TherianPromise

by Cyndi Friberg

  Kyle was a shapeshifter, an honest-to-God shapeshifter. Did that mean— No, she wasn’t ready to continue that line of reasoning. She had to accept one revelation at a time.

  Grasping the wheel with both hands, she focused on the road. It wouldn’t do either of them any good if she put the Jeep in a ditch. Kyle’s labored breathing assured her he was alive. Hopefully, he’d stay that way until they reached Jake.

  She was part of the Therian nation. The realization echoed through her mind like the ominous toll of a distant gong. Her father was hunting her so he could control what sort of shapeshifter she would become. The explanation rang true, yet it seemed insufficient. Kyle had said Carissa’s definition was special, unique. There was more to the story than Kyle had explained, details he hadn’t reached before they were interrupted by the mercenaries. But each time she tried to fill in the blanks, she was overwhelmed by the possibilities.

  Her mind was still whirling with speculation and confusion when she reached Basalt. Like so many other tiny mountain towns Basalt’s main street was lined with narrow shops and restaurants, each pressed against the other in block-long rows. Ava paid more attention to the street signs than the storefronts and easily found Two Rivers Road. She turned left and then focused on the right until she located the strip mall.

  A dark SUV was parked in the back corner of the lot. Three of the four doors opened as she approached and three large, leather-clad men piled out. The driver had long dark hair while his companions were both blond. It stood to reason that this was Jake and his men. They seemed to be expecting her. Still, a shiver of apprehension skittered down her spine.

  There were a few cars parked near the restaurant at the other end of the mall, but none were occupied. She parked a couple of spaces away from the SUV and hesitated. Was she about to jump from the frying pan into the fire? Who should she trust? Was the enemy of her enemy really her friend, and how could she know for sure that they were Osric’s enemies?

  Something bumped her seat hard enough to rock her forward. She looked back and found cougar-Kyle’s massive amber eyes watching her intently. Had he head-butted the seat or swiped it with his paw? Either possibility was so unbelievable she just shook her head and sighed.

  The dark-haired man tapped on her window, but his attention was immediately drawn to the backseat. “Why’d he shift?” he asked as she rolled the window down.

  “He’s hungry. Are you Jake?”

  “In the flesh.” A roguish smile parted his lips as his thick-lashed gaze settled on her. “Ava, I presume. My hunters were starting to wonder if you exist.”

  She glanced at the two blond men waiting by the SUV. They were both tall and brawny. One wore a biker jacket, the other a leather vest. Both sported wallet chains and extensive tattoos. Men like these had been hunting her as well as Osric and Kyle? What made her so popular—or so hated?

  Shaking away the tangent, she looked at Jake again and fought back another shiver. Without a smile, his features were sharp, his bearing watchful, his gaze downright piercing. “How should we do this?”

  “Open the passenger door. I’ll back up to you so he can jump in.”

  It made more sense than blithely walking a mountain lion across the parking lot. She looked back at Kyle and asked, “You doing okay?” He made a rumbling sound and she shook her head. Had she expected him to answer?

  Spurring herself into action, she walked around to the passenger side of the Jeep and opened the door. Jake, or one of the blonds, had opened the back end of the SUV and laid down the seats. Jake backed across the parking lot until the tailgate nearly touched the open door of the Jeep.

  Kyle leapt into the back of the SUV and one of the blonds closed the tailgate as the other one closed the door.

  “You’re with me.” Jake motioned her toward the SUV.

  “I’ll be right there.” She ran back around to the driver’s side of the Jeep and dug her backpack and Kyle’s jacket out from behind the seat. The rifle had slipped mostly under the seat and it would connect them with the mercenaries anyway, so she left it where it lay. “Kyle confiscated one of their guns. It’s under the seat.”

  The blond nodded then climbed in behind the wheel. It was all neat and efficient and…strange. Had Jake told them not to talk to her or was this their idea of being respectful? It was almost as if they didn’t know what to make of her. Well, the feeling was mutual. She was thrilled to be back on semi-familiar ground, but now she was surrounded by strangers.

