by Amber Kell
“Oh, no, you don’t. My ass needs a rest. Let’s finish up and we can discuss what we are going to do about you. Do you need to take your pills?”
James shook his head. “I took some this morning and I’m not due until tonight. I need to go back to my apartment and talk to my landlady. I don’t want her to think I’m a drug addict.”
Lou held him a little away so he could look into his eyes. “You are a drug addict, honey. Just because it’s a drug to help you doesn’t mean you’re not addicted. Painkillers can be some of the most addictive medication. We’re going to get you through this.”
“And then what? I’m going to be the mystical magical white lion shifter. What am I going to do with my life?”
Lou gave him a tight hug and if James hung on a little tighter, the bear shifter didn’t comment.
Tears filled James’ eyes.
“I’m a mess,” he confessed as if it were news to the other man.
Lou laughed, the sound echoing beneath James’ ear where it rested on his chest. “Yes, but you’re my mess.” He slid his fingers into James’ hair, forcing his head back. “You can do whatever you want. I’d like you to move in with me and for us to decide together. Now that you marked me, I’m your mate.”
“Marked you?”
Lou frowned. “When you put your fangs in me while you pounded me into the couch. You bound us together.”
“Shit.”
Hurt entered his lover’s eyes. “Don’t you want to be with me?”
“No! I mean yes, I do, but I didn’t know I bonded with you. It’s instinct. I had to bite you.”
Lou’s big hand petted James’ head. “That’s because we belong together and your beast knows this.”
“Maybe,” he allowed. “I don’t know if that means I’m ready to move in with you, Lou. We haven’t known each other very long and our one luncheon date and sex does not a relationship make.”
Lou turned off the water. “Come on, let’s get dry and I can explain to you about mates.”
James wasn’t sure he liked the bear’s tone but he wasn’t going to turn down more information. He was stumbling in the dark about their relationship and he didn’t like the sensation. The one thing he’d always had while his body failed him was his intellect. Being the clueless one in the room didn’t suit him.
After quickly drying, he tied a towel around his waist and headed for the living room.
“Well, look what I’ve found.”
James’ heart froze. Melinda stood in the middle of Lou’s living room with two large men holding guns.
“Melinda. What are you doing here?” He was afraid he knew but he hoped to buy time for his lover to escape.
She gave him a cold smile. It didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ve wanted to study you for years. Unfortunately my relationship with your father prevented that. Now, however, we’re through, which makes you fair game.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Lou’s growly voice sounded behind James.
Shit!
He needed to get these psychos away from his man.
“Let me go and get some clothes on.”
Melinda’s eyes traced over James’ body in an expression so lustful he now knew what people meant when they said their skin crawled.
“Go get dressed,” one of the men said. “We’ll keep your man until you do.”
James fled the room, clenching his teeth as his legs threatened to buckle. His hands shook as he rifled through his lover’s clothing. An oversized shirt fell to his thighs and he rolled up the legs of a pair of sweats, pulling the drawstring in tight. He looked like a homeless orphan, but he was covered.
Hobbling back into the room he searched for his cane only to see his lover unconscious on the floor.
“What the fuck did you do?” he screamed, falling to his knees beside his mate.
“You didn’t think we’d get out of here safely with your lover awake. Don’t worry, he’s only tranquilised. If you come with us quietly I won’t kill him.” She used the same tone as if she were discussing the weather or a trip to the park.
James had never wanted to kill someone so badly in his life. His beast growled beneath his skin. He limped over to his cane, ignoring the trio watching his every step.
“Let’s go.”
Chapter Five
After twenty-three years, James thought he’d experienced all the possible shades of pain. The slivers of agony stabbing into his skull when the medication ran out, the dull aching pain when he was fully loaded up on meds, and the aching, deep in his bones, when he first woke up.
He was wrong.
This pain reached entire new levels. Levels he hoped to never reach again. Ants crawled through his veins in an irritating buzz, little bites of pain and annoyance, covering his entire body. The sound filled his ears, reverberated his bones and sent bits of fire through his body like a billion fire ants covering his skin. Unable to keep it inside he let out his inner suffering with a scream.
It came out as a roar.
Opening his eyes, he looked down at the furry white paws before him.
He’d shifted. Whether from the separation from Lou or the lack of medication, he was now a cat.
“Look at you. I can’t believe Andrew deprived you of this for so long.”
He narrowed his eyes at the female sitting beside him.
“You might not believe me but I’ve wanted to help you for a long time, to free you of the medication locking up your inner beast. There are buyers who’ll pay a lot for a rare shifter such as yourself. I’ve never got my hands on a white lion before.”
He could almost taste her jugular as he yearned to rip out her throat.
“Oooh, the pretty kitty is upset. I’m doing you a favour. I’m freeing you from your human form. All I have to do is purge your body of those nasty drugs and you’ll be the perfect shifter. What good are you as a limpy human when you can be a powerful cat? I have some mercenaries who are looking for new shifters to join—they pay top dollar. They might even enjoy that bear of yours.”
