by R. E. Butler
“We’re playing Pictionary, if you’d like to join us,” she said, tamping down the urge to give him a hug. His shoulders were hunched, and his blond hair was tousled as if he’d been running his hands through it in frustration.
When he didn’t answer after several moments, she turned to leave. His voice was soft, and she almost didn’t hear it. “This girl at school, Jessa? She asked me to the turn-around dance a few days ago.”
Sam turned around, her mouth open to say how wonderful that was, when she saw Henry’s face. He looked so sad. No good news came with a face like that.
She sat down on the edge of the bed. “What happened?”
He sighed deeply. “Her friends made fun of her for asking me out because I’m a shifter. She said she didn’t care, but then the day before yesterday, she canceled. She said her parents wouldn’t let her date ‘an animal,’ and that she was sorry.”
Oh, shit. People could be so narrow-minded and cruel.
Henry’s eyes were glossy with pain and unshed tears, and she knew that nothing she could really say would erase what had been said to him. She did the only thing she could think of: she opened her arms and hugged him tightly when he fell against her with a soft sob. She held him quietly while he cried, tears filling her own eyes.
“I miss King,” he said with a rough voice, when the tears had finally ebbed. Sitting up, he wiped at his eyes and gave her a watery smile.
“Where you guys used to live?”
He nodded. “People understood us there. Not like here. We’re the outsiders and it’s, well, you understand. Someone complained about you and slashed your tires.”
“Yeah, I do understand. But you can’t let a few assholes dictate your happiness, Henry.” She put her hand to her mouth. “Shoot, I shouldn’t have said that word. Sorry.”
He grinned. “You have to put a dollar in the swear jar in the kitchen.”
She gasped. “A dollar?”
Henry’s smile increased, “Uncle James said a quarter wasn’t enough of a deterrent. Ray must’ve put a hundred bucks in there the first week he lived here.”
She shook her head with a laugh. “Alright. But really, Henry, I’m sorry about all of that. Why didn’t you want to tell your dad?”
“Because he’d toss a bunch of pride and family crap at me, say that anyone who didn’t like me wasn’t worth my time, and that we couldn’t expect humans to understand us or even like us when they didn’t know us.” He cocked his head. “But you like us. And Callie does. So some people do. I guess just not the kids in my grade.”
“Unfortunately, bigoted people are everywhere. Would you like me to have your Uncle Aaron boot her parents’ cars?”
He grinned again, laughing, and hugged her. “Thanks, Aunt Sam.”
Her heart thrilled at his acknowledgement of her as his aunt, even if it wasn’t official yet.
“You’re welcome, Henry.” She kissed the top of his head and stood. “I hear the beeper for the cookies, so I should get downstairs. Come join us, if you want.”
“Thanks, I’ll be down in a minute.”
She walked down the two flights of stairs and found the boys waiting for her in the kitchen. She turned off the beeping timer and was about to take the sheet trays out of the oven, when the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it!” Kevin said, hopping off a tall stool at the counter.
Sam pulled the trays out of the oven and turned, freezing as a tall blonde woman and six large men strode into the kitchen, with Kevin struggling in the tight grip of one of the men.
The cookie trays clanged to the ground, and Sam went into protective mode. “Boys, get over to me.” She hurried them behind her and said, “Whoever you are, let my son go, and get the hell out of here.”
The woman looked at Owen. “You’re not his mother, human. He’s a mountain lion.”
“I’m mated to his father, so that makes him mine. Let him the fuck go and get out.” Her heart thudded irregularly in her chest as she tried to stop from panicking.
The woman snorted. “They’re pride. They belonged to us, and we intend to reclaim them.”
Glancing around for her cell, she cursed leaving her purse on the hook by the front door with her phone tucked inside. “What do you want? Whatever it is, just let Kevin go, please. You’re hurting him.”
Kevin was trying to be brave, but his face was tight with discomfort as the man held him by the arm.
“The males destroyed the pride by leaving,” she said. “We lost everything because of little sluts like you giving the males the idea that they could have others besides us. They never should have left us, and we will make them regret the decision.”
Shit, that sounded incredibly bad.
“We tried to make you understand that it was a bad idea to be with the males, to make a lesson of you, but you just couldn’t take a hint.”
Sam stared in confusion at the woman. She was tall and willowy, with a quiet strength that showed the simmering beast just under her skin. And the rage in her eyes … it was hot enough to burn Sam’s skin. Dawning crept over Sam, and she said with a whisper, “It was you.”
The woman raised her brow in silent acknowledgment.
Sam continued, “My tires getting slashed and the false complaints about me to the school. You did that to show that it wasn’t good to get involved with the males?”
She nodded her head slowly. “But you’re still here. And even threatening the parents of that one little tramp-in-training at the young male’s school didn’t seem to make a difference to the males. So now, I’ve come with my friends here to take the cubs.”
Sam’s world narrowed down to those last words. Fear threatened to engulf her, and a part of her was screaming to grab the boys and try to make a run for the door. But the part of her mind that was still working frantically to find a way to save the boys knew that wouldn’t work. She couldn’t leave Kevin, and she knew she was no match physically for the group.
