by Sarah Makela
Her father actively dismissed his child from having a proper community-oriented upbringing. Instead, she’d spent most of her childhood and adulthood not knowing what she would become or the gifts she’d inherit when she turned eighteen. When she did come of age, a family friend helped her out, giving her a tattoo and the vaguest of information on her gifts since no one else would say more to her.
Her father found out about the family friend and her tattoo, and he’d unceremoniously cast her out. Since then, she’d been completely on her own. No way to reach out to the community, and even so, she hadn’t been crazy about the idea. Would they have even wanted her?
Besides, she’d wanted a better life.
However, learning about her abilities had been painful enough without the added grief. The grief of being entirely alone in this world with no one to trust, so while this woman seemed capable in her abilities, she figured they were quite different.
Kira was her companion. Her one constant since her father kicked her out regardless of the frustrations her familiar sometimes caused.
The big cat wasn’t the best on her love life, not even with Connor, but at least things were better now. Her sense of security came in knowing he wasn’t exactly normal either.
Ravenna smiled at her and lifted her hand. The raven flew through her living room then came back. “Did you see that?”
She didn’t get exactly know what that was supposed to mean. “Uhm…your bird flew around my living room?” Surely, Ravenna wasn’t expecting her to be impressed with that.
The woman laughed as if at an amusing joke. “Ah, you saw what Bran did, but you didn’t see what he did. I guess I’m used to being around others more knowledgeable like myself.” If that wasn’t a slap in the face, she didn’t know what was. “What he did wasn’t just fly around. My raven scoped your living room. I know one of your boyfriend’s socks is lying on the floor at the far side of the couch, and there’s a relationship magazine from 2010 on your coffee table.”
She frowned. This woman hadn’t even step foot in her living room. How could she know these things? She walked to the far side of the couch, and sure enough, He had left one of his socks on the floor, probably after one of their romantic rendezvous, even though he was usually particularly tidy, especially while he was over here with her.
She peeked at the magazine on the way back. While there were a few, one the dates read October 2010. That couldn’t have been a coincidence; especially Ravenna had been nowhere nearby. Her heartbeat picked up its pace.
“How did you know?”
“Bran told me.” She looked at Angelique. “We’re psychically connected.”
“I’m connected with Kira, but she’s never given me that kind of information before.”
“Have you asked? Have you trained her?” Ravenna knew the answer to that.
Her mouth dropped open. This was way over her head. She’d never thought to ask Kira for any reconnaissance type information. She’d never had a reason to. Besides, the raven could fly. Kira couldn’t. Why would she put her familiar at risk?
An agitated vibe rippled through Kira. Instinctually, she knew Kira wasn’t happy. The big cat exuded a strong need to defend, and she was a black panther after all. As dangerous and deadly as the ones in the wild, and yet Angelique couldn’t help it. She wanted to protect Kira because she cared about her familiar.
If anything ever happened to Kira, both of them would be screwed. While no one knew what would happen if their tattooed familiars were taken, she could only guess it might mean death for the magical female and slavery for the companion.
That’s not something she wanted for either of them. They both needed to be safe.
“I haven’t exactly trained her, but we’ve done the best we could with what we’ve had to work with.” She shrugged. “I haven’t asked her those kinds of questions, but we’ve worked together in times of need.”
“How is that if you’re unable, or unwilling, to ask your familiar for guidance?” Ravenna’s voice held a certain tone she didn’t like. Her anger rose. Hot and fast.
Before she could stop the black panther, Kira raced down her arm. Angelique screamed with the sudden realization and focused on reigning Kira in, but it was already too late.
Claws exploded from her fingers, and Kira swung Angelique’s hands at Ravenna who barely dove out of the way in time. A claw nicked Ravenna’s arm, and the big raven dive-bombed Angelique, cawing.
Kira’s instincts slammed Angelique into the backseat like she was watching a movie. Her body jerked to the side, and she slung her clawed hand at the raven, but Bran rose into the air again without missing a beat before she could retaliate.
