Into the Heart 3: Into the Wild

by Caitlyn Willows

  That suited Cristían just fine. He would rather Barry find out about this on Cristían's schedule, not his own. He didn't want Frieda to know at all, though by the treaty that existed between them, the mountain lion clan would eventually need to be told something.

  He wondered how successful he, Jeremy, and Lupe would be at sneaking out one of the escape tunnels. They could grab what was left of the laptops and get the hell out of there. Find a place to hole up while they figured things out. Cristían tapped his lip, deep in thought. Maybe get to Wyatt. He was much more reasonable than Barry, as a leader should be. Plus he was somewhat distracted by the upcoming birth of his children. They might be able to use that to their advantage.

  The tracking chip would tell on them, though. Not to mention the plethora of surveillance cameras all around this estate. The previous owners had made the place a fortress. Right now it felt like a prison. If they cut the power to the camera, a backup generator kicked in without so much as a bleep. When that happened, the computers at Braden Science Institute would also be signaled.

  Jeremy could pass. No one needed to know that his experiment had succeeded, that he'd been transformed into a jaguar. Lupe… He sighed. No. There was no explaining her presence. He'd tried working with her while Jeremy showered. She either didn't have the ability to shift back to cat, or she didn't understand the concept of how to do so. In any event, she was here to stay. And, he admitted, he didn't want it any other way. The thought of changing her back twisted his gut. His feelings had nothing to do with Rose. Though Rose's DNA might have helped give Lupe her new form, it was Lupe who spawned the feelings he currently possessed. Duty, responsibility, obligation, protection, all crept into his mind. Yes, he owed her all those things, but they were nothing compared to the oneness his soul felt now that she was in human form and he could truly be with her. With them.

  He watched Jeremy help her dress in one of the extra lab coats they'd found to wear. It engulfed her but was certainly better than having her naked, although that was indeed a beautiful sight. After Jeremy helped her roll up the sleeves, she mastered the intricacies of the buttons with one try. He supposed she'd learned a lot over the years from watching humans. She had so much more to learn, though, personal care being at the top of the list.

  She smiled up at Jeremy with the same adoration she'd given him. Lupe had been their devoted companion for six months. Unconditional love had poured their way 24-7. How could they not return that love? And now, seeing her standing next to Jeremy's tall, lean body, remembering how it felt when he stood beside her… It was the ultimate culmination of everything they'd been to each other. A blessing bestowed upon them. His best friends, now his mates. Cristían would fight hell and damnation to keep from losing this blessing, from losing them.

  The metallic thunk of the barricades releasing jolted through them. Cristían hauled on his jeans and slid his feet into his shoes. Jeremy stood between Lupe and the stairs. With his new enhanced powers/sensations, Cristían could hear their hearts beat in tandem, racing with trepidation.

  “We need to find our laptops and wipe them.”

  Jeremy whipped around. “Are you crazy? The data on them—”

  “Has to be destroyed. If it got into the wrong hands—”

  “Then we need to be able to defend against it, and the only way is to have the original research.”

  Jeremy was right. And so continued the conundrum Cristían faced. “Did you ever link with the main system?”

  Jeremy shook his head. “Only to run unrelated theoretical analyses on random segments. If I was wrong, I didn't want to be embarrassed and have it rubbed in my face. Or have my access revoked.”

  Which Barry would have no problem doing.

  “If I was right, I wanted to approach Wyatt first,” Jeremy said. “Barry had enough issues when he thought we were—as he put it—'wasting fucking time and resources.' I can't begin to imagine what he'd do if he found out we were successful.”

  Neither could Cristían. Barry had always been a control freak, which had been to the clan's benefit during their trying times. But Rose's death had broken them all. Sweet Rose, who loved everyone without reservation, one of the last two females of their line. Had she known she carried life within her when she was killed? With her death, any hope for the continuation of their people had faded. Only when Carmen delivered healthy daughters to Joaquin had that hope been renewed. Then Wyatt found Trina, and now more children were on the way.

