Leaf, Erin M. - Tango Trio [Dream Marked 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (19 page)

After a few more seconds of head rubbing, Tessa stepped away, instinctively needing to find a better ambush position. She backed into the underbrush, knowing exactly where her light fur would blend in with the dappled sunlight and shadows.

Jared sent his approval as he melted into the darkness behind a tree. Parker leaped up, claws sinking into a thick branch about six feet overhead. He pulled himself up and flattened his body along the wood. Tessa couldn’t believe how well his tawny fur matched the tree bark. She looked back down the trail, the odor of man and mechanical things overwhelming the natural scents of the forest. The sound of an ATV rumbled through the quiet.

Do we have a plan?
Tessa wondered.

Jump on them and incapacitate them
, Parker sent, his mind grim and focused.

Kill them if you have to
, Jared thought.
Don’t hold back.

Tessa looked at him in surprise, her sharp eyes picking him out of the shadows with little difficulty.

He turned his head to hers, and her eyes widened at the implacability in his green gaze.
I mean it.

She sent agreement and love to him through their bond but had no time for anything else. The attackers were here. Before she could blink, Parker leaped out of the tree onto the man driving the lead ATV, crushing him with his weight. He jumped free as the ATV flipped, and Tessa waited. When the second one came into the clearing, she jumped over it, slashing at the driver before he could react. Behind her, she heard Jared hiss, then growl. A third ATV careened to a stop, and the man on it jumped clear, pulling his gun out as he ran for cover. Five more of the small vehicles zoomed into the clearing as Tessa dived back into the fray. She always knew exactly where Jared and Parker were, which was a blessing because she had no idea how chaotic this kind of melee could be. She slashed at another of the men, dodging bullets. So far, none of them had used one of those aura-acid pistols, but she didn’t sense the ashy-dirty odor of a ‘Path addict in the small clearing yet, either, and she knew he was coming.

Shit! There are more of them than I expected
, Jared sent, his claws flashing. Tessa knew he was dodging in and out of the trees, taking advantage of the cover. Parker used his enormous size to crash through their attackers, slashing here and there, but more often biting down. He easily broke bones with his jaws, the sheer muscle mass of his form aiding him. Happily, the weight didn’t slow him at all. Tessa, on the other hand, had to be more strategic. She was smaller and not as strong, but that meant she could sneak in and hamstring the enemy, leaving them for Jared or Parker to finish off. She’d just finished slashing at another soldier when she heard something ominous. She melted back into the trees to take stock, lifting her nose to the canopy. She scented, inhaling deeply. A helicopter.
Guys! We’ve got aerial incoming!

Jared sent an assent as he disemboweled another attacker before the man could shoot Parker. Tessa frowned mentally. They were outnumbered. They were vulnerable to bullets. Maybe she could do something to help. She concentrated, working with their bonded auras, though it was hard to ignore what was happening in the small clearing. She pulled some energy from the ground, still dumbfounded that she could even do such a thing, and poured it into the weave she’d created earlier. Slowly it extended itself over her bond-mates, even as they continued fighting their attackers, then it slipped away. Tessa growled in frustration, watching as Jared took a slash to his flank with a knife. She healed him quickly, even as she knew she had to find some way to protect them from projectiles.

She tried again, pulling harder at the energy this time and weaving herself into the work, too. She grasped at the amorphous threads of their auras with all her strength. They kept slipping away, and she had to reweave them, faster and faster. She refused to give up. When Parker yipped in pain, she almost lost it again, yanking harder on the threads. Abruptly their auras snapped into place. Tessa let go and took a mental step back, looking over her handiwork A complex weave covered the three of them everywhere, not just along the edges of their bond. Tessa stared hard at Jared and Parker. Their original colors were still there, but overlaying them was the combined sense of the bond, thick and sturdy. That would do. That would protect them from ordinary bullets and knives. One of the attackers raised his gun and shot at Parker before she could warn him, but the bullet hit their shield and spattered into harmless bits of metal.
Yes! Fuck you very much, assholes!

