International links
|
Dark Stranger Spirit Wild #7The pack is preparing to search for the lost Berserkers. Now that they know their feral cousins exist, the search looms as a race against time. Those Berserkers, Chanku born as animals who shift to human, were the warrior race of the shapeshifters on their home planet, long before their world was destroyed and as many as could escaped into space.
On Earth, they’ve spread across the planet, far from their landing site in the Tibetan Steppe, the place where they planted the grasses they knew their people would need to enable their ability to shift on this strange new world. Over time they spread out across the world, far from those important nutrients their bodies must have in order to become whole. Now, trapped as animals, limited to the short lives of those animals, many still live in the wild while others are trapped in zoos and animal parks or held by those who are part of the illegal predator trade. Leo Cheval and his mate Asha are part of one team, heading to Upstate New York to search for a pair of Snow Leopards held by a wealthy man with a criminal past. Santiago and his beloved Sofia, maned wolves, are the last to shift. Berserkers recently rescued from a supposed wild animal rescue group in Minnesota who barely escaped with their lives, they are the only ones of the last rescues who have yet to shift. Another group with Mac Cheval, Sissy Long, Mary Ryder, Jack Temple, and the big Berserker Reko are the first to head out, traveling to Southern California and a large animal park. Rem and Shay stay behind with Sofia and Santiago until they’re ready to travel, and then they head to a safari park in Northern California. |
In each case, the teams find Berserkers, though collecting them is not without danger. A female Bengal tiger in Southern California is kidnapped before she can be removed from the park. While her mate waits, terrified he will lose his beloved, the hunt is on before she can be sold to a man who buys and sells predators.
Rem and Shay, Sofi and Santi also find Berserkers at their first stop, but the one in Upstate New York takes a terrifying turn when the private zoo is raided by men who want to steal the Berserkers and one of the pack is shot and critically injured. Once again, the pack is called on to save one of their own, but time is running out.
Rem and Shay, Sofi and Santi also find Berserkers at their first stop, but the one in Upstate New York takes a terrifying turn when the private zoo is raided by men who want to steal the Berserkers and one of the pack is shot and critically injured. Once again, the pack is called on to save one of their own, but time is running out.
Dark Stranger
1
_____________
Early Tuesday morning July 10, 2040
Rural Upstate NY
The big snow leopard stretched and then yawned. Back curved, his powerful hindquarters rose and thick muscles rippled beneath his spotted coat. Big paws with long, curved claws sliding free of their sheaths scraped the hard earth. When the cat yawned again, spreading those wide jaws even wider and displaying razor-sharp teeth, Luigi shivered. So much power. Truly a magnificent package to display such terrifying weapons in this tranquil setting...
“Boss? Sorry to interrupt. You got a minute?”
Snarling, Luigi gripped the arms of his Adirondack chair. He kept his gaze focused on the big cat. “Make it fast, Nick. And it damned well better be important.” This garden was his quiet place and his alone, where he could get away from work, where he could quietly enjoy his beautiful pets. Slowly, he turned, leveled his gaze on Nick, raised one eyebrow, and scowled.
Nick took a step back and sucked in a deep breath. Scared shitless. Good. The man let the breath out and took a moment to gather himself. That discomfort always made Luigi smile. It was nice to know the guys who worked for him still bought the image.
“I thought you should know, Boss. Volkov’s locked up. They’re holding him without bail.”
“What’d the fucker do?”
“Got busted. Since I was gone last week, I guess I just figured the maned wolf woulda already showed up, but when I checked, none o’ the guys had seen it. I called Volkov to find out why the animal never got here. I checked the books before I called to make sure accounting didn’t screw up, and it’s paid for. Ten big ones. Volkov’s housekeeper answered the phone. Said the FBI showed up and stopped the guys as they were loading your wolf. Turns out the animal was part of a sting. Word musta got out that Volkov was selling his rescues out of the sanctuary.”
“First Cho gets busted, now Volkov?” He thought about the connections. They all knew each other, if not personally, at least by reputation. All businessmen who worked just a bit outside the law, though their crimes were secondary to their shared hobby, the collection and preservation of endangered predators. It was a good thing they did, this saving of endangered animals. He glanced at the snow leopard, realized the beast stared at him, almost as if he understood what was going on.
Damned cat freaked him out, even if he was fucking gorgeous. Luigi shifted in his chair, focused on Nick.
Choeden and Volkov weren’t necessarily friendly, more like civil competitors in the predator trade, though he knew Cho had started out as a customer, eventually collecting more animals than Volkov had to sell. He’d branched out into selling them just a few years ago. Since he was also in Upstate NY, not far from this compound, it was easier to get the animals to buyers, something that hadn’t made Volkov with his sanctuary clear up in International Falls, Minnesota, happy at all. In fact, Luigi would have made the buy from Cho rather than Volkov, but Cho didn’t have a maned wolf. Just as well, since Choeden had been busted about the time Luigi had placed his order with the sanctuary in Minnesota. “Wonder if he gave Volkov up for a better deal? Prison for trading and selling these babies can mean a lot of very hard time.”
“Doesn’t matter how Volkov got nailed.” Nick glanced at the leopards. “What matters is what kind of records he’s kept. They could lead right to us.”
Luigi glanced again at the beautiful snow leopard. It was lying down, now. Ignoring the conversation. He hoped. Sometimes this male seemed to understand what he was talking about, which was impossible. Sad, though. So few of them left in the wild. Not even that many in captivity. “You’re right. But don’t destroy the evidence yet. Let’s wait a couple of days, see what shakes out. Volkov was an idiot. I doubt his records are all that good, if he kept any at all.” He laughed. “Not like he paid taxes on all the money I’ve given the bastard over the years...”
• • •
Namir snarled softly. He didn’t want the man, the one they called Zookeeper, to hear, though there was no risk that the stupid human would think the massive snow leopard he kept caged might actually understand his speech. Not that there was anything Namir could do about it, even if he could speak. Not like this. Not trapped in an animal body without the magic plant his kind needed to become human—if those plants actually existed. All he’d ever heard were rumors. He had to talk to Ziggy. She might have an idea on how to handle this. He thought of himself as the muscle, but his beloved Zigsa was definitely the brains of this pair of cats. At least he knew enough to realize that when Luigi Albano talked about destroying the evidence, he was talking about the creatures, others just like him and Zigsa. Killing all of them, just to save himself. Namir shuddered, opened his mind to see if he could feel Ziggy. He needed her now, more than ever. Concentrating on her mind, the essence of the female he loved, he searched. There. Back in the shade beside their cave.
Rising, he stretched again as if there was nothing wrong; he was just a big dumb cat who loved his pen, going off in search of his mate. Sex, naps, and food. All any of them wanted, right? He sauntered lazily away from the bars that framed a small garden patio where the human liked to sit and watch the animals in his zoo. He’d sent the other man away. Now, he sat quietly, staring through the stout fence that held Namir and the rest of them inside their artfully landscaped cages. Bastard. None of them belonged here. Not a single one of them had any choice in their lives, whether animal or shapeshifter. He gave the human one last look, and then headed toward the far side of the paddock.
Ziggy, love? Where are you hiding? We’ve got a problem.
• • •
Early dawn, Tuesday, July 10, 2040
Chanku Headquarters, Anton’s Pentagon
Anton Cheval, pack alpha and leader of the wealthiest country in the world—the Chanku Nation—and final authority on every major move his people made, stared at the glow of early sunrise over the massive silhouette of the northern Rocky Mountains and faced the potential repercussions of the largest and most devastating failure of his life.
How the hell could I have been such a fool? Hubris had brought him to his knees more than once, but rarely had his choices endangered so many innocent souls. They’d been made aware of Berserkers over a year ago, but instead of doing his own research, he’d accepted their goddess’s word, that the Chanku born as animals were feral creatures, killers at heart, living out their lives unable to shift, lacking the intelligence and honor of the human born shifters. He should have questioned her. Should have realized, once Reko and Ari joined their pack that Berserkers were not killers, were not evil by nature. No...from the moment they’d met the twin wolf brothers it was obvious they were good and honorable wolves. Not only that, they’d been taught to read by their mother, a wolf who wanted more for her sons, who found written words in trash barrels and along littered highways and somehow, with the rudimentary skills taught by her mother had managed to teach her sons to read.
Now he stood at the big window in the five-sided den the guys had started calling “the Pentagon.” It had been the Pentagram Room for years because of its mystical shape until the teasing about his role as the alpha of the Chanku Nation got his favorite hang-out bumped up a notch. Focus, you idiot. He stared at the pale pre-dawn sky just above the mountains, struggled to empty his mind, to find the clarity he needed to save so many innocent souls.
It wasn’t easy to find quiet within, but he fought down the need to force peace. It had to come naturally, or he would fail. Unacceptable. Entirely unacceptable. Untold lives depended on the actions they were taking.
My love? Hold on to me. I have quiet to spare.
He sighed softly and smiled when Keisha sent him a visual of his wolf shaking water off his wet coat. The memories it invoked were his—just last week they had stolen an hour for themselves. They’d frolicked like pups in the creek, made love in the thick grass alongside the tumbling water. The memories accomplished what his stubborn head-butting against the problem had only made worse.
His tense muscles eased, his mind cleared.
Thank you. Why is it I always hesitate to ask you when I know you’re there for me? He knew better than to stew, yet he still fought the need to ask his beloved for help.
Her laughter filled his mind, and he smiled, shaking his head. There was no need for her to speak when he knew exactly what she was thinking—that he was too stubborn to ask anyone for help, even when it was freely offered. He was trying to do better, though.
Proof of that was here, in this room. The two packmates he’d asked to manage this lifesaving rescue mission.
He glanced over his right shoulder. Remington Caruthers and his mate Shay Stone sat at the bar with fresh cups of coffee. They’d arrived only moments ago, both of them still half asleep but anxious to get things moving. Rem had contacted Anton, said he and Shay wanted to talk, but so far, they’d been drinking coffee, waking up. Giving him time to get his thoughts in order.
Remington raised his head, as if sensing Anton’s regard. “The maned wolves still haven’t shifted,” he said. “But we need to move. Now.”
Anton turned away from the big window, focused on the FBI agent he’d hoped from the beginning was Chanku. He’d tried hard not to gloat when Rem shifted. Failed entirely when Rem and Shay mated. He’d been as pleased as if they were his own flesh and blood. Now, he nodded, silently agreeing.
Rem’s half smile told Anton he’d expected as much. “I’ve got two teams ready to go this morning,” he said. “Jack Temple, Mary Ryder, Reko, Sissy Long, and Mac...”
“Mac’s going?” Anton bit back a smile. Unexpected, but Mac would be an asset to any team. This son, so unlike his fun-loving twin brother Gabe, tended to be quiet, more introspective, but he was a caring, intelligent young man, and that wasn’t merely a proud father’s exaggeration. Anton was proud of Mac, pleased that the family introvert was stepping up when needed.
“Yep,” Rem said. “He contacted me last night and said he wanted to be part of any rescue mission. I figured this would be a good group. Ricky McClintock’s going to pilot the chopper, said he’d be available to help out when needed. They’re going to hit the large animal sanctuaries that currently house predators. Shay’s checked all of them to rule out the ones with rescued domestic animals and non-predatory species. We really don’t have time to waste, at least if I want to get a decent night’s sleep again."
“I’m unfortunately way too familiar with that feeling.”
Rem shook his head, his smile more one of frustration than humor. “I figured you’d be sympathetic. They’ll start in California and check everything on the list. Depending on their success in the first few stops, we may need to add more teams, but at this point we’re planning a sweep of the first dozen or so to see if we get any hits. We have no idea if they’ll find any, or way too many. Depending on the numbers located, they’ll either give them the capsules and add them to the team, or Ricky will bring them back here.”
“Good. Who else have you got?”
“The other team with Leo, Asha, Boris, Ari, and Janine will be leaving this evening after dinner. We want to give Boris some time to pick up a bit more humanity.” Grinning, he shook his head. “The kid wants to go yesterday. He’s still more leopard than human, but he’s smart. I think he’ll have it figured out by the time they leave. Tinker’s their pilot. Their first stop will be the private collector in Upstate NY where the maned wolf was headed. It’s the place where Boris has positively identified at least one and maybe two of the Chanku who were sent there from the Minnesota sanctuary. The one Eve has confirmed is a young male snow leopard, about the same age as Boris. He was still pretty young when he was sold from the sanctuary, along with an even younger female who had been rescued from a dealer. The thing is, all these collectors are dealing on the side, so we don’t know for sure if they’re both still there. At least the male is.”
“Rescued and then sold again...” Anton wanted to weep at the horror they were only now learning about the Berserkers caught up as wild animals, kept in cages, in pens...unable to shift without the Tibetan grasses that gave them access to their birthright.
“Yeah.” Rem sighed. “We just couldn’t wait any longer on Sofia and Santiago. Getting the other teams out ASAP made more sense. Shay and I will wait until Sofi and Santi are ready to go. Are you and Keisha prepared if we have anyone to send your way?”
“That we are. I’ve already contacted Gabe and Emeline, Mbali, Jace and Romy, as well as Mike McClintock. Gabe and Jace are excellent teachers and Mike always steps in when he’s not flying. Mbali and Romy know what it’s like to shift later in life, so they’ll add perspective our Berserkers might need. We’ve got more teachers we can pull in as needed. They’ve all been notified we might have use of their skills. Fen and Igmutaka and their mates have offered if needed, but I hate to pull them away from their work. Not to worry, though. The pack is ready to help any new Chanku adjust to life on two legs.”
• • •
Tuesday morning, July 10, 2040
Chanku Headquarters, near Glacier National Park, Montana
The morning sun beat hot on Santiago’s back, and if it weren’t for this weird sense he was almost ready to shift for the first time ever driving him nuts, he would have slept. He’d been eating those big capsules their rescuers had given him and he knew he was close, but he had no idea how he was going to convince Sofi to shift with him. She’d taken as many pills as he had, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to go through with it.
It was a bit late—the physical changes to allow their bodies to shift were complete, though he couldn’t deny her arguments were sound. How could they possibly help rescue the other Chanku, the ones like they’d been who were prisoners in zoos or even worse, the pens and cages of the jerks who got their rocks off buying and selling endangered predators? He and Sofi had no idea how to be human, how to act, how to do the simplest things like eat at a table with utensils or put on clothing. He didn’t know how to tie shoes, much less walk on two legs. They couldn’t even communicate with the others unless they shifted to the same animal—maned wolves—as Santi and Sofi. Well, all except for Shay, who had understood them and been able to talk to both of them from the beginning. Yes, they could shift, but they would be human with no idea how to speak in the human language. They only understood a few words.
The others had known how to communicate, but they’d all grown up in places where they heard humans speaking. He and Sofi had always lived in a pen at the back of the compound, away from humans.
Thank the goddess Shay at least had understood him, or he might have been shipped off to another pen, another owner. Shipped far away from his Sofia, the one he’d loved from the first time he saw her. They’d been kept in that pen in northern Minnesota for at least five seasons. They were basically just pups when they met.
Their rescue still felt like a dream, but even dreams ended when reality intruded.
Sighing, he rested his chin on his paws and gazed at Sofi. She appeared to be sleeping, but he couldn’t really tell. Her mind was active, but nothing he understood. Sometimes he wondered if he really knew Sofi at all. He loved her, but there were times, like now, when she felt alien to him. Of course, since they couldn’t truly mate until they shifted, that might explain that sense of distance the two of them had always known. Together, but not really connected. For that alone, he welcomed the chance to finally have access to the other half of who and what he was.
He’d been born an animal, fully aware there was a human inside him. A human that could only find life if he had the magic grasses. Generations of his kind had known this, yet never had the chance to taste them, to know the truth of who and what they were. Berserkers. He’d never heard that name before, but that was what the Chanku who rescued them had said.
You and Sofia are the same as us. You are Chanku, but yours is the warrior family, the ones created especially to protect all Chanku. Over the eons, we lost you. Even our goddess lost you, but you have been found. If you choose, you are welcome as pack.
They’d been so alone. Always alone, even among animals that looked like them. Other maned wolves that were just that...maned wolves. Animals.
Lying this close to Sofi, he felt her unease, her fear of the unknown. How did he convince her that they could do anything together? That they couldn’t truly be together until they shifted. The first thing he wanted to do when they were finally human was mate with his wonderful Sofia.
He watched her, chin resting on his paws. He might not understand her, but he knew how to read the expressions on her beautiful face. In that way, he could always see what she was thinking, and right now he could tell that she felt very alone. And afraid. That had to end now. I love you, Sofi. Are you awake? Why do you look so sad?
Because I’m frightened. I need you. I thought you were sleeping. Be with me, Santi.
She looked so afraid. He hated the thought of her fearing the future—the same future he was so anxious to know. I will always come awake for you. And I will always need you, my Sofi. Don’t be afraid. We’ll figure this out.
He stood, shook out his pelt so that his black mane stood high. This at least was a language he understood. He and Sofia could always connect when their bodies were one.
• • •
Late Tuesday morning, Pentagon, Chanku Nation Headquarters,
aka Keisha and Anton Cheval’s home.
“I’m really glad you’ve finally decided to move ahead with this.”
Boris, a young Berserker who’d had his first shift just hours earlier had been pushing everyone to move since he and his mother were rescued. Darya had elected not to go. It would be a while before she’d shifted enough for her body to begin the gradual change back to her younger self. She’d been an elderly snow leopard nearing the end of her days when she and Boris were rescued.
Now, barring an accidental death, she faced an almost immortal lifespan, and once she’d shifted enough over the next couple years, she’d have the body of a young woman in her prime.
Forever.
Boris was still focused on Rem. The kid was young and impatient, but Rem figured he’d be a terrific ambassador to explain this new world to other captive Berserkers. He had no argument with anything Boris was saying, but it was obvious the kid hadn’t realized that yet. Rem let him talk.
His anger growing, Boris slapped his hand down on the granite bar. “We can’t wait on Santiago and Sofia. There are too many of us out there. Too many still in cages.”
Remington raised one eyebrow from his spot behind the bar. First time he’d ever taken Anton’s traditional position, and for whatever reason, it actually made him feel more confident. Anton had been here when he and Shay first arrived, but he’d left after a bit to have coffee with his mate, giving Rem and Shay the chance to open this meeting themselves. But he’d walked in a couple of minutes ago and sat quietly on one of the big leather couches against the wall opposite the bar, and Rem refused to admit how relieved he was to have the alpha in the room. He was staying quiet, but that was okay. At least he was here. Turning his thoughts from Anton, Rem planted his palms on the cool stone and studied Boris for a moment. “I agree, Boris, but we couldn’t rush this along until you’d shifted, and even now you won’t be any use to us if you’re not sure how to be human. As I recall, your sister had to show you how to zip your pants this morning.”
“Yeah, but I figured it out after the first try!” Laughing with the others seated alongside, Boris dramatically thunked his forehead on the granite bar.
“Ouch! Don’t do that!” Laughing, shaking his head, Rem continued. “Believe me, I’m as anxious as you are. More so, since I was ready to go the day we brought all of you back from Minnesota. But ya know what? I realized I need all of you, especially those of you who are Berserkers. You can speak truth to anyone we find, and ready or not, the plan is for you to head out tonight.” Ignoring Boris’s wide eyes, Rem let his gaze pass slowly over each of them. “So, here’s what we know.”
