“You really aren’t in the position to do word battles with me.”
“Why am I still here?”
He frowned. “Because this is where I want you to be.”
“No, that’s not what I mean. Why am I still alive? You took all your blood and skin samples, presumably to get my DNA.” She walked over and sat down on the cot, folding her arms tightly across her abdomen. “You made sure that I knew your sick experiments were successful. So, why am I still here?”
“You’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg as far as my experiments go. We have so much more we’re trying to accomplish, and you’re going to be a major contributor to our success.” He walked over to stand at the foot of her cot. “We’re starting phase two of my work, and I’m going to need your cooperation again to move forward.”
She let go with a very unladylike snort. “When have I ever cooperated? You’ve always just knocked my ass out and did whatever you wanted while I was unconscious.”
Nathaniel smiled. “This time has to be different. The doctors say that the sedatives we’re using have tainted some of the test results and will definitely be detrimental to what we have planned next. You’re going to have to be awake and cooperative now.” Nathan frowned when she threw back her head and laughed. The sound was almost maniacal. “Look, Miss Wind River, we—” He pulled his cell phone from his pocket when it vibrated and looked at the screen. He felt a rush of excitement when he saw Quentin Farrell’s name. He quickly accepted the call. “Do you have her?”
“I’m sorry, sir. The mission was not a success.”
“What happened?”
“The plan involved taking her from the opening of that new club of her in-laws.”
“That was pretty stupid. I hope to hell it wasn’t your plan.” He sighed and rubbed two fingers up and down the skin between his eyes. “So, what went wrong?”
Quentin barked out a short laugh. “Everything! They had gotten in earlier and set up some surveillance so it would be easier to decide when to take her out.”
“Sounds like a reasonable plan.”
“Yeah, it should have worked. The guys figured they would have to take out one, maybe two of the pack at most, and they said they were prepared for that.”
“How many showed up to save the little princess?”
Quentin laughed again. “Only one lone female.”
“You’re telling me that your men could not overcome one female shifter to bring me the healer.”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you. I sent three men in on what should have been a full-proof plan. Two men entered at the back kitchen door after their surveillance showed their cook having a close encounter with a butcher knife. They were pretty sure they would bring the healer in to take care of him so they waited. They left one man outside to monitor the parking lot, and another man was safely away watching the action through the hidden camera we left behind. He reported that the subject entered the kitchen accompanied by one female.” Quentin sighed heavily. “And here’s where things went south. Instead of using a tranquilizer, the idiots thought they could subdue the women and still achieve their objective. One wrestled with the target while the other took on the small female. Unfortunately for him, she turned into a small wolf, and he could not get to the syringe to knock her out. They were wrestling when several male members of the pack came bursting through the door. It was all over then. The men were subdued, and my man outside made himself scarce.”
“So we have nothing.”
“Not exactly nothing. They continued to monitor the cameras right up until the cops came and took my men away. The female shifter they tried to subdue has an abnormality.”
“What kind of abnormality?”
“She has two forms.”
“What are you talking about? Who is she?”
“Her name is Rennia Wind River, and she’s the only natural child of Ethan, Latan, and Kitania Wind River.”
“What do you mean by two forms?”
“Right before the police made an appearance, she morphed into a small house cat.”
“I’ll be damned.”
“Your inside person never said anything about this second form?”
“No, never. Makes me wonder just what else she hasn’t told me.”
“I’m gonna need to arrange the escape of my boys. I don’t think I trust them to keep their mouths shut. What do you want me to do about the target? It’s going to be doubly hard to get our hands on her after this botched attempt.”
“Forget her for the moment. I want you to concentrate on getting your hands on Miss Rennia Wind River. I’m anxious to take a look at her blood chemistry. Do you think it’s possible to get her off the mountain?”
“Nothing’s impossible. Just give me a few days to work things out myself. I don’t want to depend on anyone else making the plans this time.”
Take her to our facility just north of Wind River Canyon. It’s fairly secluded, and no one knows it’s there. You won’t have to be in the open with her for very long.”
“No problem, sir. I’ll personally oversee every aspect of the operation from now on.”
“See that you do. Call me when you have the target in hand.” Nathaniel severed the connection and looked at the pale girl staring at him from the cot.
“Problems in paradise?” she asked.
“Nothing that can’t be fixed.”
“I heard some of your conversation. You’ll never get your hands on Rennia. Her family is powerful, and they’ll move heaven and Earth to keep her safe.” She smiled at him. “It won’t be like taking me. I’m the misfit, the bad girl of the pack. Nobody will give a damn if I never come back. Hell, I doubt they even looked for more than a couple of days when I disappeared. You are not going to survive if Alpha Remus comes after you for taking one of his own.”
“Let me worry about Alpha Remus. Now, where were we?” Nathaniel rubbed under his chin. “Oh, yes. We were talking about your cooperation with the new procedures we need to carry out.”
She sighed. “What is it you need me to do?”
“We’re going to need some gynecological tissue, as well as some eggs to fertilize.”
The color drained from her face as her mouth dropped open. “You’ve got to be kidding me. There’s no way I’m going to calmly allow you to take bits and pieces from me.”
