Thomas (4 page)

“
I’m pretty sure that
anyone can tell I’m a woman even if I’m in my uniform. Not that I
care what men or, for that matter, women think of me either way,
but you should know that I’ve been seen as a woman for a long time.
And men like me and my body undressed more than what I wear.” Her
mother flushed. “You should know better than to talk to me about
men and sex.”

“
You are driving me crazy,
did you know that?” Linyah smiled. “I have come to talk to you
about something important. Nic thinks we should have an outpost on
Earth. I think it a good idea, but I wanted your input before I
went to your sister. She can be…difficult when the mood suits her.
Why she’s not more like you, I’ll never know. But anyway, he thinks
that if there is someone there when we have a problem, it will be
quicker to deal with.”

“
I think it’s a good idea.
And if you tell Kendra that, she’ll shoot it down even if it is an
excellent idea. Did he say who would run it?” Her mother nodded
sadly. “I see. He wants to run it. Well, he should. He’d be great
at it too.”

“
You want him to be gone
from our home? I don’t think…it’s the only way, I’m sure, but to
have him so far away. What will I do if I need him here for
something? You know your father depends on him a great deal when
you are working.”

“
Dad will be fine with him
there. And he’d love to go there more often with you. I think you
should purchase a house there as well. Something just the two of
you could use to get away. That part of the world is a very…it’s
very different than here. You might enjoy it a little.” Her mom was
liking the idea and Linyah could see it. “And this Misha person
might be a good friend to you both. His brother is a very strong
and good man. I can only assume that he will be too.”

“
Nic said he is very nice.
Polite too, he told us, unlike some people I know. And your dad
seems to think he might be able to help us when we have a rogue or
two as well. Not that you don’t do a fantastic job, but it would be
nice to have someone so close to the action when things go wrong.”
Linyah knew what she was saying was true, but she also didn’t want
anyone helping her. But she kept her mouth shut. It was never going
to happen anyway. Her parents wouldn’t buy a home there and Nic
would be bored soon enough and push the outpost onto someone else.
But it was a good plan. Her sister would hate it simply because
Linyah had some input on it.

Her mother was walking toward the door
when she turned back. “We leave in the morning for the Lanning
leap. Are you going to be well enough to travel?” Tomorrow? She
nodded at her mom. “Good. I will have your things taken to the
transport and they will be there when we arrive. Do try to act like
a woman for just the first few hours, my child. I would very much
like to make a good first impression.”

Linyah stuck her tongue out at the
closed door. She was going to be herself and if they didn’t like
it, then tough shit. She wasn’t going to dress up for anyone.
Besides, she was pretty sure that she’d never see the Lannings
again and didn’t care to dress to impress. Maybe she’d get a call
to go out and be on a mission until they were ready to come back
here. Not that she wasn’t looking forward to going, but she wasn’t
going to be made into something she wasn’t. She reached for Phillip
to tell him they were coming tomorrow morning.

Your things will be
brought to my brother’s house. He’s got all the rooms assigned and
everything all set up. I hope you like my family.
She told him she didn’t care about all that, and
he laughed.
Yeah, I didn’t think you’d
care. But my mom is looking forward to you guys coming. She’s been
baking her famous sugar cookies and pies.

Her downfall. Sweets. Linyah had asked
the kitchen here not to bake them any longer. She could sit and eat
them until she popped. And then eat more just because she could. It
wasn’t like she gained any weight or anything, but they did make
her have such a sugar rush that it was like being drunk on liquor.
She had made such a fool of herself the last time she’d eaten any
that she’d had to stay at home for days in fear someone would laugh
at her.

I don’t know how long
we’ll be staying, but there is a chance that I’ll get called away
when a problem arises.
She’d told Phillip
that she was in charge of security, and he told her that was great.
What she didn’t tell him was that not only did she run the security
team, but did most of the runs on her own. She’d been running away
as far as she could since her mother retired some years ago. But
Linyah was bored with the job and she was pretty sure her mother
was with retirement as well. Maybe they’d all get lucky and her mom
would come out of retirement and her sister would find a male.
Yeah, right, she thought. And she’d turn into a beauty
queen.

Whatever happens it’ll be
nice just to have you here as much as we can. I’m looking forward
to everyone meeting you and your family.
Linyah smiled. There wasn’t a nicer person she knew than this
young man. And she supposed that he wasn’t really young to others
like him. But to her he was just a babe.
Misha said we might have a call or two as well to go out on.
I guess we might miss seeing you as well. There is always someone
who needs us.

Me too.
She looked out over the grounds that were home to
so many now.
I have seen some of your area
in your mind. I hope someday that I can bring you here. It’s so
different than yours. We don’t have a lot going on that’s different
than you have really. Just bigger houses and less people. I guess
we’re still hoping that someday we’ll be as populated as we once
were.
She didn’t mean to sound so snobbish
and started to apologize to him when he laughed.

It is okay here. I don’t
know where there is, but I’m sure you’ll like our little piece of
the world. It’s nice, quiet, and we have a lot of woods we can run
in. I’ve been telling Mom about you and she can’t wait to meet
you.
Pressure seemed to weigh her down and
she had to take several deep breaths before she could speak. But
Phillip was speaking first.
You’ll be
fine. Just take more deep breaths and imagine fighting one of your
worst foes. See him at the end of your blade? He’s scared shitless
of your badassness. And he’d be pissing his pants if not for the
fact that you’ve already made him do it twice.

Linyah laughed. She couldn’t help it.
He’d been making her do that so often that she wanted to find him
and hug him to her. But it wasn’t sexual, and she was sure he knew
it. It was like he was her brother, like Nic was, and they got
along so well. When she told him she was fine now, he told her he
had to go. They were having a meeting again and he couldn’t be
late.

