“As for the ranch,” Maxim said, “I have several people keeping an eye out for any suspicious movement as well as devising a plan of attack. I’m afraid there’s not much else we can do tonight but wait for my people to report back to me in the morning.”
“How long do you think we have, max, before they move all the abductees as a precaution?” Hunter asked. “Because I don’t doubt for a second that the clan that sent that lioness here doesn’t know their little assassin’s been captured, that she’s failed.”
“Word is being spread throughout both the Riverford and Parker Grove communities that Jack Bray is currently in a coma and hidden away in a private facility. That may delay them for the few days we’ll need to organize a rescue.”
“As well as invite a whole slew of those bastards like iron fillings to a magnet,” Hunter added dryly. He glanced at Kylie worriedly. “With a ‘Rogue lion’ and an informant—both with the very real potential of bringing down their entire operations in this state—within the same area, it may very well give them the excuse to come at us openly and at full-force. Dangling Jack like that may come back to bite us in the ass hard.”
“We’ll just have to make sure we rescue all of them before the shit hits the fan, won’t we?” Maxim suddenly fixed her with a serious look. “Which brings us to our last problem.”
Kylie stiffened. “If you expect me to leave the city while Paul’s bedbound and my friend’s still missing—” she began hotly.
“I don’t,” Maxim cut in mid-rant, “though your friend, Molly, is what I wanted to talk to you about.”
This time it was Kylie’s turn to anxiously lean forward. “Do you know what happened to her?” she demanded.
“Yes and no,” he replied maddeningly. “After a few shifters from the department arrived at your friend’s apartment at Hunter’s request, they of course knew immediately that a shifter had recently been in that unit—and it wasn’t a jaguar.”
“I haven’t been to her place since my shifter side awakened,” Kylie confirmed. “Was it—was it a lion?”
Hunter squeezed her hand in comfort, but Maxim was shaking his head. “An alligator, of all things. If it’s one thing we ever agreed on with the gator clan, it was our mutual hatred of the lions, so I’m hesitant to believe that the gator in question was a local.”
“…or if it even was a gator shifter at all,” Hunter added, looking at Kylie pointedly.
For a split-second Kylie stared back at him blankly before she gasped in sudden understanding.
A Polyshifter.
“So,” Hunter continued, “either the fact that your friend had an apparent violent run-in with a shifter only hours after you, yourself, were attacked as a Rogue is the biggest coincidence in the world, or the lions really have managed to sneak in the very weapon all clans opposed to them fear the most. If so, that they’re choosing to use their best hand now in what I can only guess is to force Kylie to come forward in order to silence her opens up a whole new can of worms.”
“Which means bringing down whatever the hell it is they’re doing at that ‘ranch’ in the Panhandle just got a whole lot more important than just us wanting to rescue Anna and Ryder,” Maxim said grimly. “After I was done here, I was going to go have another chat with my Elders about organizing an emergency assembly of all the Riverford clan Elders tomorrow morning. Now…”
“Yes, now…” Hunter echoed, his eyes double pools of equal worry and frustration.
Kylie looked between them. “Do you think knowing that a Polyshifter is likely mixed up in this whole mess will make them more reluctant to help you get your brother back?” she asked, unable to understand this sudden strange mood between them.
“No, that at least one of the Elders will be too interested,” Hunter said, his voice suddenly deadly serious.
Kylie stilled completely as the horror of his words sunk in. “Could they have infiltrated that far up in a clan’s hierarchy?” she asked quietly.
“The lion clans are said to have the patience of immortals,” Maxim answered. “It’s pretty much common knowledge that it was the method used to take control of the clans in both Philadelphia and Chicago.”
“With just one Polyshifter?” Kylie exclaimed in disbelief.
She sagged a bit in relief when the tiger shook his head. That a person, even someone as extraordinary as a Polyshifter, could have that much power was too frightening to even contemplate.
“While no one is sure about the exact number,” he replied, “most agree that it was at least a dozen, weaseling their way into several different clans over the span of around fifty to sixty years. The lions never have done anything half-assed.”
“The evidence I found the other day was too vague to tell us much of anything,” Hunter cut in. “At this point, suspecting one of the Elders of being a Polyshifter or even the alligator that allegedly kidnapped your friend is just that—speculation. We just don’t have enough intel. If that damned assassin would only—”
Her eyes widening, Kylie abruptly tore her hand out of Hunter’s and all but lunged at a startled Maxim, grabbing his forearms tightly in rising panic. “Please tell me that none of your Elders have had access to the lioness assassin!” she said urgently.
“Kylie, what—” Hunter began in bewilderment, but she cut him off.
“They’ll know, Hunter!” she cried, letting go of Maxim and turning her attention to Hunter again. “Don’t you see? That lioness had to have had plenty of time to meet with any spies, whether Sniffers or Polyshifters, in the city between attacking us in the forest and then attacking me at Karen’s, but she still didn’t know that I was a Polyshifter. Whoever the Polyshifter is masquerading as, Elder or just a normal clansman/woman, every shifter in this city’s at least heard of the new jaguar Returner. You said so, yourself.”