With a motion from the woman, the men stepped towards her and the boys. Sam growled, “No! I won’t let you kill them in some misguided attempt to get the men to come with you!”
The woman smiled slightly, but it was as cold a smile as Sam had ever seen. “I have no plans to kill the cubs, silly human. My friends and I are going to take the cubs up to Canada where our females have started a new, better pride. The females and I are going to raise the cubs the right way, train them how to be worthy males. Leaving the cubs to be raised by those sniveling males has done nothing but create generation after generation of males who want soft things — love and family and home. It’s nonsense. These cubs will be the first ones to grow up under the sole influence of the females.
“They’ll be our servants and learn how to behave as mountain lions should. The males will follow us up to our new home if they ever want to see their precious cubs again, but this time — this time — it will be by our rules and not theirs.”
Sam shook her head. “No. I won’t let you. That’s insane. They’re just kids.” She felt the boys’ trembling bodies pressed against her back, and it strengthened her resolve to bide time until the men came back. Silently in her mind she screamed for Aaron and Grant, even though she knew it wouldn’t do any good.
The man who held Kevin gave him a shake and sneered at her. “You won’t let us? What can you do, lady, except die quickly? We watched the men leave. They’re too far away to hear your screams for help.”
Two of the men advanced on her, and she straightened her spine against the incredible fear pressing down on her. “Take me, instead.”
The men paused, looking confused. They looked at the female who cocked her head to the side. “Why would I want to take you?”
Sam’s brain spun in a frenzy, and her voice shook as she said, “I know that you used to threaten their girlfriends before, that they wouldn’t date anyone until Callie showed up and stuck around. If you take me instead, Aaron and Grant will get the picture. The boys can tell them that you want them to com
e up to your new pride in Canada and how things are going to be from now on. But if you take the boys, they’ll kill you to get them back.” She just hoped that they could find her before she was killed.
The female looked at her curiously. “You’d give yourself for these cubs who aren’t yours, human?”
“In a heartbeat,” Sam swore.
“Your ferocity is like a lioness, but your affection for the cubs is your downfall. I accept that.” She pulled a slip of paper from her back pocket and laid it on the island. Sam could see a phone number printed on it. “Instruct the cubs to make sure their fathers know we expect them to contact us within twenty-four hours for directions to the location of the pride. If they don’t join us within two weeks, you’ll die at our hands. If they do, then you’ll be released and unharmed as long as you do not make contact with the males again.”
“Okay,” Sam said, blinking away the tears that threatened to consume her. Now wasn’t the time to fall apart. She had to make sure the kids were safe and trust that Aaron and Grant would find her in time to save her. She had no doubt in her mind that the minute she was gone from there, she was dead.
Sam could hear the boys crying behind her, and as soon as Kevin was released, she turned and knelt, hugging them to her tightly. “Tell your dads everything, boys, please. I love you. You’re the best sons a mom could ever hope for.”
They gripped her, trying to hold her back, pleading with her not to leave. With a heavy heart, she extracted herself from their holds and reigned in the tears. She winced as two men latched their big hands around her arms and hauled her towards the front door.
The female threatened the boys not to follow them and to wait for the males to return. When the front door slammed shut and Sam stood alone on the front porch with the group, she took in a deep breath of the crisp winter air.
“You’re not going to let me live, are you?” It was more of a statement than a question, but one she couldn’t help but voice. The mountain lion female was far too cold to care whether she honored a bargain made with her because Sam was human and weak, inferior in the mountain lion female’s eyes.
One of the men holding her arms tightened his grip painfully until Sam squeaked in pain. “You’re not as dumb as you look, lady,” he chuckled.
Sam weighed her options as the men walked towards a waiting van, the back doors wide open. She knew getting into the van was as good as signing her death warrant, but she needed to get them away from the kids. Each step forward took her closer to the van. She cast a glance over her shoulder towards the house, seeing the boys’ faces pressed against the glass of one of the large picture windows on the first floor. Her heart cracked sharply. And then something caught her eye at the side of the house. A figure dropped into the snow. Henry!
He sprang off towards the back of the boarding house. He was going for help! She worried that the female might decide to send the men in after the kids anyway and discover that Henry was gone, so she quickly devised a plan. She went limp, creating a distraction to keep them focused on her.
The two men holding her arms were surprised when she acted as if she fainted, losing their grip, causing her to slip to the cold ground. She might have surprised them, but she didn’t stall them much. She found herself lifted quickly and tossed over the shoulder of one of the men, the air whooshing from her lungs.
“Toss her in,” one of the men said, and Sam knew she had to get away now or she’d be dead. She just hoped that Henry could find the men fast and if nothing else, she would at least know that she’d done her best to keep the kids safe.
When the man holding her stopped walking, Sam took a deep breath and arched her back up fast and hard, twisting her upper body and kicking her legs with all her might. She latched onto the roof of the van, propelling herself up and levering her legs to kick off the door until she could scramble on top of the van. She didn’t wait for the men to get over their shock. She got to her feet, raced across the top of the van and leapt into the snow. Her heart pounded in her ears as the men shouted after her as she ran down the long drive towards the road. Pounding feet echoed around her and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She let out a scream that pierced the night: “Aaron! Grant!”
