Consumed

by Rebecca Zanetti

  “Ten yearrrsss.”

  Jordan kicked off his boots.

  Brent licked his lips.

  Katie bunched her muscles to attack.

  Brent settled his stance, fur rippling. “The Pride issss mine, coussssssin.”

  Cousin? Katie frowned. Jordan had family?

  “Kaattieee one of us.” Brent slid another foot closer to the bed.

  Jordan ducked his head and charged. He hit the werewolf dead center, throwing them across the room and through the window. The window frame cracked down the middle, leaving a gash in the wall. They disappeared from sight. Air exploded as he must have shifted. Snarls and growls filled the night as they fell three stories.

  Katie rushed to the window, her hands clutching the jagged sill. Rain slammed into her face.

  In a tangle of limbs, the duo landed, werewolf solidly on top of cougar. Brent must’ve twisted them midflight. He rolled away, gasping, teeth flashing as Jordan’s head thunked hard on the cobbled alley.

  Panic caught Katie’s breath in her throat. She rushed back to the drawer, reaching for the gun and swinging around. Her foot caught on the bedspread and she went sprawling across the floor. Pain ripped across her knees. She tightened her hold on the weapon. With a sob, she scrambled to her feet, leaping back to the window.

  Down below, Brent backed away from Jordan. The massive cougar, much larger than any true animal, sprawled on the wet bricks. Blood cascaded from a cut above his left ear. He didn’t move.

  The angle of the fire escape kept her from getting a clean sight. Frustration caught in her throat. Determination straightened Katie’s spine. She aimed the barrel for Brent’s neck. He bunched to attack.

  She fired.

  The shot ricocheted off the metal fire escape. He paused.

  Both Jordan and Brent looked up, eyes wild, fur standing on end.

  Jordan jumped to his feet with a high-pitched snarl.

  Katie’s hand trembled, and she slapped both hands around the gun. The cougar and werewolf circled each other, jaws wide, teeth flashing. Blood flowed from the cut along the top of Jordan’s head, dying his fur a dark red, even with the rain pelting down.

  She tried to aim, but the animals moved too quickly. Toeing on her tennis shoes, she gingerly stepped over the jagged glass to the fire escape. The wind blew water into her face ... even then a heavy mugginess assaulted her lungs. She had to get closer to aim for Brent’s legs. Too bad she didn’t have a tranquilizer gun.

  Grabbing the slippery rail, she maneuvered down the wet steps, her gaze on the fight. Jordan jumped Brent, sinking his canines into the werewolf ’s neck. Brent howled in anger.

  Chills ripped down Katie’s spine. Her arm ached, a dull, thick pain, pounding with her rapid heartbeat.

  Brent swung, connecting with Jordan’s chest. The lion flew across the alley to land hard against the building. Brick shattered, sending chips flying.

  Jordan rolled, landing on all fours, teeth bared to kill. He took a step and halted, his wet ears going back. Rage filled his eyes when he turned his head and looked up. The snarl he gave at seeing her made her step back.

  Brent hissed, shooting farther into the alley, his feet pounding and sending cobblestones flying. With a yowl sounding as if it came from a churning hell, Jordan bunched and followed him into darkness.

  “No,” Katie whispered, rushing down the remaining steps until splashing in a puddle at the bottom. Dusty water washed up her bare legs. Clutching the gun harder, she hustled after them.

  Rain splattered into her eyes as she ran through the alleys, following the demolished ground. Fear propelled her. She had to reach Jordan—if there was any way to stop Jordan from killing Brent, she needed to do it. Brent’s blood might hold hope for them all. They had to take him down, not end him for good.

  She slid around a corner to see Brent disappearing over a rooftop, Jordan springing onto a fire escape. “Jordan,” she screamed.

  He halted, eyeing her and leaping back to the ground. Raw fury folded his lip.

  The world stopped moving. The brick on either side of the alley turned a deep black from the rain splattering up from the cobblestones. Darkened windows lined high above, while even higher, two building lights shone down, weak in the murky night. A horn bellowed in the distance. She shoved hair from her face, gulping in air. Muggy and hot, air coated her throat on the way down.

