by Cathy Clamp
“Ah,” Rabi said over the transmitter. “I see our physician has brought the last party guest.”
When Amber shut off the ignition, she also turned off the transmitter and hid it in the ashtray. Then she got out, walked around the car, and opened Rachel’s door.
Had Amber not given her a warning, Rachel knew, she would feel pissed, terrified, and humiliated, so that’s what she had to smell like. As the short, delicate cat hauled her out of the front seat like a sack of animal feed, a memory flashed in her mind.
Bound and gagged, she’d been pulled out of the flower shop van and tossed to the dirt, right at the feet of a leering fat man who had pulled her head up by her braids and slapped the colored beads against her skull until she screamed against her gag. He’d laughed while one of the other men had kicked her in the stomach. She’d been terrified and furious, both with them and with herself for not watching her back.
By the time she hit the ground, all those feelings were back. “Our third competitor.” Amber’s voice was as cold as the predator she turned into. “She wasn’t as excited about competing as the others.”
Dalvin looked like he was ready to tear someone’s head off, but she shook her head as though she was trying to get the tape off, hoping he would understand that she was cooperating. She didn’t know if he got the message, but he calmed down and set his jaw.
When Amber reached for the corner of the tape, Rachel steeled herself. Nothing worse than duct tape coming off skin. Even worse than a bandage or cast. It felt like Amber was taking the flesh right off. Rachel let out a cry of pain that wasn’t faked.
“Motherfucking son of a bitch! What the hell is wrong with you?” Her genuine anger sold the whole performance. Larissa and Anica both looked at her with expressions of sympathy.
Perfect.
Rabi looked down on her, one eyebrow raised with an expression of disdain. “Rachel Washington, you are the Council’s champion. If you win the competition, you will be rewarded.”
She struggled against the bindings. Ruse or not, she hated being tied up. “Tie me up and drag me out here … yeah, I have a lot of confidence in the Council’s word! You promised to let me leave town a week ago. Then you said I had to stay. You promised you’d pay for college and then you yanked it back. Why the hell should I believe you now?
“What if I lose? Why should it be my fault if they’re simply better? Plus, they’re fighting for their family honor and land. They’re going to fight hard. Oh, and don’t bother to threaten me. Death is a damned sight better than my life now.”
All of that was true, so it wasn’t hard to get outrage into her voice and scent. Rabi regarded her for a moment the way a cat looks at a bug: interesting and possibly edible. Then he leapt down from the invisible throne in cat form. And what a cat he was! Jesus! He was like a cross between a tiger and a lion, with a massive yellow-and-white mane and golden orange fur.
He lifted one paw and she rose into the air. It felt freaky—not like flying at all—and she flopped around, trying to get her balance. He set her on her feet while she tried not to hyperventilate.
His voice deepened, became a growl. “Those who made past promises to you had no power to fulfill them. I do. Yes, these families fight for their existence, but they also fight for their freedom to live as they will. I offer the same to you. You will be free. To live where you choose, as you choose. No restrictions except protection of the secret of the Sazi.”
She took a breath, and the scent that wafted to her said he wasn’t kidding. This wasn’t part of the plan. “Wait. Seriously?” She looked to Amber for confirmation.
Amber seemed a little surprised too, but she shrugged. “What he says, goes. He speaks for the Council.” She gave him a short curtsy, bowing her head. “As you desire, Sahip.”
Rabi stared at Rachel, his eyes blazing with a yellow fire that began to spread to the rest of him. Even his black stripes began to glow with black fire. Damn! That was impressive.
“Omega? What say you? You would not be missed in this town, and your family of origin already believes you dead. You could go anywhere, do anything. The Council will pay for your relocation and education. Is a chance at freedom worth fighting for?”
Hell, yes!
“Okay, yeah. Sure.” She tried to keep some annoyance in her response, so it didn’t sound like he’d completely sold her. Rabi growled, low in his chest, and his chin dipped enough for her to see his freaking huge teeth. “I mean, um, as you wish, Sahip.”
