by Multiple
Ian’s ribs expanded against her chest as his nose nuzzled her scalp. He was trying to scent the attacker from last night.
“Ian, stop. It’s been hours since the attack.” She held him close even as she acknowledged her lie. Scents lingered and Weres could smell anything.
She pulled back and looked into Ian’s face.
“I’m serious. I was really worried about you.” Ian placed her back on her feet and ran his hands over her arms as if reassuring himself she was okay.
“I told you last night, I’m fine. I had a nightmare about high school again. I just wish I could remember what happened that night. It’s still all such a blur.” Ivy shook her head as if trying to clear away the muddled cobwebs of the nightmare.
“The details don’t matter. It was a long time ago. What I want to know about is your change last night.”
“Don’t you ever sleep?” She quickly changed the subject as she stepped away from him.
Now that Ian was here, she did not want to talk about last night. Bringing it up made the nausea rise up inside her stomach again.
This was the last thing she wanted to talk about. A flash of Chad Davids’ mangled body came into her mind. The memory of being coated in cold, wet blood brought a shiver of icy fingers up her spine.
Ian’s eyes narrowed on her making her feel like she was under a microscope. He hid the scrutiny under a smile, and it was gone before she could be sure she’d seen it.
“I’ll sleep when I’m dead, Iv, now get dressed.” He laughed. “I’m takin’ you to breakfast.”
Ivy sized him up through narrowed eyes. Ian’s smile stretched wide across his cheeks showing neat rows of white teeth. His hair was tousled like he’d run his fingers through it instead of a comb. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed, and his shirt was a little rumpled. He was in an amazingly good mood for seven in the morning. Even for him, five hours was not a lot of sleep.
A tug of intuition inside her gut made her shoulders stiffen and told her he was up to something. Her bond to her twin was strong, and that tug had never steered her wrong. Ivy had learned early to be leery of him when he was like this. When they were kids, that tug of intuition would have been the first sign they were going to get into trouble soon.
She arched her eyebrow at him and planted her hands on her hips.
“You don’t fool me, Ian Landry. So whatever you’re planning, just forget it. I want no part of it.” Ivy shook a finger at him. “I swear if this gets me in some sort of trouble, I will never let you hear the end of it. However, I do want breakfast, so give me a minute to change.” She backed toward the stairs still keeping an eye on him.
He raised his blond eyebrows and grinned that sly lady-killer grin of his, dimples proudly on display. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. My intentions are breakfast only. I swear.” He held his hand over his heart.
“Whatever.” She snorted and started for the shower. Since Ian interrupted her sleep, he could freaking wait.
Ivy started the shower and stepped in. A strong coppery scent filled the humid air.
Her gaze locked on her fingernails as the dried blood from last night turned from crusted black to a mud red. Ivy’s fingers trembled and when she grabbed the soap she almost dropped it. Her eyes stung with unshed tears and that familiar constriction inside her chest,—a sure sign of a panic attack— returned to her. Ivy scrubbed the soap over her nails causing a thick lather to form until all she smelled was the lavender calm of the soap.
The blood was gone, but the emotions stayed planted inside her body. Her chest had yet to loosen and the panic sunk clawed fingers right into her heart. It clenched down causing a wave of nausea to roll through her. Ivy held back a gag as the nausea overcame her. She sobbed and dropped into the corner of the cool tiled shower as the hot water beat over her numb body. Steam surrounded her, filling her lungs with every sob, but she was so wrapped up in her panic attack that she didn’t feel any of it.
With the soap still in hand, she scrubbed her arms as hard as she could trying to cleanse away the invisible dirt she was convinced still coated her skin. Ivy’s skin practically crawled at the thought of what she’d almost done last night. She was sure the filth of those killer instincts had tainted her body.
~~~
The strawberry waffles and whipped cream were divine and reminded her that it was summer on the coast. Mom used to make waffles with the strawberries that had ripened in the garden when she and Ian were kids.
