Over the years, Thaniel had realized that the boy had been right. Things like that didn’t happen to people like him. So, no matter what this was here, now, it couldn’t last.
His thoughts switched to the Were-wolves who’d hurt him. He didn’t know what had happened to them or why they’d abandoned their den, but he found it hard to care. He hoped they had all died a slow, painful death. Though, given his luck, they had just gone on vacation and forgotten about him down in their basement. At least one of them could never hurt anyone again like he’d hurt Thaniel.
***
SOROYAN BIT BACK HIS ANGER with himself as he studied the young man sitting hunched at the picnic table. Loki! He should have gone inside that building yesterday. Just the thought that the kid would have been left in there to slowly die if Sami hadn’t found the door leading to the basement, filled him with disgust.
He’d grown arrogant. When he didn’t sense anyone inside, he hadn’t bothered to go in. True, he had thought his time would be better spent following the faint whiff of Toren’s trail, but that trail had started inside the Were-wolf den.
As he stood there, trying to rein in his anger, a long-ago set of accusing pale-blue eyes, similar to the little leopard’s in front of him, flashed through his mind. Similar, yet not. In Thaniel’s eyes he saw a lifetime of distrust, heartbreak, and pain as opposed to accusation. Still, it cut deep. Lost in memory, Soroyan snorted and pushed his own painful past away, along with the guilt those long-ago eyes shoved at him.
***
THANIEL, STILL NO CLOSER to figuring out his messed-up emotions, started to get up when he felt a presence behind him. Turning, he shrank back at the sight of the giant, midnight-black wolf. Red glowing eyes stared straight through him. Every nerve ending screamed for him to run, but somehow, he knew that would be the wrong thing to do. A moment later, the wolf shifted in a sparkle of color into a large, dark-haired man with turquoise eyes. Soroyan.
“I’m sorry. I did not mean to scare you,” Soroyan said and walked around to sit on the other side of the table from Thaniel.
Thaniel could only stare wide-eyed at the predator across from him. What does he want?
Soroyan held his gaze for a moment, his eyes unreadable. “I should have known you were inside the Were-wolves’ den,” he said, not taking his eyes off Thaniel.
“Y-you couldn’t have. It was soundproof … the room I was in,” Thaniel said, surprised and unsure where this was going.
“If I ever find any of them who put you down there, they will pay,” Soroyan bit out and though Thaniel wanted that as well, he couldn’t help the shiver that ran through him at the intensity of the male staring at him. He’d sure hate to be on Soroyan’s bad side.
“Where is your family?” Soroyan asked, surprising Thaniel even further. It took him a moment before he could answer.
“My mother died of an overdose when I was eight, and my father—” Thaniel swallowed deeply before continuing. “My father left when I was four.” Painful memories flashed through his mind.
“I am very sorry, Thaniel,” Soroyan said, and the understanding in his eyes made Thaniel’s gut clench.
Could Soroyan read minds as well? With these people, Thaniel was quickly learning that the impossible wasn’t always so. Shaking his head, Thaniel frowned. “It’s not your fault,” he said, anger making the words harsher than he meant them, but he just wanted to stop talking about it, stop thinking about it, and get away. Without another word, he stood up and started back to the house.
By the time he made it into the house, his anger had evaporated. Feeling bad, he realized he hadn’t been angry at Soroyan, but rather at himself. It had been so long ago, he should have gotten over it, but for some reason the memory of his father leaving got to him every time.
He walked into the kitchen, hoping to help finish the cleanup, but everything was neat and sparkling. Dad would have loved this kitchen, Thaniel thought before he mentally smacked himself for thinking of the man who’d abandoned him.
Thinking he’d just slip into his room, he walked into the great room and pulled up short. Tierney, Jax, and Sami sat on two of the couches near the great stone fireplace facing each other, talking.
At the sight of him, the talking ceased. Then, with a smile Tierney patted the couch. “Thaniel. Come, sit with us for a minute, please?”
Thaniel took in all of them and felt himself tremble. This was it. They were going to tell him to leave, he just knew it. “Is everything o-okay?” he asked, nervously. His heart was pounding as he made his way over, then perched on the edge of the couch beside Tierney.
“We want to talk to you. Are you okay?” she asked him, and unused to the idea of anyone caring, her question caught him off guard. He nodded but kept his face lowered, not ready to meet anyone’s eyes.
“We don’t want to worry you, but … Sami had a vision,” Tierney said.
Without thinking, Thaniel raised startled eyes and stared at her. A vision, not a dream-vision? Ever since they had rescued him he’d sure seen some strange things. He still didn’t even know what Tierney, Sami, or Jax were.
With the low fire burning in the fireplace, he should have been warm but with three sets of eyes on him, he shivered. Then, panic filled him when they told him the Were-wolves were looking for him. That is, until Tierney reached out and rubbed his arm. He began to pull away, not wanting her to see or feel the numerous scars lining his arm. Scars that his mother gave him, butting her cigarette out on him. Yet Tierney’s touch felt so soothing he left his arm where it was, and without realizing, began to relax.
“You’re all right. We won’t let them take you,” she said softly.
