The Liger's Mark

by Lacey Thorn

  “I’m heading out for a bit,” Laura said, turning and heading toward the door. “I need a run, and I have a bear waiting on me.” She wiggled her eyebrows, which made Kenzie laugh out loud while Gabriel shook his head.

  “Well, that sounds familiar,” Holt said coming up to them.

  Kenzie waited to see what Gabriel would do and caught her breath when he held his hand out to Holt.

  “I owe you a huge thank you for taking care of my mate while I was too stupid to,” Gabriel said gruffly.

  Holt opened his mouth then closed it, glancing at Kenzie, who beseeched him with her eyes to accept her mate. He sighed and slowly nodded.

  “You’re welcome,” he offered, accepting Gabriel’s hand and shaking it.

  “Are you feeling better?” Holt asked Kenzie.

  “Yes, I feel incredible.” Her stomach growled, making her laugh. “Apparently, I’m also hungry.”

  “Dinner was yummy,” Vic told her, joining them briefly with her mate. “I think I could use an early night myself.”

  Gideon growled, and the heated look he sent his mate made it blatantly clear to everyone that they wouldn’t be sleeping, at least not immediately. Vic giggled, something Kenzie couldn’t ever remember hearing the other woman do, and gave a finger wave as she and her mate followed Laura out the door.

  “We saved dinner for you,” Laramie called to them, finally stepping from behind the desk and greeting them. “I’ll let my brothers know you’re ready to eat and meet you in the kitchen.”

  “Thanks,” Gabriel said.

  He and Laramie seemed to exchange some type of message with just their eyes, and Gabriel bent to kiss her above her ear. “Just a minute,” he whispered and walked over to where Laramie stood. The two moved into what appeared to be a hallway, speaking quietly to each other.

  Kenzie turned to Holt.

  “How’s your arm?” she asked him.

  “Fine,” he said. “Bullet just nicked me.”

  “Thank you.” She leaned in to give him a hug. “You saved my life.”

  “What are friends for?” he joked then glanced down at her seriously. “I’m glad to see you returning to normal. I hope you stay like this. It killed me to see you broken the way you were.”

  “The only thing that will break me now is if I lose him,” she admitted, letting her glance skim across to where her mate stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Laramie.

  As if he sensed her gaze, he looked up and smiled at her.

  “I’m glad he finally realized how important you are,” Holt huffed.

  “By the way, please tell me you managed to grab the box from the motel room before we left.”

  “Yeah,” Holt informed her. “It’s in the trunk of the car.”

  “Can you bring it in? I really need to see what’s inside.”

  “Sure, I’ll go get it now,” Holt promised.

  Gabriel joined them again, catching the end of their conversation.

  “My mate and I need to eat first,” Gabriel said. “Then we can see what answers are available to us.”

  “I’ll have it in here and ready for you,” Holt assured them.

  “I really appreciate it,” Kenzie said and gave him another hug before letting her mate pull her to his side and lead her out of the main room.

  They met Laramie at a door and followed him. Kenzie glanced around as they walked, heading through a huge restaurant-style dining room into a large kitchen. She saw two other men there who reminded her of Laramie, but they merely nodded and went back to whatever they were cooking.

  “My brothers,” Laramie acknowledged and kept moving until they reached a slate-topped table where two places were set with silverware and glasses.

  Gabriel pulled a chair out for her, and she sat. One of the brothers set a loaded plate in front of her while the other poured tea in their glasses then they both disappeared again. Lord, Vic was right. The bear shifters were as big as Gabriel and just as muscularly built.

  “How many brothers do you have?” she asked Laramie, not remembering all the names Vic had given her.

  “Six,” he said. “Declan said you might want to stay longer? I understand you’re in some type of trouble?”

  Gabriel nodded. “She’s got a group of hunters after her, and we need to find out why.”

  “I owe you a thank you. I was almost grabbed when we stopped at a motel. I appreciate you letting us intrude,” Kenzie said.