She flung herself at the large bird, but Ravenna body slammed her to the side. Hissing, she slapped her hand at Ravenna, but the woman blocked.
Ravenna looked shaken, and she panted, out of breath. “Stop this.”
Kira threw more of her strength behind her paw, trying to outmatch do Ravenna and continue her defense, but they were pinned. She opened her mouth, her words coming out strained. “I…can’t.”
Ravenna’s eyes widened. “Y-your familiar is controlling your actions? Shit. That isn’t good, Angelique. We have more work to do than I’d thought.” Keys jostled in the door, and Ravenna turned her gaze to the door.
Her body trembled, trying to force Kira to stand down, but her familiar was already too far out of control to do much. She couldn’t stop what was about to come.
With Ravenna caught off-guard, Kira threw the woman off them to straddle her instead. The black panther hadn’t liked being restrained one bit. Claws extended, she swung her hand toward the woman.
She forced her arm to stop, holding it back until the arm shook violently. A battle of wills. Her breath came out in shallow gasps as Kira fought back.
“What the hell is going on, Angel? Who is that woman?” Connor said, sounding extremely worried.
Kira quieted.
“Connor, I can explain—” Angelique collapsed on top of the other woman. Everything went silent. Suspicions plagued her thoughts. Why would Kira go from full throttle to nothing like this?
A scream ripped from her throat as Kira stretched her skin, determined to escape. If she didn’t let Kira out, her familiar would claw her way through Angelique, leaving her body a bloody mess.
“Angelique, listen to me. We need to get your shirt off or at least up. Your familiar is determined. You need to stop fighting her. If you don’t—” She shook her head. “Just please. Listen to me.” The woman exposed her back to the air.
“But…what if…I can’t control her?” Her voice sounded weak even to her own ears. She hated feeling this way.
“I’m sure you will be fine. Is that your boyfriend?”
She nodded, aware of the fact Connor was closing in on them. Although, she’d prefer if he were farther away with Kira on such a tear, she loved him. However, maybe he would be one of the few who could keep the woman safe from Kira’s temper tantrum. She wasn’t going to hold her breath.
“Angel! Talk to me. What’s going on?” He knelt at their side. His gaze slid from her to Ravenna and back.
She turned to look at him, reaching out her hand to hold his while the muscles in her back seized. Her body bucked sharply, and she planted both hands on the floor near Ravenna’s shoulders. She screamed as Kira pushed through her back, the heavy weight made her realize the black panther was taking shape, but she wasn’t all the way out.
“Shit,” he cursed, but he held his ground. A glimmer of worry flickered in his eyes. He was a dominant wolf. His Pack had trained him not to show fear, and he’d tried to teach her. However, he’d told her while he couldn’t run and show fear if she were ever in a bad situation to get the hell out. Know when to cut and run.
With another jerk, Kira was free from Angelique’s skin. Regardless of the times her familiar had materialized in the past, this time had been so much worse. Her back felt like a slick mess.
A low rumb
le vibrated through Kira, and her paw slid on Angelique’s skin as she launched at Connor. She hit him with her full weight. He tumbled backward, probably caught off guard by this whole situation. If she’d been able to breathe the words, she would’ve warned him.
Ravenna helped her to her side. “You need to focus on Kira.” She knelt in front of her, holding her by the shoulders. “Your familiar needs to obey you. If you can’t get her under control, she’ll tear that man to pieces.”
Honestly, her fear was mixed. She didn’t want either of them hurt. Any wound inflicted on Kira would injure Angelique, albeit the severity would be a little less, but still bad. Yet she loved Connor. If Kira killed him, she didn’t know what she’d do.
Pushing those thoughts aside, she focused on her familiar, sending out focused energy to try to gain her attention. It seemed like nothing she did reached the big cat. Either Kira was ignoring her very well, or her ferocity blocked their bond. That idea scared her to no end. She didn’t want Kira to go too far so she could no longer be controlled.
