Therian Prisoner

by Cyndi Friberg

  Without looking at her, Kyle asked, “Did he hurt you?”

  “Of course not.” She tried to move to Ian’s side, but he blocked her path. “It’s insulting that you would even ask.”

  “Did he define you or just…sleep with you?”

  Before Devon could object, Erin grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the advancing men. “When they get like this, it’s better to just let it happen.”

  “But—”

  Ian let out an enraged cry as his wings unfurled with a sharp snap, but they were different this time. Rather than dark brown feathers, black leather stretched over the flexible skeleton and lethal looking spikes protruded from each joint as well as the tips. These wings weren’t meant for flight, they were designed for battle.

  A low rumble drew her attention to Kyle’s face and she gasped. His features had partially shifted, creating a shocking combination of human and cougar. He looked fierce and deadly, and enraged. She’d never seen her brother like this before. Partial shifts required a level of control she hadn’t realized Kyle possessed.

  “Bonding with an Omni Prime has its advantages,” her mother whispered.

  Kyle lunged and swiped at Ian’s face. Ian twisted, barely avoiding Kyle’s sharp claw. Before Kyle could swing his other arm, Ian slapped him back with the flat section of one wing. Kyle flew like a toy, colliding with the wall hard enough to dent the drywall.

  “We’re just going to let them tear each other apart?” Devon tugged against her mother’s restraining hands.

  “It’s worse if we let it fester.” Erin’s hold was firm, her tone emphatic. “Think about Ian and Quinn. That went on for years.”

  Something dark and elemental stirred within Devon as she watched the fight progress. She’d never had anyone who cared enough about her to fight for her before. Defending her hadn’t been Kyle’s role while their father was alive and her father had always had more important things on his mind.

  Kyle retracted his claws and fisted his hand. With practiced precision, he landed a punch on Ian’s jaw. Ian responded with a sharp uppercut that jerked Kyle’s head to the side. Blood escaped the corner of Kyle’s mouth as he lunged for Ian. Another feline growl echoed in the room as Kyle drove Ian to the floor.

  Ian wrapped his wings around Kyle, drawing their bodies so tightly together that Kyle could no longer swing his arms. They rolled across the hardwood floor, jarring the coffee table before reversing direction and lodging against the entertainment center. Kyle struggled wildly within Ian’s hold, but Ian seemed content to contain the aggression.

  “Calm down and I’ll let you up.” Ian allowed his wings to dissolve, revealing their exact position. Ian straddled Kyle’s legs and pinned his shoulders to the floor. Kyle’s hands were trapped beneath Ian’s knees.

  “Fuck you,” Kyle snapped.

  “But isn’t that why you’re so pissed off?” Ian had the audacity to laugh.

  “This isn’t funny, old man! You know damn well she’s been in love with you since she was a kid.”

  “Ever think there might be a reason she can’t shake the attraction?”

  Ian’s question made Erin look at Devon. “Is it true? Are you his mate?”

  Devon jerked her arm out of her mother’s grasp. She had yet to discuss the possibility with Ian. There was no way she was going to debate it with her family. “Let him up. This isn’t why we’re here.”

  Ian heaved himself off Kyle then extended his hand and helped the younger man to his feet. “My intentions toward your sister are honorable, Mr. Lashton. You have nothing to worry about.”

  The assurance was tinged with enough mockery to make Kyle glare again. “If you hurt her, I’ll find a way to kill you. I don’t care how powerful you are.”

  Ian grinned and looked at Devon. “That won’t be necessary.”

  “What’s going on with the search?” Devon asked, more than ready for a different subject.

  As Kyle calmed, his features returned to normal and the golden light in his eyes subsided. “We don’t know much more than Payne told Ian. It’s hard to track someone in midair.”

  “They left nothing behind on the window?” Ian sounded doubtful. “What about the room in which Carly was being kept? There should be residual energy or echoes of thoughts and emotions.”

  “That’s why you’re here. If we’re dealing with a raptor, you have the advantage over all of us.”

