TherianPrey (12 page)

“Your instincts will sharpen, and once your animal nature is
defined an entirely different world will open to you, but you are Therian. If
the person closest to you in the world were in serious trouble, you would sense
it.”

“It was like that with our mother. Ava and I both knew
something horrible had happened long before we were told about the accident.”

“Then Ava is all right.”

At least for now. Neither of them spoke the words, but the
fact hung in the air between them. “She’s out there, alone and on the run. She
must be terrified.”

“Kyle will find her. He won’t stop looking until he does.
And even if Osric finds her first, Kyle won’t let her be sold off like ‘so much
chattel’.”

Carissa hid her smile with her mug, feeling foolish. “I
shouldn’t cast judgment on things I don’t understand.” She looked at Erin over
the rim of her mug then set it down and rested her hands on the table. “Will
you continue my education?”

“That’s why I’m here.” Erin reached across the table and
squeezed her hand. “Let’s take your questions one at a time. The Therian nation
is divided into clans, which are scattered all over North America.”

“Just North America? Aren’t there Therians in other parts of
the world?”

“There are, and we interact with them at times, but let’s
focus on North America for right now.”

Erin was right. She needed to narrow the scope of her
curiosity or she would never understand any of it. “Sorry. Please go on.”

“There are hundreds of clans and each has its own alpha. The
twelve most powerful alphas make up the Alpha Council. The clans are also
organized into networks—Rocky Mountain Feline Network, Southern Feline Network,
Canine Network, and what I affectionately call the Others.” She laughed.
“They’ve changed the name of their network so many times I’ve stopped trying to
keep track of it.”

“Why do cats get two different networks?”

“Because we outnumber all other shifters one hundred to one.
Wolf packs—they refuse to call them clans like everybody else—are next in
number, but the ratio is still about ten to one.”

“I see.” She hadn’t expected anything so organized. “So Ian
would fall into this ‘other’ category?”

An almost maternal pride shaped Erin’s expression as she
said, “Ian is Raptor clan alpha. He’s also his network’s Prime.”

Carissa wished she had a pencil and paper so she could make
a flow chart. “Then there are four network Primes?” Erin nodded. “Is there some
sort of Prime Council?”

Erin chuckled. “You catch on fast. Issues that aren’t
settled at the clan level go to the Alpha Council. Anything that isn’t settled
by the Alpha Council is ruled on by the Prime Council. When a Prime or an alpha
brings forth an issue, he doesn’t vote. That way the councils never end up
locked in a tie.”

“And all this goes on without human interference?” Erin had
said Therians were scattered all over the world. Carissa was still struggling
to believe they’d been hiding in her backyard. She’d gone almost twenty-five
years with an incredibly narrow concept of reality.

“There are two basic strategies—seclusion and blending in.
The most common is a combination of the two. Most of the cat clans have settled
in small, isolated communities, at times taking over entire towns. It’s not
forbidden for anyone to choose a different lifestyle, but it is forbidden for
anything they do to endanger other Therians.”

“What about the government?”

“They know shapeshifters are real. There have been too many
of us taken to emergency rooms and morgues for them to ignore the evidence. Yet
there has never been a public announcement, not a legitimate one anyway. So it
must serve their purposes better for the general public not to know the truth.”

“Do Therians ever work for them as soldiers or whatever?”

“It’s not forbidden, but it’s generally an individual choice
as opposed to a clan-sanctioned activity.” Erin’s smile was suddenly tight and
not quite humorous. “Why don’t you ask Quinn about that? He has personal
experience with the concept.”

Not wanting to overload her mind with facts and statistics,
she motioned toward the photo albums. “What’s with the show and tell?”

Erin pulled the first album in front of her and folded her
hands on top of the leather cover. “There is supposed to be a position above
Prime, but there hasn’t been one since the sixties.”

“Why not?”

“Unlike alpha or Prime, which are achieved through feats of
strength and aggression, an Omni Prime must possess a rare combination of
Therian abilities.”

A hushed reverence crept into Erin’s tone, piquing Carissa’s
curiosity. What did the photo albums have to do with this? “All right, I’m
intrigued.”

