“I need to focus inward,” he said aloud, knowing Jeremy would understand without Barry realizing there was yet another new shifter in their midst.
Steven waved his arm through the air. The word he shouted to his people was clear, even to those watching the camera feeds: leave!
Again the bushes rustled as the mountain lions skulked away.
Wyatt shoved his hand in his pocket and drew out his cell phone. Cristían's own blurted awake in his hand. He answered before the first ring could die.
“Disengage the barriers. We're coming in.”
“That's not a good idea.” Cristían eyed Lupe and Jeremy.
“Refusal isn't an option.” Wyatt ended the call.
Cristían sighed. “Release the barriers.”
“But…”
He gave Jeremy a shrug.
Jeremy sighed. “All right.”
The clamps released. Barry sank into a computer chair and buried his head in his bloodied hands. Cristían wrapped an arm around Lupe, holding her close, and prepared to defend her at all costs. Jeremy added his strength from the other side.
They watched the stairs. The locks thunked open. They held their collective breath when the steel door swung aside. Wyatt paused on the top step, then started down. Joaquin, Steven, and Frieda followed. Their gazes immediately fell to Lupe. Cristían's grip on her shoulders tightened.
Wyatt and Joaquin scanned the debris. Steven's gaze followed. Frieda's, though, never left Lupe. He'd never seen such hate in a person before.
Beside him, Lupe tensed. If Barry wasn't one of her favorite people, Frieda topped the list of those she despised. As a cat, Lupe had never lost the chance to swipe her claws at the woman. One memorable evening, he'd found Frieda rising to the bait. She'd shifted into her mountain lion form and faced off with a hissing Lupe. Lupe was winning when he broke them up.
“Barry needs a doctor,” Cristían told them. He gestured at Frieda. “She whacked his skull in.” It wasn't far from the truth.
“All's fair in love and war. He was so focused on his stupid cell phone, he never saw it coming.” Frieda's feigned purr didn't work.
“You okay?” Wyatt asked Barry.
Barry waved off his concern and headed up the stairs. “I think I'm good enough to shift now. That ought to speed up the healing. Then I'll have the institute doctors check me out later.”
“We'll meet you up there.” Wyatt clapped his shoulder as he passed by, keeping everyone behind him until Barry was safely upstairs.
“See, Steven?” Frieda pushed her way past them. “I told you. They've created their own human from that stupid little cat.”
Cristían commended Lupe for remaining in one place. Even he wanted to scratch Frieda's eyes out.
Frieda turned her glare on him. “How dare you think to use me as your…your…vessel! Is this your precious Rose?” She sneered at Lupe.
“No, this is all Lupe.”
She grinned. “Ah yes. Your breath reeks of tuna fish.”
Lupe flexed her shoulders. “So does your crotch.”
The claws came out.
Chapter Eight
Jeremy clamped his hand around Frieda's throat. The tips of his claws dug deep into her neck, drawing blood. It happened so fast, he couldn't have stopped himself, much less anticipated it. She'd hissed at Lupe and sprung her claws for attack. Lupe had snarled back, ready to battle, even without defenses of her own. Jeremy had reacted on instinct, defending his female mate.
Lupe stood behind him now, hand against his back, letting the battle play out. God, the things Lupe did to him! Her scent, her mere presence, her subtle quiver telling him she was ready to fight, called to both the beast and the man in him. He'd never be able to separate one from the other; he didn't want to. He felt like he'd finally become all he was meant to be, physically and intellectually. Jeremy wouldn't hesitate to use those attributes to protect both Lupe and Cristían.
Blood roared in his ears, blocking out voices he knew were telling him to release the woman. Frieda's hate-filled green eyes bore into him. One of her hands gripped his wrist, the other his forearm, long claws digging just as deep as his. One slice and she'd split the veins. One tear and he'd rip her jugular. He latched his other hand over her forearm but couldn't loosen her hold no matter how far he sank his claws. A fine standoff. Jeremy meant this as a warning. Frieda's sneer defied him to kill her. Blood trickled down her long neck and dripped from his wrist.
