by Celia Kyle
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
About the Author
Copyright Page
Chapter One
“You got opinions, I got opinions, we’ve all got opinions. The thing is, your opinions can bite my as— Ahem. Never mind.” — Maya O’Connell, Prima of the Ridgeville Pride and woman who loves her children but wishes they would go away sometimes. Like when she’s ready tell someone to bite her ass.
Millie sat on her bed and traced the blue, swirling lines bordering the paper and stroked the raised seal at the bottom of the page. The pattern filled the edges, and she let her fingers dance over the design. Her touch stuttered when she reached the top, tips trembling as she read the words.
Amelia Beth Walker.
Amelia. Beth. Walker.
Ameliabethwalker.
State of Nebraska. Certificate of Birth.
She had a name now. A true name. Not one thrown at her during captivity.
Amelia Beth Walker.
Born October 28, 1979.
Millie leaned against the headboard and dug through her mind, drifting deeper and deeper as she sought her oldest memory. She ached to find a time when Amelia Beth Walker was a name she recognized.
She craved memories of her childhood, of a time when she laughed and played. She wanted to go back to those two years she spent with her parents, with her twin brother… Her mind sought out remembrances not tainted by Alistair’s touch.
Her hands trembled, the page shaking in her grip, and her tenuous control wavered. Fighting for those memories always brought forth the same reaction within her body.
Damn it, she couldn’t lose control. Not now. She knew her real name. She wanted to know herself. Again, she looked and yet again stumbled across abuse after abuse. The paper in her hand fell to the sheets and the memories and pain came. She pulled her knees up, wrapping her arms around them, slowly rocking, slowly rocking.
Inside her head, she was back in that underground compound—prison—one of Alistair McCain’s hidden lairs deep in a mountain. Alistair, the leader of Freedom—an anti-establishment shifter group—was dead and the council was repurposing his holdings.
The cold walls encompassed them, five women who clung to sanity by a thread. They lingered in the living area where it was easy to see who came and went. So many new faces come to save them. So many more.
Millie ran a hand through her hair, fingers tangling on the strands, and then the low ding of the elevator drew her attention. She listened to the whirring gears and shifting bolts of the metal box as she wondered who could be coming back.
She sensed it wasn’t him. It wasn’t that male.
But the two people about to step off the elevator shouldn’t be in the compound. It was an intruder—one of her saviors?—and… one of them, one of Alistair’s men. She recognized him. Her power whipped at her, the Sensitive part of her rushing forward in its twisted and perverted form.
The doors to the elevator eased open, the metal panels separating slowly to grant this newcomer’s entrance. Millie held her breath. Her power lashed at her, growing with her unease. It slithered through her, demanding to be released upon the familiar, unwanted presence. She opened her mouth and drew in a breath, scenting the air. Yes. Males.
Now it was no longer a matter of allowing her abilities free reign. That ball of rage that had forever been a part of her rushed forward and stole control.
One booted foot came into view, bringing a massive shifter male along with it. No, no, no. She couldn’t have another male in her space.
Her Sensitive abilities reacted to her panic.
The stranger, she didn’t know. Was he one of the good guys?
The power didn’t care if its victims had nothing to do with Alistair McCain. It craved vengeance.
No, she pleaded, he wasn’t a bad male, he wouldn’t harm them, he wouldn’t…
Invisible strands burst from her body and raced through the compound’s living room. They were aimed at this man. In less than a second, her power struck him. It dug into his mind, pulling and tugging at bits and pieces of him.
Next she hunted the pain centers in his brain, dug deep and gathered every one in her ghostly hand. And yanked. His entire body spasmed as she overloaded him with agony.
So much pain invaded the other that not a shout or scream escaped his lips before he lay prone on the ground, unconscious.
The power was pleased.
Another tendril of rage-filled power flowed from her body, slinking through the room, hunting the other being: Alistair’s man.
He would know the pain he gave her all these years. All the times they stood in Alistair’s group, pawing and taking what they wanted. Men.
He stepped out of the elevator and fell to his knees, his cuffed hands covered his ears as if he could block its passage inside his skull. Bulges and bubbles stretched skin over the cranial bones. Portions of his skull rose and fell.
Millie was horrified by the action while her power was not. It felt vindicated, overjoyed at hurting a male before it hurt them again. One last push to protect her.
Millie rolled into a ball and screamed as the man’s head exploded into fine red mist.
Her own scream brought her back from the nightmare. Her heart raced with anxiety. When she killed a prisoner that day, she had been drugged and weakened from Alistair’s abuse. Now after eight months of freedom—six months in the Freedom compound and two in Ridgeville—she was strong and healthy, and she worried about the damage she could cause.
Millie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt one of her saviors. Saviors…
After more years than she could count, she had saviors.
No, not more than she could count. She picked up the birth certificate again. Thirty-two years. She’d been kidnapped at two and spent thirty years in Alistair’s clutches.
How could anyone know she had the abilities of a powerful Sensitive when she was still a toddler? Through the years, she came to learn a Sensitive could influence any shifter, and was able to both soothe and destroy another’s mind.
