Therian Prize: 5 (Therian Heat) (18 page)

“As long as they don’t interfere with your new ‘code of conduct’?”

“Yes. Think about it this way. Laws vary from state to state. At times state laws contradict laws of other states. This doesn’t make either of the laws less valid. They’re just different. That’s what we’re trying to establish. Those who want to continue on beneath the strictures of the Charter can do so. But we want, no, we insist on being allowed to establish a set of rules that makes sense to us.”

Heather said nothing as she considered the concept. Humans had taken advantage of a similar idea for centuries. The political foundations of California and Texas couldn’t be more different and yet they were both part of the same United States. Was that really what the rebels wanted or was this their way of sneaking in and taking over?

“Regardless of how you justify the split, the traditionalists will see it as betrayal.”

Erin reached over and squeezed Heather’s hand. “Your father might see it as betrayal, but what do you gain by remaining loyal to pack? Has your pack protected you from harm? Has your father—”

“Leave my father out of it.” Heather scooted to the edge of the couch. She’d earned the right to second-guess her father’s choices. The cats had not. “I’m here so I obviously disagree with his approach. I don’t want to dissect his leadership style.”

“All right.” Erin didn’t release Heather’s hand as she’d expected. Erin’s fingers remained firm and warm, like a miniature hug around Heather’s hand. “Let’s talk about you. What do you want out of life?”

Heather released a nervous laugh and pulled her hand away. “You sound like Jake.”

Erin’s smile was gentle yet uncompromising. “Actually Jake sounds like me. The Prime Council likes to blame the male rebels but I’m the real troublemaker. Now answer the question.”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been allowed to think about myself. It was always what would please my father and benefit his pack.”

“You think of it as ‘his’ pack.” She paused until the implication sank in. “Doesn’t that say it all?”

Frustration and regret weighed Heather down. She’d known there would be no turning back when she ran away from the contest, but her heritage was harder to let go than she’d expected. “What do you want from me?”

“Nothing. I want to help you adjust to the concept of freedom, to understand that you have choices you’ve never considered before. There’s an entire world out there waiting to be explored. You can shape the future into anything you want.”

Heather couldn’t help but snicker. It was obvious Erin believed every word. Unfortunately Heather was a bit too practical to swallow the fantasy. “Without
my
pack, I have no support system. I have no money, no connections, no way to make a living.”

“With or without your pack, you’re still Therian. You belong to a wider community.” Erin crossed her legs, her foot bobbing with suppressed energy. “Why do you say you have no way to make a living? What did you do before?”

“I did accounting and inventory for my father’s bar.”

“Those are marketable skills. And if you want a completely different vocation, you are certainly young enough to start over.”

Heaving a sigh, Heather pushed to her feet and walked to the window. Darkness had fallen while she slept so there wasn’t much to see. “Why do you care? You don’t even know me.”

“It’s my lot in life to mother everyone.” Erin chuckled and stood as well. “Ask anyone. I’m a horrible busybody.”

Turning around, Heather leaned back against the windowsill and looked closely at Erin. “Devon wants me to take the formula so I can host more than one animal nature. You’re her mother so you’re likely more concerned about her safety than she is. Have there really been no side effects?”

“It’s Devon’s personality to face any challenge head-on. She was given the formula against her will, so she’s making the most of a dangerous situation. As of right now, the only side effect has been an increased libido. Dr. Garran is following her closely in case that changes.”

“If you were me, what would you do?”

Erin shook her head. “I’m not you. This is your decision and yours alone. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. There are significant risks whenever we screw with nature. Still, the benefits could be immeasurable.”

“Are you finished with your girl talk?” Jake asked from the archway leading to the central hall. “I’m actually the one who asked you here.”

Erin smiled and motioned him into the room. “Tell me exactly what happened with Natasha and I’ll see if it fits with what I’ve learned.”

