by Maya Banks
She shook her head. “No. I won’t go. I can’t go. Please. Just let me stay here. I will be all right.”
“No, goddamn it, you won’t be all right,” Jericho bit out. “We’re tired of doing things your way. This time we’re not asking, and you’re damn well not going to talk us out of doing what has to be done.”
Desperation lent her strength. She couldn’t let them take her to the hospital. She would be found out. Fear lodged in her throat. What would they do to her? Lock her away in a cage as they once had? Take her away from Jericho and Hunter like she’d once been taken from her humans?
She struggled upward, out of the constraints of the blankets. Hunter and Jericho both reached for her, their hands firm as she fought against them.
“Let me up,” she gasped. “Please, this is important. There is something I must tell you.”
God, don’t let them turn away. The idea of trusting them with her secret terrified her, but how else could she make them understand that she could not go down the mountain?
“Kaya, stop. You’re going to hurt yourself,” Jericho said.
She stopped her struggles and met their gazes. She let all her desperation bleed into her expression as she pleaded with them.
“Please,” she finally whispered. “There is something I must tell you.”
Maybe the urgency finally got through to them, or maybe they realized she wouldn’t participate unless they listened. Their hands fell away, and Hunter let out a long sigh.
“Tell us, Kaya. Make it fast so we can take care of your injury.”
She struggled to her feet, ignoring their curses and their protests as they tried to keep her on the couch. Finally she broke free and put distance between her and them.
“Don’t even think about going out that door,” Jericho growled. “We won’t let you go this time.”
She shook her head in silent denial. That wasn’t what she planned. No, what she planned was to strip herself bare in front of these two men. To tell them what she’d never told another human being. And pray they wouldn’t reject her.
Chapter Eleven
It was all Hunter could do not to snatch Kaya up and haul her down the mountain. Only the knowledge that he had to tread carefully with her so as not to hurt her even more tempered his impatience.
He wasn’t convinced that there was no boyfriend, husband or lover. Maybe even an abusive father. Someone was hurting her, and he’d be damned if he let her go back.
She stood between him and Jericho and the door, her slight body trembling as she held her injured arm. There was stark vulnerability on her face as if something scared the hell out of her. She kept glancing from him to Jericho with nervous eyes.
“Promise me you won’t react,” she whispered. “To what I tell you, I mean.”
Hunter swore. Hell, was she afraid they’d hurt her?
“We promise,” Jericho said in a soothing voice.
She glanced at Hunter for confirmation, and he nodded, wishing she’d just get on with it so they could get her the hell out of here.
“It will be easier if I just show you.”
Hunter stifled his response and silently urged her to just do it.
She closed her eyes and tensed all over. To his shock, her knees buckled, and she fell to the floor in a heap.
“Kaya!”
He and Jericho both started forward at the same time. Hunter dropped to his knees when the unbelievable happened.
Her body arched, and a moan slipped from her lips. Her skin came to life, rippling in the low light. Instinctively he stood and backed away, unsure of what the hell was happening. He bumped into Jericho, and the two men stared in horror as Kaya’s body simply changed form.
Limbs reshaped and shrank upward into her body, becoming more compact. Her mouth opened in a snarl, and she shook her head as fur raced along her neck and down her back. Fur. God almighty.
Her long silken tresses, the color of the cougar fur, became the hide of the cat. Hunter blinked and the mountain lion lay before them panting softly, her eyes glazed with pain.
“Holy fuck,” Jericho breathed.
Hunter was speechless. It was his cougar. And suddenly he understood so much and so little all at the same time. The memory of what he’d done dropped him to his knees.
He crawled forward, his hand outstretched in agony and regret.
“God, I didn’t know,” he whispered as his hand touched her head. “I didn’t know, Kaya.”
The cat raised pain-glazed eyes to meet his gaze, but she lacked the strength to keep her head up. She dropped it to her paws.
He locked onto her shattered front foreleg. “I did this to you. I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I wouldn’t have hurt you for the world.”
He felt sick to his soul. She’d given them her trust first as the cougar and only then had she come to them as a human, and he’d betrayed her when he’d turned against her. He’d shot at her. In his mind he couldn’t separate the fact that he was only trying to protect Kaya. Now that he knew they were one and the same, it killed him that he’d been the one to cause her fear and injury.
“Hunter, what the fuck?” Jericho demanded. “This doesn’t make sense. It’s not possible.”
But Hunter was more willing than Jericho to accept what was so clear. So much made sense now. Everything fell into place with stunning clarity.