  She hurried to the passenger side of the SUV as Jake leaned across and pushed the door open for her. “Thanks,” she muttered, and checked on Kyle before she locked her seat belt into place. He lay on his stomach, head resting on his crossed paws. He looked almost like an oversized housecat.

  “Did he intentionally shift or was this spontaneous?” Jake waited for his men to take off before he continued on Two Rivers Road. Though dark and smoky, Jake’s eyes were actually green. And he hid model-perfect features under scruffy whiskers and a bad boy’s scowl.

  “He weakened after he healed me.” Jake shot her a sidelong glance, clearly surprised by her answer. “I tried to feed him energy, but it wasn’t enough. He was in pain for hours before he lost control.”

  “Start at the beginning. When did Kyle catch up to you and how did you end up on Frying Pan Road in a stolen Jeep?”

  Kyle obviously trusted this man, but she wasn’t sure she trusted Kyle. “Do you have a phone? I’d like to call my sister. Kyle said she’s staying at a cat sanctuary with a man named Quinn.”

  He chuckled and shifted his gaze back to the road. “I guess I’d be suspicious too. What did Kyle do with his phone? It was disposable, hard to trace.”

  “It must be on the floor of the Jeep. His transformation sort of eclipsed everything else.”

  “I’ll bet.” He was silent for a moment, apparently lost in thought.

  Ava fidgeted. His questions had been straightforward and understandable, but they made her feel defensive. She hadn’t asked Kyle to heal her, certainly hadn’t wanted him following her. She hadn’t asked for any of this.

  Staring out the window, she tried to imagine what it would be like to have friends who cared enough to come and rescue her. One phone call from Kyle and Jake stopped what he was doing and dragged two of “his men” along for the ride. Carissa loved her unconditionally, but Ava hadn’t realized how isolated they were until the past caught up to their present.

  “Kyle’s not a healer. Was he able to fix whatever was wrong or should I arrange for someone else to take a look at you?” His tone was gentler now, less accusatory.

  She pictured one of the fierce-eyed Therian men touching her, his fingers running over her bare skin and shivered. “I’m fine. We need to focus on Kyle.” The corner of Jake’s mouth quirked and she realized she’d included herself in Kyle’s treatment. Kyle had stabilized her ribs and taken away her pain. It was only natural that she’d want to repay his kindness.

  That was your justification for making out with him too, her conscience reminded. She’d kissed him and touched him, mesmerized by the texture of his flesh. If the mercenaries hadn’t interrupted, how much further would it have gone? Would she have thrown caution to the wind and wiggled out of her jeans so he could screw her right there on the clothes-covered rock? How romantic.

  It hadn’t been romantic. It had been wild and savage and hot.

  “You better think about something else.” Jake’s tone was deep yet tinged with amusement. “If you walk into Toulouse Tavern smelling like sex, every man in the place will think it’s an invitation.”

  She tensed, mortified by the implication. Could he actually smell her arousal? Either he could or he could read her mind, which would be even more humiliating. She needed a distraction fast. “Toulouse Tavern? Is that your bar?”

  “Yes.”

  Oh that was helpful. He could grill her with questions, but all he gave in return was yes and no answers? “Who is Toulouse?”

  His gaze
gleamed through the dimness as he glanced her way. “It’s my sister’s idea of irony. Toulouse Tavern sounds upscale and classy, but she pulled the name from an animated flick called The Aristocrats.”

  “I love that movie! Wasn’t Toulouse the feisty orange kitten who was always getting into trouble?”

  “That’s him. Regular little wannabe badass.”

  She smiled as scenes from the move scrolled through her mind. Such innocent amusements belonged to another lifetime, another Ava.

  Glancing out the window, she spotted a road sign. They were headed south on CO 82, which would take them into the heart of Aspen. She looked at Kyle and her heart lurched. He’d rolled to his side and his eyes were closed, tongue visible between his pointed teeth. Was he resting or unconscious? “I didn’t mean to hurt him. If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have let him touch me.”