  Barry had seen none of the joy, though. He only saw enemies in everything and everyone outside the clan. Hell, he barely trusted Jeremy. Exercising caution was a good idea—Cristían didn't trust the mountain lion clan as far as he could throw them—but not to the level of paranoia Barry exhibited. But his paranoia might have worked to their benefit today. Barry knew what they were working on. Once he realized there'd been an incident—if he'd still been on the premises—he might have encouraged Frieda to leave for her own safety. That, at least, would be one big problem resolved for the moment. Cristían would tackle the other problems as they came.

  Right now would be a good time for a little universal enlightenment.

  He got nothing.

  “I think it would be wise to keep our new abilities to ourselves.” He waved his arm, moving debris aside as he searched for their laptops. “There's nothing we can do to hide the fact Lupe exists.”

  “What if I can't control my shifting?”

  Cristían felt the panic in Jeremy as much as he heard it in his voice. He hurried over to his friend, cupped his head between his hands, and touched his forehead to his. “You are one of the strongest-willed men I know. You can do it.” He willed Jeremy to believe that.

  Jeremy nodded on a slowly released breath. “I'll throw my clothes in the shower and soak them. We'll tell Barry the experiment splattered me, and we ripped them off while I was under the shower…as a precaution.”

  “Good.” He squeezed Jeremy's shoulder and started to move away. Lupe's hovering presence stopped him. He lifted his arm and drew her against them in a group hug. Fear poured off all of them. It bonded them as much as the sex had, maybe more.

  One. They were one now. He'd fight to his last breath to keep it that way.

  “You understand what's going on?” he asked her. “That we need to keep it a secret that Jeremy and I have changed?”

  “Yes. I understand.” She burrowed closer. “I've always been good at keeping secrets. I'm a good listener.”

  Jeremy chuckled. “You sure are. The best confidant I've ever had.”

  Cristían wouldn't argue that. He'd poured his heart out to her since she'd come into his life. His salvation in the face of overwhelming grief.

  Jeremy squeezed another hug around them and pulled back. “Let's find those laptops. I'm not leaving them behind. In the wrong hands, the information on them would be disastrous.”

  A sickening sense of déjà vu rolled over Cristían. Well, he had asked for universal enlightenment. Now if he could only figure out what to do with it. He'd figure that out once he determined what everything meant.

  Chapter Six

  Did she understand? The words hurt. Of course Lupe understood. What did they think the last six months had been about? She'd been with them daily, listening, watching, cuddling. She reminded them when to eat, when to sleep, when to take a break. She'd been there when they were sad, offering comfort. Been there for the brief spates of joy, when an idea clicked for them and then worked. Watched Jeremy stroke himself day and night. Put up with that horrible woman in Cristían's bed. They were the ones who didn't understand. She loved them. Loved them so much, she'd wished their form upon herself. Now here she was, human. She could hardly believe it herself. All those years of studying the human race were going to finally pay off.

  Lupe rubbed her hand down her arm. Her new body felt different than she'd expected. Awkward and confusing one minute, exciting and joyful the next, and especially wondrous when they were mating. The experience was nothi
ng like it had been when she was a cat. She wanted to do it over and over again.

  She flexed her fingers, mesmerized by the way they curled closed, then stretched open. The nails were shorter than she'd imagined they'd be. Her teeth were blunt. Being without defenses didn't sit well. As she recalled from her years of observation, the nails would grow, but she was stuck with the teeth. She was going to miss those sharp points. They were great for ripping into fresh meat—although she wouldn't be doing that anymore either. Human used knives and forks, a skill she still had to acquire.

  The sensations running through this new body confused her as well, and she'd be the first to admit that fear and panic overrode her common sense. Who knew tears could set her off like that? She knew what tears were. She'd seen the children, women, and men she'd lived with over the years shed them regularly. It was the gut-clenching emotion that went with the tears that threw her off. But with each second she spent as a human, she understood the new sensations more, and they really weren't much different than what she already knew. Joy, pleasure, hunger, thirst, cold, and having to use the litter box.

