by Kari Thomas
So much lost time.
Marissa leaned back and looked up into her eyes. She slowly reached out a hand to touch Kira’s cheek. Kira held her breath, waiting.
Eyes dancing with sweet acceptance, she said, “Aunty.”
Kira smiled through her tears. “Yes, sweetheart, I’m your aunty.” She needed to sit down before she collapsed. Intense feelings of being granted a precious gift flooded her. Nothing else mattered. Nothing, no one, was going to make her release the precious little girl in her arms.
A movement behind her and she felt Aiden’s enveloping heat. He leaned into her back, offering the support she needed, his arms coming around to encircle her and Marissa, holding them close.
“Stop wiggling, little one,” he gently admonished. “You’re getting to be a big girl. Too much to hold onto for very long, aren’t you?”
Marissa giggled. “Yep. A growing little foxy.”
Kira could have sworn she felt Aiden’s muscles tense for a moment at Marissa’s words, but she was too busy taking in everything about her enchanting package to wonder about it for more than a moment. As Marissa wiggled, as all small children do, pushing them further into Aiden’s chest, she was suddenly and acutely aware of his strength, his warmth against her back, his breath on the back of her neck, ruffling her hair.
Hot, damp, close.
Every…single…deep…breath.
“And Aunt Kira is a fragile little thing, isn’t she.” Aiden chuckled as Marissa vigorously nodded her head. “So let’s show her you’re a big girl.” He released his hold long enough to move around Kira and carefully remove Marissa from her aching arms. He set the child down on her feet and turned her toward the stairs with a playful swat on her bottom. “Run find Aunt Riana. Bring her back to the family room. Okay?”
“Aunty Kitty-Kira will stay?” Marissa queried, spinning in mid-run to look back at the watching adults.
Aiden smiled. “Yes. She’ll be here waiting.”
Marissa turned and bound up the stairs, much too fast and careless for Kira’s peace of mind. Amazed, she stared in surprise, unable to believe the speed and agility of the three year old. Confused and angry at Aiden, all at the same time, she turned on him. “Why did you do that? I wanted to spend time with her.”
Aiden’s smile was much too sensual, far too distracting. “Don’t worry, Kitty-Kira. She’ll be back in a few minutes. You and Lena can wait in the family room.”
Kira wanted to hit him. How could one man be so sexy…and so aggravating…all at the same time? She shook her head at the contradicting thought.
“Sheathe your claws, little Kitty-Kira,” Aiden murmured, leaning in closer. “I promise she’ll be back in a minute.”
Kira’s breath hitched. His closeness brought back the vivid memory of his kiss earlier. Don’t think about it, she told herself. Concentrate on Marissa. But first she had to straighten something out.
“Kitty-Kira?” She grimaced at the new nickname. He shrugged then grinned. Darn, but that slow, sexy smile of his could make the butterflies dance in her stomach! She frowned at him, trying to ignore the feelings he invoked. His smile deepened and her tummy butterflies went crazy.
“Since you apparently don’t like being called ‘witch’ you shouldn’t mind Marissa’s nickname,” he answered in a husky tone that sounded too intimate for her comfort. “She pegged you right though. You remind me of a sweet little kitten. Soft. Delicate. But with tiny, painfully sharp claws.”
She didn’t know how to respond and his heated gaze was disconcerting. Retreat seemed the best option. For the moment. “I’ll be waiting in the family room.” She spun around and walked back into the room, his soft chuckle following.
Lena followed right behind, curious to know where the heat in the hallway had come from. And where had she been when it started? The two intimate combatants had ignored her as if she had been a piece of furniture, or part of the paneling. “Whoa, Kira. There were some strong vibes in the hall just now. What was that all about? What did I miss?”
Kira wasn’t sure, and knew she definitely didn’t want to think about it. Whenever she thought about Aiden her brain went into overdrive. She shrugged, trying to throw her persistent cousin off the scent. “Nothing. We just agreed to disagree.” She plopped down in an easy chair, suddenly feeling breathless and thought it wiser to change the subject. “Marissa is absolutely beautiful, isn’t she? And she looks so much like Sonia. What did Kyle look like?”
