If Barry so much as touches a tiny dark hair on their little heads…
Oooo…she'd rip him to shreds and have Jeremy tie Cristían in a thousand knots to keep him from saving the weasel-faced bastard. Lupe knew he was no good. He'd always had a foul stench about him. He and Frieda would have made a great pair.
The thought made her pause in midstride. Where was Frieda right now?
Lupe glanced over her shoulder. The men were nearly done. It'd only take a few minutes for her to track and see if Frieda was still in the house or the vicinity. Lupe had every inch of the estate mapped.
She raced up the stairs, then lifted her nose once her paws struck the plush carpet at the top. Steven had his team assembled in the living area. Their voices were hushed as they made plans. Sophie inventoried the contents of a medical bag. Her long blonde hair was coiled atop her head in a braid that didn't dare come loose. She was bright, energetic. Lupe liked her the minute she'd seen her, and appreciated her skills, even while she hoped they wouldn't be necessary.
Lupe eliminated the first floor and hurried up the staircase to the bedrooms. She trotted along the circular landing, sniffing rooms as she went. No Frieda anywhere up here. Lupe darted down to the atrium at the center of the house. The hot tub in the middle was silent, lights off. A breeze tickled her fur. Someone had left an access door open. She trotted through the breezeway and exited at the pool.
Frieda sat nude on top of the fake rocks and stared at her reflection in the still water below. She shifted in and out of her mountain lion form—no, pulsed really. One and then the other. Over and over. Sad, lonely, much like Steven had been that night in Cristían's house. Frieda's quest and subsequent madness had cost her dearly.
Lupe turned to go back inside.
“I was wondering how long it would take you to find me, little cat,” Frieda said. The words didn't fall with their usual sarcasm, but Lupe still didn't trust them. “You'll be pleased to know the bite you gave me has finally healed, but the scar remains. Cristían's blood didn't wipe the slate completely clean.”
Lupe edged closer but not too near, as the swimming pool threatened. Some fears were very real when one was a little cat. This one would remain, just like Frieda's scar.
Frieda lifted her face into the breeze. “They'll never forgive me. I don't blame them. I can't forgive myself. I wish it could be different. I wish I could just disappear and start all over again. Do you suppose they'd miss me if I did?”
Lupe sat at the edge of the patio and stared. What else was she supposed to do? She couldn't speak, and she didn't much give a damn about Frieda anyway.
Frieda stood and stretched. Pool lights cast her in an eerie blue glow. Then her knees flexed, and she dived into the water. Lupe dodged the splash and walked away.
Water exploded behind her as Frieda surfaced. Lupe ignored her and kept walking. More water splashed—Frieda crawling out. She heard footsteps slapping the concrete behind her. Lupe quickened her pace.
“Stupid, interfering little cat!”
Frieda snagged the end of Lupe's tail, then clamped her claws in the scruff of Lupe's neck. Lupe howled with rage. The sound echoed through the adjoining atrium. Twisting and spitting, she fought Frieda's hold.
Frieda shook her hard. “Fight all you want, you little bitch. I've had enough of you to last a lifetime, and thanks to our boyfriend, that promises to be a very long time. I'm not going to live it breathing the same air as you.”
Lupe felt Frieda's muscles flex, her body leave the ground…and then they plunged into Lupe's biggest nightmare.
Water closed over her head. She thrashed for freedom, claws scoring Frieda's arms. Red clouds darkened the water. Filtered through the blue light, it looked purple. She saw that night, that horrible box, the father weighing it down with rocks, her babies…her babies…
Lupe prayed she could hold her breath a little longer and sank her teeth into Frieda's wrist. Bubbles sputtered from Frieda's mouth. She kicked to the surface, having no choice but to take Lupe with her.
Blessed air rushed her lungs. Lupe released her hold to suck it in. Blood poured from the wound on Frieda's wrist. Rage mottled the woman's face, half-mountain lion, half…not even close to human. Frieda's muscles flexed for another dive. Lupe shoved upward, smacking her forehead into Frieda's. Her forehead! Surprise bulged Frieda's eyes. Lupe shoved again, snapping a human hand tipped with lethal claws around Frieda's neck.