He couldn’t help the overwhelming fear that filled him at the idea of the Were-wolves putting him back in that room. Just the thought made him want to die.
Then they stunned him when they asked him to live here with them.
Thaniel shifted his gaze to each of them. “F-for how long?” he asked, mind buzzing with this new offer.
“As long as you want,” they all said at the same time.
No. Don’t trust. They’ll only turn on you later. Thaniel clenched his fists in his lap and eyed each of them dubiously before lowering his gaze without a word. He yearned to belong, but being hurt too many times made it hard to believe, or accept.
“This will be your home,” they all said at the same time.
“But either way, we aren’t letting the Were-wolf pack take you, no matter what we need to do to stop them,” Tierney added.
The idea they’d fight for him when they didn’t even know him baffled Thaniel, even while it made him feel a little warm and fuzzy inside. First Real fought for him and now these guys were willing to fight for him. Thaniel swallowed hard. He wanted so badly to believe them, but fairy tales didn’t come true in real life.
“Will you think about our offer?” Tierney asked.
So many different thoughts and emotions overloaded his mind, he felt nauseated. Once again, he suddenly had to get away—be alone. “O-okay.” He stood up and nodded at the three of them. “I, ah—t-thank you.” Then turning, he hurried away not wanting to embarrass himself in front of them.
Chapter Fourteen
Claw Hold
THANIEL’S MEMORIES gripped him in a claw-hold that wouldn’t let go as he sat in the corner of the room, facing the door. He clutched the bed cover to his chest and thought about the last four months of his life. He wanted so badly to believe his new friends. He really did.
Before they rescued him yesterday, he had merely existed, cold and alone in the dark in mindless agony knowing no one would ever come for him—because no one cared. At the time, it had seemed like forever since he’d seen anyone, though he now knew it was only two weeks. Still, despairing of ever seeing anyone again, and starving, those two weeks had seemed like centuries.
Then suddenly he’s rescued and set free, and now he found himself wanting what they were offering. He just didn’t know how to accept it—a
nd if he did, what if they decided they no longer wanted him around?
Thaniel thought of his relationship with Real. Other than when Real taught him to read and write, he hardly ever spoke to Thaniel and he never asked for anything. Thaniel always got the impression Real didn’t care one way or the other. Still, Real had been his only friend, and he needed to face the harsh reality Real was likely dead. Another person he cared about had left him.
Still, the question wouldn’t leave him alone. Why would Tierney, Jax, and Sami even care? They didn’t know him, and yet, it seemed they did. It completely baffled him. Unless it was a trick. He alternated between wanting to belong and being terrified to hope. It all seemed too good to be true.
Look what happened the last time you trusted someone. She claimed she wanted to be his friend. That she liked— cared about him, but that had been one giant lie. Then because he didn’t listen to the warning signs, he was turned into a deadly monster with no control.
Just thinking about Elianna made him feel sick. He’d been duped so easily.
He also knew a part of him blamed Real for taking him to the Were-wolves, even though deep inside he knew Real was only trying to help. There was no way his friend could have known what was going to happen the minute he left. Unfortunately though, it made Thaniel’s introduction to being a Were absolute hell.
His thoughts shifted back to his new friends. Were they really his friends? Against his better judgement, he found he’d grown to like them and couldn’t stand the thought they might turn on him as well. Still, it wasn’t easy to forget or disregard his past, to let it all go and learn to trust again. If your own parents could turn on you, if your mother could suddenly start hating you, what prevented friends from doing the same? Unbidden, the memories swept in.
***
“I hate you,” Mommy screamed, completely shattering his whole world. Numb, Thaniel made his way to his bedroom and climbed up onto his bed. He grabbed his favorite teddy bear, curled up, and stuck his thumb into his mouth for comfort; something he hadn’t done since he was two. He fell asleep, dreaming of his father walking out and slamming the door.
“Get up,” someone screeched, snapping him awake and Thaniel gaped at the disheveled woman leaning over him. “Mommy?”
His mother grabbed his arm and yanked him from his bed, hurting him. “Come on, this is all your fault,” she said as she dragged him from his room.”
“Mommy—” Still groggy, he tried to get his feet under him, but she pulled him down the hall. Were they going to have cake now? Or did Daddy come back?
But there was no one else in the kitchen. He looked up at the counter. His cake was gone. Then he spotted the half-open lid of the garbage can. Blue frosting on the rim. Tears sprang to his eyes when he noticed the mangled wrapping paper as well. “Mommy?” She didn’t answer and fear filled him as she pulled him over to the door leading to the garage.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“We aren’t going anywhere.”
Terror engulfed him as Mommy opened the door into the cold, dark void.
“No, Mommy!” Tears ran down his face.
***
When he ran away, Thaniel had decided he would never let anyone hurt him again. Yet, against his best efforts, he had ended up being hurt again.
Maybe, no matter how he tried not to care about anyone, some things couldn’t be avoided. Maybe fate decided what was going to happen—like the pack coming for him. Though Tierney said they wouldn’t let the wolves take him, Thaniel feared that was exactly what would happen. He should just up and leave. He’d head as far from Spokane and the state of Washington as he could get.
