by Abigail Owen
Table of Contents
Excerpt
Praise for Abigail Owen
Tieryn’s Fury
Copyright
Dedication
A Note from the Author
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Epilogue
Thank you for purchasing this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
He stared at her for a long moment,
hands hooked in his belt loops, eyes narrowed. She was prepared for him to say no, then he reached up to lift back his hair, exposing the scars where his ear should have been. The tense set of his shoulders told her he wouldn’t appreciate any overtures of sympathy. Instead, she gave a sharp nod.
“Right. Let’s go.” He moved back into the shadows without checking if she followed.
Tieryn hurried to catch up. She caught his sideways glance as she came alongside him.
“Why were you hiding on the side of the road?” she asked after a few moments.
“It’s safer. How you didn’t get caught walking in the middle of the road when there’s a full moon is—” His mouth shut with an audible snap.
“Don’t stop there, Mr. Callahan. Is what?”
“Sheer dumb luck,” he muttered.
“Gee, thanks.”
“Your lack of basic survival skills makes it clear you’ve never been out of your dare before.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course I have.” Her father wasn’t a monster, just protective.
“Okay.” The way he said that implied exactly what he thought.
“As the Kuharte, I’ve always been protected,” she defended.
“And the fact that you’re the Alpha’s daughter makes no difference.”
She pursed her lips and didn’t deign to answer.
“Like I said.”
“I guess your dare lets the Kuharte go wherever she wants, huh?”
Praise for Abigail Owen
2015 RWA
Fantasy, Futuristic, & Paranormal Chapter
Prism Award Winner for
ANDROMEDA’S FALL
~*~
“ANDROMEDA’S FALL is one book that you need to have mapped-out time to read because it will not let you put it down. From the first page when the injured Andie jumps through the window into the Keller home to the fantastic (I didn’t want it to end) ending, you will be enthralled.”
~Annetta Sweetko, Fresh Fiction
~*~
SARAI’S FORTUNE: “I couldn’t get enough of this fast paced, action packed, super sexy romance. Keep them coming Abigail Owen.”
~C.C. Pen, Paranormal Romance & Authors that Rock
~*~
2015 Coffee Time Romance Recommended:
“This award recognizes outstanding writing styles in all book types and genres. ANDROMEDA’S FALL has received this award because the reviewer feels it is above and beyond a 5-Cup Rating.”
Tieryn’s Fury
by
Abigail Owen
Shadowcat Nation, Book 3
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Tieryn’s Fury
COPYRIGHT © 2016 by Abigail Owen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Cover Art by Debbie Taylor
The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
PO Box 708
Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708
Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com
Publishing History
First Black Rose Edition, 2016
Print ISBN 978-1-5092-0622-3
Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-0623-0
Shadowcat Nation, Book 3
Published in the United States of America
Dedication
To my mother.
For editing every book I’ve written,
often at the last minute.
Also for all your love, help, and support—
more than I have room on this page to list.
A Note from the Author
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading. I loved every second of writing and publishing this series, and I hope you enjoyed exploring this world I created that has been floating around in my head for years.
I would also not be able to do this without my team: Lill Farrell (editor), Debbie Taylor (cover art), Lisa Dawn (TWRP marketing), all the folks at Wild Rose Press, Wendy Schirmer (beta reader), and a host of helpers, including my critique group/RWA groups/ and beta readers.
A huge Thank You and I Love You to my amazing husband and children, who support (and even encourage) this obsession of mine.
If you would like to contact me, I’d love to hear from you (www.abigailowen.com). Thanks again!
Sincerely,
Abigail Owen
The Shadowcat Nation
Thirty years ago, the population of mountain lion shifters stood on the brink of extinction. Today, much like their wild counterparts, shifters are running out of land and resources. The encroachment of man has resulted in the loss and destruction of shifters’ natural habitats worldwide. This external threat has led to a new reality where only the strongest survive. Pack shifters, such as wolves, coyotes, and African lions, use their coordinated family groups to pick off the loners, like cougars, in order to obtain their territory.
Going against their mysterious and cagy natures, mountain lion shifters banded together to form the Shadowcat Nation to pool their resources and protect themselves from the packs. Reaching from Northern Canada, across the United States, all the way down to the southern tip of South America, the Nation is divided into ten dares, each led by an Alpha who has clawed his way to the top. However, cougars don’t naturally work or live well in group-based societies, and the shifters constantly battle their innate desire for domination and sole control, their animalistic instincts often triggering infighting and inter-dare rivalries.
The success of the Shadowcat Nation, though critical to the survival of all cougar shifters, still hangs in a delicate balance.