The big cat’s head turned sharply; he fixed his gaze on Anica’s father. His long tail began to lash back and forth. “And you? Speak for your family, Alpha. Freedom or death?”
Zarko Petrovic straightened his shoulders. “I wish to be clear, Councilman, or Sahip, or whatever you wish to call yourself. I also do not fear death.” The growl from deep in Rabi’s chest started again and his tail moved even faster, cracking like a whip in the air. “For myself. But,” the Alpha conceded, “I am here for one reason. To give my family hope and freedom. Death will not give that, so I, and my sloth, will obey.”
The Kasun Alpha glowered and smelled so angry he could spit. “It seems I have little choice. Very well … Sahip.”
The councilman shifted again, regaining human form, though instead of the suit he had been wearing before, he now was dressed in long white robes and a head cloth, like Ahmad had been when Rachel first saw him. “Tomorrow each of you will train on the course. Tamir will train Anica. Larissa will be trained by Nathan Burrows, the schoolmaster of Luna Lake. And our new omega, the owl, will be trained by the Wolven agent, Dalvin Adway.”
Dalvin muttered a string of obscenities under his breath. Rabi regarded him calmly, one eyebrow raised. “We have already discussed this, Agent. Do you wish to lose another strip of hide? I’m happy to claw off as many feathers as it takes for you to remember your place. You are an owl. She is an owl.”
The dark-skinned young man let out a snort. “She already knows the course. She grew up here. What could I possibly train her to do?”
Rabi blinked. “Win, of course. She has lost every previous challenge. If she is to win, it is your job to ensure she can. If she fails, her mentor fails as well. I would suggest you read the original rules of the competition to see what happens then.”
Oh, holy Jesus! Rachel’s breath stilled when he said that. Not the present rules, but the original rules: the loser of the competition and the mentor were beaten bloody for failing. The rule had been intended to ensure that mentors made every effort to help the competitors.
Dalvin clamped his mouth shut and glowered silently. It was a good act. At least, she hoped it was an act.
* * *
Every muscle in his body was screaming from Councilman Kuric’s blast of magic. Where the hell had Kuric gotten that kind of power? It was just as well—Dalvin had to be pissed and worried and frustrated if the Kasuns were going to believe he was being forced into this. The magic helped with that.
“Please return to your residences. Omegas and trainers will have this evening to review maps of the course. They will report here tomorrow morning, promptly at eight o’clock, for training.”
Anica held up her hand. “Please, sir … am I to still room with Rachel? Or must I move now that she is rival?”
Rabi tipped his head, thinking, then raised his brows at Amber. “Your thoughts, Doctor?”
There was a pause before the healer spoke. Dalvin hoped that the bears would think she was taking time to think, not that she was acting as if she was thinking. “Let them room together. I don’t want to have to find new places to put people. In fact, since I bunked in the back of the Community Center last night, I’ll move in with Rachel too, to keep the peace.”
“I will stay with the Kasun family,” Rabi said. “Miss Sutton is already at the Petrovic residence. We will all be watching closely for additional attempts at sabotage.”
Dalvin looked at the sky. There were probably two hours until sunset. He bowed his head and spoke
, looking at the ground. “Councilman … Sahip Kuric. First, I apologize for however I have failed the Council. It was never my intent to do anything but my best job.”
There was a long pause. Dalvin risked a glance up. Kuric was expressionless. He had no emotional scent at all—either he wasn’t feeling anything in particular, or he was wearing the Wolven cologne.
“Go on,” the councilman said.
“You have mentioned that the competitors would all have a day to train, and that seems fair. But shouldn’t the entire group walk the course now, together, so we can agree on what it’s supposed to look like? Unless guards are posted the entire length of the course, there’s no way to ensure it won’t be altered tonight in a way that benefits a single competitor.”
Mustafa clapped him on the shoulder and smiled broadly. “This, I like. We were promised to see the course today, before training.”