  Her lungs heated.

  The cougar eyed her, rage in his eyes, fur rising on end down his back.

  The need to aim the gun at him made her stomach clench.

  The air thickened and he rose to full height, a human male standing in the rain. Nude and enraged.

  Katie shivered. His eyes glowed in his angular face, revealing the animal present even in human form. His nose was straight, his cheekbones high and symmetrical, purebred lion embedded in every feature. While his chest had always been broad, cut definition enhanced more powerful muscles than she remembered. His narrow waist tapered to...

  God. She would not look lower.

  Jordan’s gaze started at her tennis shoes and traveled up her bare legs to the clinging T-shirt. Fury lined every strong contour in his face.

  Awareness slammed desire out of the way. She took a step back. Okay, running through alleys wearing only a T-shirt might have been a bad idea. Very bad. Intuition yelled at her to flee. No way in hell could she outrun him. Aiming the gun would be a serious mistake. She knew it ... yet her hand trembled as she raised the weapon.

  His chin lowered. A stalking predator, he strode forward with measured steps, water sluicing off his hard body.

  Retreat was her only option. A loose stone tripped her, and she dodged to the side, her back flush to a building. Thank God the weapon hadn’t gone off. A second later he trapped her, his abs square against the barrel of the gun, his gaze primal.

  Something inside her hissed. Deep down, beyond humanity, at her very core ... a lioness stretched.

  The breath caught in her throat. She stilled. Searching down deep. Searching for the animal she used to be. The animal that had been silenced ten years ago by the virus. A tingling wandered through her veins, igniting her blood. An animal sense that she’d missed so very much. The slumbering cougar awakening in reaction to a male.

  And the male was pissed.

  He may have shifted to human form, but a primitive tension poured off him that sent her heart beating hard enough to hurt.

  Splashing rain counted dangerous seconds as he waited in silent demand, not saying a word.

  Sawdust filled her mouth. She tried to swallow, her gaze caught and held by his. Heat flashed in her abdomen. The animal deep down took over, lowering her hand and the gun. Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip, her gaze dropping to his chest. Both shoulders shook with the need to challenge him, but inside, the lioness purred.

  Her mind blanked. Was the lioness returning? Finally?

  He held out a hand. She faltered before sliding her palm along his. Strong fingers threaded through, and he pivoted to lead her home. “We’ll discuss this on the plane.”

  Chapter 5

  Jordan’s cell phone rang on the way to the airport. Glancing at the silent woman in the passenger seat of the rented SUV, he shoved away the sense of dread and put the device to his ear. Leather crinkled when he moved. “What?”

  “I found a lair,” Baye said, birds squawking in the background. “At least, the werewolves have hunkered down around here somewhere. Lance and I need Katie to come sense them.”

  Irritation heated the air in Jordan’s chest. He had enough on his mind at present. “She’s busy and we need to meet the plane.”

  “I know. But it has to be Brent, and this might be our only chance to find him.”

  Jordan fought a growl. Brent’s survival was on his head, and if possible, he needed to end the evil bastard. He eyed his watch. They did have enough time to do one last mission. Plus, he’d never seen Katie in action with her team. He glanced at the quiet woman, wondering what was going to
happen when all the outlying squads were taken out of service. With werewolves becoming more intelligent, would they be able to find more shifters to infect easier than the Kurjans did? He shook his head and shoved frustration down. “All right. But we need to make it fast.”

  Signaling, he moved into the right lane. Dawn had arrived not long before, and the interstate was mainly empty. “Give me directions.”

  Katie waited until he’d clicked off. “Baye?”

  “Yes. Lair.” Jordan took the next exit, his mind humming. “We need you to find it.”

  “Finding lairs is my job.” She turned to look out the window, her voice distracted. “What part of the area?”

  Why did the local trees fascinate her so much? “Salvador Wildlife Management Area.”

  “Interesting. We’ll need a boat to get to the inner marshes.” She didn’t really sound interested.

  He eyed her, trying to figure out what was wrong. The woman had dressed in faded jeans and a yellow top reminding him of her mama’s tulips. Millie Smith had the prettiest garden of anyone in town.

