Into the Lair

by Maya Banks

  She offered a faint smile and nodded.

  “Come here.”

  He tugged her against his chest, tucked her head under his chin and wrapped his arms around her. For a moment she relaxed into his hold, absorbing his strength and the comfort he offered. Then she carefully pulled away. She trembled as he smoothed his fingers down her arms and then captured her hands again.

  “I finished the journal,” she said. “There are things that everyone should know. And other things…”

  Braden studied her intently then tugged her forward. “Come over here where you’ll be comfortable.”

  He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her toward the couch in front of the bar where Ian still stood.

  The others stopped to look at her. Jonah’s gaze followed her, and when she met his eyes, his expression softened.

  “I’d rather stand,” she said when Braden started to sit her down on the couch.

  She slipped her fingers from his and took a few steps back. Ian’s hands clasped her shoulders, and his mouth brushed close to her ear.

  “Are you okay?” he asked quietly. “Are you feeling well?”

  She nodded and turned to face the others. She’d start with Esteban. Maybe by the time she’d explained all she’d read, the part where she divulged that she might turn into an unpredictable shifter might actually seem normal.

  Tyana, Eli, Mad Dog and Jonah all stared at her expectantly. She wiped her palms down her jeans and took a deep breath.

  “Esteban was a shifter. A wolf, to be more exact. Not a werewolf like the movies or legends. A real wolf.”

  Shocked silence ensued.

  Jonah stepped forward. “You want to run that by us again?”

  “I saw him,” she said. “When he died. When he took his last breath, he shifted.” She glanced at Braden. “Do you remember?”

  “I thought that part was a delusion,” Braden muttered. “So much of that time was so scattered. It all happened so fast, and when I look back it’s with such a sense of detachment, like I’m seeing something that happened through someone else’s eyes. Honestly I thought I was a little nuts.”

  “According to his journal, he’s a natural shifter.”

  Eli surged to attention, and Tyana put her hand on his arm.

  “A what?” Mad Dog demanded. “What the hell is a natural shifter?”

  “He was born that way,” Katie said softly. “Unfortunately, he had no control over when and how he shifted. He spent most of his life in seclusion. He began experimenting with a chemical that altered human DNA in early adulthood. I say he, but he only funded the research. He had no scientific background.”

  She glanced at Eli and then Ian and Braden. “You were his first successful experiment. But only Eli and Gabe achieved the results he was interested in. Stability. He couldn’t accept that his genetic make-up couldn’t be changed, that there was no cure for his instability.”

  “Christ,” Tyana muttered. “We’ve all been searching for the same thing. The bastard created his own problem in D and the others.”

  Katie nodded. “Except, for whatever reason, Gabe and Eli gained full control of their abilities. Esteban became obsessed with reproducing that result. Which is why he came after me. I shared Gabe’s DNA. Eli had no family. He wanted my…”

  She swallowed, and Ian’s hands tightened around her shoulders.

  “What did he want?” Jonah asked.

  She looked down as tears threatened. This part terrified her—admitting it—out loud. It made it real, and now she’d face a very uncertain future. What if…

  “Baby, what’s wrong?” Braden asked, concern evident in his voice.

  “He exposed me to the same chemical agent that you were exposed to,” she said in a low voice.

  “What?”

  The demand exploded across the room from at least three different places. Ian spun her around, his eyes wide with horror.

  A tear rolled down her cheek as she shook in his arms. “I’m scared,” she whispered.

  “Dear God, that’s why…” He broke off and dug a hand into his hair. “Jesus, that’s why you were in such pain, why you’re still so weak.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Braden swore.

  She found herself between the two men, their hands shaking as they stroked her arms and her back. They touched her face, her hair, held her close.

  “I’m terrified of what will happen,” she choked out. “What am I going to do?”

  She leaned her forehead against Ian’s chest, and he pressed his lips to the top of her head. His entire body shook against hers.

  “Come sit down,” he said. “We’ll figure this out, okay? I don’t want you to worry.”

  She smiled wanly at his attempt to infuse her with hope. But she allowed him to lead her to the couch. The others all gathered in the small sitting area. Tyana and Eli sat on the opposite couch while Mad Dog parked it on the arm of the chair that Jonah sat in. Ian and Braden flanked her on the couch, Ian holding her hand while Braden clasped her leg above her knee.

  Jonah leaned forward, his expression serious. “You won’t be alone, Katie. Falcon will help you in any way we can.”

  “She’ll have us,” Braden said softly.

  Jonah nodded, his expression easing.

  “I think everyone is missing a very important question here,” Mad Dog said. “Was Esteban really a natural shifter or was he bat-shit crazy? Is it even possible? Does that change anything for Eli, D, Ian and Braden or is all hope for a cure gone?”

  Eli propped his elbows on his knees and scrubbed at his face.

  “Eli, don’t,” Tyana pleaded. “You don’t have to do this.”

  He grimaced and then reached over to squeeze her hand. “Yeah, sugar, I do.”

  He focused his weary gaze on Ian and Braden, regret brimming in his dark eyes.

  “I’ve been lying to you guys for a long time.”