  No, the toilet. That meant trying out more of the skills she'd memorized from six years of observation.

  “I need to go to the bathroom,” she told them.

  Jeremy's head jerked up from his search. “You know how?”

  She sniffed. “Of course. I'm very observant.” She just needed practice.

  Without another word, she picked her way toward the bathroom in the adjacent computer room, watchful for any glass Cristían might have missed with his sweep. The last thing she wanted to deal with was glass in her paws—feet. But he'd done a superb job, and once she stepped into the other room, there was no sign there'd been an explosion. She supposed that was one of the reasons the areas were kept separate.

  Lupe picked up in her pace. She really had to go and didn't want to have an accident. How embarrassing that would be. She'd mapped every crack and crevice of the place, always one of her first priorities when she found herself in a new location. The knowledge served her well, as her feet went on autopilot while she mulled over a few things. Her greatest wish had come true. Yes, the challenges were great, but she wasn't about to give up. She had her men, and she wasn't letting them go.

  Now…how to defeat Frieda. Because the woman had to go. She might smile and thrash about in bed with him, but the minute Cristían's back was turned, Frieda always lashed out at Lupe.

  Lupe grinned. That might have had something to do with the fact that Lupe always growled and hissed at Frieda, and perhaps the occasional claw swipe didn't help matters either. Then there was that sweet moment when Lupe had bitten the woman's ass.

  If Frieda had been pure of heart and had some affection for Cristían, Lupe might have overlooked her intrusion into their lives and eventually put up with her. The woman had neither. She was using Cristían for her own gain, whatever that was. Which Lupe supposed was fitting, since Cristían was doing the same thing to Frieda.

  A shudder wiggled down her back. Lupe would have destroyed all his work before letting him put Rose's life force into Frieda's body. He could do much better than her. He could use her. She'd do anything for him.

  Lupe finally arrived at her destination and stepped into the small bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Another pleasure of being human—privacy to relieve one's self. Lupe wasted no time doing just that, proud she'd negotiated the intricacies involved with that little problem. Watching clearly paid off. With a little practical application, she'd be top cat. Or was that top human? She shrugged and stared at herself in the mirror above the sink. She'd always loved watching herself in the mirror, trying out her moves and expressions.

  “I'm…pretty.” She combed her fingers down her long hair. It was perfect too! All the colors just like she'd had before, though a little more white would be nice. Like her friend Trina. Now there was a beautiful woman!

  Lupe jumped onto the narrow counter around the sink. Her reflexes were still sharp as ever, another plus.

  Standing, she unbuttoned the lab coat for a better look at her new body. Her light brown nipples wrinkled with the brush of cool air that passed over them. Who knew it would feel so good to have them touched?

  She let the coat drop and cupped one hand to her breast; the other she used to part her lower folds. The little nub between them wasn't as swollen as before and barely peeked out. One touch of her finger changed that.

  Lupe gasped and rolled her finger over it again. She'd seen women do this before and never understood. Now she did…and wanted it! She tweaked her nipple and pressed the pads of her fingers over her—what was it called?—clitoris. Her foot hit something in her excitement, and water gushed into the sink.

  She leaped off the sink and shrank against the wall, her heart hammering against her ribs. Trapped! She had to get past the monster to get to the door. It didn't bother her when the water was swirling down the toilet, but this moved fast.

  Lupe willed herself to calm down. Humans used water constantly and didn't die. If she was going to live as one, she had to get over this fear. Her foot had touched the faucet and turned it on. Nothing more. The water wasn't coming to get her. There was no deep, dark pool. No stench of rotted fish or wharf rats.

  Lupe swallowed hard, still staring at the rushing water. She could do this. She had to.

  Pulling in a shaky breath, she crept forward, her hand extended to shut the beast off. When she neared, Lupe dared a finger under the flow, then jerked back when it splashed her. She lived! In fact, it was no worse than rain. She tolerated rain—it was effective in keeping her clean.

