Cry of the Pride

by Lacey Thorn

  Breakfast sounds great. Didn’t you eat last night?

  “I was with you,” he said as he pulled stuff out of the fridge. “Pancakes or French toast? Or both?”

  French toast and bacon.

  “Woman after my own heart,” he said with a purr and went to work preparing food for his mate. Silence settle for a bit while he concentrated on what he was doing, and Lyra seemed content to watch him. He liked the feel of her eyes on him.

  “Tell me—” Aleksy began but was interrupted when someone else joined them.

  “You didn’t tell me—oh, sorry. I thought you were Tony.” Nathan walked in, looking as if he’d just rolled out of bed. Aleksy glanced over at the other male, inhaled then turned back to the stove. He firmly told himself it was none of his business.

  “It’s good to see you, Lyra. You look good,” Nathan said, and Aleksy couldn’t contain the growl his beast gave at the other man complimenting his mate.

  “I mean…better than last time I saw you.”

  Aleksy growled again at the reminder of what Blane had done to her.

  “I mean…fit and strong.”

  Another growl.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Nathan bit off angrily. “Maybe, you should just tell me what I can and can’t say. Or is there some weird rule that I’m not allowed to speak to Lyra now that you two are mated?”

  Lyra laughed, and Aleksy turned to see the way it lit up her face. She looked more than good, more than fit and strong. She was the epitome of heaven on earth, of everything beautiful in the world wrapped into one individual.

  “You can…speak to me,” Lyra said slowly. Aleksy knew she was still testing her words, feeling the way they flowed across her lips. He figured she was also startled by the sound of her voice. He felt the surprise in her every time she spoke.

  “He’s just…growly,” Lyra said, and Aleksy growled again just to hear her laugh.

  “You can say that again,” Nathan said as he joined Lyra at the table. “I was coming to grab something to eat. Thought maybe this was where Tony disappeared to. I fell asleep while I was reading through some of the material he gave me. Woke up, and he was gone.”

  “I’m making plenty,” Aleksy offered, sensing the other male’s emotions and feeling a bit sorry for him. “Why don’t you grab some plates and utensils, and I’ll dish it up for us?”

  “I can help,” Lyra offered.

  Aleksy started to decline, but he felt her need to do something. “Why don’t you get drinks? There’s water, juice, milk and iced tea in the fridge. Or I can do coffee or hot tea.”

  Orange juice looks good.

  “Same for me,” Aleksy agreed.

  “Same what?” Nathan asked then glanced between them. “Are you two talking to each other without talking?”

  “Sorry,” Lyra said.

  “No, that’s cool. That must be a highly useful skill,” Nathan said. “Roomful of people and you can discuss every single one of them with no one the wiser.”

  Aleksy nodded. “It’s a mate thing. We’re both having orange juice.”

  “Make that three,” Nathan said.

  Lyra poured. Nathan set the table, and Aleksy finished cooking. He made a fourth plate for Tony and set it aside for when his friend wandered in hungry. Aleksy was sure there wouldn’t be any leftovers, so it was that or make Tony fend for himself.

  “This is amazing,” Nathan said as he bit into the French toast.

  “Mmm,” Lyra agreed around a mouthful.

  Aleksy smiled, pleased his mate enjoyed his cooking. French toast wasn’t much, but he took pride in her satisfaction. They were just finishing up when the lights flickered, and there was a soft pulsing sound. Aleksy immediately moved to his feet.

  “Let’s go,” he ordered.

  What’s going on? Lyra asked.

  “What’s going on?” Nathan asked at the same time.

  “Someone’s triggered the perimeter alarm. We have company. Follow me.” He took Lyra by the hand and tugged her after him, expecting Nathan to stay with them as Aleksy moved quickly through the main floor.

  He took them to the room he and Lyra had used earlier. The smell of their sex lingered in the air, and he did his best to ignore it as he pulled her toward the closet. He slid the back panel open and punched the required code into the box on the wall. A piece of the wall swung open, revealing a safe room inside. Humans often referred to them as panic rooms. Shifters called them safe rooms. It was a place they could place their families to ensure they stayed safe in the event of an attack. Every home Tony owned came with one built into it. Some of his houses had more than one. Tony took no chances.