“If you believe our legends, and I happen to, Cleopatra
seized control from the male leaders of her time and became the first Omni
Prime. She established the council structure still in existence today and ruled
the Therian nation for many years.”

“Most of the Egyptian deities were part human and part
animal. Are you inferring they were really Therians masquerading as gods?”

“I believe ancient Therians frequently preyed on the
superstitions of humans, even setting themselves above them. Cleopatra
challenged some of the most powerful humans in existence in an age when females
were treated like property.”

“It’s a fascinating concept, but what does it have to do
with me?”

Erin fiddled with the photo album, running her thumb along
the edge then ruffling the pages. “A woman named Maggie was our last Omni
Prime. She was remarkable, by far the most powerful Therian alive, yet her
abilities barely qualified her for the position.”

Opening the album, she slid it toward Carissa and pointed to
a picture near the middle of the page. Two smiling men had their arms wrapped
around the slender blonde woman standing between them. All three were dressed
in tie-dye tops and low-slung jeans.

“Maggie had three mates and she could shift into the animal
nature of each,” Erin told her.

“She was defined three times?” Carissa shuddered. The idea
of going through the ritual once had her squirming with dread and anticipation.
But how had Maggie survived a three-peat of something so intensely savage?

“Definition is a one-time thing. Maggie absorbed all three
animal natures at the same time.”

Eyes wide with understanding, Carissa tried not to look
scandalized. “That must have been some wedding night.”

“Don’t confuse definition with sex. In Maggie’s case she was
defined by her lovers, but it doesn’t have to be that way.”

Carissa’s heart was pounding and she wasn’t sure why. There
had to be a reason for this history lesson. The situation was too dire for fun
facts about the Therian nation.

“The man on her left is her first mate, Horst. He allowed
her to manifest as a cougar.”

“A cougar?” She couldn’t help but smile. Hollywood had forever
altered the meaning of the word. “She doesn’t look old enough to be a cougar.”

Ignoring her attempt at humor, Erin went on. “This was the
sixties, so no one thought twice about a woman having more than one lover. The
feline network was basically a commune back then.”

A certain wistfulness in Erin’s tone made Carissa wonder if
her new friend missed the free-love era. “Who’s the other man?”

“Simon, her wolf mate. Horst and Simon were also lovers. Her
third mate was a falcon-shifter named William and he was only intimate with
Maggie. In fact William preferred not to have the other men around when he and
Maggie had sex. He insisted he wasn’t jealous, but his actions said otherwise.”

“So, Maggie could shift into a cougar, a wolf and a falcon.
Why did that qualify her to lead the entire Therian nation?”

“It wasn’t just the variety of shapes she could manifest. In
human form, Maggie was stronger, faster and more creative than anyone I’d ever
known.”

“You knew her personally?”

“I was sixteen when she died. I don’t know her exact age,
but she was at least three hundred.”

“Okay, I’m impressed. But I still don’t see how this…” She
pulled the album toward her and studied the image with new interest. If she
ignored the clothes and shortened Maggie’s hair… “She looks like my mother.”

“That’s not surprising. Maggie was your grandmother.”

Carissa slumped back in her chair and blew out a shaky
breath. “This is why everyone is hunting us. Osric wants… What exactly does
Osric want?”

Erin reached across the table and slid the album aside then
replaced it with the other one. “Osric has been obsessed with the legends
surrounding the Omni Prime. According to some accounts, Cleopatra was not only
an Omni Prime, she was a true Therian.

“As opposed to an
un
true Therian?” All these
convoluted stories were suddenly intersecting at her feet. Carissa wanted to
bolt, to lock herself in her bedroom, or better yet, hotwire a car and drive
home!

“Don’t panic.” Erin moved around to Carissa’s side of the
table and sat beside her. “Information is power. You can’t make productive
decisions until you understand all of the forces shaping this conflict.”

“You’re right. I know you are, but it keeps going from bad
to worse. An arranged marriage was complicated by a looming definition, and now
you tell me my grandmother was some sort of super-shifter. It’s all a little
much.”

Erin rested her hand on the back of Carissa’s chair,
offering nearness without actually touching her. “Do you want to take a break?
I can go find Quinn.”

