Hunted (4 page)

Did I really have any choice? Our kind usually heals very quickly. But I could feel where my back still seeped blood from where the barbed projectiles of the taser had sunk into my flesh. Worse, they felt inflamed, as if something had tainted the barbs and was now preventing my system from healing. I would be foolish to turn down treatment from one who was familiar with shape-changer physiology.

"Doctor, my name's Meg Finley." I waited for recognition to show on his face. Either he didn't recognize my name or he was a very good actor. No matter which, I felt better about telling him who I was. "My friends call me Finn."

"Well, Finn, I'm pleased to meet you. I’d be very interested in knowing why a nice alpha female like you was being hunted and why you hadn't told Matt you were in town." There was no hint of censure in his voice, but I still felt as if I'd just had my knuckles rapped. "But that can wait until I’ve had a look at your injuries. I'm sure Matt has more than enough to keep him busy while we're gone."

With that, he held out one hand and waited until I took it. Then he helped me to my feet. As we slowly walked out of the kitchen, he told Matt that he was going to take me into the guest room. We would be back when we were back. Until then, Matt might want to consider calling Gillespie and having him make sure security was in place not only here but at my place.

Matt’s only response was to lift one eyebrow. I shrugged and rattled off the address for my apartment. Before he could ask, I dug in my pocket and then tossed him my keys. As I did, I remembered my backpack. I doubted it was still there but, if it was, I wanted it, if for no other reason than I’d like to have my cell phone and laptop back. When I asked if he could have someone look for it, Matt nodded and promised they’d do their best to find it.

Five minutes later, I lay face down on a wide bed in a room off the kitchen. The fact I was completely nude and a stranger was poking and prodding didn’t matter. All I cared about was that he was, hopefully, going to make the pain go away. Since I’d started shifting when I was thirteen, I’d been injured more than most people would be in their entire lifetimes. It was part of our culture. You fought for your place in pack or pride. You hunted with the full moon and often the prey didn’t take kindly to becoming dinner. But I’d long ago learned that only the worst injuries took more than a few hours to heal enough to be almost forgotten, at least the pain of them. This constant neural firing I’d suffered since being hit by the taser, as well as the burning pain that seemed to be getting worse with each passing minute, was something new and something I could do without.

Stefan’s bedside manner was gentle and reassuring. He spoke softly, explaining what he was going to do before he did it. In a lot of ways, he reminded me of how my father used to act around horses. He would talk to them, gentling them with voice and hands. I didn’t know the term then, but now I realize he was what folks might call a horse whisperer. Of course, he could do it with almost any animal--or shape-changer. It was a valuable skill for a clan leader.

“This might hurt a bit,” Stefan warned just before he did something to one of the places where the probes had hit.

Pain flared and nausea rose. Tears filled my eyes. I’d have cursed except I was afraid to open my mouth. Instead, my hands fisted on the sheet under me and I whimpered weakly.

“Easy, child.” A cool hand touched my cheek, settling me. “I know it hurts but it will be over soon.”

“W-what did they do to me?”

“My guess is that they dipped the probes in something meant to slow you down even after the effects of the taser wore off. The problem is that the probes broke off when you and Matt made your escape, so the effects continued to magnify.” He paused and a cool cloth replaced his hand as he bathed my face. “I need to make sure the other probes are out. I’m sorry, but this is going to hurt.”

Damn, but the man had a way with the understatement. When he finished removing the next probe, I was shaking and sweating. I’m pretty sure I’d dug holes into the mattress with my fingers. By the time he removed the third probe, I knew I’d gone to Hell. On the fourth probe, I think I cursed. Maybe I’d cried. Then everything went mercifully dark.

“You’re sure?”

There could be no mistaking the anger in the clan leader’s voice. It penetrated the fog that held me and I opened my eyes. I lay in a darkened room, a sheet covering me. My mouth felt like cotton and my head throbbed. But the pain in my back had subsided and my neural system no longer did its imitation of the worst electrical storm imaginable. Whatever Stefan Kincade had done, it seemed to have worked.

Thankfully.

