by Jane Jamison
Kit fell backward, dropping the gun and the keys. “Fuck!”
“Bunny.”
Mars lifted his broad lion face to find Levi standing just inside the barn door. He pointed at a real bunny cowering by a bale of hay. It hopped away.
Mars’ mind shouted for the boy to run even as Charlie and Win screamed their warnings. But it was no use. The boy was fixated on the bunny.
“Fuck.” Kit rolled onto her knees, picking up the shotgun as she did. She lifted the gun and pointed it.
“No! Don’t!”
Charlie’s shout was drowned out by the blast of the gun.
Mars shifted, his lion demanding control. Before he could complete the shift, a dark stain spread across Levi’s shirt. The boy looked down at his shirt then looked up again with bewildered eyes. “Bunny,” he whispered then slumped to the ground.
Kit let out a screech and got to her feet. “Where is she? Damn it!” She raced out of the barn, ignoring the boy as she raced past him.
Mars staggered to the cage and shook it as hard as he could. He hadn’t gotten to Kit, but at least he’d given her time to run.
“Help me.”
Still trying to rid himself of his shift, Mars stared down at Win as he stretched his arm through the bars. Charlie rushed over to Win then dropped to his knees. He leaned against the cage, pressing his shoulders against the bars as he reached through them with a stick.
Mars blinked, still trying to understand, until he finally understood what they were doing. Kit had forgotten to pick up the key ring. If they could reach it, they’d be able to get free.
“Can you get it?” Mars stood behind his brothers, unable to do more than watch.
Two more shots startled him. His mouth went dry. “Shit, no.” Had Kit caught up with Joy? Had she killed her?
Charlie and Win stopped, frozen by the horror. For several moments, the three of them remained as quiet as possible, needing to hear more, dreading to hear the worst.
At last, Charlie began to reach for the key ring again. “We don’t know that it was her.”
“Keep working,” urged Win. “Maybe Joy got the gun away from Kit. Keep working,” he repeated.
Please don’t let her be dead.
The thought repeated in Mars’s head. He couldn’t shake it free. It stole his breath and froze him to the spot.
Please don’t let her be dead.
“Someone’s coming,” said Win, getting to his feet. “Hurry, Charlie. Hurry.”
“I am.” Charlie shoved even harder against the bars. “I can almost reach it.”
“Shit,” whispered Win, his voice filled with agony.
Steeling himself against what he might see, Mars looked to the entrance. Both relief and horror flooded him as a man, his body silhouetted against the sunlight, staggered into the barn.
Merle Higram, home from Italy, took a few more steps into the dimly lit barn, glanced down at Levi, then let out a strangled mash of unintelligible words. A gaping hole in his neck spewed blood down his shoulder. He looked up again, a frown creasing his forehead as he saw the men inside the cage.
“Merle, help us,” begged Win.
But Merle had no help in him. With blood bubbling out of his mouth, Merle fell face forward, landing near Levi.
“Goddamn it,” muttered Mars. “Where’s his wife?” Yet he didn’t dare hope she was still alive.
“Keep trying, Charlie.” Win had dropped to his knees again. “You’ve got to get it.”
* * * *
The breath hitched in Joy’s throat, burning, closing her throat until she was certain she’d take her last breath in the next second. Panic seized her, making it even more difficult to breathe. Her limbs stiffened with the fear, sending her stumbling halfway to the house.
Running as hard as she could, she fled toward the steps, thinking she could get inside and lock the doors. Was there a landline inside? She couldn’t remember if she’d seen one or not, but it wasn’t unusual for the citizens of Lonesome to install a landline since cell phone reception was so spotty.
She hurried around Kit’s car that was parked close to the steps then fell face forward onto the ground. Coughing and spitting out dirt, she pushed up then twisted around to see what she’d tripped on.
An older woman lay on her back, her cold, dead eyes gazing up at the sky. Blood soaked her abdomen and trickled down her mouth to trail its way across her cheek and into her ear. Joy held back a scream, stuffing her fist into her mouth to stifle the sound.
Move! Run!
Yet her body refused to listen to her mind.
“Joy! I’m going to find you. You know that.”
Joy sucked in a hard breath then crawled around the rear of the car to peek around it. Kit, shotgun held against her shoulder, stalked toward the house.
If she went into the house, she could get trapped. What if there was no phone? Could she lock herself in a bedroom and wait for help to arrive? But what if it never came? What if Kit could unlock the door?
Kit continued to move closer, swinging the barrel of the gun from left to right, ready to fire in any direction. Even if Joy wanted to rush into the house, she was certain Kit would shoot her in the back. Instead, she put her body flat on the ground and scooted her way under the car.
“Oh, Joy!” Kit’s voice had taken on a sing-song tone. “Hey, girlfriend, tell you what. You show yourself and I promise I’ll put you back in the cage. No harm, no foul, okay?”
Joy clamped a hand over her mouth as Kit came to stand next to the dead woman. Should she run back to the barn? Could she get the men free before Kit realized where she’d gone? But that would mean putting herself out in the open and making herself a target again.
