TherianPromise (3 page)
Authors: Cyndi Friberg
“Then why does it surprise you that she never mentioned my
mother?”
“You mentioned a name before. Something nation.”
“Therian nation?” His hand remained on hers, but he made no
other move to touch her.
“What is the Therian nation?”
An enigmatic smile curved his lips and he shook his head. “I
better not get into all that until our footing is more secure.”
They continued the climb in silence, Ava doing her best to
keep up with his long strides. His legs were powerful and he moved with
sure-footed agility, obviously at home in the challenging terrain. “You said
Carissa is with your people. What does that mean? Where is she?” Her visions
had given her a unique perspective of Carissa’s situation. She was relatively
certain Carissa was safe, but she wanted to see if Kyle’s information would
correspond with the images in her visions.
“I promise you, she’s fine. Your father’s men never touched
her. She’s with a good friend of mine. His name is Quinton Jenaro and he’ll
keep her safe.”
“What does he look like?”
He glanced back, clearly surprised by the question. “Tall
and burly, dark hair and eyes. Why do you ask?”
“I dreamed about her last night.” It was more or less true.
“She was with a dark-haired man. He looked sort of like a lumberjack.” He’d
looked more like someone who would have been featured on the lumberjack edition
of the hunk-of-the-month calendar, but that was beside the point.
Kyle chuckled and turned back to the mountain. “Lumberjack
fits Quinn as well as anything, but don’t worry. He isn’t nearly as mean as he
looks.”
Kyle hadn’t seemed at all surprised that she’d dreamed about
her sister. Were psychic powers common among Therians? “Where did Quinn take
her? How do you know they’re safe?”
“Last I heard they were out at the sanctuary, which is where
I’ll eventually take you. We have electrified fences and video surveillance, as
well as physical guards.”
She wasn’t sure if his list made her feel more or less
secure. “Why do you need all that security? Are kidnappings common among your
people?”
“You need to stop saying ‘your’ people.” Another chuckle
rumbled in his chest, but this time he didn’t turn around. “We’re the same,
sunshine. My people are your people. We’re both part of the Therian nation.”
* * * * *
Nehema ushered “Team Leader” into her neat suburban
two-story and directed him toward the living room. Masquerading as a soccer mom
had worked remarkably well as she gradually allowed her appearance to mature,
but circumstances had changed. Too many in the Front Range knew too much. It
was time for a new strategy.
“The cats captured Gage,” she told her companion. He crossed
the room with three long strides and sat in the middle of the flower-print
sofa, each movement illustrating his impatience.
“I heard.” Though he was dressed in jeans and a pullover
shirt, his bearing was unmistakably militant.
The illusion of anonymity amused Nehema so she allowed it to
continue. In truth, she’d learned his name and much of his background hours
after their “chance” encounter in 1979. And their relationship hadn’t changed
much in all the years that followed. Similar goals kept them on parallel paths,
yet they both knew they weren’t actually working together. She kept hoping he’d
trust her enough to tell her his true identity. Instead, he hid behind a
nameless mask and treated her like a fool.
He tapped his thumb against his thigh as his expression
turned thoughtful. “Anything Gage knew is compromised. A mind sweep from any of
the cats and that coward will piss his pants.”
“I was never overly confident in Gage, so he knows very
little.” She waved away his concerns and sat in the armchair facing him.
“He knows your name.”
She shrugged. “If the cats don’t know my name by now, I’ve
given them far more credit than they deserve. What Gage has done is focus
attention on me and I can’t tolerate that.”
“I’m not sure I understand.” He scooted to the edge of the
sofa, blue gaze searching hers. “If the shifters know who you are and what
you’re trying to accomplish, why don’t they just shut you down?”
“Because—up until now—they haven’t known where to find me.”
“Gage knows where you live?” One of his gray brows arched,
accenting the question.
She rolled her eyes. Was he going out of his way to annoy
her today? “Would we be sitting here if he did?”
“But he knows enough to predict your next attack?”
“I don’t attack. I
liberate
. I save helpless females
from the demonic nature forced upon them by ruthless men! The females are
innocent and the evil practices of the Therian elders must be abolished.”
