Tempting Flame (The Jendari Book 1)

by DJ Michaels

  "True." Tallis took a breath and hoped he'd be able to do what he planned. "I'm going to try to track her through our emotional connection." It was a long shot, for certain, and Tallis had no idea if he could pull it off. But a long shot was all they had.

  He'd told his brothers he cared for Jaz, but the truth was he loved her. He'd been lost to her the moment he sank inside her body—committed to her if only in the secrecy of his own heart. If she felt strongly enough about him he could use their mutual connection like a tether, reeling it in until he found her location.

  "If I can—" He stopped when he felt the presence of his me'hendra. "Itohan's here."

  "Well," Kasim sat back and linked his hands behind his head. "He'll either be a wonderful help or the worst hindrance known to the clans."

  The low-humming anxiety Tallis had been dealing with suddenly kicked up a notch. Itohan had no concept of moderation, so he could either save the day or ruin it. Not out of maliciousness, and not because he didn't want to help—but because the arrogant ass always assumed he was right.

  The furred martinet stalked into the room, ignored the warriors at the table, and jumped onto the smooth wooden surface. Itohan prowled to where Tallis was sitting and dropped onto his belly with a loud sigh. Folding his front paws he lowered his head and pinned Tallis with bright green eyes.

  Me help you.

  Thank you, Itohan. I'll accept whatever help you'd care to give. Tallis sent up a silent prayer to Badria. Perhaps with Her guidance, Itohan might offer something that would actually be helpful.

  "Some bad men have taken Jasmine." Tallis spoke out loud so his brothers could follow his half the conversation. No one but Tallis could hear Itohan's thoughts. "I intend to use my emotional bond with her to track her."

  Itohan let out a satisfied chuff. Mates. Told you.

  "Yes, you did." Tallis's heartbeat accelerated as he asked the question that could save him—or not. "Can you help me?"

  Yes. Told you already. Itohan sneezed in Tallis's direction, no doubt in retaliation for Tallis being slow on the uptake.

  "And what assistance will you offer?" Please, please let it be something useful.

  We will hunt together. Yours is mine.

  Tallis blinked as Itohan oh-so-casually laid claim to Jaz. The me'hendra were very picky about who they called their own and they kept exclusively to their rhe'hashan. Itohan had just declared that, in his mind, Jaz belonged to Tallis. So, by extension, she also belonged to Itohan.

  And Tallis was fine with that if it got him one step closer to getting Jaz safely home.

  Itohan continued on as though he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell. The feathered one comes with us. The others use tin transport.

  And the other me'hendra?

  They're on their way.

  Tallis nodded at Itohan then looked to his friends. "Itohan would like Lioth to fly with us." Lioth's alternate form was a harbinger, a large, black bird of prey who would be invisible in the night sky. He would be able to keep an eye on Tallis and Itohan as well as scout for approaching problems.

  "The rest of you can follow us in an SUV, if that's agreeable. It'll be the easiest way to transport the me'hendra, and we'll need a vehicle to bring Jaz home."

  Tallis's friends could have joined the hunt in their alternate forms, but he didn't want to take the risk. Phasing to claw and fur in the city was reckless, but it was the only way he could keep up with Itohan. And if two of them on foot was dangerous, all four of them in animal form—plus their me'hendra—was a disaster waiting to happen. Deasun was wolven, but he was twice the size of the wolves native to Earth. Kasim's lepardine was bred for snow and ice, and his pelt would shine like a beacon in the cityscape. In his ursaine form, Hadar was built for power not stealth and he wouldn't be able to keep up with Itohan's pace as he tracked Jaz.

  Tallis's friends were all fierce hunters, but they were born to stalk in nature, not in a city like New York.

  ****

  The rhe'hashan ate, then rested up. Tallis made no protest at feeding the bottomless me'hendra even though his unexpected guests—both two and four legged—had emptied his kitchen of food.

  As nightfall approached they prepared for battle. Dressed in black leather boots, pants and vests, they strapped on their preferred weapons. Like his brothers, Tallis had braided his hair into a single tight tail that fell between his shoulders.

