by Maya Banks
“Is there nothing you can do? No cure? Who gassed you? And why?”
“You don’t ask the hard questions, do you?” Braden said mockingly. “If we knew all that, neither of us would be feeling the urge for scratching posts and kitty litter.”
“You’re not funny,” Ian snarled.
Despite herself, Katie burst out laughing. She wiped at the corners of her eyes as tears gathered. She sucked in a breath and kept laughing.
“Apparently Katie thinks so,” Braden said smugly.
She swiped at her eyes again and wheezed as she tried to regain her composure. When she looked up, though, she saw a glimmer of amusement in Ian’s eyes. She relaxed a bit in her seat and then groaned when the movement sent a fresh wave of pain through her gut.
“You okay?” Braden asked gently.
She closed her eyes briefly as she ran her hand over the thick bandage covering her wound. “It hurts like a bitch.”
“You need stitches,” Ian said. “There’ll be a doctor to see you when we land. It’s a pretty bad cut.”
“You dressed it?” she asked.
“Yeah, it was full of dirt. Needed to be cleaned or you’d get one hell of an infection.”
She glanced down. The whole reason her wound had been so nasty was because she’d run fast and hard. Neither man had said anything about the fact she’d taken off again, but what else was she supposed to do when faced with a bloodthirsty predator? Still she felt guilty—for what, not trusting them? The funny thing was she did—well, when they weren’t snarling cats.
“I’d like the inhibitor and the sedative,” she said quietly.
“I’m not as keen to give it to you as Ian is,” Braden said dryly. “I want some assurances before we just hand that shit over.”
Her gaze jerked back up to his. “Assurances? What kind of assurances do you want? You sure as hell can’t offer me the one I need most, mainly that you won’t turn into kitty cats on steroids and make dinner out of me.”
“How ’bout that you don’t use the sedative unless it’s a last resort,” Braden said. “Seems to me we’ll be handing you the perfect weapon for you to escape whether we shift or not. I think we’ve proven that we have your best interests in mind here. I want your word this crap is going to stop.”
“And you’d accept my word? That’s pretty stupid,” she taunted. “I’d lie in a heartbeat to protect my interests.” Why, oh why couldn’t she just shut up? She was fully prepared to offer them something—an olive branch? But she just couldn’t keep her fear, her insecurity, from surging up, and then she became a defensive, surly bitch on wheels.
“Thanks for the warning,” Ian said.
She moved her gaze to him, searching his expression, for what she wasn’t certain. Earlier, her fear of him seemed to bother him, and even now his eyes were guarded. Had she hurt him? It seemed odd that she’d have that kind of power. Did she like this man? Did she trust him? Before he’d changed into a freaking jaguar, she’d found herself softening toward him, and yet by shifting, he’d saved her. He hadn’t come after her. His ire had been directed at Ricardo. Coincidence? She couldn’t decide.
“What were you saying about a safe house a while ago? And now that you’ve got me out of the country, what next?”
“Just a change in plans,” Ian replied. “We had a place set up in France but we’re going to Austria instead. As for what’s next, we go there and lay low until Eli and Falcon nail Esteban.”
“Esteban is the man after me?” she asked.
He nodded. “He’s the one responsible for the chemical agent that turned us into shifters.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why does he want me? What could he possibly want with me now that Gabe is dead and he can’t use me against him?”
“That’s a good question,” Braden interjected. “We don’t have any idea. But we promised Gabe we’d make sure you were safe.”
“And what then?” she asked. “What happens when there is no longer a threat to me? I can’t go back and pick up where I left off. I may have gotten away with killing Paulo, but now there is a vehicle with my fingerprints all over it and several dead bodies that I’m sure the police wouldn’t have to work hard to pin on me.”
“We’ll figure it out, Katie,” Ian said quietly. “We aren’t going to let you go down for that scumbag de la Cruz.”
She leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. It was tempting as hell to take that promise and hold it close, but she couldn’t afford to be such a moron. No matter that Ian and Braden wanted to look out for her, she’d be a damn fool to place her trust so implicitly. But hadn’t she already? The whole saying about leaving the barn door open came readily to mind. The fact was, she did trust them. She didn’t want to. She thought she was dumb to, but it didn’t alter the fact that deep inside, she knew, she just knew that they weren’t out to screw her. Did that make her an even bigger dumbass?