The councilman looked at the doctor, who shrugged. “It seems fair. If we all go, there will be no question about whether something is different. It would take too many people colluding.”
“Guys,” Rachel said from her awkward position, hands still bound behind her back. Dalvin’s temper flared again. What the hell were they thinking, treating her like a prisoner? “I’m the only Luna Lake resident here and I’ve never run the cat course. I might not recognize changes, if it’s already been altered. Maybe you ought to bring in one of the cat omegas to take a look.” She paused and let out a frustrated breath. “Damn, the cat who ran it most recently is a recovering rogue.”
“Rogues do not recover,” Iva Kasun said, her face full of disbelief. “They go insane, they die. Or are put down.” Draga Petrovic let out a sharp gasp and put her hand to her mouth while her husband growled, but Iva didn’t take it back. She just shrugged. “Is true.”
Amber crossed her arms over her chest. “Actually, this one is recovering. Her imbalance was caused by a third party. Now that he’s dead, she’s getting better. But she’s not completely well yet, and I don’t want her to be around as many negative emotions as there are in this group. Is there no one else?”
Rachel didn’t seem very confident. “Maybe Ray Vasquez, but I’m not sure. Originally, everyone in town competed every month, and he’s older than me, so he might have run the course. That was years ago, but I don’t think the route has changed much since then.”
Kuric nodded with curt precision and pointed at Dalvin. “You’ve met him. Find him. Bring him here. We will wait.”
Judging from Kuric’s expression, he wouldn’t take any excuses well … and realistically, Vasquez should be somewhere near the police station. Kuric waved one hand, adding, “You may take the vehicle if you choose not to shift and fly.”
“It’ll be easier to bring him back here if I drive.”
Kuric tipped his head in acknowledgment. “We will wait, but our patience is thin.”
In other words, don’t take the scenic route. Fortunately, it wasn’t a long drive back to town, and the police station was centrally located.
Inside the station, he found the Latino man alone, sitting behind a desk, typing on a desktop computer.
“Excuse me? Chief Vasquez?”
He kept typing and dipped his head. “Yeah. What can I do for you?”
“Rachel Washington suggested you might know the cats’ Ascension course well enough to give a tour to the delegates.”
Ray snorted and looked at Dalvin out of the corner of his eye. “You seem to be on everyone’s shit list this week, Agent. That why they sent you to ask?”
Dalvin let out a slow breath and shook his head. That wasn’t exactly how he wanted people to know him. “Seems like it this week.”
Ray shrugged and stood up, reaching forward to shake his hand. “Don’t worry. I’ve been there. Sometimes the shit list isn’t such a bad place to be. Keeps you out of the spotlight, where people notice you.”
“Is there a reason why not being noticed would be good right now?” the owl shifter asked carefully.
The older man pursed his lips, leaning against the edge of his desk. “Word around town is someone doesn’t want peace.”
Dalvin jerked his thumb sideways in the direction of the Williams house. “Yeah, we found that one. Got him locked up.”
The cat shifter made a small movement of his tan face that Dalvin recognized as maybe yes, maybe no. “Seems kind of obvious, doesn’t it? Attacking hikers right out in the open for no reason, with a Wolven agent conveniently nearby to see? I’ve sort of learned not to trust the obvious.”
That had occurred to Dalvin too, but there had been too much going on for him to really think about it. “Have you told anyone about your suspicion?”
Ray smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “I was told my duties when that Russian bear arrived.” He held up his fingers and made air quotes. “‘Stay out of our way, keep the citizens out of our way, and keep your mouth shut.’” He snorted. “That was fine with me. Figure it out on your own if you’re all so damned smart.”
Dalvin put a hand over his face. Tamir, you idiot! “Look, Chief, I apologize for my boss. He can be a … well”—this was no time for tact—“a dick sometimes.”
“Yes, he can. So, why should I help you?”
“I guess my best answer is you’d really be helping three young women who are between a rock and a hard place, and one of them is Rachel Washington.”
