Collector's Item (19 page)

KT’s breath caught over the last comment. She was prepared for questions about Torne, her abduction, her aunt’s death, but not about Peyton. Her gaze swept the reporters facing her and located the one who had posed the last question. She moved past to another and answered while watching him.

The man’s press badge identified him as a reporter for
The Star and Shield.
A predominantly anti-paranormal, sensationalist, publication,
The Star and Shield
excelled at publishing articles based loosely around a single fact to give them some validity. She did not want to give him the barest hint of partiality for Peyton’s cause.

“I have been subpoenaed, but my attorney has requested that I not discuss the case.” She smiled for the cameras. “I’m relieved that the charges against Captain Allers have been dropped. I’m grateful to Captain Allers and his team for everything they did to affect my release.”

“What part did your aunt, Patricia Tercelon, play in your kidnapping?” the man from
The Star and Shield
asked.

KT’s heart twisted at the answer she could not, would not give to them. The painful scene at her aunt’s funeral flashed through her thoughts. Patricia’s father, Basil Tercelon, crushed by his daughter’s perfidy, had offered Anton Marant lifeblood.

Anton had settled for a trust set up for those who had been liberated from the Collectors’ zoos or who had lost family members.

Thankful for her grandmother’s training, KT maintained a gracious smile and shook her head. “Again, ladies and gentlemen, I cannot respond to any questions about the cases pending in court.” Her father’s arm brushed hers again as he stepped forward.

The focus of the reporters slew to him without missing a beat. Anton Marant commanded attention as easily as breathing. KT stepped back with relief.

“My daughter has been through a harrowing experience and our family has experienced a tragic loss,” he said. “However, it would have been much worse had it not been for Captain Peyton Allers, the Alliance Protectorate, and the FBI. The combined power and skill of human and paranormal systems working together enabled us to recover my daughter, safe and sound.”

“Sir,” someone shouted, but the question was never completed as a pair of men walked out through the security barrier.

Colonel Brilling stepped back to make room for Torne. Torne pointedly ignored the military man. The reporters who’d been questioning KT hurried back to the podium. Colonel Brilling walked around the crowd toward KT while Torne stepped to the podium and into the harsh glare of the camera lights.

KT fought down a white-hot rush of fury at the sight of Torne. Andi’s echoing response forced KT to fist her hands against the itch of claws beneath her nails. They both longed to see Torne pay for what he had done.

The blue arm sling gave him an air of vulnerability; however, the black eye-patch gave him a rakish air underscored by that trademark Torne smile. He paused to speak to the man at his side. KT recognized him as Torne’s attorney.

“Mr. Torne! Mr. Torne! What do you think of the dismissal?” shouted someone in the crowd.

Torne’s expression remained calm, though KT could imagine the frustration roiling beneath the surface. He nodded in the general direction of the question. “While I question the actual validity of these proceedings, I must bow to the current law of the land.” He made a show of shifting his arm in the dark blue sling. “Sadly, monsters move amongst us, dressed in sheep’s clothing. I was attacked by a paranormal and will bear the damage for the remainder of my life.”

KT saw a pair of bodyguards come through the front doors and she tracked their movement toward Torne. Seemed the Marants had not been the only ones to bring support.

Taking no notice of the additions to his group, Torne shook his head. “I fear for the safety of every human being on the planet if the animals are allowed to freely roam our streets. When one can’t tell the true human from the paranormal, the danger to our women and children is immeasurable. We need an identification and tracking system that will allow true humans to know when they are facing another human or a paranormal. I’ve been a staunch supporter of the Paranormal Access Restriction Act that has been introduced in Congress by Senator Stansor.” He gestured to his arm sling again. “My injuries are an example of what happens when a paranormal loses control of his animal. Will we just wait until some innocent victim of an automobile accident is mauled by a paranormal medic driven wild by the sight of his blood? How do we know that the teacher in the classroom won’t lose control and attack the students? Paranormals should be restricted from any position that puts the innocent or the injured in their power.”

“So, Mr. Torne, you maintain that your injuries are due to an attack and not the result of your own attempt to escape arrest?” asked one of the women reporters.

Douglas Torne turned a weary smile on the cameras. “I cannot comment on that.”

“What of the charges of kidnapping?” demanded another reporter.

Torne’s smile hardened and he exchanged a glance with his attorney before saying, “I have no comment on that.”

The attorney stepped forward to hold up his hands. “Please, Mr. Torne is still recovering. That will be all, for today.”

The two bodyguards stepped forward as Torne turned from the podium. As if he’d just noticed her standing to one side, Torne made eye contact with KT. His professional smile slipped a tiny bit, warming into something predatory and covetous. She watched him scan her face, knowing the fading bruises were almost hidden by her carefully applied makeup. However, he knew where to look and the gloating satisfaction in his stare made her stomach churn. Her eyes narrowed a touch in response and she permitted a bit more tooth to show in her answering smile.

Torne’s smile widened as if in anticipation. He gave her a tiny nod before turning to follow his men out the doors and down the steps to the limo idling at the curb. Reporters trailed along behind him, asking questions he ignored.

“He won’t have much opportunity for speeches once the trial begins,” Colonel Brilling said.

KT watched the limo pull away and the reporters scattering to their various vehicles. “I hope not.” She turned to look up at the colonel. “Where is Peyton?”

“We thought it best for him to leave out the back.”

“As if he were the one in the wrong?” Anton Marant’s voice was harsh.

“To minimize the potential for an ugly confrontation,” Colonel Brilling said. He smiled down at KT. “He asked me to tell you that he hasn’t forgotten his promise. He’ll be calling.”

KT’s mood lifted as she returned the colonel’s smile, the muscles of her shoulders finally relaxing. “Thank you. And thank you for everything you and your men did for me.”

