Authors: Cyndi Friberg
* * * * *
Ava sank back into the corner of the couch, stunned and
nearly numb from all the things her sister had told her. “It all sounded
ridiculous when Jake told me about it, but you’ve confirmed everything he
said.”
“Do you understand why Mother ran? What Osric and Sam
Collins did to her?”
Drawing her legs up before her, Ava wrapped her arms around
her knees. “She was terrified and resentful and they still forced her to endure
the blood ritual.”
“Osric only knows enough about the Omni Prime to be really
dangerous. What happened to Mom was nothing like what happened to me.”
“I know.” Ava smiled. “I saw enough in my vision to
understand the difference.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were having visions?” Carissa
sounded hurt.
“Would you have believed me?”
“Probably not. My concept of reality has been significantly
changed since I met Quinn.” A dreamy smile bowed her lips for a moment then she
refocused and said, “You’ve seen Kyle shift and you’ve experienced power
exchanges. Do you still have questions about any of this?”
Ava laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I still
have questions about
all
of this, but I know I’m not human. I started
feeling different as soon as Kyle touched me.”
“Are you two lovers?”
“I don’t know what we are. Lovers seems too simplistic, too
casual for how I feel when I’m with him. He says we’re ‘in sync’. Do you know
what that means?”
Carissa nodded, a contented smile lingering on her lips.
“Quinn and I synchronized almost from the beginning. It’s a little frightening
at first, but it’s wonderful too.”
A musical chime echoed through the house, drawing their
gazes to the front door. “Jake wouldn’t ring the bell. It might be Enya.”
“I thought she went to comfort her sister.”
They both stood but neither approached the door. Someone
tried the knob then Ava heard the scrape of a key slipping into the lock. The
visitor had a key, so why was her heart still pounding? She glanced toward the
kitchen and the deck beyond. Should she call for Kyle? Wouldn’t it be better
to— The door pushed inward and a young brown-haired woman paused in the
threshold.
“Hi.” She looked at Carissa and Ava with obvious reluctance.
“This is my day to clean. Should I come back?”
Before Ava or Carissa could respond, the maid was shoved
inward and a burly man kicked the door shut. Brown, copper and gold combined in
his longish hair and his jaw was shadowed as if he hadn’t shaved for a couple
of days.
“Have a seat.” He motioned the maid toward a chair with the
pistol in his right hand then his cold hazel eyes shifted back to the sisters.
“Which one of you is Ava?”
“I am.” Carissa stepped forward before Ava could speak.
Kyle, we have an armed visitor. Can you hear me?
She
couldn’t drag her gaze away from the gun in his hand.
We’re already in position, love. Just play along.
She wasn’t alone. No,
they
weren’t alone. Carissa was
no longer her only companion. “She’s trying to protect me. I’m Ava.”
The intruder glared at the maid. “Which one is which?”
“Don’t know either of them.” She seemed remarkably composed
being that she was an armed man’s hostage. Unless she wasn’t human. Was she
waiting for the right moment to shift into something more dangerous? Like a
tiger?
“Who are you?” Carissa asked the intruder.
“I’m Ava’s mate.” He smirked. “She just doesn’t know it
yet.” Without shifting the gun from Carissa, he looked at Ava. “Get over here
or your sister dies.”
“You’re too late,” Ava insisted. “Kyle claimed me last
night.”
His nose twitched and his eyes narrowed. “His scent isn’t
strong enough. He might have fucked you, but you’re still unclaimed.”
“If you say so.” What were the men waiting for? Her stomach
was knotted and sweat beaded her upper lip.
“To me. Now.” His eyes gleamed as he parted his lips,
displaying his elongated fangs.
Kyle had said to play along, but the stranger’s weapon was
pointed at Carissa. Ava took a slow step forward then stopped. “Let them go and
I won’t fight you.”
He laughed. “Get your ass over here or I’ll shoot them both
and teach you to obey. You’re still latent, which means you’re no match for
me.”
“But I am.” Carissa dove for the floor, shredding her
clothes as she released her human form.
The stranger fired, but the bullet flew high, missing
Carissa by at least a foot. Carissa’s feline body was sleek and black with
vivid white stripes.