“No.” She laughed. “Quinn tends to wind me up, not calm me
down.”

“Fair enough. Just a stroll along the deck then? I really
don’t want to overwhelm you.”

“No. Go on. Tell me the rest.”

Erin opened the album and motioned toward a picture similar
to the one with Maggie and her mates. Carissa’s heart fluttered then swelled
with a complicated combination of emotions. Willona stood between two men, one
blond, one with dark-brown hair. She looked young and carefree, so unlike the
ultra-serious, ever-cautious woman Carissa had known. It took her a moment to
realize the smiling blond man was Osric. “I didn’t realize he knew how to
smile,” she muttered then turned her attention to the other man. “Who is he?”

“That’s Samuel Collins.” Erin waited until Carissa looked up
to add, “Your father. He was a wolf clan alpha when your mother mated with
him.”

The floor fell out from under Carissa and her mouth gaped.
“My mother had two mates?” She shoved the album toward Erin and stood, her
chair scraping loudly across the tile floor. “I don’t believe you. She could
barely tolerate one. There is no way she would…” But they had hinted that she
wasn’t Osric’s daughter. This wasn’t a complete surprise. Her mind just shut
down, refusing to process the possibilities.

“I have no reason to lie.” Erin turned her chair and faced
Carissa but remained seated. “Osric tried to create an alliance with the most
powerful wolf clan through your mother. That’s why the wolves are involved in
the hunt. They’re trying to find you.”

“But they’re hunting Ava!”

“Only because they know where you are. Once Ava is secured,
they’ll come for you.”

“That’s so damn comforting!” She covered her face with her
hands, fighting back an exasperated scream. Every time she thought she was
starting to understand, they threw her another curve.

She took a deep breath and lowered her hands, and found
Quinn standing in front of her. His expression was both fierce and protective.
“What’s going on?”

They were in sync! He’d felt her emotions spike. “Erin’s
filling me in on my family history.”

Quinn’s expression didn’t soften. “If you need a break, she
can wait.”

His concern pleased her. And despite what she’d told Erin,
his intensity calmed her, allowed her to think. “It’s not Erin’s fault. She’s
been wonderful.”

He pulled her into his arms and guided her face to the bend
of his neck. She wrapped her arms around him and inhaled his scent, letting her
lips press against his warm skin. God this felt good.

“Did she tell you about Maggie?”

Carissa nodded, unwilling to move away even far enough to
raise her head. Quinn rubbed her back, one hand slipping under her shirt to
stroke bare skin. “You’re safe, hellion. You don’t have to face these changes
alone.”

“Is my father still alive? Why didn’t he ever try to find
me?”

Quinn eased her back and turned her to face Erin. He leaned
against the counter and Carissa leaned against him, his arms loosely circling
her waist.

“Your father died eight months before your mother took off
with you and Ava. If he had survived, things might have been different. Willona
might not have turned her back on the Therian nation.”

Carissa tensed. “You make her sound like a traitor. She ran
away from an abusive husband. How is that a betrayal to anyone?”

“She did more than that.” Though Erin’s expression was
almost serene, Carissa didn’t miss the cutting undertone in her voice. “She
carried the blood of the Omni Prime and yet she allowed herself to be
sterilized.”

“It was the only way she could escape her psycho husband!”
She lunged forward and Quinn gently pulled her back. “Let’s talk about Osric’s
abuse. It was sanctioned by the Alpha Council. So who protects the helpless in
your precious Therian nation?”

“This is why the Omni Prime is so important. Both councils
are made up almost entirely of men. The Omni Prime is meant to be a balance, a
feminine perspective threaded through the masculine power. Your mother pinched
off the bloodline and ran away with Maggie’s last two descendants. I’m sorry,
Carissa, but it was inexcusable.”

Quinn’s arms tightened and he kissed her temple. “Think
before you speak,” he whispered into her ear.

Carissa trembled with the effort that it took to calm down.
Who the hell did she think she was casting judgment on a battered, terrified
woman? Willona had sacrificed everything to keep her daughters safe and this
bitch called that “inexcusable”?