Christopher’s face appeared in the tent. He grinned. “Hey, there.”
He looked handsome as ever and Kat’s heart skipped a beat. Those midnight eyes and strong jaw...her heart skipped again. She returned his smile. “Hey.”
He entered the tent and looked around. “So, this is the harem tent, huh?”
She chuckled and pulled her hair into a ponytail. “Sure. Lovely little place isn’t it?”
He sat next to her, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down until they were lying next to each other. “You’re the loveliest of all, my Kat.” He kissed her cheek, then his lips moved down her jaw until he landed on the pulse at her neck.
She shivered, and her heart rate picked up. “Hey, you can’t be in the harem, you know. Not unless you’re a eunuch.”
He looked at her. “No eunuch here. That is a promise.” His mouth covered hers and, as he always did, left her breathless. When he pulled away, he grinned and leapt to his feet in a graceful move, then reached a hand down to her.
She let out a ragged breath, took his hand, and together they left the tent. Kat squinted at the bright sunlight that assaulted her. When her eyes adjusted, she looked around and noticed that hers was the last tent standing and her cheeks pinked.
“Why didn’t somebody wake me up?” She punched Christopher lightly, and ineffectively, in the ribs.
He chuckled. “Oh, believe me, I wanted to wake you up and leave you with a huge smile, too. But your uncle insisted we let you sleep. Besides, everyone else has only been up about an hour or two anyway. You didn’t miss anything.”
Kat caught her uncle’s eye and he waved, then made his way over to the pair.
“Did you get enough sleep, Kat?”
Kat rubbed her eyes and nodded. “I need a shower. Do you want me to help with anything first?”
Dimitri shook his head. “No. It’s all under control. Go ahead and shower. We’ll break down your tent.” He gestured to a low brick building about one hundred yards away. “Those are the showers. Take the shower bucket with you. Just grab your own toothbrush and you’ll be set.”
Kat screwed up her face. “Shower bucket?”
Dimitri pointed to a plain, tan bucket sitting on the picnic table near Oksana’s makeshift kitchen space. “Yes. It has all the toiletries you need inside it. Grab a clean towel from the stack next to the bucket.”
“This is one organized group,” Christopher murmured.
Kat looked up at him. “Did you shower?”
“Of course. But I’ll be happy to escort you.” He held up his right hand. “I’ll be a fantastic door guard and a fine gentleman.” There was a gleam of mischief in his eyes.
Kat smiled. “Let’s go.” She retrieved her toothbrush, hair brush, clean underwear, and elastic band from her bag along with the shower bucket and a towel. The two trekked to the showers and Christopher planted himself outside the door. He needn’t have bothered; the only other occupants were a pair of large RVs near the front of the campground that probably came equipped with marble-topped vanities in their own private bathrooms.
When Kat emerged twenty minutes later, she was scrubbed clean and her damp hair had been brushed back so that it hung over her shoulders and down her back.
Christopher looked her over and pulled her in close for a tender kiss, then gazed into her eyes. “You are so beautiful, Kat. Most women like to cover themselves with make-up, but they can’t achieve the beauty you have naturally, just as you are.”
Kat melted. He had called her a woman. She felt a fluttering in her belly.
Suddenly, there was a commotion and shouting at their campsite. Kat and Christopher looked at each other, then bolted toward the noise.
When they got there, there was a small huddle of her family about twenty yards away from the campsite. At the center of it, Rebecca intermittently screamed and shouted gibberish. Alexander had his arms wrapped around her in a struggle to contain her. She bucked and bounced in her attempt to break free.
“What’s going on? What did you do to her?” Kat yelled as she hurried toward her brother.
Alexander turned his panicked face toward his sister. “I...We tried...Ouch! No! Rebecca, calm down!” Rebecca had thrown her head back and crashed into Alexander’s temple.
