Tiger Betrayed

by Tressie Lockwood

  “Yes, we confirmed they were Spiderweb operatives.”

  “When will it end?”

  He started to answer, but an odd sensation came over Deja. Her throat tightened, and she gaped at Joe. The answering shock in his expression told her he felt it too. They were being called, and the one tugging at them was not Ward.

  “It’s…” she began.

  Joe, always so calm and collected, frowned in disgust. The rage in his gaze burned bright, and from the set of his shoulders, she knew he resisted. She stood up and took a step toward the door.

  “Stay, Deja,” he snapped.

  “I can’t resist. Does this mean he beat Ward?” The thought didn’t bear considering, but the evidence was there. No way would anybody be able to call her this way unless he were her alpha or her mate. When had the fight taken place? She’d been at Coreen’s bedside all morning after sending Ward home to get some rest. Since Coreen had been admitted, Ward hadn’t left the hospital.

  She reached out to grab the chair where she’d been sitting, but her fingers somehow couldn’t get a good grip. Her stomach turned as if it would toss up the breakfast she’d had with the girls earlier. The pull increased, and her cell phone rang. Constant texts popped up, friends in Siberia panicking and asking where Heath was. She still hadn’t heard, and with everything going on, she’d neglected to get a straight answer from Joe or any of the others. Is he…could he be… No, impossible.

  Head pain shattered her train of thought, and then she thought of the girls. Could this pull affect them? “I have to go now, Joe! You can take me or I will walk. I have to pick up the girls.”

  A muscle twitched in Joe’s jaw, and his eyes still darker than usual, he stood up and followed her to the door. They rode back to Siberia in silence, Deja with her hands balled in her lap. She considered the crazy decision Ward had made not long ago where he’d ordered the deaths of all humans who knew of their existence. She’d stood up to him and refused to accept it. Heath had supported her until they could convince Ward to change his mind. Even then, she heard some who had agreed with the decision. Would it all start again? Most of the humans were ordered to leave Siberia. Some remained, including Sylvia and Coreen.

  Unlike a couple days ago, when they entered Siberia, peace reigned over the town, a deceptive peace because she sensed the unrest. Fear and uncertainty permeated the air. While they saw no one walking along the street, she figured they had all answered the call. They weren’t far.

  Joe headed toward city hall and the gathering room next door to it that didn’t quite hold everyone. The crowd straining toward the entrance took her breath away. Her cell phone rang, and she answered.

  “Sylvia, do you have the girls? Are they okay?”

  “They’re fine, but they’re a bit whiny. At first they were happy to watch their movies, but now they keep walking toward the door.”

  Deja shut her eyes, blinking away moisture. “I’m coming for them. Thanks for watching them on your day off. They’re feeling the call.”

  “Call?”

  “I’ll explain when I get there.”

  Sylvia ended up coming with her to the meeting, and Deja made her way toward the front of the hall. The fact that most people stepped aside so she could get through surprised her, but even suspecting what she would find, the sight robbed her of speech.

  Karl Jennings stood at the front of the room, fists on his hips and surveying the crowd as if he were some god who’d graced them with his presence. On either side of him, guards stood at attention, including Ted and Scott. To Scott’s credit, he didn’t appear happy. Deja looked around, and her heart constricted seeing Ward off to the side, wounded and bloody. Sylvia cursed and handed Maia, whom she’d been holding, to Deja.

  “Sorry about that,” she corrected herself. “I don’t know why no one called me. He should be treated.” She pushed her way through the rest of the crowd toward Ward, and Deja made slower progress with both her children.

  Karl spotted her and frowned. “Deja, come here.”

  With his command came his power, which forced her to obey. A path opened, and he propelled her to kneel before him although she fought it with all her strength.

  Karl crouched beside her. “Why are you fighting your alpha?”

  She tried lifting her head but didn’t find the strength. At least the bastard wasn’t bothering with the girls. “You’re not my alpha.”