He turned to his friend who looked as though he were about to keel over.
“I don’t know how or why or even how it’s possible,” Hunter said calmly. “But would you deny what’s in front of our noses? You saw what I saw, Jericho.”
“But Jesus Christ, this is crazy. This shit only exists in the movies. How can you be so goddamn calm!”
Shock? Regret? Disgust over the fact that he’d caused her serious injury? His and Jericho’s bewilderment didn’t seem important in light of what needed to be done for Kaya. She trusted them still. He didn’t know why. They hadn’t earned it or deserved it, but she trusted them when it was clear she trusted no one else. Never again would he betray that trust.
When he turned back to the cougar, she was valiantly trying to gain her footing. Her ears were slicked back and a sort of crazy wildness shone in her eyes. Even as he started forward, she backed away, her gaze never leaving Jericho.
“You’re scaring her,” Hunter growled. “Goddamn it, Jericho, get it together or we’re going to lose her forever. She won’t come back this time. We’ll never see her again.”
“That never seemed to bother you before,” Jericho muttered as he moved forward, his hand outstretched in a placating gesture.
Still, Jericho obviously had no desire for Kaya to leave. Despite the reluctance of the cougar and her defensive posture, Jericho reached out to touch her. He let his fingers trail over her fur. At the first touch, the cougar hissed and withdrew, but Jericho persisted, delving his hand further into the thickness of her fur.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “You knocked me on my ass, Kaya. It is Kaya, isn’t it? You can understand me? I get why you were so reluctant and secretive, and I understand why you couldn’t trust us. I hope that’s changed now. We’ll take care of you, sweetheart. Can you come back to us now? You have to be in so much pain. Let us help you.”
The soothing timbre of Jericho’s voice seemed to calm the savage beast. She relaxed, going limp on the floor as Jericho continued to stroke her with steady hands.
She let out a low growl and then her body shook and spasmed. Both men rocked back on their heels and watched in astonished horror as it happened all over again. This time, though, she went from beast to beautiful human.
Within seconds, she lay curled on the floor, naked and shivering, soft moans of pain escaping parted lips. Her arm hung broken and useless at her side, and Hunter could only imagine the agony her shift caused.
Not wasting a moment, he gathered her gently in his arms and stood, holding her close to his chest. Her pain-filled gaze focused unsteadily on him as he walked back to the couch. Ther
e was question along with fear and uncertainty.
Carefully he lowered her to the cushions and knelt in front of the couch.
“Whatever you’re thinking, stop,” he ordered. “We’re stunned. Even wondering a little about our sanity, but we’re not going to turn you out.”
“But will you tell?”
Jericho growled and settled onto the couch at her head. His hand brushed across her silky locks and smoothed over her cheek.
“Of course we’re not going to give away your secret, Kaya. You can trust us.”
But would she offer them her trust again? Hunter was afraid to have the answer to that question. All he could remember was shooting over the cougar’s head and how she ran, fear and adrenaline lending her incredible, reckless speed.
“I hurt,” she whispered.
Hunter’s chest tightened, and he leaned forward. “Tell us how to help you, Kaya. You should be in a hospital, not here with us.”
Her eyes flashed, and she looked at him in panic. “No! I can’t go. They’d know. They’ll take me away.” She struggled even as the words spilled from her lips.
“Hunter, goddamn it,” Jericho swore. He reached down and carefully pulled Kaya against his chest, his arms tightening around her to keep her still. “Listen to me, honey. We’ll figure this out, okay? No one’s going to take you anywhere you don’t want to go. Now talk to us, and tell us how to help you.”
Slowly her struggles diminished, and she lay limply against Jericho, her face creased in pain. Hunter stood. He could do nothing right when it came to this woman. He pulled her close and pushed her away, never said or did the right thing. It was better to leave her to Jericho.
Jericho glanced at Hunter as he turned away. He could damn near see the shutters closing as Hunter withdrew. Hot and cold. Hunter didn’t know what the hell he felt for Kaya, and he was fighting it tooth and nail.
With a shake of his head, he turned his attention back to the woman in his arms. He was horrified by her arm. Swollen, bruised and misshapen. It looked to be a clean break, but then how could he tell? His medical training was limited, though he’d seen enough bloodshed to last a lifetime. But that was different, somehow more distant. This was here and now, and he was frantic over how to fix it.
“Tell me what to do,” he whispered. “How do I help you?”
“I have to set it,” she said in a shaky voice that vibrated with pain. “If it’s set, then it will heal quickly. My kind does.”