Rebecca’s head thrashed from side to side and she broke free of Alexander momentarily, only to fall to the ground on her hands and knees. Alexander tackled her and wrapped his arms and legs around her. They rolled around on the ground while other family members, Anna included, tried to talk to her. Rebecca shrieked.
Kat froze, unable to comprehend the scene.
Christopher hurried forward, dropped to the ground, and worked to hold Rebecca’s head still between his palms. His eyes glowed, and he stared intently at her.
Rebecca’s back arched and she let out an agonized scream, then with a sharp intake of breath, she stiffened and went limp against Alexander.
Kat’s hands flew to her mouth. She hurried to where Rebecca lay unconscious on the ground.
“Is she dead?” she squeaked.
“No. She’s unconscious.” Christopher heaved himself up.
Alexander remained on the ground, lying next to Rebecca. He held her tight and buried his face in her neck. His chest heaved.
Kat blinked and glared at the group. “What happened to her?” Her gaze landed on Anna. “What did you do to her this time? Huh?”
Anna opened her mouth to answer, but Alexander spoke up first.
“It was me, Kat. I asked Anna to lift all her shifting from Rebecca. Now that we’re far enough away and she’s safe, I thought I could tell her everything. I thought that she’d be all right. I thought...” He glanced up. The pain in his eyes was raw. “I don’t know what happened. She just went berserk and freaked out.”
Anna clasped her hands together. “I’m so sorry. I don’t understand why she reacted this way.” She looked at her brother.
Christopher shook his head. “I don’t know why, either. I just told her she was very tired and needed to go to sleep. When she wakes up, she may have a similar reaction.”
Dimitri put his hands on his hips and dipped his head. “Well, we’ll deal with what we have to deal with. Let’s get her somewhere comfortable. Anna and Alexander, stay with her while the rest of us finish up here.” He rubbed his face. “Dinner is almost ready, then we’ll clean up, pack up, and hit the road.”
“What if she needs medical attention?” Kat asked.
“We have Claire.”
Kat’s jaw tightened. “She’s great, Robert, but she can’t do everything all by herself.”
Dimitri frowned at Rebecca. “I think her mind is protecting itself. This is too much to take in.” He looked first at Alexander, then he turned his gaze onto Anna. “She’s been shifted for a long time, and through a lot of things. Perhaps that’s too much for the brain to process at one time.”
Anna bit her lip and her brow creased as she stared at Rebecca. “I’m so sorry.”
Christopher walked over and put his arm around his sister’s shoulders.
“Where do you want us to put her?” Anastasia asked.
“How about the backseat of Dimitri’s car?” Granny offered as she stroked Stanley’s back. The little Chihuahua stared at the humans from the comfort of Granny’s arms. Sweetie watched sullenly from the tree she was attached to by a long cord. While the dog would stay close to Granny, Sweetie couldn’t be trusted not to roam the woods. “It’s roomy and very comfortable.”
“I’ll take her.” Alexander extricated himself from Rebecca, carefully lifted her into his arms, and cradled her head against his chest.
“I’ll get some blankets.” Mariya moved to retrieve some bedding.
While they settled Rebecca in Dimitri’s car, Kat sighed and walked over to where Oksana was stirring a large pot of stew on top of a camp stove.
“I hate this,” Kat grumbled.
Oksana kept stirring and didn’t look up. “She will be okay, Kat. E
verything will be okay.”
Kat stared into the stew. Her mouth watered. “How do you know that?”
Oksana stopped stirring and looked at Kat. “Why would it not be okay?”
Kat’s jaw dropped. “We’re on the run for our lives, Oksana. The authorities are most likely looking for us. Our house was blown up and there were bodies buried all over our property. My best friend’s brain may be broken. How in the world could anything ever be okay again?” Her eyes welled, and her vision blurred.
Oksana didn’t respond. Instead, she enveloped Kat in an embrace and murmured to her in Russian. Kat didn’t understand a word she said, but it sounded like a prayer. Kat rested her head on Oksana’s shoulder and let the soothing tone of Oksana’s voice wash over her.