“Trying…to reach her…but I can’t,” she said. It hurt to talk, much less move, but she forced herself to her hands and knees. Her body ached relentlessly.
“What are you doing, Angelique? You’re injured. You—”
A harsh snarl cut through the room. Her gaze snapped to Connor and Kira. He had his hands on Kira’s chest as he struggled to hold her off him. His eyes were amber, but so far, every other part of him was still human. How long would he be able to hold her back with her current dangerous mood?
She really didn’t want him injured. Didn’t want either of them injured.
She crawled to his side. Each move hurt worse than the last. The trip across the living room floor seemed to take forever. She planted her hands on Kira’s side and shoved with all her might, trying to get the panther away from him. Unexpectedly, it didn’t work. Kira almost always obeyed her. She pushed again.
Kira whirled around, turning her fury onto her. A deadly snarl on her familiar’s lips.
“Knock it off, Kira.” She wheezed in pain at the effort to get Kira under control. Plus, she’d spent most of her energy keeping Kira from attacking Ravenna and Bran, her raven familiar.
Ravenna spoke softly on the other side of the room and received an answering caw.
Dread squeezed her chest.
The large raven flew toward Kira. His talons out, and she held her breath. Bran scratched Kira on her side, pissing her off enough to chase him around the room.
Pain bit into her own side, and she gripped the injury with both hands.
Kira swat the bird, knocking him into a wall. Right before Kira could finish him off, Angelique mustered enough power to throw a sharp wave of energy at Kira.
The barrier between them came crashing down. At once, she could feel her familiar’s emotions and presence again. Kira turned to her, hanging her head. The click of her black panther’s nails on hardwood floor drew closer.
Pain ripped through her as Kira plowed into her. She fell back to the floor, and her head smacked the hardwood floor. Darkness descended over her eyes. Fear crept into her heart, and she wondered if she’d wake up. If Kira would take her to her death.
* * *
What the hell had he walked in on? Connor dove out of the way of Kira’s attack, unable to believe his eyes. Angelique had attacked a topless woman while a large raven perched on the back of the couch. Now his girlfriend lay unconscious on the floor.
Part of him wondered if this might be an episode of The Twilight Zone. Then again, he was a werewolf. How could any of this be too unusual, right? Just another day in his life?
The other woman ran to Angelique’s side.
He wanted to be with her, but he had a large, pissed-off black panther staring him down.
Something finally caught Kira’s attention. She cocked her head then glanced back at Angelique. The big cat made a sound he had never heard before. One of surprise and pain. She headed back to Angelique and lay at her side sniffing and nuzzling her.
He couldn’t believe the condition she was in. Her back looked horrible, bloody as if Kira had ripped through her skin to get out. She wasn’t going to work tomorrow. That was certain.
“Who are you?” he asked the strange woman. Maybe she knew what was going on here.
“I’m Ravenna. I…” She shook her head, not finishing her sentence. “How long have you known Angelique? Did you know about her gifts before today?”
He nodded suspicion spiking through his veins. How did this woman know about her power? What was she even doing here? Angelique hadn’t mentioned her before. She was secretive about her gifts.
Maybe Ravenna didn’t want to open up because she thought he’d tell someone. Like Monica did by telling the druid who was now after them both. Part of him had wanted to kill his ex-lover, but he’d done what he felt was right.
By letting her live, she was exiled to a remote area of Alaska where she didn’t have the luxuries she had here. No high-end malls. No familiar comforts. He shook his head, unsure if that would remain the case for long.
“I’ve known Angelique for a few years. Yes, I knew about her gifts. I’ve known of them since before we knew the druid was after her.” He wouldn’t share his abilities either. Not yet, at least. He didn’t know her as well as Angelique did, but then again, how much did she know about this woman?
Damn it. He hated being in this position. Hated she was keeping secrets from him when he’d been open with her.
