Second Nature

by Jae

  Mmm.

  The scent of laughter, birdsong, and sunshine in spring tickled her nose. Contentedly, she breathed in Jorie's scent. Her nose confirmed what the DNA report had told them earlier — that Jorie was human. Still, her heart and her instincts told her that Jorie was so much more. She lay still and listened to Jorie's quiet breaths, knowing it would lull her to sleep.

  But suddenly, Jorie's breathing quickened.

  Is she awake? Griffin wondered.

  There was no movement from the bed. Jorie's body was stiff. Her breathing sounded as if she were running. The biting scent of panic drifted to Griffin's nose.

  Shit. She's having a nightmare. Griffin shot up and knelt next to the bed. In the moonlight that filtered into the room, her cat vision showed her that Jorie was lying frozen to the spot; only her eyes were moving behind closed lids. Very softly, trying not to scare Jorie, Griffin touched a bare arm that was sticking out from under the covers. The skin was damp with fear.

  Griffin's protective instincts roared to life. "Jorie? Jorie, wake up. You're just dreaming."

  Only then did she realize that there was no such thing as "just dreaming" when you were a dream seer. Oh, no. What if this is a vision, not just a normal dream? Do I wake her or let her sleep and be scared? She wished her grandfather or her mother had told her enough about dream seeing to know a way to soothe Jorie without waking her.

  Jorie's eyes shot open before Griffin could decide. She jerked upright and stared at Griffin with wide eyes.

  "Don't be afraid," Griffin said as soothingly as she could. "It's just me, Griffin."

  "I... I..." Jorie cleared her throat. "I know. It's just..." Her tongue darted out and licked dry lips while she pointed at Griffin's body. "You're naked."

  Griffin followed Jorie's gaze. "Oh. Uh. Sorry. I just came in from my run and didn't really think..." Instead of scrambling to search for her clothes, she wrapped a sheet around her body. She could still feel Jorie's gaze on her, and it warmed her more than the sheet did. Does she like what she sees? she wondered. Think about that later; now focus on her dream.

  Holding on to the sheet with one hand, she again knelt next to the bed. "Do you remember what you were dreaming a moment ago?"

  "A variation of the nightmare I had before," Jorie said with a sigh. "I think those ice-blue eyes will haunt my dreams for a while." She scrubbed both hands over her eyes as if that would remove the images.

  Griffin reached out and touched Jorie's arm in silent comfort. You've been doing a lot of that lately, a voice in her head pointed out. In the past, Griffin had identified more with the solitary Puwar than the social Kasari. While she enjoyed being touched, she had never let anyone close enough to exchange casual little touches on a daily basis. I've never been the touchy-feely type — and neither is Jorie, but she's been touching me more often too. There's something going on between us, and it doesn't feel like anything I've ever experienced.

  Now was not the time to think about it, though. "I'm sorry," she said. More than anything, she wished she could bring Jorie some peace, but it seemed even killing Jennings hadn't been enough to do that. "Do you want to talk about it?"

  Jorie nodded. Her dark eyes were hazy, still caught up in the memories of her dream. "He was chasing me down some alley," Jorie said. "Or maybe not me. I don't know. It was a little like that dream about your grandfather when I — or rather you — ran into that spiderweb. I think I was another person in this dream too. At first, I was running through the forest. I couldn't really run, though."

  "That often happens in nightmares," Griffin said soothingly. "You want to run, but your feet don't move."

  Wild-eyed, Jorie shook her head. "No, it wasn't like that. I couldn't run because... I think I was an old woman. My legs were giving out under me. I felt my skin rip when I fell." She shuddered and rubbed her arms. "Then I was racing down a dark alley. I could hear his paws splashing through puddles, coming closer and closer. I called for help. This time, I was a man. Jennings shouted my name... his name, letting me know that I couldn't escape. I crashed into a trash can, and then he was there. His canines..." Her hands clutched her neck as if she were feeling the pain.

  "Shh." Griffin pulled Jorie's hands away and rubbed them between her own. "You're fine. It wasn't real. Just a dream."

