Therian Prisoner

by Cyndi Friberg

  “Here.” He handed her a steaming mug of coffee as he sat down beside her, long legs folded in front of him. He’d put on a shirt and built the fire before he went outside and started the generator. His cheeks looked windburned from their recent flight and he smelled like clean mountain air and Therian male.

  She took the mug and pressed her hands against the enameled surface, soaking up the heat. Then she inhaled, trying to drown out his evocative scent with the coffee’s rich aroma. “Thank you.”

  “No problem.”

  He stared into the fire, which allowed her to study his profile. His features were strong and balanced, classically handsome, unless he scowled. Then he just looked mean. But she wasn’t afraid of him, had never been afraid of him. She’d felt fascination, infatuation and respect, but never fear.

  “I know my mother is going to be pissed and I know she’s important to you. So I want you to know I understand what this is costing you. I’m truly grateful.”

  “You need some space right now. I get it.” He turned his head and looked at her, the gold barely visible in his bright blue eyes. His wavy blond hair was wild about his face, making him look slightly savage. “But I won’t let you hide up here forever. You’re going to have to face them eventually.”

  “I know.” She took a sip of coffee as she debated how much to tell him. He was obviously willing to help and there was no doubt she could trust him. Still, she wasn’t sure where all that led or how much she was ready to share. She glanced toward the small enclosure tucked in the far corner of the room. “Is that a bathroom? I’d love to take a shower.”

  “Running water’s not a problem, but the tankless water heater is sort of hit and miss. Let me make sure it kicked on before you get undressed.” He pushed to his feet and headed for the bathroom.

  She dropped her gaze to her coffee then took another sip. She felt…nothing. Her emotions had been raging since her rescue. Was it too much to hope that they’d just blown themselves out? She’d released all her pent-up feelings and now she could get back to normal. Only problem was she’d been angry and frightened so long, she couldn’t remember how normal felt.

  Ian emerged from the bathroom and shook his head. “Better give it a little while longer. The water’s still running cold.” He ambled back to the kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee. The machine hissed and sputtered then released a stream of dark brown liquid into the waiting mug.

  “Tell me about Kyle’s mate,” she suggested. It felt odd to realize life had continued while she’d been locked away. She’d often imagined her family and friends frantically searching for her. Apparently she hadn’t been nearly as much of a priority as she’d thought. She shook away the selfish thought. For a good part of her captivity, her family had thought she was punishing Kyle for expecting her to marry Lokesh. “How did the match happen so quickly? I’ve been gone less than a month.”

  Returning to his place beside her, Ian pivoted so they more or less faced each other. “Do you remember Willona Seymour?”

  “Vaguely. I know she was Osric’s mate and… Didn’t they have twin daughters?”

  “It was a little more complicated than that, but yes. Carissa and Ava. Your brother’s mate is Ava.”

  When he didn’t provide any more information, Devon smiled. “Okay, now I know her name. How did they meet? What’s she like? What’s her story?”

  He took a leisurely sip before he replied, “How much has your mother told you about the Omni Prime?”

  His reluctance only made the subject more interesting. Were the two connected, or was his question a distraction? “The Omni Prime is a fable. The Therian version of a superhero.”

  “Maggie died before you were born, but I knew her. Your mother’s stories aren’t exaggerations.”

  According to the stories, Maggie was the last known Omni Prime, a Therian female with multiple animal natures. “You mean Maggie had three mates and could shift into the animals of all three at will? Seriously?”

  “Maggie mated with the three men who defined her so people tend to get confused. Forming a mating bond and defining a female’s animal nature are two completely different things.”

  “I know that. But definition is intimate and stirs strong emotions. Females often prefer to share the experience with their lover—or lovers in Maggie’s case.” She added the last with a hesitant smile, hoping to lighten his mood.

  He shook his head, oblivious to her efforts. “That’s a very recent development. In decades past the father or guardian decided who defined the females under his authority.”