Kit kicked the dead woman. “I’ve got some cleaning up I need to do, so help a girl out. Show yourself and I’ll even give you some yummy food. How’s that for a hell of a deal?”
Joy struggled not to cry as she watched Kit turn around. She prayed Kit wouldn’t think to look under the car.
“Oh, come on. You don’t want to end up like poor old Helen, do you?”
Joy’s gaze flitted to the dead woman then away.
Helen Higram. But where was her husband, Merle?
She closed her eyes. She’d seen a dark shape out of the corner of her eye, leaning against the barn, but she’d dashed past it, fear sending her flying.
Once more, she glanced at Helen. Merle and Helen must have come home early and surprised Kit, unwittingly walking into danger. The two shots she and the men had heard earlier, right before Kit had come into the barn, had been Kit welcoming the Higrams home.
“Damn it, Joy. You’re really starting to piss me off. Are you hiding inside the house?”
Please let her go inside. Please.
For once, her prayer was answered as she watched Kit move away from the car. As Kit ascended the steps, she could see Kit’s back. Kit shifted the shotgun to one arm as she pushed open the door.
“Ready or not. Here I come!” Kit stepped into the house, leaving the door wide open.
Joy counted to five before she scooted out from under the car. Getting to her feet, she waited for the sound of a gun and the pain from the wound. When none came, she looked back to the barn.
I can’t leave without them.
Yet what else could she do? She didn’t have the key ring and wouldn’t be able to get it away from Kit without fighting her. At best, she might sneak up behind Kit and knock her over the head.
I won’t leave without them. She’ll kill them if I do. I have to find some way to get them out of the cage.
As she started toward the barn, she remembered Charlie’s shout for her to run and get help. She hesitated, halfway to the barn’s entrance. Her gaze fell to the ground. Blood dotted a path toward the side of the barn where she’d seen the dark figure. More blood, making larger spots, led the way inside.
“There you are.”
Joy’s blood froze. A chill swept through her. Slowly she turned to face Kit. “
Please. You don’t want to do this.”
Kit laughed, a mean, evil sound. “I don’t? Seems like I already have.”
“You don’t want to kill us. You know you don’t.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Kit came closer, lifting the gun as she did. “I really, really want to kill you. All of you.”
“Please. Don’t.” Joy couldn’t think. There was nothing she could say to change Kit’s mind.
“Don’t you get it? I’ve wanted to kill the men from the beginning. Killing you is just a bonus.”
“Fine. Kill me. But remember this.” Joy squared her shoulders, the fear strangely gone. “I’m dying a happy woman because I have three men who love me.” She sneered at Kit. “That’s something you’ll never have. And killing me won’t change that.”
“Shut the fuck up, bitch.”
Joy laughed, the sound brighter than Kit’s. “I’m right, aren’t I? Because no man is ever going to love a woman with a black heart like yours. You gave up the right to be loved, Kit. You gave it up for nothing.”
“I told you to shut the fuck up.”
“Go ahead. Kill me. I’m ready to die. My men love me, and I love them. Even after I’m dead, you’ll remember that.” She smiled, putting pity in the gesture. “That’s going to eat you up inside until you die a slow, lonely death.”
“Fuck you, bitch.” Kit shouldered the gun. “Say nighty-night, Joy.”
Joy closed her eyes. If she was lucky, she’d see the men she loved in the afterlife. She drew in a long, slow breath and remembered the scent of their breaths, The Allure, on her.
The gunshot and the scream that wrenched the air jolted her so much that she instinctively took a step back. Growls mixed with the terrible sounds of bones breaking, flesh tearing. When she opened her eyes, she gaped at the sight.
Three huge lions stood over Kit’s decapitated body. Blood gurgled out of Kit’s neck and covered the lions’ claws and fangs. Blood poured from other wounds in Kit’s body to form a dark pool that kept growing ever wider. Their tawny fur was splattered with blood and blood dripped from their jaws.
For a moment, fear took hold again, keeping her from recognizing her men. “You got out. You’re free.”
The one she recognized as Charlie put his large body in front of Kit’s prone one, blocking Joy’s view. But she’d already seen enough. She’d already seen too much. Slowly, like a balloon deflating, she sank to the ground.
Epilogue
Joy sat on the front porch of the men’s ranch house. Although she still had nightmares, they came less often. Perhaps the memory of Merle’s and Helen’s bloodied bodies would fade with more time, but she knew she’d never forget how Kit had looked, attacked and torn apart by three lions.
Charlie reached across from where he sat on the railing of the porch and covered her hand with his. “I wish like hell you hadn’t seen her.”
“I wish like hell we’d torn her apart sooner,” interjected Mars, who sat in the rocker next to hers. “Before you came.”
“Before John,” she added, softly. She’d grieve for her brother forever. After they’d called for help from the pride, the men had done a search and had found her brother’s body buried in a shallow grave in the nearby pasture. In keeping with the pride’s ways, they’d taken his body and had cremated it, spreading his ashes on the green pastures surrounding the ranch. She knew John would’ve liked the tradition.