A warm hand slid over her cheek, startling her into opening her eyes. She found Braden leaning down, his fingers stroking over her bruised cheekbone.
“I know you don’t trust us, Katie, but we aren’t going to hurt you.”
His voice was warm and vibrant and slid over her skin like the softest of blankets. She wanted to wrap herself in those words and hold them tight, like a talisman. She wanted to tell him that she did trust him. But she wanted a lot of things, and it didn’t mean they were good for her. And she was uncomfortable giving them that kind of power over her.
To her immense shock, he leaned further in and brushed his lips across the cut at the corner of her mouth. Though it was the lightest of kisses, it was as if he’d branded her with a hot coal. She jumped at the slight contact, but before she could yank away, his tongue flicked out and lapped gently at the small wound.
She reared back but had nowhere to go. He had her trapped between him and the chair. Her hands flew up and made contact with his muscular chest. She shoved, but he caught both her wrists with his hands and held them against his shirt.
His warm tongue swept over her abused flesh once more, soothing and sweet. Then he coaxed her lips, forming them into a moue with his own as he first nipped and then molded his mouth to hers.
What started gentle turned hot and urgent as he devoured her mouth. Hungry and restless. He stole her breath and returned it in stuttered gasps.
He tasted…male, and she was hungry. So hungry.
Finally he pulled away so that she could see the heated glitter in his eyes. “I’ve wanted to do that every single time you piss me off,” he said huskily.
She swallowed and opened her mouth to tell him precisely what she thought about keeping his damn tongue in his mouth, but nothing came out. The she remembered Ian, and for some reason, guilt crept over her shoulders at the idea that Braden had been kissing her in front of him. Only when she looked over to where he sat, she saw he was gone.
Chapter Twenty-One
“What were you doing kissing her, for God’s sake?” Ian demanded as Braden walked into the front cabin of the plane.
Ian stood with his fists curled at his sides, surprised by just how angry it had made him when Braden had kissed Katie. He felt juvenile and rash, not to mention like a giant, stupid fuck.
Braden gave him a what-the-hell look and sauntered past to snag one of the bottles of water from the galley area.
“What do you care if I kissed her?” Braden asked calmly, after he’d taken a long swig from the bottle. He recapped it and gave Ian a curious glance.
Ian looked past Braden to where Katie lay curled on the couch all but passed out. They were already making their descent, but she was clearly still exhausted and in pain.
“Ah, I get it. You’ve got a thing for her,” he said before Ian could respond.
“I don’t fucking have a thing for her,” Ian snarled.
Braden shrugged. “Not like you to get hyped up because I made a move on a woman you were interested in.”
Ian sucked in a breath. No, it wasn’t lik
e him at all. Women flocked to Braden. Ian wasn’t the jealous type, and it wasn’t as though they didn’t regularly fuck the same woman. At the same time. What was unusual was for one of them to actually have sex with a woman solo.
Boy, did that sound screwed up.
“Just forget I said anything,” Ian mumbled.
“Hey, if you want me to back off, I will,” Braden said. He lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I’m not going to lie and say I’m not hella attracted to her. There’s something about her that makes me crazy, but at the same time, she lights my fires like no other woman ever has.” He grinned and rubbed his chin as if remembering. “Every time she slugs me, I get a hard-on from hell.”
Ian rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. Braden had a way of diffusing even the tensest situation.
“So what’s the deal, man?” Braden said. “You got a thing for her or what?”
Ian sighed and flopped into the seat. “Do you have any idea how ridiculous it is for either of us to even consider getting tangled up with her?”
Braden sat down across from Ian and tilted the bottle to drain the last of his water. “You didn’t answer the question.”
“I think reminding you how stupid it is for either of us to get involved with her is a damn good answer to your question.”
“My head may know that, but the rest of me ain’t cooperating,” Braden said with a grunt. “There’s something about her, man. She makes me nuts but at the same time I have the strongest urge to protect her.” He paused and looked down at his water bottle in disgust. “It’s not just sexual attraction. I wish to hell it was. I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but I don’t like it.”
Ian laughed. At least in this he could relate. He didn’t like his attraction to Katie any more than Braden did, apparently. The problem was, there was something primitive about his reaction to her. Something that spoke to the beast locked within him. It wasn’t something he could control, and he didn’t like it a damn bit.