  The moment the sun sank to the horizon they collected their gear, then all five warriors and their me'hendra made their way to the transit pad in Tallis's walk-in closet.

  They'd decided to go to the tower and egress from there. That way, if they were seen, Tallis and Deasun's living quarters wouldn't be compromised. They also need to go to the tower to pick up two SUVs. Earlier in the day Tallis had called Borini to explain the situation and, at Tallis's request, the vehicles had been authorized for their use.

  They exited the transit chamber at the tower and made their way down to the car park, boots silent and not so much as a clink of metal coming from the bags of weapons. Once they reached the SUVs, Hadar dropped his burden to the ground and crouch beside it. Unzipping the bag he pulled out four leather wrist bands. He handed one each to Tallis, Deasun, and Kasim while keeping the last for himself.

  Each band carried a tracking beacon and a communicator. It also had a pulse emission that, once activated, would jam any cell phone or surveillance cameras within a half-mile radius. He also withdrew a special harness for Lioth's harbinger form, which had an imager added to the usual tech.

  They also had special collars for the me'hendra, and each feline sat quietly while the equipment was buckled on.

  "Are we all set?" Tallis asked.

  At the murmured assents and firm nods, he stepped to one side and began to sing. The phase was smooth and, as always, Tallis felt a surge of joy as his tigaren came out to play. Even in a situation as grim as this the pleasure of his furred form couldn't be denied.

  Tallis stood still while Kasim buckled his collar and as soon as it was in place, Itohan pushed forward. Pressing close, me'hendra and tigaren leaned against each other from head to tail.

  Drop barriers.

  Tallis complied, dropping the shields he habitually kept around his mind and his emotions. Itohan surged in, mingling mind, heart and soul—cat to cat, me'hendra to Jendari, brother to brother.

  Think of your mate.

  That wasn't hard. Tallis had done little else for the past week. Concentrating on keeping the images chaste, he pictured Jaz in all her beauty. Her wild, pink-tipped hair and her expressive blue-green eyes. The soft, curvy body he longed to stroke. Her full, smiling mouth and the music of her laughter. Then he pictured her with his heart, focusing on her generosity, her courage, and her sensuality. Finally he allowed his body to fill up with the love he felt for her, an indulgence he had denied himself until now. Throwing self-preservation and self-protection to the wind, he not only allowed himself his feelings—he immersed himself in them.

  Itohan growled his approval then gave an encouraging chuff. Hunt now.

  And with that the me'hendra took off.

  ****

  Tallis stayed on Itohan's flank as they ran through the city using alleyways, shadows and even rooftops to hide their progress. At first the going was slow. A series of stop/start bursts of speed from one shelter to the next. The further they traveled, the faster they ran, quickly acclimating to the unusual hunting conditions. They passed through the inner city and were deep into the suburbs when Tallis finally felt Jaz for himself.

  Until now he'd been relying entirely on Itohan, but when Tallis's senses finally detected his human he growled in satisfaction and increased his speed.

  He had no idea how far they'd traveled or how long they'd run. It didn't matter. In this form Tallis could run all night, and he would if that's what it took to save Jaz.

  Every stride brought her closer and as he closed the distance her presence grew stronger and clearer in his mind. They were close. Close enough
he could almost taste her.

  Stop now.

  No. Tallis snarled and kept running, too close to his prey to pull back.

  Itohan didn't argue, he just leaped onto Tallis's back and dragged him down in a tangle of legs, paws and tails.

  Tallis snapped a warning. Get off me.

  No.

  Tallis snapped again, this time trying to find flesh under his teeth. Itohan somehow managed to twist to avoid the bite while still pinning Tallis down.

  Need pack now. Wait and hunt together.

  No.

  You want to die? Want to kill her too? Itohan wrapped his jaws around the scruff of Tallis's neck. Idiot cub. Then he gave Tallis a dignity-stripping shake.

  Pinned, angry and frustrated, it took longer than it should have for Tallis's head to clear. Finally he heaved a sigh and forced his body to relax. Fine. I'm done.

  Listen now?

  Yes.

  We find good shelter. Call in the pack.

