Cat's Cradle: String of Fate, Book 1

by Bianca D’Arc

  Gina’s mom was a nurse. Elaine had sought her advice on more than one occasion as she went through nursing school and began working in the field. But this kind of thing was beyond anything Elaine had ever even heard of before. It was almost too fantastic to believe.

  “So you think injecting this guy with your blood will heal him? Gina, you don’t even know what blood type he is!”

  Gina shook her head, that soft, knowing smile on her face. “It doesn’t matter. I’m a Universal.”

  “Universal what? Blood type? That’s good, but it won’t heal him.”

  “Yes it will. Being a Universal means more than just blood type. My blood has Universal antibodies, among other things. It’s a rare phenomenon and not something I want known, but it’s real. I promise. You’ll see. Look, he’s already quieting down.” Gina turned back to her patient, but Elaine gasped as she looked once more at the man. He was… changing.

  “Look at his hands!”

  In place of the scratched, calloused human hands she saw something that resembled paws, covered in tawny fur. And where he’d had short, clipped nails before, he now sported two-inch claws. Elaine tugged at Gina’s shoulder to get her away from the guy, but she didn’t move. In fact, Gina’s expression seemed sort of sadly resigned when she turned to look at her.

  Gina did something strange then. She turned her gaze to Cade as if seeking permission.

  “You have to tell her,” Cade said enigmatically, shrugging as he returned his attention to Mitch.

  “It’s all right, Ellie.” Gina turned back to her. “He’s a shifter.”

  “A what?”

  “A shapeshifter. Darn it, Ellie, I didn’t want you to find out like this¾or at all, to be honest. Shapeshifters live in secret. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors. You know they would hunt us if we came out in the open.”

  “Us?” Elaine staggered back just the tiniest bit, in shock. “You’re saying you’re one of them too?”

  Gina nodded sadly. “I’m like this man.” She gestured toward her patient. “Tiger Clan.”

  “Holy shit.” The expletive was a whisper of shock as Elaine collapsed into the chair at the side of the bed and just stared at her friend. Gina was claiming to be a tiger? And the guy in the bed was too?

  Well, she could see the claws and¾holy shit¾paws at the ends of his arms. There was definitely something hinky about that guy.

  Her gaze shifted to Cade, watching her with those mysterious eyes. She’d bet money he was one of them, too. Which meant…

  “Is Shihan Harris a shifter too? Is what happened tonight connected with all this?”

  Cade whistled between his teeth, a strange sort of smile touching just the tips of his sensuous lips. “You’re quick. Harris isn’t one of us, but his wife was. She was hunted and killed. He’s been our ally ever since.”

  “Ally? Is this some kind of war?”

  Gina stepped in. “Most shifters just want to live in peace, but there are certain factions that want to kill us and all Others.”

  “Others?”

  “Other magical races. Supernaturals. There are a few different kinds and not all of them are peaceful. In fact, some of the Others fight against us, trying to get rid of the competition, so to speak. Which is probably what happened to this man.” Gina turned to check her patient. He was calmer, but his hands remained shifted. “I’m sure you noticed the claw marks. Too big for any normal kind of animal you’d find on a nice suburban street. This was done by an Other.”

  “Why did they attack him? And what the hell were you doing at the dojo tonight?” She turned her questions toward Cade, who watched her with those creepy eyes of his.

  “Harris helps protect people who needed to find a new place to live. He helps us get them in and out of the city, and get settled. But he’s been made. The new cleaning crew at the building was in on the attack tonight, as was the night watchman.”

  “Damn,” Gina muttered.

  “Yeah,” Cade agreed. “It’s a tough break for our side.”

  Elaine watched, amazed, as Mitch’s hands began to shift back to normal. “His hands,” she whispered, drawing the attention of both Gina and Cade, who immediately looked at Mitch.

  “That’s a good sign.” Gina’s smile was relieved. She checked her patient’s pupils and vital signs. “I don’t know what they gave him, but it had to be fierce to put down a tiger of his size.”

  “He’s an Alpha.” Cade said quietly.

