Falke’s Captive

by Madison Layle

  “Here ya go,” she murmured as she opened the door at the bottom of the cage again and poked the meat through, taking a big chance by putting her hand almost all the way inside to deposit it. If he were a wild animal, he could have gone for her.

  Why don’t you come in here and join me? There’s room for two. You said you like cages…

  Beth closed the feeding door and tilted her head, meeting his eyes. Damn, she was gorgeous. He purred and held her gaze. She smiled and shook her head.

  “They have a little playhouse, and there’s a show starting in about forty-five minutes,” Tim said, taking a seat in the second chair and flipping open the lid on one of the Styrofoam boxes. “You want to head over after we eat?”

  “Tim,” she said with a sigh as she plopped back down in her chair. “I’ve got work to do.”

  “All work and no play…”

  “This isn’t a vacation. We’re not here to study the human population, and I don’t have time for some community theatre production.”

  The show started in less than an hour. That meant it was only about seven o’clock, maybe a little after. He hadn’t been gone that long after all. If Tim and Beth left, he could get home without anyone the wiser. If Axel or any of his brothers found out he’d been captured, he’d never hear the end of it.

  “Lizzy, come on. The professor’s not even here, yet. Our research doesn’t begin without him.”

  “Beth. I prefer Beth,” she grumped under her breath.

  Tim continued with persistence. “It’s only day one, and you already got a cat to study. You can’t work all of the time. Besides, we’ve got the next two months. It doesn’t have to be wrapped up with one cat in one day. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t make sure my workaholic buddy didn’t take time off every once in a while, hmm?”

  She chuckled. “I’ll think about it. Okay?”

  Tim sighed and pulled plastic utensils from the bottom of the bag. “Okay, but think fast. It’s not far, but we’ve got less than an hour before the show starts.”

  I wouldn’t take no for an answer, Kelan told her telepathically. If I wanted you, I’d have you, and you’d be begging for more.

  Beth lifted her chin and looked around. Then her gaze settled on Kelan. He yawned and pawed at his meal as if unaware of her regard, but he peeked to watch her reaction. Again she shook her head as if she thought she was losing it, but her lips curled into a slight grin.

  He glanced at the hunk of raw meat next to the water bowl in his cage, snarled, then laid his head on his paws. Lone catamounts might be willing to feast on raw meat, but he had a domesticated palate. With any luck, they’d be gone soon and he could make his escape.

  About thirty minutes later, his chance arrived. As if by silent, mutual agreement, they shut down the computers, turned off all the lights except one small one and headed for the side door.

  Beth stopped by his cage and looked inside. “Hey, baby. We’ll be back first thing in the morning.” She glanced at the untouched hunk of meat. “I know it’s not venison or rabbit, but it’s good. I promise. Eat.”

  Not a chance. He liked his beef at least seared, not still mooing.

  Bravely, she touched the bars on the cage as if she wanted to reach in and stroke him. He wouldn’t have minded that. She smelled so damn good, and it was apparent she hadn’t meant him harm. He’d have to find her when he was human again and give good buddy Tim a run for his money. Perhaps she’d let him put her in the cage for a while.

  He began to purr.

  “Night, night.” She shrugged out of her lab coat, placed it on a hook by the door, then followed Tim outside. She had an awesome backside, nicely rounded hips and butt encased in denim.

  He caught a glimpse of the sky when they exited. Still light out. He estimated maybe an hour ’til sunset, so he’d give it an hour then make his escape.

  He passed the time in the cage, just to make sure they didn’t return, and let his thoughts stray to Beth. A shame she’d turned out to be a scientist who studied wildlife. As much as he toyed with the idea of seeing her again, he knew that brief glimpse of her backside as she left would be his last. He stared at the bars surrounding him and at the lab equipment nearby while queasy sensations churned in his stomach—not from hunger so much as revulsion.

  This could be his dreary future if he wasn’t more careful.