Jake strolled into the room, wiping his hands on a dishtowel. He looked far too lethal to be doing something so utterly domestic. “I’d spoken to her not half an hour before and she seemed perfectly fine.”

“Did you speak face-to-face or telepathically?”

“Face-to-face.”

“Go on.”

Jake stood near the couch but remained on his feet. His gaze shifted between Erin and Heather. “Her shot barely missed my head, so I jumped out of the hot tub. We fought, briefly. In fact I shouldn’t have been able to take her down as easily as I did. I could see literal flames flickering within her eyes and her features were shifting beneath her skin as if she were trying to transform.”

Erin nodded as if she’d been expecting the details. “I’ve never heard of a Therian doing what you described, but there were several entries in the journal that documented similar incidents.”

“If it wasn’t a Therian, what was it?” Heather asked, moving away from the window.

“A demon.”

“Why would a demon want me dead?”

“To leave Heather unprotected.” Erin looked at Heather as she went on. “Power, even the potential for great power, has been known to draw all sorts of entities.”

“Wonderful.” Heather crossed her arms over her chest and used anger to drive back her fear. “As if Therians and humans weren’t enough, now demons are after me too?”

“It’s just a possibility.” Erin’s smile was obviously meant to be encouraging but Heather wasn’t buying it.

“How do I fight off a demon?”

“I’m not an expert on evil spirits. I’ll have to do some more research.”

“If I take the formula and start collecting animal natures does all of this go away?”

Erin and Jake looked at each other, both clearly conflicted about what they should say.

This was the last straw. She would not be a helpless victim, regardless of the potential threat. The only way to protect herself was to unleash her Therian abilities. And if one animal nature would give her power, why not absorb two or three? “Set me up with Devon’s doctor.”

“You have an appointment at nine thirty tomorrow morning,” Jake informed. “I called while you two were talking.”

Erin crossed to Heather and took hold of both her hands. “Paul can give you everything you need to make an informed decision, so don’t make up your mind until you have all the facts. We can protect you until you decide what you want to do.”

“Now that we know it’s not just wolf hunters,” Jake interjected, “we’ll be a lot more careful.”

She nodded but found little comfort in the promise. She’d be a veritable prisoner until she was defined. Even if she decided against the formula, she couldn’t venture out until her latent abilities had been released.

“We’ve clearly upset you and that wasn’t my intention.” Erin squeezed Heather’s hands and then let go. “You’re among friends. We’ll help you through this and see you settled in a new life. You have my personal guarantee.”

Joy and sorrow twisted inside Heather. It was exhilarating to realize she wasn’t alone yet depressing as hell to admit the opportunity had come from cats. “Thank you.” She didn’t want to seem ungracious but she really wanted to sneak away somewhere and cry. “You’ve both been unbelievably generous.”

Erin gave her a quick hug and then departed.

“Are you hungry?” Jake asked before the silence could take over. “I whipped up a chicken stir-fry. The veggies were frozen, not fresh, but it was the best I could do with what was on hand.”

“Do you always do what Erin tells you to?”

He laughed. “Most people do. She’s too damn likable to disappoint.”

“Can likability be a form of compulsion? Maybe she’s really a Svengali.”

With another deep chuckle he motioned her from the room. “If she orders me to kill someone, you will stop me. Won’t you?”

“Of course.” She followed him down the narrow hallway and into the country kitchen at the back of the house. The appliances and cupboards were arranged in a wide U at one end. The eating area dominated the other. “What time is it?” Ruffled curtains framed the window above the sink but she could see nothing beyond the glass.

“Almost nine. You were sound asleep so I just kept driving.”

“We didn’t go to bed until dawn and woke up late in the afternoon. I am so disorientated.”

He laughed. “Don’t you work at a bar? This schedule is normal for me.”

“I try to avoid the Clubhouse when it’s in full swing, so I do my work before it opens.” He’d set the table for two, not three, she noticed as he pulled out one of the chairs for her.

