by Fran Lee
* * * * *
It was dark. Her body ached. Shit! She was still in her human form. She was utterly defenseless. She was too weak and tired even to attempt to shift back. As full consciousness returned, she realized that her aching human body was covered with something soft and warm and her throbbing head was draped with something cool and wet. She sensed someone nearby but was too weak to be afraid. She groaned as she tried to move and a soft voice murmured as a cool human hand touched her swollen cheek. So soft… It stirred a memory that was buried so deep it couldn’t be reached.
“Can you understand me?” It felt odd to have someone address her. No one in the pack bothered to speak to her, especially in that soft, gentle way.
She nodded almost imperceptibly, wincing with pain at the slight movement of her head.
“What is your name?”
Even her slight frown hurt as she rasped, “I…don’t have one.”
“They must call you something.” The quiet female voice was insistent.
She blinked her eyes to try to focus on the creature who spoke to her. She replied slowly. “Omega bitch.”
A face came into her line of sight. “My name is Hallie. I would prefer to call you something other than ‘Omega bitch’, though. Do you mind if I call you ‘Jane’?”
Jane? The cat was giving her a real name? Her nod was again almost imperceptible. The idea of having a real name made it hard to swallow. Why are my eyes watering?
“You are in my home, Jane. Do you know who—and what—I am?”
She blinked rapidly. “A cat.”
“I am a Seronta leopard shifter, Jane. You are here as my guest, but if you do anything to endanger my family I will tear your head off without a second’s hesitation. Do you understand me?”
She swallowed tightly, her dry throat throbbing from Jock’s abuse. The words came from her aching throat. “I…won’t…hurt your cubs.”
“The reason you are alive right now is because you didn’t try to hurt my sons.” The voice was still soft but held a hint of steel.
“Jock wants to kill me,” she whispered hoarsely.
“Jock is the one who tore you up like this?”
“Yes.”
“Your wounds are healing but you are suffering from malnutrition. You need to rest and eat. Can you swallow some broth?”
Her eyes flickered open again as she caught the mouthwatering smell of something delicious. It was her instinct to shift to eat but she was too weak. She felt hands lifting her and something soft being shoved behind her shoulders. Then a hard, warm object was pressed against her lips and she opened her mouth to bite down. Warm liquid dribbled into her mouth and down her chin onto her chest.
“Don’t try to bite it. Just let the broth trickle into your mouth and swallow. That’s it.”
She caught on quickly, as if the odd activity were somehow familiar. She began to drink thirstily and the delicious salty liquid warmed her belly. The meat at the bottom was ruined by heat but it still tasted good. After a second try she didn’t allow a drop to escape her, and she smacked her lips, licking the broth from her fingers as she wiped it from her chin and chest.
“If you eat too much too fast, you’ll vomit. Just rest and I’ll get you some more in a few minutes.”
She closed her eyes wearily, and then the small female who called herself Hallie was gone and another presence was in the room with her. It was hot…electric. She ran her tongue over her dry lips once more and cracked her eyes open to see dark-gold eyes regarded her narrowly, and the sight of the menacing dark shifter male in his human form made her give a yelp of terror and scramble up from the soft nest she lay in. She tried valiantly to shift but failed miserably. She didn’t care to die as her weaker human half. A sob of frustration tore from her throat. “Kill me fast…” She clutched her arms over her thin breasts and lowered her head, waiting for the mortal attack.
The deep, rough voice that answered her sent chills through her ravaged body.
“I have no reason to kill you yet, little one. But I would like to know more about you, since you lie in my house with my mate and children within striking distance should you decide to revert to nature.”
“She’s harmless.” The golden male’s quietly assertive tones brought her head up with a jerk to see him stepping into the room. Her pulse exploded, and she gave a little whine of submission, lowering her eyes respectfully from his gaze.
The dark one spoke firmly. “I’ll determine whether she’s harmless, Cal.”