Which, unfortunately, wasn’t a hell of a lot. Focusing now on Asha, her brother, and their mom, he ticked off what they had going for them. “We’ve got the info from your microchips listing the various private collectors—we haven’t got much intel on any of them, so whatever their crimes, it doesn’t appear that we’re dealing with killers. Mostly white collar criminals, the kind of guys who make their money stealing from other people with money. But they’ve all purchased predators illegally from the sanctuary, and possibly from people like Cho Choeden, the guy who had Asha. Records from the Minnesota sanctuary show us sales that go back for years, which means that some of these Berserkers are most likely dead. We don’t know their ages when they were sold, and unfortunately, without the ability to shift, you have the natural lifespan of your wild counterpart. At least we know which predators were shipped out of the Minnesota sanctuary, and when, and we have a good idea where they’re being held, unless they’ve been resold or traded away. Most important, we also know, thanks to you, Boris, which ones are most likely Berserkers.”
“First team left early this morning.” Shay ticked the names off on her fingers. “Jack Temple, Mary Ryder, Reko, Sissy Long, and Mac Cheval. Ricky McClintock flew them out to start in California. They’ll be visiting the few large animal parks in the state, starting off near San Diego. We’ve already affirmed which ones have predators, and not all of them will be Berserkers, so hopefully, working their way through each one shouldn’t take too long. Then they’ll move on to the next state, but California and New York gave us the most leads.”
She glanced at Rem. He just shook his head. So many places to search, so many lives potentially at risk.
He stood there a moment, hands on hips, head down. Damn this was hard. He took a deep breath, let it out, glanced quickly at Anton before addressing the group. “Knowing they’re out there...damn, it’s hard to take. I always felt something was missing in my life, but I didn’t have a clue. The thing is, I had no idea there was something more inside me, so while I was dissatisfied with that nameless something, I didn’t know what or why.
“These people—same as you, Asha, Boris, Ari,” he paused a moment, “You knew—just as they do— what you didn’t have. I can’t imagine the frustration, knowing about but not having the grasses that will let you claim that other part of yourself. Unlike Chanku who are born human, it’s a matter of a nameless something missing. For Berserkers, it’s your link to humanity.” He smiled as he glanced at Shay. “We all deserve the freedom to know ourselves, to know all those parts that are hidden until we finally shift. To finally form a mating bond with the one we love. We’ve got to find these missing members of our world.”
He let out a deep breath. “Okay.” Embarrassed by his outburst, he laughed softly. “Got that off my chest, but it’s hard to think of all those Berserkers out there, knowing what they’re missing, caged or penned, separated from their loved ones...it just sucks. Once Santiago and Sofia shift, they’ll join Shay and me as the third team. We’ll be following up on some leads on the west coast while you five will be heading to New York this evening. It’s a rural area, well away from the city. First stop will be the large scale collector where Santiago was headed. We believe he’s got at least a couple of Berserkers in his personal zoo, possibly more. It might take you a while to find all of them. Tinker will fly you out tonight, but be careful. You’re the ones handling the criminal element. The traders who, in some cases, trade predators like collectibles.”
“You’ll have a smaller class B motorhome as headquarters,” Shay added. “They’re easier to drive than the big ones. We’re still working on some of the details, but get your stuff together and meet us back here this afternoon about four, okay? We’ll go over final details for the trip. You’ll have time for dinner and the flight east. Because of the time difference, we’re hoping you’ll be able to sleep during the flight. Best way is to shift and curl up in the chopper. The vibrations put me to sleep really fast.”
Rem grinned at Shay. “I can’t wait to see how many all of us can find, but this is a great mix doing the search. The majority of us in the teams are new to this shapeshifting gig. Mac, Leo, Jack, and Shay—they’re the only ones who have known since birth that they were shapeshifters. Even Anton had to find out the hard way.”
“He’s right.” Anton laughed and waved from his seat at the back.
Rem saluted. “Thank you for that, and also, thank you for giving up your spot at the bar. Makes me feel more in charge without you guarding the cognac.” Rem ignored Anton’s audible snort of laughter. “Anyway, I think that’s why this hits me so hard. Berserkers, who are in truth Chanku, who have never been able to shift, imprisoned for their entire lives merely because they’ve been caught up in this goddess-be damned-industry of illegal trading in rare and endangered predators, others living their entire lives as animals in zoos or small sanctuaries where there’s no chance of ever living free. It’s one thing to live out a life in the wild, free... But in cages? We have to save them.”
None of his years with the FBI had prepared him for anything like this. He couldn’t even imagine trying to explain this job to his supervisor back in DC. Rem felt woefully unqualified. He’d been a shifter now for all of two weeks, but someone had to take the reins for this rescue mission, and it appeared he’d won the toss. Anton had told him days ago that it was all his show, though the alpha hadn’t hesitated to put out an open call to the pack earlier in the week, telling them about the upcoming search, and asking anyone who was able to help, to get in touch with Rem or Shay.
The number of willing volunteers was more than welcome. Not only were all of them strong, smart, motivated people, the ones going into the field had formed their own teams without even realizing it, including Gabe’s group who would stay behind and help any newcomers learn how to exist on two legs. Each member of that team was a natural born teacher, if not a licensed teacher in reality. He wondered just how much of this was under Eve’s suggestion, if not outright control. Their goddess was desperate to recover those who were lost.
“We still have no idea how many are out there.” Rem focused on Boris. The kid understood the risks to Berserkers in captivity. The mental torture of knowing they weren’t merely a wild beast, that they could be sold to anyone, anytime, away from all that was familiar, away from family. “We didn’t know that buying and selling predators was a fucking business. As soon as we knew Berserkers existed, we should have done something! We should have paid attention, dammit! Once we knew about them, we should have connected the dots, wondered where the hell they were.
“Well, we know about them now, that besides the legal zoos and sanctuaries, there is an entire underworld of criminals trafficking in rare and endangered predators of all kinds. The Minnesota sanctuary wasn’t the only supplier. Cho Choeden’s arrest is proof that it’s a much larger illicit industry than any of us suspected. The authorities in New York suspect that Choeden was selling the animals, but they haven’t been able to find his records. We only know of the ones from this one sanctuary, and there are registered and unregistered sanctuaries and illicit collectors all over the US and Canada, most likely throughout the world. Odds are, there are many more Chanku held captive. Knowing they’re out there, growing older as the days pass, without hope, without any promise of freedom, puts even more pressure on us. We have to save every single one we can.”
It had been pure luck that they’d even learned of the Berserkers’ existence. If it hadn’t been for Sebastian Xenakis—Anton’s son-in-law—they might never have known. Sebastian’s father had been a powerful wizard who practiced dark magic, the kind of magic that required a blood sacrifice. He had a dozen large bodyguards who were shapeshifters. It took Sebastian, now mated to Anton’s daughter Lily, to figure that out. When Sebastian killed them with some powerful magic of his own, they died as wolves and didn’t shift back. There were legends about Berserkers as vicious killers, but no one really remembered them. The bodyguards, all trained killers who died as animals without shifting to humans had been proof—this sub-species was deadly. Even their goddess believed the mythology, that they were bred to be killers. It wasn’t until they discovered that Igmutaka and Fen were both Berserkers that Eve was able to dig old memories out of her many million years old mental filing system and learned the importance of Berserkers to the race.
They had once been powerful soldiers, guardians of and allies to the more peaceful Chanku.
“Okay.” Rem glanced at Anton and then focused on his team. “Anton is our chief operations officer. He’ll coordinate our activities from here, and since he can read us wherever we are, it will be a simple thing to check in and keep him apprised of what you’re doing. Pretty handy in a COO.”
“Are we going to work with local authorities, or go in undercover?” Leo glanced at Ari. “I’m concerned that we’ll need warrants and all that if we work with authorities. After what happened in Minnesota, we know we can’t always trust local law enforcement agencies not to warn our targets. Honestly? I’m more concerned with saving lives than getting convictions afterwards.”
Rem laughed. “And this, my friends, is one of the pack attorneys speaking.” He grinned at Leo. “I like the way your mind works, Leo. I’ll be traveling under the auspices of the FBI, so I don’t have as much leeway to play fast and loose with the rules, but our laws are different, and my human boss appears quite happy to defer to our pack alpha when questions of propriety arise. Going in with a pack attorney trained in both human and Chanku law is certain to convince him we’re on the straight and narrow.” He grinned at Leo. “Even if we take a few side cuts and questionable turns along the way. The ones who left this morning never brought this up, so we’ll let them know to use their own discretion and follow rules when they have to. Otherwise, creativity is always appreciated.”
Leo threw a wadded piece of paper at him. Rem ducked, and continued. “I’ll have Shay, and hopefully Santiago and Sofia. I want to get out of here as soon as possible, and Tinker is ready to fly us where we need to be once he gets back from delivering the five of you. Let’s break for lunch. When we get back, we’ll go over the details you’re going to need when you approach the first target.”
• • •
Early Tuesday afternoon, the woods outside pack headquarters
Panting, Sofi and Santi lay in the shade of pine and cedar trees, just beyond the meadow. There’d been a sharper edge to their lovemaking this time, almost a sense of desperation, as if their bodies were anxious for the change, unhappy that the two of them were hesitating at completing themselves, bringing both their four-legged and two-legged parts together.
We have to do it, don’t we, Santi? Sofi accepted she had been the one holding them up, holding the searchers back from saving the untold numbers of trapped Berserkers. She couldn’t delay any longer, no matter how frightened she was.
We do, but if we shift together, we’ll be able to share our fears, make them our strengths. Do you see how it happens?
I do. Sofi licked his muzzle and wondered what would happen to them, the two of them as a single unit after their shift. Would he still love her? To have wanted something for so long while believing it would never happen, suddenly to realize they were going to find that other half that had been lost to their people for time without measure was a thrilling,
terrifying, electrifying step they would be taking.
But we’ll take it together, my beautiful Sofia. Shift with me. Now.
• • •
Adrenaline surged through this new body as Santiago stretched his long legs, pushed himself to a sitting position, raised his arms over his head, and looked about at a world that was still the same, but perceived entirely differently. He’d always wondered what this would be like, this change from beast to man. The pine needles prickled his bare buttocks. The afternoon breeze had picked up and it chilled his naked skin, but he’d done it. He listened for the familiar sounds of the forest, but those sounds were muted, overwhelmed by the brilliant colors these eyes saw.
Where was Sofi? He looked for her, turning his head from side to side, searching out of eyes that saw so differently. She’d been beside him when he shifted, but where had she gone? She’d been so afraid of the shift. Had she run away instead of taking this first step into the unknown? Awkwardly shoving himself to his two feet, teetering a bit until he found his balance, he turned this way and that. He stood so much higher! Everything that had been at eye level was down around his knees. Glancing about, he wondered where she’d gone. She’d been beside him, but now... He sucked in a deep breath, blew it out, then another until all he heard was the breath rushing in and out of his straining lungs, his panicked heartbeats thundering in his ears. Once more, breathing deeply, willing his heart to slow down, his breathing to slow as well. “Sofi? Sofi, where are...”
So soft he barely heard her, had to strain to understand her words. “Here, Santi. I’m over here.”
At the sound of her voice, he raced toward her. There, almost totally hidden in the thick ferns growing in this quiet glen in the woods near the pack’s headquarters. “What are you doing here? Is this really you?” He knelt in front of the beautiful young woman cowering in the greenery. Gently ran his hands over her long, dark hair. Such silky hair. His Sofia. So beautiful she took his breath, so undeniably sensual he felt this new body respond in a totally unfamiliar yet welcome way.
She dipped her head, wouldn’t look at him. “I watched you shift. It was so fast. My Santiago was sitting beside me, and then there was a strange man in his place. An unbelievably beautiful human man.” Raising her head, she looked at him, her cheeks flushed a soft shade of red, her smile embarrassed. “I don’t even remember moving, but I was suddenly hiding in the weeds, feeling like a dolt. I shifted before you turned around. I didn’t want you to see what a coward your woman was.”
“Not a coward, my love. Never a coward. This is an entirely new world we’ve entered together.” She reached for him at the same time he took her hand, stood, and gently tugged her to her feet. Looking at her now, standing so tall and proud and so lovely she made his heart ache, Santiago wasn’t sure what to say, how to act. This body wasn’t familiar, though the love he felt for her was the thing that resonated deeper even than the sense that, while they had both changed, they were still exactly the same.
Gently, he squeezed her hand, surprised by the warmth of her fingers, the slight tremor that let him know his Sofi was every bit as nervous as he was. He took her other hand, holding her at arm’s length for the briefest of moments before pulling her close, holding her against this new body as he buried his nose in her dark hair and inhaled a scent that was even more seductive than the four-legged Sofi he knew. He felt her arms reaching around him, holding him to her, but his entire body was tight, the itching he’d noticed over the past few days giving way to a powerful need to mate with this woman, to take her in his arms and make love to her, to...
What? He had no fucking idea how to make love to a human woman! Mind spinning in confusion, one truth steadied him. Anton would know. The pack alpha knew everything!
Anton! Sofi and I have shifted. I want to make love to her, to make her mine, but I have no idea how to make love to a woman. How to make it good for her. What do I do? Where can we go? I need her, but it has to be right.
As always, the pack alpha responded immediately. First, congratulations on your shift, and welcome to the pack. Take Sofi back to the room you’ve been sharing. Close the doors, pull the shades. Use that big bed and give yourselves privacy and time to experiment with what feels best. Remember that for human women, the orgasm that comes so naturally to your animal self isn’t always as easy for them when they’re human. They need time and love and your lips and tongue and fingers, as well as that large penis growing between your legs connecting with that tiny little nub between hers, and then going deep inside. A lot is instinct, but it must always be tempered with love. Your body will know how to find the cleft between her thighs. Fill her with heat and sensation, and all the love you have for her. Touch her and taste her and always think of what seems to make her happiest, because that, my friend, will make her spirit fly. It’s called foreplay, and it makes everything that comes after even better.
Santi bit back a snort. When Sofi raised her head and frowned at him, he just shook his. “Anton is telling me we should go to our room and learn more about our new bodies.”
Sofi giggled and slapped her hand over her mouth. “I just asked Keisha. She was telling me the same thing. In more detail than I expected.” She stood on her toes, kissed his mouth, and power surged into the big penis that was already standing high against his belly. “I think we should listen to them, don’t you?”
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her—their first kisses in these new bodies. “I love you, Sofia. I want to finally know all of you, the way we’re meant to be together.”
She sighed against his mouth. “Santi?”
Her whisper tickled his lips. “What?”
“Have you noticed?”
He kissed her again. The touch of their mouths together left him panting. “Noticed what?”
“We’re speaking the language of the human shifters. But how?”
He gazed at her, his lips tilting oddly, but he knew that he was smiling. “Because that’s how it’s meant to be, Sofia my love. Come.”
2
____________
Gently Santi tugged her hand, and Sofi followed. He was tall. Taller even than Anton, and so handsome he made her feel like weeping with joy. How could she know such an emotion? Her mind swirled with new knowledge, with sensations she’d never known, with a need to touch the man she loved. To touch him intimately. Her vision filled with her tall, dark-haired Santiago with the beautiful amber eyes. She followed slightly behind as he led her across the meadow to the big house, but that didn’t feel right. She was female, not meant to follow but to walk proudly beside her man, sometimes even to lead. She knew this on a new level in a part of her brain she’d never been able to access before. So many new feelings, knowledge of this new body, all steadily pouring into her mind.
She took a longer step and was beside him as they crossed the meadow. It was quiet, and she wondered if Remington’s meeting was still taking place, if they would have time to join in the hunt for more of their kind.
She really hoped they weren’t too late.
• • •
Sofia had been the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen, that first day she was put in his pen at the sanctuary. Timid and shy, her eyes were so bright and inquisitive in spite of her obvious fear. He’d been hardly more than a pup himself, but he’d immediately felt a need to protect her. He’d moved close, sniffed noses and then placed himself in front of her, between Sofia and the man.
He’d not liked the man from the first time he saw him, which was only a few months earlier, but he swore then that he would protect this vulnerable female with all that he had. It had been so easy to love her, to want her, to talk with her long into the night. And their shared secret was one that was beyond special, the fact they each knew they were shapeshifters...though without the ability to shift. They’d never found those magic grasses that their kind needed in order to embrace the other half of their soul, yet they’d been aware of that other half almost from birth. He’d told her about the few others like them that were caged here, how they were all very careful not to let any of the humans know what they could become. There had been stories years ago of a full pack of wolves who had made contact with a human, had somehow convinced him of their abilities.
They’d been taken away and never heard of again. If they’d found a way to shift, they would have returned. The fact that they’d not was proof that for those who remained, their secret had to stay exactly that—a secret.
They walked quickly across the open meadow between the forest and the house—Santiago and Sofia holding hands, something they’d never done before. Feeling unusually shy, Santi kept glancing down at their entwined fingers, surprised by their length, the difference between the size of their hands. Where his were broad in the palm and long fingered with blunt nails, Sofi’s were slender, her fingers long with nails softly tapered. Her grasp was strong, though, and when she raised her head, there was power in her eyes, a sense of self-confidence she’d not had before. There was something terribly attractive about that side of her, a feminine power he’d never noticed. Not until she shifted.
He wondered what she might see differently about him. He felt changed on so many levels.
Together they climbed the steps to the raised deck, and when they reached the smaller glass door beside the big sliding glass door to their room, he raised his head. Sofi gazed directly into his eyes with a small half smile on her luscious mouth. He knew her, but he didn’t, at least not in this new body. Did she feel the same sense of newness when she looked at him?
What was she thinking, standing here just outside their bedroom door? All Boris had wanted to talk about was his newfound libido. It had meant little to Santi as a wolf, but now that he’d shifted, he couldn’t ignore what was stirring below his belly. Specifically, that part between his legs, what Anton had called a penis, was definitely making its presence known. He’d never felt a need to name this part on his maned wolf body. He hoped the fact his penis had awakened with his first and only shift and showed no sign of relaxing into slumber wouldn’t frighten Sofi. If he was meant to push that thing into her, he’d have to be really careful. It was long and thick, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.
But when he looked at Sofi, all he saw, all he thought of, was her love. When he’d been injured during his rescue at the sanctuary in Minnesota, Sofi’s fear and fury over his gunshot wound had penetrated his pain, his own fear of death. He’d known then that he had to live, had to survive the attack if only for Sofi.
He loved her beyond words.
Would she agree to be his mate today? Was her love for him as powerful as his for her? He reached for the door, opening it with the lever that all the doors in this sprawling house seemed to have—handles that could be easily opened with a paw. With his free—very human—hand against her lower back, he carefully guided Sofi into the sunlit room.
• • •
The big bed in the middle of the room made sense, now. Keisha’s words came back to her, how the bed was the perfect place to make love, but that exploring each other’s bodies was the best way to get started. Not to think of the actual act of copulation, but to turn it into part of the process of making their love grow even stronger. When Sofi had asked her how, Keisha suggested they start with a shower together, both of them naked and free to touch one another anywhere.
As maned wolves, neither of them had so much as entered the bathroom that was here in this, their sleeping room. They’d just gone outside into the woods. Sofi tilted her head and watched Santi. He stared at the bed as if frozen, his body almost rigid. She sensed his nervousness, his sudden lack of confidence. He was so perfect, with his tousled dark hair and dark amber eyes, that he’d been sort of intimidating. Now, though, the glimpse of him like this, his vulnerability, was the boost her confidence needed.
She moved behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. pressed her cheek against his back. “Keisha said that we should shower together. Take that time to explore each other’s bodies without even thinking about sex, simply because we don’t know how it works in this form.” She laughed. “Well, I do have the mechanics of the act in my mind, but we won’t know how it’s going to work for us until we take the time to know each other as humans.” She glanced at what had to be the closed bathroom door, back at Santi, and shrugged. “I’ve never taken a shower, have you?”
Santi pulled her around to the front of him and kissed her. It was quick, no more than a touching of lips. One thing for certain...this body of hers wanted more.
“No,” he said. “I don’t think standing in the cold rain counts.” Then he laughed. “It’s in that room?”
