Carissa closed her eyes as memories rolled through her mind, flashes and disjointed scenes frozen in time. This woman’s face appeared in many of the images. Her hair had been longer, her face less lined, but her kind eyes and gentle smile remained constant, unchanged by the passage of time. She opened her eyes and watched the other two, not sure what was expected of her.
Ian moved to the fireplace and knelt to build a fire. Erin set the small computer on her knees and opened it. Without explanation or introduction, she launched a program, activated a video file then angled the device toward Carissa.
Her sister had been kidnapped and they wanted her to watch home movies? Carissa set her tea on the end table and clasped her hands in her lap, ready to give her temper free rein. Her mother’s image came on screen and her heartbeat faltered. “What is this?”
“Just watch,” Erin advised.
Willona appeared younger than the last time Carissa had seen her, by five, perhaps even ten years. Willona crossed her arms over her chest, hands absently rubbing. She looked at the camera then glanced away before composing herself enough to begin. “If you’re watching this, then my plan failed. All the sacrifices I made to ensure your safety weren’t enough.” Tears shimmered in her mother’s dark-blue eyes, and Carissa reached for the screen, wishing she could touch her mother’s face, needing to reassure her, and be reassured by her. “Hopefully you’re both adults.” Willona shook her head and bitterness evaporated the excess moisture in her eyes. “You’re likely about to turn twenty-five, and Osric has stepped out of the shadows. Since I’m not there to protect you, I’ve done the next best thing. This message should be delivered to you by a woman named Erin Lashton. If you recognize her scent, you can trust her. She is in the best position to help you now. Listen to her and she’ll keep you safe. But know that I love you both with all my heart. You have been the only source of happiness in my life.” With a sad, shaky smile, she reached over and turned off the camera.
“Wait.” Heart aching with love and loss, Carissa turned on Erin. “How did you get this? When was it sent to you?” She pushed back the memories triggered by the video. The situation was too volatile for a bout of melancholy. She needed to be strong right now.
“The original videotape was mailed from a small town in California fourteen years ago. I thought it might be a clue to your whereabouts, but Willona was too smart for that. I didn’t know when or if I would need it, so I digitized the recording.”
“Why is this happening? Why are all these people searching for Ava and me?” Her mother had said she’d recognize Erin’s scent and she had, which meant she could trust this woman. With a shaky breath to fortify her composure, she looked to Erin for answers.
“How much have they told you so far?” Erin reached over and took her hand, her touch light and calming. “Do you understand what you are?” She closed the computer and set it aside.
“Quinn said I’m a Therian, a sort of shapeshifter. But how could I be completely unaware of my own nature? Shouldn’t I have sensed…something?”
“Many of our instincts are triggered by others of our kind. You’ve been isolated, carefully kept away from anyone capable of triggering these fundamental changes.”
Though Erin’s tone was soft and informative, defensiveness surged within Carissa. “My mother had very good reasons for what she did. Osric was abusive. He left her no other choice.”
“There are always choices.” She released Carissa’s hand and bent one leg, pivoting to face her. “I understand why your mother ran, but she did have other options available to her.”
“Such as?”
Erin took a deep breath before she continued. “What did your mother tell you about Osric? You were still quite young when she went underground.”
“He was physically and emotionally abusive, and she was afraid he would turn his aggression on Ava and me.” She drew the blanket more tightly around her, clutching the overlapping edges with both hands. She didn’t care what anyone said. Her mother had sacrificed her own happiness to provide a safe environment for her daughters. No one would ever convince Carissa otherwise. “Recent developments seem to prove that her fear was justified.”
“Osric is a selfish bastard. I have no intention of defending him.” Erin glanced at Ian before she added, “But I disagree with your mother’s decision to rob you of your heritage, your biological identity. You are not human, and it’s pointless to pretend that you are.”
Carissa let go of the blanket and rubbed her temples. Her muscles felt tight and her head was beginning to pound. Hopefully it was just stress. The last thing she needed was another bout of sexual cravings. “If Osric had never figured out where we were, is it possible Ava and I would have lived our entire lives believing we were human?”
“Possible, but not probable.” Finished with the fire, Ian lowered himself onto the chair facing them. “All it would have taken is one of our kind walking into your shop. You are both well past the usual age for definition.”
Definition? Was that the same as Therian heat? Quinn had seemed surprised that she had never experienced the demanding urgency before. Should she tell them about the hunger? Quinn seemed convinced the impulse would return.
Mistrust and embarrassment held her back. It would be wiser to learn more before she decided how much to tell them. “At what age are Therian females usually ‘defined’? And what exactly does that mean?”
Ian looked at Erin. “Why don’t you explain this part?”
“She’s not going to like it no matter who tells her.” Shifting her gaze back to Carissa, Erin took up the tale. “Therian males are born with an active animal nature while Therian females must be…activated, for lack of a better word.”
“How is this activation accomplished?”
Another tense glance passed between Ian and Erin before Erin went on. “Using pleasure, pain or a combination of the two, the woman is stimulated until her body releases a rush of hormones. Then she is given the blood of a male. Her body goes through a metamorphosis and her animal nature is established using the pattern in the male’s blood. We call this definition.”