It was times like these that she hated her Sensitive abilities. For the average female shifter, being a Sensitive was a blessing and occasionally an annoyance. They were born with the ability to glide into another shifter’s mind and control their beast. A simple thought soothed the animal and a little more effort allowed the Sensitive to control another’s mind.
Unfortunately for Millie, she was stronger than most. Or rather, stronger than any. And through the years, all she endured day in and day out corrupted her abilities, molded and reshaped them into what there were now.
Dangerous. Uncontrollable. Deadly.
She reminded the power that they were free, fed, and had a roof over their head. Evil males didn’t linger in the shadows waiting for a chance to abuse her. They weren’t hiding around corners with tranquilizer guns aimed at her. They weren’t waiting for the drugs to take hold so they could…
In Ridgeville, there was no reason to be on guard. No reason to hunt for its next target. She prayed it’d listen, prayed it’d ease back. She held her breath, waiting to see how it’d react.
It grumbled
and retreated, slithered back inside her and behind the mental walls she’d built to contain that part of herself. She breathed a sigh of relief. That part of her grew stronger as her physical body regained its strength.
Millie looked inside herself, pushed past the dark cloud of her power and on toward her inner-panther. The cat paced, snarling and growling at the ball of ghost-like power, but did not go near it.
It was always the same, the two always living separate lives inside her body. It wasn’t supposed to be this way, though. Yes, shifters often referred to their animals as individual beings, and in some ways they were. But for someone like her, for a Sensitive who had abilities others did not, it was dangerous.
With her body torn into three, she was afraid she’d destroy herself.
“Mil-lie!” Maya’s bellow vibrated the entire house. The Ridgeville Prima’s roar caught her off guard and her power shot to the surface in an agonizing rush, anticipating her need for protection. The lioness must have let herself into the house Millie shared with the Mastin sisters. The owner, Gina, recently mated and moved away, leaving the place empty and perfect for Millie and the sisters.
“Damn it, not now,” Millie whispered to herself and pushed back, shoved the hate deeper into her body and wrapped it up tight. “She’s the freaking Prima. The mate to the Prime and one of the people who can kick our ass to the curb.”
“I’m also the Queen of Booblandia, but whatevs.” Maya’s voice filled the room. “And talking to yourself can be a sign of schizophrenia. Are you schizophrenic?”
Millie smiled as she rolled off the bed and turned toward the bedroom door. “No, not schizophrenic.”
Maya narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure? I bet a schizophrenic person would say they weren’t schizophrenic to avoid wearing a straitjacket in a non-bondage-happy-fun-times way.”
Millie rolled her eyes. “I’m sure.”
The Prima smiled wide. “Good. That means you can have multiple personalities instead. Because then I’d get two, or more, new best friends instead of one.”
Millie tilted her head to the side, confusion filling her. “Huh?”
Maya rolled her eyes. “I swear, does no one follow a conversation here?” she huffed. “Gina-the-whore mated Gavin-the-dog, which left me down a best friend. So, you’re here now, and you talk,” Maya scrunched her nose. “Not that I’m saying anything bad about the Mastin sisters and their not talking thing. I mean, I’m not a totally insensitive bitch, right?” She waved her hands. “Anyway, I’ll apologize later. But what this all means is you take her place. Except you-you were supposed to be a new bestie. So now I’m down two besties. And that means you need to have multiple personalities and take up both spots.” Happiness and excitement filled Maya’s features. “Are you picking up what I’m putting down?”
Millie sifted through the babble. Okay, she knew Gina (a Ridgeville lioness) recently mated Gavin (a dog, er, fox and brother to another Ridgeville pride member). Which left this home empty and a Gina-sized hole in Maya’s life. But then there was the “you” and the “you-you” and…
“No.” Millie shook her head. “Not so much.”
Maya heaved a put-upon sigh. “None of you listen. Okay, let’s do this again.” The Prima straightened and held up a finger. “Gina-the-whore—”
“For the love of—Maya!” Alex, the Prime and Maya’s mate, yelled. His voice echoed through the house, causing the Prima to jump.
Millie wished that was all it did to her. No, the enraged part of her burst free of its moorings and shoved against her control. It sliced through layer after layer of her bindings and stretched the last that kept it within her body.
The memories made it too raw, too powerful. If only she’d had an hour, half an hour… hell, with a few minutes of quiet time, she could have ensured it was tied up tight and ready for visitors.
“What?” The Prima seemed ignorant of her struggles.
“We’re late!”
Maya scoffed and turned toward the hall to yell at her mate. “We can’t be late. We’re the most important people there.”
Millie struggled to breathe. Her birth certificate slipped from her fingers, and she fisted her hands, digging her nails into the soft flesh of her palms. Her abilities scraped the last layer of her mental walls. It sensed Alex in the house. Part of it recognized him as a mated male, as someone who’d helped them, but another thought drifted forward. Even a mated male could beat a woman. Even a mated male could forc—
Panic set in, her heart racing as her lungs fought to bring air in and out of her body. Sweat beaded on her forehead, peppering her in the salty fluid. The scent of blood soon joined the others in the room, and the Prima’s gaze swung back to her.