  “Kyle doesn’t do anything he doesn’t want to do. No one is blaming you for this.”

  But she was blaming herself. “Is there someone at your bar who can feed him?”

  “Enya, my sister. She hates doing it, but I’m pretty sure she’ll make an exception for Kyle.”

  She refused to identify the odd tightening in her chest. It was impossible that she might be jealous. She’d only known Kyle for a matter of hours. And he saved your life twice. She shoved the fact to the back of her mind, annoyed once again by her conscience.

  “What’s your connection with Kyle?” she asked Jake.

  “Different clan, same network.” He looked at her and asked, “Do you know what that means? How much has Kyle told you?”

  “We’re all part of the Therian nation. If you’re part of his network, you’re a feline shifter, but you turn into something other than a cougar.”

  “That’s the gist of it. I belong to the largest clan of tiger-shifters. Osric is my uncle, by the way. So that makes us cousins.”

  “We’re cousins?” The revelation jarred her for a moment. Osric wasn’t just a malicious bastard, he could shift into a tiger? Then the shock passed and she made the connection. Her hands clenched and looked around for a weapon. “Are you taking me to Osric?”

  “God, no. I’m a rebel, just like Kyle. Me and Osric haven’t been on speaking terms for years and he isn’t allowed anywhere near the bar.” They’d reached the outskirts of Aspen. He navigated the roundabout and jogged right on Seventh Street before turning left on Main.

  Unsure how she would ever trust anyone with ties to Osric, she let her mind digress. “Other than Osric, I thought Carissa was my only living relative. This is really strange.”

  “She’s all who’s left on your mother’s side of the family tree, but the Parlain side still has lots of branches.”

  “That’s right. You said you have a sister.” Ava still felt stunned. The information was so unexpected that she wasn’t sure how to process it.

  “I have three sisters,” he corrected. “Enya’s the oldest. Well, I’m the oldest child, Enya’s the oldest daughter.”

  “Is your entire family part of the rebellion? Are your parents still alive?”

  He turned down an alley and backed into a parking place near the back door of what she presumed was his bar. The building was tall and narrow, the walls muffling the music until all that remained was the distinct bass beat.

  “See if you can rouse him.” He pushed open the driver’s door and swung his long legs to the ground.

  She unfastened her seat belt and turned around, kneeling on the seat so she could reach Kyle. Her hand trembled as she reached for his triangular head. Please God, let him still be alive. His fur was soft and warm, and he turned into her touch, slowly opening his eyes.

  Jake lowered the window then dropped the tailgate. “Can you move?” Kyle made a low rumbling sound and Jake looked up and down the alley. “It’s clear.” He turned and pulled open the door to the bar then swept his arm toward the opening. “Go for it.” Had Jake actually understood that sound or were Therians telepathic? Kyle paused to nudge her hand then turned in a tight, rather awkward half-circle and leapt out the back of the SUV. “Want me to grab your stuff?”

  It took her a second to realize Jake had been talking to her. “I can get it, but thanks.” Jake closed up the back as she gathered the backpack and Kyle’s jacket. “Oh my God. I forgot his pants.”

  “Ron and Steve will go through the Jeep before they abandon it. They’re very thorough. They’ll find anything you left behind.”

  “How are they going to return if they abandon the Jeep and why did Kyle refer to them as your men?”

  “They’ll call for a ride and I’m the highest-placed tiger among the rebel clan.” The SUV chirped as he locked the doors then motioned her inside. “You still have a lot to learn about your new world, but let’s make sure Kyle is recovering before we figure out our next move.”

  She hadn’t forgotten about Kyle. She was just trying not to imagine how Enya would facilitate the energy transfer.

  I need to be inside you to fully access your Therian energy. Kyle’s words had haunted her ever since she realized another woman would be feeding him.

  Jake led her up a steep, narrow staircase to the top floor of the three-level building. “Do you live up here?”

  “Enya does. My house is a few miles outside town.”