“Release her, Jeremy.” Cristían's words connected in his head. Odd how relieved that made him feel—that they had that connection, whether they were human or jaguar.
“If you kill her, it will be war.” That came from Joaquin, startling Jeremy enough to loosen his grip.
“It's what she wants, to prove whatever point she and her insurgents are trying to make.” This came from Wyatt, and with it, the full sense of belonging to a clan.
“Unhook your talons from me,” Jeremy said through clenched teeth.
“You first,” she rasped out. “One rip and you're dead.”
He matched the gleam in her eyes with one of his own. “So are you.”
“Really?” A shimmer obscured her features for the blink of a second; then Lupe's face appeared.
Jeremy knew it was an illusion, knew the damn mountain lions could take any form. But seeing Lupe before him was enough of a distraction to give Frieda the advantage. She dug her claws deeper. Pain stoked his rage, and he responded in kind, glorying in her wince.
Steven clamped his hands over their forearms. “Stop! You're only making things worse.”
Frieda jerked her hands away and resumed her normal form. As Jeremy released her, he pulled emotion inward. His claws retracted.
“I don't see how it can be much worse.” She rubbed her neck, smearing blood.
Jeremy ignored his wounds, refusing to give her the satisfaction of knowing she'd injured him.
“I told you they were conducting secret experiments, Steven. Here's your proof. They've found a way to make their own shifters. Next they'll mount an army and kill us all.” She glanced around at them. “I'd gladly sacrifice my life right now to eliminate every one of them in this room.”
“Yes,” he snapped, “because six against two are such great odds.”
She hiked her pointed nose. “We've faced worse and won.”
Wyatt cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. He stood there, one hand clasped over his wrist, eyebrow slightly arched. “If destruction was what you were after, Frieda, your people would have detonated all that C-4 you've got planted around this house.”
Steven looked like he'd been punched in the stomach. He stared down at Frieda in shocked disbelief. “What?”
“They broke the treaty.” She jerked her chin toward Jeremy's friends.
Cristían appeared at Jeremy's side and pressed wet paper towels over one of his arms. A slight tug urged him farther away from Frieda.
“What would you call espionage and explosives?” Cristían asked, taking a stance in front of Jeremy.
She snapped a finger his way. “You were going to steal my body!” Claws bared, she took a giant step forward.
Jeremy tensed again, ready to defend Cristían at all costs. Cristían's arm barred his way. There was nothing either of them could say to justify their actions. At least Wyatt and Joaquin could claim plausible deniability. Only Barry knew what they'd been working on, and he'd presumably kept their “wild-ass speculations” to himself.
“Guilty as charged,” Cristían freely admitted, spreading his arms wide.
His confession shocked the piss out of Jeremy, finally deflating the perpetual erection that had been plaguing him since his transformation.
“But isn't that what you'd planned to do today with me and Jeremy? To overtake the lab, kill us, and assume our identities? It wouldn't be the first time one of your clan tried to infiltrate ours, so don't throw stones my way.” Cristían shook his head. “Your people killed one of our women. It seeme
d a fitting exchange at the time. We all know what grief can do to a person. My grief misguided me. Gods only know what guides you. Frankly speaking, I'd welcome the C-4. At least it would end the torment I've been through since Rose was killed.”
Jeremy heard the catch in Lupe's breath and drew her under his arm. No one knew Cristían's pain better than she did. She'd been his—their—confidant all these months. The only one they could bare their souls, guilt, and anguish to without being judged. They'd clearly judged themselves enough.
Frieda tucked her arms under her ample bosom, heaving her breasts into deep cleavage. “I don't recall any angst all those times you spent fucking me.”
Lupe tensed. Jeremy tightened a hug around her to keep her from attacking the woman.
“You were a means to an end, Frieda,” Cristían calmly replied. “A vessel, nothing more.”