Chapter One
“There’s no way Callahan will ever find out who was involved.”
“His wife is dead. You don’t think he’ll want payback?”
Although the wall Shane was attempting to listen through muffled the conversation, he caught the gist of it. The words, uttered by two men Shane Calla
han had once considered friends, slammed through him.
If he’d been a whole man, a heightened sense of hearing that came with his ability to shift into a mountain lion would have made his task easier. As it was, a patchwork of scars now covered the spot where his left ear had once been, covering the canal and obscuring all sound from that side. He’d become used to the sensation of walking around in a perpetual tunnel but that didn’t make it any less a pain in the ass. A chasm existed between accepting his lot in life and struggling with the hindrances, such as limited hearing.
Shane opened his mouth in a silent hiss of frustration. Every instinct screamed at him to rush the men next door and take them out. He’d suspected their involvement, though he’d hoped he was wrong. Now, he couldn’t deny Duncan and Keith’s guilt. Killing them wouldn’t be easy, but he wouldn’t balk from it either.
Not yet, though. He reined in his need for vengeance, a thirst for blood built over years of waiting. He didn’t move by so much as a twitch. While he knew of Duncan and Keith’s involvement, he had yet to identify other players in his wife’s murder. Rushing now would get him nowhere.
“He’s been back for months,” Duncan said. “If he had any clue, he’d have done something by now.”
“The man was an accountant.”
“What’s your point?”
“Shane’s deliberate and patient. I’m telling you, he’s biding his time,” Keith insisted.
Shane smiled at the nerves evident in the tremble in the man’s voice, something he could hear even through the wall. You should be nervous.
“He may be deliberate, but he’s also a hothead, or none of this would’ve ever happened.”
Shane clenched his hands as the truth of that statement struck a nerve. Duncan was right. Brenna would still be alive today if it weren’t for his actions.
“We need to warn the others,” Keith said.
Yes. That’s exactly what they should do. Go warn the others and lead me straight to them.
“Fine,” Duncan agreed. “Tonight.”
Shane choked back an irritated growl when the location mentioned was too muted to make out. He’d have to follow them. Harder but doable. Unless they were setting a trap.
Shane grinned at that thought. He may have been an accountant when he’d lived here before…not anymore.
Their discussion over, his former friends departed through a door that led to the hallway beyond. Shane stayed still and silent in the darkened supply closet where he’d hid. Satisfaction strummed though him. His patience and painstaking surveillance had paid off, despite the limitations imposed by his deformity.
He gave his marks a solid lead, plenty of time to be far away before he emerged. Satisfied he could leave his hiding place without detection, Shane cracked open the door and glanced around before he stepped into the hallway. He inhaled sharply, clearing his head of the strong scent of ammonia that pervaded the supply closet.
He grimaced at the obnoxious statue of an Egyptian cat set into a recess on the wall; just another example of the garish décor the previous Alpha had favored. Gilded mirrors, gold carpet, and stained-glass windows adorned the place, and this was just the hallway. If he didn’t know he was in the massive home of the Reynolds Dare of cougar shifters, he’d have sworn he was in an immense old cathedral.
Shane headed in the direction of his room, located in a different wing of the building. He didn’t hurry. People in a hurry were noticed, and he’d been careful to fly under the radar since his arrival.
“I hope you’re not doing what I think you’re doing.”
Shane’s footsteps stuttered at the sound of a female voice behind him. He clenched his hands, irritated that she was able to get the drop on him like that.
He didn’t turn to face her immediately. “I’ve never claimed to know what goes on in your head, Andie.”
An amused chuckle reached his good ear.
Shane spun on his heel, a good ol’ boy grin in deliberate view, to find Andie Reynolds standing there, hands on her hips. At first glance, she appeared petite, delicate even, but Shane knew how lethal his Alpha could be. He frowned at the clothes she wore. She looked like a businesswoman in some kind of conservative gray pantsuit, very different from her usual more functional fighting gear of skintight pants and a vest. What was she up to?
“I didn’t know you were here. When’d you get in?” he asked.
“About an hour ago. Sarai’s with me.”
That gave Shane another pause. Sarai was a Seer. Were they here to stop him? Vengeance, while not outlawed, was not condoned in the Shadowcat Nation.
He raised his eyebrows in an attempt to affect a curious expression. “Oh? Why?”
“Next week is the first meeting of all the Kuharte.”
Shane nodded as the knot of tension inside him uncoiled. While the fact that the Kuharte—rare shifters who wielded additional supernatural powers—were staging a mini-rebellion was interesting, their actions had nothing to do with him. “So they finally got organized, huh?”