Colonel Brilling placed his hat on his head and gave her a slight smile. “You’re welcome, Ms. Marant. Mr. Marant.”

KT watched the military man head back toward the security barrier. “He’s a good man.” She looked back through the barrier while Clemmons talked into his cell phone, summoning their limo. “Peyton could have told me he was going out the back.”

“They may not have made the call until they were inside.” Anton Marant said. He slid his arm around her shoulders. “Besides, your being out here was a powerful display of support. You handled the press very well.” He looked at emptying parking lot and drew a deep breath. “What do you say? Ready to go home?”

She nodded. “Yes, let’s go home.”

****

Stars dotted the sky as Andi slipped through the trees. The pine duff beneath her paws held a trace of the day’s warmth. It felt good to be hunting on home territory again. Small animals froze as she passed, their fear ambrosia to her, the beating of their hearts a symphony. The call of an owl floated from overhead and she glanced up at the shadow that drifted across the moon’s face.

She paused to rub her chin against a tree trunk, the scent of past visits all but washed away by rain and time. She climbed to her favorite overlook and settled on the exposed boulder to stare out over the forest below.

A distant coughing roar echoed through the air and her hackles rose. Who dared enter her territory and cry challenge?

She sprang from the boulder and raced along the ridgeline toward the sound of the other. She scanned her surroundings as she ran, leery of being ambushed. The trail dipped behind the ridge and descended into the trees. Slower now, she kept watch.

She barely registered the large form in the shadows when it sprang at her from the side and knocked her into a tumble. She snarled and struck out with her claws. Her swipe met only air as the other jaguar leaped aside. She scrambled to her feet, muscles bunched to react, anger and fear coursing through her veins. She took a deep breath, then stopped, tail twitching with curiosity. A male jaguar stood still in the shadows, panting softly, with no sign of aggression.

Alpha?
She sniffed, and her claws retracted. Alpha. She stepped forward and met the other, nose to nose.

Golden brown eyes met hers.
Max.

Hunt?
She butted her head against the male’s shoulder and then darted away, racing into the shadows, the other close behind.

Chapter Twenty-One

The hunt became more a dance than a true hunt. Max flushed a small herd of deer, four does and one young buck. They tracked the deer over several ridges and back again, alternating between stalking them and flushing them to race along the trails.

Andi watched with pleasure as Max taunted the buck, darting in and out. He nipped the buck’s haunches and always leaped back just in time as the buck swung at him with its rack. She enjoyed the display and appreciated her choice of mate all the more. However, when Max made a tiny misstep and the tip of an antler almost caught him, she slipped between them and let the buck bound away. Max’s glare spoke volumes of his displeasure but when she butted her head against his shoulder, his grumbling purr said he understood.

They finally ate—several small animals caught easily as they trundled through the darkness. They feasted on the warm meat before Andi led him to run through a tumbling stream to clean their fur of blood and other remnants of their meal. Andi sat on a boulder washed almost white by a patch of moonlight, grooming herself. Max settled in the edge of the shadows, his golden eyes gleaming reflected moonlight as he watched her. Knowing she had his full attention, she lingered on her grooming, ending with a long luxurious stretch. When he moved forward, she flicked an ear and twisted away, racing through the darkness.

She had run these woods since she was a kit and made the chase as convoluted as possible. But no matter how much she wove or climbed, Max remained behind her, sometimes closer than others, but never completely out of eyesight, a fact that both pleased and annoyed Andi. She only stopped when they reached the overlook where she’d been when she’d heard his call.

The massive outcrop protruded from a fold in the mountain and provided a clear view of the clan compound nestled in the forest below. The sprawling structure that was Marant Hold lay bathed in moonlight and dotted with florescent lights; the Olympic-sized pool gleaming blue as a slice of sky. The other clan houses were tucked into the trees around the Hold and tiny pools of light dotted the paths and drives. The rear of Marant Hold was awash with light from the massive French doors. They expected her return, but as Max slipped onto the boulder beside her she felt no need to hurry back.

Max surveyed the scene below through golden eyes. Andi glanced from the scene below them to him, offering what she and her human side held. He huffed, a non-committal sound that she could not read, and bent over to nip at her shoulder. She swatted him in annoyance, wanting a clearer answer, and he leaped aside, toward the woods.

She turned her head to watch. He paused just at the edge of the shadows, his tail waved back and forth gently once, twice. He stepped into the shadows and then turned back, his eyes gleaming in the reflected light.

Curious, she rose and padded over to him. She butted her head against his shoulder and he gave her a long lick around her sensitive ears. When she would have reciprocated, he backed further into the shadows. She tilted her head and when he took another step backward, she followed him into the darkness.

They raced over the ridge and down the other side until the track intersected a fire road. Then he turned and ran down the road. Andi recognized it. An isolated campsite lay not far ahead. When they reached the grassy opening, there was a massive metal machine parked in the middle of the clearing beside a dome-shaped fabric cave.

She stopped at the edge of the clearing and walked forward slowly. He bounded toward the fabric cave and in the time between one leap and a second, he shifted to land on his two feet, fully human. She blinked at the display of control and power. Yes, she’d chosen well.

Determined not to be shown up, she shook her head, gathering her power, focusing on the transition. She raced toward him where he stood beside the fabric cave, his pale human skin almost luminescent in the moonlight. A grin spread across his face and he braced himself.

She leaped and concentrated, pushing her skin inward and slipping behind KT’s consciousness with a little purr of satisfaction.
See? I was right
.

KT barely managed to control the final leap so that she landed on her feet, her body pressed to Peyton’s, her hands sliding over his shoulders to tangle in his hair where it fell to his shoulders. Her mouth stopped to hover a breath away from his.