“I'm going to defeat you once and for all,” Lupe said through clenched teeth.
Frieda swiped at her, tangling Lupe's long hair in her claws.
Lupe winced at the pain but held on. “Pull it all out. It'll grow back. I'll wish it back, longer and fuller than ever. I get what I wish for…and I wish you dead.”
Frieda's snarl echoed off the walls. Feet clawed at Lupe's belly. Lupe darted forward and clamped her teeth over Frieda's nose. Blood filled her mouth. Frieda thrashed for freedom, then plunged them both under. Lupe had no choice but to let go of her nose or drown. She ducked another blow from those powerful legs and clamped her claws over Frieda's shoulder. Frieda kicked for the surface again. Lupe held her under.
Shouts reached them now. Lupe didn't care. She would not be defeated. Someone jumped in beside them, a lot of someones. She felt Cristían and Jeremy foremost. Arms pulled her free, tucked her in the cove of their bodies, and pulled her up for air.
Lupe burst from the water on a gasp. “Where is she? Where is that bitch?”
“Defeated, my queen.” Pride filled Cristían's voice.
Lupe glanced to the side of the pool where Frieda lay. Blood spurted from the gouge in her neck.
“She did it herself when they hauled her from the pool.” Jeremy wrapped his arms around her. “You're back, love. You're back.”
Lupe stared at her body in wonder. The wounds Frieda had inflicted healed before her eyes. Emotion clogged her throat. Water leaked from everywhere. She cupped Cristían's and Jeremy's cheeks, nuzzled against their faces, and kissed them.
“I've really had all the water I can take for now,” she whispered.
“I can imagine,” Cristían replied. “Let's get you dried off.”
He pulled her to the side. Jeremy jumped out and helped her up. Joaquin wrapped a thick towel around her. Lupe spared a glance at Frieda's body. Her clan gathered around. Frieda was wrong. They had cared. They'd cared very much.
“We need to have a doctor check you out,” Wyatt said.
Lupe shook her head. Water droplets scattered. “No, we have more important things to do. I'm ready to fight.”
Cristían's chuckle tickled through her. “We have no doubt about that, my queen.” He scooped her into his arms and carried her inside.
* * * *
Cristían would have loved nothing more than to spend the next month in bed with Lupe and Jeremy. He couldn't believe they'd gotten her back, and better than ever, since she'd returned with shifting and healing abilities. Light gleamed in her eyes every time she flashed her claws, and she practiced a lot on the trip to the safe house in the mountains nearby.
Wyatt and Joaquin led the way. They had a loose plan in place, most of which relied on taking Barry by surprise and getting him to play his hand. Cristían didn't know what they'd do at that point. There were only ten members of the original jaguar clan left—Carmen and the nine men. Trina was of a snow leopard line originating in Russia. Of course, there were the new babies, and now Jeremy. But losing one who'd served at your side for centuries pained them all. Cristían wanted to say it wasn't his choice or responsibility to decide Barry's fate. Wyatt and Joaquin were the leaders. But in the last several days, they had ceded some of that load to Cristían. He couldn't—he wouldn't—ignore that honor and the responsibility that went with it.
“Why do you suppose Frieda attacked Lupe?” Jeremy asked.
“Because she hated me.” Sprawled in the backseat, seat belt twisted around her hips, Lupe flexed her claws in the sunlight.
“Her clan
agreed to an autopsy,” Cristían said. “A team will be harvesting her organs for full evaluation, but it might be that the virus had taken too much of a toll to return her to normal.” That would make sense, make it easier for her people to accept.
“Do you suppose Barry somehow contracted the virus from them?” Jeremy drummed his fingers on the armrest.
“That would explain a lot.” Cristían wished it could be that way. It would save them all so much heartache. He had a feeling… No, he knew the source of Barry's hatred.
Skinwalker.