Linyah was sitting on her deck hours
later when she realized that she wanted to be there now. Instead of
telling anyone where she was going, she simply willed herself to
the house where Phillip was. She was surprised to find herself in
the kitchen with a large man that looked to be pissed off. The
older woman that was standing in the doorway looked to be just as
mad as the man, but she was also afraid. Linyah stepped between
them. The older leopard turned to her and she saw the gun before
anything else.

“
You should just back on
up, girl, and nobody will get hurt. I’m here to talk to my boy and
you’ll not interfere. Don’t you just be standing there. Get going.
Don’t you have something to sew or something?” He glared at her
when she laughed. “I’m not being funny here. I’m trying to be
polite and I don’t have a lot of politeness in me today. You just
back on up and I’ll finish my conversation with my wife
here.”

Linyah turned slightly to look at the
woman. She’d been hit, and hard too. Before she could ask her if
she was all right, another man came up behind the older one and
wrapped his arm around his throat, pulling him away from the door.
Linyah could see that he had it covered and helped the woman to sit
down.

“
You should have kicked
his ass.” Linyah laughed at the woman when she spoke. “I would
have, but I’m no match for him. Stupidity makes mean men. And he’s
one of the meanest ones I know of.”

“
I’ll agree with that, but
I’m pretty sure you could have taken him and come out on top.”
Linyah touched the wound on her cheek and healed it. She knew that
she could have healed herself by shifting, but she wanted to help
her. “I assume you’re Phillip’s mother and that monster was your
husband?”

“
Ex-husband, thank you.
And yes. I’m Maribel and you’re the young woman who Phillip has
been raving about since he met you.” The younger man came in the
door then, and she stood in front of Mrs. Lanning. He didn’t move
any further into the room but stared at her. “Thomas, did you kick
his butt and put him in his car? He should know better than to come
here.”

“
He said he was coming
back. I called Misha and told him.” He never stopped staring at
Linyah as he spoke to his mom. “Phillip said he was around the main
house today too. He told him not to come back. Did he hurt
you?”

“
Nothing she couldn’t fix
up with a touch.” Mrs. Lanning stood up and pushed her toward the
man. “Thomas, this is Phillip’s friend. I’m sorry, dear, we don’t
know your name.”

“
Linyah. I’m Linyah of the
Genjar people.” Linyah flushed. She never told people what she was
when asked, but for some reason she did now. Before she could say
anything else, the man laughed. Linyah felt her anger build
up.

“
This day just went from
good to shit in a matter of heartbeats, didn’t it? I don’t suppose
you have a mate, do you?” She shook her head. “Of course not. That
would just make it too nice and easy. I wonder what else is in
store for me. Plague? The bank go belly up?”

“
Thomas.” His mother was
shocked, that much was evident. But when she smacked him on the
back of the head, he only looked at her and smiled. “Tell the young
woman you’re sorry. She was just saving me from being hurt by your
father when you showed up.”

“
He’s only my sire, Mom,
not my father.” Linyah took a step back when he took one toward
her. “I need to touch you.”

She took another step back, then
another when he kept coming. Putting up her hands was a bad idea,
she knew, so she put them behind her. Before she could leave the
room and this man, he wrapped his fingers around her upper arm,
causing her pain. When she cried out, he didn’t let her go but
pulled her into his arms and held her. Linyah didn’t know what to
do then.

“
Thomas?” He turned them
both to his mom. “Thomas, is she your mate? Is this your
mate?”

No one said anything and she pulled
away from him to look into his eyes. She could see it there. He
thought her his mate. But before she could tell him that there was
no way in hell she was his, he lowered his head and brushed his
mouth over hers. Fuck, but that was wonderful. And nothing could
have prepared her for the sexual need he’d given her with just a
simple kiss.

Linyah pulled her mouth from his and
he moved down her throat. She could see his desire, and his
erection was pressed hard into her folds. She had to get away. Now.
She had to get away now before he touched her again. Stepping back
again, he let her go and she willed herself home. She started to
throw things into another bag as she tried to think what to tell
her mom.

“
I’m not going.” Linyah
knew that would never work. Her mom would want more than just a
simple statement, especially since she’d been going on and on about
visiting them. And if she told her that her male was at the Lanning
house, they’d be moving there as soon as it could be arranged.
Linyah needed that like she needed another hole in her body.
Grabbing up the bag she’d thrown together, she was out of the house
before anyone noticed her. Going to the mountains was her only safe
place. They couldn’t find her there, nor could she be reached.
Linyah was running away from home.

Chapter 3

“
What do you mean you
can’t find her? She’s your sister, find her.” Nic wanted to point
out that she was also their daughter, but didn’t think that would
go over well just now. He had no idea what had happened at the
Lanning house today, but the Lannings wanted Linyah to come back
there too. “Well?”

Nic looked at his sister and dad. Dad
wasn’t so much pissed as he was amused; it was written in every
part of his face. It was his sister that was pissed. And whenever
she looked at his dad, he tried his best to look upset as well. Nic
didn’t think he was fooling anyone. His mom walked into the room
just as Nic was going to explain again that he had no idea where
Linyah had gone.

“
You should know that
sending him out to find her would be a fool’s errand. If she
doesn’t want us to find her, we never shall. We are leaving in the
morning and she’s nowhere to be found, and I think that it would be
foolish to go about this halfcocked. I want her here now as well,
but we have no knowledge as to what might have happened to her in
that household.”

Nic looked at the room and wondered if
maybe she was there and hiding under the piles of clothing that
were everywhere. She might be in here and no one could see her. But
he looked at his mom again and knew that she’d looked. And
well.