  He led her to a bedroom halfway down the hall. A tall brunette in a black miniskirt and stiletto boots knelt next to Kyle, who was lying on his side again. “What the hell happened to him?” Her smoky-green gaze shot from Jake to Ava and back. “It’s like he’s been sucked dry.”

  “I’ll explain later. Can you feed him or not?”

  “Is she the one everyone’s been searching for?”

  Ava didn’t understand the bitterness in the other woman’s tone, but her resentful scowl was pretty hard to misinterpret.

  “Enya, focus,” Jake snapped. “Kyle needs you now. The details can wait.”

  “Then take her downstairs. I won’t work with an audience.”

  At Jake’s urging, Ava left the backpack and Kyle’s coat on the floor and followed him down a different flight of stairs. The music grew progressively louder with each step they descended. “How did she know we were coming? Are all Therians telepathic?”

  His only reply was a secretive smile.

  Ava had expected a claustrophobic dance club with gyrating bodies and flashy décor. Instead the ground floor spread out to either side of the main building, creating an open, casual atmosphere. A spacious dance floor took up most of the center section. Pool tables were off to the right and a restaurant was situated on the left.

  “You own three connecting units in downtown Aspen? Were your ancestors Tabors or something?” Only a silver baron could afford this sort of real estate in a resort town.

  He flashed another mysterious smile. “My family settled in the area long before the rich and famous came here to ski.” Motioning toward the restaurant, he asked, “Are you hungry?” He slipped out of his black leather jacket and handed it to a passing waitress. “Throw that in my office for me.”

  The waitress looked Ava over with a semi-hostile stare before treating Jake to a flirtatious smile. “Anything for you, Mr. Parlain.”

  Mr. Parlain? Did he expect such deference from all his employees?

  He led her to a table in the far corner of the restaurant. The music was noticeably muted and Ava spotted transparent panels separating the restaurant from the rest of the bar. A different waitress appeared at the table before Jake could settle in his chair.

  “Just coffee for me, Maggie.” He motioned to Ava. “Bring Ms. Seymour whatever she wants.”

  Ava’s stomach felt tense and empty, but nothing sounded appetizing. Worry for Kyle overshadowed her appetite and made her restless. “Maybe a bowl of soup. I’m not very hungry.”

  “You need something substantial. You’re weaker than you realize.”

  She glanced at the menu and cringed. How could she sit here munching a burger while Kyle struggled for
life?

  “Bring her a steak.” He looked at Ava and added, “I presume you eat red meat. Our kind can’t seem to resist it.”

  Nothing else sounded any better so she nodded. “That’d be great.”

  “How would you like it cooked?” the waitress chimed in.

  “Medium rare.”

  “Baked potato and salad okay?”

  “Sure.”

  “Be back in a jiff.”

  The waitress sauntered off and Ava looked at Jake. “Why did you presume I need to eat?”

  “Therians can sense weakness in others. My tiger is going crazy because you’re so drained.” He scooted his chair closer to the table and lowered his voice. “I will protect you and Kyle until you’re both strong again. Now, enough stalling. Tell me what the hell happened out there.”

  Chapter Four

  “She’s still unconscious,” Osric snarled as he stomped across the lab.

  Carly took a deep breath and carefully controlled her expression before she turned from her computer screen and looked at him. “I told you the new formula is harder to metabolize. She might be out for a few hours yet.”

  “You said that a few hours ago.”

  When Osric’s plan to interrogate Devon had been foiled by the formula’s side effects, it gave Carly an idea. She’d keep Devon sedated while she attempted to notify the backers. They might not want Osric to take out his frustration on Devon if Devon were more than just a stubborn test subject. She couldn’t sedate Devon indefinitely, but she’d give it a little while longer.

  “I don’t know what to tell you.” She kept her legs tucked under her desk and tried to sound indifferent. “Giving her a harsh stimulant at this point would risk serious damage.”

  “Well, make damn sure no one else goes near her.” He started for the door then stopped and glared at her again. “Did Milliner know about the test subjects? Did he say anything to you?”