. He’s manipulating yo—” Oops. It’s never wise to point the blame at an Alpha “—us into attacking him, and he’ll be waiting with reserves in place to slaughter us all. Then you’ll have at least a dozen more corpses at your feet, and a bunch of funerals to plan.”

  Had I gone too far with that last line? I thought so, but my father seemed to be listening, at last.

  “She’s right, Greg,” Jace said calmly, firmly, and I almost choked on my own surprise. “We should think it through before we rush into anything.”

  My father whirled on him, growling again, but to his credit, though Jace did drop his eyes out of respect, he didn’t take back anything he’d said. Nor did he apologize.

  “You have two minutes,” our Alpha growled, turning slowly to pin me with his feline gaze.

  Okay, here goes nothin’. I took a deep breath, then launched into my argument, leaving Jace out of it to protect him in case my stand ended badly.

  “I think it would be wise to wait and talk to the other Alphas first. Everyone who wasn’t in on the closed vote. If we’re going to retaliate in full for this—and personally, I think we should—” all over the room, heads were nodding in agreement “—then we’re going to need allies. And allied troops. Malone will have backup from the Alphas who support his bid for leadership of the council, and so should we. Our vengeance for Ethan should also be a stand in support of you.” I hesitated, daring a small smile. “You know—two birds, one stone?” And lots of backup…

  My dad was obviously listening, but only seemed half-convinced. “Even if they hadn’t killed anyone, invading another Pride’s territory is a declaration of war,” he half growled, taking two slow steps backward, toward his armchair. His movement out of my personal space was as much a sign of his concession to logic as was his suddenly reasonable tone, and I dared a soft, low exhalation of relief. “If we’re slow to respond, I look weak, and I can not afford to look weak right now.”

  “I know, Daddy, but…”

  But he wasn’t done yet. “And because they did kill someone, a pr
ompt response is even more important. Failing to avenge Ethan’s death dishonors his memory, and I will not be party to that.”

  Knowing he would take it as a challenge, I resisted the urge to stand again and, instead, leaned forward on the couch, trying to convey the urgency of my position. I was rewarded when my father finally sank into his armchair, in control of his temper at last.

  “He will be avenged, Daddy. I want that just as badly as everyone else.” I rested my elbows on my knees and clasped my hands together. “But going in too soon and losing to Malone would be dishonoring Ethan’s death, and getting a lot of people killed unnecessarily. And how does more death honor Ethan?”

  “It doesn’t.” My father’s eyes closed in thought, and he leaned back in his chair. When he looked at me again, it was through normal, human eyes. “We will bury Ethan first. We will deal with our grief and our loss, so that when we face our enemies, we have nothing left to confront but anger and retribution. We will gather our allies around us and fight as a united front, to show our foes that we are not prey. We will not be picked off one sick little girl or one lone defender at a time.”

  I sighed in relief, and Jace gave me a small, respectful nod.

  My father’s eyes closed again, and his templed hands found the end of his chin. “But first, we will mourn our dead.”

  “Well done,” Jace whispered from across the kitchen peninsula, and his gaze seemed to burn right through me, hotter than my first sip of fresh coffee. “You’re going to make a wonderful Alpha someday.”

  “Thanks.” But my small triumph was bittersweet, in that it followed Ethan’s death but not Marc’s miraculous appearance. Nothing felt very good in the shadow of our Pride’s one-two punch.

  “They’re going to find him, Faythe.” The weight of Jace’s gaze strengthened as his eyes held mine. “And I’m going to help.”

  What? “No.” My eyes narrowed as I studied him, looking for the motive behind his offer. “You need to stay here and rest. Heal.” I glanced pointedly at his freshly wrapped arm. Dr. Carver wanted to monitor another Shift or two before the end of the day, to help accelerate his healing, but Jace would still be injured, and if he wanted to fight his birth Pride, he’d need all the rest he could get in the next few days.

  “Faythe, no matter where you and I go from here, I don’t want Marc dead or suffering. And I swear I won’t so much as hug you while we’re out there.” His voice dropped even lower on the last word, but I glanced around anyway, to make sure we weren’t overheard. My father had enough on his hands without having to worry about my personal problems and how they’d affect the rest of the Pride.

  Fortunately, we were alone in the kitchen, and the connecting dining room was empty, too. Not that that meant much, considering a werecat’s phenomenal hearing…

  “Jace…”

  “Don’t say it.” He cut me off with a firm look. “Let’s just find Marc and deal with Calvin. We can sort the rest of this out later. Okay?”

  I hesitated, for once at a complete loss for what to say.

  “Okay?” he repeated, and I found myself nodding, because he was offering me an easy way out. Procrastination and I were lifelong friends, and our reunion was pleasant. If not exactly welcome.

  “Faythe!” My mother said from the doorway, startling me so badly I sloshed coffee onto the countertop. For a moment I thought she’d overheard too much, but then I realized she looked worried, not mad or even remotely critical. Her gray pageboy was mussed, her clothes wrinkled from sleeping in a chair, and her normally perfect posture was now slouched, as if the weight of the world rested solidly on her shoulders.

  My pulse tripped in alarm. “What’s wrong?”

  “Kaci’s heart is racing, and she’s just thrown up everything she had for breakfast. She needs to Shift now, Faythe. Though I’m not sure she has the strength left for it.”