“I take it you don’t think fucking her brains out is the way to get her out of our systems,” Braden grumbled.
“I can think of about a dozen reasons why it would be a bad idea,” Ian said.
“Yeah, well, I can come up with at least one reason why we should.”
“I’m not even going to ask.”
“You can’t tell me that you don’t know she would rock our damn world,” Braden said with a grin. “Violent chicks make the best lovers.”
Pure unadulterated lust streaked through his groin as Ian imagined fucking her mouth while Braden took her from behind. Yeah, she’d probably eat them both alive, but just because they’d be assured of mind-blowing sex, didn’t mean they should do it.
“Why don’t you jerk off in the shower and get some rest instead. It won’t get you into near as much trouble.”
“Gee thanks, man. You’re all heart,” Braden drawled.
“You know this makes us assholes,” Ian said. “She’s injured, exhausted, bloody and bruised, and all we’re thinking about is how good in the sack she’d be.”
Braden chuckled. “Yeah, well, so we’ll never win any sensitivity awards. But glad you’ve finally admitted you want her.”
“I didn’t do any such thing.”
“Goddamn liar. And hey, I’d be gentle with her. I’d be more worried about how rough she’d be with me.”
Ian shook his head but cracked up at the hopeful look on Braden’s face. Yeah, he wanted her. As much if not more than Braden did, but unlike his brother, he didn’t plan to do anything about it.
***
They landed at a remote airstrip in the mountains of Austria an hour before dawn. Ian descended the steps carrying Katie who was still out cold, whether from exhaustion or pain he wasn’t sure.
Braden ambled down after him, carrying their bags. A shadow emerged from the darkness, and Ian tensed. A large black man with arms and legs the size of tree trunks stared, unflinching, at him. His bald head gleamed in the glare of the lights from the plane.
Braden stepped in front of Ian and Katie, his stance belligerent. Then he relaxed when Eli Chance stepped out beside the big dude, a grin cracking his lips.
“What’s up?” Eli asked as he closed the distance between them.
“Damn good to see you,” Braden said as he bumped fists with Eli.
Eli looked beyond him to where Ian held Katie. “You kill her?” he asked in a tone that was half serious.
Braden looked over his shoulder then back at Eli. “You’re kidding, right? That hellcat? We’re lucky she hasn’t killed us.”
The man beside Eli chuckled, the low sound rumbling into the night. “She has nice tits.”
Eli laughed. “Gentlemen, meet Tits.”
This was Tits? Ian shifted Katie in his arms as he stared at the mountain in front of them.
“I thought you’d be bigger,” Braden said.
Tits laughed again and stuck his beefy hand out to Braden. “I get that a lot.”
Braden snorted and slapped his hand against Tits’ to shake it. “Damn glad to meet you finally. You do good work.”
“That I do,” Tits said immodestly. He glanced beyond Braden to where Ian stood. “Want me to take her?”
Ian tensed and then shook his head. That annoying tingle, the prickle of alarm, skated up his spine, raising the hairs at his nape.
Braden looked cautiously at his brother and then put a hand out to stop Tits’ advance. “Not a good idea, man. I’ll explain everything later. For now, let’s get the hell out of here. We’ve had all the damn excitement we can take.”
Tits sent a curious look at Ian but retreated. Ian immediately relaxed and looked down at the still-unconscious Katie.
Her cheek rested against his chest. The position implied trust, even though Ian wasn’t stupid enough to think she had any idea how she was positioned. Or that she trusted him.
If she truly had any inkling of how vulnerable she looked nestled in his arms, she’d be fighting him tooth and nail.
“How is Tyana?” Ian asked Eli as they headed for a Range Rover parked on the helipad a few feet away.
“Tyana is Tyana,” Eli said enigmatically. “More worried about D than her own recovery.”
“He’s just mad because Ty Baby wanted him out of her hair which is why he’s here playing babysitter to you guys,” Tits said, his teeth flashing in amusement.
Eli grunted. “Fuck you.”
Tits slid into the driver’s seat while Eli got into the front. Braden hopped into the backseat on the opposite side while Ian carefully got in holding Katie.
“And how is D?” Braden asked quietly.
Eli grimaced as he looked back at Braden. “Not good.”
Ian and Braden exchanged uneasy glances when Eli didn’t elaborate. Braden slumped further down in his seat, and for the first time, Ian saw defeat in his brother’s demeanor.