  “I’m going to head out, find Tony and figure out who’s out there. You two are going to stay in the house and keep watch from the control room. If anything happens, the two of you head here. Before you argue, Nathan, I need someone I can trust to stay with my mate. And don’t you start, either, Lyra. You’re still healing.”

  Quickly!

  “I know, baby, and I don’t think you’re weak, so get that out of your head. A weak person wouldn’t have survived what you just went through.” He moved to her, cupping her shoulders and giving them a squeeze. “You blow me away with your strength, and my strength depends on you staying safe. If you go out there with me, all my attention will be on you, leaving us open to attack.”

  I don’t want to be the reason you get hurt…or worse.

  “And I don’t ever want to see you hurt the way you were.”

  “I get you two are having a moment, and that’s great. Trust me. I’m pro Aleksy and Lyra. But Tony’s out there somewhere, alone, and there are intruders. I’ll stick here with Lyra. We’re both smart and know that the best thing to do. She’s still healing, and I don’t know the layout here as well as you do. I’ll guard the house and your mate. You find Tony and make sure you both stay alive. You two can have your touching moment later. Sound good?” Nathan glanced back and forth between them. “Great. Let’s go.”

  Aleksy snorted. Nathan had balls. More importantly, Nathan was right. Tony was out there somewhere and they needed to get moving so Aleksy could find him.

  “Promise me you’ll protect her,” Aleksy demanded.

  “With my life,” Nathan swore.

  Aleksy heard the pledge in the other man’s voice. He’d never again question Nathan’s choice to join them. The man was willing to die for Aleksy’s mate. Nathan had made a friend for life.

  “Follow me. I’ll take you both to the control room. There are monitors with live feed from all the cameras Tony has installed around the property. It’ll give you a heads up if someone approaches the bunker.” Aleksy turned, grasping Lyra’s hand and moving quickly toward the main entrance.

  Chapter Twelve

  Lyra told herself not to be hurt by Aleksy feeling he had to protect her and ordering Nathan to protect her when her mate couldn’t be at her side. He wanted her to focus on healing and was afraid she’d be a distraction instead of a help. She had only herself to blame for his lack of faith in her ability to take care of herself. He didn’t know all the times she’d fought and won, even when she’d been wounded. He only knew the time she’d fought and lost, been taken, beaten, stabbed and left for dead. It would be up to her to prove that had been an anomaly and not the norm.

  She followed on his heels as he headed in the direction of the main door. He veered off, partway down the hall, stepping into a room with a wall of monitors showing the exterior of a building, probably the one they were in. Some seemed to show the immediate surroundings, including the doors and windows. Others seemed to show farther out locations, displaying varying angles of thick woods and foliage.

  Her gaze stopped on one of the monitors, and she moved forward. There were four men forming a loose circle around two women. Lyra stepped forward, her fingers going to the screen to touch the video of one of them. The man in the very front. He had hair the same shade as hers. Eyes as blue as her own. It was like seeing a male version of
herself. She knew without a doubt this was the man Blane had wanted to hurt, and she knew she couldn’t let that happen.

  As if the other man sensed her, his face turned fully toward the camera. His gaze seeming to lock with hers. His lips parted, and he said something to the others. A lifetime of lip reading came into play.

  “She’s here. I can feel her watching us. Be on guard.”

  She shook her head. Why would he tell them to be on guard against her? Why would he think she was a danger to him? To them?

  “I’ve been studying everything Tony gave me on the Oklahoma pride,” Nathan said, interrupting her thoughts. “Not sure how much you guys know about them, but I recognize all six on that screen. Want me to give you the rundown?”

  “Yes.” The word was a whisper from Lyra’s lips as she kept her gaze centered on the screen and the man she knew was her brother. He could be her mirror image, her masculine counterpart. He was taller, broader, but the shape of his face, the set of his eyes and nose… They were the same she saw every day when she glanced in the mirror.