“Their practices become pointless if I find a cure.” Though
he didn’t raise his voice, there was steel in the statement. “I haven’t given
up on my program.”
“I’m less convinced that a chemical can permanently bind
their demons, but I’m still willing to let you try.” She pushed to her feet and
motioned toward the stairs. “That’s why I asked you here today.”
He looked a bit leery, but he followed her up the stairs and
to the second bedroom down the hallway. She pushed the door open but didn’t
enter. Warning him to remain quiet, she nodded toward the bed across the room.
Three female Therians rested side by side, sleeping soundly, thanks to a strong
sedative. She wasn’t sure if they were sisters, but similar features and
coloring identified them with a common clan. The youngest was perhaps eight the
oldest in her late teens or early twenties.
“You may have the oldest,” she told her sometimes partner.
“The other two are mine.”
“Sorry. I need all three,” he said without pause or
negotiation.
“No.” She closed the door before continuing. “The oldest was
going to be a parting gift. I’m relocating and I’ve decided our partnership
ends here.”
“All the more reason for me to take all three.”
Indignation washed away her shock. She shoved him backward,
the unexpected force sending him stumbling nearly to the stairs. “You
ungrateful bastard. Get out of my house!”
He tapped the device nestled in his ear, his stance tense
and hostile. “I need backup. Top floor by the stairwell.” Within seconds four
masked soldiers, dressed all in black and armed with compact automatic weapons
stomped up the stairs and crowded her hallway. One backed her into a corner and
kept her there with lethal efficiency. The other three slipped into the bedroom
and emerged a moment later carrying one of the girls each. Her sometimes
partner watched it all with silent amusement.
“You bastard,” she sneered as the last soldier headed down
the stairs. He’d won this round, there was no way she could salvage the
situation, but she knew who he was, knew the location of his precious compound
and the identities of his partners. “Enjoy it while it lasts,
Milliner
.
This is far from over.”
Chapter Two
Kyle stood on the summit of the nondescript mountain and
scented the cool, crisp air. The smells were familiar—pine, damp earth, grass,
deer, elk,
prey
… He paused and fought back a smile. He was hungry and
his Therian nature was making damn sure he acknowledged the fact. The mountain
had been steeper than it appeared from the base, but Ava kept up without
complaint and minimal assistance. She’d marched along like a tough little soldier,
all focused determination and confidence.
He’d been chasing Ava for the past six days. Well, to be
more accurate, he’d been chasing the men who’d been chasing Ava. His primary
concern was her safety, but he’d also needed a better understanding of Osric’s
strategy and the true scope of his influence. Ava was a crucial piece to the
puzzle, but she wasn’t the only element of this conflict requiring Kyle’s
attention. So, he’d watched from the shadows for the first few days, ready to
swoop in if the others got too close. Instead, she took them through a twisting
maze of false trails and backtracking leads until Kyle began to wonder if her
escape had been a ruse and his rivals were having fun with him.
Then three days ago, Ava simply disappeared. Kyle’s grand ambition
to become her savior evaporated and he felt the first tingle of fear. His one
advantage in this mess had been Osric’s inflated ego. Osric had been so
confident in his power that he’d trusted wolves to do his dirty work for him.
Delegation was becoming a Therian weakness. Too many alphas didn’t want to be
directly involved in enforcing the decisions they made, which left them at the
mercy of their muscle.
Locating someone who didn’t want to be found was infinitely
harder than trailing a frightened woman as she frantically outran her pursuers,
but Kyle had learned all he needed to know about Osric’s “organization” and
he’d been determined to reach her before the wolves. In the end, Carissa had
pointed him in the right direction. He’d been relieved to finally have control
over the situation, but apparently fate wasn’t finished screwing with him.
He turned to Ava and paused. He’d meant to ask if she had
anything edible in her backpack, but her eyes were wide and bluer than the sky.
Her face was flushed and an unmistakable combination of panic and dread tensed
her lovely features. Protectiveness surged within him, drawing him closer,
preparing his body for a physical confrontation should anything threaten this
female.
He glanced at the panorama, trying to understand her
reaction. Mountains stretched into the distance, some rolling and graceful,
others starkly etched and rugged. This was home for his cougar, the sort of
setting his cat craved when Kyle was too inundated with network business to
shift and run free.
