A Jaguars Touch

by Lacey Thorn

  “Guess we better head out then,” she said, grabbing an apple from the bowl on the table. “Let me switch my coffee to a travel mug. You want?” she asked, turning to give him a brief look, coffee pot in hand. At his nod, she reached over and took another mug. “Let’s get going.”

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah, why?”

  “You keep rolling your shoulder then dropping your head to rub against it,” Finn said.

  Vic froze. She hadn’t realized she was even doing that. The scratch. The one she’d teased Gideon about making with his teeth. She’d played it off as a joke, but she remembered when he’d scraped her. For a moment, she’d thought he was going to bite her, had anticipated it. Not a mate, she reminded herself.

  “Scratched myself,” she said. “Just stings a bit. It’ll be fine.”

  It didn’t sting, though. It ached. She’d have to remember to use the mirror to check it out when she had a chance later. Most likely, it would be fine by the time she and Finn made it back, and she’d forget all about it.

  “Okay, let me tell Murphy we’re heading out,” Finn said. “He’s going through supplies downstairs, sorting what needs to be placed where. Be easier to pack that way.”

  “So what’s up with Lydia?” Vic asked him. “I saw Clara and Amia down in the labs with Diane this morning.”

  “She stopped breathing for a few seconds last night. Thought she was gone for sure, but she inhaled and came right back. Weak as hell, though. It definitely won’t be long,” Finn said. “Clara’s convinced Lydia keeps trying to say something but can’t. They were going to see if Diane or the Professor knew of something they could give her to help. I’m really not sure they have time for that.”

  “How long do you think she has?” Vic asked.

  “Hours,” he answered. “Maybe.”

  “Damn,” Vic muttered. “I don’t know the woman, but I feel sorry for Clara and Amia. Hell, Amia already thought her mother was dead. Then to discover Lydia was alive and hated her own daughter. And now knowing Lydia has been drugged the whole time and manipulated into that hate. Jesus! That’s more than anyone should have to deal with. Now Amia’s losing her mother all over again without ever getting a chance to talk to Lydia. I can’t even imagine that.”

  “Yeah,” Finn agreed. “Reno said she’s having a pretty hard time.”

  “And Clara, too,” Vic added. “Lydia was the only mother she really knew. God, this sucks.”

  “Maybe it’s good Lydia’s passing here, and we’re moving on,” Finn said quietly. “Easier to move on when you aren’t surrounded by memories.”

  Vic nodded her agreement. “Not to mention Amia and Clara weren’t exactly greeted with open arms and friendliness when they arrived.”

  Finn blanched and looked away, and Vic almost bit her tongue. She knew he still felt a huge weight of guilt over how he’d treated Amia when she’d arrived. He and Murphy had taken her downstairs to the storage facility and looked her in a room. Of course, Finn had overheard Amia say she was going to kill them all. And none of them had known her then or realized she meant the Blane Hunters would come after her and find all of them.

  “Finn,” she said, touching his shoulder. “Amia and Reno both forgave you. You need to stop feeling guilty.”

  “I wanted to protect us,” he said. “I didn’t know she was Reno’s mate. Didn’t have a clue what she’d been through. God, to know I brought the terror of being buried alive back to her…” He shook his head.

  “Stop,” Vic said, thinking there were a lot of people who needed a fresh start away from this place. “Go talk to Murphy. I’ll meet you out there.”

  “Yeah,” he agreed and walked away.

  She found herself thinking Finn needed a good woman in his life, one who would help him heal the scars he’d buried deep inside. She hadn’t realized he was lonely until he’d said something to her. But she saw it, now. He laughed and joked, but he didn’t share any more of himself then that. What secrets did he hold inside himself? She imagined it would take a hell of a woman to mate Finn, and she was looking forward to him finding her.

  She walked outside and headed toward the cabin, and her mind flooded with memories of her and Gideon. She was another one who would need to get away from the visual reminders of what she’d had but not been able to keep. The cabin, the house, hell even the woods held vivid memories of her and Gideon. Still, somehow she doubted moving would ease the ache when he was gone. The man had spiked her emotions from the moment he’d arrived and kept them that way. She had no doubt her life would never be the same.

