Therian Prisoner: 3 (Therian Heat) (2 page)

Devon saw his face and took an automatic step back. This wasn’t just a wolf. This was Dhane Fitzroy, youngest son of Blue River Pack’s alpha.

“Lay still until your head clears or you’ll throw up all over yourself.” He was young, nineteen at the most. That must have been what the Italian meant about not lasting long. She crossed her arms over her chest and pressed back into the corner where the bars met the wall. Dhane’s arms and legs were long, but they lacked the defined musculature he would possess five years from now. “When did they catch you?” She needed to keep him talking, keep him distracted.

“Catch me?” Blinking repeatedly, he pushed to his elbows and looked around. “What is this place?”

“Near as I can figure, we’re the focus of an intergovernmental project determined to unlock the secrets of Therian transformation. My clan attacked their main facility, so they brought us here.”

His features were tight and pale as he slowly sat up. “Your clan?”

“I’m Devon Lashton.”

“Kyle’s little sister.” His eyes narrowed and he shook his head as if to clear his vision or the fog inside his brain. Likely both if he was feeling what she’d felt when she first woke up. “Then Erin’s your mother.”

It hadn’t been a question, so she just nodded.

“Impressive pedigree, if you don’t mind traitors. Do you know who I am?”

“Yes.” She started to say that their backgrounds meant absolutely nothing to these humans. The backers were only interested in their Therian abilities. They were evolutionary curiosities, fascinating creatures—animals.

He rubbed his eyes and let out another groan. “How did you figure out what this place is?” He motioned to the room around them.

“I’ve been their captive almost a month and my hearing is better than they realize.” There had also been a fresh-faced guard who felt sorry for her and grew incredibly talkative whenever she flirted with him.

Dhane was quiet for a minute, his gaze unfocused. “What did they use to knock me out? I still feel really strange.”

If the cycle had started already they were doomed. The frenzy built gradually, growing stronger and stronger until there was no possibility of escaping the urges. “It’s not what they used to knock you out. It’s what they gave you afterward.”

“Meaning?”

Would it be better if he knew what to expect or would her explanation focus his attention on the building urgency? She inwardly cringed. As if he wouldn’t notice every cell in his body suddenly craving sex. Well, he was a teenage male. Maybe it wouldn’t feel that much different. Even the smartass thought didn’t make her feel better. She needed to tell him
something
.

“They used a chemical on me that was supposed to make me cooperative. Instead it made me sort of crazy. I’m pretty sure they gave you the same thing.” There was really no need to spell it out. He’d feel the effects soon enough.

He struggled to his feet then swayed and sat on the edge of the bunk. With a heavy sigh, he pushed his fingers into his hair and rested his elbows on his knees. “How long was I out?”

“I don’t know. I only woke up a few minutes ago.”

He took another deep breath, slowly exhaled then looked into her eyes. “This chemical they gave you, what sort of crazy did it make you?”

She lowered her arms and watched him closely, ready to defend herself if he charged. “The if-I-don’t-get-laid-I’m-going-to-die kind.”

“Are they hoping I’ll jump you?” He didn’t need to make it sound so distasteful. “Don’t they know we’re enemies?”

Already he was rubbing his legs and shifting his hips. “They threw us together
because
we’re enemies and yes, they expect you to jump me.” And she had every intention of fighting him off with the last breath in her body.

He raised his face again and their gazes locked. “Never gonna happen. I’ll jerk myself raw before I stick it in a cat.”

Her smile was shaky at best. She’d experienced the full force of the drug, while the hunger was just starting to build inside him. “Hang on to that hate, puppy. It’s our only hope.”

* * * * *

“Why would we believe one word Carly spoke?” Kyle objected. “She’s Osric’s whore.”

“Is there a better option?” Payne’s Czech accent always grew more pronounced when he was tired and they were all exhausted now.