“You make them sound like vampires.”
Erin shook her head and offered Carissa a patient smile. “Therian definition is far more like human puberty than vampire transformation. For most, it’s an exciting and celebrated event in a young woman’s life.”
“Each female is given until her twenty-first birthday to choose the male who will guide her through her definition. Most often it’s a distant relative, but potential mates are also common,” Ian told her.
Dread pulsed through Carissa as a picture began to form within her mind. The situation they described with such care had to have a dark side, something so intolerable it had motivated her mother’s rash actions. “And if this female hasn’t made up her mind by the time she’s twenty-one?”
“The Alpha Council designates her guide,” Erin admitted.
The simple statement unleashed a maelstrom of speculation and disturbing possibilities. Was the definition forced upon the female? Of course it was. Why else would there be a deadline? “Who did the council designate for my mother?” She shook her head as her stomach knotted. It was simple to see where this led. “It was Osric, wasn’t it?”
“He had declared his intention to court her, and the council saw no reason to refuse him the opportunity.” Regret threaded through Erin’s soft tone and sadness clouded her eyes.
Carissa laughed, though she found no humor in the situation. “So Osric defined her by force then raped her repeatedly until he got her pregnant with Ava and me?”
“Basically.” Erin reached for her hand again, but Carissa jerked it out of reach.
Throwing off the blanket, Carissa stood, glaring at one and then the other. “And his actions were sanctioned by this Alpha Council?” She shook her head. A cold, empty feeling threatened to extinguish the anger burning within her. “I can see why she ran. I would have done the same!”
&nbs
p; “Kyle’s father still headed the network at the time,” Erin said. “He allowed many things Kyle will not.”
“Oh my God! Is Osric going to define Ava?” She pressed her hand to her throat as her heart slammed against her chest. “We have to stop this, now!”
Erin stood as well, compassion warming her gaze. “Fathers don’t define their children. That creates an abomination you don’t even want to think about.”
“But that’s what this is about, isn’t it? My mother managed to elude him, so he’s going to take it out on us?”
“It’s more complicated than that, but you have the basic idea.”
Her gut clenched and her mouth went dry. Their mother had lived like a fugitive to spare them these archaic rituals. “If he’s not going to define her, what will he do?”
“Broker the most advantageous match possible and let her mate define her animal nature,” Ian explained.
“That’s disgusting.” Her breathing became ragged and shallow as heat expanded within her. Not now! She would not allow her body to take over again. She was stronger than that, more determined. And she understood what was happening now, so the compulsion should be easier to control. “Do all the females in the network allow themselves to be treated like chattel?” She clung to her anger, using the familiar emotion to drive back the hunger.
“Most understand the reason for the guidelines and celebrate each event.”
A certain catch in Erin’s tone made her look into the older woman’s eyes. “Each event? Does that mean there’s more than one?” Her mother had seemed certain events would be set in motion by their twenty-fifth birthday. There had to be some significance to that age.
“Therian females must choose their guide before they turn twenty-one and then they have four years to choose their life mate.”
Carissa’s mouth gaped, her mind refusing to absorb the implication. “And if they haven’t found someone by their twenty-fifth birthday, or if they don’t want to be mated for life, does the Alpha Council select a mate for them too?”
Chapter Three
Quinn watched the yellow lines on the pavement serpentine as he wound his way along the narrow mountain road. Waiting was nothing new to him. Every occupation he’d ever attempted required patience and attention to detail. He’d hunted for bounties before he’d been recruited as a tracker by the army. Twelve years in Special Forces, even his current freelance contracts all required methodical searches and extended stakeouts. So, what the hell was wrong with him?
He’d given Kyle fifteen minutes to call him back, but it had only taken Quinn seven to connect the dots. As Kyle had said, there weren’t that many raptors left, and there was only one ballsy enough to stick his neck out for a cat. Ian Douglas. Quinn had little doubt of his identity. He just wasn’t exactly sure where to find him.
Quinn’s cat prowled inside him, restless and agitated, testing the limits of his control. He needed to shift, to run off some of this excess energy, but reaching Carissa as quickly as possible was more important.
Carissa’s image flowed through his mind, her scent accompanying the memory. He could still feel her warm body arching into his as their kisses went on and on. Her skin had felt like velvet beneath his fingers as he slipped his hand inside her jeans. Why was the memory so clear and so intoxicating? Her taste still lingered on his tongue and he’d done little more than brush against her clit. Even now the thought made him hard in anticipation of a more intimate embrace.
His hunger should have faded as soon as the raptor took her out of range. He had only responded to the pheromones her body was secreting.
Unless you triggered her heat.
His fingers tightened on the wheel as the familiar accusation sounded within his mind. It had been many years since he’d intentionally used his ability on an unsuspecting female. He’d never manipulated anyone who didn’t deserve what they received, but who’s to say he hadn’t lost control? Had he inadvertently activated Carissa’s heat?