Nathaniel smiled as he turned toward the door. “Have it your way. We have two prepubescent girls here in this facility. It’s a little more difficult, but I think with the right combination of drugs I can bring on their maturity a little sooner.” He pulled open the door and stepped into the hall.
The woman sobbed. “Wait, I’ll do whatever you say if you’ll just leave the children alone.”
“A wise choice, Miss Wind River. I’ll tell the doctors that you’ve pledged your cooperation, and they’ll be in soon to give you an idea of the schedule for the next few days.” He glanced back and watched a single tear make its way down the sallow skin of her face. Everything is on schedule, Father. I’m going to make them pay for all the years you’ve been locked away.
* * * *
Ray picked up his folded underwear and slammed the dresser drawer shut. “I can’t believe I fell for this crap.” He stuffed his clothes in the suitcase he’d laid on the bed and moved to grab his shirts from the closet. “You’d think after all the times I’ve picked the wrong woman, I would have learned by now.” He laughed, the sound hollow in the small room, and then he sat down on the bed. “I wish I’d never learned about shifters.”
His sister had been in hiding after being injured in an undercover operation that went bad. One of the top New York crime bosses was searching for her to get a little payback for her killing his oldest son. To get a little leverage, they’d kidnapped Ray to draw her out.
He’d been tied to a chair in Kati’s Tennessee cabin when a stray cat had walked through the door. The damn thing had jumped into his lap and proceeded to rub all over his chest, the solid purr of th
e small body rather comforting. Ray had been pretty cool up until then. But things went south in a hurry. The cat disappeared for a few minutes and then came back with every hair standing on end. It had hissed and scratched at anyone moving toward Ray.
Then, the other animals had come. First a bear, then a coyote. It was like some kind of weird, personal zoo. When one of the men picked up a gun and aimed it toward Ray, the world as he knew it ended. The small cat began to convulse and change shape. In less than a minute the cat was gone and a small, brown wolf stood in its place.
Ray sighed and glanced at his reflection in the mirror above the chest. “Okay, I admit, I didn’t handle things well.” He snorted. “Hell, the damn thing scared the hell out of me. How was I supposed to know that growling wolf was a beautiful woman? Hell, how was I supposed to believe any of it was real? It was like some kind of science fiction nightmare that I kept expecting to wake up from. Now I’m just supposed to accept that the woman I was falling for turns into a cat, and sometimes a wolf, whenever she wants. I don’t think—”
He jumped when someone knocked loudly at the front door. Shaking his head, he turned back to his packing. A moment later the knock came again, followed by his sister’s loud voice.
“Damnation, Ray. Get off your ass and open this door. I’m not leaving until we talk. You can always go back to your pity party after we leave.”
Taking a deep breath and holding it, Ray clenched his jaw and walked into the living room. With a shake of his head, he threw open the door and glared at his only sister and one of her fiancés. “Whatever you have to say, save it. I’m not interested.”
Kati’s nostrils flared, the vein visibly pulsing in her temple as she pushed her way past her brother.
Ray looked at Synia and raised his brow. “You’ve come to chastise me, too?”
Synia chuckled. “More like I came to protect you.” He nodded at Kati. “You know her better than I do. She’s breathing fire right now. She’s got to unload all that anger on somebody, and she’s got her sights set on you.”
Ray turned to stare at Kati and sighed. “Can you just say what’s on your mind and get out? I’ve got to finish packing. I plan on being on the next plane out of this mixed-up zoo you’re planning on living in. I can’t wait to get back to civilization.”
“You think it’s gonna be that easy?”
He shrugged. “Damn right, it’s that easy. I get a taxi to the airport, buy a ticket, and I’m home around six hours later. What could be easier?”
“You’re just gonna run off without letting her explain anything?”
“What’s there to explain, Kati? She lied to me. I’ll grant you, it was a lie of omission, but it’s still a lie. She should have told me the truth about herself before things went too far.”
Kati smirked. “In other words, she should have told you about the animals she shares her soul with before you fucked her.”
“No need to be crude, little sister. I don’t happen to think it’s unreasonable to expect honesty from someone you’re becoming intimate with.”
“Are you saying if you knew her secret earlier you would have walked away?”
Ray took a deep breath and walked over to stare out the window. He didn’t know if he could answer that question. The pull he felt toward Rennia was stronger than he’d ever experienced before. Was that love? “I’m saying I should have been given a choice.”
“Ray, do you understand about mates?” asked Synia.
“I guess so. Kati says the three of you are mates.”
“Well, hang onto your ass, brother dear. You’re Rennia’s mate.”
“What the hell does that mean, exactly?”
Synia sighed. “Can we sit down and discuss this calmly? I’ll tell you everything you want to know and answer any questions you have.”
Ray motioned toward the couch. “Be my guest.”
Kati crossed her arms over her chest. “But I—”
Synia placed his hand over her mouth. “Let me handle this, please.”
Ray snickered when Kati obediently shut up and went to sit on the couch. “Never thought I’d see the day when anybody could control my sister.”