  “Front and center is Reno Esponetti. He’s Utah Pearce’s second-in-command. He was a Marine with Pearce and several of the others. Spent eight years in the desert then left. He wandered with another member of their group for a bit then the two of them joined Pearce. They’ve been together ever since. He was taken by Blane’s men then rescued by the woman next to him. His mate. Amia Blane.”

  Lyra felt her heart stop. Her brother had mated a Blane! Were they here to finish what the other Blane had started? That didn’t make sense. Marcus Blane had spoken of making someone suffer, of taking back what was his. The woman?

  It clicked in her mind. “She’s his daughter.”

  “She is Marcus Blane’s daughter,” Nathan agreed while Aleksy growled at just the name Blane.

  “Blane wants her back. He plans to…use her…for breeding,” Lyra told them, repeating what she’d “heard” while she’d been captured. She reached out to rub Aleksy’s chest as she spoke, attempting to soothe the beast she knew was set on revenge. “She rescued my brother?”

  “Him and many others,” Nathan said. “She was captured repeatedly and tortured. Blane kept her alive though. Maybe, for the purpose you stated. She always escaped. She’s a very brave woman.”

  “Why would she come here? Why would her mate bring her here knowing that Blane might be in the vicinity? Knowing what he did to Lyra?” Aleksy demanded.

  “Tony said she’d been held captive by hunters, but I don’t think he went into detail on which hunters.” Nathan shook his head. “The conversation centered more on Lyra and how she’d connected with Tah.”

  “What the hell was Tony thinking?” Aleksy muttered.

  “He was thinking about your mate,” Nathan reminded them.

  “He…wants…her,” Lyra whispered then amended her thought as the two men directed glances of disbelief her way. “Blane…not Tony.”

  “We’ll protect her,” Aleksy promised, and Lyra knew he was picking up on her guilt.

  Lyra nodded in agreement. She couldn’t let Blane use her as the means to kill Reno and take his mate into the hell Blane had planned for her. Nathan was correct about the other woman’s bravery. Lyra saw the fighter in the way Amia stood, feet braced, weapon in hand. Her brother had chosen well.

  “The other woman is Victoria Dorsey. She goes by Vic. She was part of the group of Marines Pearce commanded. She joined the group when they were still in Colorado. Her mate is the male with long, black hair. His name is Gideon. No last name that I can find, which is unusual. The other two males are Calloway Meyer and Zane Ephraim. Zane was also a Marine.”

  Lyra felt something through her growing link with Aleksy.

  You know him? Zane Ephraim?

  He’s the nephew of the man who saved my life. We’re not on the friendliest of terms.

  Why?

  It’s long and complicated, and now isn’t the time to go into it. I promise I’ll tell you. Later. When we have more time. But our guests are heading this way.

  “What the fuck is Tony thinking?” Nathan fumed as they watched Tony step up to the group on the screen. “They better not fucking hurt him, or I’ll rip them apart.”

  Lyra lifted a brow at that. Was there more going on between Nathan and Tony then she’d realized? It was none of her business, but she couldn’t help but to be curious after Nathan’s outburst.

  “He’ll be fine, Nathan,” Aleksy said with a sigh. “I swear the man has more lives than a cat. Good thing since he tends to barrel in to trouble.”

  “Who’s the other guy?” Nathan asked as another man followed Tony.

  Lyra saw the tension between the group and Tony dissipate as Zane stepped forward to embrace the other man. She could see the resemblance between the two and instantly knew who the new person was. The man who’d saved Aleksy’s life. So many questions filled her head. Why couldn’t Orsai keep Aleksy? And why did his nephew feel such animosity toward her mate?

  “That’s Orsai Ephraim,” Aleksy answered Nathan. “I told you Tony would be fine. Looks like they’re heading this way.” He turned to Lyra. “You ready?”

  She nodded. She wasn’t sure what a person did to meet the brother they’d never knew they had.

  “Lyra.” Her name was a growl from Aleksy’s lips. “I won’t let you go with them. I can’t. Your safety means everything to me, but I’ll be the one to provide it for you. We will. Together. I won’t lose you now that I’ve found you.”

  She cupped his face. I’m not leaving you.