Sofi thought of going for more of a kiss, but instead grabbed his hand. “I think so. C’mon.”
It was a beautiful room, with gleaming stone counters and a separate area for bathing. The glass walls on two sides of the shower were set against an outside wall with a big round tub on the other side of a half wall beside it. The polished stone and glass shimmered in the light reflecting off a large mirror over the sink. The back side of the shower was a curved wall of rough stone with plants growing in niches in the rocks. Somehow, she knew all these things, what they were called, even a bit how to use them.
Santi stood silently for a few moments, gazing about with a look of wonder in his eyes. “I can’t believe we never looked in here.”
Sofi squeezed his hand. “Keisha told me how it works.” She laughed. “I was getting mental images from her the whole time we walked here. I wasn’t quite sure what they meant, but now that I see this it makes sense.”
Grumbling through his laughter, Santiago followed Sofia as she stepped into the shower. “I wish Anton had been as specific with his instructions as Keisha was with hers!”
With her back to him, she bit back a grin as she stared at the mechanism Keisha said would turn on the water, powerfully aware that he watched her. She wondered what he thought of this body, of the long dark hair that fell down her back. It was definitely long—almost to her waist, and nothing like his mane. She’d barely looked at him, so curious about this human man she loved, yet oddly shy to openly stare. It was strange—she loved him no matter how he looked, but she still couldn’t trust that he would love her in this body.
“Watch me so I can show you how to do it.” She turned toward him as he stepped into the enclosed space.
And stopped, one hand outstretched, reaching for him.
Her heart might have stopped beating, but if that was the case, what was that wild thundering in her chest, in her ears? As if in slow motion, she watched as Santi reached for her, as their fingers linked. His eyes were wide, his beautiful lips parted.
But his body! He’d always been beautiful as a maned wolf, but this man, this human male who looked at her with hunger in his eyes was by far the most tantalizing creature of all. The visuals of the humans she’d seen, male and female, including all the amazing Chanku she’d met, flashed through her mind. Nothing. No response at all. She had never been in the presence of any other living thing that affected her the way Santi did.
“Sofi? Are you all right?”
So much concern in his voice, and what a wonderful voice it was. The deep timbre sent waves of sensation over her naked flesh and something deep in her center clenched with need. She laughed, but it was a nervous sound and left her breathless. She took a moment to calm herself so she could speak. “I think I’m experiencing that libido Boris keeps talking about.”
Santi glanced down. When she followed his gaze, she saw that the size of his penis had grown even larger. She wanted to touch, to drop to her knees and look more closely, maybe taste it. Was this what Keisha meant when she said they should explore? Releasing Santi’s hand, she quickly adjusted the shower the way she’d been told, and set the spray to a warm gentle rain that fell over both of them. Her heart still pounded, and she sucked in deep breaths as if she’d run for miles.
Santi stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close against him beneath the steady spray. His heart beat against her chest, its rhythm every bit as fast as hers. After a moment, she slid down in his embrace, down until her knees rested on the warm, wet floor of the shower and she was eye-level with those same parts that were mostly hidden on his wolf body—at least not as blatantly displayed was such an easy thing to turn her head and taste him with lips and tongue, to cup the heavy sac behind his rod and balance the orbs in her palm. He stood as if transfixed, lost in the sensation of her touch as she carefully explored his new body. His soft whimpers and panting breaths gave her the courage to look further. His beautiful penis was perfectly placed, rising harder and higher with every touch she made. She simply wrapped her arms around him, grasped his firm buttocks for balance, leaned forward, opened her mouth, and drew the thick length of him between her lips.
His strangled cry sent shivers down her spine, between her legs, and she took him again and again, raising and lowering her head, supporting him with hands that seemed to course with new strength, with a heart that held no doubt at all, not now, now that she felt as if the stronger side of her had finally come to life.
Over the past week, she’d learned much about the Chanku, and by virtue of their close genetic relationship, about Berserkers as well. Her people were warriors—strong, independent, and intelligent. But until she was willing to embrace both sides of her heritage, she wouldn’t be able to call on those long lost parts of her soul. She’d noticed changes with each day that passed, as her body absorbed the nutrients in those capsules she took twice every day, as the changes took place in what felt like a very slow pace, but when she realized they were physically changing her, changing the way her body worked, the way she thought, who she was, what she felt, it was so very fast.
If anyone had told her just a week ago that within hours of shifting from maned wolf to human she would be kneeling at her beloved’s feet, making him shudder and whimper with each compression of her lips, each lick of her tongue, she would have laughed.
She wasn’t laughing. She was fighting the urge to place her fingers between her own legs and ease the need growing there, in that place she’d not even had time to explore on herself! Instead, she clutched Santi’s tight buttocks and held him still for her mouth, swallowing him down her throat in the desperate need to be closer to him, to hold him inside herself.
His hands came around her shoulders and he lifted her, pulling her away from his erection so quickly she was dizzy with the change in position. “What? Why did...” She blinked and swallowed, tasting the salty cream on her tongue and immediately wanting more. His big hands clutched her shoulders tightly, holding her with almost bruising strength.
“We need to finish this shower. I want to explore you, but not when the need in me is so powerful it’s tearing me apart. Don’t you feel it? That throbbing, pulsing need to...” He blew out a breath and sucked in another. “I think we know enough to do this thing, to make love in these new bodies, and if you will have me, to mate. I want you for all time, Sofia. You are mine. You have always been mine, and I’m so afraid of losing you if we wait.”
His words knocked the breath from her lungs. Voicing her fears, the words she was too cowardly to speak aloud. Hearing them from Santi’s lips made her ache with need for him, her joy blossoming deep inside. This was her dream, the one she’d lived for since those very first days when they’d talked about what little they knew of the heritage they shared. His honesty filled her heart, filled her with the need to make him hers even as he claimed her as his.
Gripping his forearms, she went up on her toes and kissed him quickly, gasping at the power in his taste, his touch. “Yes, Santiago. A million times yes. And then we need to go to the others and tell them we’re ready. That we won’t hold them up a moment longer.” She bowed her head, feeling her shame. “That I won’t hold them up. I’m sorry I was such a coward.”
“You had every right to be afraid.” He grabbed a towel and dried her with it, then dried himself, but he never took his eyes off her. “You have to admit, this has been a pretty crazy week.”
“It has.” She stroked the side of his face, loving the sensitivity of these human fingers. Loving Santi. “But it’s been wonderfully wild. We are finally complete, Santi. We are both our parts.”
He cupped her face in both his palms, touched his forehead to hers. She shivered at the intimate contact. “No, my beloved Sofia. We’re not complete. Not until you are mine and I am yours. Not until we are part of each other.”
He took her hand and led her into the bedroom. It was already after noon. The first team had left early this morning. They were already in California, already searching for more of their kind. The team with Leo, Asha, and Boris was headed out later this evening, but for now she and Santi had plenty of time. He paused at the large glass window and pulled the vertical slats across to enclose them in the privacy of their room, then, as they neared the bed, he suddenly lifted her in his arms and held her close against his chest. “Now, Sofi. The next couple of hours are all ours.”
• • •
Santiago wasn’t all that certain what to expect, though he’d never felt a need for his sweet Sofi this powerful. The emotions, the desire...all of it totally overwhelming. He struggled to hold on to his control, but it felt as if he were losing his grip. He’d wanted to take it slowly, to make love to her first without mating, but as he touched her silky skin and his need for her grew beyond everything else—there was no way this could wait. He kissed her, learning the shape of her lips, the taste of her, different yet familiar in this new form. He didn’t want to stop kissing her, but he had to. There was so much he wanted to do, to say as he lay her down in the middle of the big bed. Instead, leaving words behind he crawled across her, turning to hold himself on hands and knees above her.
He took this time to study her beautiful face. He’d never found humans all that attractive before, but now, looking at the woman he loved, he realized she was more beautiful than any creature he’d ever seen—four-legged or two. She watched him with undisguised curiosity as he simply stared at her, as he lost himself in this amazing creature soon to be his in all the ways that mattered.
“Now,” she said. Reaching for him, she stroked his face, her fingertips like silk against his skin, her dark eyes glittering with unshed tears. Her fingers trembled and her voice broke when she whispered, “I want you, Santi. Inside me. In my heart, in my head. Inside me.”
Desire for her beat against him, his body pulsing with an insatiable need, but now that they were here, lying on this bed, their bodies still warm and damp from the shower, he thought of Sofi’s lips on him, the way her mouth felt caressing his erection. He wanted to give her that same feeling, the joy he’d felt as she quite literally worshipped his body. He leaned forward and kissed her mouth, using his tongue and lips to caress her lips, the rough surface of her tongue. Her taste inflamed him and he felt it in the erect organ between his legs, the one Anton had told him would be much happier connected deep inside with Sofi.
But not yet. There was so much more he wanted to do first. He savored her a moment longer, then moved lower. Her nipples as a wolf had not been particularly sensitive, but his were more sensitive as a human. He had to assume that hers were, too, so he licked the pointed tip of one nipple. Her back arched and she pressed her full breast against his mouth.
More Santi! More. That feels so amaz...
He bit down, not hard but enough to get her attention. She screamed and clasped him close, using her arms and legs, her entire body as she curled around him. More, Santi. More of that!
More of what? Laughing out loud, body alive with pure joy in this moment, he nuzzled her other breast, planted his teeth gently around that nipple...and tugged. Crying out, she arched into him, hands tugging at his hair. Flutters and tremors flowed in waves across her body, her sleek flesh rippling beneath his fingers. He scented the rich perfume and recognized it as her arousal. He kissed his way down her torso, across her smooth belly, along the valley between thigh and pubes until he reached the full lips between her thighs.
She panted, sucking deep breaths. Rising up on her elbows, she watched him. He glanced up at her and smiled innocently. “Keisha did tell us we should get to know each other.”
“If we keep meeting like this, I will explode!”
His laughter surprised him. He had never felt this powerful, this much in control. These bodies had more nerve endings—that had to be it. How could licking her here—spreading her legs even wider, he dipped his head and ran his tongue between her thighs from her tailbone, through those puffy lips and over the tiny nub of flesh at the very tip—make every nerve ending on his entire body clench with more need?
It felt so good, tasted so amazing, he did it again. And one more time before she clutched at his hair and held his head still. “Santi. Now. Stop playing and make love to me. We can practice foreplay later. I want another climax.”
“Another?” He ran his tongue around his wet lips, tasting his woman. “I didn’t realize you’d already had one.”
“I’ve had two. I’ve been trying not to combust, but you’re making it very difficult. Now get up here and let’s do this. Okay?”
“Whatever you want. A couple of days ago, Anton said that in a matriarchal society such as ours, your wishes are the most important.”
Laughing, Sofia flopped back on the pillows. “As it should be. Now, Santi?” She pleaded so perfectly with her eyes and lips, the sound of her voice. A shudder passed through his body, purely from her words.
“Now.” He moved up her body, positioned himself to enter her, looked into her amber eyes and thanked the goddess for this amazing woman. His woman. No more teasing. It was time to get serious. Heart pounding, his body hot and cold all over, he took a deep breath and stared into her beautiful dark amber eyes. “I love you, Sofia. I have always loved you and I know I will love you for all time. Be my mate? Mine forever?” He tilted his hips and filled her in one long, smooth stroke. He felt something hard at the end of her sheath and knew without asking he touched her womb. The place that would one day harbor their young. The thought brought tears to his eyes. His mate; his beloved Sofia. One day they would have young.
She arched her back, lifting to join with him, her eyes wide and fixed on him. “I have loved you, Santiago, from the very first time I saw you. Only you. There will never be another to hold my heart. It is forever in your hands.”
There were tears in her eyes, and his appeared to be leaking as well. So many years, wondering if this day would ever come. He kissed her gently as her body rippled around his erection, holding him deep inside. “I will protect your heart, your love, and always hold it with care, my beautiful Sofia.”
She took all of him, holding him tightly, her thighs tight against his hips, her ankles linked behind his backside, fingers clutching his shoulders, lips parted and eyes half-lidded. So naturally passionate. No wonder he loved her! This was what they had never known, this joining of bodies that was so perfect, so powerful, so much more than what their wolves had experienced, but it wasn’t merely the physical—it was the knowledge that only by loving one another in this form could they truly join. He opened himself more, invited her into his mind, his memories, the very essence of who he was. Never again would there be secrets between them. They would truly be one.
And when she joined with him, together with minds and bodies in perfect synchronization, he fell headlong into the mating link and the world so long hidden from him that was his Sofia.
• • •
Stunned, Sofia lay there on the big bed, her long wolf’s legs tangled with Santiago’s. She and Santi had both shifted to their maned wolf bodies at some point during the mating. So many things she hadn’t known about this amazing man. A man who was now her mate for all time. He had been every bit as afraid as she when he’d made his first shift, but he’d not let it stop him. When they mated, when she learned that about him, she realized he’d shared his courage with her.
Mating had changed her. Changed both of them. His understanding of her lack of self-confidence had given her a greater strength, his new knowledge of the depth of her love for him made him love her even more. She’d never known that he loved her with all his heart, that he hadn’t really believed how much she loved him in return. He knew now, as did she. She was there, now, in his mind. Privy to his deepest thoughts, his most powerful fears, the strength of his immutable love.
Anton said this would change us, he said. Shifting at the same moment as Sofi, he pulled her into his arms. “I never imagined how much.”
“Or how wonderful it would be. Santi, you are an amazing man, and I am honored to be your mate. How long were we linked? Do you have any idea how long we’ve been here? It’s still light outside, but is it still the same day? I feel as if we’ve been exploring each other for days. So many memories, it will take me forever to sort them out.”
He laughed softly and pulled her close, and closer still until she was draped across his chest, her head on his shoulder. “I think we’ve only been here for about an hour, as hard as that is to believe. Maybe, like the shifting, we went into another dimension long enough to wander through each other’s lives.” He kissed her, slowly, carefully, with a definite promise of more. Her fingers slipped between their bodies and stroked his growing erection. His flesh was hot and damp from their loving, and she increased the pressure, loving the way his breath hissed between his lips.
At the same time, Sofi felt a pull, or maybe a push, the sense that they needed to be with the others. A newer sense, that their goddess was close to her. She released Santi and listened, wondering if Eve actually spoke to her, but the feeling was subtle, the words in her head a bare whisper. I am so thrilled for you and Santiago, Sofia. You will be welcome members of the pack. There was a pause, and Sofi was certain that Eve’s message was through, but then the soft whisper added, I don’t want to rush you, but...
She sensed rather than heard Eve’s deep sigh...I’ve spoken with a few of them...there are so many waiting. A pause, and then, Oh, and Keisha left clothing in the closet for both of you.
With that not so subtle hint prodding her to move, she cupped Santi’s dear face in her hands. His voice was suddenly in her head. That wasn’t really Eve, was it?
“You felt her, too?” She kissed him. “She wanted to tell us she was happy with our mating, and also suggest that we might want to meet up with the others.”
“I got that, even the part about the clothes. I guess we can’t go to the meeting naked.”
“No.” She giggled. “I think clothes are definitely required.”
He kissed her quickly. “I do wish she could have waited just a few minutes longer. I really liked what you were doing.”
Sofi laughed and kissed him, then rolled away from his hard body. “Ya know...it must be the link, the reason why you sensed Eve when I did. It’s the mating link. Plus, the fact it’s easier for her to connect with us once we’ve shifted. You know what I know, just as I feel your feelings. And yes, to your observation. It feels as if it should have taken at least a week, but I agree it was only a very short time. We have our entire lives to figure it out. Let’s shower again and go find everyone. We can practice this making love part later. Right now, I want to know what’s happening with the investigation.” She felt her skin heat as she added, “I really want more of the touching and loving, too, but first I want everyone to meet the wonderful man I’m mated to.”
• • •
It was late afternoon, only a couple hours since they’d first shifted, yet Santi was amazed by how much their lives had forever changed. He held tightly to Sofi’s hand as they left their room and made their way down the long hall to Anton’s Pentagon. They’d dressed in the things they found in the closet in the bedroom—black pants over silky shorter pants, and a light blue, long-sleeved shirt for him, along with sandals for his feet. The clothing was comfortable, but it felt so strange covering his limbs. Santi imagined he’d get used to it before too long, but it was different than fur. At least everything fit, and Sofi looked beautiful wrapped in a brilliant blue cloth she called a sarong, similar to what the other women wore when they were human. They stepped into Anton’s room and stopped in the doorway.
Everyone was still here. Leo and Asha, Boris, Remington and Shay, Janine and Ari, all of them standing around a large table in the middle of the room, looking at papers spread out over the surface. Shay was the first to notice when the two of them arrived.
“You’ve shifted!” She laughed as the others turned around. “At least I’m assuming it’s Santi and Sofi. Welcome!” Standing, she went straight to Sofi and hugged her, then turned and hugged Santi as well.
Santi took Sofi’s hand once again and tugged her close. “We’re sorry we took so long. It’s a frightening decision to make, no matter how long we’ve wanted this. I think that we had both given up hope that we’d ever know freedom. Now we know, and we need to help those still imprisoned.”
“Not only imprisoned in their cages, but inside their bodies as well.” Sofi hugged Santiago’s arm close. “I’m convinced that no matter what you imagine, there’s no way to adequately describe what happens when you shift for the first time.”
Santi gazed at Sofi, experiencing her feelings, her fears, and most of all, her love. “Even more amazing? What we shared during our mating link.” He leaned down and kissed her. He loved this, the connection between lips and tongues, the fact he could make love to Sofi’s mouth and know there were so many other sensitive body parts now available to them.
“I was just coming down to congratulate the two of you.” Anton stepped into the room and walked directly over to Sofi and Santi. “I’m so glad that everything worked the way you wanted it to. Did I sense Eve with you?”
Santi laughed at Sofi’s deep blush. “Your story, Sofi.”
She shot him a glare, backed by laughter. “Yes, but only to suggest we get moving now and get down here.”
Santi’s face flooded with heat when everyone laughed. He wasn’t all that sure that he appreciated this particular human reaction. Sofi had told him it meant he was blushing because he was embarrassed. He shrugged it off and wrapped his arm around his mate. “I wasn’t ready to leave yet. We were learning more about foreplay.”
Laughing even harder, Anton merely shook his head. “I can’t believe she would interrupt something that important.”
“I know.” Santi shared a look and a thought with Sofi, who agreed. “The thing is,” he said, “now that she has the information from Boris and Darya, I think she’s making contact with some of the Berserkers, at least the ones she can find. She’s letting them know that help is coming, to be patient, to call on her if there’s an emergency.”
“I wondered if that might be what was going on. I’ve not heard from her for a few days now, but I’ve sensed her impatience. Time is different on the astral, and I imagine it has felt like weeks or months, not merely a few days since we first found Boris, Darya, and Asha, and only a couple of days since we got the information on the chips hidden under Boris and Darya’s skin.
“We wasted time, though.” Boris stared at the floor, as if he couldn’t meet the others face to face. “We should not have waited until we shifted. I wish you had cut them out. It’s been nine days since you found us. We’ve wasted all that time.”
Anton stepped forward and placed his hand gently on Boris’s bowed head. “Time has not been wasted. You’ve used that time well. You have learned how to move comfortably in the world of men. Even Santiago and Sofia, though they have just shifted, have absorbed the ways, the speech patterns, the mannerisms of humans. We couldn’t send you out as you were before you shifted, and we had no idea what kind of information the chips would contain. It was not worth cutting into bodies already traumatized. And in case you’ve not realized it, a lot of my decisions are directed by our goddess.” Smiling to himself, he shook his head. “And if not Eve, Keisha has a hand in just about everything I do. It’s only when she doesn’t that I tend to screw up. It was our decision, not yours, and it was the right one.”