  “Gabriel and his friends are always welcome,” Laramie said.

  “I most likely still have hunters after me,” Kenzie warned. She really hoped she didn’t lead them to Laramie’s door.

  “I know,” Laramie told her.

  “Two of his brothers caught a couple of hunters trying to scout the place out,” Gabriel said, and Kenzie figured that must have been what the two had been discussing privately earlier.

  “Was anyone hurt?” Kenzie asked. God, she didn’t want anyone else hurt because of her.

  “The hunters are dead,” Laramie said with no concern in his voice. “They know the penalty for attempting to enter our land.”

  “It would have been nice to have one alive,” Kenzie said. “Maybe get some answers from them.”

  “We do not take prisoners,” Laramie said. “There are no chances given. Hunters have almost wiped my people out. There is no mercy for me to give.”

  “I’m sorry,” Kenzie offered. “I had no idea.”

  “You’d do well to learn from us before the cat shifters face a similar fate. The wolves have already begun to rally. The new alphas are strong and fierce, as is the mate they’ve taken,” Laramie said.

  “Yeah, still hard for me to believe,” Gabriel said. “Four alphas, and they all have the same mate.”

  “Jess,” Kenzie offered. “She’s the professor’s daughter,” she added when both men looked at her. “From what Abby and the professor say, she’s very happy. Is it so uncommon for shifter’s to share mates?”

  Gabriel growled. “I don’t share. I know of very few cats who do.”

  “You know of some, though?” Kenzie asked.

  “A few, but they are all females with human mates,” he stated.

  “Maybe they need more than one human to make up for not having a shifter between their thighs,” Laramie said with a devilish grin that made Kenzie laugh.

  “Do bears share?” she inquired.

  “Never,” he said. “I would rip the heart out of friend or foe if they chose to try and take what was mine.”

  “Are any of you mated?” Kenzie asked, leaning in closer. “I haven’t seen any women other than Vic and Laura.”

  “No,” he said with a shake of his head. “We have not had the joy of meeting the ones who will complete our souls. The hope still burns bright in our hearts.”

  “You’re going to make some woman very happy one day,” Kenzie said, making Gabriel growl.

  “I truly hope so,” Laramie said with a grin. “As happy as your mate has obviously made you.”

  “Blissfully happy,” Kenzie said, glancing at Gabriel and smiling as his chest hummed with a purr.

  “We’ll help you in any way we can,” Laramie offered, straightening from the table. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you need to.”

  “We’ll try not to stick around too long, especially with hunters trying to get in here,” Gabriel said. “I’m sorry about that.”

  “Let them come. We don’t fear them, and your mate will be safe with us,” Laramie stated arrogantly.

  “Thank you.” Gabriel stood, and he and Laramie gripped palms and held for a moment. Then without another word, Laramie turned and left.

  “This is delicious,” Kenzie said, digging into the food on her plate.

  “Venison stroganoff,” Gabriel said as he dug in.

  They ate until both were full. Kenzie sat back with a sigh.

  “I swear I feel as if I could run for miles, like I could climb mountains,” she said.

  “Your beast is stretching,” G
abriel said. “Let me know when you feel the overwhelming urge to shift and run. It’ll be soon.”

  “I’m nervous about that,” she admitted. “I’ve felt a few twinges here and there, but nothing I couldn’t handle. I haven’t experienced an uncontrollable urge, yet. I’m still waiting for that.”

  He stood then pulled her out of her seat and into his arms. “I’ll be with you every step of the way. I’ll help you shift then join you, and we’ll run together.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  “Now, let’s go find your box and see what’s inside. Did the woman who gave it to you give any clues?” he asked.

  “She just said the cougar female I thought of as my mother had left it for me. Then she told me to leave and never come asking questions again.”

  They made their way back the way they’d come, and Kenzie wasn’t surprised to see everyone gone. The box sat on the low coffee table, drawing Kenzie’s attention immediately.