  “That’s treason, little girl. I could have you killed right here.”

  “Treason?” She made of sound of disgust. “Who do you think you are?”

  “I think my power just said who I am. Now, things are about to change around here for the better, starting with you.”

  He eased off to let her look up. Something told her he wanted to see the disbelief and horror in her eyes at his next words. “What are you talking about?”

  “Tina’s challenge. You’re having that fight today, right now, right here.”

  “But…but…Ward…” She clenched her jaw. “Heath isn’t here.”

  He shrugged. “What does that matter? The two involved in the challenge are. You cannot deny her right to fight you for your position. If you even try, you will be put to death, and she will still be mother to your children and wife to your husband.”

  He stood up.

  “I saw you,” she blurted.

  He locked gazes with her. “Saw me?”

  She licked her lips and swallowed then stood. “Do you want to have this conversation here?”

  Karl snapped his fingers, and one of the men anticipated what he wanted. A door leading from the meeting hall to the office in the main building was opened. Karl led the way through and down the hall to what had been Ward’s office. His scent and style dominated the room, and Karl curled his nostrils in distaste. “This will be changed soon. Now tell me what you think you know about me?”

  She took the time to sit her girls down on chairs and tugged a baggie of dry cereal from her purse for each of them. They sat quiet munching away. When she had gathered her courage, she straightened. Sure she could sass Ward, but he loved her. He loved all his people. Karl didn’t strike her as the kind of man who cared about anyone but himself, but if she didn’t at least try to get him to ease up, they might all be in trouble, living in a place that was no longer a safe haven but a hell without escape. The thought might be dramatic, but she didn’t think so.

  “I know you left Siberia,” she began. “I know you’re having an affair with—”

  Karl burst out laughing, cutting her off. “And you think that gives you some kind of edge over me? I’m the alpha, and you are, well, you’re nothing!”

  “Fuck you.”

  His eyes narrowed. He stepped closer to her, and to her shame, she retreated a step. “Tell me. Do you even know where your husband is?”

  She said nothing.

  “Does he know where you were when you spotted me?”

  Her mouth went dry. “W-what?”

  He chuckled again. “That’s right. Before you begin to try to blackmail me, get your own shit in order. Now if that’s all you have to say, this conversation is over. You will fight Tina, and the only time I’m giving you is the time it takes someone to go to your house and bring you appropriate clothing to wear. Let’s go.”

  She protested when he grabbed her arm. “Hold up. You’re not even going to let me go get my own stuff?”

  “You might disappear.”

  “Please. I’ve never backed down from a fight, and I’m not going to start now.”

  He eyed her in disbelief and continued to drag her down the hall. Maia and Neve stumbled along behind them, still munching cereal. At least the bastard hadn’t scared her children. She’d never forgive him if he did that.

  When they reached the main hall, everyone stood waiting. Karl released her, and gestured to Scott to watch her. Deja folded her arms and glanced around for Sylvia. Ward was nowhere in sight, and someone had mopped up the stain of blood he had left on the floor. A chill rac
ed down her back. Would the next spill be her own?

  “Listen up,” Karl shouted above the din, and the raised voices died down. “I’m sure all of you can feel it, those who were not present for my fight with Ward. I am your new alpha. What I say is the law. Got it? No one leaves Siberia for any reason without my say so.” He glanced at Deja when he said this. “I have several other changes I will institute over the next few days, but anyone found disobeying me will be punished severely. Do I make myself understood?”

  The hum that broke out over the room rose to a crescendo. Deja had been right in her assessment of Karl as alpha. Siberia had become hell.

  “What is this, a communist town now?” someone shouted, and others joined in with the complaints.

  “Who said that?” Karl growled, and when he stepped forward, the people in front of him dropped back. They moved aside, exposing a man who stood at least a foot taller than Karl. Several others almost as big stood beside him. From the first man’s bearing, she wondered if he thought he could take Karl. Eyes narrowed and lips tightened, he stood straight and glared into their new leader’s eyes.