James gave a low growl. The beast hungered to kill. To maim the woman who dared to speak of his mate, much less harm him.
They had his bear.
They would die.
He let out a low growl. First he’d kill this woman.
Pain ratcheted through his body, reminding him he wasn’t free of his medication yet. Planning her death, he closed his eyes and went back to sleep. In the background, as he sank into slumber, he heard her say,
“That’s right. Sleep. We’ll discuss your future tomorrow. We’ll get you better and out of here before your father shows up. I would’ve taken you elsewhere but I don’t have another facility that can contain a shifter going through detox.”
As he faded back into sleep James decided if he shifted he was going to kill her first.
He woke up shivering, goose bumps popping up all over his skin. A quick glance confirmed his nakedness and the small cot he lay on. Scanning the room he saw there was little else but the cot and a chair with a folded pile of clothes.
Quickly dressing, he scanned the room he slept in and decided it was more of a cell. It was a small windowless room with nothing more than a cot. For the first time he felt no pain. Whatever he thought of Melinda she had purged his body of the drugs. His body was powerful as he walked to the door. He grabbed the handle and surprise struck him when it actually turned.
Surely they didn’t leave the door open. That was way too convenient.
He cautiously opened the door and peeked outside. The hallway was empty, completely empty. No sound anywhere.
An eerie hush hung over the place. Opening the door wide, he stuck his head out—still no one.
He took a deep breath and almost choked on the acrid scents of death and fear. Although he abhorred violence, in that moment he wished he had a weapon. Any weapon. His cat was quiet inside—he didn’t know if it was drugged or waiting for an invitation—but his body was stronger than ever before.
Power pumped through his system, the usual pain missing. Joy filled him, making his steps feather light. He couldn’t wait to burn his cane.
He didn’t know what the future would lead him to but he had to find his mate. Without Lou it didn’t matter how he felt, he’d be broken. Taking a deep breath, he tried to isolate the smells. Everything was stronger now, his body, the scents, his hearing, all overpowering but not unbearable. He could cope. He’d survived worse.
The sound of roaring had him running down the hall. He was in motion before he realised his body could run freely, a dream he’d had as a child but never hoped to experience. A giddy giggle rose in his throat. He held it back. Who knew what the hell was around the corner.
The noise increased with some banging. Screams echoed in the hall like a clanging bell, loud and strident.
James slowed, his heart pounding with the unfamiliar exercise. He’d have to work his way up to marathons.
The roar echoed again.
Bear.
Heedless of his own safety, James rushed around the corner only to skid to a stop. He’d never seen his lover in his animal form.
The bear towered over the people screaming on the floor, blood soaking their bodies where massive claws did their work. His fanged mouth opened in a wide roar exposing a nice set of sharp, white teeth.
James hid around the corner.
What did he do now? Was their mating strong enough for Lou to recognise him? He still didn’t quite understand how the whole thing worked.
“Okay, I can do this.” He didn’t really care about saving the people who captured and tortured him, but he didn’t want his mate to be injured. Who knew what kind of weapons they might have?
An animalistic cry of fear from around the corner snapped James around. The people on the ground had recouped and were zapping the bear with Tasers. His bear.
His mate.
From one moment to the next, James changed.
A crackling filled the air. Bones elongated, fangs grew and his skin vanished beneath a shiny coat of white. As his skin disappeared so did his humanity. With a ferocious growl he leapt. Screams rang through the hall. How dare they hurt what was his? When he was done, not a single person screamed any more.
“Hey, James.” A familiar voice had him turning. Lou stood beside him covered with blood but in human form.
James purred.
His mate was well.
“That’s right. We need to get out of here. Shift back.”
James tilted his head at the man. Shift back into what? He was a lion.
The man needed some clothes though. He headed into the cell his mate had come out of and grabbed some. Trotting back out, he dropped them at Lou’s feet.
“Um, thanks. Where is your clothing?”
Why would he need clothing? He was a cat. Everyone knew cats didn’t wear clothes. He pushed at the clothes with his nose.
“Fine, I’ll get dressed.”
Lou kept an eye on the white lion as he put on clothes. Without a way to clean up he covered the blood splattering his skin with the clothing. James didn’t look inclined to change back, which might be a problem when he tried to travel with him.
The lion appeared to recognise him so he wasn’t completely lost to his wild side.
A quick glance showed the people on the ground were most definitely dead. He snatched up a Taser and the master key clipped to one man’s belt—the guard wasn’t going to need it anymore and they might need it to get out. With James staying in his lion form, he didn’t want to shift into his bear unless necessary. Two wild animals out of control wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
“Come on, let’s get out of here.”
The lion padded after him like a friendly housecat, except with deadly claws and impressive fangs. James made a truly beautiful lion.
Walking down the hall, Lou glanced into the rooms from time to time. He was disturbed by the silence. With all the cameras he expected people to flood the halls of the facility to contain the escaped creatures. He wondered how James got out. His own stall had opened and he’d encountered a group as they walked down the hall. He got the impression they hadn’t expected to see him.