  “I will defeat you.” She batted at the stream, then again. Emboldened, she shoved her hand under it and grinned with her new success. Then she nudged the faucet to cut it off.

  “Cristían and Jeremy will be so proud of me.” Lupe was proud of herself.

  Head high, shoulders back, she slipped the lab coat back on, then left the bathroom and practiced her slinkiest cat walk. Some things came naturally, whether a cat or a human. She smiled at her prowess and checked out the surveillance TVs as she walked through the computer room. Television was one of her greatest pleasures. It gave her valuable insight into the species she studied, allowed her to see places she'd never imagined, and helped her realize not all humans were murderers. With these particular televisions, Lupe could monitor the world outside. What a pleasure to be able to see them at this level. She'd never have to crane her neck again to watch them.

  A flash of movement caught the corner of her eye. She narrowed her vision, hoping to zero in on the finer details on that particular TV. Sorting through the colors in the foliage, Lupe picked out a discrepancy. Many discrepancies. She darted to another view of the exterior, then ran for her men.

  “We're being surrounded.” She pointed toward the surveillance monitors. “Mountain lions are hiding in the bushes around the house.”

  A simultaneous fuck burst from them. Cristían zipped past her. Jeremy wasn't far behind. Lupe brought up the rear. The call to action sent her blood surging. She was born to battle!

  “There!” She pointed to the nearest TV.

  Jeremy punched some keys, and the view closed in. “What the hell?”

  “Barry's car is still here.” Cristían dashed from one console to the next. His speed gave Lupe another rush. “Frieda's car is gone.”

  Jeremy moved with him, calling up one close-up after the other. “They're everywhere, Cristían! This is a planned attack!”

  “And Barry's up there on his own. Can you tap into Braden's computers and track him with his microchip?”

  Lupe watched Jeremy's fingers fly over the keyboard. She loved the music of those keys clicking, obeying Jeremy's every command.

  “Best I can tell, he's still nearby,” Jeremy said. “He could be hurt, trapped, or hiding.”

  “Or their hostage. That would explain why he didn't call my cell, why he wasn't in the basement the second the shields disengaged.” The power
in Cristían rippled her way. Lupe pulled it inside her, building her own reserves for the fight.

  “I'll lock them down again.”

  Cristían grabbed Jeremy's arm before he could move to do so. “No, I can't leave Barry alone up there at their mercy. If he's hurt or unconscious, gods only know what they'll do to him. Damn it, I told Wyatt we needed cameras inside the house!”

  Jeremy dropped his hand over Cristían's. The affection and respect in that touch spun Lupe's heart around.

  “They could be up there waiting for you,” he said.

  “Then I guess we'd better hope I'm really as indestructible as it seems.”

  “Every Superman has his kryptonite. I'd prefer to not find out what yours is today.”

  “Me either.” Cristían ran for the stairs. “Be prepared to lock it down at a moment's notice.”

  “I won't lock you out!” Jeremy shouted to Cristían's back.

  “And I won't have the two of you taken. Be watchful.” Cristían shoved his hand in his jeans pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “Call Wyatt. Now. If you can't reach him, call Joaquin. We need an extraction team.”

  Lupe caught the phone in one hand, then tossed it over to Jeremy. They made a fine team. The steel door closed behind Cristían.

  “Let the predator become the prey.” She locked her attention on the TVs. “I'm ready to stand and fight, Jeremy.”

  “Never a second's doubt, little warrior.”

  Tones beeped as Jeremy dialed. She'd memorized the melody long ago as Wyatt's number. Her attention never wavered. It felt good to be alive! Good to be making a stand with her men!

  Wyatt answered quickly.

  “We're trapped at the Prentice estate,” she heard Jeremy tell him. “Barry might be down. Cristían's gone to retrieve him. They've surrounded us.” He paused, then said, “The other clan.” Another pause as he glanced Lupe's way. “Extraction is going to be…tricky.”