  The sheet slid halfway to the ground, and they both froze.

  Jorie reached out and tugged the sheet back into place. "There," she said huskily.

  Without looking away from Jorie, Griffin lifted her hand to hold on to the sheet. Her bigger hand inadvertently trapped Jorie's against her chest. The heat of their entwined fingers sent shockwaves through Griffin's body. Could Jorie feel her heart pounding?

  Griffin took a deep breath to clear her head. Her thoughts were racing, though. "What if it wasn't just a dream?" she asked. "What if Jennings has really killed these people?"

  Jorie's hand slipped away from under Griffin's. "Is that what you... what the Saru do?" Her voice trembled.

  "No! No, not like that. Never like that, Jorie." Griffin looked into the dark eyes, took in the trembling lashes, Jorie's vulnerability. Suddenly, nothing was as important as making Jorie believe that she had never hunted humans just for fun. "Killing can only ever be the last resort. It's not a spontaneous decision. It has to be sanctioned by the council. Whenever a human is killed under suspicious circumstances that hint at a Wrasa killer, there's a thorough investigation. No Wrasa can get away with killing humans without the council's permission."

  "But if you really think my dream is not just a dream, then Jennings did," Jorie said.

  She's right. If Jennings hadn't just been after Jorie, if he had hunted humans systematically, someone had to have noticed. He couldn't have done it alone. Maybe one dead human could be blamed on feral dogs, but if he had done this repeatedly, the Suspicious Deaths Unit would have looked into it.

  Unless someone in the unit was covering for him — or someone in the council. Was that why the council had never requested a personal report from Griffin and had accepted Jennings's lies about Jorie without question?

  Fear raced through Griffin, chased by fierce protectiveness. If Jennings had an ally, Jorie was still in danger. And if it was someone on the council, they could no longer hope for a decision in their favor. Not without proof of what Jennings had been doing.

  Griffin stood and searched for her clothes. "We have to find out more. We need some kind of proof or a witness. If we can't offer any proof, the council isn't going to believe that Jennings was systematically hunting down humans and that others, maybe even someone on the council, might be involved."

  "How can we prove that? Where are you going?" Jorie asked.

  Aware of Jorie's gaze resting on her, Griffin dropped the sheet and slipped into her shirt. "Back to Osgrove. Jennings's pack is still there, at the bed-and-breakfast. They have his body and his belongings. Maybe there's some kind of proof or someone knows something. Stay here until I get back. Don't leave the house. And take this, just in case." She pressed the handgun and an extra clip she had taken from Jennings into Jorie's hands.

  Instead of staying put, Jorie leaped out of the bed. "I'm coming with you," she said.

  "No, you're not." Griffin shoved her feet into her shoes with enough force to make the leather groan.

  "Yes, I am! You seriously think I'm going to sit here and do nothing while you go out to confront a pack of wolves alone? Think again!" Jorie ripped the pajama top over her head to get dressed.

  For a moment, Griffin stood transfixed. Her gaze traveled down Jorie's bare shoulders, then snapped back up. "I won't allow you to put yourself in unnecessary danger," she said hoarsely.

  "Allow me?" The usually calm Jorie was getting louder and louder. Her cheeks were flushed. "Oh, but it's fine for you to put yourself in danger? What kind of feline macho crap is that?" She was shouting now, her dark eyes sparking with anger.

  "It's not the same thing," Griffin said as calmly as she could. "You're the last and only existi
ng dream seer. We can't risk you getting hurt or killed."

  "And you're the last and only Griffin Westmore. I don't want you to get hurt or killed either." Jorie's shouting died down until her last word was a barely heard whisper.

  Helpless with emotion, Griffin stared at her. "Jorie..." She swallowed. "It would be more dangerous for me to take you with me. I can keep a bunch of wolves in check, but not if I have to keep an eye and an ear on you. The Syak are too good at sniffing out the weakest member of a herd."

  Jorie stopped her frantic struggling with her clothes. Her hands dropped and hung limply at her sides. "But what about our plans to get out of here together? Will the helicopter wait?"

