TherianPrey (6 page)

A soft, faintly floral scent crept into Carissa’s nose. Instinctively
she turned her face into the touch and inhaled. “I know you,” she murmured,
shocking herself with the admission. “I remember your scent.”

“Of course you do.” Erin pressed a quick kiss to Carissa’s
forehead then sat beside her, settling the overnight bag at her feet. “I was
there when you were born. Your mother was my closest friend.”

Carissa closed her eyes as memories rolled through her mind,
flashes and disjointed scenes frozen in time. This woman’s face appeared in
many of the images. Her hair had been longer, her face less lined, but her kind
eyes and gentle smile remained constant, unchanged by the passage of time. She
opened her eyes and watched the other two, not sure what was expected of her.

Ian moved to the fireplace and knelt to build a fire. Erin
set the small computer on her knees and opened it. Without explanation or
introduction, she launched a program, activated a video file then angled the
device toward Carissa.

Her sister had been kidnapped and they wanted her to watch
home movies? Carissa set her tea on the end table and clasped her hands in her
lap, ready to give her temper free rein. Her mother’s image came on screen and
her heartbeat faltered. “What is this?”

“Just watch,” Erin advised.

Willona appeared younger than the last time Carissa had seen
her, by five, perhaps even ten years. Willona crossed her arms over her chest,
hands absently rubbing. She looked at the camera then glanced away before
composing herself enough to begin. “If you’re watching this, then my plan
failed. All the sacrifices I made to ensure your safety weren’t enough.” Tears
shimmered in her mother’s dark-blue eyes, and Carissa reached for the screen,
wishing she could touch her mother’s face, needing to reassure her, and be
reassured by her. “Hopefully you’re both adults.” Willona shook her head and
bitterness evaporated the excess moisture in her eyes. “You’re likely about to
turn twenty-five, and Osric has stepped out of the shadows. Since I’m not there
to protect you, I’ve done the next best thing. This message should be delivered
to you by a woman named Erin Lashton. If you recognize her scent, you can trust
her. She is in the best position to help you now. Listen to her and she’ll keep
you safe. But know that I love you both with all my heart. You have been the
only source of happiness in my life.” With a sad, shaky smile, she reached over
and turned off the camera.

“Wait.” Heart aching with love and loss, Carissa turned on
Erin. “How did you get this? When was it sent to you?” She pushed back the
memories triggered by the video. The situation was too volatile for a bout of
melancholy. She needed to be strong right now.

“The original videotape was mailed from a small town in
California fourteen years ago. I thought it might be a clue to your
whereabouts, but Willona was too smart for that. I didn’t know when or if I
would need it, so I digitized the recording.”

“Why is this happening? Why are all these people searching
for Ava and me?” Her mother had said she’d recognize Erin’s scent and she had,
which meant she could trust this woman. With a shaky breath to fortify her
composure, she looked to Erin for answers.

“How much have they told you so far?” Erin reached over and
took her hand, her touch light and calming. “Do you understand
what
you
are?” She closed the computer and set it aside.

“Quinn said I’m a Therian, a sort of shapeshifter. But how
could I be completely unaware of my own nature? Shouldn’t I have
sensed…something?”

“Many of our instincts are triggered by others of our kind.
You’ve been isolated, carefully kept away from anyone capable of triggering
these fundamental changes.”

Though Erin’s tone was soft and informative, defensiveness
surged within Carissa. “My mother had very good reasons for what she did. Osric
was abusive. He left her no other choice.”

“There are always choices.” She released Carissa’s hand and
bent one leg, pivoting to face her. “I understand why your mother ran, but she
did have other options available to her.”

“Such as?”

Erin took a deep breath before she continued. “What did your
mother tell you about Osric? You were still quite young when she went
underground.”

“He was physically and emotionally abusive, and she was
afraid he would turn his aggression on Ava and me.” She drew the blanket more
tightly around her, clutching the overlapping edges with both hands. She didn’t
care what anyone said. Her mother had sacrificed her own happiness to provide a
safe environment for her daughters. No one would ever convince Carissa
otherwise. “Recent developments seem to prove that her fear was justified.”

