by Jenika Snow
She scented a feline of the housecat variety, and glanced to her side to see the cat they called Tubs walk into the room. He was a massive animal, fat and fluffy, and having a very indifferent personality. She had found him sitting beside her when she had woken up the first time, just staring at her, but purring so loudly she felt the vibrations. Having two animals inside of her meant she could relate to the independent attitude of another being. He butted his big head against the bedpost, and then jumped onto the mattress. She ran her fingers through his thick, soft hair, but obviously that had been all he wanted, because a second later he turned and left her alone, too.
She exhaled, and knew that until she was fully healed and had the means to find her mother, she needed to just take one day at a time.
****
“I don’t feel safe with you around him, Emma,” Jason said, but Emma stayed facing toward the stove. She was making dinner, something quick and easy in case Roake and Annabelle decided to join them.
“You’re just being paranoid, Jason.” She looked over her shoulder and held out the wooden ladle with the spaghetti sauce on it. Her brother took the spoon and brought the tip to his mouth.
“Mmm, Mom’s recipe,” he said and then smiled. He handed her the ladle back. “But you aren’t going to have me forgetting about this by filling my belly, Emma.”
She sighed heavily and set the spoon down. Emma turned and stared at Jason. He was leaning against the counter with his arms crossed, and looking every bit annoyed by her attempt to change the subject with food. “Roake is harmless.” That was a lie because she knew how dangerous he really was. Emma had been able to scent how wild and volatile his inner animals were. He was also a hybrid, and that alone made him even more dangerous than even a grizzly shifter in search of his mate.
“That’s bullshit, and you know it as well as I do, Emma.” Jason’s face was hard and unyielding, and it was the common expression he gave her when he was in one of his stubborn moods. “I can smell how much he is fighting the claiming, and that right there is going to explode outward if he keeps it bottled up.”
“You mean like what you’re doing with Annabelle?”
He clenched his jaw but didn’t respond.
“We’re mates, Jason,” she said softly. The last thing she wanted was for Roake or Annabelle to hear this conversation. “And I can tell that you’re trying really hard not to shift and claim Annabelle, but you’re doing it, too. You’re strong, and so is Roake, and I think we need to give them the benefit of the doubt before we assume anything.”
“He’s a hybrid—”
“Annabelle’s a hybrid, but she is gentle and soft spoken.”
“You know what I mean, Emma. A male hybrid shifter is like a hundred fucking times more intense than a full-blooded shifter.”
She shook her head, not wanting to hear her brother talk about this anymore. “Keep your voice down, Jason.” The last thing they needed was to feel unwelcome.
“I tried calling Luke today.”
“And?” she asked, not facing him.
“I couldn’t get a hold of him. He’s been working a lot of hours at the hospital. But I think we need to call someone and tell them we have Roake here.”
She tasted the sauce after adding a bit of seasoning, and then set the spoon down and faced him again. “Jason, and what are we supposed to tell them?” Now it was her turn to cross her arms. “I told you what Roake said.”
“I’m not saying turn them in—”
“They didn’t do anything wrong, Jason.” At least she didn’t think they were responsible for the explosion, but then again they hadn’t really talked about that.
“I didn’t fucking say they were, but, Emma, we don’t know for sure what the hell happened.”
“I can tell you everything that happened.” Roake’s deep voice came from behind Jason, and she felt her heart start to beat faster.
Jason turned around, but Roake wasn’t alone. Annabelle was right beside him, looking uncomfortable as hell. But it was Roake’s appearance that startled her. He had cut his long dark hair, and shaved off the Grizzly Adams beard he had going on. His hair was short now, choppy and messy around his head, but it didn’t look like he had tried to cut it in the dark. In fact he looked really, really good. Presumably he had used the scissors, razor, and buzzer in the bathroom, and this sense of wanting to be the one to help take care of him filled her.
“How about we eat first?” Emma was speaking to Annabelle, because Roake looked pissed, and the little hybrid female looked like she wanted to sprint.
“No, we need to get every little detail out in the open, because you’ve risked a lot taking us in and knowing nothing about us.”
The four of them went over to the kitchen table, and once they were seated they sat there for a minute in silence. Emma stared at Roake, and this tingling feeling came over her at the knowledge he was already looking at her. His eyes were this odd shade of blue, and she felt that stare right down to her bones.
Annabelle cleared her throat first, and Emma sensed Jason tensing from beside her. The atmosphere was definitely weird and charged, like electricity was bouncing between them. Roake had his hands on the table, and his fingers were curled tightly into his palms. Jason’s hands were just about in the same position, and if she was feeling this off balanced with her mate right in front of her, she could only imagine what the males felt like.
“I don’t know where to start,” Annabelle said.
“Just start from the beginning.” Jason was the one to speak, and Emma had never heard her brother speak so softly before. It was like he was walking on glass, trying to be gentle with her, and going against his animal instincts to mate with her.