But Ava couldn’t shift yet. She was still bound by human
limitations. “Does anything look familiar?”
“As you said, it could be Colorado, but it could just as
easily be half a dozen other places.” She squared her shoulders and
straightened her spine as determination pushed through the weaker emotions. “We
better keep moving. Unless your phone picked up a signal, we’re seriously
screwed.”
He shook his head, hating to deflate what little remained of
her hope. “No such luck. I already tried it twice.” It was more like twice in
the last ten minutes. He’d been checking it off and on all morning.
“Then pick a direction.” She turned in a slow circle. “Looks
like we’re a long way from anywhere.”
“Which means we need to be smart with our supplies.” There
was another option available to them, but she wasn’t ready to consider a
Therian alternative to hours, perhaps days of arduous hiking. Besides, it was a
long shot at best. He’d let the reality of their isolation sink in a bit longer
then he’d offer the creative solution. “What all do you have stuffed in that
backpack?”
“Trail mix, protein bars, change of clothes, a mini
first-aid kit, flashlight, lighter.” She shrugged. “The usual. I expected to be
on a motorcycle, not an extended hiking trip.”
“Well, our expectations have obviously changed.” He paused
and smiled at her. “I’m presuming you intend to share your supplies with me.
Technically, I’m the one who’s completely unprepared for this.”
She looked at him through her lashes, the expression
inadvertently flirtatious. At least he thought the flirting was inadvertent.
She’d been anything but approachable before. “I suppose it’s a reasonable
presumption after healing me.”
Damn. Did she practice that not-quite-a-smile expression?
His entire body reacted with heat and…
hunger
. No, it wasn’t her. Well,
she was the focus of his spiking instincts, but she didn’t realize she was the
cause. Healing her had left him drained, and Therians became progressively more
predatory when their needs, or the needs of one under their protection, were
neglected. Patience might not be an option, but he had to find a better
location than this mountaintop.
“Good.” The word struggled past his dry throat. “I’m
starving.”
“What would you like? Trail mix or a protein bar?”
He pictured her naked on her back with trail mix sprinkled
all over her ivory skin. He’d start at her knees and nibble his way to her
neck… “Protein bar.”
She went behind him and rummaged through the backpack until
she produced a foil-wrapped bar. “You better have a drink of water too.” She
handed him the water bottle. “Your voice sounds sort of scratchy.”
He quickly took a sip of water, hiding his guilty smile. He
could think of something warm and slick and luscious that would coat his tongue
and soothe this scratchy throat. He’d have her straddle his face and he’d—
“Are you all right?” She crossed her arms over her chest,
staying carefully out of reach. “Your eyes are starting to glow again.”
He rubbed his eyes and cleared his throat, knowing neither
was likely to ease the ache rapidly spreading through his body. “Healing you
left me hungry, but I’ll be fine.”
For a long, tense moment she stared at him, speculation
narrowing her eyes, then she muttered, “He’s standing there in the midday sun,
so he can’t be a vampire. But why was she drinking their blood?”
“You said that out loud,” he revealed as gently as possible.
“I know.” But the bright red flush on her cheeks said
otherwise. “In my dream Carissa…”
“It was just a dream.” She needed to understand the
fundamental truths of her existence before she focused on details like a blood
ritual. He didn’t want to intentionally mislead her, so he quickly guided the
conversation in a safer direction. “Let’s head back down and I’ll start at the
beginning. Deal?”
“Deal, but let’s go a different direction than we came up.
We already know what’s down there. Trees.”
“Fair enough.” He swept his hand in a semicircle. “Any
preference?” Therian dreamers were generally clairvoyant in other ways as well,
but she was still latent. It was surprising that any of her abilities had
manifested before her animal nature was defined. More proof that Ava was no
ordinary Therian. He inhaled deeply when she offered no opinion. The air
smelled slightly fresher to his right, which likely meant water. Rather than
explain his hunch, he provided a more conventional suggestion. “If we head
west, we’ll have the sun at our backs for most of the day. It’s easier to see
that way. Do you have a compass stashed in one of those compartments?” He
motioned over his shoulder with his thumb.