  Katie glanced anxiously at Ian and Braden as confusion darkened their faces.

  “What?” Braden asked.

  “The chemical that turned you into cats…it didn’t affect me.”

  “Of course it did,” Ian said. “Hell, I’ve seen you shift.”

  “I was born a shifter,” Eli said quietly. “It’s a secret I’ve carried since I was ten years old. It just became easier to disguise after what happened in Adharji. I no longer had to hide my ability from you because suddenly I was provided an explanation. Gabe was stable so it didn’t stretch probability that I was too.”

  “Holy fuck,” Mad Dog breathed. “Has the entire world gone crazy? That shit just doesn’t happen.”

  “So Gabe was the only one who truly turned out the way Esteban envisioned?” Katie asked painfully.

  “Apparently so,” Ian muttered.

  Braden held up his hand. “Whether or not Esteban was a natural shifter is irrelevant. The fucker is dead. What we need to be worried about is the fact that the son of a bitch gassed Katie.”

  Ian nodded and then he turned to her again. “Does Marcus know?”

  She nodded slowly.

  “What did he suggest?”

  She closed her eyes. “He said all I could do was wait and see. There’s nothing he can do.” Her voice cracked. “No tests he can run. No cure if I’m affected.”

  Braden cursed and turned away, his fists rolled into tight balls against the couch.

  Tyana stared across at her with a stricken expression. “I’m sorry, Katie.”

  “We’re getting ahead of ourselves here,” Jonah said. “We don’t know that Katie will be affected. I say we don’t borrow trouble. Take it one day at a time.”

  He glanced sorrowfully at Tyana. “We already knew that finding a cure was a long shot.”

  Tyana looked away, tears brimming in her eyes.

  “We can’t just give up,” Ian said fiercely. He gripped Katie’s hand and brought it to his lips. “We can beat this, Katie. What happened at the compound with Braden. Explain that. It was a breakthrough. Maybe a ste
p forward.”

  “You’re not alone,” Braden added as he took her other hand.

  “Aren’t I?” she asked. “Sometimes I feel like I’ve always been alone. Gabe was all I had left, and now he’s gone. I have nothing to go back to.”

  Ian and Braden went completely still next to her. She felt the stares of the entire group, and she shifted uncomfortably on the couch under their scrutiny.

  “Maybe we should leave you three alone for a while,” Jonah said as he stood.

  Eli helped Tyana to her feet. Mad Dog slid off the arm of the chair and ambled to the door. And then she was alone with Ian and Braden.

  She leaned forward and buried her face in her hands. She was so tired. Her body still fought the effects of the chemical. Moving hurt, more than she let on. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sleep.

  “You’re hurting,” Ian said quietly.

  She nodded without opening her eyes.

  “Katie, look at me,” Ian prompted.

  She opened her eyes and turned her head to stare at him.

  “I love you.”

  Such powerful words. No one had ever said them to her before. They were staggering. She’d heard them, been flip about them, but hearing them now, directed at her…it shattered her.

  “I love you,” Braden whispered next to her ear.

  She turned, her breath held in her chest. She stared in wonder at him and then turned back to look at Ian.

  “I—”

  “Shhh.” Ian placed a finger gently over her lips. “Hear us out.”

  Braden scooted up so that he was in her line of vision. Ian reached over and curled his fingers around her palm and stroked lightly with his thumb.

  “We want you to go back to Argentina with us. CHR has a house there. A compound, really. Eli doesn’t have a need for it. His life is here with Tyana and Falcon.”

  She swung her gaze back to Braden to gauge his reaction. There was calm in his expression. Sincerity.

  “We want you with us, Katie.”

  “But what if…what if I become—”

  “What if you become what?” Ian prompted. “Like us?”

  She nodded.

  “Whatever happens, we’re going to be with you,” Braden said.

  His voice slid over her, a promise she reached for and held tight.

  “You won’t be left behind, Katie. Not ever again. Do you understand that? We want you with us. Always.”

  She wrapped her arms around Ian and held on tight. “I love you too,” she whispered against his neck.

  He gathered her close and buried his lips in her hair. He stroked the back of her head with his hand as he murmured in her ear. She pulled slowly away and then turned to Braden.

  “I love you.”

  He touched her cheek and smiled, his teeth flashing his boyish grin. Then he leaned in and kissed her, long and sweet. So exquisitely gentle, as though she’d crumble with the slightest touch.

  “I want you to get better,” he said. “I want to make love to you again.”

  Her face fell and she looked away.

  “Hey,” he said softly. “What was that for?”

  “I’m just afraid of what will happen if the chemical affected me badly. What if it ruins everything?”

  Braden and Ian both reached for her hands until she held both of theirs in her lap.

  “No matter what, we’ll always be together,” Ian said. “Believe that if you believe nothing else.”

  “We’ll make it,” Braden added. “Together.”

  Some of her fear lifted, and she smiled a shaky smile. She squeezed their hands and then brought them up to kiss them both. “Together,” she agreed.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  “She’s getting worse,” Ian said wearily as he and Marcus stood watching Katie and Braden from inside the glass doors leading to the deck.