That got him a sigh. “That poor kid. She can never catch a break. Her, I’ll help.” He reached for his hat. “Let’s get going. You can tell me what they want on the way.”
Once they were in the car and on the move, Dalvin said, “Short version: Three omegas are going to run on Luna Lake’s obstacle course, to settle all their disputes. The omegas from the visiting sloths, and Rachel. They’re going to use the cat course.”
“Well, the Ascension course has solved a lot of disputes. But how did Rachel get involved? She kin to someone?”
“No. Another long story that doesn’t matter right now. What matters is that everyone wants to walk the course before we train tomorrow so nothing hinky happens overnight, and we don’t know what it’s supposed to look like already.”
They turned past the diner and Ray had to reach for his hat to keep it from dumping onto the floor. “Cat course, huh? Yeah, I’ve run it. Hell, I helped set it up. But it won’t work. Not for two bears and an owl.”
Dalvin twisted his head so fast that he nearly drove off the road. “But that was the course Rachel recommended. She said there wasn’t a bear course.”
The other man nodded. “She’s right about that. Never had many bears in town, and all of them were alphic. Only Nathan’s left now. No bear course because there wasn’t anyone to run it. We talked about a bear course early on but never could settle on a route. What would challenge a bear isn’t the same as other species. They’re unique.”
Huh. “How so?”
“Well, they can climb, but they don’t hunt that way. They tend to crawl over obstacles instead of jumping over them. They can dig for grubs and such, but they’d rather eat things that are already out in the open and easy to get, like berries and bugs. They’d fish all day if given the option, and they’re sort of casual in how they hunt.
“Plus, we’re talking about omegas. Their animal instincts will be greater than their human ones on the full moon. You can get them to race, all right, but you sort of have to goad them along and play to their instincts to keep them on track. Alphas have their minds, so it’s easy. Omegas … not so much.”
Crap. Everything Ray was saying made absolute sense. “So why not use the cat course, then?”
“It’s nowhere near water, for one. Tigers like water and I’m okay with swimming in animal form, but cougars and lions don’t do as well. Unless they’re thirsty, if they even smell water, they go the other way. So for the bears, you’d have to drastically change the route to get to the lake.
“Plus you have to find some way to keep them on course. Omegas will frankly get bored and w
ill just wander off unless you shock them or something. It’s sort of mean to do the challenge that way. No, you need to keep them interested or you’ll be sitting there a long damned time waiting for someone to finish.” He shook his head. “Lucky Rachel. She’ll win without even trying.”
“Really? That would be great!” The Council really wanted her to win. “But it seemed like there were a lot of trees to fly through.”
“At first, sure. The route starts in the trees and then goes to flatland, to make the cats run over rocks and such. The main part of the course is at the edge of the mountain, so there’s a lot of jumping involved. We use deer urine to keep the cats running. Rachel won’t face any serious obstacles. It should be straight sailing to the finish line after the first quarter mile.”
“Would there be a reason why she’d suggest that course?”
Ray nodded. “It really is the closest fit, if it was just bears. The bird element is what throws it off.”
“So what would you suggest? I remember seeing a multispecies course. Would that be better?” Dalvin pulled over and stopped the car. He wanted to get a better handle on things before delivering Ray to the Council, so he’d know what questions to ask the older cat once they were there.
Ray actually laughed at that. “For bears? Lord, no. We race wolves against cats on that. Sometimes birds too. Works fine because they all sort of hunt the same prey animals. Small deer, rabbits, squirrels—we vary them depending on who’s running.
“Bears don’t. I mean they will if it’s convenient or if the prey is newborn, but that creeps out the human side once they remember the night.” He shook his head again. “They’re omegas. Animal brains with the occasional flash of humanity, unless their alphas are going to be in their heads. And if so, then what’s the point of the race?”
Dalvin leaned back in his seat and rubbed his eyes with his palms. “Damn it. So, how do we race them?”