Hunter nodded hesitantly, and Kylie drew in a deep breath in order to calm her racing heart before she continued, “It should have been a given that the lioness would’ve found out that the Rogue lioness she had been hunting and the jaguar Returner were one and the same, but unless that assassin is one hell of an actress, she honestly thought I was a Rogue back at Karen’s. Maybe she wanted the glory or satisfaction of capturing me all by herself, I don’t know, but for whatever reason, that assassin must not have talked with any of her allies within the city. Her ignorance about my true heritage doesn’t make any sense otherwise.”
“She does have a point,” Maxim said. “I don’t think that lioness would’ve gone after Kylie alone had she known she would be dealing with a Polyshifter not under their control. Regardless, you don’t have anything to worry about, Kylie. Yes, my Elders know that I have a captured lioness on my hands. However, only Lana, myself, and the head of my security even know where I’m holding her, and I plan on keeping it that way for now.
“You also don’t have to worry about any of them infiltrating any of the wolf clans. A wolf shifter’s nose is leagues better than any other shifter species, so the lions have always steered clear of them during their campaigns. As long as you play the jaguar as you are now and don’t have any more slipups, then your secret should be safe.”
Kylie pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a tension headache coming on. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied dryly.
An unfamiliar ringtone suddenly filled the air, causing Kylie to jump. Hunter ran a hand soothingly down her back as Maxim dug his phone out of his overcoat. He glanced down at the screen before lifting it to his ear. “Yes?”
He listened stoically for what felt like an eternity before ending the call with a parting, “I’ll be right there.”
Maxim stood up. “It seems something interesting regarding one of the suspected Sniffers my people have been tailing has come to light. One of my wolves has a video that I need to review ASAP. In the meantime, call Jack Bray and see what the Parker Grove clans can offer in forms of aid. I don’t think it should wait until morning.”
“Agreed,” Hunter said.
At
the door, Maxim paused with his hand on the knob. “Anna and Ryder will be coming home soon,” he growled, turning back to look at them with barely contained anger.
“Anna?” Kylie vaguely remembered Hunter mentioning that name before.
“You didn’t tell her?” Maxim asked, mild surprise bleeding into the inferno within his eyes.
Hunter shook his head. “I didn’t think it was my place.”
The smile that stretched his lips was incredibly sad and full of pain. “Anna Barkova. My mate-to-be. She went missing six months ago.”
Kylie’s heart sank in horror. “She’s—that ranch—”
The renewed rage in Maxim’s blue eyes was all the answer she needed.
CHAPTER THREE
“You’re crazy if you think I’ll be able to get any sleep after all of that,” Kylie grumbled, but she still allowed Hunter to pull her into his arms after he had propped himself up against the headboard with a couple of pillows.
“At least try,” Hunter coaxed as she settled against him, her head on his chest. “Who knows when you’ll get another chance. Negotiations between clans, especially the clans of different cities are tedious at the best of times. I’ll probably be on the phone for hours, not to mention that I did promise your dad that I’d make sure you got some rest.”
Kylie blew out a frustrated breath. “My friend, Molly’s, missing, maybe even hurt. Probably because of me. I should at least be down with Tara at the police station. It just doesn’t seem right that you and Maxim are doing all of the work while I sleep the night away. There must be something I can do to help.”
Hunter hugged her more tightly against him. “You have no idea how much you are helping me by just being here with me, and I’m not saying that lightly. You may not see it, but I’m barely keeping a reign on my jaguar. The human part of me knows that the best chance my brother, Anna, and all those other captive shifters have is to gather as much information as possible and plan our next move carefully, but my jaguar half just wants to race over to that ranch and start tearing out throats. Without you here to remind myself of the costs, I doubt even Maxim would’ve been able to talk sense into me after a while.”
Kylie pressed her nose against his chest and inhaled deeply. Until that moment, she had never considered that anger had a scent, but—something was definitely strongly present among the scents she had come to associate with Hunter that she had never smelled before. Neither metallic nor earthy or even acrid, it was a scent that was more a sensation than having any sort of distinguishable fragrance.
She glanced at the door, wondering if Maxim had given off a similar scent. She had been too distracted by the revelation about Anna to pay attention to the scents swirling around in the air. How much more information was she missing because she was still too new to the animal side of her shifter nature?
A light tug on her hair had Kylie looking up at Hunter’s face. “What is it?” he asked.
“I had no idea that your reason was that close to snapping, and that really bothers me,” she admitted.
“Even filled with rage, I would never hurt you if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Kylie shook her head. “That’s not what I mean. I just realized that I might as well have been blind because I’m still not used to living as a shifter. If I would have bothered to pay attention to the scents coming off you, I would’ve known something was up with both you and Maxim even if I hadn’t known exactly what that new scent meant. I guess what I’m trying to say is I’ve suddenly realized exactly how vulnerable I’ve been since the shifter part of me awakened, and now I’m worried about what else I might have missed that my jaguar senses had been screaming at me. What if that lioness had been watching from the forest when Paul picked me up from your apartment complex this morning? It didn’t even occur to me to pay attention to the scents around me! What if that was the reason she was able to find us at Karen’s? She saw Paul’s license plate, used it to find out his name and from there, my name. What if I’m wrong and the lioness did report me as a Rogue to someone in her clan before she went after me, to one of their Polyshifter allies? Then when Maxim’s people took her prisoner, the Polyshifter decided to go with Plan B and kidnap Molly in order to get to me—”
“That’s a lot of ‘what ifs,’” Hunter cut her off firmly before Kylie could work herself up even more. “We still don’t know for sure if the lions are involved with her disappearance, and even if they are, if that alligator shifter the cops smelled in your friend’s apartment really is a Polyshifter. At this point, it’s all pure speculation, and God knows I tormented myself on all the ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybes’ after Ryder went missing.” He ran his free hand affectionately through her hair. “I would save you from that agony if I can.”