  Marcus frowned. “How so?”

  Marcus had flown in to perform his regular check-up and physical on Katie. These days he spent his time between Damiano in Nepal and Katie in Argentina.

  “We’re having to use the inhibitor far more frequently, and we’ve had to sedate her three times in the past two weeks. I’d hoped…”

  Ian broke off and rubbed a tired hand through his hair. “I hate this, man. I love her and I hate to see her suffer.”

  “And what about you and Braden?” Marcus asked.

  Ian gave him a startled look.

  “Any unexpected shifts? Further instability?”

  Ian shook his head. “Braden shifts regularly. He’s pretty good at doing it at will now. He hasn’t made a single move toward me and Katie. We’ve tested his recall, and it’s odd. At times he can clearly remember events that occur while he’s in panther form. Other times, however, it’s all a blank. When that happens, he backs off shifting for a while, and he gets edgy. It scares him when he can’t remember. He’s too afraid he’ll hurt Katie or me.”

  Marcus nodded, a thoughtful look in his eyes. He started to speak, but was interrupted when Braden knocked over his chair getting up. Katie sat stock-still in hers, her face pale, her hands shaking violently. Tremors rocked her slight body, and she looked at Braden in panic.

  Ian made a grab for the syringe that lay on the table inside, and he threw open the door. He made it over to Katie, prepared to inject her when Marcus caught his arm.

  “What the fuck? Let me go, man.”

  “Don’t give it to her,” Marcus said calmly.

  “What?” Braden demanded.

  Katie clutched her arms, rubbing almost violently. Fear shone vividly in her eyes. She was terrified.

  “I promised her, I swore to her that I’d never let this happen,” Ian bit out.

  “Listen to me,” Marcus said. “You don’t know if she’s stable or not. You’ve never let her explore the depths of her abilities. She’s understandably frightened. We don’t even know what her ability is. What if she’s like Gabe and can control her shifts? We have to let her try. She can’t go on like this, living in terror, being sedated every time the urge comes on.”

  “Christ,” Ian muttered.

  He looked up at Braden, seeking his input. Braden looked tortured with indecision. Finally he closed his eyes and nodded.

  A strangled cry burst from Katie’s throat. Ian reached for her, grasping her shoulders. “We’ll be right here, Katie. We’ll help you through this.”

  “I don’t know what to do,” she said desperately.

  Braden shoved in and framed her face in his hands. “Just let go, baby. Surrender to it.”

  She closed her eyes then bolted upward. She stepped forward and then back as if she had no idea where to go. Then she crumpled. Ian lunged for her, but Braden held him back.

  “Let her go,” he said in a strained voice.

  They watched in agony as her body spasmed, and she cried out in pain. It was like watching a battle between human and animal. And finally the beast won.

  Tawny fur rippled across her skin. Hands became paws. Black spots appeared. Her clothing ripped and fell away. Her head twisted, and her jaws opened wide as a sound that wasn’t quite human or animal escaped in an eerie howl.

  And then where a human woman had fallen, a cheetah arose, graceful and sleek. Yellow eyes stared calmly back at the men.

  “Amazing,” Marcus breathed.

  “A cheetah,” Ian whispered.

  So much made sense now. His and Braden’s reaction to her from the very beginning, how she called to the cat inside of them.

  “She’s beautiful,” Braden said, his voice barely above Ian’s.

  Slowly she closed the distance between her and Ian. She sniffed delicately, her head bobbing as she stared up at him. He fell to his knees, and she moved in close, butting her head against his chest. She rubbed and nudged at his chin and then along his cheek.

  Braden knelt beside him and extended his hand. The cheetah closed her eyes and began to purr as he stroked her head. Then she sidled close and rubbed her jowls over his shou
lder and chest.

  She finished with a lick to his cheek before she moved around him and took off in a lope.

  Both men stood and turned around to see her streaking across the back of the compound. She was magnificent, wild and running free.

  “I’ll be damned,” Braden murmured.

  “It is through you and Ian and Katie that I have hope for Damiano,” Marcus said. “The fact that you can shift at will and that you retain memories of being the cat. And now maybe Katie will enjoy control over her shifts as well. My theory with Damiano is that if he can train his mind, he can control the beast. I’d say you learned that yourself in your own way.”

  “Or maybe I just knew Katie needed me,” Braden said with a smile.

  He turned to watch her again, and then with a mischievous grin, he closed his eyes and fell to his knees. In a matter of seconds, the panther rose and loped after the cheetah.

  The two raced across the ground, nipping and swatting at each other.

  Marcus turned to Ian and smiled. “Damn fine family you have, Ian.”

  Ian grinned, his heart soaring with such profound relief. He wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time. “That I do, Marcus. That I do.”

  About the Author

  To learn more about Maya please visit www.mayabanks.com. Send an email to Maya at maya@mayabanks.comor join her Yahoo! group to join in the fun with other readers: https://groups.yahoo.com/group/writeminded_readers.

  Look for these titles by Maya Banks

  Now Available:

  Seducing Simon

  Colters’ Woman