Parker sent her a quick burst of astonishment then slashed at the man who’d shot him, knocking the gun away. He growled, and the man backed away. When he tripped, Parker jumped on him, pinning him to the ground. Tessa looked around the suddenly calm clearing. The one Parker sat on top of was the only soldier left. The rest of their attackers were either dead or wounded. She stalked forward, shifting back into human form as she moved so she could question the man, even as the sound of the helicopter grew louder. His eyes boggled as he watched her change, and then his gaze dropped to her breasts. Parker growled, and the man tore his eyes away, whimpering.

“Who are you?” Tessa asked, dropping to her knees. Jared paced behind them, patrolling the clearing. They didn’t have much time. The helicopter couldn’t land here, but that wouldn’t stop them from dropping men on lines into the trees.

“You’re not wearing standard dress.” Tessa leaned forward, glaring into the man’s face. She knew from Jared that the men who’d attacked them weren’t true military. Everything about them was wrong—there was no rank insignia, no clear deference to a leader when they fought. No tactics. She knew that she and her bond-mates shouldn’t have survived this attack. They were outnumbered. If the attackers had been organized just the slightest bit better, Tessa, Jared, and Parker would be dead.

“Who do you report to?” Tessa asked. Parker growled menacingly, adding his threat to her questions. “Tell me!”

The man panted, terrified, but he finally responded. “Look, I washed out of the war college. I couldn’t get a job, and my friend told me about this guy who was hiring military dropouts. I needed the money. That’s all I know!”

Tessa frowned. “Didn’t you find it weird that you were tracking big cats?”

“No, no, I just did what he told us to do! Don’t kill me, please!”

Tessa sighed. The man was an idiot. “Do you have a name? Who hired you?”

The sound of the helicopter faded, and Jared snarled.
Hurry up!

Tessa realized they must have dropped more men. Shit. She slapped the man on the ground. “Answer me!”

The terrified man shook his head frantically. “I’m not sure! I think his name was Johnson or something. But I think he worked for someone else!”

Shit. That’s the name of your mom’s assistant. The one Charlie told Jared about
, Parker sent. He growled right in the man’s face then backed away. Tessa scrambled up, shifting into cat form so quickly it made her dizzy. The man yelped and tried to get up, but Parker growled again, and the man subsided. His color wasn’t very good. Tessa sniffed, suddenly realizing that the man had a wound high on his thigh. He was losing blood too fast for her to do anything about it. She wondered if she
could
do anything about it. Could she heal someone outside of the bond?

I wouldn’t want you helping someone who tried to kill us anyway
, Jared thought to her.

Tessa grimaced, the motion translating into a snarl. The man whimpered again then closed his eyes. A moment later his body went lax.

What do we do about the men closing in?
Tessa sent. She sensed five of them. One was tinged with an unhealthy ash scent. That must be Johnson.

We fight
. Jared edged back into the shadows.
They killed Charlie. They want to kill or capture us.

Tessa didn’t have a chance to argue. Bullets hit the ground near her, and she pivoted, not surprised to see the five men she sensed from the helicopter surrounding the small clearing.

We need to get the ‘Path addict
, Parker sent, swerving around the bodies on the ground as he lunged for the trees. Being able to ignore the bullets was a blessing, but Tessa knew her shield was no match for the psychic-acid rounds.

Be careful
, she sent, sending along an image of the acid hitting the shield. She knew it would hold initially, but the acid was sticky. It would eat at them until she could cleanse their auras.

Parker sent a quick assent. Tessa whirled, leaping on the man about to hit her from behind. These men were similarly clad but a bit more organized than the previous soldiers. Tessa killed him, sensing that he wasn’t going to surrender, then bounded across the small brook to help Jared, who grappled with three more attackers. Together, they took them down easily.