  Forcing himself to use his warrior brain rather than his tigaren instincts, Tallis looked around the vicinity for a protected staging area. The cry of a harbinger came out of the darkness, and Tallis immediately followed Lioth's call. Keeping to the shadows he and Itohan trotted into a darkened strip mall and headed for a small gap between two buildings. The alleyway was dark and sheltered by high walls, giving them plenty of cover.

  Tallis phased back to his two-legged form. Between one breath and the next he'd gone from wearing fur to wearing leather. He didn't bother checking his weapons, knowing from long practice that all his battle gear would be intact. The Goddess understood her warriors had to be ready for battle at any moment. Their leathers and weapons always transitioned with them when they phased.

  A few minutes later Tallis heard a car pull up in the mall and three doors quietly opened and closed. He could sense it was his brothers, so he simply waited for them to come to him.

  "How close to her are we?" Deasun asked.

  "Very." Tallis could feel Jaz with every beat of his heart. "No more than a couple of blocks I would think."

  Lioth's voice came out of the darkness. "Your senses are accurate, my brother. I believe she's being held in an industrial park two streets over." As he walked closer, Tallis could see the imager Lioth held in his hand. "Let's check, shall we?"

  Kasim dug around in the bag he carried and produced a thin plastic panel. He attached the panel to Lioth's camera and they all huddled around to examine the images.

  There were several surface shots—buildings, car park, a high fence with warning signs all over it. That could have meant something or nothing. But the next series of images were shot using a bio filter. There were ten humans on the perimeter of the complex, six on the grounds and two near a small room in a sub-basement. All of those humans scanned as male.

  The one female in the images was stretched out in that small room. He knew it was Jasmine with a certainty he didn’t bother to question. There was no way to tell if she was injured or not, and he tried to satisfy himself with the knowledge that she was alive. It didn't help. A growl started deep inside him, and as he stared at Jaz's image he wanted to tear and claw in fury. Those assholes had taken what was his, and they'd put his mate in danger.

  "I want them all dead." The others just looked at him, saying nothing. "I mean it. No treading softy, no second chances. I want them to understand what happens when they come after a Jendari. I want them to fully understand what it means to threaten someone who's under the protection of the rhe'hashan."

  "All right." Hadar unzipped his bag and began distributing additional weapons. "No survivors, no second chances." He turned to face Tallis. "You need to release your anger. You're no good to us or your human unless you have a cool head."

  Tallis nodded, stepping back a little and giving himself a moment to reassert control. He was a battle-seasoned warrior, and he knew the best thing he could do for Jaz was to keep his emotions in check and his mind on the mission. Consoling himself that the men who took Jaz would be dead within the hour, he put his emotions into an air-tight box and locked them down.

  The rhe'hashan stayed in their two-legged form as they left the alley, their me'hendra running at the edges of the cadre. They ran silently until they were halfway to their objective before splitting into pairs and fanning out. Hadar and Kotiri were the first to depart, followed by Lioth and Rishana, then Kasim and Shallamar, and finally Deasun and Piala.

  Tallis ran with Itohan by his side, only slowing down when they neared their position just out of range of the security lights.

  You have to let me kill the guards, he said to Itohan.

  No. My prey. Good meat.

  I'm sorry, my friend. We can't risk teeth and claw marks. These kills will have to be done with human weapons.

  Why? There was a lot a whiny cub in that single word.

  Because whatever happens here can't come back to the Jendari. Or the me'hendra.

  Bad Tallis. Itohan gave him a no-so-gentle bump. No fun.

  I know, and I'm sorry. The truth was, Tallis would have loved to let Itohan loose on those assholes. The me'hendra liked to play with their prey before they ate it. Tallis could think of nothing those humans deserved more than a couple of hours with a feline bent on revenge.

  But this mission had to be explainable. If the HEC did call the authorities—and Tallis didn't believe they would—there had to be a human-only trail. No Jendari weapons, no Jendari magic, and no animal bite marks.