  Ian turned to Devon and kissed her lightly on the mouth. “I shouldn’t be long. Are you okay here or would you rather come with me?”

  “I’ll stay here.” She pushed to her toes and returned his kiss, feeling the need to stake her claim. “And don’t be distracted. I’m fine.”

  He nodded then motioned for Kyle to lead the way.

  Erin waited until the men had disappeared down the stairwell leading to the tunnels before she spoke again. “I don’t know how to react to this.” She searched Devon’s gaze for a long time before she asked, “You didn’t do this because of Lokesh, did you?”

  “No.” She rubbed her forehead as she moved to the sofa and sat. “It wasn’t planned. It just sort of happened.”

  Her mother sat beside her and took her hand. “Nothing ‘just sort of happens’ with Ian. Who was the aggressor?”

  “I was.” She paused to make sure Erin accepted the statement before she went on. “Ian said Payne sensed a connection and it made Ian think about me differently than he’d allowed himself to think of me before.”

  Erin rubbed her hand over her eyes, her head gently shaking. “He’s been through so much, survived so much. And there is such darkness inside him. I wanted someone…less complicated for my baby girl.”

  Devon smiled. “I’ve always been attracted to complications. You shouldn’t be surprised.” She’d seen glimpses of Ian’s darkness, but he’d been nothing but gallant and caring with her. It was impossible to live as long as Ian had and not collect baggage. But as far as she could tell, Ian didn’t allow his past to control him.

  “Do you want him to define you or is this just a romance?”

  Devon didn’t miss the hopeful catch in her mother’s question. “Not yet and we’re not sure what this is.”

  Erin shook her head again, her expression drawing tighter. “Well, you can’t be defined by anyone until we know what those bastards injected you with.”

  “The formula had nothing to do with definition.” Even as the words passed her lips Devon knew it wasn’t true. When Carly realized Devon wasn’t defined, the doctor’s focus changed and so had the formula.

  “Are you certain? Do you know what was in the injection?”

  “Injections.” She looked away from her mother’s troubled gaze. It was hard to remain calm when every word she spoke compounded her mother’s pain. “I was injected six times and, judging from my body’s reaction, there were at least three different recipes.”

  “Were you given the same thing as Dhane?”

  Devon’s gaze snapped back to her mother’s. “Why? Is he all right?” She’d been so overwhelmed by her own recovery that she’d nearly forgotten about the young wolf-shifter.

  “We took him to the Garrans’ clinic this morning.”

  Dread dropped like a stone into the pit of Devon’s stomach. Paul Garran and his wife Lenore were both medical doctors. Their eldest son was a veterinarian and their two younger sons were research scientists. The Therian community relied on the family heavily and compensated them generously for their focus and dedication. Still, their time was extremely valuable, so only severe or unusual cases were taken to the Garrans’ clinic.

  “Wasn’t Landon able to find a female to…give Dhane what he needed?”

  “Dhane was saturated with enough energy to feed three full-grown men for a week and he mounted the she-wolf repeatedly. None of it helped. He’s stable—more or less. But he can’t release his shift. The Garrans are trying to figure out why.”

  “Is there anything I can do?” Dhane had saved her life. Neither of them ha
d any idea that a rescue party was on its way and still the young wolf-shifter had acted with bravery and honor.

  “They’d like to run tests as soon as possible, though the results would have been more meaningful if—”

  “If I hadn’t run off with Ian?”

  Rather than respond to the question, Erin asked, “May I call them and let them know you’ll be over within the hour?”

  The thought of having anyone poke and prod her left Devon feeling slightly nauseated, but it couldn’t be helped. Each successful assault began with dependable information and, unfortunately, the most dependable information available to the Therians was contained within Devon’s body.

  “Make it an hour and a half and you’ve got a deal. I need to say hi to the cats.”

  Erin finally relaxed and the sparkle returned to her eyes. “They missed you.”

  “I missed them too.” Erin founded the sanctuary, but her obligations to the rebel cause left the everyday operations to Devon. “What’s gone on since I’ve been away?”