Then what? He had no money. He was lucky he even had clothes. It didn’t matter that his friends had just offered to help him, he wouldn’t become indebted to them any more than he was. No, he couldn’t pay them back for rescuing him, feeding, clothing, and sheltering him.
Besides, if it wasn’t the pack, it would be someone else. He needed to learn to control his shift and not let anyone push him around anymore. He huffed. Yeah, and that’s going to happen!
His mind continued to run in circles, asking the same questions over and over. He knew he was damaged, broken. What he didn’t know, was why some people left him, while other, unsavory people were attracted to him.
Self-loathing filled him. Although he never understood why his father left, he knew he’d been the reason. That was something his mother never let him forget as she railed at him, blaming him for them having to move to a tiny, one-room apartment, or her having to become a prostitute to support them. Although it quickly turned into a way to support her drug habit.
Memories clawed at his mind, one breaking through. They hadn’t lived in the apartment long when his mommy, lying on the bed, told him to go get his own cereal. It was while they still had food in the cupboards.
He’d accidentally spilled the milk and was trying to clean it up when she caught him. Her shrieks of rage still echoed in his head along with the memory of being knocked to the floor. He had huddled, terrified and shaking, in a puddle of milk, cradling his arm, while Mommy screamed and kicked him. He didn’t think she’d ever stop, when the apartment door opened and drew her attention away from him.
***
“Johjon.” Mommy smiled at her pimp as he walked in.
“Hey, beautiful,” Johjon said, sitting down on the ratty couch. Thaniel lay where he had fallen, too scared to get up or move. His tummy rumbled as his mother threw his bowl of cereal in the sink with a clatter.
“You got money for me?” Johjon asked.
“I do,” she said, and walked over to the bed where she pulled some money out from between the mattress and box spring.
“I knew you’d be a good earner,” Johjon said, taking the money from her. “Here, I brought you a little something,” he said, patting the couch beside him. Mommy squealed and sat down beside the man.
Thaniel watched between the legs of the wooden chair from where he lay as his mommy stuck a needle in her arm. A moment later, she lay back and sighed. Johjon smiled and then without even a glance at Thaniel, he walked out.
Chapter Fifteen
Hungry Leopard
THANIEL SHIFTED his position on the floor, even more on edge from the brutal memories. His beast began to stir at the same time his stomach rumbled, making him frown. He’d eaten breakfast not too long ago and, considering he normally didn’t eat much of anything, he really shouldn’t be hungry.
Then again, now that he’d had a taste of good, filling food, his body seemed to demand more—a lot more. Tierney and Jax had both told him repeatedly to help himself, but he really didn’t feel comfortable doing that in their home.
Unfortunately, his beast had different ideas. Then he thought about what Tierney had also said that morning.
“I imagine you will have an easier time controlling your leopard if you eat whenever you feel the urge.” She had shown him the pantry, then nodded at the huge fridge. It was bigger than any he’d ever seen with two large doors. “No one will get upset or angry. You eat whatever you want, whenever you feel the least bit hungry,” she had added.
Thaniel had stared at her. He may have searched in dumpsters and garbage for most of his life, but he knew he wouldn’t have the nerve to go rummaging in their cupboards and fridge.
Seeing the doubt on his face, Tierney smiled. “Believe me, we have more than enough and we want you to eat.”
“Yeah,” Jax had added, “and, if you don’t find something you want up here, we have a large walk-in fridge and freezer down in the basement as well, but come here,” he had said and led Thaniel into the mudroom. They must eat a lot, he thought as Jax opened the door to the tall upright freezer with a lit-up temperature pad on the front door. “This is the important one,” Jax said and Tierney snorted as he pointed out all the different ice creams and frozen treats to Thaniel. Thaniel blinked. There were at least twelve different boxes of ice cream. The last time he’d eaten ice crea
m was in his first foster home.
“We keep some of the steaks up here as well, but the rest are downstairs.” Jax pointed to all the brown paper-wrapped packages that had Certified Organic stamped on them.
“If you want something we don’t have, just let us know,” Jax told him, closing the freezer door. Thaniel had followed them back into the kitchen, knowing he’d definitely not be asking for anything.
Tierney, as if aware of what he was thinking, had nodded. “Really. If you would like something, just tell us or write it on the list.” She pointed to a slip of paper held on a magnetic board by a magnet shaped like a bullet. Huh, interesting.
“We have a nice guy who delivers food up here once every two weeks unless we put in a special order.” At her words, Thaniel had noticed the dark scowl on Jax’s face, but Tierney just smirked at him.
***
Thaniel felt his beast’s claws prickling his insides and stood up. No … no. Not now, please. His tummy rumbled again and the claws dug in, making him wince. Okay, maybe he’d just get some water.
Silently, he padded across his room, feet sinking into the soft carpet. He made his way down the hall and into the great room where he pulled up at the sight of Jax sitting on one of the couches. He hesitated, debating on going back to his room when he realized that Jax was sleeping. His beast’s claws felt like they were piercing his insides, and finally, assured that he was really asleep and not pretending, Thaniel hurried across the room and into the kitchen.
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