“It will be okay,” Oksana repeated and patted Kat’s back. Then she released her. “Besides, I made a delicious stew and rice. You will feel better. Good food is good for the soul.”
Kat nodded, still sullen.
Once they ate, everyone hurried to pack up the rest of their things before they hit the road for another leg of their long journey. They still had several days of driving before they reached Idaho. Peter had their route meticulously mapped out to avoid large cities and picked campsites that were off the beaten path. Travelling at night allowed them to avoid most people.
The seating arrangements remained unchanged. Kat was dismayed that Rebecca hadn’t woken up by the time they were ready to leave. Before they left, Kat insisted on seeing her friend. Kat peered into the backseat. Rebecca’s head rested on Alexander’s lap and her eyes were closed, her breathing slow and even. The only evidence of what happened inside her mind was a slight pucker between her brows.
“What if she wakes up and freaks out while we’re on the road?”
Alexander looked at her with anguished eyes. “We’ll deal with it.”
Kat pursed her lips. “You shouldn’t have shifted her, Alexander.”
He returned his gaze to Rebecca and slowly shook his head. “I had no choice, Kat.”
Kat regarded her brother. In the end, there was no point in arguing. What was done was done. They had to move forward. She reached over and squeezed his arm. He offered her a sad smile and stroked Rebecca’s hair. With a heavy heart, Kat trudged to the car she shared with Christopher.
“Is Rebecca okay?”
Kat lifted her shoulders as she clicked her seatbelt in place. “Time will tell.”
“Are you okay?”
She looked at Christopher and shrugged.
Christopher stared at her for a moment, then turned the ignition over. They took up the rear of the convoy as they had the day before. The six vehicles slowly pulled out of the campground as the sun kissed the tops of the trees. They headed northwest on I-22 toward Memphis but would circumvent the city to connect with I-40 when they got close.
Kat leaned her head back and looked out her window at the landscape that buzzed by in watercolor shades of green and brown. They travelled in comfortable silence until the sun was half hidden behind the horizon.
“Kat?”
“Mm?”
“Tell me all about you. I want to know about your upbringing, your favorite toys, when you lost your first tooth, everything.”
“Really? Why now?”
Christopher rubbed her thigh. “We have a lot of unbroken alone time ahead of us, and I want it filled with all things Kat.”
She giggled. “What about all things Christopher? I’d like to know about you, too.”
He shook his head. “You first.”
Kat turned her torso toward him and tucked her leg under her. “Where should I start?”
“How about with your parents?” he suggested, unsure if he had trampled rather than treaded lightly.
“I don’t remember them very well, actually. I wish I did. Alexander remembers them better than I do. My memories are fuzzy. I was five when they died.”
“I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “It’s okay. I’ve never lacked in love or care, thanks to my family. All my cousins were already adults when I was born, so...”
“What memories do you have of your parents?”
Kat considered his question. “I remember they loved me. My mother would put me on her lap and sing songs to me before bed or if I was upset. I think they were in Russian. We had tea parties with my dolls, too. She always smelled like roses. I remember that most clearly.” Kat closed her eyes.
“What about your father?”
“He was tall. He would pick me up and swing me around. I remember a lot of laughter with my father. He smelled like Old Spice.”
Christopher chuckled. “I imagine he did. Most men from older generations smell like Old Spice.”
Kat grinned. “Probably. I don’t remember much more, though.”
“Does that make you sad?”
“Yes. I wish I could have known them better. I wish I could have known them for myself. My family shares memories with me, but it’s not the same, you know?”
“Yes. I’m sorry, Kat.” He knew it was his family’s fault that Kat had that hole in her heart and life. It both angered and sickened him, especially for what he had to tell her now.
Christopher drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We need to talk.”
Kat waited.
Christopher slid his hands up and down the steering wheel and stared straight ahead. With a slight shake of his head, Christopher glanced at her. “Remember when I was with my family recently?”
“Yes.” How could she ever forget?
