Into the Heart 3: Into the Wild

by Caitlyn Willows

  “Pain, blood loss, shock.” Steven gave a halfhearted shrug. “I wasn't capable of stopping you, and I didn't realize that was your intent until after the fact. And now it seems…” He waved a hand down his body.

  Jeremy twisted around and braced against the sofa arm, the look on his face incredulous. “You're saying Cristían healed you of the virus?”

  “All I know is that I'm back to the way my people originally were.” He pointed to the plastic bags near the patio door. “The answer might be there. That's me the way I was before.” He pointed to himself. “This is me now. Lab results will provide more information. And we all know your lab is far superior to anything we have.”

  Lupe's cool fingers curled over Cristían's neck. “You think Cristían can save your people.”

  Steven nodded. “After this change in me, that's my hope. Getting my people to accept the cure might wind up being a battle all its own, though. The results of your recent secret experiments haven't sat well. They could view this as another attempt to kill us. If I continue to change and wind up looking like one of you, it will be war. They won't stop until they've bled you all dry.”

  And no one would be suspicious, since the mountain lions could take any form. Except, apparently, Steven.

  “I need to get dressed.” Cristían hopped to his feet and hurried to the bedroom.

  More confusion battled in his head. He sank to the bed and buried his head in his hands. Voices had told him he'd created a monster, and only he could stop it. Those same voices had told him skinwalkers were here, and he needed to kill them all. He didn't know what was real and what was false. Was this the insanity Frieda suffered? The virus had mutated and infected him? Yet Steven sat there. Another illusion? They could take any form. Every event tonight had fallen into such neat little slots. Was it wrong to suspect a trap?

  Hell, they could be saying the same thing about us. They were thinking the same thing. Why else plan a coup of the estate lab? Now Cristían's own clan had doubts about him, Jeremy, and Lupe. What would they find once they started running tests? He wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

  Skinwalker. He'd given his blood to another man and presumably changed him into something else. Not the true method of a skinwalker, but how could he know he wasn't a step below, a hybrid, a mutant?

  “Cristían?”

  He glanced up to see Jeremy standing in the doorway.

  “You're letting misplaced guilt eat at you.” Jeremy sat down on the bed next to him. They both leaned forward and stared at the floor.

  “Those voices—”

  “Transmitted into your mind by the microchip.”

  Cristían snorted. “Do you realize how unbelievable that sounds?”

  Jeremy twisted his way. “Do you realize how unbelievable all of this is?” He spread his arms. “Look at us.”

  “I know, but come on, Jer. It's a GPS microchip. It's more conceivable that it was damaged when I hit the floor. Let's not even consider the who or how of it; the better question would be why. Why target me? We all have the chips.”

  “All right, it was damaged, and the voices you're hearing are from the Akashic Field, for lack of a better description. I get that. I'm getting some sort of insight too. But only when the three of us come at the same time.”

  “I can't make sense of it, Jer.” And maybe that's what was driving him so crazy. “Everything's muddled.”

  “No surprise there.” Jeremy rubbed his hand down Cristían's back. “We're exhausted. Every time we turn around, it's something different. We need some fucking sleep.”

  “Well, we're not going to get it anytime soon. Once we hit the medical lab, there will be one test after the other. If Joaquin finds anything suspicious…” Cristían didn't want to think about it, much less say it out loud. “Maybe we should run. Steven's Jeep can't be far. We'll throw what we can in a duffel bag…”

  “If that's what you want, I have a lot of money set aside that could see us through for the rest of…”

  Cristían looked his way. Jeremy's mouth had dropped open with the realization of just how long the rest of his life was going to be now.

  “Yes, that's a very long time.” Cristían had seen more than a few centuries pass.

  Jeremy straightened. “A very long time to live with true guilt too. From what I know of your people, they've never run from anything. They've always made a stand and faced things head-on. Hell, you might be able to save Steven's people. Do you want to turn your back on that, to remember a hundred or a thousand years from now that you might have had the ability to save their species, but you never tried? I gotta tell you, Cristían, up until this last year, I did turn my back on everybody. It was all about me. It's an awful way to live.”