She jerked her chin toward Jeremy and Lupe. “Like they are?” She sniffed. “This place reeks of sex. It should be blown sky-high for that alone. One snap of my fingers and I can make you all disappear. I'm willing to sacrifice myself for the sake of my clan.”
“Enough blustering.” Wyatt took a stance next to Cristían. “We all know you want what you think is in here.” He glanced around. “Although from the look of things, there probably isn't much left.”
Jeremy watched the tension in Cristían's back muscles ease. “There isn't. The lab area appears to be completely destroyed and our laptops with it. We never did an upload or backup to the main servers. Believe it or not, this has nothing to do with any experiments. Whatever happened to change Jeremy and Lupe was an accident. A fluke.”
“I'm sure you won't mind if we don't believe you.” Steven looked Cristían up and down. “The lab and laptops were destroyed, and yet you don't have a mark on you.”
“Everything was healed when we shifted,” Cristían told him.
It was a plausible explanation no one could deny. After all, shifters did have enhanced healing abilities, just not as enhanced as Cristían's now were.
“I want full access to all the data concerning this event,” Steven said. “To ensure I get that, I'm going to be up someone's ass 24-7, starting right now.”
“Then how will you get any work done?” Lupe's comment was innocence personified, the sarcasm perfection, even though Cristían didn't think it was intended.
A red flush crept over Steven's sun-loved face. Jeremy bit his cheek to keep from laughing.
“We'll consider your request, after you secure the C-4 and the detonators that go with it.” Cristían looked Wyatt's way. “Unless you've already taken care of that.”
A slow smile spread over Wyatt's face. He tapped the comm link in his ear. “I have security personnel surrounding the place, ready to take action.”
Cristían slid his gaze back to Steven. “You really didn't think Wyatt was stupid enough to come in to a hostage situation without backup, did you?”
Steven moved his green-eyed gaze from one person to the next before he finally conceded the issue and turned to Frieda. “I don't know how you managed to acquire—”
“I do what it takes to protect our people.” She shoved her face close to his. “Which is more than I can say for you.”
“I'm here, aren't I?” His hard breaths rustled the strands of blonde hair around her face.
“But not because we called you.” She flashed Wyatt a dirty look. “Steven isn't the only one who's going to be up someone's ass 24-7.” A demonic grin split her face when she looked at Cristían. “I know how much you enjoy that.”
Lupe tensed, and Jeremy knew she would have pounced if he didn't have his arm around her.
Frieda's grin widened. “And I know how much you enjoy watching, little cat.”
Lupe flexed her shoulders. “I've always enjoyed watching people make fools of themselves. Just remember, your ass will always bear the scar from where this little cat bit you.”
The cat in Frieda roared to life. Steven shifted just as quickly and speared his teeth into the scruff of her neck, nailing her in place. Mountain lions had one advantage over the jaguar clan—their clothing was illusion as well. The jaguars couldn't fully shift without undressing, but each now had fully extended claws, ready to defend against attack.
Frieda yowled a protest. Steven's growl reminded her he was in charge, and he drew blood beneath his fangs. If they were arguing the point with mindspeak, those thoughts weren't transmitting to others. As far as Jeremy knew, the mountain lions couldn't mindspeak, and the jaguars had yet to tell them the ability was theirs.
The things we could learn from each other, if only we could work in peace.
He was asking the impossible. Half Steven's clan couldn't coexist with each other, never mind another clan of shifters.
A shimmer passed over the feline twosome as they returned to their previous forms, clothing once more visible.
“Enough!” Steven wrapped his fist in Frieda's long blonde hair.
“I agree,” Cristían said. “We're wasting time.”
Claws retracted. Hand still clenched in Frieda's hair, Steven grabbed her arm and hauled her upright. “I agree. If you can't set aside this petty behavior and approach this objectively, you won't work with me on this.” He gave her a little push when he released her. “Understood?”