Cristían's newfound ability would only seat the belief more fully in his mind. Barry would kill them all, rather than see that menace unleashed on the world again. His life's mission had been focused on ferreting out that entity. With the last two eliminated the year before, the reason for Barry's existence, his sole purpose in life, had also died. He saw monsters where none existed, just like the mountain lion clan had in the past. Barry would see the jaguars sequestered from the world, fearing any outsider. How long before they ate the infected rat? Before they all went insane?
Kill or be killed.
Cristían didn't want it to come to that point, didn't want to have to put a bullet through Barry's head, didn't want to lose another clansman, even one who drove him up the wall. But to save the others?
You created a monster. Only you can fix this.
His fault. His actions. His experiments that helped push Barry over the edge.
“Hey…” Jeremy tapped the console between them. “I hate to nag, but you're pushing eighty-five, and we're heading up the mountain. We're cats, not birds.”
Cristían snickered. “Sorry, distracted.” He glanced in the rearview mirror. “Love, we'll be there in about five minutes. Now would be a good time to shift.”
Lupe swung her feet to the floor and unlatched her seat belt. “I understand the need to take Barry by surprise, but I really don't like lying to Carmen and Trina. Joaquin said Carmen cried when she heard I was no longer human.”
“They'll understand when they hear why we kept the truth from them, sweetheart.” Jeremy reached around and rubbed her knee. “It's more important to out Barry and protect Cristían. You are the only one who can take him by surprise. You'll guard Cristían well.”
“What if I can't change back to human again?” She gripped his hand. “I'm afraid.”
“Me too.” Jeremy squeezed her fingers. “I know you can do it, though.”
“How do you know? How can you be sure?” Unshed tears glistened in her sage green eyes.
Cristían caught her gaze in the mirror. “Because we wish it, my queen.”
She eased away at the declaration, chin high, eyes clear, resolve etched on her fine features. A shimmer surrounded her. It dissipated with the sound of tiny chimes in the wind, and Lupe was a cat once more. With a trilled brrrow, she hopped into Jeremy's lap.
Housing tracts gave way to more elusive homes as Cristían followed Joaquin and Wyatt up the mountain. Soon even those dwindled to nothing. Wildfires had scarred the land. Few trees survived. Hints of green peeked through the black ash. Cristían didn't think the stench would ever go away. The lack of foliage made the house at the top of the mountain stick out. They were lucky it had been spared destruction, but they'd also been smart and cleared a one-hundred-foot safety zone around the place.
The rectangular house hugged the land. The sloping tile roof provided deep shading all around the porch. Thick walls kept the climate inside perfect year-round. Rooms for every clan member, common rooms too. Here, they could explore the night in jaguar form without fear. Stretch, chase, mate, and hunt. The fires had taken that all away. Time would bring it all back. Time healed everything in nature or helped rewrite it.
A chill raced down Cristían's spine.
“How in the world is Steven's team going to hide here, when there's nothing to hide behind?” Jeremy asked.
“They're familiar with the area, remember?” Cristían waved his hand to the right. “They have property several miles in that direction. It's how we initially crossed paths. They know what they need to do.”
He turned left onto the winding asphalt drive and waited while Joaquin pushed the privacy gate open. Posted signs declared NO TRESPASSING, PRIVATE PROPERTY, VIOLATORS WILL BE PROSECUTED. What the signs didn't say was there had been a time or two the jaguars had toyed with trespassers before allowing them to “escape” in fear for their lives. Ah…the good ole days. He smiled to himself as they drove through, then hopped out to secure the gate once more.
By now those inside would have heard the ding-ding-ding indicating someone had come through the gate. Morning sunlight glinted off glass when a door ahead opened. Cristían hoped it wasn't Barry with a rifle trained on them. A few seconds later, he saw Trina's white hair and protruding stomach. She lifted a wave their way.
“God, she's huge,” Jeremy said. “Shouldn't she be in bed?”
“She wouldn't do anything to jeopardize those babies.” Cristían laughed lightly. “I'm sure she's allowed to stretch her legs a bit. She's probably been worried.” Trina's blue eyes tracked Wyatt's SUV. Cristían swore he saw her heave a sigh of relief. Wyatt parked and exited the vehicle in one motion. He strode toward her, arms wide, then drew her as close as the babies inside her allowed, and walked her back inside.