“Osric is a selfish bastard. I have no intention of
defending him.” Erin glanced at Ian before she added, “But I disagree with your
mother’s decision to rob you of your heritage, your biological identity. You
are not human, and it’s pointless to pretend that you are.”

Carissa let go of the blanket and rubbed her temples. Her
muscles felt tight and her head was beginning to pound. Hopefully it was just
stress. The last thing she needed was another bout of sexual cravings. “If
Osric had never figured out where we were, is it possible Ava and I would have
lived our entire lives believing we were human?”

“Possible, but not probable.” Finished with the fire, Ian
lowered himself onto the chair facing them. “All it would have taken is one of
our kind walking into your shop. You are both well past the usual age for
definition.”

Definition? Was that the same as Therian heat? Quinn had
seemed surprised that she had never experienced the demanding urgency before.
Should she tell them about the hunger? Quinn seemed convinced the impulse would
return.

Mistrust and embarrassment held her back. It would be wiser
to learn more before she decided how much to tell them. “At what age are
Therian females usually ‘defined’? And what exactly does that mean?”

Ian looked at Erin. “Why don’t you explain this part?”

“She’s not going to like it no matter who tells her.”
Shifting her gaze back to Carissa, Erin took up the tale. “Therian males are
born with an active animal nature while Therian females must be…activated, for
lack of a better word.”

“How is this activation accomplished?”

Another tense glance passed between Ian and Erin before Erin
went on. “Using pleasure, pain or a combination of the two, the woman is
stimulated until her body releases a rush of hormones. Then she is given the
blood of a male. Her body goes through a metamorphosis and her animal nature is
established using the pattern in the male’s blood. We call this definition.”

“You make them sound like vampires.”

Erin shook her head and offered Carissa a patient smile.
“Therian definition is far more like human puberty than vampire transformation.
For most, it’s an exciting and celebrated event in a young woman’s life.”

“Each female is given until her twenty-first birthday to
choose the male who will guide her through her definition. Most often it’s a
distant relative, but potential mates are also common,” Ian told her.

Dread pulsed through Carissa as a picture began to form
within her mind. The situation they described with such care had to have a dark
side, something so intolerable it had motivated her mother’s rash actions. “And
if this female hasn’t made up her mind by the time she’s twenty-one?”

“The Alpha Council designates her guide,” Erin admitted.

The simple statement unleashed a maelstrom of speculation
and disturbing possibilities. Was the definition forced upon the female? Of
course it was. Why else would there be a deadline? “Who did the council
designate for my mother?” She shook her head as her stomach knotted. It was
simple to see where this led. “It was Osric, wasn’t it?”

“He had declared his intention to court her, and the council
saw no reason to refuse him the opportunity.” Regret threaded through Erin’s
soft tone and sadness clouded her eyes.

Carissa laughed, though she found no humor in the situation.
“So Osric defined her by force then raped her repeatedly until he got her
pregnant with Ava and me?”

“Basically.” Erin reached for her hand again, but Carissa
jerked it out of reach.

Throwing off the blanket, Carissa stood, glaring at one and
then the other. “And his actions were sanctioned by this Alpha Council?” She
shook her head. A cold, empty feeling threatened to extinguish the anger
burning within her. “I can see why she ran. I would have done the same!”

“Kyle’s father still headed the network at the time,” Erin
said. “He allowed many things Kyle will not.”

“Oh my God! Is Osric going to define Ava?” She pressed her
hand to her throat as her heart slammed against her chest. “We have to stop
this, now!”

Erin stood as well, compassion warming her gaze. “Fathers
don’t define their children. That creates an abomination you don’t even want to
think about.”

“But that’s what this is about, isn’t it? My mother managed
to elude him, so he’s going to take it out on us?”

“It’s more complicated than that, but you have the basic
idea.”