He thought back over the sequence of events. He’d definitely felt awareness when they met. He’d wanted to take her from the shop and find a private place where they could indulge the desires pulsing between them. Her stubborn resistance fired up his dominant nature, but her lust had been spontaneous.
Danger spiked the reaction for both of them, but he’d only kissed her after her need became obvious.
“Okay, so you’re not a complete bastard,” he muttered under his breath. “She’s nowhere near you now, so why are your balls still blue?”
Her wide, guileless eyes and kiss-swollen lips wouldn’t leave his memory. She’d looked at him with curiosity and trust, rather than fear and resentment like other Therian females. Even after he’d kissed her into submission and caressed her until she came, she hadn’t accused him of taking advantage of her. She’d been feisty and challenging, but she’d seemed to understand the restraint it had taken for him not to give her what she’d obviously needed.
Which led him back to Ian. What had Ian done when her hunger returned? Quinn clenched the wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. Had the raptor understood that she knew nothing of Therian ways? Did he give a damn? Or had he taken advantage of her urgency and given her body what it craved?
Quinn’s cat growled and tossed his head as possessive fury surged. He had to find her. Had to—
His phone rang, jarring him from his agitated thoughts. He glanced at the display, saw Kyle’s name and sighed. “It’s about time. You’re an hour and a half late.”
“Sorry. We cornered one of the dogs in Idaho Springs. After much persuasion, he still claims Osric only hired wolves.”
“All that proves is the dog didn’t know about the bird.”
“Maybe. But the possibility took me in another direction. If we aren’t dealing with a merc, then the raptor is probably local.”
“Which means Ian Douglas.”
“Damn. You are surly as hell when you’re asked to wait.”
“It’s been almost two hours! A lot can happen in two hours.”
“I agree, which is why I went straight to the source. As you know, my mother has an in with the raptors. I called to ask if she had any ideas. She didn’t answer, so I called the head of her security team. He said she’d already gone to bed. I told him to go wake her up.”
“And?” Quinn rubbed his eyes, wishing he could reach through the phone and shake the information out of his talkative friend.
“She gave him the slip,” Kyle informed.
“Which only confirms my conclusion. I know Ian lives in or around Snowmass. So where can I find him?”
“I’d send someone else if I could spare them. I know there’s no love lost between you two.”
“That’s the past. This is business. Text me his location. I’m already on my way.”
* * * * *
Gage Seaton lay on his belly in the bed of his truck, peering through the scope of his M40A3. A rustic house nestled against the side of a pine-covered hill, the access road steep and winding. Beyond the wide, railed deck, in a deceptively normal-looking living room, his target was sipping tea while a female shifter indoctrinated her new recruit. And not just any recruit. He’d known Carissa since she was a child, and seeing her with these creatures had his finger itching for the trigger.
But he’d taken a vow. He only used his skills to protect now. And indulging his hate would be cold-blooded murder. He closed his eyes and eased his finger away from the trigger, waiting for the urge to mellow. Then dread jerked his eyelids open and forced his attention back to the disquieting scene. What if they intended to awaken her demon nature? As long as she was latent, she could be rescued. He could not allow the eagle-shifter to feed her his blood! As soon as one drop of his tainted blood passed her lips, Carissa would be beyond redemption.
The tall blond moved closer, his gaze narrowed and intense. He was eyeing her like prey! Gage fidgeted on the truck’s bed, the situation making him more uncomfortable than the cold metal.
“Team Leader to Gama. Come in, Gama.”
Gage touched his transceiver, seating the tiny device more securely in his ear. “Gama copy. Go ahead.”
“Your check-in is overdue. What’s your situation?”
“Sorry, sir.” His instincts had led him to this location, warned him that something important was about to take place. Still, he’d been shocked to find innocent Carissa in the clutches of a Therian hunter. He’d yet to regain his composure. “Target located. Waiting for an opening.”
“If your target is located, what’s the hold up?”
Therian males were the source of the pestilence. They infected females, creating breeders to perpetuate their demonic species. Males were always fair game, but females, even transformed females, were considered innocent. The rescue teams didn’t bother with transformed females, but according to Abolitionist standards, they didn’t deserve to die.
“She’s not alone, sir. Do I have permission to—”
“No. Collateral damage is not approved. Stick to original parameters.”
“Understood.” He wasn’t pleased by the decision, but it didn’t surprise him. Team Leader often lacked the stomach to do what must be done. If the Abolitionist founders would allow their workers to be a bit more aggressive, the movement would be far more effective in the long run.
“Keep me apprised.”
“Copy that.”
“Team Leader out.”
Heaving a frustrated sigh, Gage rolled his shoulders then shifted back into his earlier position and waited for an opening.
* * * * *
Carissa edged toward the fire as she waited for the next shoe to drop. If Therian law allowed women to be defined against their will, it only stood to reason that arranged marriages would follow.
“According to Therian law, the council can appoint a life mate for a female on her twenty-fifth birthday if she has failed to select one for herself,” Erin admitted.
Planting her fists on her hips, Carissa glared at Erin. “I will not bow to these rules just because that’s the way it has always been. There are laws against kidnapping and rape. I’ll have all of these fools arrested.”
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