  “Would you like to open it here or take it back to our cabin?” Gabriel asked.

  “Let’s go ahead and try it here,” she said, going to her knees beside the table.

  “Try?”

  “This box is like a curse,” she admitted, eyeing it warily. “Every time I’ve tried to open it, my beast won’t let me.”

  “What do you mean, ‘it won’t let you’?”

  “Cramps. Nausea. It steals my breath and knocks me to my knees,” she told him. “I thought this time I’d start already on them.”

  He reached out and touched her shoulder. “How do you feel now?”

  She blew out a breath. “Surprisingly okay.” She glanced up at him. “That makes no sense.” She reached out and touched the box, just to test her beast. Nothing. She worked one end of the tape loose and paused. Still nothing.

  “I don’t understand. Why now? Why make me wait until this moment?”

  Gabriel looked thoughtful. “Maybe your beast needed me here or felt you might need me here.”

  Of course, her beast had done that. It made perfect sense after what Gideon had told them.

  “Okay then. Are you ready for this?” she asked him.

  He nodded and took a spot across from her, sitting quietly and watching as she slowly worked the tape free and tugged the top flaps open. There were a bunch of loose papers inside and scattered photos, faded with age. There was a baby blanket, a small stuffed bear, and various other odds and ends. She pulled out the photos and papers and placed them on the table, lifting the box off and setting it on the floor.

  She looked through the pictures first. There were several of a pregnant woman Kenzie had never seen before. She appeared terrified. Then there were photos of a baby, red-faced and squalling, appearing freshly born. There were at least a dozen of the baby lying in a small cage that was sitting on a countertop. There were tubes and wires running through the cage into the baby, and the newborn was crying, fists and feet flailing in the pictures.

  She shook her head, feeling nauseous and afraid her dinner was about to reappear as she continued looking. There was one of the baby turned on its side. The next showed a close-up of the top of the buttock where a mark had been branded into the skin. Jesus! Just seeing it made her flesh ache, right in the spot they’d placed it on her.

  “My God,” Kenzie breathed. “What were they doing?” She shoved the pictures aside, her heart beating furiously in her chest.

  “Let me see,” Gabriel said, scooping up the pictures and moving to the couch behind her while he sorted through them.

  She reached for the stack of papers.

  “These are all dates and times,” she said of the first few pages. “With some type of coding after them. I’m not sure what any of it means.”

  “We’ll need to find someone familiar with codes, someone who might have an idea of what they were doing in those labs,” Gabriel said, glancing up from the pictures. He was taking his time and really studying them, something Kenzie hadn’t been able to do. “What else is there?”

  “These are journal entries, about subject eight three one five,” Kenzie said as she shuffled through them.

  “What about that?” he asked with a nod toward the only thing remaining, and she knew he understood her desire not to skim through the journal pages, yet. She was still reeling from the pictures.

  The last item on the table was an envelope addressed to her. Gabriel set the pictures aside and reached for the journal pages while Kenzie tore open the seal and pulled out the folded pages of a letter. She read it through once and shook her head, her mind unable to believe the story unfolding. She read it again and still shook her head in shock. It couldn’t be true. A sob caught in her throat.

  Gabriel scooted from the couch to sit on the floor behind her then lifted her onto his lap.

  “It’s me,” she whispered, accepting the truth. “The baby in the pictures is me. The cougar shifter’s name was Meara. She said a group of hunters captured my mother. They mistook her for the human mate of a shifter, but Meara says she was a shifter. They chose human mates, thinking their children would better fit the experiment.” She shook her head, still seeing the letter. “What monsters take pregnant women hostage so they can experiment on them and their unborn children?” she cried.

  “The worst kind,” he whispered against her temple. “God, I’m so sorry, baby.”