  Gideon listened to the women talking about Lydia. She wasn’t doing well at all. He busied himself, taking a blood sample from his arm then setting up the tests he wanted to run on it. He’d had to force himself away from Vic this morning. His beast was pressing hard, demanding things he couldn’t give in to. What really worried him, though, was the burn he felt inside. If his results showed what he feared, that the feral fever was increasing, then he would need to leave soon. He couldn’t risk being around Vic. He’d end up trying to claim her as his mate, and she deserved better than to be stuck with him.

  You killed people, Gideon. Our people. Shifters. You tore their throats out and watched them die. No one is going to care that you didn’t have a choice. All they’re going to know is their father or brother or son was captured, and you’re the one who killed them. Not the hunters. You. You’re a murderer.

  Thomas’s words still haunted him. Michael had disagreed, but he’d let it go at Gideon’s request. And now they were both gone, and Gideon was alone with his demons.

  “What do you think, Gideon?”

  Clara’s voice penetrated the haze around him, and he blinked several times before the images of blood and gore left and he could focus on her.

  “About what?” he finally asked.

  “Lydia,” she said, looking exasperated.

  “I think she’s lasted a lot longer than I would have thought possible,” he admitted. “She’s obviously a woman of immense strength. I’m sorry I didn’t bother to notice it before.”

  “You hated her, didn’t you?” Amia asked.

  He looked at her, searching her eyes for a hint of what she felt for the woman who’d given her life then left her in hell, while Lydia had escaped. Michael had died that night. Gideon still found it hard to believe a man like Michael had been killed by Blanes. Michael had been an expert at evading. If he’d been caught, it was because he’d wanted to be. What had he been after?

  “I felt nothing for her,” Gideon finally answered, which was the truth.

  Lydia hadn’t meant enough to him for him to have any emotion toward her.

  “Some days, I wish I felt nothing,” Amia admitted then tilted her head, staring at him in a new way.

  “Are you feeling okay?” she asked.

  “I’m fine,” he answered. “Why?” He knew she had the ability to see the glow of the animal inside a shifter. It was a hunter talent her father had wanted to use to breed into the next generation. Instead, she’d escaped and mated Reno.

  “Your color just seems off a bit,” she finally said.

  Diane turned immediately. “Is that why you took more blood? Is the fever growing?”

  He hadn’t realized she’d seen what he was doing earlier. She was more aware than he’d given her credit for.

  “I assure you my jaguar is fine. Probably just in need of a really good run. I don’t usually go so long without letting him out,” Gideon said. “Now what were you asking me about Lydia?”

  “Do you think there’s anything we can do for her?” Clara asked.

  So many poor decisions had been made, and Clara had suffered a loss from most of them. Her mother because they hadn’t known what to do to help her human body deal with a shifter pregnancy. Then Thomas’s wife because the three of them had been out playing their cat and mouse games. Then Michael was gone. Now, she was going to lose another person she loved. What would she do if t
hey found out Thomas was dead?

  “I can’t save her,” Gideon finally said. “It’s too late for that. I can take a look at what you have available here and see what I can do to help ease her. I might be able to temporarily counteract what was given to her, but there are high risks with that,” he warned.

  “Like what?” Diane asked.

  “She might appear like her old self for a very short amount of time, and I have no way of telling you how long. More than likely, it won’t last more than minutes. She’s human.”

  “What will happen after that?” Amia asked.

  “Her body will start reacting to what I’ve given her. She might begin seizing. It depends on the damage that already exists inside her. She might just stop, with no other sign of her passing. I don’t know. But she will die. There will be no waiting to see if she makes it through the night. You both need to be prepared for that.”

  Clara and Amia looked at each other. He figured they would need some time to discuss it and clear it with Tah. Gideon knew Lydia had been lost in a fever and deliria since her first few days here. Clara had filled him in on how Lydia had come to kill Amia and brought Dillon with her. Gideon firmly believed Dillon had been the one in charge.