Across the room, Hunter swore and turned back around, his eyes brooding. “She can’t set her own arm.”
Kaya nodded wearily. “You’ll have to do it for me.”
Jericho closed his eyes. God, he didn’t want to hurt her, and there was no way to set a break like this without causing her agony.
“Just do it, please,” she begged softly. “I’m so tired, and I need rest.”
Jericho blew out his breath and then eased out from underneath her slight body. When he was sure she was comfortable on the couch, he strode toward Hunter, his expression tight.
“You have to help with this,” he said when Hunter met his gaze. “It’s going to hurt like a bitch. You can hold her or you can do the setting. Which is it?”
Hunter hesitated then looked beyond him to where Kaya lay. “You hold her. She’s easier around you. I’ll…I’ll do the setting.”
It was on the tip of Jericho’s tongue to call Hunter a coward, but what would that solve?
“I’ll get some linen strips and something to brace her arm. You rustle up some of that whiskey left in the cabinet. It might not help much, but maybe it’ll relax her.”
Jericho turned, not waiting for Hunter’s acceptance, and went to collect the items they needed. He had a sick stomach over what must be done, but he swallowed against the rising nausea and methodically gathered the supplies.
A few minutes later, he returned to find Hunter settling down next to Kaya and offering her a tall glass of whiskey. She murmured a protest, but Hunter was insistent. He pillowed his arm underneath her neck and raised her enough so she could drink without choking. She coughed and sputtered, but Hunter managed to get all of it down her throat.
She sank weakly back against the cushions, her injured arm tucked protectively against her side. Her liquid eyes found Jericho, and he was astonished to find trust burning a warm, golden glow.
Hunter stood and set the empty glass on the floor a few feet away. With brusque movements, he took the strips and the two pieces of wood from Jericho and gestured impatiently for Jericho to go to Kaya.
Jericho took position at her head, lifting her gently and positioning her so that she lay across his lap and rested her head on his chest. He smoothed her hair from her face as Hunter knelt on the floor in front of the couch.
“Cry out all you want, honey,” Jericho murmured against her head. “This is going to hurt like a bitch.”
Hunter tensed as his fingers moved nimbly over her arm. Jericho turned away, unable to bear the sight of the arm being set. His grip tightened around Kaya as he prepared himself for her screams.
But she didn’t make a sound. She coiled like a nervous rattlesnake, so tight that he could feel every quiver of her muscles. She buried her face in his chest, and when Hunter forced the bone back into place, her hot tears soaked into Jericho’s shirt.
It was worse than any cry she might have made.
He kissed the top of her head, helpless to do anything but wait until Hunter was through binding the arm.
Hunter rocked back on his heels, his expression stormy. He stood abruptly then glanced down at Jericho. “You should take her to bed so she can rest.”
Without another word, Hunter strode to the kitchen, and Jericho heard the clanking of dishes.
“Are you feeling any relief yet?” he asked Kaya.
Slowly she drew away until he could see her red, tear-stained cheeks. She nodded and clutched her splinted arm to her chest. “I’ll be fine, Jericho. Now I must rest and heal.”
As if seeking to comfort him, she put her free hand to his jaw, resting her fingers on his cheek.
“I will be all right.”
He grasped her hand and moved it over his lips so he could kiss each fingertip. With exquisite care, he eased forward, holding her like she was precious glass. Then he stood, hoisting her up until she rested against his chest.
With a weary sigh, she laid her head against his shoulder, and her eyes were closing before he got to his bedroom. He gave thought to getting her another change of clothing, but he was too afraid of hurting her, so he put her on the bed and pulled down the covers.
She settled among his pillows with a sigh that sounded blissful. Her splinted arm rested over her side as she snuggled deeper into the covers.
How soft and utterly feminine she was. He liked the way she looked in his bed. Liked it very much. She was perfection. Slim. Long legs that sprang from rounded hips. Just a slight curve that didn’t upset the lithe lines of her body at all.
A narrow waist that led up to small, high breasts with just enough plumpness to tease a man. His hands itched to touch her. To caress her and show her all the gentleness he was capable of. Lord it had been a long time since he’d ached so badly to hold a woman.
“Are you coming, Jericho?” she asked around a sleepy yawn.
He hadn’t realized that he was still standing there staring down at her like a moron. Then he blinked at how normal her request sounded. Like a wife asking her husband if he was coming to bed.
Jesus. He needed some of that whiskey Hunter had given her.