Stepping away, Anton folded his arms across his chest and went into what Sofi had described as his ‘alpha mode.’ He certainly looked the part as he focused on all of them at once, but made it feel as if he was addressing each of them individually.
And this, thought Santi, was the reason he was their alpha. There was no doubt who was in charge, even though most of the men in the pack were larger and physically stronger. None were smarter, and no one else had the sense of command that was obviously strong in Anton Cheval’s blood and bone.
“Right now,” he said, power in every calmly spoken word, “Keisha and Xandi are putting an early dinner on the table. Tinker and Lisa will be joining us and then Tinker will fly you Leo, and Asha, Boris, Janine, and Ari to a small town in Upstate New York northeast of Syracuse. I’ve taken your discussion of options from this morning and organized them into a plan I hope will be workable for you. Once you’re on the ground, you’re going to be traveling in a small motorhome, one that’s easier to handle than the big ones. There will be one fully stocked with supplies waiting for you at the airport. It’s set up with a single large bed in the back so you’ll all fit in your animal forms. Leo’s driven them before, and, Boris, I think your crash course in driving one of the big pack vans around since your shift will allow you to be available as a backup driver. Janine, have you ever driven anything other than a car?”
She laughed. “I have. Before I ended up on the streets, I drove a forty-five foot school bus. If seventy screaming kids couldn’t rattle me, I doubt there’s anything this group can do. I’m a pretty good mechanic, too.”
“Then how come...” Leo’s question hung there for a brief moment.
“I couldn’t make a living.” She shot a sheepish grin at Anton. “I made more money pulling tricks than I did working for the school district. At least I did until I was snatched.”
Santi didn’t really understand what she meant, so he wasn’t sure why Anton looked so frustrated by Janine’s comment, but their alpha was smiling when he turned to Leo. “It appears, Leo, that you have enough backup drivers for your first job. You’ll be meeting with a man named Luigi Albano. We know of at least two Chanku among his predator collection, both snow leopards, which is why I want your group to go after them. Eve confirmed while we’ve been talking that they’re still there. Asha, I want you going in as a snow leopard. Leo’s your handler. Leo, your name is Leo Cross. Cheval is too well recognized. You work for a man who’s paid a large sum of money to have Luigi’s leopard breed Asha. That’s going to get Asha inside the compound. Rem and I had thought of having you go in as eagles, but that won’t work since the area the leopards are in is screened at the top. The entire animal park is at the back of the property and is surrounded by forest on three sides. The house and other buildings are at the front. The appointment has been made by your boss. In case there’s any question, that would be me.”
“There’s no question, oh exalted ruler.” Leo saluted.
“Smart ass.” Anton shot a quick grin at Santi and Sofi. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I don’t get much respect around here.”
Santi’s head was spinning. How were he and Sofi going to be able to help? They didn’t know anything, didn’t have any idea how to be human. He glanced at his mate, surprised at the calm look of acceptance on her face. Aren’t you afraid?
After shifting? Santi, my love, after taking that step, I can do anything.
I hope I can find some of your courage for myself. He turned as Ari spoke up.
“What will our job be, Anton?”
“Ari, you, Boris, and Janine are going to shift and cover the entire back three sides of the property. You’ve got a choice while you’re outside the compound if you want to stay with local animals that won’t draw attention—black bear, bobcat, bald eagle, or Canada lynx, though that animal is fairly rare in this area of the state. Your best bet is the bear, or even a bald eagle. The point is, you’ll need to put out a mental call in English which is fairly universal when predators have been exposed to human speech long enough. They’ll at least understand that someone is trying to reach them telepathically. If you get any response, shift into whatever animal they are and then you can converse more easily.
“We only know for certain about the two snow leopards, but there could be more animals of other breeds. We just don’t know what they might be, so your job is to find them if they exist. Over the years, the records show numerous other predators—everything from mountain lions to African lions and a couple of Bengal tigers. There are even a few wolves that this guy has had, but the dates go back a lot of years. The snow leopards have been kept isolated most of the time. Their compound is large and they don’t lack for anything except freedom. Eve said the male is called Namir, and the female is Zigsa. Eve’s not sure if they understood what she tried to tell them, that help is coming. Your job, Ari, Janine, Boris, will be to see if there are any others. If so, you’ll need to identify them, get the nutrients to them. There could be only the two, but we just don’t know. Once you have numbers, Leo, you will contact me and we’ll send in the authorities. Make sure you’ve got a good supply of the capsules and get them to everyone you can. We won’t know until you make contact if they’re aware enough of their humanity to be able to assist in their rescue or not. As far as dealing with Mr. Albano, I’m leaving it up to you, Leo. He could be a decent crook who just loves animals, or he could be an absolute psychopath. I’ve not been able to find out anything about him at all.”
Keisha stepped into the room, went straight to Anton, and kissed him. “Party’s over, my love. And dinner is on the table. Santi and Sofi, I’ve set places for you. Tonight you eat at the grownups’ table. Tinker and Lisa have just arrived. Come. You’ve all got a long night ahead of you.”
• • •
Sofia leaned against the kitchen counter beside Lisa, Tinker’s mate, sipping a glass of wine while the two of them watched Santiago rinsing dirty dishes and putting them into a huge dishwasher under Anton’s direction.
“He appears to have quite a knack for this.” Lisa bumped Sofi’s elbow. “When I was young, before I learned I was a shapeshifter, the dishes were always considered woman’s work. A man rarely offered to help in the kitchen, much less start the job without the woman practically begging him.”
“I think I like this method better.” Sofi grinned at Santi. He looked really sexy, the sleeves of his pale blue shirt rolled up over his forearms, the black jeans Anton had given him sitting low on his narrow hips. She hadn’t been able to get her mind off of the sex they’d had earlier. She wanted to do it again.
The house rumbled with the sound of a helicopter passing low overhead. Tinker and Leo’s team were leaving. Sofi glanced at Lisa. “Don’t you worry when he leaves in that thing?”
“Not anymore.” Smiling, Lisa shook her head. “I used to, but he’s really good at what he does.”
“I sure hope so, because I think we’re going to be riding in it soon.” She couldn’t imagine flying in the helicopter. The private jet that had brought them out here had been scary enough. Tinker had flown that, too, but Santiago had been recovering from his bullet wound, and Sofia was still traumatized by the fact she’d almost lost him that night. So many changes so quickly. Sometimes she almost wished they were back in the pen at the sanctuary. At least there, life was simple. Then she glanced at Santi, doing dishes and looking so gorgeous she wanted to rip his clothes off him and go back to learning more about this libido they’d both discovered.
Cancel that first thought...this was definitely much better.
“Hey, Sofi. Santi. Sheesh, Santi, how’d you get roped into kitchen duty?” Remington said hello to everyone and walked over to give Lisa a hug. He and Shay had left dinner early to see the team off.
“When’s Tink expected back?”
Anton glanced up from showing Santi how to load the silverware. “He’s going to stick around tomorrow, make sure their motorhome has everything it’s supposed to, and give Leo and the others a crash course in maintenance in case they have any problems. He’ll get some sleep, and then I imagine he’ll be back late Friday. He’ll need a couple hours’ sleep again and then he can take all of you to wherever you’re headed.”
“We’re still tossing a few different places around. There’s one in northern California, in wine country that might have a couple of Chanku, if Boris’s recollection is right. It’s an animal sanctuary that specializes in African predators, so if there’s anyone there, they’ll probably be lions or tigers or cheetahs.” He shrugged. “Or all of the above. That sort of animal. There’s a surprising amount of rural land between the vineyards and the ocean, and you suggested we take a look there before heading east. As far as we know the owner isn’t a criminal, and his animals are all legally owned predators, but Boris recognized a couple of names on the chip that we want to check on. The sanctuary in Minnesota regularly sent animals to approved zoos and other sanctuaries. Enough, at least, to hide the illegal sales.”
Shay walked in and slipped her arm around Remington’s waist. He turned and kissed her quickly, then focused on Sofi. “Are you and Santiago up to a run tonight? We want you to practice shifting into different animals. We don’t know what form you might have to take on this first run, so it would help if you know the process of becoming something other than a maned wolf.”
“I’m up for it.” Santi dried his hands off on a towel and glanced at Sofi and then at the loaded dishwasher. “It’s full. I just need to learn how to turn it on.”
His smile was wide and filled with joy. She loved his smile. She loved everything about him. “Tinker said something about boys and toys. I think he had you and this machine in mind. Hurry up! I’m ready.” Turning, she grinned at Shay and Remington. ‘What are we going to shift into first?”
Rural Upstate NY
The big snow leopard stretched and then yawned. Back curved, his powerful hindquarters rose and thick muscles rippled beneath his spotted coat. Big paws with long, curved claws sliding free of their sheaths scraped the hard earth. When the cat yawned again, spreading those wide jaws even wider and displaying razor-sharp teeth, Luigi shivered. So much power. Truly a magnificent package to display such terrifying weapons in this tranquil setting...
“Boss? Sorry to interrupt. You got a minute?”
Snarling, Luigi gripped the arms of his Adirondack chair. He kept his gaze focused on the big cat. “Make it fast, Nick. And it damned well better be important.” This garden was his quiet place and his alone, where he could get away from work, where he could quietly enjoy his beautiful pets. Slowly, he turned, leveled his gaze on Nick, raised one eyebrow, and scowled.
Nick took a step back and sucked in a deep breath. Scared shitless. Good. The man let the breath out and took a moment to gather himself. That discomfort always made Luigi smile. It was nice to know the guys who worked for him still bought the image.
“I thought you should know, Boss. Volkov’s locked up. They’re holding him without bail.”
“What’d the fucker do?”
“Got busted. Since I was gone last week, I guess I just figured the maned wolf woulda already showed up, but when I checked, none o’ the guys had seen it. I called Volkov to find out why the animal never got here. I checked the books before I called to make sure accounting didn’t screw up, and it’s paid for. Ten big ones. Volkov’s housekeeper answered the phone. Said the FBI showed up and stopped the guys as they were loading your wolf. Turns out the animal was part of a sting. Word musta got out that Volkov was selling his rescues out of the sanctuary.”
“First Cho gets busted, now Volkov?” He thought about the connections. They all knew each other, if not personally, at least by reputation. All businessmen who worked just a bit outside the law, though their crimes were secondary to their shared hobby, the collection and preservation of endangered predators. It was a good thing they did, this saving of endangered animals. He glanced at the snow leopard, realized the beast stared at him, almost as if he understood what was going on.
Damned cat freaked him out, even if he was fucking gorgeous. Luigi shifted in his chair, focused on Nick.
Choeden and Volkov weren’t necessarily friendly, more like civil competitors in the predator trade, though he knew Cho had started out as a customer, eventually collecting more animals than Volkov had to sell. He’d branched out into selling them just a few years ago. Since he was also in Upstate NY, not far from this compound, it was easier to get the animals to buyers, something that hadn’t made Volkov with his sanctuary clear up in International Falls, Minnesota, happy at all. In fact, Luigi would have made the buy from Cho rather than Volkov, but Cho didn’t have a maned wolf. Just as well, since Choeden had been busted about the time Luigi had placed his order with the sanctuary in Minnesota. “Wonder if he gave Volkov up for a better deal? Prison for trading and selling these babies can mean a lot of very hard time.”
“Doesn’t matter how Volkov got nailed.” Nick glanced at the leopards. “What matters is what kind of records he’s kept. They could lead right to us.”
Luigi glanced again at the beautiful snow leopard. It was lying down, now. Ignoring the conversation. He hoped. Sometimes this male seemed to understand what he was talking about, which was impossible. Sad, though. So few of them left in the wild. Not even that many in captivity. “You’re right. But don’t destroy the evidence yet. Let’s wait a couple of days, see what shakes out. Volkov was an idiot. I doubt his records are all that good, if he kept any at all.” He laughed. “Not like he paid taxes on all the money I’ve given the bastard over the years...”
• • •
Namir snarled softly. He didn’t want the man, the one they called Zookeeper, to hear, though there was no risk that the stupid human would think the massive snow leopard he kept caged might actually understand his speech. Not that there was anything Namir could do about it, even if he could speak. Not like this. Not trapped in an animal body without the magic plant his kind needed to become human—if those plants actually existed. All he’d ever heard were rumors. He had to talk to Ziggy. She might have an idea on how to handle this. He thought of himself as the muscle, but his beloved Zigsa was definitely the brains of this pair of cats. At least he knew enough to realize that when Luigi Albano talked about destroying the evidence, he was talking about the creatures, others just like him and Zigsa. Killing all of them, just to save himself. Namir shuddered, opened his mind to see if he could feel Ziggy. He needed her now, more than ever. Concentrating on her mind, the essence of the female he loved, he searched. There. Back in the shade beside their cave.
Rising, he stretched again as if there was nothing wrong; he was just a big dumb cat who loved his pen, going off in search of his mate. Sex, naps, and food. All any of them wanted, right? He sauntered lazily away from the bars that framed a small garden patio where the human liked to sit and watch the animals in his zoo. He’d sent the other man away. Now, he sat quietly, staring through the stout fence that held Namir and the rest of them inside their artfully landscaped cages. Bastard. None of them belonged here. Not a single one of them had any choice in their lives, whether animal or shapeshifter. He gave the human one last look, and then headed toward the far side of the paddock.
Ziggy, love? Where are you hiding? We’ve got a problem.
• • •
Early dawn, Tuesday, July 10, 2040
Chanku Headquarters, Anton’s Pentagon
Anton Cheval, pack alpha and leader of the wealthiest country in the world—the Chanku Nation—and final authority on every major move his people made, stared at the glow of early sunrise over the massive silhouette of the northern Rocky Mountains and faced the potential repercussions of the largest and most devastating failure of his life.
How the hell could I have been such a fool? Hubris had brought him to his knees more than once, but rarely had his choices endangered so many innocent souls. They’d been made aware of Berserkers over a year ago, but instead of doing his own research, he’d accepted their goddess’s word, that the Chanku born as animals were feral creatures, killers at heart, living out their lives unable to shift, lacking the intelligence and honor of the human born shifters. He should have questioned her. Should have realized, once Reko and Ari joined their pack that Berserkers were not killers, were not evil by nature. No...from the moment they’d met the twin wolf brothers it was obvious they were good and honorable wolves. Not only that, they’d been taught to read by their mother, a wolf who wanted more for her sons, who found written words in trash barrels and along littered highways and somehow, with the rudimentary skills taught by her mother had managed to teach her sons to read.
Now he stood at the big window in the five-sided den the guys had started calling “the Pentagon.” It had been the Pentagram Room for years because of its mystical shape until the teasing about his role as the alpha of the Chanku Nation got his favorite hang-out bumped up a notch. Focus, you idiot. He stared at the pale pre-dawn sky just above the mountains, struggled to empty his mind, to find the clarity he needed to save so many innocent souls.
It wasn’t easy to find quiet within, but he fought down the need to force peace. It had to come naturally, or he would fail. Unacceptable. Entirely unacceptable. Untold lives depended on the actions they were taking.
My love? Hold on to me. I have quiet to spare.
He sighed softly and smiled when Keisha sent him a visual of his wolf shaking water off his wet coat. The memories it invoked were his—just last week they had stolen an hour for themselves. They’d frolicked like pups in the creek, made love in the thick grass alongside the tumbling water. The memories accomplished what his stubborn head-butting against the problem had only made worse.
His tense muscles eased, his mind cleared.
Thank you. Why is it I always hesitate to ask you when I know you’re there for me? He knew better than to stew, yet he still fought the need to ask his beloved for help.
Her laughter filled his mind, and he smiled, shaking his head. There was no need for her to speak when he knew exactly what she was thinking—that he was too stubborn to ask anyone for help, even when it was freely offered. He was trying to do better, though.
Proof of that was here, in this room. The two packmates he’d asked to manage this lifesaving rescue mission.
He glanced over his right shoulder. Remington Caruthers and his mate Shay Stone sat at the bar with fresh cups of coffee. They’d arrived only moments ago, both of them still half asleep but anxious to get things moving. Rem had contacted Anton, said he and Shay wanted to talk, but so far, they’d been drinking coffee, waking up. Giving him time to get his thoughts in order.
Remington raised his head, as if sensing Anton’s regard. “The maned wolves still haven’t shifted,” he said. “But we need to move. Now.”
Anton turned away from the big window, focused on the FBI agent he’d hoped from the beginning was Chanku. He’d tried hard not to gloat when Rem shifted. Failed entirely when Rem and Shay mated. He’d been as pleased as if they were his own flesh and blood. Now, he nodded, silently agreeing.
Rem’s half smile told Anton he’d expected as much. “I’ve got two teams ready to go this morning,” he said. “Jack Temple, Mary Ryder, Reko, Sissy Long, and Mac...”
“Mac’s going?” Anton bit back a smile. Unexpected, but Mac would be an asset to any team. This son, so unlike his fun-loving twin brother Gabe, tended to be quiet, more introspective, but he was a caring, intelligent young man, and that wasn’t merely a proud father’s exaggeration. Anton was proud of Mac, pleased that the family introvert was stepping up when needed.
“Yep,” Rem said. “He contacted me last night and said he wanted to be part of any rescue mission. I figured this would be a good group. Ricky McClintock’s going to pilot the chopper, said he’d be available to help out when needed. They’re going to hit the large animal sanctuaries that currently house predators. Shay’s checked all of them to rule out the ones with rescued domestic animals and non-predatory species. We really don’t have time to waste, at least if I want to get a decent night’s sleep again."
“I’m unfortunately way too familiar with that feeling.”
Rem shook his head, his smile more one of frustration than humor. “I figured you’d be sympathetic. They’ll start in California and check everything on the list. Depending on their success in the first few stops, we may need to add more teams, but at this point we’re planning a sweep of the first dozen or so to see if we get any hits. We have no idea if they’ll find any, or way too many. Depending on the numbers located, they’ll either give them the capsules and add them to the team, or Ricky will bring them back here.”
“Good. Who else have you got?”
“The other team with Leo, Asha, Boris, Ari, and Janine will be leaving this evening after dinner. We want to give Boris some time to pick up a bit more humanity.” Grinning, he shook his head. “The kid wants to go yesterday. He’s still more leopard than human, but he’s smart. I think he’ll have it figured out by the time they leave. Tinker’s their pilot. Their first stop will be the private collector in Upstate NY where the maned wolf was headed. It’s the place where Boris has positively identified at least one and maybe two of the Chanku who were sent there from the Minnesota sanctuary. The one Eve has confirmed is a young male snow leopard, about the same age as Boris. He was still pretty young when he was sold from the sanctuary, along with an even younger female who had been rescued from a dealer. The thing is, all these collectors are dealing on the side, so we don’t know for sure if they’re both still there. At least the male is.”
“Rescued and then sold again...” Anton wanted to weep at the horror they were only now learning about the Berserkers caught up as wild animals, kept in cages, in pens...unable to shift without the Tibetan grasses that gave them access to their birthright.
“Yeah.” Rem sighed. “We just couldn’t wait any longer on Sofia and Santiago. Getting the other teams out ASAP made more sense. Shay and I will wait until Sofi and Santi are ready to go. Are you and Keisha prepared if we have anyone to send your way?”
“That we are. I’ve already contacted Gabe and Emeline, Mbali, Jace and Romy, as well as Mike McClintock. Gabe and Jace are excellent teachers and Mike always steps in when he’s not flying. Mbali and Romy know what it’s like to shift later in life, so they’ll add perspective our Berserkers might need. We’ve got more teachers we can pull in as needed. They’ve all been notified we might have use of their skills. Fen and Igmutaka and their mates have offered if needed, but I hate to pull them away from their work. Not to worry, though. The pack is ready to help any new Chanku adjust to life on two legs.”