  “Which doesn’t make it right. Definition is a personal and permanent choice for every Therian female. It should be her choice and her choice alone.” Her heart beat faster and a huge knot formed in her stomach. Ian likely didn’t realize he’d stumbled onto the subject which had inadvertently led to her captivity.

  He reached out and touched her hand, drawing her gaze to his. “I wasn’t endorsing the practice. I support the rebels, just like you.”

  She absorbed the warmth of his fingers as she nodded. He was on her side. He’d risked a longtime friendship with her mother and the wrath of her clan to provide her with peace and security. She sighed and let the tension melt from her shoulders.

  “What does all this have to do with Kyle’s mate?” Pulling her hand out from under his, she raised her mug to her lips.

  “Ava and Carissa are Maggie’s granddaughters. They’re the last known females who still carry the blood of the Omni Prime.”

  She felt her eyes round. “My brother is mated to an Omni Prime?”

  “More like a potential Omni Prime. Ava hasn’t been defined yet, but she’s given Kyle every indication that she will attempt the transformation in the near future. Carissa participated in the ceremony and the results were very encouraging. She has already been able to shift into several different forms.”

  “Unbelievable.” Devon had been raised on stories of the Omni Prime. She knew the legend was part of her heritage and her mother was obsessed with the tales, but Devon had always thought they were just stories. She felt as if Ian was trying to convince her that the tooth fairy was real.

  “They’re both warm and engaging. You’ll like them.” Ian pushed back to his feet. “Let me check the water.”

  She watched him walk across the room and heat rolled from her chest to her abdomen. He made her feel safe and nothing was more attractive to her right now than security. But he’d always seen her as a child, a sort of sister, worthy of his protection but certainly not his love.

  Love? With a frustrated sigh, she set her mug aside and rubbed her eyes. She didn’t want a lover right now, so Ian’s attitude was irrelevant. After all the things she’d been compelled to do during her captivity, sex was the furthest thing from her mind.

  “You’re good to go.” Ian paused in the doorway, his expression intense yet unreadable. “I laid out a towel, but let me see if I can find you something else to wear.”

  She stood, allowing the quilt to pool around her ankles. She hadn’t thought about all the complications of an uninvited guest. All she’d known was she had to get away, had to pull herself together before she could hope to convince her family she was okay.

  He dug a black t-shirt out of the closet and handed it to her. “This should do for tonight. It’s loose on me, so it should be more like a dress on you.”

  “Thanks.” She took the shirt and started for the bathroom then paused. “Should we let my family know where I am? I’m not ready to deal with them yet, but I don’t want them to worry.”

  “They know you’re with me, which means you’re safe. If we give them an exact location, we both know they’ll find a way up here. Flying is the easiest way to reach the cabin, but it’s not the only way.”

  She nodded but guilt still niggled at her soul. She was being selfish and her family didn’t deserve the additional stress. Still, the torment in their eyes had been too revealing, too hurtful. They’d obviously spent the past few wee
ks imagining the horrors she’d undergone and even their worst imaginings couldn’t touch the reality of her captivity.

  Devon walked into the bathroom and closed the door as Ian’s chest ached with unfamiliar feelings. His protective nature was fully engaged and easily explained. She was wounded and lost. Anyone with a beating heart would feel protective of her. But other, more convoluted, emotions twisted through his being as well. He was aware of her as he’d never been before.

  Thanks to Payne’s meddling, Ian couldn’t help noticing the enticing shape of her body and the fullness of her lips. He could still feel her breasts pressed against his chest and the firm circle of her long legs looped around his waist. He’d never allowed himself to think of Devon as a desirable woman, and now was the absolute worst time for him to change his perspective. She was confused and defenseless. Only the worst sort of asshole would take advantage of her vulnerability.

  With his determination restored, he turned his attention to his surroundings. There was only one bed and though it was large enough for two, he had no intention of suggesting they share it. Without a couch or even a loveseat, there weren’t many options. This had always been his secret hideout, his retreat from the world. He’d never brought anyone here before, yet he hadn’t hesitated to share it with Devon.