As hands snagged her, and she was pulled backwards with an angry curse, she prayed that they would come for her in time.
Chapter 12
Aaron paused before going after the buck he’d been stalking. Sitting back on his haunches, he sniffed the air. He felt fear, but it was very faint. Not the same kind of fear from the animals they were stalking, but something that tugged at him faintly. He turned towards where Grant was prowling with James and John and chuffed at him. Grant’s ears twitched as he turned in Aaron’s direction and moved to him.
There were times when he wished he could speak in his shifted form. This was one of those times. Aaron jerked his head towards home. Aaron wasn’t sure, but he felt the need to go back. Maybe it was because he could still feel the warmth of Sam against him when he’d kissed her goodbye, or because he … what the hell?
His train of thought stopped abruptly, and he could faintly hear Sam calling for him. Something definitely wasn’t right. He growled a warning to the others and took off for home, Grant at his side. The strange, faint fear grew stronger as they raced towards the boarding house. It was Sam. She was terrified, and he was so in tune with her that his cat could sense it, even across the distance they’d traveled hunting. Every instinct in his body screamed that he’d made a mistake leaving Sam alone with the boys tonight. Whatever was causing her fear, he only hoped they would get to her in time.
She was their mate, and the thought that something terrified her made his paws pound faster on the ground. Were the boys hurt? Was that why she was so scared? Or was she the one who was hurt? Questions rolled through his mind, and he held onto the hope that as long as he could feel her fear, she was going to be fine when they got to her.
“Dad? Uncle Grant? Uncle Aaron?” His nephew Henry’s voice broke through the night air and sent a chill racing down his spine. Henry, shoeless and wet with sweat, gasped for breath and screamed the names of his uncles and father, desperation and fear in every word.
They were a half-mile from home. He raced to Henry and paused long enough for Henry to say, “A female lion and a bunch of men took Sam!”
Aaron’s claws dug for purchase in the hard packed snow, and he shot towards the faint lights from the boarding house he could see through the thick trees. He was exhausted, but knowing Sam had been taken by a female changed things. He knew for certain that her life was in danger.
The house loomed into view, and he bolted past it, feeling his heart clench as the scent of Sam’s blood and her fear strengthened when he rounded the corner. He roared in rage as he bounded past the front of the house and raced down the driveway, following shouts of alarm.
A police cruiser was blocking the driveway, and his nephew Eryx, gun drawn, stood several feet away from six human men. One of them held Sam in a chokehold. Aaron shifted into his human form and stalked towards the men.
“Whatever your issue is with us, let Sam go. She’s innocent. A human we asked to babysit the cubs while we hunted.” Aaron spoke as calmly as he could. It was a lie, but they wouldn’t know that.
The man holding Sam snorted derisively. “It’s not nice to lie. She said she was the kids’ mom.” His hold on Sam’s neck tightened, and Sam made a strangled sound and appeared to be unable to move. One side of her face was badly bruised and blood trickled from her nose and from the corner of her mouth. Her clothing was ripped, her shoes were missing, and her eyes were glossy with pain. Aaron wasn’t even sure she could see him.
“Who are you?” Aaron asked angrily. “Why do you have my mate?”
One of the other men, eyeing Eryx’s gun warily said, “The blonde told us that she’d pay big if we helped get her kids away from this house tonight. But this girl here, she says to take her instead of the kids.”
“Shut
up, Mike,” the man holding Sam growled.
“Let the female go,” Eryx said evenly.
Aaron was aware when the rest of the pride males surrounded the men, stalking quietly towards them from behind, still in their shifted forms. The man holding Sam panicked and began to put pressure on Sam’s neck.
Aaron lunged forward just as Grant sank his claws into the man’s shoulders and pulled him backwards with a furious roar. Sam crumpled to the ground as the males shifted into their human forms and battled with the men. Aaron’s only thoughts were of Sam and how limp she was when he pressed his trembling fingers to her neck to find her pulse.
It was faint. He could hardly tell the difference between the pounding in his head and the feel of her pulse against his fingers. A hand touched his shoulder and he roared, crouching over Sam’s body defensively and baring his elongated fangs.
“Uncle Aaron? It’s me, Ethan,” his nephew said soothingly.
Aaron couldn’t control his beast. He crouched lower over Sam, protectively, snarling at Ethan. The human part of him knew Ethan was there to help. The lion part of him didn’t want anyone else to touch her.
An arm wrapped around his neck tightly and jerked him away from Sam. He howled and struggled, his claws springing free from his fingers and raking down his attacker’s arms.
“For fuck’s sake, Aaron, it’s me, John!”
Aaron heard Grant roaring in anger, too, and his vision narrowed until he saw his brother struggling against James’ hold on him as Ethan checked Sam over. “Don’t make me knock you out, man. Get it together. For Sam,” John growled.
Sam. Aaron snarled, forcing his cat to stand down in his mind. The rage ebbed slightly, helping him to get a handle on his out of control emotions.
He willed the tension to leave his body and said hoarsely, “I’m good.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Are the kids okay?” John released him slowly, and Aaron took in a deep breath.