  When he thought nightfall had come, he transformed into his human body, reached through the bars and unlatched the door. He slipped out of the cage, stretched, then moved to the side exit. It was locked, but luckily from the inside. When he cracked the door open and peered outside, he instantly knew where he was. Right behind the Bavarian Inn at the far end of the back parking lot. The same hotel he and Reidar had walked Beth to the other night. He closed the door and glanced around the mobile lab.

  He pulled Beth’s lab coat from the hook and tried to put it on. Though tall, she didn’t have wide enough shoulders, and he couldn’t get it on. He glanced around for something else to cover his nudity, but saw nothing.

  Okay then.

  He looked back at the cage. No way could a wild puma reach through the bars as he had and open the door. He had to make his escape look plausible. With a groan, he crawled back into the cage, shut the hatch, and then thanking the heavens that she hadn’t used a padlock, kicked at the door until the slide bolt bent enough for him to jimmy it open. She might be stunned to think a cat could force its way out by breaking the latch, but that beat the alternative of opening it undamaged.

  Free of the cage once more, he studied the trailer’s exits. The double doors were no good because their locking mechanisms were on the outside. But the single one on the side offered an opportunity for escape because it didn’t have a deadbolt, just a simple push-button lock on a brass lever handle.

  Transforming into catamount form, he clawed at the door several times to leave obvious markings behind and then pawed the handle.

  He felt a momentary twinge of guilt for not closing the door with all of the expensive-looking lab equipment inside, but a cougar wouldn’t push it shut behind him, so he left it as is and leaped down the steps, darting into the darkness beneath the trailer. Within moments he was off and running through the bushes, headed for home.

  It didn’t take him long to cut across the woodland, down along the river’s bank, and away from town, savoring the sweet smell of pinesap and freedom. A few miles later, he arrived at the back of his fathers’ house, located on several dozen densely wooded acres. He was damn glad he and Reidar had chosen not to forego the private surroundings of their childhood home to move into town. A lone cougar traipsing through the streets of Leavenworth wasn’t something he wanted to be, even if the town’s council turned a blind eye to the Falkes’ family pet.

  He leaped onto the second-floor balcony outside his bedroom, changed into human form and slipped into his room unseen. Something he’d done since he was old enough to take catamount form. Sure, he knew his dads had that paternal sense when he’d snuck in or out as a youth, but as long as he didn’t get into too much trouble, they’d let it slide. Besides he wasn’t a teenager anymore.

  Even so, today could have been a shit load of trouble. Thank God his captors hadn’t hauled him halfway across the state to experiment on him. He went straight through his room to the bathroom he shared with Reidar, flipped on the light and stared at the reflection of the red plastic tag in his ear.

  “Son of a bitch,” he muttered as he leaned closer to the mirror and moved his earlobe around to see the back. He’d need wire cutters to get the thing out.

  “Kel, that you?” Reidar called just before the other door to the bathroom opened. “What the hell is that?”

  Kelan narrowed his eyes at his brother’s reflection. “Thought I’d go wild and get my ear pierced.”

  Reidar rolled his eyes. “Axel came by after dinner. Wanted to talk to you. Where you been?”

  “Would you just go find me a pair of wire cutters…or something.”<
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  Reidar shrugged. “Everyone seems to be in such a pissy mood today. Don’t rub it off on me.”

  Kelan growled, and Reidar chuckled. “Be back in a minute. Then you can tell me what the hell that new fashion statement is all about.” He waved his hand toward Kelan’s ear. “And more importantly, bro, why you aren’t wearing a collar. You obviously snuck inside in catamount form.”

  Kelan’s hand went to his neck. His gaze snapped back to his reflection. Sure enough, his collar was gone. Son of a bitch. His scowl darkened. How was he going to explain losing that?

  Chapter Three

  Drowsy, Beth stretched like a cat beneath the comfort of soft linens. Just five more minutes…

  The phone rang loudly in her hotel room, startling her wide awake. Grumbling to herself, she rolled over to pick up the receiver and eyed the alarm clock’s red numerals. Tim better have a good reason for calling so early, especially after she set aside work to go to that theatre with him.

  “Hello.” The word came out husky with sleep.