Cal? The golden male’s name was Cal? She rolled it around on her tongue and savored it. It was a good, strong name. She liked it.
“I know neither Hallie nor you want her here with the boys, so I will take her somewhere she will be safe until she heals.”
“And where might that be?”
“I’ll take her to the old Halleran place. I’ll make certain she’s not a danger to anyone.”
“They will come looking for her. It would be far safer to stay here.”
“I won’t place my family in any kind of danger. If they come for her I want her away from all of you. I’ll care for her myself until she’s healed. I brought her here. I will take full responsibility for my actions.”
She closed her eyes in pleasure at the shiver that his deep voice sent along her nerves. He would protect her? He would take care of her? Even though she was not of his species, the golden male would protect her. She had been right to come here. Her thoughts rushed back to the way he had so gently picked up the small human she had attempted to snatch. And that thought made her say in a small voice, “I’ll be no trouble. I hunt for rabbits and mice. You don’t have to feed me. I don’t make noise. I’m not dangerous. I’m worthless. But I promise I won’t hurt anyone.”
Her words were barely audible. Gar was enraged by her statement. No one should feel worthless!
Gar stared down at her bent head, and his outrage almost made him snarl. “If we allow you to stay, you won’t have to catch mice to survive, Jane. We can easily feed another. No one goes hungry in our home.”
His brother blinked at him, then at the freshly washed, tangled blonde mane that flowed over those thin shoulders. “Jane? Is that your name?”
He watched as the Lykos’ silver eyes lifted to his brother’s face with an expression that made him groan inside, and the female said timidly, “The name your Hallie gave me. Omega bitches don’t have names. But she didn’t want to call me that.”
Gar’s hackles rose at the thought of the delicate little female having undergone such privations at the hands of those who should have been sworn to protect her. Omega, indeed. In his own clan the weak were fed first. He glanced at his brother, noting the protective glint in the kid’s eye. He sounded gruff even to himself. “We don’t have omegas in the Seronta Clan, Jane. We will protect you. You’ll be given decent food. You will not be expected to scavenge for a meal here.” He drew a deep breath before asking his next question. “How many more of your pack are there?”
The female hesitated before responding. “Five hunting males. Four females. And me. But they don’t let me hunt.” She lifted her eyes to Cal’s face and whispered sadly, “Except for rodents and insects.”
“You have never killed?” Gar’s surprise must have startled her.
She shook her head and peeped up through her hair at Cal, her eyes wide and openly worshipful. “Mice…ground squirrels…sometimes I am lucky enough to catch a rabbit…”
Gar carefully considered what she said. “We will protect you on one condition, Jane.”
She bit her chapped bottom lip and hunched down a bit more. “Anything…”
“You will never shift to your wolf form while you are in our care. Do you understand?”
She swallowed and raised her eyes to his face. “I tried to shift when I woke up…but I couldn’t change back. I don’t know why.” She sounded bereft at not being able to be in her animal form. “I will try hard not to accidentally shift back.”
Gar
lifted one brow and inhaled deeply. He nodded curtly. Just what I need—a timid little female Lykos who has to be housebroken, and a brother with a hard-on from hell.
Chapter Three
Hallie stood just outside the door in the hallway, looking more than a little concerned. “She’ll need clothes. I’ll get her some of mine.” She pressed her lips together and started to turn away. Gar caught her face between his large hands and bent to touch her lips with his own. He savored the sweet heat of her mouth for a moment before drawing back to gaze down into her moist eyes.
“I can feel what he is feeling, and regardless of what you or I think, he believes that this female is his. I know that he feels responsible for her, and nothing I do or say will change that. He has to reason this out on his own. Hopefully he’ll realize that cats and dogs don’t mix and he’ll let her go.” He ran his hands down her arms and brushed his lips over hers once again. “I can’t force him to stay. But I promise you that I will do all in my power to be all that you need.”