  Cristían let out a long sigh. “This last year has been the best of my life. I've spent most of it with you and Lupe, trying to help find a better something for everyone. If you want to run, then I'll go with you, because I know I can't live without the two of you. But I can tell you from experience that the guilt of running could very well pull us apart and leave us with nothing.”

  Jeremy's logic and insight cleared the fog from Cristían's head. He was right, down to the last word. Cristían didn't have all the answers, but he did know he had to be true to himself. Whatever he might physically be, his heart and soul were the same.

  “We need a more firm plan before we leave here.” He smacked his thighs and pushed to his feet. “Let's see if we can convince Joaquin to come back inside and hear us out.”

  * * * *

  Joaquin nursed a bottle of beer. He'd agreed to listen, with the provision that Jeremy and Steven also accept a shot to suppress shifting. Neither cared. At that point Steven was too shell-shocked to refuse, and Jeremy was too locked on to investigating the mystery of everything to care if he could shift. Cristían was surprised Joaquin didn't demand Lupe get a shot as well. He was either trusting that she couldn't shift, or was of the opinion her shifting was little threat to him. The shots wouldn't prevent them from shifting, merely delay it long enough for Joaquin to leave safely. He'd have little to fear from a small calico cat.

  Cristían kept laughter at his speculation to himself. Lupe as a cat was tough. She could sink those claws and teeth deep and make an adversary think a tiger rode him. Human Lupe would be no different. She had the heart of a warrior. Even now she eyed Joaquin from her chair—her throne, they'd jokingly called it—rarely blinking, body tensed if Joaquin dared threaten the men she loved. Her devotion and loyalty did things to Cristían he hadn't felt in centuries. Squeezed his heart so hard, he felt it in his balls.

  Silence dragged on. Joaquin sat astride a dining-room chair he'd dragged into the living room, resting his arms over the back, using it as a shield between him and them. Cristían resented the dominant display but didn't argue. Instead he'd sat on the coffee table. Not as dominant, but enough to show Joaquin he wouldn't be screwed with. As rankings went within the jaguar clan, Joaquin might be higher, but Cristían would be as alpha as he or Wyatt. Jeremy sat on the edge of the sofa to Cristían's right. Steven had yet to move from the other end, other than to speak.

  Cristían had had enough of the silent treatment. They were wasting time. “Say something.”

  “Like what?” Joaquin smacked the half-empty bottle on the end table. “You expect me to believe everything you say? Why should I, when you didn't reveal it after the accident? I can't even come up with a plausible reason why you withheld the information in the first place.”

  “Fear? Stupidity? The fact there were two mountain lion shifters there at the time?”

  “There's one here now!” He flicked his hand at Steven. “You had ample opportunity when Carmen and I were here earlier to tell us about these voices…visions… Whatever!”

  Cristían's patience was wearing thin. “Put yourself in my shoes, Joaquin. If you had those voices in your head, you would have done the same.”

  “It's not possible that chip could be transmitting mind-altering signa
ls to you,” he countered.

  “Why not?” Jeremy asked.

  Joaquin slid a glare his way. They all knew the answer—it would mean someone knew about the chip and had the means and technology to hack into it. If Cristían's chip was compromised, all the chips could be. Complete takeover. Body and mind. A new form of skinwalker. Only one group had motive for doing so, and one of their members was sitting here. If Cristían hadn't seen Steven healed, he wouldn't have believed it. Maybe Steven wasn't. Maybe that was a ruse too. Who knew what secrets they kept, what secrets they'd kill for? Cristían couldn't even mindspeak with Joaquin now; Steven would hear. Maybe they could all along.

  They were a species able to take any form. Why was Cristían so willing to believe he'd been able to heal Steven? He had no pride to salvage, no ego to assuage, only the instinct compelling him to save the man. You are responsible, only you can stop it. Those words, ones he'd remember for the rest of his life, held new meaning now. He was partially responsible for the latest mutation in the mountain lions, and it appeared he might be the only one to stop it.