An enraged growl erupted from the stranger as Carissa’s head
connected with his groin. He sank to his knees, the pistol dropping to the
carpet as he crossed his arms over the injured area. The maid darted forward
and grabbed the weapon. She stepped back and covered the intruder as Carissa
slowly circled him. Their movements were confident and smooth, as if the attack
had been orchestrated. And Ava had never felt so useless in her life.
For just a moment she thought the fight was over then the
stranger lunged to the side and shifted with a furious snarl. His body shrank
and compacted, bones snapped and fur sprouted through his skin. The change was
grotesque yet fascinating, far less…graceful than Carissa’s shift had been.
With a long snout and sharp-looking teeth, he was much larger than any wolf Ava
had ever seen.
A feline cry drew Ava’s attention to the kitchen as Kyle, in
cougar form, came bounding into sight. Carissa moved closer to the maid,
respectfully yielding the fight to Kyle.
The wolf seemed pleased by his new opponent. He charged Kyle
only to connect with one of the cougar’s powerful claws. Bloody slashes parted
the wolf’s fur from shoulder to chest. The wolf yelped, knocked sideways by the
force of the blow.
Kyle was bigger and more controlled, but apparently the wolf
wasn’t ready to accept defeat. The wolf charged again. Kyle caught him by the
throat and flipped him over, pinning him to the floor. The wolf flailed,
twisting and kicking as Kyle’s teeth sank deeper into his flesh.
“Kyle!” The maid’s voice snapped with sudden authority, her
stance suspiciously militant. “Bruce spilled no blood. Nate deserves the
opportunity to discipline his son.”
After a long, anxious moment, Kyle released his shift,
smoothly transferring his hand to the wolf’s throat as his body changed. “Would
Nate hesitate if one of his females were threatened?” Blood smeared his lower
face and both hands. His eyes still glowed with amber light. Ava shivered. He
looked every bit as savage as he had a few minutes before.
Carissa had released her shift as well and Quinn quickly
wrapped her in a blanket. They stood near the archway leading to the kitchen.
Erin on Carissa’s other side. They all stayed back and remained silent. This
was Kyle’s choice to make. Kyle’s woman had been the focus of the attack. It
was his right to seek retaliation. The realization sent another shiver down
Ava’s spine. Kyle’s claim on her might be temporary, but for the next three
months she was his to protect, his to pleasure and enjoy.
“It doesn’t matter what Nate would or would not do.” The
woman remained poised and ready, pistol now aimed at Kyle. “If you’re a man of
honor—as you claim—you’ll abide by the rules.”
After another long pause, Kyle stood, utterly unconcerned
with his nudity. “Why did you let him use you? You’re one of Jake’s sentinels.
You could have overpowered him at any time.”
“Exactly.” She grinned and lowered the gun. “That idiot
mistook me for a maid and I couldn’t resist. I knew he was up to no good. I
just needed to find out exactly what he wanted.” She picked up Bruce’s jeans
and moved closer to the panting wolf. “Shift back, asshole. Daddy is going to
be very upset with you.”
Chapter Seven
Ian returned shortly after sundown. Ava’s mind was still
reeling from the events of the day. It was wonderful to see Carissa, to know
she was safe, happy and very much in love. But all of Ava’s choices still lay
ahead, threatening to shape her life into something she no longer recognized.
She stood by the sliding glass door in the spacious country kitchen, watching
the sun sink behind the mountains. The others sat around the kitchen table,
debating strategy. Light began to fade as shadows crept across the land and a
sudden motion drew her gaze to the sky.
A massive bird sailed over the treetops then swooped toward
the house. She shifted position, tilting her head as the bird flew nearer. Its
long, powerful wings spread wide, slowing its descent as it landed on the
deck’s wooden rail. The eagle hopped off the rail and the outline of its body
shimmered as the shape stretched and expanded, growing longer and broader in a
smooth, streaming motion. Light from the house spilled onto the deck, allowing
her to witness the miraculous transformation. Legs and arms stretched outward
then the torso and head took on detail and definition. Regal features and
rippling muscles arranged with perfect symmetry.
Ava was mesmerized by the surreal display and the masculine
beauty of both bird and man. A sensual smile curved his lips and he inclined
his head, acknowledging her presence—and the fact that she was staring at him.