She pulled a rueful grimace. “It took longer than expected to contact all of them, convince their Alphas, and get all three Seers to agree on the safest time to meet.”
“I bet.” Not for the first time, Shane was happy to be on the periphery rather than in direct leadership. All this political crap made him itch. “Does Sarai really think they’ll get anywhere?”
Andie leaned against the wall. “Just getting the Alphas to allow their Kuharte to attend was a big step.”
“Yeah.” He could see that. The Alphas of the ten dares tended to be power hungry individuals who didn’t like to share their toys.
“What got them on board?”
She glanced out the window. “The Kuharte threatened to boycott use of their powers.”
He gave a low whistle. Sarai and the others had the Nation by the balls on that one. The Seers and Healers’ abilities were crucial. Attacks from wolves and other shifters had only escalated. The Shadowcat Nation was fighting a guerilla war for the survival of their species.
“Why do you need to be here?” Shane wondered. “You’re the Alpha, Sarai’s your Kuharte, and you support her goals.”
She shrugged. “Unlike my predecessor, I don’t do dictatorship. I’m here to discuss things with the dare.”
“In other words, you’re here to make them feel better,” he surmised.
“Yes.”
“Sounds fun.” He limited himself to a sarcastic comment.
She grinned. “I’m not concerned about the talk with our dare.”
He mentally cringed at her use of the word our. Andie might have defeated Walter Carstairs to become the Alpha of this dare, and under her leadership, Shane was confident conditions would improve. They already had. However, this would never be his home again no matter whose name was on the pink slip.
When he’d returned after years of exile, he’d allowed his friends to believe reuniting with his people drove his need to go home—an assumption he hadn’t bothered to correct. He’d bear his own burdens.
“Good luck with that.” If he’d been wearing his standard uniform of jeans, boots, t-shirt and cowboy hat, he’d have tipped it. He swung back in the direction he’d been headed.
“We need you there.” Andie’s words stopped him again.
Shane released a sigh of resignation. He’d known she’d come to find him for a reason. Andie didn’t ever just stumble upon someone.
“Why me? I don’t have much to say about Kuharte rights either way.”
“Sarai wants you there.”
Shane held in a groan and waited a tick. When a Seer requested your presence, refusing was a bad idea. And, in his experience, the reason they summoned you was never good. “Right.”
Andie smiled as she slipped her arm through his. “Let’s walk together.”
Despite his irritation at the directive, not to mention the potential impact to his plans, Shane was amused. He knew what Andie was up to. She’d decided to make sure he mad
e it to the meeting. Someone less important to him would have garnered his ire, not his amusement, but he owed this woman. Big time.
An hour later, he stood at the back of a conference room furnished in the same opulent manner as the rest of the mansion. To anyone who happened to glance his way, he looked completely at ease lounged against the wall, feet crossed at the ankles, arms crossed over his broad chest. The pose was deliberate as was the innocuous smile that graced his lips. His cheeks had ached with the effort to keep the idiotic expression in place over the last few months.
The effect was worth the effort. Those around him hardly glanced his way now, discounting him as someone of little importance. If a gaze happened to shift his way, it would skitter away from him after a curious pause during which the person tried to discern where his ear had once been, the scars now covered by his shoulder-length hair.
Andie had been right that the majority of the dare wouldn’t be concerned. They’d almost lost Sarai because of the rules imposed by the Shadowcat Nation.
Shane pushed his fake glasses up his nose. He tried to hide his desperation for the meeting to wrap up. He still didn’t know why Sarai wanted him there, and his window of opportunity to follow Keith and Duncan narrowed by the second.
“What is the strategy for safety and protection while the Kuharte are gathered?” a voice called out.
“Yeah,” another voice agreed. “Don’t you think it stupid to risk our most valuable assets when attacks from the wolves and other packs have only escalated?”
Andie stepped forward. “The Alphas and one Protector of every dare will be in attendance. Each Kuharte will be assigned a personal bodyguard. The Betas and rest of the Protectors and Commanders will remain with their respective dares.”
“And none of the Seers have had a vision to indicate any danger,” Sarai tacked on then looked to Andie.
“From our dare, I will be there. Mike is the Protector we’ve asked to go. And Sarai has opted to have her husband, Zac Montclair, as her bodyguard.”
No surprise there, Shane thought. Zac was a powerful polar bear shifter, and their marriage was recent. Only an idiot would think to cross the guy or endanger his mate.
After a few more questions, the gathering broke up with no real protests ever having been voiced. Shane levered himself off the wall to follow the crowds out.