  “Do it,” Amia said.

  “You don’t have to decide right now,” Gideon said.

  “She dies slow, or she dies quick,” Amia said. “Either way, she dies. I choose to think she’d want the quicker method. And if it gives her a moment to speak her mind then all the better.”

  Clara took Amia’s hand in hers and squeezed it. Gideon watched Amia squeeze back. It was then he realized Clara was going to be okay. Whatever happened to her Uncle Thomas, she had her mate and her friends. They would be there to help her.

  “I’ll need a little time to see what I have available and get it ready,” he said.

  “I’ll help,” Diane offered, and he nodded.

  He knew she would spend the time asking him questions, seeking to learn as much as she could before she left. He didn’t blame her. Honestly, he was already planning to send her some journals he had hidden. There were pages and pages of data from tests he and Thomas had run. He’d wondered what to do with them. Diane would be the perfect person.

  “How long will it take?” Amia asked.

  “I’ll have it ready within the hour,” he said.

  “We’ll meet you down here,” Clara said. “We’ll head up and let Tah know what we’re doing. Find Reno and Logan.”

  “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Gideon asked again.

  “She wouldn’t survive the trip to Oklahoma,” Amia said, sharing a look with Clara. “We knew that.”

  “It’s better this way,” Clara agreed. “I think she’s suffered enough.”

  Gideon nodded. “I’ll get started.”

  He turned and began rummaging through stuff. He wasn’t surprised when Diane found exactly what he needed and set it out.

  “You knew?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “I suspected. I also suspected her body wouldn’t be able to handle it. To be honest, I was hoping some of the stuff the Professor has been working on would pan out and we’d be able to save her.”

  “Which one?” Gideon asked. He presumed she already knew he’d checked into all the tests being run by the other man.

  “He’s been testing shifter blood, hoping to create a booster for the humans among us. Something that would increase their ability to heal. It would come in handy.”

  “There aren’t really that many humans among you,” he said.

  “Holt,” Diane said. “And Vic.”

  At the mention of his hellcat, his whole body tightened. His beast stretched again, and he felt the prickle of need strike low in his belly. He’d had to force himself to finally let her sleep last night. Every time he’d had her, he’d only ended up wanting her more. He should be sated. He should be ready to walk away. Instead, he wanted to take her again and never let her go.

  “Are you okay?” Diane asked.

  “Yes,” he mumbled. “Why?”

  “You’re growling,” she answered.

  He paused, barely containing a snarl. He was losing control. He’d help them with Lydia—he figured he owed her that much for not realizing what was happening right under his nose. Then he’d head back to the lab to check the results of the tests he was running. Something was going on with him. He’d been certain Vic wasn’t his mate. She’d stated the same. But what if they were both wrong? What if the fates had decided to screw with him and let him find his mate just before he went on what could turn into a suicide mission? His beast was adamant she was, and Gideon couldn’t keep telling himself it was just the feral fever talking.

  His beast rubbed along his skin, and even he heard the growl he made this time. He didn’t know what he should do. Find Vic or stay the hell away from her.

  Chapter Nine

  Gideon had planned to give the shot and leave, but it hadn’t worked out that way. Instead, Reno had arrived, carrying Lydia to the labs. With him were Amia, Clara and Logan, Tah and Abby. It didn’t surprise him that the three men and their mates were all present. The bond they all shared was easy to see.

  The Professor walked out and took Regan from her mother’s arms, kissing Abby on the cheek before moving back toward his office. Gideon agreed. The baby didn’t need to be around what was about to happen.

  “We’re ready when you all are,” Diane said, and Gideon appreciated it. This would be much easier for them if Diane were the one doing most of the talking. She was a trusted friend and would know what to say to help them through this.

  “Gideon,” Tah said with a nod as Reno stepped to his mate’s side to the right of where Lydia lay.

  Logan and Clara stood together on the left. Tah and Abby at the foot.