A slim blond man ran down the hall towards them, freezing when he saw the lion. He smelt like a shifter. The man held up his palms in surrender.
“Don’t kill me.” His hands shook.
“We’re not going to kill you. We just want out of this place.”
“Good luck. I’ve been here for a month and still haven’t figured it out. I don’t know why they left the doors unlocked but I’m not going to miss the opportunity.”
“What are you?”
“Puma. My name’s Cameron.”
“I’m Lou, and this is James.”
“Hi, James.” He gave the lion a nervous smile. “I don’t know where the others are. Have you seen anyone else?”
Lou shook his head. “Only you. How many others are there?”
“About a dozen of us right now. They rotate us out periodically.”
“What do they do with the other shifters?”
“We’re all volunteers. Lately, though, I’ve wondered if they are really letting the shifters free. I think that cow Melinda is selling us to the highest bidder. I can’t prove anything but I’ve heard a few suspicious conversations lately.” He looked at James. “It would probably be easier to escape without the giant lion following us.”
Lou shrugged. “He has control issues. This is only the second time he’s shifted.”
“Really.” Surprise lit the Puma’s face. “Why?”
“His father suppressed it.”
The puma gave James a distasteful look as if he’d accidentally stepped in something slimy. “He’s Dr Everett’s son, isn’t he?”
Lou stepped protectively in front of the lion. He didn’t like the look in the other man’s eyes. “Why do you ask?”
“They talk about him a lot. He’s trying to perfect a formula to prevent shifting. Why would anyone not want to shift? I only came here because they said they’d pay me for my blood for scientific experiments.”
“James is a half-breed. His father was worried he’d tear himself apart.”
“So better to destroy an entire species than let his son die?”
“I don’t think that was his original goal.”
Cameron looked sad for a moment. “It doesn’t excuse his actions but I wouldn’t mind someone loving me that much. Besides, lately I get the impression Melinda is in charge now.”
“I doubt it. Dr Everett broke up with her. I think he’s finally seen her true colours.”
“We can only hope.”
“Let’s see if there are other people to rescue.”
They walked through the strangely circular corridor to discover five more shifters tying up some workers. None of them knew why the cells were unlocked or where the guards had gone. There were mostly medical workers around.
“This gets weirder and weirder,” Lou said. He looked back and forth to the group of shifters, two males and three females. They were all golden with matching gold eyes. “Lions?”
They nodded with an eerie synchronicity.
“Who’s the leader?”
“He’s gone,” one of the female felines offered. “He disappeared one day after he challenged Melinda about lying.”
“They said he left.”
“But he would never just leave us,” one of the male lions said. “He was a good leader.”
The other lions nodded.
“Come with me. If we get out of here we can try and find your alpha.”
Smiles all around. He felt like he just offered candy to a group of kids. They all looked so damn young. It made sense that Andrew would want to experiment on lions the most. It was the closest he could get to his own son’s DNA.
“I’m Lou.”
“I’m Danice,” the most vocal of the females spoke. “This is Liza, Jane, Arturo and Rickey. Our alpha is Cesar.”
Lou’s mouth t
witched at the alpha’s name but he resisted comment. “Do you know if there are any more shifters around?”
They all shook their heads.
“Grab their door keys.” The humans looked pretty calm for people trussed up. “We could interrogate them?”
Worry crossed their faces.
“No, Melinda wouldn’t have told them anything. They’re worker drones,” the puma said, watching their expressions.
From the little he knew of Melinda that was probably true. “We need to find out what’s going on. We’ll do better if we stick together.”
“Or we’ll get recaptured together,” Cameron piped up.
James growled at the puma. Lou watched with amusement as the other shifters stepped away from the annoyed cat.
“Together, I meant that was a great idea. We should travel together. Safer,” Cameron said stepping carefully backwards.
“Good. Stick with me.” Lou nodded for the others to go ahead. They were only too eager to get away from the growling kitty.
“Easy, babe. No reason to scare the sweet ones.”
He got a flash of fang from the white lion.
Chuckling, Lou followed the others, completely confident his mate would come after him. Lou was marked with James’ scent and he knew the lion wouldn’t let him go no matter what. As soon as they got back to his house and his lover returned to his human form he was going to return the favour and mark the man until he knew he was claimed in return.
The others ran like they knew where they were going—a path that came to a screeching halt when a dozen dead soldiers lined the hall.
“Oh, shit, the coyote got out,” Cameron said with a whistle.
“What coyote?” Lou asked though he was afraid he knew where Dennis’ sister went, but memories of Dennis’ sad eyes made him ask, “What was her name?”
“Who?” Danice asked.
“The coyote.”
“Crazy lady,” Cameron said. “She never talked to the rest of us. She was kind of damaged. They usually left her in her cell. I think they were afraid of her.”
Looking down at the pile of ravaged bodies Lou decided they had more than a little reason to be. “Where do you think she’d go once released?”