  “Carmelita is definitely pregnant and Adonis is finally gaining weight.”

  “That’s wonderful.” Devon smiled. She’d optimistically named the male lion Adonis, hoping he’d eventually live up to the name. He’d been in such sorry shape when he’d arrived, no one expected him to survive.

  “We acquired a new tigress while you were gone. Look her over and let me know what you think. She’s eating well and seems to have adjusted to the new habitat, but she wants nothing to do with any of the other cats.”

  “That’s not unusual, especially if she was abused.”

  “I know, but there’s something about her that’s just…off.”

  Devon nodded, thrilled by the prospect of returning to her familiar routine. “I’ll take a look.” They lapsed into silence for a moment then Devon said, “Talking with Ian has given me a new perspective on some of your legends.”

  “He witnessed many of the events as they took place.” Erin smiled, clearly pleased by Devon’s interest. “That’s bound to make any story more interesting.”

  “I knew you believed the stories were true, but I never thought about them as anything but legends.” She returned her mother’s smile and felt a rush of happiness. Things had grown so strained during her father’s illness, she was ready to feel comfortable with her mother again. “Once things settle down and I’ve readjusted to—everything, I’d like to study the sacred journals, maybe take them a little more seriously this time.”

  Erin beamed. “The vault is always open to the future Historian.”

  The phrase made Devon fidget. She was too anxious right now to think about what that would mean. Her mother was so immersed in Therian tradition and lore that she often seemed to belong to a different place and time. Devon wasn’t ready to consider a similar fate. She needed to figure out her place in the present before she opened herself completely to the past.

  Erin gave Devon’s hand a squeeze. “I didn’t mean to scare you. There’s plenty of time to figure all this out.”

  “Maybe, but tonight is just about over.” Devon pushed to her feet and rolled her shoulders. She was ready for bed, not another unwanted errand. “Call the Garrans and see if they’re willing to wait for me. I’ll go find Ian.”

  * * * * *

  Ian closed his eyes and poured energy into his empathic receptors. Wind whipped the curtains and stirred the air, making the small bedroom feel cool and clean. Fear and confusion pulsed from the unmade bed. Unfortunately he could sense little else. He moved closer to the window and carefully pressed his fingertips against a jagged piece of the broken glass. The faintest echo of emotion reached his mind, complex and convoluted. He could see long, silvery hair flowing in the wind and a supple female body outlined by dark clothing.

  “It was definitely a woman,” he said without opening his eyes.

  “The guard who watched them fly away was sure as well,” Kyle told him.

  In other words, tell me something I don’t already know.

  Ian opened his eyes and studied the window. The wooden frame had split with the force of the female’s arrival and broken glass still littered the floor. The cats had left everything undisturbed, likely due to Payne’s urging. On one of the lower spikes, created by the broken glass, Ian spotted a smear of blood. He touched the dark red mark with his fingertip, careful not to wipe away the entire smear.

  Raising his hand to his mouth, he pressed his finger against his tongue. The drop was hardly enough to taste, but the faint signals he received were telling. He looked at Payne and said, “She’s not a raptor. This is something far more dangerous.”

  Tension accented the sharp angles in Payne’s features and made his golden eyes shimmer. “I know what you’re implying and it can’t be. I watched the life fade from her eyes. I was not mistaken.”

  Twice in Ian’s past he’d been confronted by enemies he’d believed dead, so he was not so easily convinced. Still, rather than arguing with his friend, he turned from the window and said, “We often wondered if she had reproduced. Perhaps we have our answer.”

  “Who are you talking about?” Kyle looked at Payne then back at Ian. “If this wasn’t a raptor, then what was she?”

  Before Ian could decide how much of what Payne had suffered needed to be shared, Payne began, “I encountered a female named Zophia in the old country. I thought she was a Therian raptor. She could manifest wings like Ian. But she was…something else. Something truly evil.”

  “Zophia vowed to destroy you,” Ian reminded Payne. “There is no way she would have waited this long to lash out at you again.”