  Gina looked impressed while Elaine was just puzzled by the cryptic words.

  “That’s probably what saved him. I’d guess the stuff would’ve killed a lesser man outright. It was probably a poison, not just a tranq.”

  “Yeah,” Cade agreed, “when he went into convulsions, I guessed it was something more powerful. Up ’til then, I was sort of hoping it was just a really strong tranq, but even those wouldn’t normally have been able to keep one of us down for that long.”

  “You’re Alpha, too, then,” Gina said, as if she was just confirming something she already knew. “But I don’t recognize your scent.”

  “Pantera noir.” He inclined his head. “It’s an honor to meet a Universal. You’re my first.” The corners of his amazing eyes crinkled with just a hint of amusement. Elaine didn’t really follow what they were saying, but filed the conversation away for later examination. Right now, she was feeling more than a little overwhelmed.

  “The honor is mine, Alpha. I’ve heard of your breed, but you guys are supposed to be very rare and always clandestine. Like ninjas of the shifter world.” Gina’s unmistakable giggle sounded, and suddenly Elaine felt that everything was going to be all right. Gina was her friend. She’d been Elaine’s best friend since they were little kids. Gina would never hurt her. And Gina wasn’t crazy. She was the least crazy person Elaine had ever known. If Gina believed all this supernatural stuff, then it had to be real.

  Holy shit.

  “Black Panthers? Weren’t they a radical group from the 1960s?” Elaine translated the name Cade had given Gina, puzzling it out.

  Gina and Cade looked over at her, both with amusement on their faces. Gina’s expression was open and lively, as usual, Cade’s more shuttered, but she could still see a trace of humor. It was buried under the same cloak of mystery that surrounded the entire man, but it was there.

  “As a clan, and as a breed, we’re not affiliated with those guys. They were strictly human.”

  “And you’re not.”

  “No, ma’am. We’re not.” Cade’s mouth actually angled up in a smile this time, revealing teeth that were sharp in a way human teeth were not.

  “Alpha,” Gina chastised him, “if you want to frighten my friend, you’re doing a good job.”

  Cade actually laughed, just once, but it was a laugh all the same. “She’s not frightened. From what I’ve seen tonight, it’d take more than a show of teeth to scare off this little warrior.”

  Gina seemed amazed and looked over with a teasing sort of speculation in her expression, which Elaine studiously ignored.

  “So what’s the plan?” Elaine wanted to shift the focus and succeeded nicely.

  “He’ll be out for a while, I think,” Gina said, checking Mitch’s temperature. “My blood will probably do the trick, but it’ll take time. It’s good that he’s the same clan. That’ll speed the process, but I may have to dose him again, depending on how he responds. I’ll stay with him ’til he’s out of the woods.”

  “Or back in them, as the case may be,” Elaine muttered, drawing a chuckle from Gina and a raised eyebrow from Cade.

  Elaine’s tabby cat, Chuck, decided to join the party at that moment, prowling into the room and heading straight for Cade. That was odd behavior in itself, but when Chuck sat on his haunches and raised one paw to touch Cade’s leg, looking up at him with something like kitty admiration, Elaine was shocked. Chuck was not a very affectionate cat, though he had his moments. Still, he didn’t like most people, except Gina, of course. He loved Gina. But
he’d bypassed her in favor of Cade, which was downright out of character. The cat followed Gina around purring, every time she visited.

  Cade lowered one hand and scooped up the tabby, who never liked to be picked up by strange people, but Chuck didn’t object. He was quiet and still for the man. Amazing.

  “Chuck Norris recognizes the Alpha,” Gina said with a grin.

  “Norris? You named your cat after the martial arts champion?” Cade shook his head and that elusive smile almost appeared again.

  Elaine felt her cheeks heat. “He was just a kitten when I found him, but he was already a fighter. He wasn’t much bigger than a mouse, but he was confronting someone’s pet poodle on the sidewalk outside the Downtown Theater.”

  “Where you’d just seen a Chuck Norris movie marathon,” Gina nodded and laughed, revealing Elaine’s secrets. “Ellie’s big on those old kung fu movies, too. Good thing it wasn’t Sho Kosugi week, huh?”