  "I'll be back before then. But if something happens and I'm not there on time, you get out of here," Griffin said firmly.

  Jorie stubbornly shook her head. "No. Not without you."

  Griffin's jaw tightened. No use in arguing. She could see in Jorie's gaze that she wouldn't give in.

  "So you better get back here safely and quickly, or I'm coming after you," Jorie warned. Her fierce tone tried to hide the fear in her eyes.

  Still, Griffin didn't doubt it for even a second. "I'll be back before you know it. Try to get some more sleep. It'll be morning soon, and we have a long day ahead of us." She slipped out the door before Jorie could say anything else.

  CHAPTER 27

  COOL NIGHT AIR brushed over Griffin as she stepped outside. Going back for a jacket was not an option, though. She didn't want to give Jorie any opportunity to change her mind and insist on coming with her.

  Striding over to the car Brian had lent her, Griffin dug in her pocket for the keys. She stopped before she reached the car.

  Her instincts told her she was no longer alone.

  Something was out there, moving in the darkness.

  The Syak!

  Were they coming after Jorie despite the council's order to stay away until they had made a decision?

  Calm down. They aren't that stupid. In the middle of her fathers' territory, she and Jorie should be safe for tonight.

  Something scraped along the bark of a tree.

  Tarquin?

  The tiny muscles in her ears twitched, trying to swivel human ears without much success. Her eyes made out the tall figure leaning against a nearby tree. She sucked in a breath and let the breeze carry a familiar scent to her nostrils.

  Her tense muscles relaxed. "What are you doing here?" she asked, reaching for the car keys again.

  Brian stepped closer, his feet not making any noise on the gravel. "Listening to your little shouting match." A grin softened his stern features when he nodded in the direction of the house. "For a human, she has a mighty roar."

  "Yeah." Griffin unlocked the door on the driver's side. "Do me a favor and keep an eye on her while I'm gone. Don't let anything happen to her."

  "I'm afraid I can't do that," Brian said.

  I thought we were past that old prejudice against humans. She opened her mouth, intent on convincing him of how important keeping Jorie safe was to their kind.

  "I'll be too busy keeping an eye on you," Brian said.

  Griffin finally understood. He wasn't here to eavesdrop. He had been standing guard, making sure that no Syak or saru could sneak up on her during the night. "I'm a saru — was a saru. I don't need a bodyguard," Griffin said. While she was grateful for his protection, she didn't want to drag him into even more danger. If they got caught, his career — and maybe his life — would be over.

  Ignoring her protests, Brian slipped past her and into the driver's seat. "I'm coming with you. No Kasari has ever faced this kind of danger alone."

  Frustration simmered in Griffin. Her old need for independence reared its head. She wanted to grab his arm and pull him from the car, but she knew the ensuing struggle would wake up half the pride. "I'm not a Kasari."

  "No?" Brian drawled. "You've come here to hide in pride territory; you're staying in a small house with two other Kasari and are even sharing a room; you got every member of the family involved in helping you, and you're entrusting me with the protection of someone you obviously hold dear. Now tell me that doesn't sound like something a Kasari would do."

  It did.

  Griffin blinked. "It's not like a Puwar can't do all that if need be," she grumbled.

  Brian just smiled.

  "All right. Move over," she said, throwing him an annoyed glance. "I'm driving."

  * * *

  They left the car around the corner of the bed-and-breakfast where the pack was staying since Jennings's death. No sense in alerting them to their presence before it was strictly necessary. Maybe they could even slip in and out of the room with Jennings's possessions without anyone noticing.

  Side by side, they stalked across the driveway, going from cover to cover.

  The scent of blood made Griffin's heart race and then miss a beat when she realized it was her own. This was the spot where Jennings had shot her more than two days ago.

  Next to her, Brian's nose wrinkled, and he flinched as he identified the scent of her blood. He opened his mouth to say something, then stopped.

  Grass rustled to her right.

  Griffin froze, becoming all but invisible in the shadows of the night.

  Someone was watching them.

  Brian reached out and laid his hand on her arm. His gaze drilled into the darkness.