They’d liberated—and then destroyed—the secluded mountain lab less than two days before and already Kyle had rejoined the search for Devon. Despite his mother’s urging to take a few days off and trust his friends to finish the job, Kyle couldn’t rest until he knew his beloved sister was safe. Ian couldn’t blame him. Everyone who knew Devon was frantic with worry. And Kyle’s concern was augmented by a major helping of guilt.

Kyle was the youngest Therian cougar ever to lead his clan and many established members of the feline network were trying to take advantage of his youth and inexperience. When Lokesh, a powerful jaguar leader, offered to support Kyle’s positions if Kyle would allow him to mate with Devon, Kyle had reluctantly asked Devon if she’d agree to the match. Devon’s reaction had been spirited and decisive. She’d told Kyle she would never allow herself to be used as a political pawn and took off without telling anyone where she was going.

For the first few days Kyle allowed Devon’s rebellion and “gave her some space” to work through her feelings. But days turned into weeks and her calls became text messages, leading Kyle to wonder if Devon was still in control of her phone. By the time Kyle accepted that something was seriously wrong, Devon’s trail was beyond cold.

They sat now in a diner off I-25. Ian had asked the other two to meet him when his cursory sweep of a supposedly abandoned facility proved it was anything but. He looked from Payne to Kyle and back before he explained. “The complex was exactly where Carly said it would be, but it wasn’t deserted. In the short time I was there, an SUV drove up and two grunts unloaded an unconscious body. Young male would be my guess. Then a silver Lexus drove away.”

Kyle shook his head. “Even if they’re using the old lab again, how do we know that’s where they took Devon?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ian stressed. “We have an obligation to help any Therian, not just Devon.”

“You’re right.” Kyle rubbed his eyes as he sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m too damn tired to think straight right now.”

“Americans.” Payne rolled his eyes in mock disdain then grinned at Ian. “I am made of sturdier stuff. You can count on me.”

“Unfortunately you can’t fly and I’m sure as hell not carrying you all the way to Wyoming.” It was more natural for Ian to shift into a golden eagle than to manifest wings, but years of practice had enabled him to master the skill.

“You could fly on ahead and we’ll follow in one of the trucks,” Kyle suggested. “At least that way we’d have some warning if the situation has changed since you left.”

“I don’t think I could hold the shift that long. I’m almost as tired as you are.”

“When it comes to stealth, Ian and I are a far better team. You go home to mommy and get some sleep.” Payne punctuated the provocation with a lazy smile. “Leave this to the adults.”

Kyle glared at the lion-shifter but didn’t argue. “What if you need backup?”

“This is recon, nothing more. Payne’s right. You look like shit. Go get some sleep.”

Kyle hesitated a minute longer, obviously reluctant to bow out.

“If Ava were waiting at home for me, I wouldn’t hesitate. If you’re tired of her already, I’d be happy to—”

“Not in your wildest dreams.” Kyle pushed back his chair and stood. “You’re welcome to crash at the sanctuary when you’re done. It will save you a trip into the mountains and back. If this place is as hot as you say, we’ll want to plan the attack quickly and pounce.”

Ian nodded. “We’ll see how long this takes. If it’s not too late, I’d love to sleep in my own bed for a change.”

Payne chuckled. “You would have to fly me to Prague for such a luxury.”

Ian tossed his keys to Payne as they exited the restaurant. “Your eyes are still focusing, aren’t they?”

“For now.”

Ian slumped in the passenger seat and closed his eyes. “Stay on I-25 until you hit the state line. I’ll navigate from there.”

“You are not going to entertain me. How rude.”

Something about the way Payne rolled his Rs struck Ian’s funny bone. Desperately needing the release, he laughed until his cheeks hurt and his companion was glaring with real annoyance. “Sorry. I get irrational when I’m this sleep deprived.”

“Then go to sleep.”

Ian rolled his shoulders and his neck popped, releasing a knot of tension. “I’m too damn tall to sleep in a vehicle, but I’ll keep the hysterics to a minimum.”

“Glad to hear it.” After a few minutes of companionable silence, Payne asked, “Do you think they are ready to deal with the aftermath of her captivity?”

“They will be so relieved to get her back alive, the rest won’t matter.”