  “Ms. Coldwell? This is the front desk. Sorry to wake you.”

  “Yeah?” More awake with each heartbeat, she sat up and combed her fingers through her tangles.

  “I regret to inform you that we believe your trailer has been broken into.”

  “What?” She leaped from the bed and scrambled for her clothes, the phone still held to her ear. “Tell me.”

  “A staff member reported seeing the side door ajar when he came in. I know it’s early, but we thought you should know immediately.”

  “Yes, thank you. I’ll be right down.”

  A short time later she stood inside the mobile lab, confused and ticked, but somewhat grateful. It didn’t appear to be a break-in but rather a breakout. The puma’s cage was damaged, its latch bent, and the hatch open. She should’ve realized the slide latch alone wouldn’t hold a full-grown mountain lion.

  She knelt and fingered the grooves scratched into the trailer’s side door. You really wanted to be free, didn’t you, big fella?

  Wrinkling her nose, she glanced back at the cage. The raw steak was left untouched and starting to make the trailer smell. After she cleaned that up, tossing it in a nearby garbage bin, she returned to survey the rest of the equipment.

  Fortunately, nothing appeared to be missing, a clear silver lining to potential storm clouds. And those clouds grew darker the more she thought about it—a greater concern weighing on her mind, which was why she shooed away the well-meaning hotel worker who’d accompanied her out to the trailer, and why she declined to call the police.

  There was a cougar on the loose, a pet that wouldn’t have the natural wariness of humans it should. She lifted its collar out of a drawer and thumbed the raised medallion. Not just roaming the woodlands close to a civilian population, the big cat was in town now…because of her. If it got hurt, or worse if it harmed anyone, she’d never forgive herself.

  Adding to the nightmare, Professor Whitmore was scheduled to arrive sometime today.

  She fisted the collar and stuffed it into her back pocket. She had to act fast. She didn’t know how long the big cat had been out, but cougars could cover a lot of ground. Hopefully it had fled to the shelter of the forest, but she had to be sure.

  Grabbing her handheld tracking device and the tranquilizer gun, she left a quick note for Tim, closed up the lab and headed for the Jeep to begin her search for the elusive, troublesome feline.

  “What’s with the new earring?” Torsten asked Kelan, earning a scowl which grew darker when Reidar snickered. He couldn’t help it. The story Kelan had shared last night still made him smile, and he wanted so badly to tease his brother about it, but Kelan would suffer enough having to face the rest of the family today. He grinned. It should make for an entertaining day.

  “Did it on a dare,” Kelan grumbled, ignoring Torsten’s snort, “but I kind of like it.”

  Reidar smirked at Torsten as he shook his head and offloaded a few boxes of tents from the dolly on Catamount Outfitters’ back loading dock. A delivery truck had arrived with new camping supplies to stock the shelves, so Reidar and two of his brothers worked to process the merchandise, while Gunnar and Sindre opened for business. Well, Sindre would open up and man the front counter. Gunnar was shifted into catamount form.

  “Provides a little individuality, don’t you think?” Kelan asked.

  “If you say so,” Torsten said with an unconvinced shrug. “But Axel’s not gonna like you ditching the collar.” He hefted a couple of boxes onto his shoulders and headed into the store.

  The moment he was gone, Kelan sighed.

  “You know they’re just getting started,” Reidar said.

  “Yeah.” Kelan set his clipboard down on a nearby workbench.

  “You really gonna keep the new jewelry?” Reidar had accompanied Kelan that morning to a store where he’d purchased a pair of diamond earrings. He eyed the small stud in his brother’s left earlobe and had to admit it was effective in hiding the original piercing. But he wasn’t sure he would’ve been able to pull the look off the way Kelan did, even though they were nearly identical. Kelan had always been more rebellious with his style, such as longer hair and ripped denims after hours when not forced to wear the Catamount Outfitters uniform of polo shirt and slacks.

  Kelan shrugged. “It’d probably look weird having a diamond in my ear as a cougar.”

  “Heidi’s birthday is coming up.”