  She breathed in sharply, but the wind was blowing in the wrong direction and carried no information about the intruder.

  "Gus!" Brian hissed next to her.

  The silhouette of the younger Eldridge brother eased out from behind a tree.

  Gus ambled over to them. "Nice night for an evening stroll, isn't it?"

  "What are you doing here?" Griffin asked. Part of her longed for the good old times when she had still been the solitary saru who went only on solo missions. This was quickly turning into a family reunion.

  "I thought I'd keep an eye out and make sure that our canine friends don't get any ideas," Gus said.

  Both of her fathers were trying to help her and protect her. Griffin appreciated it. But still, with both of them here, no one had stayed behind to make sure Jorie was well protected. "You should go back and help Rhonda and Leigh to keep Jorie safe."

  "Jorie is safe like a cub at her mother's teat," Brian said. "A dozen of our most trusted hunters have been standing guard at some distance from the house for the last two days, and the border patrol is on alert too. No one who is not a member of the pride will get within a tail's length of the human. We've also set up traps all around our house, where everyone who comes looking for her will expect her to be."

  "What about Tarquin?" Never again would she make the mistake of underestimating him. A humiliated cat was a dangerous cat.

  "I had a talk with his mentor," Brian said. "And he'll take Tarquin on a long vacation, giving them both some time to work through Tarquin's issues. Incidentally, they'll start their vacation right around the time the council makes its decision about Jorie and you. And they'll take your rental car." A feral grin made its way across Brian's face.

  Ah. Nice. Another distraction should the Saru be ordered to hunt us. Part of Griffin's tension dissipated, and she could focus on the task at hand. In the long run, she could protect Jorie best if she found proof of what Jennings had been doing. "And? What are the Syak doing?" she asked Gus. "No signs of them packing to go home?"

  Gus shook his head. "Not yet. Max said that since they lost their leader, there's been a lot of fighting over what to do. Some of the Syak just want to head home and lick their wounds. They know they could be in big trouble with the council for invading our territory and violating council orders not to attack while the forty-eight hours weren't up. But in the end, I'm sure the more aggressive pack members won. That's why they are staying. They'll hang around to see if there's a way to exact revenge without getting themselves into even more trouble with the council. They'll lie low until the council has made a decision. Then all bets ar
e off."

  Griffin clenched her jaw. Everything depended on her finding enough evidence to convince the council not to kill Jorie.

  Hm. They're lying low, staying in their cabin. Normally, that would be good. But right now, they wanted into the bed-and-breakfast, where very likely, the pack kept Jennings's things. The pack wouldn't stand around and watch the woman who had killed their leader go through his possessions.

  Brian and Gus exchanged a glance.

  "Time for a little ploy," Brian said. "Gus, you and I will go in through the front door. Griffin, you'll stay behind and —"

  "Wait a minute," Griffin said. Taking orders had never been her strong suit. Her father's tendency to take control had driven her crazy even as a child. "I'm the one who created this situation, so it should be my decision."

  Her father's green eyes regarded her steadily. "It is. You can decide if you trust me with your life — and Jorie's — or not."

  Trust. Everything came down to trust. Griffin sighed. She had never trusted anyone enough to hand over control of something so important. But after everything that had happened, maybe it was time for a change. Without her family's help and without trusting each other, she and Jorie wouldn't have made it this far. "All right," she finally said. "Let's do this your way."

  Brian and Gus exchanged a quick glance. Twin smiles darted across their faces, then were replaced with the fierce expression of hunting predators.

  "Gus and I will lure the pack away from the house. We should be gone for at least an hour. That should give you time to search their rooms for whatever you're looking for," Brian said.

  "Luring away the whole pack and getting them to leave behind their dead leader..." Griffin shook her head. It wasn't something that she could see a Syak doing. Wrasa custom required someone watching over the body at all times. "How do you want to accomplish that?"

  A mysterious smile curled up one corner of Brian's mouth. "Let me worry about that," he said. "You make sure that you get in and out of the house without leaving any trace behind. This is our territory, but after you killed their alpha, it's better to lie low for a while."