“I know,” she said softly, lifting onto her tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his mouth before she turned away, and he watched her until she vanished down the stairs. He wanted desperately to go after her, to take her to their bed and tell her with his body and soul how much he adored her. To caress and devour her lush little body. To run his lips and tongue over every inch of her.
But that must come later. Now he had to figure out how to help his horny younger sibling with the rather sticky problem at hand.
He stepped back inside the room, where Cal stood like some ancient sentinel over the Lykos, who had curled back up in the heavy quilt and was asleep once more. His brother glanced up at him and frowned.
“Are you certain that this is what you want to do, Cal?” Gar watched his brother feather a fingertip over her brow as she slept.
“There was a deep connection. I don’t know how or why. I only know that when she shifted to human I felt a shock go through me like a bolt of lightning. I’ve never felt that, even with Hallie.” He frowned down at the female. “She’s all I can think about. I know I’ve hurt Hallie by bringing her here but I couldn’t leave her there.” His amber eyes looked confused.
Gar understood him completely. Being a Seronta male and having felt exactly the same way with Hallie on first sight, Gar had acted on pure, blind instinct. Gar had sensed that Hallie belonged to him, alone, and he had sent his sibling off on a wild pit bull chase to get her alone and to himself. He owed this to Cal. Even if it was not right in his eyes, he would not refuse to help.
“If you want to keep her in the Halleran place, I’ll buy it for you.” He sighed, remembering how decrepit the old estate house was. It would have to be reinforced to keep the Lykos from tearing right through the doors and windows. But the expense would be minor compared to knowing his sibling would be safe. “It’s about time I got it off the market anyway. Too many human eyes. It’s been vacant for some time, so it should be an easy buy. Pack what you think you’ll need. I’ll help you move your things.”
Gar’s heart tightened more painfully with each beat. It would be the first time since the kid had been born that they would not be together, sharing everything. Sharing Hallie…
His body leapt with excitement at the thought of not having to share Hallie.
“I’ll call the realtors and have them get the necessary repairs done.” His voice sounded gruff even to himself. “The water needs to be turned on, as well as the gas and lights. It shouldn’t take more than a day or two. Can you manage to wait that long to be on your own?”
After a moment’s pause he slapped his hand over the kid’s broad shoulder and gave him a shake. “I can be there in a moment if they come. You know they will, don’t you? It’s just a matter of time.” He didn’t know how long it would take for the wolves to find their missing female, but even an omega would be missed. And the Lykos would not take kindly to having one of their females claimed by a cat.
Cal nodded curtly. “It’s only until she’s healed. By then I’ll figure out what to do. Besides, like you said, it’s only a moment away.”
Gar pulled his sibling hard against his broad chest and slapped him on the back, then cleared his throat and nodded. “Hallie’s bringing something for her to wear. You will have your hands full with that one. I hope you know how to train puppies.”
Cal blinked, then seemed to realize what he meant. “I think I can handle it.” His skin grew red.
He stared at his female. He drew a deep breath. Confusion rattled inside him. He was calling her his female? How fucking stupid am I? He knew nothing about wolves. He only knew that he had a hard-on that wouldn’t ease and he ached to be inside her. There had been a blinding flash of awareness the moment he had touched her. It was almost as if she were meant to be his. Gar had told him once about soul mates, and how it was to have one. Gar’d had one. And he had lost her. He had been faced with a long, lonely existence without the one who’d been created for him alone.
When they had found Hallie, Gar had recognized in the delectable human female the spirit of his soul mate, despite Hallie’s disbelief in reincarnation. But when things had started happening that she couldn’t ignore, Hallie had been forced to accept that she was not entirely human. When she had changed the first time, she had been scared stiff, but as past-life memories had begun to surface, she’d begun to adapt to her skills and knowledge with stunning speed and understanding. Cal had been amazed that she had managed to shift and use her Seronta powers without training. It was as if Hallie had known what was deep inside her, but had never had any reason to use it until she met Gar.