  He grinned, remembering when Katie had to pull weeds for an entire summer after trying to sneak out of the house when sixteen. Not much got past Millie. He cleared his throat. “Um, you’re probably wondering about Brent. About us being cousins.”

  Katie tilted her head. “Oh yeah.”

  Well, apparently she hadn’t been wondering. What in the world was the woman thinking about? “Brent’s father led our people about three hundred years ago. The Kurjans massacred his parents, my parents, the Kayrs rulers, and many others.” A brilliant trap had been set into place, and the Kurjans had changed the dynamics of the world. The war had instantly started.

  Katie rubbed her chin, turning to face him. “I’m sorry about your parents, Jordan.”

  Figured the woman would offer comfort instead of condemnation for his never telling her the story. Something cut deep in his solar plexus. “Well, Brent disappeared and I stepped up to rule in a time of war.” In a time of blood and death.

  Jordan held his breath as he awaited her reaction. The woman’s IQ reached genius level. She’d know Brent didn’t just disappear.

  But apparently her mind was focused elsewhere. She nodded and turned back toward the window.

  His frown hurt the bruises on his face left by Brent. With a shrug, Jordan followed the directions, heading south until he couldn’t stand the silence any longer. “You’re awfully quiet.” Maybe she was pouting since he was forcing her home. She’d been quiet since returning to her apartment and packing, not giving him any grief, even as they’d loaded up his rented Jeep. Not arguing at all. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  Now that was a lie. “Are you upset I kissed you?”

  She started, facing him and flashing a surprised smile. “Ah, no. Not even close.”

  Well, now. The woman might at least be thinking about the kiss. Their first kiss. The damn moment had rocked his world. His hands tightened around the steering wheel. He should be happy Katie wasn’t obsessing about one kiss, especially since they had no future. But hell, she could at least be sad about that. “Then what has you in such deep thought?”

  Several expressions crossed her face, but he couldn’t read any of them. Finally, she shrugged. “Just looking forward to seeing the queen.” Katie turned back to the rushing forest and weak sunshine outside.

  There was a time Katie would’ve told him anything—shared everything. Something in his gut suddenly ached. Anger followed ache. “How’s your strength?”

  “Same as a human, pretty much.” No inflection rode her tone.

  “What’s it like? I mean, living as a human?”

  “It sucks. Makes me sorry for them. I mean, I empathize with humans but sure don’t want to be one. Lacking normal shifter strength makes life difficult.”

  He blinked twice, forcing down anger and sorrow. “When we find the lair, you stay back. The rules have been clear from day one.”

  “Fine.”

  Her easy acceptance pissed him off more. He wanted to argue with her. Wanted to see her flushed, angry, passionate, and not so ... uncaring. “You’re really pissing me off.”

  She faced him again, a frown between her fine brows. “Why?”

  The fact he couldn’t answer that question ticked him off even more. The sight of Baye angled to the side up ahead, leaning against an SUV, brought more relief than it should. Jordan pulled over and then cut the engine. Cypress trees lined both sides of the road, the wind throwing their leaves about. “Just do your job.”

  “Always.” She jumped from the vehicle, her boots making imprints in the wet mud as she made her way toward Baye.

  Jordan followed suit, his gaze on the most frustrating female he’d ever met. The faded jeans hugged her ass in a way that had his jeans feeling too tight. What the hell was wrong with him? She reached the vehicle, turning to stomp her boots clean.

  Her hair had darkened a tiny shade the last decade, turning more sandy blond than golden. Feline cheekbones had sharpened, her pink lips had rounded the slightest bit. But those bourbon-colored eyes had remained the same. She truly was the sexiest woman he’d ever seen—and he’d lived more than three hundred years.

  Shaking off the thought, he glared at Baye, taking note of a fat lip and swollen jaw. The fight the previous night must’ve been rough. “Where’s the lair?”

  The enforcer studied him, a fathomless expression in his light eyes. “Somewhere close. One of our scouts called with information about a bunch of dead, gutted animals around here. Lance already shifted and is sniffing the best path.” Baye snarled and then winced, finger going to the cut in his lip. “Also, Lance had to kill a human turned werewolf last night.”