  He and Diane walked over to join them, and he got his first really good look at Lydia Blane. She was a shell of her former self. Her cheeks were hollowed, her skin hanging on her frame. Still, the worst was the way her eyes didn’t focus, as if she were lost somewhere inside herself. Why had Dillon done this to her? And how had Gideon and Thomas failed to see it happening?

  “I’m going to ask again if you’re all absolutely certain about this,” Gideon said. “The only thing I can guarantee is she won’t leave this room alive once I inject her.”

  “Clara?” Amia said.

  Gideon could see both women’s eyes were swollen and red. They’d been crying. Clara stepped close to the bed and took one of Lydia’s hands in hers. Amia moved closer, as well, her mate at her back, but she didn’t take a hand. She just stood, watching with her arms wrapped around herself.

  “Give her the shot,” Clara said.

  With Diane’s help, he opened Lydia’s shirt and plunged the needle into her heart, forcing the viscous liquid into her. When he was done, Gideon stepped back, disposing of the needle while everyone watched and waited. Nothing happened at first, but he’d expected that. He’d erred on the side of caution when mixing what he needed. The pure adrenaline cocktail he’d mixed in would get her going, but it would also be what caused her death. Essentially, he was shocking her system into working then keeping it revved until her heart gave out from the virus eating away at her.

  Her arm jerked first, flying out toward Amia, who quickly stepped back. Clara held tightly to Lydia’s other hand. Her back arched off the table she was on, and she gasped loudly as if sucking oxygen into starved lungs. She blinked and frantically looked around before finally focusing on Clara.

  “Clara,” she said, but her voice was weak.

  “I’m here,” Clara said, leaning closer. “I’m right here.”

  “Missed you,” Lydia said. “Love you.”

  “I love you, too,” Clara said, tears falling down her cheeks.

  “So sorry,” Lydia continued. “Hurt. Many. Daughter.”

  “Amia?” Clara said. “Are you talking about Amia?”

  “Love her,” Lydia said. “Sorry. Left.”


  “I’m here,” Amia finally spoke from the other side, and Lydia whipped her head over. Her eyes widened and tears leaked out.

  “Amia,” she croaked, reaching with her hand until Amia took it in hers. “Forgive?”

  Amia nodded. “You did what you had to. I know that, now.”

  “Always. Back,” Lydia said and her chest rose and fell rapidly. “You. Safe?”

  “I’m safe,” Amia said. “I’m safe, now.”

  Lydia nodded her head, which trembled on her shoulders. Her gaze rolled everywhere as if searching the room for someone else.

  “She’s going to seize,” Gideon said, stepping forward in case he needed to help keep Lydia from rolling off.

  Her gaze flew up to his. “Thomas. Thomas. Thomas.”

  “What about Thomas?” Gideon asked.

  “Dillon. He.”

  Gideon could see the frustration in her eyes at not being able to say what she wanted to.

  “What did Dillon do? Did he hurt Thomas?” Gideon asked.

  Frustration shown on Lydia’s face as she tried to say something. “Be…tray…ed.”

  She started shaking then, her eyes rolling back in her head.

  “Mom,” Amia called.

  “Lydia,” Clara said at the same time.

  One moment Lydia was in motion, the next she went utterly still. Gideon knew she was gone. Amia and Clara both began sobbing as their mates stepped up to offer comfort. Even Abby and Diane wiped tears from their eyes.

  Abby looked toward him. “How did Dillon betray Thomas? Do you have any idea what she was talking about?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not sure,” he admitted, which was the truth. He did have his suspicions, though. He turned to Tah. “I’d like to talk to him before you leave.”

  Tah nodded. “I can’t guarantee he’ll tell you anything. He’s refused to talk to me, Clara or Murphy. Dillon’s remained tight-lipped no matter what Murphy does.”

  Gideon was willing to bet Murphy hadn’t tried the methods Gideon planned to. But he wouldn’t say anything. He’d figured out earlier when he’d been invited to the council meeting that Tah wanted Dillon kept alive. Gideon knew if he had the opportunity, he would kill the shifter. It would be one of the few times he didn’t feel guilty at the thought of taking a life.