  Elaine watched Cade’s big hands as he stroked the tabby’s soft fur. He caught her looking and the flashing fire in his icy eyes made her breath stutter. He really was the most handsome man she’d ever met, but he was also some kind of…shifter. Elaine didn’t know exactly what that entailed, but rather than the expected fear, she felt intrigued. The reaction almost frightened her, but nothing about this man¾this pantera noir¾really scared her.

  Oh, he was dangerous. Any idiot could see that. But not to anyone who wasn’t his enemy. Elaine didn’t plan on getting on his bad side either. No, her inner bad girl wanted to get closer to him in a very naughty way.

  Elaine squelched the thoughts, though she knew her pale cheeks were flaming. She could feel the heat, not only from her blush but from his intense gaze. Those silver eyes were heating her from within, like laser beams.

  Gina cleared her throat. “I can look after your friend. What’s his name, by the way?”

  “Mitch.” Cade’s eyes mercifully shifted to Gina and Elaine felt able to breathe freely once more. “When he wakes, tell him code El Paso. He’ll know what it means. Keep him here until I call. Dammit!” Something flared behind his eyes as he jumped to his feet. Chuck the cat spilled onto the floor and took up a vigilant post at Gina’s feet while Cade searched the pockets of Mitch’s ruined clothes.

  “What is it?”

  “They took his phone. It’s untraceable, and we wipe the memory every day, but a dedicated hacker might be able to retrieve the last few numbers. I have to warn a few people.” Cade flipped open his phone and stalked from the room.

  Elaine let out a breath she hadn’t even been aware of holding. Gina smiled at her with an expression that said it all.

  “He’s pretty intense.” Elaine felt compelled to make some explanation.

  “All Alphas are, though I’ve only known a few. They’re the top bananas in our different species organizations¾the clans, packs and tribes.”

  “Gina,” Elaine shook her head, “I can’t believe you managed to keep this a secret.”

  The doctor shrugged, looking a little sheepish. “It wasn’t easy. And I didn’t want to keep it from you, but it was for your own protection. Ellie, when I was six and my folks moved here, it was because we’d been hunted. They killed my older brother. Only the Underground¾folks like Harris and others¾helped us get away clean and make a new life. I knew if we were found out again, we’d have to run, and some of us would die. It happens every day to members of my Clan and others like them. It’s a brutal world, and I wanted to keep it as far from you as possible.”

  “And here I go, stumbling blindly in where angels fear to tread.” Elaine smiled to let her best friend in the whole world know that things would be all right between them.

  “Just like you always do, Ellie. Your Alpha was right. You’re the most fearless human I’ve ever known.”

  Elaine felt the flush rise up her cheeks again as she looked anywhere except at her friend. “He’s not my Alpha.”

  “I think he might surprise you. It’s not common for one of us to be attracted to a human, but that one is showing all the signs.” Gina’s gaze grew concerned. “Watch yourself, El. He’s not human. Our ways are different and can be a little more, uh, brutal by human standards.”

  “Don’t worry. I don’t plan on any inter-species dating.”

  Gina turned back to check on Mitch as he moved restlessly. “You may not plan on it. He may not plan on it. But it could happen. When our animal natures rise, we have very little control over our actions. If his cat decides you’d be a tasty treat, it’ll be hard for him to control the beast.”

  “Damn, you really do want to scare me, don’t you?”

  Gina shrugged. “I want you to understand. To be prepared. He’s an Alpha. They’re dominant by nature and because we’re Other, we can’t always fight our natures. When the cat needs to run, she runs.”

  “Is that why you have that place in the country? Your folks moved there full-time, and I know you visit them a lot. You told me they have a lot of land, but that’s about all you ever said. Is that where you run, Gina?”

  The doctor nodded. “It’s a haven of sorts, which is why I never invited you there, Ellie, though I wanted to share it with you. You’ll always be the best friend I ever had, but there was this other part of my life I could never talk about. It’s kind of a relief to be able to tell you at last.”