• • •
Tuesday morning, July 10, 2040
Chanku Headquarters, near Glacier National Park, Montana
The morning sun beat hot on Santiago’s back, and if it weren’t for this weird sense he was almost ready to shift for the first time ever driving him nuts, he would have slept. He’d been eating those big capsules their rescuers had given him and he knew he was close, but he had no idea how he was going to convince Sofi to shift with him. She’d taken as many pills as he had, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to go through with it.
It was a bit late—the physical changes to allow their bodies to shift were complete, though he couldn’t deny her arguments were sound. How could they possibly help rescue the other Chanku, the ones like they’d been who were prisoners in zoos or even worse, the pens and cages of the jerks who got their rocks off buying and selling endangered predators? He and Sofi had no idea how to be human, how to act, how to do the simplest things like eat at a table with utensils or put on clothing. He didn’t know how to tie shoes, much less walk on two legs. They couldn’t even communicate with the others unless they shifted to the same animal—maned wolves—as Santi and Sofi. Well, all except for Shay, who had understood them and been able to talk to both of them from the beginning. Yes, they could shift, but they would be human with no idea how to speak in the human language. They only understood a few words.
The others had known how to communicate, but they’d all grown up in places where they heard humans speaking. He and Sofi had always lived in a pen at the back of the compound, away from humans.
Thank the goddess Shay at least had understood him, or he might have been shipped off to another pen, another owner. Shipped far away from his Sofia, the one he’d loved from the first time he saw her. They’d been kept in that pen in northern Minnesota for at least five seasons. They were basically just pups when they met.
Their rescue still felt like a dream, but even dreams ended when reality intruded.
Sighing, he rested his chin on his paws and gazed at Sofi. She appeared to be sleeping, but he couldn’t really tell. Her mind was active, but nothing he understood. Sometimes he wondered if he really knew Sofi at all. He loved her, but there were times, like now, when she felt alien to him. Of course, since they couldn’t truly mate until they shifted, that might explain that sense of distance the two of them had always known. Together, but not really connected. For that alone, he welcomed the chance to finally have access to the other half of who and what he was.
He’d been born an animal, fully aware there was a human inside him. A human that could only find life if he had the magic grasses. Generations of his kind had known this, yet never had the chance to taste them, to know the truth of who and what they were. Berserkers. He’d never heard that name before, but that was what the Chanku who rescued them had said.
You and Sofia are the same as us. You are Chanku, but yours is the warrior family, the ones created especially to protect all Chanku. Over the eons, we lost you. Even our goddess lost you, but you have been found. If you choose, you are welcome as pack.
They’d been so alone. Always alone, even among animals that looked like them. Other maned wolves that were just that...maned wolves. Animals.
Lying this close to Sofi, he felt her unease, her fear of the unknown. How did he convince her that they could do anything together? That they couldn’t truly be together until they shifted. The first thing he wanted to do when they were finally human was mate with his wonderful Sofia.
He watched her, chin resting on his paws. He might not understand her, but he knew how to read the expressions on her beautiful face. In that way, he could always see what she was thinking, and right now he could tell that she felt very alone. And afraid. That had to end now. I love you, Sofi. Are you awake? Why do you look so sad?
Because I’m frightened. I need you. I thought you were sleeping. Be with me, Santi.
She looked so afraid. He hated the thought of her fearing the future—the same future he was so anxious to know. I will always come awake for you. And I will always need you, my Sofi. Don’t be afraid. We’ll figure this out.
He stood, shook out his pelt so that his black mane stood high. This at least was a language he understood. He and Sofia could always connect when their bodies were one.
• • •
Late Tuesday morning, Pentagon, Chanku Nation Headquarters,
aka Keisha and Anton Cheval’s home.
“I’m really glad you’ve finally decided to move ahead with this.”
Boris, a young Berserker who’d had his first shift just hours earlier had been pushing everyone to move since he and his mother were rescued. Darya had elected not to go. It would be a while before she’d shifted enough for her body to begin the gradual change back to her younger self. She’d been an elderly snow leopard nearing the end of her days when she and Boris were rescued.
Now, barring an accidental death, she faced an almost immortal lifespan, and once she’d shifted enough over the next couple years, she’d have the body of a young woman in her prime.
Forever.
Boris was still focused on Rem. The kid was young and impatient, but Rem figured he’d be a terrific ambassador to explain this new world to other captive Berserkers. He had no argument with anything Boris was saying, but it was obvious the kid hadn’t realized that yet. Rem let him talk.
His anger growing, Boris slapped his hand down on the granite bar. “We can’t wait on Santiago and Sofia. There are too many of us out there. Too many still in cages.”
Remington raised one eyebrow from his spot behind the bar. First time he’d ever taken Anton’s traditional position, and for whatever reason, it actually made him feel more confident. Anton had been here when he and Shay first arrived, but he’d left after a bit to have coffee with his mate, giving Rem and Shay the chance to open this meeting themselves. But he’d walked in a couple of minutes ago and sat quietly on one of the big leather couches against the wall opposite the bar, and Rem refused to admit how relieved he was to have the alpha in the room. He was staying quiet, but that was okay. At least he was here. Turning his thoughts from Anton, Rem planted his palms on the cool stone and studied Boris for a moment. “I agree, Boris, but we couldn’t rush this along until you’d shifted, and even now you won’t be any use to us if you’re not sure how to be human. As I recall, your sister had to show you how to zip your pants this morning.”
“Yeah, but I figured it out after the first try!” Laughing with the others seated alongside, Boris dramatically thunked his forehead on the granite bar.
“Ouch! Don’t do that!” Laughing, shaking his head, Rem continued. “Believe me, I’m as anxious as you are. More so, since I was ready to go the day we brought all of you back from Minnesota. But ya know what? I realized I need all of you, especially those of you who are Berserkers. You can speak truth to anyone we find, and ready or not, the plan is for you to head out tonight.” Ignoring Boris’s wide eyes, Rem let his gaze pass slowly over each of them. “So, here’s what we know.”
Which, unfortunately, wasn’t a hell of a lot. Focusing now on Asha, her brother, and their mom, he ticked off what they had going for them. “We’ve got the info from your microchips listing the various private collectors—we haven’t got much intel on any of them, so whatever their crimes, it doesn’t appear that we’re dealing with killers. Mostly white collar criminals, the kind of guys who make their money stealing from other people with money. But they’ve all purchased predators illegally from the sanctuary, and possibly from people like Cho Choeden, the guy who had Asha. Records from the Minnesota sanctuary show us sales that go back for years, which means that some of these Berserkers are most likely dead. We don’t know their ages when they were sold, and unfortunately, without the ability to shift, you have the natural lifespan of your wild counterpart. At least we know which predators were shipped out of the Minnesota sanctuary, and when, and we have a good idea where they’re being held, unless they’ve been resold or traded away. Most important, we also know, thanks to you, Boris, which ones are most likely Berserkers.”
“First team left early this morning.” Shay ticked the names off on her fingers. “Jack Temple, Mary Ryder, Reko, Sissy Long, and Mac Cheval. Ricky McClintock flew them out to start in California. They’ll be visiting the few large animal parks in the state, starting off near San Diego. We’ve already affirmed which ones have predators, and not all of them will be Berserkers, so hopefully, working their way through each one shouldn’t take too long. Then they’ll move on to the next state, but California and New York gave us the most leads.”
She glanced at Rem. He just shook his head. So many places to search, so many lives potentially at risk.
He stood there a moment, hands on hips, head down. Damn this was hard. He took a deep breath, let it out, glanced quickly at Anton before addressing the group. “Knowing they’re out there...damn, it’s hard to take. I always felt something was missing in my life, but I didn’t have a clue. The thing is, I had no idea there was something more inside me, so while I was dissatisfied with that nameless something, I didn’t know what or why.
“These people—same as you, Asha, Boris, Ari,” he paused a moment, “You knew—just as they do— what you didn’t have. I can’t imagine the frustration, knowing about but not having the grasses that will let you claim that other part of yourself. Unlike Chanku who are born human, it’s a matter of a nameless something missing. For Berserkers, it’s your link to humanity.” He smiled as he glanced at Shay. “We all deserve the freedom to know ourselves, to know all those parts that are hidden until we finally shift. To finally form a mating bond with the one we love. We’ve got to find these missing members of our world.”
He let out a deep breath. “Okay.” Embarrassed by his outburst, he laughed softly. “Got that off my chest, but it’s hard to think of all those Berserkers out there, knowing what they’re missing, caged or penned, separated from their loved ones...it just sucks. Once Santiago and Sofia shift, they’ll join Shay and me as the third team. We’ll be following up on some leads on the west coast while you five will be heading to New York this evening. It’s a rural area, well away from the city. First stop will be the large scale collector where Santiago was headed. We believe he’s got at least a couple of Berserkers in his personal zoo, possibly more. It might take you a while to find all of them. Tinker will fly you out tonight, but be careful. You’re the ones handling the criminal element. The traders who, in some cases, trade predators like collectibles.”
“You’ll have a smaller class B motorhome as headquarters,” Shay added. “They’re easier to drive than the big ones. We’re still working on some of the details, but get your stuff together and meet us back here this afternoon about four, okay? We’ll go over final details for the trip. You’ll have time for dinner and the flight east. Because of the time difference, we’re hoping you’ll be able to sleep during the flight. Best way is to shift and curl up in the chopper. The vibrations put me to sleep really fast.”
Rem grinned at Shay. “I can’t wait to see how many all of us can find, but this is a great mix doing the search. The majority of us in the teams are new to this shapeshifting gig. Mac, Leo, Jack, and Shay—they’re the only ones who have known since birth that they were shapeshifters. Even Anton had to find out the hard way.”
“He’s right.” Anton laughed and waved from his seat at the back.
Rem saluted. “Thank you for that, and also, thank you for giving up your spot at the bar. Makes me feel more in charge without you guarding the cognac.” Rem ignored Anton’s audible snort of laughter. “Anyway, I think that’s why this hits me so hard. Berserkers, who are in truth Chanku, who have never been able to shift, imprisoned for their entire lives merely because they’ve been caught up in this goddess-be damned-industry of illegal trading in rare and endangered predators, others living their entire lives as animals in zoos or small sanctuaries where there’s no chance of ever living free. It’s one thing to live out a life in the wild, free... But in cages? We have to save them.”
None of his years with the FBI had prepared him for anything like this. He couldn’t even imagine trying to explain this job to his supervisor back in DC. Rem felt woefully unqualified. He’d been a shifter now for all of two weeks, but someone had to take the reins for this rescue mission, and it appeared he’d won the toss. Anton had told him days ago that it was all his show, though the alpha hadn’t hesitated to put out an open call to the pack earlier in the week, telling them about the upcoming search, and asking anyone who was able to help, to get in touch with Rem or Shay.
The number of willing volunteers was more than welcome. Not only were all of them strong, smart, motivated people, the ones going into the field had formed their own teams without even realizing it, including Gabe’s group who would stay behind and help any newcomers learn how to exist on two legs. Each member of that team was a natural born teacher, if not a licensed teacher in reality. He wondered just how much of this was under Eve’s suggestion, if not outright control. Their goddess was desperate to recover those who were lost.
“We still have no idea how many are out there.” Rem focused on Boris. The kid understood the risks to Berserkers in captivity. The mental torture of knowing they weren’t merely a wild beast, that they could be sold to anyone, anytime, away from all that was familiar, away from family. “We didn’t know that buying and selling predators was a fucking business. As soon as we knew Berserkers existed, we should have done something! We should have paid attention, dammit! Once we knew about them, we should have connected the dots, wondered where the hell they were.
“Well, we know about them now, that besides the legal zoos and sanctuaries, there is an entire underworld of criminals trafficking in rare and endangered predators of all kinds. The Minnesota sanctuary wasn’t the only supplier. Cho Choeden’s arrest is proof that it’s a much larger illicit industry than any of us suspected. The authorities in New York suspect that Choeden was selling the animals, but they haven’t been able to find his records. We only know of the ones from this one sanctuary, and there are registered and unregistered sanctuaries and illicit collectors all over the US and Canada, most likely throughout the world. Odds are, there are many more Chanku held captive. Knowing they’re out there, growing older as the days pass, without hope, without any promise of freedom, puts even more pressure on us. We have to save every single one we can.”
It had been pure luck that they’d even learned of the Berserkers’ existence. If it hadn’t been for Sebastian Xenakis—Anton’s son-in-law—they might never have known. Sebastian’s father had been a powerful wizard who practiced dark magic, the kind of magic that required a blood sacrifice. He had a dozen large bodyguards who were shapeshifters. It took Sebastian, now mated to Anton’s daughter Lily, to figure that out. When Sebastian killed them with some powerful magic of his own, they died as wolves and didn’t shift back. There were legends about Berserkers as vicious killers, but no one really remembered them. The bodyguards, all trained killers who died as animals without shifting to humans had been proof—this sub-species was deadly. Even their goddess believed the mythology, that they were bred to be killers. It wasn’t until they discovered that Igmutaka and Fen were both Berserkers that Eve was able to dig old memories out of her many million years old mental filing system and learned the importance of Berserkers to the race.
They had once been powerful soldiers, guardians of and allies to the more peaceful Chanku.
“Okay.” Rem glanced at Anton and then focused on his team. “Anton is our chief operations officer. He’ll coordinate our activities from here, and since he can read us wherever we are, it will be a simple thing to check in and keep him apprised of what you’re doing. Pretty handy in a COO.”
“Are we going to work with local authorities, or go in undercover?” Leo glanced at Ari. “I’m concerned that we’ll need warrants and all that if we work with authorities. After what happened in Minnesota, we know we can’t always trust local law enforcement agencies not to warn our targets. Honestly? I’m more concerned with saving lives than getting convictions afterwards.”
Rem laughed. “And this, my friends, is one of the pack attorneys speaking.” He grinned at Leo. “I like the way your mind works, Leo. I’ll be traveling under the auspices of the FBI, so I don’t have as much leeway to play fast and loose with the rules, but our laws are different, and my human boss appears quite happy to defer to our pack alpha when questions of propriety arise. Going in with a pack attorney trained in both human and Chanku law is certain to convince him we’re on the straight and narrow.” He grinned at Leo. “Even if we take a few side cuts and questionable turns along the way. The ones who left this morning never brought this up, so we’ll let them know to use their own discretion and follow rules when they have to. Otherwise, creativity is always appreciated.”
Leo threw a wadded piece of paper at him. Rem ducked, and continued. “I’ll have Shay, and hopefully Santiago and Sofia. I want to get out of here as soon as possible, and Tinker is ready to fly us where we need to be once he gets back from delivering the five of you. Let’s break for lunch. When we get back, we’ll go over the details you’re going to need when you approach the first target.”
• • •
Early Tuesday afternoon, the woods outside pack headquarters
Panting, Sofi and Santi lay in the shade of pine and cedar trees, just beyond the meadow. There’d been a sharper edge to their lovemaking this time, almost a sense of desperation, as if their bodies were anxious for the change, unhappy that the two of them were hesitating at completing themselves, bringing both their four-legged and two-legged parts together.
We have to do it, don’t we, Santi? Sofi accepted she had been the one holding them up, holding the searchers back from saving the untold numbers of trapped Berserkers. She couldn’t delay any longer, no matter how frightened she was.
We do, but if we shift together, we’ll be able to share our fears, make them our strengths. Do you see how it happens?
I do. Sofi licked his muzzle and wondered what would happen to them, the two of them as a single unit after their shift. Would he still love her? To have wanted something for so long while believing it would never happen, suddenly to realize they were going to find that other half that had been lost to their people for time without measure was a thrilling,
terrifying, electrifying step they would be taking.
But we’ll take it together, my beautiful Sofia. Shift with me. Now.
• • •
Adrenaline surged through this new body as Santiago stretched his long legs, pushed himself to a sitting position, raised his arms over his head, and looked about at a world that was still the same, but perceived entirely differently. He’d always wondered what this would be like, this change from beast to man. The pine needles prickled his bare buttocks. The afternoon breeze had picked up and it chilled his naked skin, but he’d done it. He listened for the familiar sounds of the forest, but those sounds were muted, overwhelmed by the brilliant colors these eyes saw.
Where was Sofi? He looked for her, turning his head from side to side, searching out of eyes that saw so differently. She’d been beside him when he shifted, but where had she gone? She’d been so afraid of the shift. Had she run away instead of taking this first step into the unknown? Awkwardly shoving himself to his two feet, teetering a bit until he found his balance, he turned this way and that. He stood so much higher! Everything that had been at eye level was down around his knees. Glancing about, he wondered where she’d gone. She’d been beside him, but now... He sucked in a deep breath, blew it out, then another until all he heard was the breath rushing in and out of his straining lungs, his panicked heartbeats thundering in his ears. Once more, breathing deeply, willing his heart to slow down, his breathing to slow as well. “Sofi? Sofi, where are...”
So soft he barely heard her, had to strain to understand her words. “Here, Santi. I’m over here.”
At the sound of her voice, he raced toward her. There, almost totally hidden in the thick ferns growing in this quiet glen in the woods near the pack’s headquarters. “What are you doing here? Is this really you?” He knelt in front of the beautiful young woman cowering in the greenery. Gently ran his hands over her long, dark hair. Such silky hair. His Sofia. So beautiful she took his breath, so undeniably sensual he felt this new body respond in a totally unfamiliar yet welcome way.
She dipped her head, wouldn’t look at him. “I watched you shift. It was so fast. My Santiago was sitting beside me, and then there was a strange man in his place. An unbelievably beautiful human man.” Raising her head, she looked at him, her cheeks flushed a soft shade of red, her smile embarrassed. “I don’t even remember moving, but I was suddenly hiding in the weeds, feeling like a dolt. I shifted before you turned around. I didn’t want you to see what a coward your woman was.”
“Not a coward, my love. Never a coward. This is an entirely new world we’ve entered together.” She reached for him at the same time he took her hand, stood, and gently tugged her to her feet. Looking at her now, standing so tall and proud and so lovely she made his heart ache, Santiago wasn’t sure what to say, how to act. This body wasn’t familiar, though the love he felt for her was the thing that resonated deeper even than the sense that, while they had both changed, they were still exactly the same.
Gently, he squeezed her hand, surprised by the warmth of her fingers, the slight tremor that let him know his Sofi was every bit as nervous as he was. He took her other hand, holding her at arm’s length for the briefest of moments before pulling her close, holding her against this new body as he buried his nose in her dark hair and inhaled a scent that was even more seductive than the four-legged Sofi he knew. He felt her arms reaching around him, holding him to her, but his entire body was tight, the itching he’d noticed over the past few days giving way to a powerful need to mate with this woman, to take her in his arms and make love to her, to...
What? He had no fucking idea how to make love to a human woman! Mind spinning in confusion, one truth steadied him. Anton would know. The pack alpha knew everything!
Anton! Sofi and I have shifted. I want to make love to her, to make her mine, but I have no idea how to make love to a woman. How to make it good for her. What do I do? Where can we go? I need her, but it has to be right.
As always, the pack alpha responded immediately. First, congratulations on your shift, and welcome to the pack. Take Sofi back to the room you’ve been sharing. Close the doors, pull the shades. Use that big bed and give yourselves privacy and time to experiment with what feels best. Remember that for human women, the orgasm that comes so naturally to your animal self isn’t always as easy for them when they’re human. They need time and love and your lips and tongue and fingers, as well as that large penis growing between your legs connecting with that tiny little nub between hers, and then going deep inside. A lot is instinct, but it must always be tempered with love. Your body will know how to find the cleft between her thighs. Fill her with heat and sensation, and all the love you have for her. Touch her and taste her and always think of what seems to make her happiest, because that, my friend, will make her spirit fly. It’s called foreplay, and it makes everything that comes after even better.