“I wish he'd get back in the vehicle and get her away from here,” Jeremy muttered.
“Let's just get this over quickly and safely.” Carmen and Trina had been whisked to safety with little word about why. He knew they'd been worried sick. Then to hear a cleaned-up version of events from their husbands late last night… Well, neither woman was stupid. They had to realize there was more to the story.
Joaquin waited for as long as it took Cristían to park, then marched inside to his wife and children. He and Wyatt had one job in all this—make sure Carmen, the babies, and Trina were safe. Now would be a good time for some of those premature contractions Trina had been having. It'd be the perfect excuse to at least get her out of the house.
Lupe hopped to the ground and trotted ahead of them. She waited, tail flicking, at the door. Cristían wrapped his fingers around the handle and sent his feelers out, trying to judge the atmosphere within. He heard the babies giggling and prayed that was a good sign. Tension crackled from the room the instant he opened the door.
Trina now lay propped on the light brown pillowed sofa. Her feet rested in Wyatt's lap. Neither spoke that Cristían could hear. He was beginning to wonder if they'd found a way to communicate privately. If so, he'd love to have the secret.
The babies—Rose and Kara—were on a blanket before them, their indulgent parents hovering over them. Cristían loved the joy on Carmen's and Joaquin's faces when they played with the girls. How could anyone not smile at those unrestrained giggles? Lupe tumbled into their midst, and the girls howled with laughter at her antics. She indulged them and chased her tail.
“Oh, my friend, you always know just want to do.” Trina rubbed her belly.
“You would have made a wonderful mother.” Carmen pressed her fingers against quivering lips and closed her eyes. Joaquin wrapped a hug around her and kissed her temple.
Lupe jumped up and twined her body around the couple; then she hopped up next to Trina and rubbed her cheek over Trina's belly. Purrs filled the air, scattering the tension.
It returned with Barry and a tray of coffee mugs he carried. Heavy bags drooped under his red-rimmed eyes. Still, he managed a smirk for Lupe.
“Hello, puss.” He set the tray on the low table.
Lupe glared at him and growled. Cristían didn't need a secret language to know what she was saying: let's get this over with and defeat the bastard. He couldn't agree more. Then the girls laughed, and a look passed over Barry's face that was filled with so much love…
Cristían sank into the depths of the nearest chair. Lupe was by his side in a flash. Jeremy stood behind the sofa. The girls were near their parents. Everyone guarded as much as poss
ible. Violence and anger had created the situation. Cristían realized patience, understanding, and time were the only things that would heal it.
“I'm sorry, Barry.”
Surprise widened Barry's eyes; suspicion narrowed them once more.
“I'm sorry that I didn't consider your fears, your concerns, your dedication to the clan. I'm sorry that I put you in a situation where you felt you had no choice but to kill me. That was my fault. However, in your quest to save us all, your actions created the accident and changes you fought so hard to prevent.”
“What?” Barry choked on the word.
“When you activated the transmission to the microchip, it generated a small electric surge. The static arced, causing the explosion, and created what Jeremy, Lupe, and I now are. If you hadn't interfered, it never would have happened. Our experiments were failures until that spark of life. Do you care that good came of it?”
Barry stared, slack-jawed.
Cristían stroked his hand down Lupe's back, calming her rage, strengthening his resolve to handle this without conflict. “I don't understand why you felt the need to hunt me down in the dark of night, hiding in the bushes. I'm disappointed things had gotten to the point you no longer considered me jaguar enough to meet face-to-face. When did you realize it wasn't me you shot?”
His wild gaze flashed over Cristían's body.
“Ah, you didn't know.” He nodded. “You shot Steven Bernard. But again, due to that, we were able to isolate and destroy a virus that had been plaguing the mountain lions. Wyatt and Joaquin are working with Steven now to integrate their people into our institute.”
The news sagged Barry's shoulders. He looked beaten. Or to quote Lupe, defeated.
“Your motives were pure, misguided but pure. Your methods…” Cristían slowly shook his head. “You've been an asset to this clan forever, and now…”
Into the Heart 3: Into the Wild Page 19