He kicked off his clothing and then crawled into bed next to her. The sheets had cooled since his abrupt departure almost an hour earlier. He could feel her shivering.
As soon as he moved closer to her, she snuggled against him, fitting her slight form to his with no hesitation. Again she sighed, and her breath blew over his neck, sending forty thousand chill bumps dancing down his spine.
No matter what he may have done wrong in hi
s life, no one deserved to be tortured like this. What kind of a sick joke was it to have a gorgeous, naked woman wrapped around him like a second skin when she had a broken arm and he was supposed to temper his raging hormones?
She was asleep in a matter of seconds while he lay there, wide awake, his body jumping through hoops while his mind tried valiantly to think of other things.
Gradually he relaxed, positioning his arm over her hip, mindful of her injury. He drew her closer until they fit together like two pieces of a puzzle.
Damn but she felt good. Right.
And now that she was asleep, he was forced to go over what he’d witnessed in the living room. The sheer impossibility of what she was, of what she’d done.
Part of him wondered if he hadn’t finally gone off the deep end. Too much work. Too much stress. But that wouldn’t explain why Hunter had seen the same damn thing. They couldn’t both be nuts.
No matter how many times he told himself that it wasn’t possible, he had to face the fact that it was. That the world as he’d known it, simply wasn’t. And if he’d been wrong about this, what else was he wrong about? What else existed out there that was beyond his realm of understanding?
For a man who prided himself on his acceptance of harsh reality, there was no way to reconcile this in his mind. No, he didn’t understand it. He wasn’t even sure he accepted it. All he knew was that he wasn’t about to let Kaya walk away again.
But she spent the majority of her time as a wild animal. How could he stop her when she decided to go?
Chapter Twelve
Kaya woke, shivering in the grip of a dream that had haunted her sleep for years. Her gaze automatically shot to Jericho who had turned over so that his back was to her. There was at least a foot of distance between them, and the urge to move closer to the heat emanating from his body was strong.
She glanced at her aching arm, unable to tell in the darkness how much the swelling had lessened. On the edges of her mind, the shadows grew. Lengthening until she swallowed against the unbearable sadness.
She feared what would happen now that Hunter and Jericho knew her secret. She hadn’t gotten close to people over the years. The rapport she’d shared with these two strong, enigmatic men was the most intimate she’d had with anyone since her childhood. She hadn’t allowed such a bond before.
Again she glanced over at Jericho who hadn’t stirred since she’d awakened. Then, propelled by the need to see Hunter, she quietly crawled from the bed, favoring her broken arm.
The cabin was colder, the warmth from the fireplace all but gone. Outside the wind howled but no new snow fell. The windows shook and rattled as the cabin creaked and moaned against the bitterness of the elements.
She’d half expected to find him in the living room, but Hunter wasn’t on the couch. He’d probably sought the comfort of his bed. The floor cold beneath her bare feet, she turned to go toward the other bedroom.
The door was closed, an unwelcoming barrier to intruders. Much like the wall he erected every time he caught himself relaxing around her.
He was a loner, like her. Something about him called to her. Even though she knew he didn’t much like her—or the fact that he was drawn to her.
Carefully she opened the door and slipped inside. Pale moonlight shone through the window and bathed his face. Even in sleep, there was a seriousness, a closed-off expression that told Kaya how carefully he guarded himself from others.
For a long moment she stood over him, watching the rise and fall of his chest. She was so tempted to reach out and smooth the lines on his face, to ease the strain she saw around his eyes. He wouldn’t appreciate her tenderness any more than he wanted to be tender with her. And yet he was.
Finally she walked around to the other side and quietly slipped into the bed. She wanted nothing more than to curl up with him as she had done with Jericho, but she didn’t want to chance waking him and having him toss her out.
She frowned. No, he wouldn’t do that, but he would withdraw. He might even get up himself so he could put distance between them. Or he might hold her as he’d done on the couch. There was no way to know how he’d react from one moment to the next, and she only wanted a few moments to absorb his heat and scent.
She settled far enough away from him that she wasn’t touching him and pulled the covers to her chin. The warm blankets settled over her broken arm, irritating the sensitive skin. She twitched uncomfortably until finally she loosened her hold on the covers to allow them to slip from her arm.
Instantly, the cold skittered over her flesh and pulled goose bumps into a haphazard pattern. She closed her eyes and mentally reached for Hunter’s warmth just inches away. She imagined lying flush against him.
Soon the chill slipped away, replaced by the soothing comfort of her