Santi bit back a snort. When Sofi raised her head and frowned at him, he just shook his. “Anton is telling me we should go to our room and learn more about our new bodies.”
Sofi giggled and slapped her hand over her mouth. “I just asked Keisha. She was telling me the same thing. In more detail than I expected.” She stood on her toes, kissed his mouth, and power surged into the big penis that was already standing high against his belly. “I think we should listen to them, don’t you?”
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her—their first kisses in these new bodies. “I love you, Sofia. I want to finally know all of you, the way we’re meant to be together.”
She sighed against his mouth. “Santi?”
Her whisper tickled his lips. “What?”
“Have you noticed?”
He kissed her again. The touch of their mouths together left him panting. “Noticed what?”
“We’re speaking the language of the human shifters. But how?”
He gazed at her, his lips tilting oddly, but he knew that he was smiling. “Because that’s how it’s meant to be, Sofia my love. Come.”
2
____________
Gently Santi tugged her hand, and Sofi followed. He was tall. Taller even than Anton, and so handsome he made her feel like weeping with joy. How could she know such an emotion? Her mind swirled with new knowledge, with sensations she’d never known, with a need to touch the man she loved. To touch him intimately. Her vision filled with her tall, dark-haired Santiago with the beautiful amber eyes. She followed slightly behind as he led her across the meadow to the big house, but that didn’t feel right. She was female, not meant to follow but to walk proudly beside her man, sometimes even to lead. She knew this on a new level in a part of her brain she’d never been able to access before. So many new feelings, knowledge of this new body, all steadily pouring into her mind.
She took a longer step and was beside him as they crossed the meadow. It was quiet, and she wondered if Remington’s meeting was still taking place, if they would have time to join in the hunt for more of their kind.
She really hoped they weren’t too late.
• • •
Sofia had been the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen, that first day she was put in his pen at the sanctuary. Timid and shy, her eyes were so bright and inquisitive in spite of her obvious fear. He’d been hardly more than a pup himself, but he’d immediately felt a need to protect her. He’d moved close, sniffed noses and then placed himself in front of her, between Sofia and the man.
He’d not liked the man from the first time he saw him, which was only a few months earlier, but he swore then that he would protect this vulnerable female with all that he had. It had been so easy to love her, to want her, to talk with her long into the night. And their shared secret was one that was beyond special, the fact they each knew they were shapeshifters...though without the ability to shift. They’d never found those magic grasses that their kind needed in order to embrace the other half of their soul, yet they’d been aware of that other half almost from birth. He’d told her about the few others like them that were caged here, how they were all very careful not to let any of the humans know what they could become. There had been stories years ago of a full pack of wolves who had made contact with a human, had somehow convinced him of their abilities.
They’d been taken away and never heard of again. If they’d found a way to shift, they would have returned. The fact that they’d not was proof that for those who remained, their secret had to stay exactly that—a secret.
They walked quickly across the open meadow between the forest and the house—Santiago and Sofia holding hands, something they’d never done before. Feeling unusually shy, Santi kept glancing down at their entwined fingers, surprised by their length, the difference between the size of their hands. Where his were broad in the palm and long fingered with blunt nails, Sofi’s were slender, her fingers long with nails softly tapered. Her grasp was strong, though, and when she raised her head, there was power in her eyes, a sense of self-confidence she’d not had before. There was something terribly attractive about that side of her, a feminine power he’d never noticed. Not until she shifted.
He wondered what she might see differently about him. He felt changed on so many levels.
Together they climbed the steps to the raised deck, and when they reached the smaller glass door beside the big sliding glass door to their room, he raised his head. Sofi gazed directly into his eyes with a small half smile on her luscious mouth. He knew her, but he didn’t, at least not in this new body. Did she feel the same sense of newness when she looked at him?
What was she thinking, standing here just outside their bedroom door? All Boris had wanted to talk about was his newfound libido. It had meant little to Santi as a wolf, but now that he’d shifted, he couldn’t ignore what was stirring below his belly. Specifically, that part between his legs, what Anton had called a penis, was definitely making its presence known. He’d never felt a need to name this part on his maned wolf body. He hoped the fact his penis had awakened with his first and only shift and showed no sign of relaxing into slumber wouldn’t frighten Sofi. If he was meant to push that thing into her, he’d have to be really careful. It was long and thick, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.
But when he looked at Sofi, all he saw, all he thought of, was her love. When he’d been injured during his rescue at the sanctuary in Minnesota, Sofi’s fear and fury over his gunshot wound had penetrated his pain, his own fear of death. He’d known then that he had to live, had to survive the attack if only for Sofi.
He loved her beyond words.
Would she agree to be his mate today? Was her love for him as powerful as his for her? He reached for the door, opening it with the lever that all the doors in this sprawling house seemed to have—handles that could be easily opened with a paw. With his free—very human—hand against her lower back, he carefully guided Sofi into the sunlit room.
• • •
The big bed in the middle of the room made sense, now. Keisha’s words came back to her, how the bed was the perfect place to make love, but that exploring each other’s bodies was the best way to get started. Not to think of the actual act of copulation, but to turn it into part of the process of making their love grow even stronger. When Sofi had asked her how, Keisha suggested they start with a shower together, both of them naked and free to touch one another anywhere.
As maned wolves, neither of them had so much as entered the bathroom that was here in this, their sleeping room. They’d just gone outside into the woods. Sofi tilted her head and watched Santi. He stared at the bed as if frozen, his body almost rigid. She sensed his nervousness, his sudden lack of confidence. He was so perfect, with his tousled dark hair and dark amber eyes, that he’d been sort of intimidating. Now, though, the glimpse of him like this, his vulnerability, was the boost her confidence needed.
She moved behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. pressed her cheek against his back. “Keisha said that we should shower together. Take that time to explore each other’s bodies without even thinking about sex, simply because we don’t know how it works in this form.” She laughed. “Well, I do have the mechanics of the act in my mind, but we won’t know how it’s going to work for us until we take the time to know each other as humans.” She glanced at what had to be the closed bathroom door, back at Santi, and shrugged. “I’ve never taken a shower, have you?”
Santi pulled her around to the front of him and kissed her. It was quick, no more than a touching of lips. One thing for certain...this body of hers wanted more.
“No,” he said. “I don’t think standing in the cold rain counts.” Then he laughed. “It’s in that room?”
Sofi thought of going for more of a kiss, but instead grabbed his hand. “I think so. C’mon.”
It was a beautiful room, with gleaming stone counters and a separate area for bathing. The glass walls on two sides of the shower were set against an outside wall with a big round tub on the other side of a half wall beside it. The polished stone and glass shimmered in the light reflecting off a large mirror over the sink. The back side of the shower was a curved wall of rough stone with plants growing in niches in the rocks. Somehow, she knew all these things, what they were called, even a bit how to use them.
Santi stood silently for a few moments, gazing about with a look of wonder in his eyes. “I can’t believe we never looked in here.”
Sofi squeezed his hand. “Keisha told me how it works.” She laughed. “I was getting mental images from her the whole time we walked here. I wasn’t quite sure what they meant, but now that I see this it makes sense.”
Grumbling through his laughter, Santiago followed Sofia as she stepped into the shower. “I wish Anton had been as specific with his instructions as Keisha was with hers!”
With her back to him, she bit back a grin as she stared at the mechanism Keisha said would turn on the water, powerfully aware that he watched her. She wondered what he thought of this body, of the long dark hair that fell down her back. It was definitely long—almost to her waist, and nothing like his mane. She’d barely looked at him, so curious about this human man she loved, yet oddly shy to openly stare. It was strange—she loved him no matter how he looked, but she still couldn’t trust that he would love her in this body.
“Watch me so I can show you how to do it.” She turned toward him as he stepped into the enclosed space.
And stopped, one hand outstretched, reaching for him.
Her heart might have stopped beating, but if that was the case, what was that wild thundering in her chest, in her ears? As if in slow motion, she watched as Santi reached for her, as their fingers linked. His eyes were wide, his beautiful lips parted.
But his body! He’d always been beautiful as a maned wolf, but this man, this human male who looked at her with hunger in his eyes was by far the most tantalizing creature of all. The visuals of the humans she’d seen, male and female, including all the amazing Chanku she’d met, flashed through her mind. Nothing. No response at all. She had never been in the presence of any other living thing that affected her the way Santi did.
“Sofi? Are you all right?”
So much concern in his voice, and what a wonderful voice it was. The deep timbre sent waves of sensation over her naked flesh and something deep in her center clenched with need. She laughed, but it was a nervous sound and left her breathless. She took a moment to calm herself so she could speak. “I think I’m experiencing that libido Boris keeps talking about.”
Santi glanced down. When she followed his gaze, she saw that the size of his penis had grown even larger. She wanted to touch, to drop to her knees and look more closely, maybe taste it. Was this what Keisha meant when she said they should explore? Releasing Santi’s hand, she quickly adjusted the shower the way she’d been told, and set the spray to a warm gentle rain that fell over both of them. Her heart still pounded, and she sucked in deep breaths as if she’d run for miles.
Santi stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close against him beneath the steady spray. His heart beat against her chest, its rhythm every bit as fast as hers. After a moment, she slid down in his embrace, down until her knees rested on the warm, wet floor of the shower and she was eye-level with those same parts that were mostly hidden on his wolf body—at least not as blatantly displayed was such an easy thing to turn her head and taste him with lips and tongue, to cup the heavy sac behind his rod and balance the orbs in her palm. He stood as if transfixed, lost in the sensation of her touch as she carefully explored his new body. His soft whimpers and panting breaths gave her the courage to look further. His beautiful penis was perfectly placed, rising harder and higher with every touch she made. She simply wrapped her arms around him, grasped his firm buttocks for balance, leaned forward, opened her mouth, and drew the thick length of him between her lips.
His strangled cry sent shivers down her spine, between her legs, and she took him again and again, raising and lowering her head, supporting him with hands that seemed to course with new strength, with a heart that held no doubt at all, not now, now that she felt as if the stronger side of her had finally come to life.
Over the past week, she’d learned much about the Chanku, and by virtue of their close genetic relationship, about Berserkers as well. Her people were warriors—strong, independent, and intelligent. But until she was willing to embrace both sides of her heritage, she wouldn’t be able to call on those long lost parts of her soul. She’d noticed changes with each day that passed, as her body absorbed the nutrients in those capsules she took twice every day, as the changes took place in what felt like a very slow pace, but when she realized they were physically changing her, changing the way her body worked, the way she thought, who she was, what she felt, it was so very fast.
If anyone had told her just a week ago that within hours of shifting from maned wolf to human she would be kneeling at her beloved’s feet, making him shudder and whimper with each compression of her lips, each lick of her tongue, she would have laughed.
She wasn’t laughing. She was fighting the urge to place her fingers between her own legs and ease the need growing there, in that place she’d not even had time to explore on herself! Instead, she clutched Santi’s tight buttocks and held him still for her mouth, swallowing him down her throat in the desperate need to be closer to him, to hold him inside herself.
His hands came around her shoulders and he lifted her, pulling her away from his erection so quickly she was dizzy with the change in position. “What? Why did...” She blinked and swallowed, tasting the salty cream on her tongue and immediately wanting more. His big hands clutched her shoulders tightly, holding her with almost bruising strength.
“We need to finish this shower. I want to explore you, but not when the need in me is so powerful it’s tearing me apart. Don’t you feel it? That throbbing, pulsing need to...” He blew out a breath and sucked in another. “I think we know enough to do this thing, to make love in these new bodies, and if you will have me, to mate. I want you for all time, Sofia. You are mine. You have always been mine, and I’m so afraid of losing you if we wait.”
His words knocked the breath from her lungs. Voicing her fears, the words she was too cowardly to speak aloud. Hearing them from Santi’s lips made her ache with need for him, her joy blossoming deep inside. This was her dream, the one she’d lived for since those very first days when they’d talked about what little they knew of the heritage they shared. His honesty filled her heart, filled her with the need to make him hers even as he claimed her as his.
Gripping his forearms, she went up on her toes and kissed him quickly, gasping at the power in his taste, his touch. “Yes, Santiago. A million times yes. And then we need to go to the others and tell them we’re ready. That we won’t hold them up a moment longer.” She bowed her head, feeling her shame. “That I won’t hold them up. I’m sorry I was such a coward.”
“You had every right to be afraid.” He grabbed a towel and dried her with it, then dried himself, but he never took his eyes off her. “You have to admit, this has been a pretty crazy week.”
“It has.” She stroked the side of his face, loving the sensitivity of these human fingers. Loving Santi. “But it’s been wonderfully wild. We are finally complete, Santi. We are both our parts.”
He cupped her face in both his palms, touched his forehead to hers. She shivered at the intimate contact. “No, my beloved Sofia. We’re not complete. Not until you are mine and I am yours. Not until we are part of each other.”
He took her hand and led her into the bedroom. It was already after noon. The first team had left early this morning. They were already in California, already searching for more of their kind. The team with Leo, Asha, and Boris was headed out later this evening, but for now she and Santi had plenty of time. He paused at the large glass window and pulled the vertical slats across to enclose them in the privacy of their room, then, as they neared the bed, he suddenly lifted her in his arms and held her close against his chest. “Now, Sofi. The next couple of hours are all ours.”
• • •
Santiago wasn’t all that certain what to expect, though he’d never felt a need for his sweet Sofi this powerful. The emotions, the desire...all of it totally overwhelming. He struggled to hold on to his control, but it felt as if he were losing his grip. He’d wanted to take it slowly, to make love to her first without mating, but as he touched her silky skin and his need for her grew beyond everything else—there was no way this could wait. He kissed her, learning the shape of her lips, the taste of her, different yet familiar in this new form. He didn’t want to stop kissing her, but he had to. There was so much he wanted to do, to say as he lay her down in the middle of the big bed. Instead, leaving words behind he crawled across her, turning to hold himself on hands and knees above her.
He took this time to study her beautiful face. He’d never found humans all that attractive before, but now, looking at the woman he loved, he realized she was more beautiful than any creature he’d ever seen—four-legged or two. She watched him with undisguised curiosity as he simply stared at her, as he lost himself in this amazing creature soon to be his in all the ways that mattered.
“Now,” she said. Reaching for him, she stroked his face, her fingertips like silk against his skin, her dark eyes glittering with unshed tears. Her fingers trembled and her voice broke when she whispered, “I want you, Santi. Inside me. In my heart, in my head. Inside me.”
Desire for her beat against him, his body pulsing with an insatiable need, but now that they were here, lying on this bed, their bodies still warm and damp from the shower, he thought of Sofi’s lips on him, the way her mouth felt caressing his erection. He wanted to give her that same feeling, the joy he’d felt as she quite literally worshipped his body. He leaned forward and kissed her mouth, using his tongue and lips to caress her lips, the rough surface of her tongue. Her taste inflamed him and he felt it in the erect organ between his legs, the one Anton had told him would be much happier connected deep inside with Sofi.
But not yet. There was so much more he wanted to do first. He savored her a moment longer, then moved lower. Her nipples as a wolf had not been particularly sensitive, but his were more sensitive as a human. He had to assume that hers were, too, so he licked the pointed tip of one nipple. Her back arched and she pressed her full breast against his mouth.
More Santi! More. That feels so amaz...
He bit down, not hard but enough to get her attention. She screamed and clasped him close, using her arms and legs, her entire body as she curled around him. More, Santi. More of that!
More of what? Laughing out loud, body alive with pure joy in this moment, he nuzzled her other breast, planted his teeth gently around that nipple...and tugged. Crying out, she arched into him, hands tugging at his hair. Flutters and tremors flowed in waves across her body, her sleek flesh rippling beneath his fingers. He scented the rich perfume and recognized it as her arousal. He kissed his way down her torso, across her smooth belly, along the valley between thigh and pubes until he reached the full lips between her thighs.
She panted, sucking deep breaths. Rising up on her elbows, she watched him. He glanced up at her and smiled innocently. “Keisha did tell us we should get to know each other.”
“If we keep meeting like this, I will explode!”
His laughter surprised him. He had never felt this powerful, this much in control. These bodies had more nerve endings—that had to be it. How could licking her here—spreading her legs even wider, he dipped his head and ran his tongue between her thighs from her tailbone, through those puffy lips and over the tiny nub of flesh at the very tip—make every nerve ending on his entire body clench with more need?
It felt so good, tasted so amazing, he did it again. And one more time before she clutched at his hair and held his head still. “Santi. Now. Stop playing and make love to me. We can practice foreplay later. I want another climax.”
“Another?” He ran his tongue around his wet lips, tasting his woman. “I didn’t realize you’d already had one.”
“I’ve had two. I’ve been trying not to combust, but you’re making it very difficult. Now get up here and let’s do this. Okay?”
“Whatever you want. A couple of days ago, Anton said that in a matriarchal society such as ours, your wishes are the most important.”
Laughing, Sofia flopped back on the pillows. “As it should be. Now, Santi?” She pleaded so perfectly with her eyes and lips, the sound of her voice. A shudder passed through his body, purely from her words.
“Now.” He moved up her body, positioned himself to enter her, looked into her amber eyes and thanked the goddess for this amazing woman. His woman. No more teasing. It was time to get serious. Heart pounding, his body hot and cold all over, he took a deep breath and stared into her beautiful dark amber eyes. “I love you, Sofia. I have always loved you and I know I will love you for all time. Be my mate? Mine forever?” He tilted his hips and filled her in one long, smooth stroke. He felt something hard at the end of her sheath and knew without asking he touched her womb. The place that would one day harbor their young. The thought brought tears to his eyes. His mate; his beloved Sofia. One day they would have young.
She arched her back, lifting to join with him, her eyes wide and fixed on him. “I have loved you, Santiago, from the very first time I saw you. Only you. There will never be another to hold my heart. It is forever in your hands.”
There were tears in her eyes, and his appeared to be leaking as well. So many years, wondering if this day would ever come. He kissed her gently as her body rippled around his erection, holding him deep inside. “I will protect your heart, your love, and always hold it with care, my beautiful Sofia.”
She took all of him, holding him tightly, her thighs tight against his hips, her ankles linked behind his backside, fingers clutching his shoulders, lips parted and eyes half-lidded. So naturally passionate. No wonder he loved her! This was what they had never known, this joining of bodies that was so perfect, so powerful, so much more than what their wolves had experienced, but it wasn’t merely the physical—it was the knowledge that only by loving one another in this form could they truly join. He opened himself more, invited her into his mind, his memories, the very essence of who he was. Never again would there be secrets between them. They would truly be one.
And when she joined with him, together with minds and bodies in perfect synchronization, he fell headlong into the mating link and the world so long hidden from him that was his Sofia.
• • •
Stunned, Sofia lay there on the big bed, her long wolf’s legs tangled with Santiago’s. She and Santi had both shifted to their maned wolf bodies at some point during the mating. So many things she hadn’t known about this amazing man. A man who was now her mate for all time. He had been every bit as afraid as she when he’d made his first shift, but he’d not let it stop him. When they mated, when she learned that about him, she realized he’d shared his courage with her.
Mating had changed her. Changed both of them. His understanding of her lack of self-confidence had given her a greater strength, his new knowledge of the depth of her love for him made him love her even more. She’d never known that he loved her with all his heart, that he hadn’t really believed how much she loved him in return. He knew now, as did she. She was there, now, in his mind. Privy to his deepest thoughts, his most powerful fears, the strength of his immutable love.
Anton said this would change us, he said. Shifting at the same moment as Sofi, he pulled her into his arms. “I never imagined how much.”
“Or how wonderful it would be. Santi, you are an amazing man, and I am honored to be your mate. How long were we linked? Do you have any idea how long we’ve been here? It’s still light outside, but is it still the same day? I feel as if we’ve been exploring each other for days. So many memories, it will take me forever to sort them out.”