  He nodded, but there was a look in his eyes that let her know he was scared she might change her mind. She wondered how many people had left him to put such fear inside her mate. Then she thought of the man who’d saved him only to pass him off to others. Why? She swore she’d find out soon. Her long, lost brother wasn’t the only one she was curious to speak to.

  “They’re here,” Aleksy said, pulling her into the hallway beside him just as the front door opened.

  She felt Nathan behind them but couldn’t take her eyes from the door as people stepped in. Everyone paused, their eyes on her or Aleksy. Perhaps, the two of them together. Tony was talking, but she had no clue what he was saying. The last two people to step inside were the woman, Amia Blane, followed by Reno Esponetti. Lyra stared at her brother, trying to absorb everything she could about him in just one glance.

  He was bigger up close, though not as immense as her mate. She saw Amia tilt her head toward Reno then peek at Lyra. She was pretty. Reddish-blonde hair with big green eyes. Lyra could see how a man would fall for this Blane and wondered what opposition the two must have faced due to her parentage. Yet, it was easy to see the love between the two, in the way they stood together, the casual touches and heated looks they shared.

  Then Lyra’s gaze met Reno’s and held. His eyes narrowed as if he didn’t believe what he stared at. She took a step forward. Then another as Reno did the same. Silence cloaked them in a heavy veil that seemed to suck the oxygen out of the space around them. Neither of them stopped until they stood face-to-face. Both reached out at the same time. Him catching one of her curls between his fingers. Her touching his face to assure herself he was real.

  “Who are you?” he whispered, and Lyra felt both relief and disappointment.

  She wasn’t sure what she’d expected. Some glorious moment where he looked at her and just knew they were siblings? Instead, all she sensed from him was confusion and distrust. At least, he hadn’t always known who she was. It would hurt far more to discover she had a brother who hadn’t cared she’d been alone. Who’d never stepped forward to save her from the foster care system. Who’d left her to run and fight alone.

  “Reno Esponetti meet your sister, Lyra Esponetti,” Tony said, stepping forward.

  Reno shook his head. Lyra wasn’t sure if it was shock or disbelief she felt from him.

  “You’re the woman Tah saw in his vision,” Reno speculated, staring at her. “He said you were
like a female version of me.”

  “He was right,” Tony said. “You two look remarkably alike.”

  “I look like my mother,” Reno said.

  “So do I,” Lyra agreed.

  “Here’s where things get interesting,” Tony said. “I did a little digging when I found out who Lyra is and who you are, Reno. You know how everyone is said to have a twin in the world somewhere? Someone who looks just like them though they’re not related at all?”

  Reno shrugged, but Lyra nodded.

  “Follow me. I’d planned to sit and relax for a bit before we got into things, but I should know better by now. There’s no relaxing with a roomful of shifters.”

  Tony led the way into the main room of the building. “Everyone have a seat. I’ll be right back.”

  Lyra moved with Aleksy, staying close to his side, understanding it was what they both needed now. They were newly mated, and there were too many new people in the room. She noted Nathan stayed toward them while her brother and his mate, as well as the other mated couple, stayed across the room. The two Ephraims along with the other male gravitated toward the center of the room as if they could bridge the divide.

  “Is this all of your group?” Aleksy asked.

  “We have two more meeting us here, Murphy Dockery and Daniel Erikson. They were checking in on something else but should be here tonight or tomorrow,” Zane answered.

  Silence descended between them after that, and Lyra’s tension grew. Amia kept staring between Lyra and Reno, and each glance seemed to upset the woman more. Lyra wasn’t surprised when she finally spoke out.

  Amia Blane shook her head. “Reno can’t have a sister. Shifter’s mate for life. His father couldn’t have gone to another woman. Could he?” She directed the question to her mate, who pulled her close.

  “No,” Reno said.

  “Here’s where things get tricky,” Tony said as he reentered the room with several papers in his hand. “I don’t know the hows or whys of it, but you both share the same father. This is Reno’s mother.”

  Lyra caught her breath at the picture Tony held up. It could have been her mother, right down to the mole beside the right corner of her mouth.