“Is it as wild as I’ve heard?” He walked to the stove and picked up a large wok, jeans accenting his tight, round ass. There was nothing sexier than a gorgeous man who knew his way around the kitchen. Heather fought back a guilty smile. She’d thought Jake was sexy long before she knew he could cook.

Wait, he’d asked a question. She’d better answer quickly or he’d wonder what distracted her. And she wasn’t quite ready to admit that she’d been staring at his amazing ass. “The Clubhouse is a dive where wolves go to misbehave. Father insists it’s safer to provide for their needs rather than continually cleaning up their messes.”

“You don’t agree?”

“I think a lot of what goes on at the Clubhouse is unnecessary. Period. Even wolves can be taught how to behave.”

He set the wok down in the middle of the table then took the chair across from her. “What did you and Erin talk about?” He placed a generous mound of the stir-fry on each of their plates as he waited for her answer.

“Rebel stuff, mostly. She admitted that she’s the head troublemaker, but what drew you to the cause?” She picked up her fork and took a bite. Even with frozen vegetables, the dish tasted fresh and flavorful.

“Can’t you guess?” He smiled and took a couple bites before he elaborated. “I was a young adult when I became responsible for three teenage females. The idea of arranging marriages or pressuring them to accept advantageous definitions seemed ridiculous to me.”

“But it wouldn’t have seemed ridiculous to your parents?”

“Probably not. Their marriage had been arranged by their parents. And my father’s parents met on their wedding day.”

She paused with a forkful halfway to her mouth. “This is the twenty-first century. Even humans have abandoned arranged marriages. Why have Therians clung to the practice for so long?”

“Bloodlines are more important to us than to humans.”

She snorted and shook her head. “I think it has more to do with power than pedigree.”

“Managing bloodlines is one way of ensuring a female’s power,” he pointed out.

“I didn’t mean physical or metaphysical power. I meant authority. It’s as simple as, males have it and females don’t.”

“Which is why Erin was so determined to resurrect the Omni Prime. A few extraordinarily powerful females will help restore balance to the entire nation.”

They ate for a few minutes in silence. Doubt kept bubbling within Heather but she couldn’t make herself voice her concerns. Jake had been nothing but kind and protective. Even Erin had given her no reason to be suspicious. Still, everything they said was so fantastical and so much of it had to be accepted by their word alone.

“Have you actually seen them manifest as more than one animal?” she finally asked.

He paused for a drink of water then wiped his mouth. “Ava hasn’t gone through the ritual yet. She’s in basically the same position you’re in. She’s waiting to see what happens to Carissa before she agrees to the ritual herself.”

“And Carissa? Have you seen her power with your own eyes?”

“I participated in her definition. I’ve seen Carissa shift more than once and into more than one animal. Everything we’ve told you is true.”

She looked deep into his eyes and let her desire smolder. “Will you participate in mine?”

He pushed his plate aside as his gaze fixed on her mouth. “You better eat fast, if you’re still hungry. My tiger won’t wait much longer.”

Jake didn’t realize he was holding his breath until his lungs began to burn. He exhaled then inhaled, easily detecting Heather’s unique scent despite the smell of food and an unfamiliar environment. He’d been patient. He’d done his best not to take advantage of her vulnerability but he could no longer ignore the heat smoldering in her gaze. She wanted him, had been attracted to him even before this conflict began. And there was no denying how much he wanted her.

“I’m hungry,” she whispered with a tentative smile. “But not for food.”

It was all the encouragement he needed. He slid his chair back and stood, gaze locked with hers. “If you’re not sure about this, tell me now. Once I touch you, I won’t be able to stop.” And he meant every word. His tiger was so close to the surface he was struggling just to maintain control. He felt raw and ravenous. And his tiger kept flooding his senses with possessive lust. She was a wolf. He’d expected his tiger to object or at least be reluctant to any sort of connection. Instead his animal instincts were urging him on, demanding that he claim her as his.