For the next twenty minutes Annabelle talked about the year she’d spent in an underground prison, the same one that had exploded right beneath Sweet Water, and how they had abused her. Jason was already on the verge of shifting, and the sound of him digging his claws into the table and leaving gouges came through loud and clear. But Annabelle didn’t need to say she was raped and beaten and experimented on; those unspoken words were out in the open. And then Roake started talking about his time, the whole horrifying experience that could have very easily broken him. Emma found it harder and harder to listen to everything Roake had to say. To know that this male was held a prisoner for so long by their own kind, caused a lot of emotions to fill her. The experiments that he described that they had done to him were gruesome, disgusting, and had her skin crawling.
“I’ve heard of shifters like that, ones that don’t believe breeds should be mixed,” Jason said between his teeth. “I just never imagined they would have some kind of underground testing facility to torture others, and right beneath fucking Sweet Water, too.”
Roake breathed out, and she glanced at him. “They move around, and in fact that was what they planned on doing with the two of us until I got us out.” He glanced at Annabelle and then looked back at Emma. “I would guess that it has been there for decades, and probably used as some kind of bunker or lab for either the human or the shifter government. How those fucking psychos got access to that I don’t know, but it doesn’t really matter now.”
“No, I guess not since it is one big fire over there,” Emma said, but her focus was on the table. “The news said the fires are under control now, and that they are investigating further over the next few weeks.”
“No damn way that bunker was forgotten. Someone in Sweet Water had to know about it,” Roake answered. “But honestly I don’t give two shits about the how, why, or what. It’s all said and done, and I just want to fucking move on.”
There was a moment of silence before Annabelle started speaking. “What now?” She glanced at Jason first, and although she was obviously afraid of everything, and definitely unsure, Emma could smell the pull she had to Jason. It was undeniable, and exactly what Emma felt for Roake. “Will you call the cops, turn us in because of our involvement with the explosion, and everything we know?”
The right thing would have been to call someone, but not to turn them in. This whole situation was screwed up, and Emma was confused on how to proceed. They needed help, both physically and most likely psychologically, too.
“How do you guys want to proceed?” Emma asked, and looked at Annabelle before turning her attention to Roake. “Surely you’ll want to contact someone, too, Roake?”
He stared at her for a second before slowly shaking his head. “I don’t have anyone, especially not anyone that would give a fuck where I have been for the last year.”
“What about a doctor? I’m not a medical professional—”
“I’m fine,” Roake said with a bite to his voice, but she could sense that his anger wasn’t directed at her. He was just angry in general, and that was to be expected.
“Annabelle, you said you were from Saxton?” Emma asked.
The little hybrid shifter nodded. “Yeah.”
Saxton was a large city about twenty minutes from Denver, and several hours from Sweet Water. “What about you, Roake?” They had told them about their captivity, but not about the details of their personal life, especially not Roake. “We can get a couple of shifters that are trained in finding things out, and people, too, and maybe get the information you two need?” Contacting Declan and Maverick would be a start. When she looked at Jason she saw that her brother understood where her thoughts were going.
Roake stared at her for several seconds, and then leaned back in the chair. “They took me when I was passing through The Springs,” he said without any emotion in his voice, but she could feel this electricity move through her body the longer he stared at her. “I didn’t stay in one place for long, and worked my way through different cities. And that’s about it. I’m no one special, just like I said.”
“Okay,” Emma said softly, feeling uncomfortable because this male didn’t trust her. She could understand that, but they had done everything in their power to help them. She’d have to earn his trust and confidence, that is, if he decided to stay here for a significant amount of time. “How long do you plan on staying? I hope until you’re at least healed?” God, she didn’t want him to leave. He was angry and filled with a lot of hate, and she honestly didn’t know if that hatred fell onto her as well.
Chapter Six
The silence stretched between them, and Emma shifted on her seat as the awkwardness and tension filled the air.
“Not long, but long enough that I can take care of unfinished business I have. Once I have that taken care of then I’m gone, and I’ll take Annabelle to her mother,” Roake said in a dead tone, and kept his expression bland.
Emma looked at him, saw the rage on his face, and scented the need for his vengeance in the air. He didn’t need to tell them that he wanted to go after whoever had hurt them. “Jason can contact some shifters we know that are good at tracking people down. Declan was in the Shifter Intelligence League, and the other, well, let’s just say Maverick knows how to handle himself.” She looked at Jason, felt this tightening in her throat from the tension, and breathed out slowly. “They can help find Annabelle’s mom.” She stared at Roake, and he watched her in return with this unreadable expression. “I can understand why you would want to do that, but I don’t think it’s smart right now—”
“You’re not taking my mate away,” Jason said, clearly now unable to control himself.
“Jason, now is not the time.” Emma did not want some kind of pissing contest. Although she knew that a mate was a rare and special find, she wasn’t about to let them fight right now.
“And frankly, I’m surprised you’re able to just leave my sister when she is your fucking mate.”