  “Meara wrote that I’m the only one who survived. The others were all stillborn. She said there was a group searching for us, and she and her husband were a part of it. By the time they found us, I was all that was left. Luckily, there was someone on the inside, someone who helped them. Through him, they were able to smuggle me out of the labs. I was only a few weeks old. ” She stared at him, knowing the horror inside her was reflected in her gaze. “All the rest died. I can’t wrap my head around that.”

  “They’re cruel, vicious bastards,” Gabriel growled.

  “I agree with Laramie, now. I don’t think there’s any mercy left in me. Those women and their babies. The lives and families destroyed by this. For what? Because we’re different?”

  “Some people will never accept what they can’t understand,” Gabriel said. “This is why I do what I do, why I became the Angel. It’s for this very reason that I hunt the guilty down. You are why I am the hand of justice, the executioner. I swear to you, every one of them will pay for what was done to you.”

  She nodded, knowing he meant every word.

  “Meara was the one who took me once I was out. She was told not to keep me but to stay close enough to keep a careful eye on me. So she hid me in plain sight with the help of the woman I knew as my social worker, Ms. Karsey. They were never sure of exactly what had been done to me in that lab.”

  “I skimmed the journal pages,” Gabriel said. “It sounds like they were trying to find a way to isolate and kill the beast before it emerged.”

  She shook her head, anger and rage rising up to challenge the deep sorrow filling her.

  “Meara warns me if the hunters figure out who I am, they won’t stop until they get me and when they do, I’ll wish I was dead.”

  “Listen to me,” he said and tipped her face up until she met his gaze. “No one is going to get to you. You have no idea of the carnage I left in my wake the last time a group of hunters tried to take you. That was before we were mated. There is no limit to how far I’ll go to protect you. I think it might be best if we head home to the ranch. You’ll be safer there. No one gets in or out of Riverton without me knowing. I’ll make some calls in the meantime. See if any of my contacts have heard of this and might be able to help us figure it out,” he assured her. “Just know this. No matter what they tried to do or thought they did do, you survived. There’s purpose in that.”

  “I need to find out who she was,” Kenzie said, glancing at the picture of the pregnant woman. “Meara said the man who helped them snuck her what he could. The pictures and a few pages from the journals they kept. She said he would get more to her but didn’t show up at their next mee
ting. She thinks he was discovered and killed.”

  Gabriel picked up one of the photos of the woman. “She doesn’t look much like you. You must take after your father,” he said.

  “Someone somewhere is missing her,” Kenzie said. “They’ll know who she is. We just have to find them.”

  Kenzie wouldn’t rest until they did.

  Chapter Ten

  Gabriel woke the next morning to the soft touch of Kenzie’s hand stroking up and down his erection. He moaned in appreciation, flexing his hips into her wicked touch.

  “Morning,” she whispered and began peppering kisses along his shoulder and chest.

  “Mm-hmm,” he replied, lost in her touch. “You feel so good.”

  “I can feel better,” she vowed and began licking her way down his chest and stomach while her hand continued to stimulate him.

  Her tongue flicked out as she reached his groin and slid over the swollen head crowning his shaft. Her moan traveled down his dick and settled in his balls. God, she was amazing.

  “Suck it,” he ordered but she merely placed sucking kisses over him instead. He reached down and gripped her hair in his fist. “Suck me,” he grunted, tightening his thighs and lifting his hips toward her.

  She turned her face so his cock skimmed along her cheek, nuzzling his groin and nipping the inside of his hip joint instead. He groaned and tugged her back toward the tip.

  “Kenzie,” he warned.

  She laughed, the silky sound washing over him and making his heart swell. His. She was all his.

  Her tongue swirled and licked as she caressed him again, and this time she opened her mouth wide and took the head inside, sucking greedily on it. Her tongue tapped and lashed, rubbing the slit on top and tasting the pre-cum spilling from it. She moaned again, and it seemed she was done teasing him. Her mouth whirled around him, meeting her fingers mid-shaft as she worked him into a frenzy.

  He jerked back his hips, and she released him with a loud pop followed by a groan.

  “Mm-hmm, I was enjoying that.”