Ivy sighed and reached for her drink. Pleasant memories of her youth momentarily drowned out the dark images from last night.
She glanced at Ian as he shoveled the last of his scrambled eggs into his mouth. He ate as if this was the first meal he’d seen in months. But all Weres had a metabolism that burned hot, it was part of their nature and the cat knew what it needed.
He cut into his steak. “So you’re coming with me to the club tomorrow night, right?”
“Yeah.” She looked up from her waffles.
Here it comes.
“I’ve got this guy I want you to meet. Now I know what you’re thinking, but he’s cool, I swear.” Ian stared deep into her eyes almost like he willed her to accept what he was saying.
Ivy’s ire bubbled up inside her making her heart pound, but she placed a tight hold on it to keep it in check.
“He’s got a job and he’s like us. You’ll like him and he wants to meet you.” He took a huge bite of his rare steak, no doubt so he could use it as an excuse not to talk.
“No,” Ivy replied slowly holding onto her irritation. Ian had been trying to set her up since high school, or rather since a few months after the night of that awful date. Her brother’s choice of dates for her had grown steadily worse until she refused to go anywhere with Ian.
She had made him promise to stop setting her up with every eligible male he met. Dating rituals be damned, because the males that had taken her out had obviously never even seen the rules. “Make the female feel needed and wanted” was not something any of the egotistical males she’d met seemed to understand.
“What do you mean, no?” He looked at her with innocent eyes.
“I mean no, Ian. You promised me you wouldn’t do this any more.” Ivy shook her head and placed her fork on her plate. She stared at him with narrowed eyes. Ivy so did not want to go there with Ian right now. She had been wavering on a thin emotional line of disaster most of the morning and this was not helping her unstable mood. “I’m not looking for a male, Ian, and, no offense, but you don’t have the best taste.” Her brain filed through past images of some of her more slimy suitors.
“Come on, Iv. This is the last one, I swear. If you don’t like him, I’ll leave you alone.”
“I swear, Ian, if this guy is some kind of freak, you’re toast.” She still wasn’t sure she even wanted to hear this. She mulled over the possibilities inside her head. A male near the mating moon? Was she willing to allow herself that kind of indulgence? And after last night, could she trust herself around a male? He was a Were, though, so he could hold his own, right? A warm sensation crept into her chest when she thought about finding a possible mate. Deep down where she didn’t want to admit it to anyone, not even herself, she had always wanted to find a mate.
“So, tell me about him.” She dropped her shoulders. Her anger had ebbed, and she now had a hollow hole in her heart that ached of loneliness. All this talk of mates made her realize how much she had missed over the years.
“His name is Edge, and”
“Edge?” she interrupted. “His name is Edge? Oh, come on, Ian.” She groaned and rolled her eyes. “Why not Razor or Spike? Edge?” She laughed at the idea of a guy who actually called himself Edge. “Let me guess, he’s six-foot-three with dark hair to his shoulders and he wears a black leather jacket. Oh, wait, does he ride a motorcycle?” Ivy rolled her eyes even as she nervously twisted the napkin in her lap into knots.
“Not funny, Ivy.
And no, he’s six-foot-four.” Amusement danced in his eyes.
Tea went down the wrong pipe, cutting off Ivy’s breath, and she choked. As she coughed, Ian chuckled.
“Seriously, he’s cool. You’ll like him. I know it.” Ian’s hands rested on the table.
“How’d you meet him?” Ivy dabbed at her lips with her napkin.
“At The Haven. He’s fast, Iv, beat me on both two legs and four. He works there training the younger males to help them learn how to control the change and their tiger forms.” Ian picked up his silverware and cut off another chunk of steak. “He helps them channel all that energy, teaches them to be happy with who they are. He’s all about our culture and helping the young ease into life. He’s amazing with some of those kids.” Ian picked up his glass and took a long swallow of his drink, giving Ivy a minute to think over what he’d said so far.