  “Is it still transmitting?” Jeremy asked.

  “Yes, it was the last time I checked.” Joaquin nodded.

  Jeremy pressed his palms together, a plea to Joaquin. “Then let me evaluate it. I helped design the thing. I can tell if it's a malfunction or a real threat.”

  “I'm not handing over technology to you, when I can't be sure who the hell you really are,” Joaquin calmly replied.

  “You'll know soon enough,” Jeremy replied and flopped back into the cushion. “You've got my DNA and blood work on file. A quick comparison will—”

  “You know damn well there's little quick about it,” Joaquin snapped.

  “You'll know enough.” Cristían heard the tightness in Jeremy's voice, knew he pushed the words out through clenched teeth. “Unless you plan to keep the four of us locked up until a full workup comes back.”

  Lupe's eyes flared wider. Her breathing increased. Cristían surged to his feet. Joaquin leaped up, toppling his chair.

  “Calm down.” Cristían said the words to Joaquin, but they were meant for Lupe. He stood behind her, leaned over her chair, and pressed his fingers against her neck. He made some slow circles against her nape. It always seemed to ease her fears as a cat. He hoped it worked now, when she was a human as well.

  Joaquin righted the chair and resumed his position. “Fine,” he said, looking at Jeremy. “We can get preliminary results on you and Cristían. But what about them?” He jerked his head to Steven and flicked his hand at Lupe. “We have nothing to compare.”

  Steven nudged the plastic bag at his foot. “This verifies the virus. I have no idea what my blood will show now. If you need further data, I can access our records through your computer and give you everything you need.”

  Risky, letting “one of them” near their computers. But damn it, someone had to start trusting somewhere, and there should be enough firewalls and security to protect their system. It still didn't explain how his GPS chip had been hacked…if it was hacked.

  “Fair enough for now. And her?” Joaquin looked over Lupe's head to Cristían. “I presume she has a cat toy somewhere.”

  Cristían felt her bristle and the hairs lift on the back of her neck.

  “I am a warrior. I do not play with toys.”

  He regretted he couldn't see the cold disdain leveled Joaquin's way. Jeremy's smirk told him it was pure ice queen.

  “My apologies, lady cat.” Respect glinted from Joaquin's eyes. He'd paid her quite an honor with the title.

  Lupe's muscles relaxed. Cristían brushed his hands over her shoulders. “I'm sure I'll be able to find a brush with her DNA on it,” he assured Joaquin.

  “Very well. Once we have preliminary findings, I'll authorize you to analyze the chip,” Joaquin said, looking at Jeremy. “At the institute's lab and nowhere else,” he added. Joaquin slid his gaze to Cristían. “Any other revelations? I'd really like to get moving. It's already been a long night, with an even-longer day ahead.”

  “None.” Cristían straightened, momentarily hovering over the other man. “I'll walk you out.”

  Joaquin swung his leg back as he stood, muscles flexed with the move, his own boast of power. “Always a pleasure to have your company.”

  They headed to the door in tandem, then walked outside. The breeze had shifted, bringing with it the heavy scent of mountain lion. They were being watched. It didn't speak well of Steven's motivation.

  “Odd that they've chosen now to show up,” Joaquin said.

  Apparently he trusted the mindspeak enough here to use it. Or maybe he didn't care if they were overheard. Cristían wasn't sure how to respond. “Neighbor behind me saw a black bear earlier. Called the cops.” He waited for a whiff of fear to follow. Nothing. Bears were one of a big cat's biggest fears. Had the mountain lions been eavesdropping, one of them would have reacted.

  “Clever.” Joaquin clicked the truck door open with his key fob. “Steven might be telling the truth after all.”

  “And me?”

  Joaquin climbed behind the wheel. “Still trying to decide. You look the same, smell the same…but we've been fooled before.”

  “Not fooled, just not observant. We put down the lack of mindspeak to trauma and never questioned it otherwise. We didn't know the mountain lion clan existed until then.”