  Itohan gave in with bad grace and moments later Tallis's wristband vibrated an alert. Turning his forearm wrist up he kept an eye on the readouts. The indicator lights confirmed Deasun and Lioth were in position. Then Kasim's light clicked on and a moment after that Hadar's. The band vibrated again, pulsing in three short, sharp bursts.

  On the third pulse Tallis shot out of the dark with Itohan by his side.

  He ran at an angle to come up behind the two guards that were his targets. Two humans, both armed, but far too slow to beat an enhanced Jendari warrior. Speeding up behind his first quarry, Tallis launched himself, landing on the man's back and wrapping his arms around the guard's head. The moment he made contact Tallis wrenched the human's head in a rotation sharp enough to snap his spine. The guard crumpled and Tallis used that momentum to land lightly on his feet, turning to face the second guard. The man's weapon was only halfway up to firing position when Tallis surged forward, knocking the gun out of the way with one hand and drawing his knife with the other.

  Grabbing the man by the hair Tallis pulled him close, chest to chest. Then he drove his knife into the back of the human's neck, severing his spine before he could shout for help. Two down.

  Fisting a collar in each hand Tallis dragged the men into the shadows, dumping them against a wall. Running a hand over Itohan's head to make sure all was well, Tallis took off towards the center of the complex.

  It took everything in him to slow down. He burned to get to Jaz, but at this point he had no idea if any of the guards had been able to get off a warning. Only a novice would assume they were still undiscovered.

  He checked his wristband. His brothers were in place and Lioth had the pulse grenade charged and ready. Crouching low, Tallis put his arm around Itohan's neck. Get ready to utilize your night vision. Blackout in three, two, one…

  There was no sound to a pulse grenade—there was just light to dark. Anything with an electrical component was now dead, including the security lights. The humans had no night vision to speak of and as Tallis shot forward, he could hear them shouting and trying to communicate on their now useless devices.

  Of course, the pulse weapons didn't affect Jendari tech, and the rhe'hashan had natural night vision. Leaving his brothers to cover his ass, Tallis headed straight for the sub-basement that housed Jaz. By the time he raced down the stairs, Kasim, Deasun, and their me'hendra were right behind him. Itohan was in front and when he reached the bottom of the stairs he skidded into the corridor. The two humans guarding Jaz shot to their fe
et with a shout of surprise.

  Itohan ran faster, slamming into them with the kind of speed and body mass that broke bones. Tallis kept running, trusting his brothers to clean up the mess, focusing on nothing but getting to Jaz.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jaz wondered if it was possible to die of adrenaline poisoning while alone and lying flat on her back. When they'd bundled her into the van she'd been so frightened she’d lost control of her body. And the feeling of terror when that needle had pierced her skin defied description.

  Waking up in this concrete cell hadn't done her blood pressure any favors either. The light had stayed on and her meal deliveries seemed random, so she had no way to judge time. Her watch had disappeared with her jewelry, her purse and her shoes.

  When her masked captors came into the cell to deliver meals and change her bucket, they carried out their duties in complete silence. It was utterly unnerving to be treated as a peripheral awareness rather than a living, breathing human being. Every time they came in she tried to talk to them. Every time they acted as though they didn't hear her.

  She knew her captivity could have been so much worse. They could have starved her, beaten her, or raped her. They could have tortured her with the kind of creativity Jaz only saw in spy movies. There was no denying she was abjectly grateful for their lack of attention in that respect.

  But the silence was getting to her.

  Perhaps that was a torture of a different kind. Isolate a prisoner so thoroughly that even sound was denied them. And she felt so helpless. Right now, there was nothing she could do but stay on her bunk, eat the food they provided, and use the dreaded bucket only when she had to.

  She had no idea what they wanted. She wasn't rich, she didn't have a high-powered job, nor did she work in a sector known for its commercial sensitivity. A woman who worked for a non-profit and barely covered her rent shouldn't be of interest to anyone in the criminal world.

  She'd briefly toyed with the idea that they'd taken her in a case of mistaken identity, but she didn't cling to that improbability for long. There couldn't be that many tall, plus-sized women with waist-length hair—half of which was dyed bright pink. Jaz wasn't conceited in any way, but she was self-aware enough to know she marched to the beat of her own drum.