The Haven was a training facility and community center as well as a support system for Were-cats all rolled into one. Most Weres were all about family and the close-knit relationships inside the pack. They liked to make sure strong bonds were formed early with the young, and control was taught to avoid unfortunate mistakeslike accidentally killing a human.
She set her jaw so hard she thought her teeth would crack. Ivy was annoyed at this whole conversation since it hit too close to raw memories for comfort. Even beyond that, she was annoyed that Ian still felt compelled to protect her.
“What?” Ian spread his hands out on the table.
“You know it wasn’t your fault, Ian. Even if you’d been there…” She couldn’t force her words out.
“I know.” He reached across the table to squeeze her hand. “But you’re my sister and I should have been there that night. Hell, I should have been there last night. We can’t afford for you to be going to places like that by yourself.” He ran his thumb over the back of her hand in soothing circles. She closed her eyes as the pain of that long ago night came to the forefront again making her head ache. She knew he was only trying to help, but all this talk just made her hurt all over again.
“We moved away from the pack. I’m safer here than I was there.”
“I wish you’d stop trying to be so independent all the time. You need a male, Ivy. Someone who can protect you and love you.”
Ivy sighed and knew she would never change his mind. Her jaw clenched and her temples throbbed with anger that he thought she couldn’t take care of herself.
“I’m a big girl, Ian. I can handle myself.”
“But, it’s not you I’m worried about, it’s those humans. Dad told us never to trust them and look what happened last night.” His voice was stern as he tried to be her big brother. It seemed as though his protectiveness could physically chafe her skin. She jerked her hand from his grip.
“I do not need a male. I don’t want a male.” Lies, all lies. The ache in her heart told her she knew differently, but maybe if she could convince him she could convince herself, too.
“Stop with the attitude, there’s no weakness in wanting someone in your life.”
“And you would know,” she sniped at him.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” A shocked expression raised his eyebrows, and his mouth gaped for a second.
“Your bedroom door revolves, Ian, but I’m sure you’re just looking for a mate.” She crossed her arms over her chest while she glared at him.
“Ivy Landry, now you’re just being hateful. I’m a male, you know what our culture dictates for us. So, yeah, I’ve had a lot of girlfriends, but no more than any other male.”
She snorted. Ian had enough girls for ten males. Not to mention, he was wilder than most males, too.
Ian narrowed his gaze. “I warn you, Ivy. Tread lightly.” He growled between gritted teeth.
Ivy ignored his threat. She wasn’t afraid of her own twin, and she definitely wouldn’t let him cheat her out of her anger.
“I don’t need some male dictating my life, telling me what to do and when.” She slammed her hand down on the table making the glasses rattle. “I will not be like mom, simply complacent to stay at home and raise her young.” Now she growled at him in a tone so low only he could hear it.
“I will not lie down and die the second a male takes an interest in me.” Her hand fisted on the table and her face and eyes burned with her anger and frustration.
He reached for her hand and she turned her head so he wouldn’t see the tears and anger in her eyes. “I just hate seeing you like this. I want you to be happy.”
She would never make him understand how she felt, how unwanted and insignificant. All those males and all the wasted time and energy dating them. Trying in vein to get to know a male for them all to just end up jerks who only wanted sex. That along with the memories of Chad Davids had eaten at her until her body seemed to be chilled from the inside out, and a constant ache had developed inside her chest. She had no prospects, so how could he expect her to be open to mating? The whole thing made her stomach hurt. She would have to trust a male before she mated with him and she wasn’t sure she could do that.
Ivy pushed her half eaten waffles away from her. Suddenly she wasn’t hungry.
“Do you know how many times I’ve been rejected? Made fun of by my own kind because of how tiny I am compared to most females?” Ivy dropped her gaze to her plate rather than see the look of pity in his eyes. “I know I’m small, but damn it, no one has even shown interest in me in years. It’s like they all know what happened with Chad.” Ivy stood barely five-foot-two inches tall. For a Were, that was tiny, especially considering the average male was a good six-two, which always left her feeling like the runt.