“Yeah. Before John.” Win stood at the end of the porch, his back to her.
Having seen it often, she could easily imagine the torment on his face. Win and his brothers blamed themselves for not only John’s death but for the other deaths, too.
“There was nothing anyone could do. No one is to blame except Kit.” How many times had she told them the same thing? The last thing she wanted was to have them live their lives with guilt.
“It’s unbelievable how no one saw the real her.” Charlie took his hand away.
She looked down at her hand and tried to hold on to the sensation of his skin against hers. “Some did. Or, at least, they saw a change in her. But I don’t think how she ended up was the real her.”
“Maybe not. Mason Hartley still can’t come to terms with the woman he knew and the one we killed.”
She gave Mars a comforting look. “You saved my life. Don’t forget that.” Drawing in a steadying breath, she changed the subject. “So are you three ready to change me?”
“Don’t you want to wait a little while longer?” Win pivoted around, his gaze searching hers. “You’ve gone through a hell of a lot.”
“Which is why I need to change. I need to belong here completely.”
“You already belong,” argued Charlie.
“You know what I mean.” They’d already had the same discussion many times in the past month since John’s death. But this one would be their last. “I want to be one of you. I want to be like you. And then, once I’ve had some time to learn how to be a good lioness, I want to have your children.”
That earned grins from all three of her men. She loved their grins. Especially the ones they did in bed.
The sound of footsteps drew their attention to the front yard. A man and a woman walked toward them with a boy in between them. Joy shielded her eyes from the sun and squinted. Although she knew who they were and had been expecting them, she was surprised to find that the boy was holding something. Joy stood, eager to greet them. The meeting had been a long time coming.
The visitors came to a stop, not coming up the steps. Tentatively, the man lifted his hand. “I’m Walt Knott. This here is my wife, Kendall.” He nodded toward the boy. “You know Levi.”
Walt and Kendall seemed nervous, shifting their weight, their gazes darting to and from the men. Joy understood why. Although they’d lived on a ranch close to Lonesome for several years, they were still humans. Humans who were uneasy talking to werelions.
“It’s okay, you know. They won’t hurt you.” She smiled, trying to ease their nervousness. “And I’m completely human.” So far, anyway.
Walt nodded and cleared his throat. “Yeah. Well, we just wanted to come by and thank you all for saving our boy.”
Her men closed around her, instinctively protecting her even when there was no reason to worry. “I’m so sorry that Levi got tangled up in what happened.”
Levi hugged the brown and white bunny against his chest. Luckily, his wound, although horrific, had been centered primarily in his arm. Once Kit was dead, the men had raced him to the nearest hospital while doing their best to keep him from bleeding to death. It had been touch and go, but Levi had lived.
“If you three”—Walt glanced at the men warily—“hadn’t gotten our boy to the hospital in time, we wouldn’t have him with us. So, yeah. Thank you.”
“He doesn’t talk much, does he?”
Joy elbowed Win in the ribs then shot him a warning glare. Still, what he’d said was true.
“No, he doesn’t,” answered Kendall. “He takes after me that way.”
Joy nodded at the bunny. “I hope it was okay that I sent him the pet rabbit.”
“Sure thing.” Walt wrapped his arm around Levi’s shoulders. “He’s always been obsessed with the creatures. Always wanted to catch one and keep it.”
“I’m glad he likes it.” Joy went down the steps, stopping in front of Levi. “Have you given him a name yet?”
Levi, as shy as always, looked to his mother for permission. After she nodded, he met Joy’s eyes and answered. “His name is Mr. Ears.” He held out the bunny, offering it to her. “Do you want to hold him?”
“Sure I do.” She gathered the bunny into her arms, stroking the soft fur. “He’s really cute.”
Levi held out his arms, wanting Mr. Ears back. She smiled and gave the boy his bunny. Straightening up, she offered her hand to Kendall. “Would you three like to come inside?” At Kendall’s widening eyes, she added, “I promise you. It’s all right.”
Walt and Kendall hesitated, giving
Levi another chance to speak. “Do you have lemonade?”
“You know what? I sure do. In fact, I just made some.” Joy held out her hand. He shifted Mr. Ears to cuddle in one arm then put his small hand in hers. Yet when she started to lead him inside, he tugged on her hand then pointed at the Mesa brothers. He made a hissing sound. “Big cats,” he said.
“Levi, watch what you say,” said his father.
“Yes.” Had he seen them shift while they were locked in the cage? “Big cats. But they’re nice cats.”
“Big cats eat bunnies,” he said then hugged Mr. Ears even harder.
“It’s okay.” She bent down and whispered in his ear. “Don’t worry. They won’t eat Mr. Ears. If they try, I’ll tangle their tails into a knot.”
Reassured, Levi let her lead them up the steps. Walt and Kendall followed, a bit leery still, but nonetheless, they followed.
THE END
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