“I’m not trying to control her. I’m just asking her to give me a chance to explain before she says what’s on her mind.”
“That’s fair.” Ray sat down in the armchair facing the two on the couch. “So, tell me all about this mating business.”
“My people have fated mates.”
“Fated. What does that mean?” asked Ray.
“It means that fate provides at least one special mate for each of us. That mate is our perfect match in every way. They complement us, and we bring out the very best in each other.”
“And my sister is this fated mate to you and Kinnith?”
“Yes, she is.”
“How do you know when you meet this supposed fated person? For that matter, how do you know where to look for them?”
“Most species know their mate by scent. The minute we’re close enough to smell our mates, the animals within are awakened in a whole new way. They crave contact with their mate and will sometimes force a shift to complete the mating.”
“You said most species know by scent. How do the others know their mate?”
Synia shrugged. “It varies. In most cases, as with Kinnith, it’s necessary for them to be intimate with the person. Once they’ve been intimate, the animal within takes over and declares the mating. We had it easier because there are three of us in this mating. Kinnith and I were already mates before we met up with Kati. He knew before we were intimate, because I told him my wolf was claiming her.”
“Kinnith is some kind of bird, right?” asked Ray.
Kati nodded. “He’s a falcon.”
“Ray, you need to understand something. The shifter is not the only one that will experience the mate pull.”
“What’s a mate pull?”
“I can answer that,” Kati said. “The pull is this yearning inside you that you can’t explain, that drives you to be as close as possible to your mate. At first, you’ll think it’s infatuation and kind of go along for the ride. But, when normal interest usually wanes, this pull will get stronger and stronger. Their scent will permeate everything around until you could walk into a house and know if your mate was somewhere inside. It drives you to be close and to be intimate with your chosen one.” Kati looked down at her clasped hands. “It can be physically painful to be separated from them for long periods.”
“What does that mean? How is it painful?”
“It’s like an ache in your gut or even in your heart,” said Synia. “Your body will yearn for the presence of your mate, and nothing will take away the pain except their physical presence.”
Kati leaned forward with her elbows on her knees. “You should be feeling the pull now, but I guarantee it gets stronger as time goes by, and especially after your mate claims you.”
“You’re confusing the hell out of me. How do they claim you?”
“It’s different for different species. Rennia’s dominate animal is the wolf, and that’s who will be claiming you. It’s usually done during intimacy. At one point, she’ll use her canines and bite you where your neck meets your shoulder. It’s only painful for a second, and then it’s quite pleasurable. Plus, it leaves a permanent scar that identifies you as a mate to anyone in our world.”
“She hasn’t marked you yet, has she?” asked Kati.
Ray shook his head. “She didn’t bite me.”
“Think long and hard before you pack up and leave here, Ray. We only get one chance at a fated mate. If you walk away, Rennia will never get another chance. She might have other relationships, but they’ll never be fulfilling to her. She’ll always mourn your loss and possible even die young from the grief she’ll experience.”
Ray jumped to his feet. “You can’t lay that on me.”
Synia stood. “I’m not trying to guilt you, man. It’s just a fact. She’ll mourn your loss, an
d since you’ve already been intimate, I’d be willing to bet you’ll go through some type of grief process of your own. It may be very difficult for you to move forward with your life as if nothing happened.”
Ray looked at Synia for a moment. “Why does Rennia have two animals and the rest of you only one?”
“That’s not our story to tell,” said Synia. “If you ask her, Rennia will tell you anything you want to know.”
Kati walked over and hugged Ray, tightening her arms for a moment, and then pulled away. “Think this through carefully, please. Don’t throw away what could be the best thing that’s ever happened to you because of one little mistake that wasn’t even her fault.”
Ray frowned. “How was lying not her fault?”
“I advised her not to tell you who she was.”
He backed up a step. “Why the hell would you do that?”
“We’d already seen you pull away from her wolf in Tennessee. On top of that, you’ve been very vocal about your opinion of anything you considered supernatural. I thought if you could spend time with her, the mating pull would draw you in, and you’d be so besotted with her you wouldn’t freak out when you found out her secret.” Kati took a step closer and lowered her voice. “I know why you’re pulling away, Ray. And you’re wrong.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Enlighten me, sister dear. Why am I pulling away?”
“You think she’ll never need you for anything.”
Ray sucked in a breath and turned away. “Guess you know me pretty well.” He turned back to study his sister. “It’s true, though. I’ve seen what her wolf can do. She doesn’t need me for anything. I’ve always believed the husband was the one who took care of everything. He loved his family and protected them from life’s dangers. What could I possibly do for her that she can’t do for herself?”
Kati shook her head and went to stand by Synia, taking his hand into hers. “I can’t answer that. I don’t think anybody could, because every relationship is different. You won’t know how this relationship could work unless you stay and give her a chance. At least talk to her before you leave and let her explain her own reasons for going along with my suggestion. We’re gonna leave you alone now so you can think about everything we’ve said.” She turned toward the door and then stopped and glanced back over her shoulder. “I love you, Ray, and I only want you to be as happy as I am.”
Do You Take This Cat [Wind River Pack 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 12