  Jordan frowned. “That’s new. We haven’t seen a human convert in quite some time.”

  Baye scratched his chin. “Maybe not. But they do pop up once in a while. Some werewolf must’ve gotten close to the human population and bitten the poor guy.” Baye tugged Katie’s hair. “I have a sweatshirt in my car as I figured you’d forget yours.”

  Jordan swallowed hard to keep the snarl in his gut.

  Katie chuckled. “Ah, yeah, considering I thought I was heading to the airport.” She opened the back door and yanked out a faded New Orleans Saints sweatshirt.

  Baye lifted an eyebrow.

  Jordan met his gaze squarely, possessiveness nearly choking him. There had better be nothing going on between his old friend and his ... Jesus. Katie wasn’t his. He shook his head, turning toward the swamp. “We need to get moving.” The sooner he dropped Katie at headquarters and headed off to fight, the better.

  Katie drew the sweatshirt tighter around her, trying to clear her mind. Two guns sat at her waist, three knives were strapped to her legs. Cold from the marshboat seat slid from her thighs to her spine. They traveled a narrow path, sweeps of branches high above hiding the sky. The day began turning muggy, but hidden in the bayou, darkness and cold still ruled. A flash of orange came through the trees from Lance running along the bank in tiger form.

  Baye sat in front of her, Jordan behind her, both keeping an eye on the marshy land while they rowed the small craft.

  Her only thought was of the lioness inside. She’d felt the lioness awaken. How had it happened? Could the virus be running its course? Was she going to be able to shift again? Reality and hope fought for dominance inside her. When she’d faced Jordan in the alley, for the first time in a decade, she’d sensed the animal within her pores.

  Katie dug down deep to find her again, but nothing. No feeling of the animal within. Regret and frustration had her clenching her hands.

  Lance gave a sharp yowl from the bank. Birds protested, wings flapping as they flew for safety.

  Katie yanked her attention back to werewolves. She’d have to worry about the lioness later. Right now she needed to hunt.

  Cattail and bull tongue plants lined the banks, along with the timber stands. A muskrat raccoon swam by lazily,
seemingly unafraid of the abundant alligators hiding below. Brave little animal.

  The soft splash of the oars was broken only by an occasional cry of a bald eagle high above. Dark and murky, the swamp hid treasures and wildlife. A lonely breeze swept her hair, chilling her skin and bringing the scent of decaying moss.

  The shifter in front of her was on guard, the shifter behind her pissed off. Jordan must be irritated he had to stop and fight werewolves instead of heading straight to Oregon.

  She was irritated, too. Baye and Lance were good friends, the best, and Jordan hadn’t even given her a chance to say good-bye. If Baye hadn’t found the lair, she’d be on her way to Realm Headquarters right now.

  Her spine tingled. An ache centered at the base of her skull. Darkness swam over her vision, and she tightened her hold on the side of the boat. The energy signature sent out by the beasts caused pain as well as disorientation. At least for her. “We’re getting closer. They’re to the right.”

  She swallowed, the taste of dead animal permeating her saliva. Yeah, they were close.

  Baye steered to the bank, jumping out to drag the boat up the mossy embankment. He lifted his head, scanning the area. “I get a general sense of maybe three werewolves but can’t get a direction.”

  Jordan leapt out, reaching a hand to help her. She paused. For ten years she’d been treated as one of the guys by her squad. Well, kind of—they still protected her during battle. The gentlemanly gesture from Jordan, so natural, set flutters alive in her abdomen. “Oh, for goodness sakes,” she muttered, taking his hand and sliding out of the boat. She didn’t have time for this crap.

  Releasing him, she stomped up the bank toward the trees. The pounding in her skull increased in power. Squinting, she pointed at a narrow trail. “That way.”

  Jordan nodded, taking the lead. “Stay between me and Baye.”

  “This isn’t my first hunt, Jordan.” What the hell did the lion leader think she’d been doing the last ten years? Charging into danger like a dumbass blonde in a slasher movie? She fully understood her limitations from the virus. In strength and speed, she was nowhere near where she used to be as a lioness. For now.