Lena sat down on the sofa, willing to let their interesting interaction go for the time being. She filed the incident away. Her cousin couldn’t evade her forever. “He was tall, like the rest of the family. His hair was dark reddish brown and he had dark brown eyes. Very handsome. But that’s not surprising, is it, considering the entire family seems to have a market on the ‘beautiful’ gene. Marissa looks a lot like him, too. Every now and then you can catch a glimpse of something wild in her little baby features.”
“Wild?” Kira sat up straighter. “That’s an odd choice to use, Lena.” Even though it was my first thought when I saw Aiden …
Lena glanced toward the hallway. Seeing that they were still alone, she lowered her voice. “Haven’t you noticed it, Kira? Both Aiden and Gavin have this untamed aura about them. I can’t explain it. Sometimes it’s more apparent than others.”
“Maybe it’s just a reflection of their lifestyle. And their careers,” Kira murmured thoughtfully. But her reasoning didn’t quite fit and she couldn’t put her finger on the ‘why’. Aiden exuded a wildness she could almost feel, barely held in check, subtly dormant below the surface. Her heart rate increased when she thought about the hungry way he had kissed her, as if devouring her.
Just thinking about it was enough to make her feel breathless, caused her heart to race.
Don’t think about him, she reminded herself. Concentrate on Marissa.
She groaned.
Something told her she’d be repeating that mantra countless more times in the future.
*****
Aiden’s gut instinct told him to make Kira leave, push her out of their lives and make it so she never came back. But his body wanted something altogether different.
Letting her walk out of their…his life wasn’t an option he was ready to consider.
Yet.
She’d stolen his breath with her Madonna look as she’d held Marissa close. He’d never seen anything more beautiful than the way she’d lovingly cuddled his niece and blinked back her tears. When she had swayed holding her weighty charge, his protective instincts had moved him closer. They guided her into his arms and lent her strength.
They had been so close he had felt the emotions threatening to overwhelm her – the joy, her pain. Aiden stifled a groan. His reaction to her had been starkly primal – the alpha male instinctively protecting his mate from discomfort.
Damn.
That realization didn’t sit well with him. He had to remember she was the enemy.
In more ways than one.
“I’m sorry, Aiden.” Riana touched her brother’s arm, breaking into his deep thoughts. “I didn’t think Lena would come upstairs searching for Marissa. I was only away from her for a few minutes.”
Beside her, Gavin grumbled under his breath. “Don’t feel bad, Riana. The sneak got past me too…despite my threats. Damn her meddlesome ways.”
Aiden shook his head. “We couldn’t have kept Marissa away from Kira indefinitely. I wanted you to meet her first though, Riana.” His sister’s special ability to preternaturally ‘see’ a person’s aura had come in handy. They had used it more times than he cared to think about, especially when one was dealing with the ‘human’ world. Too bad she hadn’t sensed Sonia’s aura before it was too late. “Could you tell anything from where you were standing at the top of the stairs?”
“No.” Riana walked down the stairs and peeked into the family room, careful to not be seen by either Kira or Lena. “She has a beautiful aura, Aiden,” she whispered softly. “It
’s pure. Innocent. Yet there’s a spark of fire there.”
“Fire?” Aiden resolutely ignored the way he’d just reacted to the words ‘pure’ and ‘innocent’. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that.
Riana walked back to him. “I’m not sure what it means. It’s as though there’s a power deep within her that could be…”
“What, Riana?” Several words came to his mind.
Dangerous…captivating …tempting…
“It could be a pure fire, symbolizing strength of character, a fiery temper, or even a fire of cleansing ability. She may even have healing powers.” Riana paused for a long moment. “Or it could symbolize a dangerous, destructive force that has the power to consume, to destroy.”
“Damn.” He growled low. No doubt about it. The kitten had claws.
Dangerous claws.