  He rubbed his forehead and forced the speculation aside. His thoughts were just running in circles. If he added a layer of sleeping bags to the rug, one of them could sleep by the fire. He dug two sleeping bags out of the storage closet and spread them in front of the hearth. Then he topped the pile with the down quilt and tossed a pillow onto the makeshift bed. Satisfied with the outcome, he looked at the bathroom door.

  The water was still running but he could hear nothing else, no splashing or rustling of the shower curtain. He moved closer to the door and called, “You okay in there?”

  Nothing.

  He knocked on the door and tried again. “Devon, are you all right?” Again she didn’t answer and his heart lurched within his chest. He reached for the handle then paused. “Say something or I’m coming in.” No such luck. “Damn it.” He muttered the curse under his breath as he opened the bathroom door.

  He jerked the shower curtain open and found her huddled beneath the spray at the far end of the tub. He snatched the towel off the counter and held it out for her. She didn’t move, didn’t acknowledge his intrusion in any way. Her legs were drawn up and her forehead rested on her folded arms. He turned off the water and wrapped the towel around her shoulders, but he wasn’t sure how she’d react if he just reached down and picked her up.

  “Devon, can you stand up? Come on, you’ve got to help me here.” He touched her upper arms, making sure she didn’t freak out before he tightened his grip and pulled her to her feet. Her arms released and her legs unfolded, but her head remained bowed, hair streaming across her face. He wrapped the towel more snugly around her and picked her up, refusing to think about anything except her obvious need for comfort. “I’ve got you, love. You’ll be fine.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her head on his shoulder, soaking his shirt in the process. She was trembling and unresponsive. Only her steady breathing assured him the crisis was emotional, not physical.

  He was a warrior, a soldier, a scout. This was so far outside his realm of expertise it was comical. He had no idea what to do or say to bring her out of her stupor. Should he hold her? Encourage her to talk? What had made him think he was qualified to deal with this sort of trauma? He needed to do something. Anything. Water ran down his arm, drawing his attention to her dripping hair. If he didn’t comb it out, it would dry in snarls, if it dried at all. Okay, that was something. He’d comb out her hair.

  After pushing back the quilt with his foot, he placed her on the pile he’d arranged before the fire. He covered her legs with the quilt then hurried back into the bathroom. A second towel waited on the towel rack and he found a comb in the drawer beside the sink.

  She’d stayed exactly as he’d left her, staring blankly into the fire. He sat down behind her and extended his legs on either side of her hips, bending his knees to maintain his balance. Lifting her wet hair with one hand, he draped the spare towel around her shoulders then went to work on her hair.

  “It didn’t take me long to get used to the pain.” Her whispered words tightened like a fist around Ian’s heart. Anyone who could intentionally hurt an innocent didn’t deserve to live. “Even the humiliation didn’t bother me after a while.” There were a million things he wanted to ask and nearly as many he felt compelled to say, but she obviously needed to talk, so he just worked on her hair and listened. “It was the isolation that wore me down. They wouldn’t talk to me, wouldn’t answer my questions, and hour after hour, day after day, I was left alone in that blank room.”

  To his astonishment, she placed her hands on his legs and scooted back into the V between his thighs. Desire rushed through his system and his hand shook, barely able to hold on to the comb. His body chose now to react to her nearness? What was wrong with him? She wanted warmth and comfort. This wasn’t personal and it sure as hell wasn’t a come-on. He took a deep breath and resumed his slow, long strokes with the comb, trying to touch nothing but her hair.

  “At first they just ran tests and took samples, but they didn’t seem satisfied with the results.” She turned her head and grabbed his hand, momentarily halting the comb. “Is Carly still alive? I don’t know what she told you, but that bitch was right in the middle of everything they did.”

  “Her involvement in the program gave her access to important information. She will be held accountable for her actions, but if it wasn’t for her, we never would have found you.”