“Marcus is at the house,” Eli said. “He wants to take a look at both of you after he checks Katie out.”
“You’re not planning to stay, are you?” Ian directed his question at both Tits and Eli.
Tits glanced in the rearview mirror, his earring glinting briefly. “There a reason we shouldn’t?”
“Yeah, two reasons. A jaguar and a panther,” Braden said. “We’re getting worse, man. The shifts…they’re even more unpredictable.”
He glanced over at Ian as if weighing his decision to say anything further. Ian tensed but didn’t call Braden down. He looked away though, not out of guilt or shame, because he truly didn’t regret killing Ricardo. All he regretted was the fact that he had no control over when he shifted or his apparent victim.
“Ian killed someone after a shift,” Braden said.
His statement fell like a bomb in the small interior. Tits yanked his head to stare over his shoulder into the back while Eli turned completely around, his eyes flaring in the darkness.
“Bastard deserved it,” Ian said calmly. He tightened his
hold on Katie as he said it.
“Did you realize what you were doing? Did you go after him purposely?” Eli asked. “Think, Ian. This could be a huge breakthrough.”
Ian flinched at the hope in his teammate’s voice. He shook his head grimly while Braden expelled a weary breath.
“I don’t remember any of it,” Ian said tonelessly. “He was after Katie. I can only remember the moment right before I shifted. I came to later with Braden over me, and he had to tell me what happened. Apparently I ripped the guy’s throat out.”
“Righteous,” Tits said with an approving nod of his head.
“Esteban’s man?” Eli asked in confusion. “Why haven’t we heard of any of this?”
“It’s a long story.”
“You got time,” Tits said.
Ian repositioned Katie on his lap then glanced over at Braden who shrugged.
With a sigh, Ian filled them in on everything that had happened since the moment he and Braden had returned to the States to find Katie.
When he finished, Tits gave a low whistle, and Eli shook his head.
“Trust Gabe to make things goddamn complicated,” he said in disgust. “What the fuck was he thinking keeping something like this under wraps? How the hell did he think he was going to protect Katie half a world away?”
“He didn’t win any points with me either,” Braden said. “But Katie doesn’t see the problem with it.”
“Of course she doesn’t,” Eli said. “She was too busy trying to stay ahead of Ricardo and company while being grateful to big brother for his generosity.”
Sarcasm dripped from Eli’s voice as he shook his head.
“So what are you going to do with the little girl then?” Tits asked.
Braden snorted. “Little? I’ll let you call her that, Tits. You may be a big motherfucker, but my money is on her in a throw-down.”
“She ain’t but a little thang. Besides, fighting ain’t what I’d want to do with her.”
A low growl trembled and welled from Ian’s throat.
“Uh, about that,” Braden said quickly as he looked over at Ian. “I know you’re joking and all, but it might be better to just leave Katie out of your conversation. That is unless you want to take on one pissed-off jag.”
“I think I’ll pass.” Tits glanced nervously back at Ian in the rearview mirror. “Her tits aren’t big enough anyway.”
“Thought you said they were nice,” Eli said.
Tits grinned as he looked over at Eli. “Well, they’re bigger than Ty’s. That’s all I meant.”
“You can stop looking at Tyana’s breasts any time,” Eli said mildly.
“What fun would that be?”
Ian relaxed and rested his cheek on the top of Katie’s head. He was starting to worry about her prolonged state of unconsciousness, but he reminded himself that she was absolutely spent. The last week had been hell for her, and if anyone deserved rest, it was her. He’d just be glad when Marcus could take a look at her and give her something for pain.
“Glad you guys are back.” Eli looked at Ian and Braden. “It was a mistake to let you go back to the States on your own.”
Braden gave a disgruntled snort. “It wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle.”
“Still, you’re lucky you didn’t end up a permanent guest of the judicial system there,” Eli returned.
“I don’t know. It could have been fun,” Tits said with a wide grin. “I’ve always fantasized about staging a jailbreak.”
“We won’t be going back,” Ian said firmly.
Eli looked down at Katie’s sleeping form. “And her? Will she be going back?”
Braden and Ian exchanged glances. “No,” they said together.
“And does she know that?” Tits asked in amusement. “From all you’ve told us about her, I can’t see her taking that too well.”