And now Cal apparently had found his own soul mate…who just happened to be a Lykos. Shit! He drew a deep breath and fought for calm. Lykos and Seronta were natural enemies. Cats and dogs. How can this possibly have happened? He hadn’t felt the connection until she had shifted to her human form. Did that mean that her human half was his soul mate? He felt totally unnerved at the prospect of being soul mates with a Lykos. But it was happening. How it was happening was a total mystery…one that he would have to figure out as he spent more time in her company.
She said she couldn’t shift back to wolf. She’d tried and failed. If she finally managed to shift back, would she try to kill him? Worse yet…will I try to kill her?
He had so many questions. So many things that made no sense. She’d used mind speak. Her English was excellent. Learning a language entailed more than simply hearing it spoken. She had to have been in human form enough in her past that she had learned to speak it. And Lykos liked to be in their animal form. The wolves only picked up local languages to facilitate their hunting. To pick out easy marks. To lure unsuspecting humans into their traps.
Lykos didn’t stay in human form unless they meant to use the form to fool humans into trusting them. They felt most comfortable in their wolf half and remained in that form unless they had to mingle with humans. She was a bundle of contradictions…and he meant to unravel the mysteries, one by one.
Cal’s thoughts were anything but calm as Gar left him there, standing like a stone sentinel over the little Lykos female. There were so many things he wanted to know. So many things he was feeling that confused him. The first of which had been the nagging sense of recognition when he had spotted her in that clearing.
He had seen that particular silver-gray wolf before. But where? He ran her unusual scent slowly through his memories. He frowned as it struck him. At the highway. The child had been clutching her around the neck. He had thought she was the child’s pet at first. But then she had vanished, leaving the weeping girl where she lay.
He had caught that scent since. Several times, in fact. Out in the woods beyond the property line, as if she had been there watching. But the scent was not the same as the Lykos he had fought. He hadn’t made the connection until now. It was confusing to him. He wanted answers, but he knew that answers were not all he wanted. And that confused and frustrated him even more.
A quiet prese
nce behind him drew his attention to Hallie, who held a pile of clothes in her arms. He turned and took the things from her hands, and as she turned quickly away he said softly, “Will you help her get dressed?”
He watched her tilt her head slightly before she whispered, “I brought things she can put on without much technical difficulty.”
He placed the stack of clothes on the bed and moved to draw her back to face him. He could see the tracks of tears on her pale cheeks. “Hallie…”
She raised a hand to stop his apology and forced a quick smile. “Of course I will help her, any way I can. Please don’t apologize, Cal. I’m having a selfish moment, but I can handle it.”
He felt his heart swell in his chest and fought the need to pull her close and hold her again. But he sensed that she would not appreciate the gesture at that moment and he had no desire for her to shift and rip his face off.
“You were my first. I wish I had been yours. You have your soul mate. You know that I will always love you. But I need this. Please don’t hate me.” His throat was tight, and he felt unable to say more.
Her lips curved. “Typical horny adolescent. I don’t regret a moment of our time together, Cal. You and Gar have spoiled me rotten and I just have to think of somebody else now. I haven’t had the time to give you…” She sighed, and leaned in to press her cheek against his chest. He swallowed the hard lump in his throat. She lifted her face and reached up to gently touch his cheek. “If she tries to hurt you I’ll kill her…make no mistake about that.” And with that, she turned and left him alone with his Lykos.
She heard every word and thought but feigned sleep. Cal said he loved the leopard female? What did that mean? He had spoken so gently to her. Why would he worry about her? She had a mate who could protect her. She had cubs. Love was a foreign word to the Lykos. None of her pack had ever used the word. It must mean that he respected her. And why did the leopard female think that she would ever hurt Cal? It made no sense. She knew she could never hurt a powerful creature like that. But Hallie obviously worried for the golden one.