  “I don’t care.” She released his hand and turned her head back around. “Carly was no casual flunky. She was one of the leaders. I want her punished.”

  “The final decision is up to Kyle. The crimes took place in his jurisdiction.”

  “Well, I’ll have a thing or two to say to my useless brother before he passes judgment on that…creature.”

  Useless brother? Devon and Kyle had always been close. Apparently she hadn’t forgiven him for the Lokesh debacle.

  Ian didn’t want to distract her with a tangent, so he asked, “Do you remember what I told you about the raid? The other captives were rescued. Everyone is safe now.” Her hair was smooth and shiny but he continued to comb it, needing something to do with his hands.

  She shook her head and her voice grew stronger. “There are other facilities. The one the Italian took me too looked like it had been deserted, but I know there are others.”

  “How were you able to learn these things if you were kept in isolation?” He hadn’t meant it as a challenge, but he felt her tense. “I’m not questioning the information. I’m just curious how you gathered it.”

  “Most of the guards wouldn’t talk to me, but there was one who felt sorry for me. He’d sneak in books and tell me what was going on around me. That’s how I learned about the other captives and the backers.”

  “Carly hasn’t told us much about the backers. She swears she knows little more than their names.”

  “She knows more than I do. Roberto is the one who moved me, but I never saw the other two.”

  When she didn’t elaborate, he nudged the conversation in a different direction. “We rescued nine captives, all female. How many were you aware of?”

  She nodded and began to fiddle with the edge of the quilt. “At one point there were twelve females and one male. The male was a tiger-shifter, but I don’t think he was part of Jake’s clan. The guard told me he barely spoke English.”

  “Go on.” He hadn’t meant to pressure her, but the more she talked the calmer she became. Besides, her wounds wouldn’t start healing until she purged herself of the pain.

  “They had drugs that forced the other captives to shift, then they’d run all sorts of tests while they were in animal form. That’s how Carly learned I wasn’t defined. She thought
I was strong enough to resist the catalyst at first. When she realized my ‘potential was untapped’ I became her obsession. All the drugs did was make me violently ill. At least in the beginning.”

  “Did you ever see Osric at the lab?”

  “I never saw him, but I heard his name often enough to figure out he was working with them.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Was he captured during the raid?”

  “He wasn’t there that night, but I saw him during recon. Needless to say, we’re still searching for him.”

  “It’s hard to imagine what humans could have offered him that would have made it worth betraying his own kind.” She took the comb from him and wiggled away.

  Her talkative mood was obviously fading and he still had so many questions. “What did Carly do once she realized you weren’t able to shift?” When she hesitated, he felt compelled to add, “If you’ve had enough for tonight, I understand.”

  “I think I’d rather tell you everything and be done with it.” She blew out a shaky breath then explained, “After Carly realized the catalyst was useless on me, she dosed me with some sort of gene therapy. And it wasn’t just me. She used the new compound on some of the others too. It was supposed to make us easier to control, more susceptible to suggestions.”

  “Was this the same injection they gave Dhane?”

  “Basically. They made changes to the formula after seeing how it affected us. They tried to make it as potent as possible.”

  He knew where this subject led, so he chose his words carefully. “I know it spiked Dhane’s libido. Did it have that effect on everyone?” He wanted to touch her, turn her around so he could see her face, but he wasn’t sure how she’d react. She held the comb in one hand though she no longer pulled it through her hair.

  “It seemed to work better on the male and on me. I was the only female who was still latent, but they weren’t sure if that explained my reaction or if I was just naturally…aggressive.”

  She’d insisted that Dhane hadn’t touched her. What about the tiger male? “Was Dhane the only male they put in your cell?” She immediately nodded, but he suspected there was more to the story. He’d seen guilt in her eyes when she’d first explained what had happened to Dhane. She might not have been raped in the conventional sense of the word, but something had happened, something haunting and…sexual.