“Are you sure? Devon has been at their mercy for nearly a month. That is a long time for any female, much less one as innocent as Devon.”

“Devon is stronger than you think. She’s Erin’s daughter after all.”

Payne shot him a sidelong glance. “Are you trying to convince me or you?”

“I’m glad you didn’t go all doom and gloom while Kyle was still around. Why the sudden pessimism?”

“Resentments run deep between felines and canines here, but you have not experienced the devastation of a true clan war.”

“Not in the past century,” Ian grumbled.

“
To je pravda
. I forget how old you are. My point was only that I have seen the sort of atrocities that erode a person’s soul. I think Kyle and Erin need to be prepared for anything.”

“Erin Lashton is the most patient and companionate person I’ve ever known. And as you so kindly pointed out, I’m old as dirt.”

“Erin is also Devon’s mother. She will not be objective no matter how hard she tries.”

“I hear you. I just prefer to cross that bridge when and if we come to it.”

“As you say.”

Payne lapsed into silence and Ian stared out the window. It was hard to think of Devon as anything but a precocious adolescent. He knew she was a woman now, but the majority of their interaction had been while she was in her early teens. He’d lived in a guesthouse owned by the Lashtons after a tragedy left him so consumed by rage he could barely function. Erin had helped him process the anger and accept the underlying loss. Then, last year, when Erin lost her mate, everyone expected Ian to claim her as his own. But he refused to mate without a true soul bond and with Erin he’d never felt the pull. She was the closest friend he’d ever had, but their relationship had never been romantic.

Devon had been thirteen when he moved into the guesthouse. For the first few months she’d watched him with a mixture of fascination and fear, but little by little her interest took on an entirely different light. He’d been chopping wood one afternoon, shirtless and covered in sweat, when he spotted her spying on him.

The memory was crystal clear and surprisingly poignant. He’d lodged the ax in the tree stump and spun around. “Little girls shouldn’t spy on grown men. Tends to get grown men shot.”

She stepped out from behind the tree that had failed to hide her completely and held her arms away from her body. “I’m unarmed.” Mischief gleamed in her clear green eyes, making her look older than her thirteen years.

There was no way in hell he was going to encourage a schoolgirl crush, especially when the schoolgirl was his best friend’s daughter. So he put his fists on his hips and did his best to look foreboding. “What do you want?”

“I know my father can be an ass at times, but he won’t let you steal his mate.” She stood a little straighter and raised her chin. “Leave my mother alone.”

It was a convenient excuse and they both knew it. She hadn’t been watching him out of loyalty to her mother. “What makes you think I’m interested in your mother?” She’d blushed to the roots of her shiny black hair and he wanted to bite off his tongue. That hadn’t been much of a discouragement, so he made himself perfectly clear. “Go back to your house, Devon. There is nothing for you here.”

Too flustered to argue, she’d dashed into the trees, leaving him with the oddest ache in the center of his chest. He still remembered every nuance of her innocent face and the hurt clouding her eyes.

He’d seen her often in the following years, but he’d made sure they were never alone together. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust himself to resist her appeal. He just wasn’t taking any chances. Erin meant too much to him and Devon deserved someone as young and untainted as she was.

Payne turned on the radio as Ian let his mind wander. So much had happened in the past few months. The conflict with the wolves seemed to escalate daily and they kept identifying new enemies.

They’d been fighting the radical obsession of the Abolitionists for years, but now they had the name of the person who called the shots. Nehema. Unfortunately they didn’t know a whole lot more than her name. What had inspired her ongoing crusade to wipe out Therian males and “rescue” Therian females was still a mystery.

In fact, they’d thought the lab was an Abolitionist facility until the raid revealed an entirely new, and far more dangerous, enemy. According to Carly, one of the project doctors, a group of three “backers” funded and controlled the ambitious project. Therians were captured and experimented on in an effort to unlock the secret of their metamorphic abilities. The raiding party had freed all of the Therians being held captive in the lab, but Carly warned them that there were other facilities.