Another voice murmured something. From the sound, they weren’t in the kitchen. They were further away than that. I carefully sat up and lifted my head, sniffing. I caught the scents of five shape-changers: Matt Kincade, his uncle and three others. So much for having a few minutes with the clan leader to find out what he planned to do about me.

Swinging my legs off the bed, I sat up. For a moment, the room swam around me. When it settled, I carefully climbed to my feet. This time, at least, I didn’t instantly fall back. Better still, I could feel my strength returning. Whatever Stefan had done, it seemed to have worked. All I needed to do now was find my clothes and get out of there before the trackers found me.

I looked around the bedroom, searching for my clothes. Wonderful. They were nowhere to be seen. Well, I couldn’t go traipsing through the house in nothing but skin. Surely there was something in here I could wear.

Before I could start searching, a soft knock sounded at the door. It opened almost instantly. The reprimand that formed on my lips for entering without waiting for permission died as Stefan slipped inside. It was replaced by a blush that I swear started at my toes and went all the way to my hairline. Damn it, I shouldn’t be embarrassed. He’d already seen me without a stitch of clothing on. Hell, he’d undressed me.

God, I’d been away from our kind too long. There had been a time when being nude hadn’t bothered me, at least not when I was with other shape-changers.

“I thought you might be awake,” he said as he moved to the closet. A moment later, he turned, a thick white robe in his hands. “Feeling better?”

“Much. Thank you.”

He watched as I took the robe and quickly slipped into it. I felt better, less vulnerable, as I belted it about my waist. It really is amazing how much more capable and competent you can feel once dressed.

“If you’re up to it, Matt would like you to join the rest of us in the den.”

I ran my hands through my hair, hoping it didn’t look as bad as I feared--okay, I admit it, I can be as vain as the next person. I also remembered all the lessons my parents had given me growing up. You didn’t present yourself to a clan leader looking anything but your best. Not only would it be an insult to him and to his people to come looking like a slob, but it put you at a disadvantage. Unfortunately, all I could do was hope he understood.

What was one more insult, after all?

At least I knew what I had to do first. When we entered the den, I moved in Matt’s direction, stopping several feet from where he sat on a comfortable looking over-stuffed chair. As I dropped to all fours, I could feel everyone’s eyes on me. More than that, I could feel my jaguar protesting this show of submission. I shushed her, reminding her that we were trespassers and that, until I was stronger, we needed the clan’s protection. If that meant playing this role, I would do it--for a little while at least.

I crawled forward, head down. I stopped and waited, my heart pounding. This was the first test. If Matt accepted my act of submission, there was at least hope he’d keep his word to protect me. It was a very big “if”.

Before I could speak, he reached down. I swallowed hard and put my hand in his. When he drew me to my feet, I glanced down, making sure my robe was properly closed. Then I looked up at him, wondering what would happen next.

“Meg Finley is welcome in our clan and has my protection. You each are witnesses to this.” He paused, his eyes sweeping the room until the others nodded. “I know her reasons for not reporting her presence to me, or to any of the rest of our kind, and I approve. Between what she’s told me and what Stefan had to say after examining her, she had more than enough reason to want to remain hidden.”

“Thank you.” My voice was barely more than a whisper. Now it was my turn. “Clan leader, I thank you for your welcome and for your understanding. I apologize for being the reason others have trespassed on your territory. I owe you penalty for that and for not announcing my presence when I first arrived. I offer myself up to you for judgment.” Having said it, I sank to my knees. I could feel the others watching, all but holding their breaths as they waited for what would happen next.

Once again, Matt Kincade surprised me. He dropped to one knee before me. His hand reached out and cupped my chin, tilting my head up so we looked into one another’s eyes. As we did, my jaguar stirred. She was so close to the surface. I could almost feel my skin rippling even as I saw her pacing back and forth in my mind.

“Finn, I need you to trust me now,” he said softly. I nodded. I trusted him more after only knowing him for a few hours than I did most of those in my home clan. I certainly trusted him more than I did my former clan leader. “Shift. Show us what your animal is.”