He lifted her chin and she stiffened as she met his gaze.
“They’re fools, Iv. I promise you, you’ll like this guy. Please try one more time. If not for yourself, then for me.” He reached over and gently wiped the tears off her face with his thumb.
Ivy wanted to argue with him, to tell him about all the emotions screaming inside her head. She wasn’t worthy and didn’t deserve a mate after taking a life. She was destined to ache and have a hollow place in her heart forever. To be always alone. And yet, she knew it would be useless to argue or make an even bigger scene inside the diner, so she gave up and gave in.
“Fine.” She sighed.
After they finished eating, he dropped her back at her condo.
“I’ll be by about eight, be ready, okay?”
“Thanks for breakfast.” She gave him a quick hug.
When he left, she locked up the house and turned on her alarm. Taking out the yellow pages she looked up several locksmiths and made some calls. Thankfully, it was Friday and was easy to get someone out. She worried about her missing house key. What if it fell into the wrong hands?
In the bright light of the morning, this seemed like a bigger concern than it had last night, when she had been just happy to be home and safe.
Three hours later, both her front and back door locks had been replaced, which restored some of her sense of safety.
As she wrote out the check, the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Icy fingers caressed her skin making her shiver. When nothing seemed out of place, she pushed her unease away. She ripped the check out of her book and walked to the door. As she handed the locksmith his payment, he handed her the keys and the feeling of being watched burned along her skin like a troop of fire ant bites.
The feeling reminded her of how she’d had the same sensation last night before the attacker’s arms had snaked around her waist. As she stood in her entryway, Ivy realized she remembered a new detail of the attacker last night. Her attacker was a security guard at the concert. She had bumped into him at some point in the evening, which also explained why in tiger form she thought he was in a military uniform.
Her home phone rang startling her. She checked the caller ID, but didn’t recognize the number, so she let the machine answer the call. As she strolled into the kitchen she heard a very
irate voice talking over the speaker.
“Pick up the phone.”
Ivy stopped dead in her tracks from the deep voice that sliced cold terror through her belly. The voice was eerily familiar like a ghost from her past had tapped her on the shoulder. “I know you’re there.” The answering machine clicked off before he could continue.
The hair on the back of her neck prickled at the deep voice. Her gut twisted as fear clawed at her insides. He couldn’t know her phone number unless he had found her lanyard. She bit her lip and wrapped her arms around herself as the possibilities spilled through her mind.
Ivy reached out to replay the message, but hesitated. She glanced at the security system to reassure herself that she was safe. Ivy pushed the button and listened to the voice again. Although the speaker was calm, the contrast between that and the urgency of the words made her feel cold inside. Memories from last night replayed inside her head. The voice didn’t sound like the same one that had yelled at her inside the alley last night.
Ivy shook her head. The call had to be a wrong number. She just needed to relax.
Ivy decided to go for a run, the physical exertion always made her feel better.
She headed to the training center, The Haven. They had an inside track, and she would be safe there.
Ivy pulled in the parking lot and looked around for any sign that she was being followed before she shut off the engine and exited the car. Ivy was being paranoid, but she didn’t care. If the attacker had found her, she didn’t know what to expect next.
There was no one near that she could see. The parking lot wasn’t very full, which was good, easier to see around the cars that way.
Ivy sprinted to the front entrance of The Haven and swiped her security card. As the lock disengaged, she pulled opened the door, and a hard hand closed over her shoulder.
Panic snaked through her and threatened to claw its way up her throat. Ivy hadn’t even heard footsteps of anyone approaching her. She glanced over her shoulder to find a man of about six-foot, with a blond crew cut. His eyes were so dark they were almost black and they narrowed on her as she stared at him. She recognized him as her attacker and tried to step away from the strong grip. “Get your hands off me.” She reached up to try and pry off his fingers that were digging into her bare shoulder.