He laughed softly and pulled her close, and closer still until she was draped across his chest, her head on his shoulder. “I think we’ve only been here for about an hour, as hard as that is to believe. Maybe, like the shifting, we went into another dimension long enough to wander through each other’s lives.” He kissed her, slowly, carefully, with a definite promise of more. Her fingers slipped between their bodies and stroked his growing erection. His flesh was hot and damp from their loving, and she increased the pressure, loving the way his breath hissed between his lips.
At the same time, Sofi felt a pull, or maybe a push, the sense that they needed to be with the others. A newer sense, that their goddess was close to her. She released Santi and listened, wondering if Eve actually spoke to her, but the feeling was subtle, the words in her head a bare whisper. I am so thrilled for you and Santiago, Sofia. You will be welcome members of the pack. There was a pause, and Sofi was certain that Eve’s message was through, but then the soft whisper added, I don’t want to rush you, but...
She sensed rather than heard Eve’s deep sigh...I’ve spoken with a few of them...there are so many waiting. A pause, and then, Oh, and Keisha left clothing in the closet for both of you.
With that not so subtle hint prodding her to move, she cupped Santi’s dear face in her hands. His voice was suddenly in her head. That wasn’t really Eve, was it?
“You felt her, too?” She kissed him. “She wanted to tell us she was happy with our mating, and also suggest that we might want to meet up with the others.”
“I got that, even the part about the clothes. I guess we can’t go to the meeting naked.”
“No.” She giggled. “I think clothes are definitely required.”
He kissed her quickly. “I do wish she could have waited just a few minutes longer. I really liked what you were doing.”
Sofi laughed and kissed him, then rolled away from his hard body. “Ya know...it must be the link, the reason why you sensed Eve when I did. It’s the mating link. Plus, the fact it’s easier for her to connect with us once we’ve shifted. You know what I know, just as I feel your feelings. And yes, to your observation. It feels as if it should have taken at least a week, but I agree it was only a very short time. We have our entire lives to figure it out. Let’s shower again and go find everyone. We can practice this making love part later. Right now, I want to know what’s happening with the investigation.” She felt her skin heat as she added, “I really want more of the touching and loving, too, but first I want everyone to meet the wonderful man I’m mated to.”
• • •
It was late afternoon, only a couple hours since they’d first shifted, yet Santi was amazed by how much their lives had forever changed. He held tightly to Sofi’s hand as they left their room and made their way down the long hall to Anton’s Pentagon. They’d dressed in the things they found in the closet in the bedroom—black pants over silky shorter pants, and a light blue, long-sleeved shirt for him, along with sandals for his feet. The clothing was comfortable, but it felt so strange covering his limbs. Santi imagined he’d get used to it before too long, but it was different than fur. At least everything fit, and Sofi looked beautiful wrapped in a brilliant blue cloth she called a sarong, similar to what the other women wore when they were human. They stepped into Anton’s room and stopped in the doorway.
Everyone was still here. Leo and Asha, Boris, Remington and Shay, Janine and Ari, all of them standing around a large table in the middle of the room, looking at papers spread out over the surface. Shay was the first to notice when the two of them arrived.
“You’ve shifted!” She laughed as the others turned around. “At least I’m assuming it’s Santi and Sofi. Welcome!” Standing, she went straight to Sofi and hugged her, then turned and hugged Santi as well.
Santi took Sofi’s hand once again and tugged her close. “We’re sorry we took so long. It’s a frightening decision to make, no matter how long we’ve wanted this. I think that we had both given up hope that we’d ever know freedom. Now we know, and we need to help those still imprisoned.”
“Not only imprisoned in their cages, but inside their bodies as well.” Sofi hugged Santiago’s arm close. “I’m convinced that no matter what you imagine, there’s no way to adequately describe what happens when you shift for the first time.”
Santi gazed at Sofi, experiencing her feelings, her fears, and most of all, her love. “Even more amazing? What we shared during our mating link.” He leaned down and kissed her. He loved this, the connection between lips and tongues, the fact he could make love to Sofi’s mouth and know there were so many other sensitive body parts now available to them.
“I was just coming down to congratulate the two of you.” Anton stepped into the room and walked directly over to Sofi and Santi. “I’m so glad that everything worked the way you wanted it to. Did I sense Eve with you?”
Santi laughed at Sofi’s deep blush. “Your story, Sofi.”
She shot him a glare, backed by laughter. “Yes, but only to suggest we get moving now and get down here.”
Santi’s face flooded with heat when everyone laughed. He wasn’t all that sure that he appreciated this particular human reaction. Sofi had told him it meant he was blushing because he was embarrassed. He shrugged it off and wrapped his arm around his mate. “I wasn’t ready to leave yet. We were learning more about foreplay.”
Laughing even harder, Anton merely shook his head. “I can’t believe she would interrupt something that important.”
“I know.” Santi shared a look and a thought with Sofi, who agreed. “The thing is,” he said, “now that she has the information from Boris and Darya, I think she’s making contact with some of the Berserkers, at least the ones she can find. She’s letting them know that help is coming, to be patient, to call on her if there’s an emergency.”
“I wondered if that might be what was going on. I’ve not heard from her for a few days now, but I’ve sensed her impatience. Time is different on the astral, and I imagine it has felt like weeks or months, not merely a few days since we first found Boris, Darya, and Asha, and only a couple of days since we got the information on the chips hidden under Boris and Darya’s skin.
“We wasted time, though.” Boris stared at the floor, as if he couldn’t meet the others face to face. “We should not have waited until we shifted. I wish you had cut them out. It’s been nine days since you found us. We’ve wasted all that time.”
Anton stepped forward and placed his hand gently on Boris’s bowed head. “Time has not been wasted. You’ve used that time well. You have learned how to move comfortably in the world of men. Even Santiago and Sofia, though they have just shifted, have absorbed the ways, the speech patterns, the mannerisms of humans. We couldn’t send you out as you were before you shifted, and we had no idea what kind of information the chips would contain. It was not worth cutting into bodies already traumatized. And in case you’ve not realized it, a lot of my decisions are directed by our goddess.” Smiling to himself, he shook his head. “And if not Eve, Keisha has a hand in just about everything I do. It’s only when she doesn’t that I tend to screw up. It was our decision, not yours, and it was the right one.”
Stepping away, Anton folded his arms across his chest and went into what Sofi had described as his ‘alpha mode.’ He certainly looked the part as he focused on all of them at once, but made it feel as if he was addressing each of them individually.
And this, thought Santi, was the reason he was their alpha. There was no doubt who was in charge, even though most of the men in the pack were larger and physically stronger. None were smarter, and no one else had the sense of command that was obviously strong in Anton Cheval’s blood and bone.
“Right now,” he said, power in every calmly spoken word, “Keisha and Xandi are putting an early dinner on the table. Tinker and Lisa will be joining us and then Tinker will fly you Leo, and Asha, Boris, Janine, and Ari to a small town in Upstate New York northeast of Syracuse. I’ve taken your discussion of options from this morning and organized them into a plan I hope will be workable for you. Once you’re on the ground, you’re going to be traveling in a small motorhome, one that’s easier to handle than the big ones. There will be one fully stocked with supplies waiting for you at the airport. It’s set up with a single large bed in the back so you’ll all fit in your animal forms. Leo’s driven them before, and, Boris, I think your crash course in driving one of the big pack vans around since your shift will allow you to be available as a backup driver. Janine, have you ever driven anything other than a car?”
She laughed. “I have. Before I ended up on the streets, I drove a forty-five foot school bus. If seventy screaming kids couldn’t rattle me, I doubt there’s anything this group can do. I’m a pretty good mechanic, too.”
“Then how come...” Leo’s question hung there for a brief moment.
“I couldn’t make a living.” She shot a sheepish grin at Anton. “I made more money pulling tricks than I did working for the school district. At least I did until I was snatched.”
Santi didn’t really understand what she meant, so he wasn’t sure why Anton looked so frustrated by Janine’s comment, but their alpha was smiling when he turned to Leo. “It appears, Leo, that you have enough backup drivers for your first job. You’ll be meeting with a man named Luigi Albano. We know of at least two Chanku among his predator collection, both snow leopards, which is why I want your group to go after them. Eve confirmed while we’ve been talking that they’re still there. Asha, I want you going in as a snow leopard. Leo’s your handler. Leo, your name is Leo Cross. Cheval is too well recognized. You work for a man who’s paid a large sum of money to have Luigi’s leopard breed Asha. That’s going to get Asha inside the compound. Rem and I had thought of having you go in as eagles, but that won’t work since the area the leopards are in is screened at the top. The entire animal park is at the back of the property and is surrounded by forest on three sides. The house and other buildings are at the front. The appointment has been made by your boss. In case there’s any question, that would be me.”
“There’s no question, oh exalted ruler.” Leo saluted.
“Smart ass.” Anton shot a quick grin at Santi and Sofi. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I don’t get much respect around here.”
Santi’s head was spinning. How were he and Sofi going to be able to help? They didn’t know anything, didn’t have any idea how to be human. He glanced at his mate, surprised at the calm look of acceptance on her face. Aren’t you afraid?
After shifting? Santi, my love, after taking that step, I can do anything.
I hope I can find some of your courage for myself. He turned as Ari spoke up.
“What will our job be, Anton?”
“Ari, you, Boris, and Janine are going to shift and cover the entire back three sides of the property. You’ve got a choice while you’re outside the compound if you want to stay with local animals that won’t draw attention—black bear, bobcat, bald eagle, or Canada lynx, though that animal is fairly rare in this area of the state. Your best bet is the bear, or even a bald eagle. The point is, you’ll need to put out a mental call in English which is fairly universal when predators have been exposed to human speech long enough. They’ll at least understand that someone is trying to reach them telepathically. If you get any response, shift into whatever animal they are and then you can converse more easily.
“We only know for certain about the two snow leopards, but there could be more animals of other breeds. We just don’t know what they might be, so your job is to find them if they exist. Over the years, the records show numerous other predators—everything from mountain lions to African lions and a couple of Bengal tigers. There are even a few wolves that this guy has had, but the dates go back a lot of years. The snow leopards have been kept isolated most of the time. Their compound is large and they don’t lack for anything except freedom. Eve said the male is called Namir, and the female is Zigsa. Eve’s not sure if they understood what she tried to tell them, that help is coming. Your job, Ari, Janine, Boris, will be to see if there are any others. If so, you’ll need to identify them, get the nutrients to them. There could be only the two, but we just don’t know. Once you have numbers, Leo, you will contact me and we’ll send in the authorities. Make sure you’ve got a good supply of the capsules and get them to everyone you can. We won’t know until you make contact if they’re aware enough of their humanity to be able to assist in their rescue or not. As far as dealing with Mr. Albano, I’m leaving it up to you, Leo. He could be a decent crook who just loves animals, or he could be an absolute psychopath. I’ve not been able to find out anything about him at all.”
Keisha stepped into the room, went straight to Anton, and kissed him. “Party’s over, my love. And dinner is on the table. Santi and Sofi, I’ve set places for you. Tonight you eat at the grownups’ table. Tinker and Lisa have just arrived. Come. You’ve all got a long night ahead of you.”
• • •
Sofia leaned against the kitchen counter beside Lisa, Tinker’s mate, sipping a glass of wine while the two of them watched Santiago rinsing dirty dishes and putting them into a huge dishwasher under Anton’s direction.
“He appears to have quite a knack for this.” Lisa bumped Sofi’s elbow. “When I was young, before I learned I was a shapeshifter, the dishes were always considered woman’s work. A man rarely offered to help in the kitchen, much less start the job without the woman practically begging him.”
“I think I like this method better.” Sofi grinned at Santi. He looked really sexy, the sleeves of his pale blue shirt rolled up over his forearms, the black jeans Anton had given him sitting low on his narrow hips. She hadn’t been able to get her mind off of the sex they’d had earlier. She wanted to do it again.
The house rumbled with the sound of a helicopter passing low overhead. Tinker and Leo’s team were leaving. Sofi glanced at Lisa. “Don’t you worry when he leaves in that thing?”
“Not anymore.” Smiling, Lisa shook her head. “I used to, but he’s really good at what he does.”
“I sure hope so, because I think we’re going to be riding in it soon.” She couldn’t imagine flying in the helicopter. The private jet that had brought them out here had been scary enough. Tinker had flown that, too, but Santiago had been recovering from his bullet wound, and Sofia was still traumatized by the fact she’d almost lost him that night. So many changes so quickly. Sometimes she almost wished they were back in the pen at the sanctuary. At least there, life was simple. Then she glanced at Santi, doing dishes and looking so gorgeous she wanted to rip his clothes off him and go back to learning more about this libido they’d both discovered.
Cancel that first thought...this was definitely much better.
“Hey, Sofi. Santi. Sheesh, Santi, how’d you get roped into kitchen duty?” Remington said hello to everyone and walked over to give Lisa a hug. He and Shay had left dinner early to see the team off.
“When’s Tink expected back?”
Anton glanced up from showing Santi how to load the silverware. “He’s going to stick around tomorrow, make sure their motorhome has everything it’s supposed to, and give Leo and the others a crash course in maintenance in case they have any problems. He’ll get some sleep, and then I imagine he’ll be back late Friday. He’ll need a couple hours’ sleep again and then he can take all of you to wherever you’re headed.”
“We’re still tossing a few different places around. There’s one in northern California, in wine country that might have a couple of Chanku, if Boris’s recollection is right. It’s an animal sanctuary that specializes in African predators, so if there’s anyone there, they’ll probably be lions or tigers or cheetahs.” He shrugged. “Or all of the above. That sort of animal. There’s a surprising amount of rural land between the vineyards and the ocean, and you suggested we take a look there before heading east. As far as we know the owner isn’t a criminal, and his animals are all legally owned predators, but Boris recognized a couple of names on the chip that we want to check on. The sanctuary in Minnesota regularly sent animals to approved zoos and other sanctuaries. Enough, at least, to hide the illegal sales.”
Shay walked in and slipped her arm around Remington’s waist. He turned and kissed her quickly, then focused on Sofi. “Are you and Santiago up to a run tonight? We want you to practice shifting into different animals. We don’t know what form you might have to take on this first run, so it would help if you know the process of becoming something other than a maned wolf.”
“I’m up for it.” Santi dried his hands off on a towel and glanced at Sofi and then at the loaded dishwasher. “It’s full. I just need to learn how to turn it on.”
His smile was wide and filled with joy. She loved his smile. She loved everything about him. “Tinker said something about boys and toys. I think he had you and this machine in mind. Hurry up! I’m ready.” Turning, she grinned at Shay and Remington. ‘What are we going to shift into first?”
Chapter 3
____________
____________
Late Tuesday evening,
Rural Upstate NY
Did you hear what he said? Someone is bringing another leopard—a female! They want you to breed her. Zigsa snarled, loud enough that Zookeeper glanced their way. You can’t, Namir. You just can’t!
It had been hot and muggy all day, but there was a flowing creek in their section of the compound with a beautiful pool. Unfortunately, it was much too close to the man’s house, but they’d had a lot to discuss, and they really wanted to cool off. The beautiful voice they’d both heard. Who—or what—was she? They needed to talk about what she’d said. It had to be important.
They hadn’t expected the man to be sitting out here this time of night. Sitting and talking on the phone to someone who was bringing a snow leopard on Thursday—a female snow leopard to be bred by Namir.
Over my dead body. You’re mine.
Ears flat, Namir stared at Zigsa. He’d never known her to be jealous before. She wasn’t possessive, and he’d often wondered if she really cared about him, or if it was merely the fact he was the only one like her she’d ever known. Except she looked very angry, and that wasn’t good...though it wasn’t entirely bad, either. Not if she cared enough to be jealous. He rubbed his head against her shoulder. He loved her, maybe more than she loved him, but he certainly didn’t intend to breed another leopard. Especially not one that was an animal. That was just wrong. He was a shapeshifter, a human man trapped inside this body. He didn’t want to father cubs with an animal. He wanted young like him, not a young leopard that would never shift.
Only the females had that power, to pass the ability on to their young, but even they needed the grasses. They were magic of some kind—he knew that much. He glanced at Ziggy, and she still looked angry. He butted her shoulder with his head. Zigsa, I love you. Only you, and the only young I want from my seed are yours. We’re not going to do that until we can shift.
But he was thinking that maybe...just maybe...this was something else. Ziggy, love...Maybe it’s not what we fear. Think of the voice we heard, the woman who said she was our goddess. She said there were Chanku coming, hopefully by Thursday. That’s what we are, Zigsa. We are Chanku, and the snow leopard and her handler are supposed to be here on Thursday. What if the snow leopard is like us? What if she knows how to shift, and she’s coming to help us?
That’s a stretch, Namir.
She curled her lip, showing a long ivory fang. Only one, thank goodness. When she snarled with both fangs exposed, he wasn’t sure if it excited him or just plain terrified him, and it was obvious Ziggy didn’t want to believe. He understood. It was so hard, after so many years in captivity. They knew there were a couple of others like them here—both he and Ziggy had occasionally picked up mindspeech coming from another pen, but couldn’t communicate. They had no idea what kinds of shapeshifters were speaking. But, if the female coming here was Chanku, maybe there was hope for all of them.
Namir wanted to believe. He’d heard about a being, a goddess who watched over Chanku, but no one had ever actually heard her. Maybe it was just their imagination, but the voice they’d heard said her name was Eve. They needed to figure out what was going on, because that wasn’t the name he’d been told. It had been a long time ago, an old story that had been passed down from generation to generation. While they were still in the wild, it was possible to carry the memories from one generation to the next, but since his ancestor’s capture, they’d been broken apart, sent away when still too young to really learn their whole story.
He’d been born in captivity, as had Zigsa. Separated from their mothers at a very young age. His mother had only had part of the story, and he’d been too young to learn everything she knew. Some, but not enough. Not nearly enough.
Namir glanced at his mate, aware of the same longing they shared. She was his mate but not. They both hoped for young before they died, but never in this place. Not while they were captives. It was good that Zigsa had the ability to stop the egg from meeting up with his sperm, though their mothers had obviously decided they wanted young. Namir didn’t know his father, and neither did Ziggy know hers. They were most likely true snow leopards. Not like them. Not shapeshifters, but their mothers were.
And so were they.
The man ended his call and made a couple of others. Business, but nothing about his captive predators. His pets. Setting his phone aside, he stared at Ziggy and Namir. They did their best to ignore him, but Namir kept an eye on Ziggy. Her anger had her trembling. I hope you’re right, Namir. I really do hope that it’s someone coming to help us. I won’t be able to handle it if you’re with another.
• • •
Late Tuesday evening
Chanku Headquarters, Montana
They gathered on the back deck after dinner—Remington and Shay, Sofia and Santiago. The night was warm, the moon barely visible, a slender crescent above the mountains to the east. Sofi and Santi had come as maned wolves, which was Santi’s idea. Once he’d explained that if they wore clothes, they’d have to take them off to shift, it had made sense.
Shay and Rem were human, but they’d solved the clothing issue merely by not wearing any. Santi wondered if he’d ever learn when clothing was appropriate or not, with the simple fact that while life was much easier as a maned wolf, it wasn’t nearly as exciting. Of course, he was staring at his beautiful mate as that thought entered his mind, a mate he would much rather be back in their room with, practicing more of that foreplay Anton had suggested they learn.
But shifting was important, since they needed to know how to become predators common to this part of the world. Rem wanted to leave by Friday, but before they traveled, he and Sofi had to understand how to be wolves, bears, and cougars at the very least.
“Link with me,” Shay said. “See how I become a wolf.”
A wolf stood in front of them.