I knew better than to hesitate. Instead, I slipped out of the robe and dropped once more to hands and knees. The moment I eased my control, the jaguar was there. Pain, so different from what I’d suffered at the hands of the trackers, flowed over me. Muscles twisted and contracted, stretched and reformed. Bones altered. I threw my head back and a strangled cry filled the room. It was never a painless process to shift but forcing a shift is never fun. Doing so after being through what I’d suffered that afternoon only made it worse.

“Very good, my lady,” Matt said, admiration clear in his voice as he reached out to stroke my head. “You can shift back.”

God, he didn’t ask for much, did he?

The shift back to human hurt worse than the shift to jaguar. Part of the reason was because I was so tired. Part of it was because the jaguar, free for the first time in much too long, simply did not want to give up control. I really did need to have a good hunt soon. I’d feel better for it and that part of me that wasn’t fully human would quit pressing for release.

Matt draped the robe about my shoulders and helped me to my feet. When he seated me in the chair he’d occupied when I entered the room, I smiled in appreciation. Just then, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stay on my feet. I felt like I’d run three marathons back to back, without food or rest. All I wanted was to curl up and sleep for about a week. But that had to wait a bit longer.

“Thank you, Finn.” Matt smiled at me in approval and then pulled a chair up next to mine. “Stefan was telling us what he found when he treated you.”

“And?”

And did I really want to know?

Hell yeah, I wanted to know.

“The barbs broke off in your back,” Stefan said, eyes grim. “A preliminary examination proved they’d been tainted with something. My guess is that they were designed to help incapacitate you but weren’t supposed to stay in as long as they did. That’s why you kept hurting so badly and why your healing didn’t start.”

“I’ve never felt anything like it before. What was on them?”

“That I don’t know. But I will. We will. I’ve already sent them out for testing.”

My flare of concern must have shone on my face because Matt reached over to touch my hand, drawing my attention to him. “Stefan has a lab we use, a private one run by our kind. It helps keep nosy techs from looking too close when one of us needs a blood test for whatever reason.”

Well, that was at least good news and, after everything else that had happened today, I’d take any good news I could get.

“Finn, I want to reassure you that you are safe here. I’ve already sent out word to the rest of the clan that they are to be on the lookout for the trackers and report them the moment they are found.”

“Thank you.” It didn’t seem enough, but it was all I could say.

“A couple of our people went by your apartment. Unfortunately, the trackers made it there first. The place was trashed.”

I’d expected it, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. I didn’t have much. I’d been living on the run too long to have many personal belongings. But there had been a few things, things of my parents, that I had brought with me, as well as a few photos. If those were gone. . . .

“In a day or two, I’ll take you so you can see what can be salvaged. In the meantime, I have teams watching the place in case the trackers return,” Matt continued. “But we can discuss that later. Right now I’d like to introduce you to my inner circle. If you ever need anything and I’m not available, they’ll help you.”

“I’d like to ask a question first, Matt,” a small brunette asked from where she sat cross-legged on the floor across from us.

“Sharon’s my younger sister. Don’t call her my little sister unless you want a fight on your hands. She really is proof that toughness can come in little packages.” He grinned at his sister and, when she stuck her tongue out at him, I couldn’t help it. I laughed. Their sibling interplay was just what I needed.

“Matt forgets that I can out-fight most everyone here, shifted or not.” She paused and studied me, her head cocked to one side just as her brother’s had been earlier when he’d studied me sitting at the kitchen table. “He’s told us how he saved you from the trackers and Uncle Stefan explained about the taser barbs they used on you. What we don’t know is why you’re in Dallas or why they’re after you.”

I looked at her brother and he gave a little shrug. “It wasn’t my tale to tell.”

And what would he think when--if--he ever learned the whole tale?

“Here’s the short version. I grew up as a member of the Northern California clan. My parents were the alphas of first our pride and then of the clan. When I was fifteen, they were killed. The new alpha, Michael Jennings, didn’t want the cops involved in what happened any more than was absolutely necessary. He said he was afraid that if they looked too closely, they’d learn about the existence of our kind. So, when the preliminary report of double suicide came out, he pressed the clan to accept it and let the normals close the book on the case.