  “I said it.” The man shouldered past a few bystanders. “We’re free citizens of the United States, or had you forgotten that?”

  “I see I’m going to have to prove myself,” Karl spat. No warning came before the bigger man found himself face down on the floor, having crashed there at full tilt. The blood spatter and his cry of pain told Deja he’d broken his nose, and many of the women sobbed. The men around the first one surged forward, some shouting that they had alpha blood and that they could challenge for leadership. Deja scooped up her girls and turned toward the door. Scott blocked her path.

  She cast her voice low, although if Karl wanted to hear, he could have. “You can move now, or I can knee your balls into your throat.”

  Scott’s eyes widened. “You know I don’t wish you any harm, Deja.”

  “I know.” She waited. He glanced past her toward Karl and then let her by. She worked her way through the crowd. Some people had shoved fists to their mouths, but their eyes were bugged in horror. A few of the women hid their faces in their mate’s chests. One or two dry heaved, bent in half and held their stomachs. A broken nose and blood was not new to any of them. The violence and disregard for his people, an attitude coming from their leader without real provocation was what freaked everyone out, including Deja.

  The fact that she made it to the street without Karl sending someone in pursuit surprised her, but she kept moving. Then again, he did have his hands full fighting to keep the position he basically stole.

  At the corner, a car drew up and blocked her path. She bent to look inside and sighed in relief to find Sylvia behind the wheel. She gestured for Deja to get in, and Deja didn’t hesitate.

  “I don’t have their seats.” She buckled the girls in the back anyway.

  “Don’t worry. We’re not going far.”

  Deja took the front. “I thought you were my getaway driver.” She meant to laugh, but her sense of humor couldn’t muster the ability.

  “Now I know what’s happening, would it do you any good to run?” Sylvia asked, and Deja’s spirits dropped lower. “We have to get through until Heath returns, but there’s something more pressing I want to tell you.”

  Deja moaned. “I can’t take anything else, Sylvia. Please.”

  “I’m sorry, but you’re going to want to hear this.”

  Chapter Six

  The clinic lay quiet with no one around, not even Sylvia’s technician. Unless Karl killed his opponents, Deja guessed they’d stop in shortly. On the other hand, the shame might drive them all into healing in private with nothing to ease the pain until it passed. She couldn’t blame them, but she hadn’t realized there were so many around who could challenge Ward. The man had been in his position for over thirty years and kept them together. From what she had heard, all that time no one stood up against him, even when they disagreed. I guess times change eventually, and we have to roll with it.

  Deja placed the girls on the spot of carpet where Sylvia had set up a play area, and she dropped into a chair. Sylvia opened a cabinet and pulled out a secret stash of vodka. She poured the two of them a glass.

  “Wow, doc, really?” Deja joked.

  Sylvia shrugged. “Sometimes you need it.”

  “I hear you.” Deja took a couple of swallows, and the fire of the alcohol burned its way down her throat. She welcomed the effect as her tension eased. “What did you have to tell me?”

  Instead of answering, Sylvia poured herself another drink and then sat down behind her desk. When she downed the liquid too quickly, a knot formed in Deja’s stomach. Whatever she had to share must be serious.

  “Is it the girls?” She peered over at her babies, and terror took hold. Wild thoughts rose in her mind, visions of the two of them lying prone and unmoving. The torture of it almost knocked her to the floor. “Tell me, please!”

  Sylvia sucked in a deep breath and blew it out. “Have you ever been told the sickle cell gene runs in your family?”

  Deja blinked. “Sickle cell? No. I don’t know. I was raised by my stepmother, so I didn’t have much family. I can’t give you the history, but growing up my doctors never mentioned it. You mean my babies have sickle cell anemia?”

  “No, but they have inherited the trait. In humans, a child does not inherit the disease unless both parents give them a mutated gene on chromosome eleven. Heath does not have the trait.”