“Well, I had to establish trust with them again so that I could gain insight into their plans.”
Kat waited.
Christopher squeezed the steering wheel, then forced himself to relax. “That means that I had to...say and do certain things to gain that trust. My family isn’t the kind to take someone at their word alone, especially one of their own that betrayed them.”
Kat withdrew her hand. “Okay.”
“I had to accompany my cousins on some of their, um, less savory adventures.” He swallowed hard, unwilling to elaborate. “Kat, before I tell you everything, please understand that everything I did, I did for you and for our future and for your family. Please? Tell me you believe me.”
Kat’s stomach clenched. “I believe you,” she whispered.
Christopher stared at the bumper in front of him. “I had to participate...in things. Nothing of which I am proud.” He shook his head to dislodge the disturbing images. He had forced himself to engage in vile and repulsive acts. “I also had to give them something useful. Something that they would accept and believe that I was trustworthy again. I...I had to make them believe that I infiltrated your family to gain information. I had to make them believe I did it all for the Barotkoff family.”
Kat recognized this for what it was; a confession. She braced herself.
Christopher inhaled deeply and grimaced. “I am the reason those people showed up and threw themselves into the fence.”
Kat went still, blinked, and sucked in a ragged breath.
Christopher glanced from her to the road and back again several times while blurting out the rest. “Kat, I had to. Please understand. I had to give them something real, something concrete or they would’ve killed me immediately and I never would have gotten back to you. You and your family are compassionate, kind, and loving. That’s something I adore about you, and why I chose you and your family over mine. God help me, I told them to exploit your family’s goodness. I knew my family would believe that and use it against you.” He shook his head and sucked his lips in. When he continued, his voice shook with shame and grief. “It killed me to do it, to do any of it, but I had no choice. I would not give them anything that would hurt you directly, but I had no other choice. It was the best of the worst choices. I know I caused you all a lot of pain.”
“Christopher,” Kat whispered.
Christopher went still, his eyes darted between her and the road in front of him.
“How could you do that?” Kat’s voice caught. “They were innocent people. People! Do you have any idea how horrible it was to see those people fling themselves...?” She clamped a hand over her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut.
“Kat.” Christopher reached for her with his free hand, but she recoiled.
“All those people!” she sobbed.
“Kat, please. I didn’t have a choice! I could have given them more specific, much more deadly information to use against you, but I would never do that. Not in a million years! What could I have done instead?”
Kat buried her face in her hands and curled into herself until her hands rested on her knees.
Christopher rubbed her back. Her body heaved under his touch with the intensity of her sobs. It broke his heart. Her pain was his fault. All his. Always his.
“Kat, please forgive me. Please. I’m so sorry.”
Kat mumbled something unintelligible and sobbed. It went on until she gagged.
Christopher rolled the window down and let the fresh night air blow through the vehicle. “Kat? Please. Sit up and drink some water.”
Kat gagged again, then sat up and pressed her back against the seat. She drew her knees up to her chest and turned her back to him.
“My Kat, I love you. Do you know that? Do you hear me? I love you.”
Kat hiccupped and didn’t respond. Christopher reached into the backseat and retrieved a bottle of water. He offered it to her, but she pushed it, pushed him, away.
He placed the bottle in the cup holder between them. “Kat, you have every right to hate me for what I’ve done. I hate me for what I’ve done.” He shuddered at some of the images that scrolled unbidden across his psyche.
Kat whipped her head around. “You didn’t have to go! You chose to leave me. You chose to kill those people because you left me.” She scrubbed the back of her hand across her face, then turned away from him again and hugged her knees tight. The chain of events settled into her mind like puzzle pieces and painted an ugly picture for her. As soon as she recognized it, she went rigid and sat up. “You! It’s all your fault this happened! You’re the reason we...why Uncle Dimitri...Oh! Oh!” Waves of anguish spiraled through her and she wailed.
Revelations: The Shifter Series: Volume Three Page 11