  “Damn.” I blinked, trying to set aside my other problems and focus on the kitten in need. “Okay.” I would talk Kaci through her Shift, then, when I was sure she was okay, Jace, Dan, and I could leave for Mississippi. I glanced at Jace, then at my mother, and spoke in as low a whisper as I could manage. “Does she know about Ethan?”

  My mother shook her head gravely, gray hair bobbing. “No, and I don’t think she should until she’s Shifted. She doesn’t need to worry about anything but her own health right now.”

  For once, my mother and I were in perfect agreement. Jace and I followed her across the hall into the bedroom that had once been Michael’s.

  Kaci looked like hell.

  I sat in the chair my mother had occupied for the past couple of hours, leaning with my elbows propped on the mattress, one hand holding Kaci’s. Her palm was damp and hot, and sweat was beaded on her face and darkening her hair. She watched me through listless eyes, shivering even with the covers pulled up to her chest.

  I couldn’t believe the change in her. Hours earlier she’d been walking—okay, she was mostly carried—through the woods, and now she looked like she might vomit again, if she had the energy.

  Mom was right. She had to Shift. Immediately.

  “Kaci, how do you feel?” The answer seemed obvious, but I needed to know if she could handle Shifting on her own, or if we were going to have to let Dr. Carver force her Shift.

  “I feel like crap. How ’bout you?” She smiled weakly, and that one little upturn of her lips did more than her words to convince me that she could handle what was coming. “What happened?” she asked, and it was all I could do to keep her from seeing the truth in my face. “Who were those other cats?”

  I inhaled deeply and met her eyes, willing myself to tell her the truth. Some of it, anyway. “They were enforcers who work for another Alpha. Do you remember Calvin Malone? You met him in Montana.”

  Kaci nodded, and her eyes grew huge and worried. “Jace’s stepdad? They were his cats?”

  “Yes.” I saw the next question coming and answered it before she could even ask. “Calvin thinks you might be better off living with him and his family.”

  “You’re sending me away?” She sat straight up in bed, and what little color remained in her face drained from her like water from a sponge. For a minute I thought she might pass out again.

  “No, of course not!” I propped her pillow against the headboard and gently pushed her back to lean against it. “We’re not sending you anywhere. Malone can ask all he wants, but the answer will always be no.”

  She smiled then and seemed to relax, but her pulse still tripped unevenly, which scared me so badly I struggled to blank my face. “I don’t want you to worry about Malone anymore. But you know what you need to do now, right, hon?” I asked, and Kaci nodded solemnly. “Are you ready?”

  “No,” she said. I started to argue, but she lifted one pale hand to stop me. “But I can do this. I have to, don’t I?”

  I nodded. And though my mother stood twelve feet away in the doorway, next to Jace, I could almost feel her relief. It echoed my own.

  Kaci’s eyes bored into me, studying me more intently than I would have thought possible considering her weakened state. “I’ll be all better when I Shift into cat form? Stronger?” I nodded again, and frown lines appeared in her forehead. “You won’t let me…hurt anyone?”

  “Of course not.” My heart was breaking, and in that moment I was so close to tears my eyes burned. Tears for Kaci, and for Ethan. For Manx and the loss of her independence. For Marc, and me, and Jace. Everything had gone so very wrong, but if Kaci could Shift and reclaim her health—if just that one thing could be fixed—I thought I could make it through everything else. And so could she. “You’re too weak to hurt anyone right now, and even if you weren’t, we can protect ourselves. Even my mom knows how to lay down the claws when she needs to.”

  I smiled at my mother, remembering how she’d come to my rescue in cat form several months earlier. She smiled back, but only with her mouth. She was too worried for anything more than that.

  “I know.” Kaci shifte
d on her bed, trying to sit up, so I put one arm behind her and gently pushed her forward. “But I want you to Shift with me.” She stopped to catch her breath, winded by mere speech. “Alone. Just in case. I can’t hurt you if you’re in cat form, and I can’t get out if the door’s closed, right?”

  “Probably not…” I hesitated to admit. The doorknob was the plain round kind, which cat paws can’t manipulate easily. “But, Kaci, that’s really not necessary. You’re not going to hurt anyone. You’re probably going to be so exhausted you’ll fall right back to sleep for several more hours.” Though she’d need a good meal as soon as she woke.

  But she was standing firm on this one. I could see that in the hard line of her jaw, a strange sight alongside the exhaustion evident in her posture, and the breathless way she spoke. “You Shift, too, or I won’t.”

  There was no more time for arguments, so I nodded decisively. “Okay, let’s do this.” I stood and peeled off my outer shirt on my way to the door.

  “I don’t like this, Faythe,” my mother whispered, and for a minute, I thought she’d refuse to leave the room. Over her shoulder, Jace looked equally unconvinced.

  “I know.” I reached down to pull my shoes off one at a time, dropping them just to the left of the threshold. “But she needs to know she’s not going to hurt anyone, and right now she trusts a closed door more than she trusts herself.” I stepped into the doorway, forcing my mother back slightly by sheer proximity, as Jace scooted to make more room.

  “But what if she can’t Shift on her own?” She took another hesitant step into the hall, but only because I was pulling my tank top off and she had to either back up or get hit.

  I lowered my voice until I wasn’t sure there was actually any sound coming out of my mouth. “I won’t completely Shift until she’s gone too far to back out. If anything goes wrong, I’ll call you. But don’t come in unless I do call. In either form.”