She turned from the window as a guilty flush crept up her
neck. “Ian’s back.”
Erin shoved her chair back and hurried out onto the deck.
Ava didn’t even turn around. Nudity might be an inevitable part of Therian
life, but she’d been reared with human sensibilities.
Crossing to the table, she sat beside Kyle and tried to
wrangle her chaotic thoughts. “Who’s watching the store?” It was an incidental
detail, but the concrete connection to her old life allowed her to sidestep the
looming conflict and calm down. Besides, they’d worked hard to build a
successful business and she wasn’t willing to watch it slip away regardless of
the new challenges they were facing.
“I called Amanda and let her know we had a family emergency.
She closed the store for the first couple of days, but asked if she could work
out a schedule with Luke until we return. It’s the off-season, so I’m sure
they’ll be fine until things settle into a routine for us.”
“And is that likely to happen anytime soon?”
Erin and Ian stepped into the kitchen, interrupting
Carissa’s reply. Ian was dressed and composed as he joined them at the table.
“I’m pretty sure I found it.” Everyone perked up, scooting closer to the table
as they waited for more information. “I’d about given up when it started to get
dark and I spotted lights in a secluded valley. I’d pictured a military outpost
with multiple buildings and a landing strip or helipad.” He shook his head and
the overhead lights made the gold streaks in his hair shimmer. “It was nothing
like that, just a moderate two-story building with a large vehicle shed and a
clearing off to one side.”
“Was there an access road? What about fortification?” Quinn
asked.
“No physical barriers other than the location. I spotted two
sets of guards patrolling the perimeter, but I didn’t see so much as a dirt
trail.” He rubbed the back of his neck then rolled his shoulders. “I haven’t
flown that much in years. I’m going soft.” He chuckled then went on. “I’d like
to return tomorrow with a camera and GPS. I’ll mark the exact location and see
if I can verify the number of inhabitants, maybe identify patrol patterns and
guard rotations.”
“Without any sort of access road, this is going to be a
logistical nightmare.” Kyle looked at her and tried to soften the observation
with a smile.
“How do we know this building has anything to do with us?”
Ava couldn’t remain silent any longer. This sounded like a time-consuming
wild-goose chase. “You guys are basing your strategy on the fact that I
teleported to that location. I was panicked at the time. I think Kyle was right
in the beginning. It was nothing more than my survival instinct.”
“Perhaps.” Ian searched her gaze, his expression intense yet
unreadable. “We’ll take it one step at a time. I’ll gather more information
tomorrow and see where that leads us.”
Everyone nodded though Ava remained uneasy. They all had
much more confidence in her abilities than she did. Her visions were
unpredictable at best and teleporting had been a fluke. She glanced at Carissa,
still amazed by the ease with which her sister had shifted. The feline Carissa
became wasn’t even an identified species but some unique blinding of the six
animal natures she’d absorbed. Ava shuddered. Carissa had always been
adventurous and brave while Ava analyzed each possible outcome and progressed
with cautious deliberation.
“We had a visitor while you were gone,” Quinn told Ian.
“Do I even want to know?” Ian shook his head, a smile
tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Bruce Fitzroy mistook Natasha for Jake’s maid and ‘forced’
her to let him into the house,” Quinn explained.
“How did he know Ava was here?”
“Why do you immediately presume he was after me?” Ava’s
stomach tightened as the implications of Ian’s conclusion sank in. The hunt
wasn’t over. She was still in danger, still a conduit of unimagined power.
Someone worth killing to possess. She’d seen a hint of Carissa’s abilities and
the glimpse drove home all the fantastical claims she heard over the past few
days. It was all real. The blood of an Omni Prime flowed in her veins. If she
lived up to her full potential, she might be the next true Therian.
“You’re the only thing here worth stealing.” Ian’s gaze
moved over her face, the gold veins in his rich blue irises especially apparent
as he searched her features.
Kyle reached over and squeezed her hand, drawing her
attention away from Ian. “You don’t need to be afraid. I wouldn’t have let him
touch you. Natasha only allowed the situation to progress as far as it did so
she had concrete evidence to present to the council.”