“How do you know, Angelique?” He couldn’t see why Kira would’ve reacted that badly if this woman and Angelique were friends. He’d never seen her around, so he couldn’t be sure whether this woman was a friend or foe. Who’s to say she didn’t work for Mahon? He doubted it from what he’d seen, but he couldn’t be too sure. Can never be too careful.
He knelt by her on the same side as Ravenna. Kira didn’t look to be much of a threat right now. She appeared more worried than aggressive. He felt for them.
Looking down at her bloody, battered body, there was nothing he could do for her. He’d have to contact the Pack’s doctor. After the meeting with Lowell, he doubted Dr. Easton would let this slip from Lowell’s notice. Part of him wasn’t sure he should either. He needed the Pack’s help to keep her safe.
He pulled out his phone, and Ravenna frowned at him. “What are you doing? Who are you calling?”
“I know a doctor, and she needs medical attention.” He punched in the numbers he’d memorized by heart and held his thumb over the send call button.
“Wait, a doctor? I don’t know about that. She’s—”
“She’ll be fine. He’s trustworthy.” And knew more about assisting the supernatural than almost anyone else. Dr. Easton was the only person Connor trusted to look over her. That was saying a lot, especially since they were both werewolves with hidden secrets.
“But, you don’t understand.” Ravenna vehemently shook her head. “She can’t go to a doctor. She’s…w-we’re different.”
“You’re like her?” He had guessed as much, but to hear her confirm it helped ease a little stress. If this woman was the same as Angelique then she had her own neck to look after, instead of luring her into the druid’s arms. But if that were the case, then what the heck had happened? And what was she doing here? Why hadn’t he known about this?
He had so many questions. Perhaps once the doctor got here, and he knew she was being taken care of, he’d get his answers.
“Yes, I am.” She sighed and slumped back on her heels. “I’m here to help her, but she hasn’t been as receptive as I’d imagined. She’s always busy and hasn’t given me a chance.”
He didn’t want any more questions right now, not when he needed to keep his own beast under control. If it hadn’t been for Angel, he would’ve lost it. But knowing that harming Kira would’ve hurt her kept him in check. That happened before, and he’d tried to avoid hurting her this time.
Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly.
“Help with what?”
“With what?” Ravenna frowned. “With t-the man who is after her.”
“The druid?”
She nodded. “So you know what he is?”
“Yes, I’ve experienced their magic before, and—”
“Wait! You…you saved her. You’re the shape changer.” She scooted away from him until her back hit the couch.
He nodded, suddenly uneasy with where this was going. “I need to call the doctor, but we need to talk as soon as I’m done.” While he typically wasn’t uneasy with nakedness, he’d rather have her dressed right now. This whole situation made his skin crawl. He tossed her shirt her way.
She caught the shirt and stared at it. “I thought—”
“I’m not bothered by your breasts, but you should be dressed when the doctor gets here.” He’d leave out the fact the doctor was a werewolf as well. Shape changer? Her accent? He’d detected a hint of an accent with Angelique too, but he’d dig up more information about them. If he had any chance of protecting them, he had to know what was going on.
Dr. Easton answered the phone on the third ring. “Ah, hello, Connor. Is something wrong?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“I don’t detect pain in your voice. I’ll wager a guess that your girlfriend is injured.”
He squeezed his hand into a fist. “Yes, she is. You’re the only one I trust with her.”
“I’ll grab my bag and be right over. I’m sure you know that I’ll need to mention this to our Alpha. I heard about the meeting yesterday. You need to stop trying to live out a fantasy, son.” Dr. Easton didn’t sound thrilled, but then again, Connor wasn’t ecstatic with the fact he’d been put in this situation, so that made the two of them.
What he really didn’t need was a lecture. “I know. If you want to call him, sure. There’s company here.” He restrained from looking at Ravenna. If she was trying to listen in on his conversation, he didn’t want to know. Although, he figured she would be.