“Where’s Aunty Kitty-Kira?” Marissa asked as she skipped down the stairs to Aiden. He bent down and ruffled her soft curls. His niece was a precious treasure he would protect at all costs. He just hoped Kira wouldn’t be a threat he’d have to eventually eliminate.
“She’s waiting for you in the family room. But I want to talk to you first.” He gazed deep into her eyes. “Your aunty is a human, Marissa. Just like your mommy. But there’s a difference. Aunty Kitty-Kira doesn’t know about your special abilities, and we want to keep that a secret for a little while longer. So, that means no changing into a little foxy while she’s around. And there will be no discussing this with her. Do you understand, young lady?”
Marissa’s eyes darkened for a moment as she remembered another female in her life who hadn’t liked her foxy. A sad smile curved her little lips. “She doesn’t want me to be a little foxy? Just like mommy didn’t want me to?”
“No, honey. It’s not that Kira doesn’t want you to be a ‘little foxy’. It’s just better if she doesn’t know about it. At least not just yet. It’s important you understand this, baby. Do you?”
“I’m not a baby.” But baby lips puckered into a pout. “I’m a big girl.”
Aiden held back a laugh. “And big girls keep secrets. Remember that, you little imp.”
“Okay.” Marissa laughed, dodging past him to run into the family room and talk to her newly found aunt.
Aiden heaved a heavy-felt sigh. He had the bad feeling this battle was going to be harder than he’d first thought. It was anyone’s guess how things were going to progress from here. He knew Kira had been surprised at Marissa’s speed and agility and he wondered how long it would take until they were forced to explain the three year-old’s unusually accelerated intelligence. They’d have to be careful answering Kira’s questions.
Marissa’s shape-shifting heritage had to be protected at all cost and he’d make damned sure Kira Douglas never had the opportunity to hurt his niece.
No matter what he had to do.
Chapter Five
It was imperative his potion be finished before the stroke of midnight. The spell had to be cast at that precise moment or it wouldn’t work. Dr. Warren Douglas glanced at his watch and sighed heavily. It was eleven forty-five and he was almost out of time. His daughter, Lena, and niece had dawdled, taking forever to go to bed. It had cost him valuable time, time he didn’t have to spare.
“I’ve worked too long to fail now,” he muttered darkly. If Sonia hadn’t been so weak he’d be that much closer to obtaining his heart’s desire.
An animalistic whimper sounded from a cage in the corner of his basement lab and Warren glanced over with a delighted grin. “It won’t be long now. Just a few more minutes, then it will all be over.” The small squirrel whimpered again and shivered violently.
Warren bit back an arrogant laugh, knowing he was a power they could not defeat.
It never failed to amuse him to see the results of his handiwork. After he trapped them, they gave up. What is a shape-shifter who can’t change their form, or fight back?
They just sit in their cages and tremble like the dumb creatures they are.
So far he’d only attempted his spells on small shape-shifters but the time was coming, and soon he could feel, when he’d be able to go after much bigger prey.
Stronger adversaries.
He’d fight the ultimate battle. And win.
“So close. I’m so close.” He carefully poured a bubbling, black liquid into a small bottle and watched it swirl as it mixed with the ingredients. A slight smoky plume drifted up as the liquid began to boil. Warren picked up the bottle, studying it intently. “Are you strong enough this time?” It had to be. He’d changed the ingredients three times already and each formula had failed to give him the results he needed, craved. Holding the bottle as if it were a fragile and priceless object, he carried it over to the shaking cage.
The small squirrel emitted a tiny squeal, freezing in complete fear as the madman loomed over it.
Warren looked at his watch. Fifteen seconds before midnight.
He slowly tipped the bottle, watching as its contents flowed in a steamy path onto the bars of the cage, then down to coat the trembling squirrel. Steam rose as the liquid covered the petrified animal, its small body convulsing with the contact.
Precisely, at the very stroke of midnight, Warren chanted the words of the Spell.