Kylie flashed him a guilty look. “You’re right. This isn’t the time to be freaking out about stuff like that, especially when I’m keeping you from calling Jack.”
“And keeping yourself from resting,” he scolded teasingly.
“I’ll close my eyes, but that’s all I can promise.”
Hunter wasn’t on the phone longer than five minutes before a slight tensing of his body had Kylie opening her eyes and looking up at him questionably. She hadn’t heard anything on his end that would have warranted his sudden tension.
“I’ll be there in twenty.”
The wary look in his eyes had her instantly on red alert. Kylie pulled away and rose to her knees beside him before he could speak to her.
“Don’t even think about it,” she warned.
“Kylie…”
“You’re not leaving me behind here,” she said mulishly, “especially if you’re going to see Jack.”
“I am, but where I need to go is clear across town,” he said. “It’s not safe for you to be seen. You know that. Maybe not even for a few days.”
Kylie blinked in surprise. “Across town? I thought you said his family was taking him back to Parker Grove.”
Hunter studied her face for a long, tense moment before he sighed in something like resignation and replied, “I thought so, too, but it seems his family felt he would be safer recovering somewhere other than a hospital or even the family home. A few Elders from both the Riverford and Parker Grove wolf clans are with him right now, and they want to talk face-to-face. I’m not sure they would appreciate me bringing extra people, particularly someone as high-profile as you.”
Her shoulders sagged. Damn, but she couldn’t really argue with that. “Fine. You win.”
Hunter grinned before leaning over to give her a firm kiss. “I know sitting around sucks, but I really do think it’s best that you stay here tonight. Just be sure to lock the door behind me, and don’t open it to anyone other than me or Maxim.”
She nodded. “As long as you’re going out, can you do something for me?”
“Maxim’s people already brought you and your father’s bags from Karen’s house if that’s what you’re asking,” Hunter said. “They’re in the room we just left. I can—”
“That wasn’t what I was going to ask, but that’s good to know,” Kylie interjected. “I’d like you to pick up a different bag, the one I left wrapped in a trash bag in your guestroom’s closet.”
He looked at her sharply. “You mean the one swimming in your ‘come fuck me now’ pheromones? Why in the world would you even want me to go near it?”
Kylie smiled at him sheepishly. “Because of what I hid inside. Given the deep shit I’m in right now, I think it would be dangerous not to have it from now on.”
Hunter frowned. “A gun?” he guessed.
“A good idea probably, but no. It’s a br—”
Three successive sharp knocks on the door had both of them freezing, before Hunter barked out as he scrambled off the bed, “Yes?”
“Oh, good, you’re here,” Donald Gaither’s unmistakable voice called through the door a split-second before it opened.
Kylie felt a brief moment of relief that they were both fully clothed exce
pt for their shoes and Hunter was off the bed. Neither one had thought to lock the door after Maxim had left. She did her best to school her expression to something polite and benign as the Elder’s gaze swept the room before landing squarely on her. The last thing they needed was this man to catch wind of their relationship.
“Hello again, Kylie,” Gaither said. “I was hoping we could speak for a moment.”
“Hello,” she replied, trying her best to sound friendly and at the same time not to fidget under his unblinking gaze.
“Not now, Gaither,” Hunter said shortly as he bent to gather Kylie’s sneakers from the floor. “We were just on our way out to go pick up some of Kylie’s father’s things from his house before it gets too late. I think we can both agree that it would be best that they both stay here for at least the next few days.”
Thinking it best to let him do the talking, Kylie accepted her shoes without a word and began putting them on. She had to struggle to keep from smirking as she watched the two men. It was starting to look as though she wouldn’t have to stay behind after all.
“There’s no need for both of you to go,” Gaither insisted. “I can stay here with Kylie. It’ll give us a chance to talk about a few things.”
Yeah—she really didn’t want to be alone with this man given the grilling she had endured the last time she had seen him.
Thinking fast, Kylie said, “Um—sorry but my father’s security system needs a thumbprint to deactivate, so I have to go.”
“Then I’m afraid I’ll have to insist on you going in the morning,” Gaither said, “maybe when more of us can accompany you. For now, I’d like you both to accompany me to one of the conference rooms where a few of the other Elders of our clan are waiting. As this is the first instance in a long time that we have definitive proof of a lion actually infiltrating the city and attacking one of our own, there is much we need to discuss.”
Tempted by the Jaguar #4: Infiltration (Riverford Shifters) Page 2