Her gut clenched and her mouth went dry. Their mother had
lived like a fugitive to spare them these archaic rituals. “If he’s not going
to define her, what will he do?”

“Broker the most advantageous match possible and let her
mate define her animal nature,” Ian explained.

“That’s disgusting.” Her breathing became ragged and shallow
as heat expanded within her. Not now! She would not allow her body to take over
again. She was stronger than that, more determined. And she understood what was
happening now, so the compulsion should be easier to control. “Do all the
females in the network allow themselves to be treated like chattel?” She clung
to her anger, using the familiar emotion to drive back the hunger.

“Most understand the reason for the guidelines and celebrate
each event.”

A certain catch in Erin’s tone made her look into the older
woman’s eyes. “Each event? Does that mean there’s more than one?” Her mother
had seemed certain events would be set in motion by their twenty-fifth
birthday. There had to be some significance to that age.

“Therian females must choose their guide before they turn
twenty-one and then they have four years to choose their life mate.”

Carissa’s mouth gaped, her mind refusing to absorb the
implication. “And if they haven’t found someone by their twenty-fifth birthday,
or if they don’t want to be mated for life, does the Alpha Council select a
mate for them too?”

Chapter Three

Quinn watched the yellow lines on the pavement serpentine as
he wound his way along the narrow mountain road. Waiting was nothing new to
him. Every occupation he’d ever attempted required patience and attention to
detail. He’d hunted for bounties before he’d been recruited as a tracker by the
army. Twelve years in Special Forces, even his current freelance contracts all
required methodical searches and extended stakeouts. So, what the hell was
wrong with him?

He’d given Kyle fifteen minutes to call him back, but it had
only taken Quinn seven to connect the dots. As Kyle had said, there weren’t
that many raptors left, and there was only one ballsy enough to stick his neck
out for a cat. Ian Douglas. Quinn had little doubt of his identity. He just
wasn’t exactly sure where to find him.

Quinn’s cat prowled inside him, restless and agitated,
testing the limits of his control. He needed to shift, to run off some of this
excess energy, but reaching Carissa as quickly as possible was more important.

Carissa’s image flowed through his mind, her scent
accompanying the memory. He could still feel her warm body arching into his as
their kisses went on and on. Her skin had felt like velvet beneath his fingers
as he slipped his hand inside her jeans. Why was the memory so clear and so
intoxicating? Her taste still lingered on his tongue and he’d done little more
than brush against her clit. Even now the thought made him hard in anticipation
of a more intimate embrace.

His hunger should have faded as soon as the raptor took her
out of range. He had only responded to the pheromones her body was secreting.

Unless you triggered her heat
.

His fingers tightened on the wheel as the familiar
accusation sounded within his mind. It had been many years since he’d
intentionally used his ability on an unsuspecting female. He’d never
manipulated anyone who didn’t deserve what they received, but who’s to say he
hadn’t lost control? Had he inadvertently activated Carissa’s heat?

He thought back over the sequence of events. He’d definitely
felt awareness when they met. He’d wanted to take her from the shop and find a
private place where they could indulge the desires pulsing between them. Her
stubborn resistance fired up his dominant nature, but her lust had been
spontaneous.

Danger spiked the reaction for both of them, but he’d only
kissed her
after
her need became obvious.

“Okay, so you’re not a complete bastard,” he muttered under
his breath. “She’s nowhere near you now, so why are your balls still blue?”

Her wide, guileless eyes and kiss-swollen lips wouldn’t
leave his memory. She’d looked at him with curiosity and trust, rather than
fear and resentment like other Therian females. Even after he’d kissed her into
submission and caressed her until she came, she hadn’t accused him of taking
advantage of her. She’d been feisty and challenging, but she’d seemed to understand
the restraint it had taken for him not to give her what she’d obviously needed.

Which led him back to Ian. What had Ian done when her hunger
returned? Quinn clenched the wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. Had
the raptor understood that she knew nothing of Therian ways? Did he give a
damn? Or had he taken advantage of her urgency and given her body what it
craved?