Powerful and dark, the incantation resounded off the walls and instantly became a black force, visible to the naked eye. It swirled around Warren and the cage, gaining momentum as his voice rose, growing stronger as he demanded compliance. A deafening wind roared around him, seeming to desire nothing more than to destroy that which would control it. Yet nothing in the room was touched by its unnatural force.
Warren strengthened his tone, pushing more power into the words, focusing his desires into one single encompassing thought.
Come into me.
Suddenly the wind ceased and the black swirl dissipated into nothingness. Silence embraced the basement room. Warren blinked rapidly and took several deep breaths. He knew this time it had worked, that he had found the right formula. He drew in a deep breath and looked down. As he stared down at the mangled remains of the squirrel a crimson wall of rage rose.
He threw his empty vial against the stone wall, the shattering of delicate glass.
The only sounds echoing in the soundproof room were the tinkling of slivers.
No! He screamed the denial in his mind, not daring to allow it freedom for fear of losing what little sanity he had left. No. Not again. No. No. No!
He kicked the hapless cage, tumbling it over and over again until it rested askew amidst the shards of glittering glass, the disappointing carcass left to rot where it had fallen.
Damn. Now he’d have to capture another one.
*****
Holding back a rage as black as the night surrounding him, Aiden cautiously pawed at the burnt remains of the small squirrel. He tried to be careful, his cougar form not the best equipped for gentle handling. Regardless of scorched fur, or bones shattered until the body was a mangled shell, he recognized that which had once been a shape-shifter.
Lenord. A loner, but still family.
He growled long and rough.
The stench of burnt flesh was strong but he leaned in closer, hoping to discover what means had been used to desecrate one of their clan. A faint scent, one he was unfamiliar with, lingered over the remains. He inhaled deeply, pulling the smell into his glands, his lungs, deep into his memory. He would never forget.
Not Lenord, nor the scent of evil.
A mistake had finally been made.
Evil bastard. He bared his feral teeth in a grimace of retribution. You won’t escape me for much longer. I have your stench now and will know you when we finally meet. And…we will meet. I’ll hunt you down to the ends of the earth if I have to. There’ll be no place you can hide. No safe haven.
Gavin, in wolf form, silently padded over. He sniffed at the pile, shaking his head at the stench of burnt fur and flesh. He growled low, frustrated he had come up empty. ‘He’
left behind nothing else. I’ve searched the entire area. Damn it. How could ‘he’ completely disappear like that and not leave anything for us to find? No trace of scent…nothing?
Aiden shook his huge head, laying his ears flat. There’s only one explanation. Sonia had to have been working with a sorcerer. No one else could do these obscenities and still remain anonymous.
Gavin started digging, his sharp claws quickly making a hole in the ground, a make-shift unmarked grave. Aiden lifted the tiny corpse in his mouth and gently placed it in the shallow grave. He helped Gavin cover it with the remaining dirt and debris, his heart heavy. The only saving grace to this tragedy was that Lenord hadn’t had relatives they would need to notify about the unusual death. It was better this way. If other shape-shifters knew that the Evil that murdered Kyle was back, chaos would reign.
Sedona, with its mystic mountain range and protected forestry, had been the home of shape-shifters for centuries. The land was ideal for hiding and protecting a race that chose to live in harmony with it, be a part of its blessed sacredness. The unexplained was easily accepted as part of the mystical heritage of the area, tales going back centuries of creatures who changed from man to beast and back, widely accepted by a variety of Native American cultures.
The Calhouns, a lineage of rulers over their people, were the only shape-shifters who chose to live their lives in harmony with both their people and the human world. Other shape-shifters looked to them for protection, guidance, and support. The Calhoun Sanctuary covered one thousand acres and was known to the humans as a wild life preserve when, in reality, it had been set up for the deliberate purpose of providing shelter and refuge for all shape-shifters.
That was until the brutal murder of Kyle Calhoun.
Up until then the shape-shifters’ world had been safe.
Once Sonia Douglas had entered their lives, the destruction of their peace of mind had begun, eroding their safe harbor from the outside world. She had helped take something from them that could never be replaced.