The Purrfect Plan (11 page)

One wouldn't think their town was under eminent threat of being destroyed. It seemed more like a community picnic or barbecue.

Maria walked to a large tent set up closer to the lake, smiling and greeting people with a wave. It seemed everyone already knew who Storm was. Maria told her Storm's reputation for having the town Alpha in a tailspin was widely known.

The greetings she received from the other town ladies were warm and welcoming, many eager to meet the Alpha's new mate. Despite the circumstance of why everyone was here, there was a cheery calm mood.

"It does one no good to panic about something beyond our control. It is best to stay calm and orderly." Maria smiled as they settled under a large open canopy someone had kindly set up for them.

"What percentage of the town is human?" Storm asked, taking the bottle of chilled water Maria had pulled from an icebox and handed to her.

"Ten percent of the town are human, mostly mates. For the past century Black Town has attracted feline shifters of every species from all around the world. My mate and I set up Black Town as a safe haven. We never wanted our children to feel the fear of being hunted. Back in the old country, I saw so many of our kind hunted and killed. Here we have thrived; prospered beyond what we had ever hoped possible." Maria's eyes glazed over, obviously lost in memories of the past.

She soon snapped out of it, smiling before taking a long swallow of her water bottle. "Anyone who joins the town must adhere to the town rules, which are simple enough. Our secret must remain just that."

"You're not worried some outsider will spot someone shifting and report it?"

"I can personally say no outsider has ever seen a shift. A human passer-by may spot a tiger or leopard, but we have our own rangers. Our police are shifters, so we have covered every angle."

Storm smiled in understanding.

"We protect what is ours, so you never need to fear for your safety, or your heart."

Storm reached out, gripping the older woman's hand. "It's not what I ever expected, but I understand, and I am very grateful for it."

"You have a good strong heart, my daughter. One needs to be strong as many will now look to you as the Alpha's mate; you have taken a position of high honor and influence in the community, as small as it may be."

Storm blinked in shock. She'd never connected the fact that River ran the town.

"Oh, I never thought about that. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that kind of responsibility."

"If you are ready for the responsibility of being a mother, then you are ready to take on a community leadership role. River will always be by your side to help guide you in shifter matters, so please do not worry."

Maria glanced up as three women approached their shade, one of them holding a half naked infant. They gave a bow of respect before introducing themselves to Storm. More camp chairs were fetched as Storm talked with Sandy, who happily handed over her adorable little baby boy for Storm to hold. Storm liked the human woman who chatted about her relationship with her true mate, Regan, a North American Puma shifter.

Before long more women gathered, and not once did Storm feel ill at ease among them. They seemed to simply accept her into the community as one of them. It helped occupy and ease her fears at the same time, but always in the back of her mind she worried for River and the rest of the men out on the fire front, praying it would soon be over.

As the day wore on, Storm had no idea where it came from, but a full on banquet of food was produced in a large main tent. It mainly consisted of half raw meats and a few salads. Some of the firemen came in to see their mates, exhausted from being out in the heat, working hard fighting the fires.

The men came in; they ate, and rested before heading straight back out again.

A cool change was sweeping across the state. Everyone watched as clouds began to gather.

Everyone chatted excitedly about possible rain bringing an end to the fires. Storm was all for that. Her life was only just beginning. It was time she wanted to spend with River, making plans. She also wanted him to bite her. She would tell him to the first opportunity they had to be alone.

She glanced over at Maria with a sigh.

The older woman reached over, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. Some older women wandered over from their tents to talk with Maria.

Storm stood up and excused herself. "I need to go to the toilet. Be right back."

Maria nodded in acknowledgment before returning to her conversation. Storm wandered over to the only brick buildings standing in the lakeside reserve. Passing a few tents, she reached the toilet block that was also situated by the parking area. She quickly went about her business, wanting to get back under the shade of the cool gum tree.

"Hey, are you Storm Wellington?"

Emerging from the toilets, Storm glanced over at the attractive, slim honey blonde woman. Her hair was slightly disheveled, her clothes crumpled, and there were several streaks of soot on her face.

"Yes, how can I help you?" All the women in the makeshift camp had been wonderful to her. She hadn't met this woman yet.

"Oh, thank goodness. I'm Gia, I've just come from the fire coordination office in Black Town, I've been sent to get you as River's been hurt."

The pit of Storm's stomach dropped
.

"How? Is he okay? I should go tell Maria."

Storm turned away, Gia reached out, grabbing her by the arms, pulling her to a stop.

"No, no, please, just come with me. The quicker I get you to him the better. He didn't want you to worry." Gia tugged her towards the line up of cars parked behind the toilet block.

If River wanted her that badly, she'd go to him, hell or high water. "Let's go then."

"We'll take River's Ranger. C'mon." Gia spun on her white sneakers, walking at a brisk pace, making Storm have to jog to keep up with her. They made their way to the line of parked cars, most of the keys still in the ignition with no concerns they might be stolen
.

"You're a shifter too?" Storm asked as she yanked open the door of the cab and climbed inside.

"Yes, pure blood cheetah."

The woman gave her a side-glance, making Storm feel suddenly uncomfortable.

Storm shook off the feeling. "How did he get hurt? Was he burned?"

"I don't know the details. They brought him in a short while ago. He kept yelling for you." Gia started the engine and shoved the Ranger into gear before gunning the engine and speeding off, heading back up the track they drove down when they first came.

The fine hairs on the back of Storm's neck stood on end, though she was unsure of what to make of the woman's snide tone. She grabbed her seatbelt, buckling herself in. Gia pushed the Rover at a mad speed.