  Deja breathed a sigh of relief. “Well that’s good news. You had me scared there for a moment, doc. Since you said both parents have to pass it on and Heath doesn’t have it, I’m good. Besides, we’re shifters. We heal from everything.”

  The worry etched in Sylvia’s eyes did not alter. “That’s true for humans, Deja.”

  “Huh?”

  “If you were all human, the girls would simply be carriers of the gene, and everything would be fine. However, everything changes when they turn for the first time.”

  Her mouth went dry. “What do you mean?”

  “Sickle cell anemia is a mutating disease. Chromosome eleven codes for the beta subunit of the hemoglobin protein. In other words, I am concerned that during their first change, the mutation will become active and—”

  Deja cried out and covered her mouth. She lowered it shaking to speak. “M-mutation, that’s basically what we all do. We mutate into something else. Our muscles, our blood, our bones… The gene could cause…”

  “Yes.”

  Her head spun, and her stomach roiled. She bent over and shut her eyes. Struggling to draw a breath, she forced her head up to look at her girls. They played quietly, such good girls, so sweet and gentle. Sylvia couldn’t say when they would have their first change. Some turned at puberty, some earlier. What about Maia and Neve? Today or tomorrow might be the day, and then something horrible. From the little Deja had heard of sickle cell, an affected person became starved of oxygen to their organs, which meant pain. The worst of it led to a reduced lifespan.

  Deja stood and left the office. She walked down the hall to the bathroom and shut herself in. Tears ran down her face, and she let them fall unchecked while she leaned against the wall. What were they going to do? She dug her phone from her pocket and dialed Heath. This time instead of ringing, his phone went straight to voicemail, but his deep tones in recording did not come on to tell her to leave a message. A lone beep sounded in her ear, and then the phone went dead. Maybe something had happened to him too, she thought morosely.

  “Deja, are you okay?” Sylvia called through the door.

  Deja sighed and came out. “No, I’m not.” She returned with the doctor to her office and sat down. “Girls.” Maia and Neve toddled over to her, and she lifted them onto her lap. A kiss and a nuzzle for each, she cradled them close, and they wrapped their little arms around her neck. Deja breathed in their baby scent, a mixture of powder and lotion and a hint of wildness that all shifters had, the thing that distinguishe
d them from humans.

  “What can we do?” she asked at last.

  Sylvia wrung her hands. “Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do. The trait may lie dormant all their lives as is the normal situation, or like I said, it could cause a mutation during their shift. We won’t know anything until that time, and there is no treatment for something that technically doesn’t exist yet.”

  Deja glared at her. “You’re telling me we have to sit on our hands helpless?”

  “I’m sorry, Deja. You know I love you and the girls, but… I wish I had an answer.”

  “Spiderweb made us all. They’d probably have an answer, probably came across this at some point and know what to do or what will happen.”

  Sylvia gaped at her. “You can’t mean to—”

  “Of course not! They would use my daughters as guinea pigs. I would die before I let them.” Deja clenched her hands into fists. “I’m just ranting. I’m at a loss. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine how defenseless it would feel having kids. I want to protect them, and I have never been stronger being what I am. Yet, none of it means a thing. I am as weak as a baby.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “You tell me how it isn’t?”

  They both looked at each other, Deja willing Sylvia to find words to bring her out of the despair fast overtaking her. She hadn’t considered running away from Siberia, but for the first time she did. Maybe they were more exposed in the pack. Alone, perhaps they could thrive. No, that made no sense. She put a hand to her head and shut her eyes. Maia squirmed on her lap and worked her way free. She stumbled in a circle around the room, arms wide, mouth open in total freedom. Neve watched her sister and then soon followed but at a slower pace, her baby legs less steady. Just six minutes apart and so different. What if… No, Deja, don’t even consider it.

  She was about to say she would take the girls home when the same pull she had experienced earlier came over her. The identical source of the call made it impossible to resist, and her shoulders slumped. “Karl is still alpha. None of the others were able to overcome him. He’s calling for me.”