Emma felt her eyes widen at the hostility in her brother’s voice. She glanced at Roake, saw his pupils go wider as the blankness ate up his irises, and knew that this situation could go downhill in the next second. If they started fighting, she wouldn’t be able to stop them. Roake was a damaged and wounded male looking for revenge, and Jason had just found his mate and was a protective brother. They were two male shifters that were both dealing with things that had altered their worlds. But to her surprise Roake was the one to stand and leave the kitchen, therefore defusing the situation. Well, ending it for the time being. Her brother was a stubborn male and alpha all the way. He was young, but he was passionate and didn’t back down when he was presented with things. Roake was the same way, and she could see that just from the short amount of time. Emma could also tell that the hybrid was unstable, and more powerful than Jason. If the two came head-to-head about a disagreement the end result would be disastrous.
“Maybe I should go out there,” Annabelle said, but Emma knew that was the worst idea at the moment.
Jason was feeling protective and possessive of Annabelle right now, and his mate pheromones were coming from her brother fiercely.
“No, just get something to eat and I’ll go talk with him.” Emma stood and looked at her brother. He was staring at the table, trying to control himself, but not doing a very good job. “Annabelle, have you ever seen the stars in Sweet Water before?” Maybe her getting out in the fresh air would help clear her mind. “Maybe you could eat something and sit on the porch? The view from the property is incredible.”
All Emma wanted to do was go to Roake and make things okay. But on that thought she knew things wouldn’t be okay ever. He may get revenge, feed that demon inside of him, but he’d never truly be okay. Her clouded leopard was urging her to leave them at this table and search out Roake. She could smell his dark and spicy scent, one that was all-natural and called to her in the way a mate called for its other half.
“Okay, I think that’d be okay,” Annabelle said, and although Emma could see she was still unsure about her surroundings, and probably thought she and Jason had some kind of ulterior motive for helping them, she was also willing to go with her instincts and trust them. That was one thing about being a shifter, one could tell what another from their species was thinking or feeling just from the aromas that came from them.
Jason stood, and all of his anger left when Annabelle moved to stand beside him. “Come on, I’ll make us a plate and we can head outside.” It was strange seeing her brother like this with a female, and she just hoped that whatever happened between them didn’t end up ruining them.
Once they had their plates of food and left the kitchen, Emma stood and smoothed her hands down her legs. She knew where Roake was, and followed his scent through the house and outside. The porch light was off, but she could see as clearly as if the sun shone outside that he was sitting on one of the chairs in the corner. His feelings were strong and turbulent, and she hesitantly walked over to him.
“You should be afraid of me, little leopard,” he said, but didn’t look at her. The sky was still dark because of the smoke.
“I am afraid of you.” She spoke in a voice just as low as his had been. In the darkness he looked big and intimidating, despite the fact she knew he was wounded and malnourished. But he was a shifter, and he’d heal and be strong once more. She pulled the chair up beside him and sat down, but she kept her focus on him the whole time. He might be her mate, and not able to hurt her without causing himself pain in the process, but he was still an injured animal backed in the proverbial corner.
“You’re smart to be afraid, but I hate that you are.” He looked at her then, just by turning his head, and although it was dark with the shadows covering his expressions, she could feel how very real his words were. “You’re my mate, and I am the one person that you should never be afraid of.”
The scent of the fires still very real in the air couldn’t mask the genuine truth of his words.
“The fact that you are saying that tells me you wouldn’t hurt me.” She didn’t know why she said that, or anything else for that matter. He had left the kitchen to be alone, obviously, but it was hard to have him walk away when everything inside of her wanted to help him. Emma had always been on the caring side, and she knew she got
that from her mother. That may be the case here, but it was also because Roake was hers. Fate had decreed it so, and she had never heard of mate not wanting his other half, but she certainly felt that Roake didn’t want her.
He continued to stare at her, and the scent of the fire was so thick it clogged her throat. The flames may have been put out already, but that thick, noxious dark cloud would still continue to billow out of the ground for a while to come.
“You’re my mate.” He said it with that deep voice of his that was like sandpaper against her flesh. “I’m more beast than human, damaged beyond fucking repair even before those assholes took me.” He looked away from her then, and for several seconds the silence weighed heavily between them. “I honestly don’t know if one day,” he looked at her then, “if I stayed, Emma…” He said her name softly. Before he continued he ran his hand over his face and breathed out. He leaned back in the seat, and didn’t speak again for several minutes, but she didn’t rush him either. “I don’t know if one day I’d inadvertently hurt you because of what I am, and because of the fact I feel like I can never control myself again.”
She looked out over the property, saw the barn where Jason had put the animals until the air cleared more, and scanned her gaze along the Rocky Mountains that could be seen in the distance. “I guess I don’t know what to say to that.” She looked at him then, and saw that he already watched her. “I don’t know you, not really, but thinking that you’d live, and I wouldn’t have my mate…” She shrugged and couldn’t stand to look at him because her emotions were too raw at the moment. She didn’t like feeling this unbridled over a man that she didn’t know, who had a tormented past, and wasn’t going to stay. But because of what he was to her, nothing else mattered but being with him. “I-I just know that I won’t be able to let go of the feeling of knowing you’re my mate, and that you were right here beside me.” The silence stretched between them, and when she heard this low growl come from him she turned and faced him.