Where’s Parker?
Jared asked.

Tessa glanced back across the water.
Over there
. She and Jared loped across the stream and into the trees. Ten yards in, Parker stood over the body of the ‘Path addict. His aura had been hit with the acid.

Shit!
Hold still
, Tessa commanded him.

Parker winced as the stuff ate away at their bond.
It hurts
.

Tessa batted at him, making him sit down. She concentrated, trying to draw energy from the earth. The aura of the ‘Path addict was dispersing, but it was still too close by for her to work properly.
I can’t fix this here. The ‘Path addict’s aura is infecting the ground
. She scented along the dirt then sneezed.
It’s disgusting.

Will it contaminate the environment?
Jared asked, his mind voice concerned.

No. I can sense it dissipating, but it will take too long, and we don’t have the time to wait. Parker is already weakening, and it’ll get worse if I don’t fix him right away. We need to move at least a hundred yards away from here.
She cocked her head at Parker inquiringly.

Yeah, okay. I can walk
, he sent. She sensed him already growing tired from the infection.

Let’s go
. Jared moved into the trees.
I’ll scout ahead. I thought I scented a cabin or something not too far from here.

Chapter 12

An hour later, Parker breathed a sigh of relief as he let his human form flow over his cat body. Once he was fully human, he stretched out on the soft bed, grateful they’d found an old cabin they could hole up in. He hadn’t relished the thought of shifting back to this form and having to lie on the ground. It was getting dark now. The mosquitoes would’ve eaten them alive. And he really didn’t feel good. The shield Tessa created protected him somewhat, but he knew his aura was fractured and would take some time to heal. It was a relief to lie down and rest.

Tessa stepped forward, her cat form moving gracefully in the darkening room. She let out a sigh, and then her body rippled. Parker watched as she shifted back to human and stretched as well. Her small, high breasts made his mouth water. She glanced at him and rolled her eyes at his leering, then turned toward the kitchen.

Parker laughed and called out to her back. “Darling, I can’t help it. You’re beautiful.”

“She certainly is,” Jared said, crawling onto the bed.

Parker sighed as the other man wrapped him in his arms. He would deny it if anyone ever called him on it, but he secretly loved being held like this. It made him feel safe.

Jared smiled against his shoulder. “I know how you feel. You’re safe with me.”

Parker let himself relax into Jared’s embrace. “We are so damn lucky we found this place.”

“You’re telling me,” Tessa said, climbing onto the bed with them. She was eating a granola bar. Parker’s stomach rumbled, and she offered him a bite, which he took gratefully. She handed an extra bar to Jared.

“This place is awesome. It may not have running water, but whoever owns it keeps it in good shape.” She chewed as she looked around. “We’ve got some food, and water, too.” She gestured to the bottle she’d put on the nightstand before climbing into the bed. “We’re set for the night.”

Jared swallowed his mouthful of energy bar and nodded. “It’s a pity we had to break the door.”

Parker glanced at the one-room cabin’s door. The frame was splintered around the deadbolt. He shrugged. “We can always come back and leave some money.”

Tessa nodded as she cracked open the water bottle. “We should do that. Even if it was an emergency, we should pay for the damage.” She tipped the bottle up and drank. Parker watched as a bead of water slipped down her throat. He swallowed, the desire he felt for her slamming into his body. Jared tensed next to him, and then the other man rolled closer and pressed his erection into Parker’s side.

“I feel it, too,” Jared rasped.

Parker shivered. He could hardly believe the direction his life had gone these past few days. From being mostly straight to bisexual in a weekend—bonding sure fucked around with a man’s sense of self.

Tessa chuckled and recapped the bottle. “You weren’t as straight as you like to think you were.”

“What are you talking about?” Parker protested as he ran his finger down the wet streak on her throat. He could sense her rising arousal through the bond as Jared slipped a hand around his waist, fingers almost tickling.