  “I always wondered. I mean, I went everywhere else with you, and you with me, but never there.”

  “I couldn’t. It was secret. It’s a place where our cats can run free, and it had to be kept safe.”

  Cade came back in, looking grim. “I got to them in time. Anybody Mitch called today is in danger. I put the word out.”

  “If that’s a good thing, and you got to it in time, then why are you scowling?” Elaine felt secure enough to ask.

  Cade’s chin came up as if amazed someone would question him. Those stormy eyes pinned her in place.

  “It’s both good and bad. I know a few of the people he called today, but not all. And now anyone those few have called are exposed too, if the numbers aren’t wiped in time. And so on down the line. Our enemies could access the phone records and go hunting.”

  “It’s like a tree. I get it,” Elaine nodded.

  Cade hovered at Mitch’s side and addressed Gina. “Is there any way to wake him up? I need to know who else he might’ve called.”

  Gina’s brow furrowed as she considered her patient. Elaine always knew when Gina was truly worried, and this was definitely one of those times.

  “I have something upstairs in my apartment that might rouse him for a short time.”

  “Good enough.” Cade surprised Elaine by reaching down to touch the cat. Chuck blinked once, and took off through the door, looking like he was on some kind of mission. Cade straightened and looked at Elaine, his eyes narrowed. “It occurs to me that someone must’ve seen you at the dojo. The way your car just happened to get stolen at the right time smells bad.”

  “Do you think they’ll come here to check her out, Alpha?” Gina asked, clearly worried.

  Cade nodded. “I think it’s best if we all lay low for a bit and vacate the premises.”

  “We can take your friend to my place. It’s the same layout. I’ve got an identical guest room. The trick will be getting through the building unseen.”

  “That’s where our little friend, Chuck, will help us.” Cade almost smiled.

  Gina’s eyes brightened. “Great idea.”

  Cade turned to Elaine again. “I want you to pack a few things and stay with Gina for a bit. Certain Others can smell a lie, and some can read minds. I don’t want you exposed to anyone who might come knocking on your door.”

  Elaine resented the idea he’d think she’d tell anyone anything, but then, he knew more about this supernatural stuff than she did, so she backed off. Hanging with her best friend wasn’t a bad idea. Particularly now that they had all kinds of new things to discuss about these mysterious Others.

  Elaine left to pack her ba
g and threw in some of her few irreplaceable keepsakes without making it too obvious that she’d emptied the apartment of the things most valuable to her. She was ready to go in ten minutes and was amused to find Chuck sitting in front of the apartment door like some kind of sentinel.

  The move upstairs was accomplished in short order. Chuck the cat raced ahead to check that the corridors and staircase were clear, reporting to Cade, who seemed to be able to communicate with him. Elaine didn’t dare speak while they were out in the hallway, but she was dying to know if Gina could talk with her pet as well. How cool would that be? To be able to communicate with your resident feline and know what he thought?

  But Elaine didn’t get a chance to ask the questions buzzing around inside her head. When they got to Gina’s apartment, the good doctor’s attention was focused solely on her patient. Gina looked worried—an expression Elaine had seen only rarely on her best friend’s face. Elaine assisted as Gina gave Mitch a shot of something she’d had in her extensive medicine cabinet. The bottle was unmarked and the purple liquid didn’t look like anything Elaine had ever seen before in her work as a nurse, but then, she’d never known her best friend was some kind of supernatural creature before tonight either.

  Within about five minutes of administering the shot, Mitch stirred. He thrashed a bit, and Cade moved forward to help hold him down. Then fur started sprouting on the man’s arms and legs, those sharp claws making a reappearance, but mercifully, he didn’t shift all the way to his Other form. Cade was well aware of the risk of reviving a drugged Alpha. Mitch could emerge from his nap in a violent frenzy. It had happened before and the consequences could be dire, but this was a life or death situation for the community of shifters that counted on the few Alphas to help keep them safe.

  “Mitch. Come on, buddy,” Cade spoke in low, urgent tones. “I need you here, Mitchell. Stay with me. I need to know who you called today.”