  “Yeah, she might like diamonds.” He fingered the earring.

  “What girl doesn’t? Even if the gift is from one of her brothers.”

  Kelan chuckled.

  “Tor and Sin will expect something, though. It’s their birthday too.”

  Kelan rolled his eyes. “They can have ice cream with their cake.”

  Reidar laughed, nudged the door open with his hip, and held it for Kelan as they carried the last of the shipment into the store. Depositing his load, he lowered his voice and murmured, “Can’t blame you for wanting to look a little different. Sometimes I feel like we’re still in grade school since we all dress alike here.”

  Kelan grinned and repositioned some merchandise to make room for the longer boxes that had arrived. He and Kelan were quadruplets, born via C-section shortly after Axel and Gunnar. Reidar had been the baby of the family until their mother got pregnant again, the second time with Sindre, Torsten, and Heidi. Their sister was the only girl and youngest, so the brothers were protective of her. Of course, she’d call it annoyingly overbearing, but Reidar and his brothers disagreed.

  He headed for the back counter, passing Gunnar en route.

  You’re in favor of this? Gunnar asked Reidar.

  “I heard that,” Kelan quipped, acknowledging the question as he turned the corner, picked up a cloth and spray bottle and began to wipe off one end of the glass countertop.

  Reidar shrugged and started at the other end with another cloth. It didn’t surprise him that his brothers would want his opinion of Kelan’s odd behavior. He and Kelan were inseparable growing up, and Reidar had often gone along with Kelan’s wilder ideas back in high school. And wound up sharing the punishment when things didn’t go exactly as planned.

  “It’s his ear,” he said, making Gunnar, known as Falke while in catamount form, huff. The cougar sniffed the air, announced, Axel’s here with the girls, and meandered behind the counter.

  Reidar cocked an eyebrow at Kelan who took a deep breath. Their senses were never as strong in human form, but he did catch the sound of a feminine giggle. “The more the merrier,” he teased.

  “Shut up,” Kelan snarled.

  The front door bell jingled, and Reidar prepared for the first influx of customers, wondering idly whether that was more blessing than curse. He didn’t think Axel would make a scene over an earring with customers around, but he knew his big brother wouldn’t be happy to see Kelan flout tradition by going sans collar.

  Beth eyed the tracking device and frowned. The cat had done just what she
feared and stuck around town. The beacon she’d injected under the skin of the feline’s nape led her into the heart of the quaint Bavarian-style village rather than away from it.

  It was still somewhat early though, and she hoped that worked to her advantage. Since finding the cougar missing she’d prayed nonstop for the chance to tranquilize it before the sidewalks and streets filled with tourists.

  “Ahh!” She stomped on the brake a little too hard when a traffic light turned red. Her heart raced, and her fingers tightened on the steering wheel.

  Should’ve called Tim. Finding the beast would be easier if one person drove while the other kept an eye on the tracking signal. Plus, when she did find it—and she would find it—she wasn’t sure how she’d get the tranquilized beast into her Jeep and back to the lab by herself.

  “One thing at a time,” she muttered to herself.

  Another glance at the screen told her she was close. Very close. After the light changed, she drove two blocks and pulled into a parking spot, then grabbed her purse which held the tranquilizer gun. She didn’t want the cops called to the scene because someone mistook her dart gun for a more deadly firearm. Getting out, she stopped on the sidewalk and watched the screen, turning this way and that to get the best reading.

  Oh, please, no. Somehow the cat had gotten into a building. Without bothering to read the signage, she jerked the door open and went inside.

  “Good morning,” a man to her right said. “May I help you?”

  She didn’t look up from the tracking device. So close. Her other hand slipped into her purse, her fingers gripping the pistol. “No thanks. Just browsing…”

  The signal was strong. She headed down an aisle toward the back of the store. Gotcha!

  She glanced up just in time to see the big cat leap from behind a counter onto the glass display.

  “Watch out,” she shouted at a man—a store employee?—his back to her. He startled and spun toward her rather than away from the real danger now behind him.