"Slow down, we want to get there in one piece. Are you a friend of the family?" Storm tried not to sound too panicky as the Rover hit more bumps, churning up the dirt road, speeding past everything.

"I don't have much time. Shut up and let me drive," the woman snapped. "Pathetic weak human."

Storm's jaw dropped. "I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me, human. Think you could just walk in and take any of our men. Think you could take my River. He has always been mine."

Storm realized if it had been a man urging her to go with him, she would have balked, but women trusted other women. One mistake she would never make again. Cold fear washed over her as she stared at the woman driving the Rover.

"Is River really hurt?" she asked tentatively.

Gia snorted but said nothing.

"Look, I have no idea who you are, but you need to stop the car, now."

"Dare to give me orders, human? Don't worry, you won't be for long. Once you're out of the way, River will come to his senses and realize I am his mate; not some stupid weak human." Her laugh was menacing. "Once I'm installed as Alpha's mate, I'll get rid of all the humans and their half-breeds."

Anger now mixed with a healthy dose of horror.

"According to River, you only get one true mate. If he was yours, don't you think you would be with him rather than me? Now stop the damn car."

When Gia showed no signs of slowing, Storm glanced around outside. Jumping from the moving car seemed far too dangerous. She glanced at Gia.

"You really believe the bullshit of true mates?" She sneered. "It's just a shifter fairytale passed down through the generations. Mates breed because they choose the best and healthiest specimens. Not because of some true mate shit. He hasn't even bothered to mate you properly yet. You show no signs of his mark."

That was one thing Storm couldn't refute, but then Storm had been to busy fighting her conflicting emotions along with River.

She tried to size Gia up. Surely, her slender build had to be an advantage for Storm. She unbuckled her seatbelt and made to slide across the seat to grab the wheel.

"Don't you fucking dare move," Gia snarled, turning her face towards Storm who now shrank back in her seat with respectable fear, seeing the woman's eyes glow, her fingernails lengthened into sharp and deadly claws. "Didn't your dear River tell you? I am three times stronger than you and can easily tear you to shreds."

She was in a world of trouble.
Stay calm, don't panic
. "What are you going to do? Where are you taking me?"

Gia's menacing smile returned. "Somewhere they'll never find you until it's too late. Even then they'll have no idea what really happened. Fire is such a wonderful cleansing tool, don't you think?"

Oh my God
. She tried not to panic as realization set in. "You're going to burn me? Did you start the fires?"

"Well, I had to do something to get River and Hawk away from guarding you. Quite an ingenious plan, don't you think?"

The look of pride on Gia's face made Storm feel nauseous.

"I know all about best laid plans, and they don't always work. Look, just let me go now, and I'll walk away from the town and River."

"Only to have him follow you again and drag you back? I don't think so. No, this is the best way. Get rid of you. Humans have no fucking business breeding with shifters." Gia gave her a side-glance of disgust. "Yes, I know about the cubs. I'm doing everyone a favor getting rid of your half-breeds as well as you."

Storm saw reasoning with the woman would not work, so she tried another tack. "He will find out what you've done, and you'll pay a heavy price."

"Oh, no one will ever find out. That's the beauty of it. You're in his truck, so people will think you just ran off again only to be caught in the terrible bushfires. When news of your death reaches River, I'll be there to comfort him."

Homicidal, crazy-assed cat woman!
Storm shook her head at the insanity of everything she'd been through in the last few days. Before she knew it, she burst out laughing.

"What the fuck are you laughing at?"

"I had an average normal life before I met River. Now I'm dealing with creatures I never thought possible existed and a psychotic cat woman. You can threaten me all you want, but when you threaten the life of my children, that's a whole other matter."

While she talked, Storm had grabbed her seat belt. In the next moment she launched herself at the woman, gripping the wheel and her hair, trying to hit her head against the steering wheel. The Rover veered dangerously.

Gia snarled, half shifting and slamming on the brake at the same time.

Storm flew forward, her head whacking hard against the windscreen making the glass crack. Pain exploded through her head. She fell backward on the seat. Gia leapt onto Storm, gripping hair, and smacking her so hard against the dashboard that everything went black.

Chapter Twelve

"What do you mean she's missing?" River tried not to yell into the phone, especially at his mother. Despite being run off his feet, switching shifts with Hawk as each truck returned to refill, he'd been looking forward all damn day to hearing his mate's voice. They seemed to be making headway in fighting back the fire heading in their direction.

Hawk walked through the office door, pulling off the heavy, yellow flap jacket the Country Fire Service, or CFA, people were required to wear. He yanked a cold bottle of water from the office fridge, ripping off the cap and swallowing it down in one hit before slumping into an empty chair.

Sweat and soot streaking his face, Hawk cocked his head towards River, obviously listening in on the conversation. River needed to hear his report; at the same time he needed to go after his mate.

"Mother, please, I don't blame you. Hawk's just come in, he looks fine."

"Easy for you to say," Hawk quipped dryly. "But the wind's changing to an easterly, heading towards the coast now. All word says it'll be raining by tonight."

River quickly relayed the information to his mother with a grateful nod. One disaster diverted; now he could deal with Storm. "You don't think she ran again, do you?"

'No, I think something else is going on with her. Her scent leads to your Rover, which is missing along with your mate.'

"Damn it, I know she has more sense than to just take off." River slammed his fist into the wood of the office desk making the timber crack. His anxiety rose with each passing moment not knowing where his mate was.