Frieda shrugged, hiked her chin, and smoothed her fingers through her hair. Quiet defiance answered for her. The woman would just as soon kill all of them as she would look at them. It was a wonder Cristían had survived a relationship with her. But then, they'd both had ulterior motives for keeping each other alive. That birthed a question.
“Why wait until today to kill Cristían and have someone take his place?” Jeremy asked, expecting her to deny it.
A smirk curled her lip. “Well, he was a good lay, and I am only half-human.”
So much for an answer. Jeremy should have known better. “Before we start fun and games with our friends here, the rest of us need to clean up. Lupe's going to need some clothes.”
“I'm sure between Carmen and Trina, we can come up with something until someone can take Lupe shopping,” Joaquin replied. “She's also going to need identification and documentation. I'll take care of those today.”
“She's staying?” Frieda shouted, then whipped around to Steven. “See? They are amassing an army against us!”
Steven heaved a weary sigh. “What else would you have them do with her? Send her to the pound? She's as human as the rest of us, and probably more so than you are right now.”
The woman shook with rage. Cristían sighed, and Jeremy felt it down to his bones. This collaboration had not gone well so far, and it looked like it was going to spiral downhill from here.
“Jeremy's right; we're exhausted. Assemble a joint technical team to evaluate this site and meet me here in the morning. And if any of you”—Cristían waved his finger at everyone—“get any ideas of coming in without the other, don't bother. I'm recoding the cipher lock and initiating lockdown. No one gets in until I unlock it.”
Frieda tucked her arms over her chest and cocked out her hip. “And if something happens to you?”
“Then you're screwed.” Cristían's grin held no humor. “I know how much you like that. Let's go.” He motioned everyone toward the staircase.
Barry waited at the top, looking much better for having shifted. Wyatt, Joaquin, and Steven started for the stairs. Frieda followed, then turned and barred Lupe's passage.
Lupe merely smiled. “In case there was any doubt, you won't be lying on Cristían anymore.” A purr underlined Lupe's words, sending shivers down Jeremy's spine.
Frieda nose twitched. “Maybe I'll lay you instead.”
“I can't see where you would be worth the effort.” Lupe brushed by and walked away. If she'd had a tail, Jeremy had no doubt she would have been flicking it all the way.
Pride filled his chest. Lust tented his lab coat.
Chapter Nine
Maybe she was still afraid.
&nbs
p; Lupe stared at the water spewing from the nozzle that towered over her head. She might be larger now, but the thing still felt like a vicious monster coming at her from miles away. It destroyed the peace she'd felt upon returning home with Cristían and Jeremy minutes before. Apparently she'd left her bravery back in the lab. Immersing her body under the torrent was much more involved than putting her paw—her hand—under a mere trickle. Which was why she was still here, standing on the outside and not underneath that thing.
Her heart fluttered against her ribs. Now Lupe knew how birds and mice felt when she cornered them. She wouldn't be doing that again anytime soon. Well, for more reasons than one. Clearly humans didn't hunt animals the way cats did.
No, they hunted each other.
What did the jaguars do when they were in their cat forms? Maybe they explored the wild, chased game. She could imagine their inky shapes as shadows in the black night. A thrill wiggled through her. Lupe would never experience the rush of a hunt again, since she seemed incapable of shifting back.
Oh but it was worth it! She hugged herself. The wish for herself to be human finally granted. Cristían and Jeremy in her arms, loving her. Their combined scents were headier than all the cat treats in the world. Being with them was a thousand times better than she'd ever imagined, truly better than what she'd witnessed when Jeremy used his hand and Cristían romped with her.
Every hair on her body lifted. Lupe brushed her hands over her arms to quell the irritation that bubbled to the surface. Who did Frieda think she was, threatening her? And Jeremy…crazy fool. He'd defended her at his own risk. Though she loved him even more for it, Lupe still wanted to bat his ears. She wasn't afraid of Frieda. She wasn't afraid of anything, except losing Cristían and Jeremy, and that fear paralyzed her in ways she could never explain.
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