Millie ignored the worry and shock in Maya’s gaze. She had her own crap.
Please, please, please. She wasn’t sure what she was begging for. Relief? Forgiveness? An end?
She was so tired, so tired of living this way day in and day out. For one moment she’d like to not have to worry about accidentally harming someone.
“Maya.” Alex wasn’t giving up.
Maya ignored him and approached her. This was a different version of Maya, one that didn’t have a ready smile and obnoxious jokes on her lips. This one was worried with her brow scrunched and concern in her gaze. “Millie? Hon?”
She shook her head and took a step back. That part of her still fighting to break free attacked her to get at the one who’d scared them. Damn it. She’d knocked Harding on his ass months ago. At the time, he’d been down for the count for a day or two. Since being in Ridgeville, she’d grown stronger. She wasn’t sure what would happen if her power struck out now.
She remembered the glory of Harding’s nerves sliding over her palms as she manipulated his mind. It’d reveled in the flavors of his pain. The power had a taste for it now and she didn’t want to see what else it would enjoy.
Millie eased closer to the window. It opened to the backyard. She’d run, beg her cat to take control and carry them away from the house. She’d run and run and fight to keep away from everyone.
“Millie, it’s okay.” Maya took another step forward.
“Stop.” She held up a bloodied hand, trying to keep the Prima at bay.
“No, you’re not going to hurt me. You’re not going to hurt anyone.” The Prima eased closer.
“Maya…”
“Maya!” Alex’s roar had Millie jumping and scurrying back until she came up against the far wall.
Maya’s cat reacted to her mate’s demand. But instead of cowering or becoming afraid, it was obvious the Prima was easing toward enraged. Golden fur slithered over the woman’s arms and legs while her eyes flashed a bright amber. She whirled away from Millie and stomped to the bedroom door.
Okay, she was leaving. Good. Millie tried to soothe her abilities, assure it that with Maya’s departure, the male would leave their domain. It didn’t care. It remembered the touch of Harding’s mind and it wanted to see if Alex would be the same. What it’d be like to tug on all of those other lovely nerve centers.
The Prima stuck her head out of the room and let loose a roar of her own. “For the love of fur, I’m trying to keep her from blowing your brains out! A little patience is appreciated!” The woman stepped back into Millie’s bedroom and then slammed the door so hard the walls shook. “Though why I’m saving your stupid, little pea-sized brain is beyond me.” Maya paused for a moment and looked to her. “It’s because he has a nice, big cock—”
“Maya!” Alex interrupted again.
“I was gonna say cocker spaniel you big, ungrateful ass!” Maya shook her head and whispered. “I meant cock. Just don’t tell him.”
“Ass… ass… ass…” The word was repeated over and over by identical voices and Maya winced. The Prima’s twins, East and West, had heard her. Then again, the entire block probably heard her.
“Damn, I was supposed to stop cursing. That’s gonna earn me a spanking.” The twinkle in the Prima’s eyes told M
illie the spanking would be welcome.
Shock filled Millie, though she wasn’t sure why each of the Prima’s outbursts still surprised her. After two months in Ridgeville, she should have been used to the loud arguments between the ruling couple. Loud arguments which, from reports, ended in even louder make up sessions.
The twin’s chorus drifted down the hallway and the happiness filling each word crept into her mind. The delight wrapped around her raging power and its need to attack was blunted by their joy. That was one thing it recognized. Children were a near perfect barometer when it came to judging others and the twins were filled with pure delight.
Her abilities stalled in their attempt to break free, stuttering, and it gave Millie the chance she needed. She mentally burst forward, intent on locking her power tightly once again.
Alex’s growl traveled up the stairs, but at least he didn’t yell. That cloud inside her mind roiled and bubbled, but didn’t fight for freedom. It knew the cubs were in the house and accepted its bindings. The power allowed itself to be eased into the back of her head and out of sight. That part of her was always quick to lash out, but retreated when faced with an innocent.
“Oh, look at that.” Maya stepped closer, her gaze intent on Millie. “Kidlets appear and your eyes go back to normal. Suhweet! I knew I was right.” The Prima shook her ass and waved her arms in the air in what Millie supposed was some sort of dancing. “Go me, it’s my birthday, I was right, and they were wrong. Yeah!”
It then morphed into some weird, full body… thing… and she wondered if the Prima had gone into convulsions. “Uh, Maya?”
Maya froze. “Huh. Sorry. I was just excited. Wanna know why? C’mon, ask why. Ask. Do it.” The Prima bounced on her toes.
Life in Ridgeville was just… weird. She didn’t want to know why, but she couldn’t tell the Prima no. “Um, why?”
“Because you won’t hurt the babies.” The smile was triumphant and slowly slipped to confusion. “No, wait. Went to the grand finale without any foreplay.” She waved her hands. “Do over. You’re coming to Honor’s graduation, and it will be safe because you won’t hurt the babies.” Maya jerked her head in a quick nod. “Got it right that time. High five.”