  “I agree, which brings us back to her daughter or another creature fathered by the same demon who spawned Zophia.”

  “Demon? You mean that in the literal sense?” Kyle sounded as skeptical as he looked.

  Ian laughed. “The Abolitionists consider us demons. Why do you sound surprised?”

  “I’m not surprised, just confused. What would a demon want with Carly Ides?”

  “That is the question,” Payne agreed. “Who, or what, took her is less important than why. If we can uncover a motivation, our chances of locating the doctor increase.”

  “The most obvious conclusion is that she’s working for the backers.” Ian motioned them out of the blustery room. “I’ve learned all I can here. Tell Holt he’s free to repair the damage.”

  “I’ll take care of it. Holt’s out searching with Landon.” Kyle closed the door so the wind didn’t cool the rest of the house. They descended the stairs and sat down around the kitchen table. “Even if she is working with the backers, how would she have learned the location of our safe house? There is nothing tying this property to the rebels.”

  “Maybe not, but Holt is Therian,” Ian pointed out. “That might have been enough of a clue for her to check it out.”

  “And if she approached from the air, who knows how many windows she looked in before she found what she was looking for.” Payne was starting to sound bored which likely meant his mind had drifted on ahead. They were both men of action. Analyzing possibilities and conjecture were better left to those with calmer dispositions.

  “Has Osric been found?” The prospect of interrogating the traitor filled Ian with dark purpose. There was nothing he hated more than anyone amoral enough to betray his own people. “The backers might have gained information about us from the useless bastard, but we could learn about them from him as well.”

  Kyle shrugged. “What could he tell us that we haven’t already learned from Carly? She was remarkably helpful.”

  “Which means you should trust a small fraction of what she told you,” Ian persisted.

  “I’m not a fool, Ian. We knew there was a motive behind everything she revealed, but one of her ‘useless’ revelations led you and Payne to Devon.”

  After a tense pause, Ian asked, “Is what Devon told me true?” He’d seen too many people destroyed by rumors and gossip. The fastest way to defuse such situations was t
o go right to the source. “Did you accept a contract from Lokesh?”

  “I didn’t accept anything.” Frustration and pain made Kyle’s tone brittle. This was obviously not the first time he’d defended his actions. “Lokesh approached me with a proposition. I presented the offer to Devon and she flipped out. There was no way I could have known she’d be kidnapped as a result of the fight.”

  “We were ready to go to war when Osric started brokering similar ‘propositions’. Why was Devon’s future less important than—”

  “Oh for gods’ sake!” Kyle stood so fast his chair toppled over. “I screwed up! All right? How many times do I have to say it? An alliance with Lokesh would have strengthened the rebel position within my network. Devon wasn’t the only one who’d just lost their father. I was overwhelmed and I saw the advantages of taking the easy way out. Unlike Osric, I would not have forced anything on anyone.”

  The basement door swung open, preempting their conversation. Devon stepped into view, a hesitant smile curving her lips. “Any luck?” She shifted her gaze between Ian and Payne, but Kyle might as well have been invisible.

  “Nothing substantial,” Ian admitted. “The intruder entered and exited through a broken window upstairs, basically a clean getaway.”

  Rather than join them at the table, Devon loitered near the basement door. It was obvious she didn’t want to spend a lot of time in the same room as her brother. “I’m still not clear on why we need to find her. If she gave you useful information, great. But Carly Ides is a chameleon. She’ll become whatever the situation requires and the situation just changed considerably. What loyalty she pretended to have for us is long gone now.”

  “Why would the backers go to the trouble of rescuing someone they couldn’t trust?” Kyle argued. “I think you’re underestimating her importance.”

  “Unless this was damage control. They could have snatched her to stem the flow of information.” Payne’s gaze hadn’t budged from Devon since she entered the room. Her hair was windblown and faint purple smudges beneath her eyes revealed her fatigue. She certainly wasn’t at her best, so what the hell did he find so fascinating?