  “And now we do.” Joaquin put the kit on the floor, then stabbed his key into the ignition. “And one of them is in your house with that ability right now.”

  “A monster I created?” Cristían already knew that's what Joaquin thought.

  The other man had the nerve to shrug. “Or you are.” The engine roared to life. “You escorted me out here for a reason…”

  “You need to verify everyone's chip is operational.”

  “So you can hack them?”

  Cristían slammed the door shut in his face. The sound echoed through the neighborhood like a gunshot. Lupe burst from the house. Jeremy hooked her elbow and hauled her to safety behind him as he came out as well. Cristían fought the shimmer indicating an imminent shift and peppered Joaquin with every disgusting word he could think of, in every language, some current, some obscure, most extinct.

  He turned on his heel and marched toward the only two people he could trust. “Pack our things!” He shouted in a voice no one would have any trouble hearing. “We're leaving. They can all die for all I care. All of you!” The three of them would start their own line. Screw the others.

  Lupe tossed her arms around his waist and burrowed her head against his chest, stopping him in his tracks. “You don't mean that, Cristían. You know you don't mean that. You do care. It's one of the reasons I love you so much. You do care.”

  He clutched her to him and squeezed his eyes shut against the emotions swirling around him—fear, anger, hurt…now love and comfort to usurp them all. Strong fingers curled over his shoulder; then Jeremy pressed his forehead to Cristían's. He soaked in the comfort and made plans. He had money too. They'd find a place on a secure mountaintop, where the sun was always warm and rain enriched the land.

  Other fingers touched his back. “I'm sorry,” Joaquin said softly. “I had to be sure. I didn't want to make another mistake. The last one nearly destroyed us all.”

  Cristían turned his head but refused to look at his lifelong friend. “And are you sure now?”

  “No…just less doubtful. Few would know most of the words you hurled my way. Some of them I'd forgotten.”

  So had Cristían, until rage yanked them from memory.

  “Come with me to the institute. At least you'll be safe and comfortable at the medical facility there.”

  Geared specifically for their species. If only the mountain lions had told them about their illness in the first place… He was back to that—saving them. Lupe and Jeremy knew him so much better than Cristían knew himself.

  “I love you both,” he whispered.

  Jeremy's hold tightene
d. “I love you too, my friend…my best friend. You've helped me realize the good person I can be. You've helped me shed that hateful, selfish person I used to be. You make me want to be a better person. You make me want to be like you—the type of man who still believes in something more, even when there might seem like there's no hope left. I'm with you, no matter what you decide.”

  Lupe looked up. “I will never leave you. Never.”

  Cristían brushed his fingers over her cheek. “And I will defeat anyone who tries to take either of you from me.” He kissed her forehead, tucked her head under his chin, then drew Jeremy to them in a group hug he ended far too soon.

  His gaze fell to Steven, hovering inside the door. “Your people are watching the house.”

  “I know.” Steven smirked. “You really didn't think I was stupid enough to come here without subsequent backup, did you?”

  “Fair enough,” he admitted with grudging respect. “They need to know you're coming with us willingly.” Cristían considered telling him to do whatever it took to convince them, that he would kill any of them who tried to harm Steven. But that would only put the mountain lion clan on the offensive, defeating what he and the others hoped to accomplish—saving their lives.

  “Done.” Steven strode forward and brushed by them. For the first time, Cristían was seeing the real alpha in him. Steven addressed the shadows. “All is well. I'm going with them to the Braden Institute willingly. Just follow me and wait.” He'd spoken softly, but in a voice those sensitive ears could easily hear. Steven waited a few more seconds, then returned to Cristían and the others. He still clutched the plastic bag of bloodied towels in his hand. No telling what his clansmen thought of that.

  “We're almost ready,” Cristían told Joaquin. “You will not, at any time, separate the three of us. Do whatever it takes to see we are together at all times. If we aren't”—this time, he had no problem issuing threats—“then I will tear the place apart to get to them. Trust me; I now possess the power to do so.” And they could all do what they wanted with that snippet of information.