I’ve never seen a wolf as beautiful as you! Shay was no ordinary wolf, as far as Santi could tell. Overall a beautiful cream color with dramatic dark gray to black markings—her ears, tail, and muzzle, as well as a black saddle that crossed her shoulders and back and ran along the top of her tail. But the most unusual markings were black rosettes on her haunches that looked very much like Asha’s leopard.
Thank you! I want to see you and Sofi. Can you do it?
Santi shot his mate a quick glance and then did exactly what he’d seen in Shay’s mind, just as Sofi shifted beside him. He took a quick look at her, surprised how much bigger Sofi’s wolf was than Shay’s, yet her coloring was very much the same as her maned wolf.
Sofi! Your markings haven’t changed—you’re still just as beautiful as ever, but your size!
Yours are the same as well, and you’re even bigger than me! But remember what Leo told us, that as Berserkers our predators are larger than those found in nature. I think I’m going to like this shape.
Rem chose that moment to shift, and Sofi’s wolven laughter filled Santi’s head. Remington! You look just like us.
Only smaller. You and Sofi are definitely Berserkers. Now let’s see if you can keep up with your littler cousins. He spun about and leapt over the deck railing, landing on the grassy meadow below. Sofi and Santi followed, with Shay close behind.
Santi had never run through the night before, never beneath a dark sky filled with brilliant stars, nor with the sounds of the forest all around. It was another world, one he and Sofi had never once experienced, a world of freedom. And this body! It wasn’t merely big—it was strong with long legs, big paws, and a fast pace. It took mere seconds to cross the meadow, and now they raced through the dark forest, their night vision giving them a world mostly in gray and black, his nose in this beast much sharper than his maned wolf, ears attuned to the sounds of night creatures that scurried out of their way as they ran. The air was redolent with the scents of the deep woods, the rich humus beneath their feet, a sharp astringent bite of what had to be the heavy-limbed evergreen trees. Sofi was asking questions, and from the answers that Rem and Shay gave her, Santi knew he smelled pine and cedar trees and the occasional earthy scent of wild mushrooms growing in the shadier areas.
What’s that I smell? He practically skidded to a stop with Sofi beside him. Her nose was in the air as was his, both of them trying to identify a most amazing scent. Rem and Shay circled back and raised their heads as well.
That, my friends, is the scent of a small herd of deer just off to our left. I don’t know about you, but after Keisha’s huge meal, killing and eating something isn’t all that appealing. Maybe after our run? We’ll burn a lot of energy tonight.
How can that possibly smell as good as Keisha’s cooking? Sofi sniffed the air one more time before lowering her head. But it does.
You have a wolf’s instincts when you take her shape. Shay took another sniff. Ask me what the different scents are that you think might be prey. I can tell you if they’re something you might want to eat, or something that might want to eat you.
Santi’s gaze shot to Sofi and then to Shay. What might want to eat us? I thought wolves were the primary predator around here.
They are, Rem said. But there are still cougars and grizzly bears, both animals that can do a lot of damage to a wolf. We try to avoid them whenever possible, and since our scent isn’t quite the same as a wild wolf, they do the same. They recognize humans as the ultimate predator, at least when we’re armed. Are you up for a couple more miles as wolves? I want to have you shift into cougars and bears at some point, but the wolf is the one best suited for exercise.
They ran for at least another hour, these wolf bodies much sturdier and stronger than their maned wolves. The shift to grizzly bear was fascinating as far as Santi was concerned. He was an absolutely huge bear, dwarfing both Rem and Shay. When they became cougars, the size discrepancy wasn’t quite as noticeable, but they were still larger, and, Rem explained, stronger. Something to think of if they were ever in danger, as the cat was a powerful fighter with the added benefit of hind legs that could rip into an enemy, claws on their front legs that were equally dangerous, and a nice set of very powerful jaws and sharp teeth.
It left him wondering why they were maned wolves in the first place. Something he might have to ask Anton, since neither Shay nor Rem had an answer.
They hunted, something neither Sofi nor Santi had ever done in their lives, having grown up in pens and cages. Even the large area they had at the sanctuary hadn’t come with prey, unless you counted the occasional mouse or squirrel that accidentally wandered into their enclosure.
They each caught a rabbit, which smelled every bit as good as the occasional deer they scented, and tasted wonderful, but Shay was right—after Keisha’s large meal, it didn’t seem right to go after an animal as large as a deer.
But something else was happening as they ran. Absorbing the new scents and the experience of running along the mountainous trails, familiarizing themselves with the vast stretches of Chanku land, which included a huge property next to this one that originally had belonged to Anton’s son-in-law until he had deeded it over to the pack, everything about this night, this run, had strengthened Santiago’s confidence. Through the mate bond, he knew that Sofia felt the same, as if her world had expanded beyond this property, as if her mind and body were completely different.
He wondered how much of it was the mate bond, and how much this night spent running as wolves. Not maned wolves, but powerful predators with a strong sense of pack, of the inborn hierarchy every wolf accepted as his birthright.
They’d not felt that way as bears or cougars—never as maned wolves, which tended to be more solitary creatures. But this new reality gave Santi a sense of self he wasn’t willing to give up. When he tried to explain himself to Sofi, she nipped his shoulder and he felt her laughter. I want to keep this form. I like who I am as a wolf, the sense of strength I never felt as a maned wolf. The feeling that the pack is part of me and I am part of the pack. Can we do this? Can we keep these bodies moving forward?
We’ll ask Anton. He knows everything. He didn’t realize Shay and Remington had caught up to them, but Shay’s wolven laughter had both Sofi and Santi stopping at the edge of the meadow.
I’m not laughing at you, Shay said. I’m laughing at your comment that Anton knows everything. He does, you know. And if he doesn’t, he always finds the answer.
I think he makes them up on occasion, Rem added.
Well, that’s probably true. But, Sofi, you can be any animal you choose to be. You’ve met Oliver and Mei, right? The snow leopard is Mei’s natural form, but Oliver’s is a wolf. He chooses to shift into a snow leopard more often than not. No one will ever ask you to be someone you’re not, nor will they insist that you be something you don’t want to be. There are no rules about that sort of thing.
• • •
No rules. Sofi looked at her mate as they trotted across the meadow, her mind spinning, her body awash in new and powerful sensations, new wants and needs she didn’t really understand. She’d been watching Shay for the past hour, paying as much attention to Remington as she was to her own mate, and there was no denying the fact that she wanted the other man, and the other woman almost as much as she wanted Santiago. Yet the man she loved, the one she had mated for all time? She still loved him as much if not more than she always had, but why was she thinking of physical intimacy with Shay and Rem as well? This couldn’t possibly be normal, even for a wolf.
She was terribly confused, but more needy than she was shy. She was about to ask Shay about these strange sexual cravings when they got to the deck, but Shay immediately shifted, as did Rem. When Santi did the same, the sight of his fully erect penis had her fighting the need to fall to her knees and take him in her mouth.
Instead, she did something horrible. She started making loud sobbing noises and there was water flowing from her eyes. She was almost sure it was crying—she’d seen that before when people had come to the sanctuary to see the animals there, and little children made these sounds and it was just wrong that she, a grown woman, should be making childish sounds and....
Shay’s soft, “Oh, sweetie. You poor thing...” and her warm arms wrapping around Sofi while Santi stood there looking absolutely terrified made her cry even harder.
And feel really, really stupid. At least she did until she actually heard what Shay was saying to her, and then she didn’t feel nearly as bad.
“Sofi, you’re overwhelmed with everything that’s happened this past week. You’ve gone from being a captive to almost losing your mate when that man shot him, flying across the country with people you didn’t even know, finding out you’re finally going to be able to shift...” Shay laughed, but it was good laughter. “And then Remington and I took you out into the woods and made you turn into all sorts of strange animals, which required many shifts, and I bet you’re so needy right now that you don’t know where to turn. It’s normal, Sofi. Absolutely normal to be looking at Rem and me as much as you’re looking at your mate, and wondering why you could possibly look at others and want to be intimate with them as well as the man you love. Who is probably wondering the same thing about Rem and me.”
When Sofi raised her head and glanced at Santi, he blushed. “She’s right, Sof. I’ve been looking at Rem and wondering why I thought he looked so good naked, what it would feel like to have relations with a male, and at the same time trying to figure out how to talk you into the same thing.” He laughed softly, and glanced at Shay. “And you’re saying this is normal?”
Shay laughed even harder. “It is for Chanku. What you don’t get in the instruction book is the fact that we are creatures ruled by our libido. Having sex is right up there with eating and breathing. With regular Chanku, we only have sex in our human form and limit intimate relations in our animal form to our mates. With Berserkers, you mate as humans but since you can also breed and mate with Chanku, you don’t appear to be locked into the shape you need for just plain sex.” She laughed, shooting a quick look at her mate, and Rem winked.
“There can be repercussions, though.” He was smiling broadly at this point. “We have one group in the pack, four people where the two men are Berserkers and the women Chanku. The men had each mated with their chosen Chanku female, but one night, without realizing it, the guys bonded with each other, and that pulled their mates into the bond for a four-way mating. And no, they weren’t planning it, but all four of them are more than content with the link. I think we’re going to see more multiple matings as various couples team up. We already have a number of triples. Two threesomes go back over thirty years and they are all happy together. You’ll discover that jealousy just isn’t part of your makeup, at least not once you’ve mated. You’re so tightly connected to your mate that you know exactly how much they love you. There’s complete trust when you are quite literally part of the person you love, and it leaves you open to love others on a totally different level.
“Shay, my love?” Rem tapped her on the shoulder. You’ve pulled me in to teacher mode right along with you. Don’t you think we should get inside and find a very large bed where we can take care of some of this, um...energy?” He stroked himself, and his penis stood even higher against his belly.
Sofi looked at Remington again and sighed. He was such a beautiful man, and Shay was gorgeous and her body was calling to Sofi, but Santi was there beside her, gazing at her with so much love in his eyes. Love only for her. Santiago...her mate. She opened to him, invited him in to her thoughts, and the smile that lit his face made her heart ache. She loved him. So very, very much.
“Rem and Shay...” Santi blushed as he pulled Sofia close, wrapping his arms around her body, holding her tightly against him. “Sofi and I shifted for the first time earlier today. We made love with each other for the very first time in our new bodies, and because our goddess suggested we hurry, we mated quickly, though mating was our plan all along. Tonight...” He sighed and kissed the top of Sofi’s head, nuzzling her hair. “Tonight, I want to spend the hours with Sofia. I want to experience as much as I can for the very first time with this amazing woman I’ve mated. Do you understand? It’s not because we don’t want to be with you, because we do.” He laughed softly. “At least I do, and, Rem, you have no idea how much I’m looking forward to exploring things with you. But tonight is for Sofia. And for me.”
Sofi glanced at Shay, surprised to see tears falling from her eyes. “Shay? Please, we don’t mean...”
“No!” Shay laughed and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Santiago, that is the most beautiful thing any man could ever say about his mate. Rem and I weren’t even thinking about the newness of everything for you. I’m so glad you spoke up. Tonight should be just the two of you. We’ll have all the time in the world once we get moving, but tonight you’ve both proved you can shift into whatever animal you need to be, your understanding of language, your speech and even your table manners are not those of someone who walked on four legs until this morning. Have a wonderful night. I’m sure Rem and I can find something to keep us busy.”
Rem leaned close and kissed her. “I was hoping that’s what you were thinking.” And then with a kiss on Sofi’s cheek and a quick hug for Santi, they shifted and headed down the trail toward Shay’s cabin.
Santiago held out his hand, and Sofia grasped it. As the two of them walked into their room, Sofi was almost certain she’d just fallen in love with her mate all over again.
• • •
San Diego, CA, late Tuesday evening
Mac Cheval carried a tray with five mugs of beer over to the table. Their pilot, Ricky McClintock, had flown back to Montana early this afternoon with plans to return in the morning with a crew to help the Berserkers they’d discovered today through their transitions, but already that had changed. Things were moving quickly. Jack, Mary, Reko, and Sissy sat talking quietly, obviously exhausted and waiting patiently to eat and sleep, hopefully in that order.
Mac carefully set the full tray on the table. “Pizza should be here in about ten minutes.” He waited while everyone grabbed a beer, moved the tray to an empty table next to theirs, and sat. “Damn, I’m tired. That’s a huge animal park.”
“And so many of our kind living there.” Reko had been unusually quiet most of the evening, but he’d had his first shift just a couple of weeks earlier, and finding so many like him held in what was essentially a very large, open-land prison had deeply shaken the normally optimistic Berserker.
Jack Temple reached around Mary and took Reko’s hand. “And all eleven of them are now taking the capsules and have hope for the first time in their lives. When we meet with management tomorrow, we’ll let them know exactly who is Chanku and how we plan to extricate them.”
“I’m really glad Dad jumped on this so quickly.” Mac set his beer down. “My father can be an absolute pain in the butt at times, but he’s damned good at whatever he puts his mind to. He’ll have packmates here by tomorrow to manage the shifts and make sure that none of our Berserkers end up lost in the system. I’m not sure who’s driving, but he contacted me while I was ordering our pizza to tell me one of the larger employee vans from CGI in San Francisco is already heading south tonight. I think Ricky will appreciate not having to make the extra flight.”
Jack raised his beer and the others at the table did the same. “Here’s to new packmates. May the force be with us.”
Mac laughed after he took a swallow of beer. “You’ve been watching classic videos again I see.”
“Hey. Reko’d never seen Star Wars. He was missing a huge chunk of our cultural history.”
Reko nodded. “I like watching old movies. I think I learn a lot, but this one was especially good. I like Yoda best. He reminds me of my father. ‘Do. Or do not. There is no try.’ That’s something I heard as a pup. I think it’s part of the reason Ari and I never gave up on finding all of you. We were raised to be stubborn. Never to quit.”
Mary took Reko’s hand. “That’s a good way to be. Quitters never get very far.” Then she glanced at Sissy who nodded and then she smiled at Mac. “I did a bit of mind reading practice today,” Mary said. “So did Sissy.”
Mac was one of the few who’d realized early on that both Sissy and Mary had been developing stronger mind reading skills than were usual among their kind. His father’s ability was so powerful that it was somewhat of an anomaly, but both women were beyond trustworthy and had more power picking up thoughts than anyone else in the pack as far as he knew. Most important, neither of them was the type to misuse that power.
Sissy shrugged. “I know we’re not supposed to snoop in other people’s brains, but we really wanted to be absolutely sure about the crew at the animal park, what their real reaction was to the fact so many of their star attractions were Chanku. Especially since we didn’t tell them who we found, just that any shifters we discovered would be leaving the park. No one seemed particularly upset, more curious than anything.”
Mary was nodding along with Sissy. “What really surprised me was the sadness from the people we spoke with, that these amazing creatures have been living here without anyone knowing they weren’t wild animals. I think there’s a certain amount of guilt involved, that creatures able to become human have been kept as prisoners, albeit innocently. I guess, with all the xenophobes we run into, it was sorta gratifying to see so much compassion from the staff. They promised to keep it quiet until everyone shifts. I hope it’s not a problem for them to break the story publicly sometime next week.”
“Yeah.” Sissy shrugged. “We’ll still have time to hit a few other parks, but we can’t keep a lid on a story like this for long. Too many people involved.” She grinned at Mac. “I think it’s pretty exciting.”
He didn’t try not to smile right back at her, though he’d really rather keep this off the front pages. It was going to be tough adjustment for the Berserkers even without all the publicity, but they’d be safely back in Montana shortly after they shifted, if not before.
There was something amazing about Sissy, the way she’d come out of her horrible time as a sex slave to human traffickers with such a sense of joy in life. He’d decided she was addictive—he was totally hooked on what he’d discovered with her. He really loved being around an intelligent and beautiful woman who could find happiness in just about anything. He wasn’t like that. Not at all. He was too aware of what could go wrong, of the inherent evil in too many citizens of this world.
Mac accepted that he was the polar opposite of Gabe, who was definitely his mirror twin, from Mac’s dominant left hand to Gabe’s right to his cynical outlook on life in general, while Gabe was more like a stand up comedian with the world his stage. Sissy, though? She didn’t seem to mind that he wasn’t always quick to laugh, that he didn’t need to hang out with the other guys and get silly with them. Her acceptance of him as he was, her ability to spend quiet time with him, gave him a sense of self unlike anything he’d known before. In his world, the pack was everything, but so was time alone, or with someone he cared about.
Sissy had become that someone, yet he had no real idea how she felt about him. Maybe it was being around Jack and Mary, and Reko, too, for that matter, that made him wonder. Made her opinion feel so much more important. The love the three shared was palpable. He wanted that with Sissy...didn’t he?
He almost laughed at the way his thoughts were meandering down such odd trails. It appeared even a perfectly content yet boring grump like he was couldn’t be around packmates in love for long without feeling something was lacking in his own life.
The pizza showed up and they all dug in. After he’d eased the brunt of his hunger, Mac finished his beer and glanced across the table at Jack Temple. He wasn’t sure which was better—having the Berserkers go with the team coming down from SF or flying back with Ricky. “What do you think of having Rick fly everyone back to Montana headquarters tomorrow or the next day? I don’t want to risk the Berserkers being alone at any time, especially if they’re still at the park. There are any number of people out there who would love control of a shapeshifter. We really need to protect them from unknown threats.”
Jack took a swallow of beer and then glanced at the others. “I agree. Except, I was wondering how it would work to send them to Montana on a road trip with the crew coming down from the city. It would give them a chance to learn more about the human world while still in their animal forms. Do you have any idea how large a van they’re sending? We’re going to need to do another sweep tomorrow, make sure we didn’t miss anyone, but then we should plan to bring them all back here.”
Sissy glanced at Mac and then at Jack and burst out laughing. “But they’ll still be animals. Can you imagine the look on the desk clerk’s face when a Bengal tiger and his mate come prowling through the front door?”
Everyone was laughing when Mac took her hand, something he normally wouldn’t have done, but he relaxed when he realized she was still smiling. He wasn’t ‘hands on’ like Gabe. Maybe he needed to work on that. “Sissy, did you notice the name of the hotel?”
She shook her head. But she didn’t let go of his hand.
“We’re in a WildHost. They’re a chain owned by CGI, also known as Chanku Global Industries. We own it.”
“We?” She glanced from Reko to Jack to Mary.
“Socialism at its best.” Jack laughed. “As pack members, we all have a stake in the pack businesses, and there are a lot of them. Very successful, I might add. That’s why there’s always money in your bank account.”
She glanced around the table. “What bank account? I don’t have a bank account.” Frowning, she focused on Mac. “Do I?”
He threw his hands up. “Don’t look at me. I figured someone would have told you. Like Mom, maybe?”
Sissy’s smirk spoke volumes. “Your mother is a pretty busy lady. Not only does she keep a lot of us fed on way too many nights, but she takes care of your dad. I adore the man, but other than doing dishes every night, I get the feeling he’s pretty high maintenance.”
Mac looked at Jack and they both cracked up. It took Mac a few minutes to catch his breath. “Sissy, that, my dear, is the best description of my father that I’ve ever heard. Thank you for that.”
Dipping her head in an almost regal bow, she said, “My work here is done. But I still don’t know about the bank account.”
Reko grinned at Sissy. “I’ve only been human for a month...” He glanced at Jack. “It’s the tenth, right? My first shift was a month ago tomorrow, and even I know about a bank account. Stefan told me about it. We can draw funds as we need them. I’ve never had to use any.”
Sissy pouted, held it as long as she could and then laughed. “Me, either, but that’s not the point.”
“Don’t pout, darling. It’s unbecoming.” Mary leaned against Jack, who wrapped an arm around her waist. “For what it’s worth, I imagine that if you look on your cell phone, you’ll see an app for it. It’s really obvious.” She laughed while Sissy reached for her phone. “Just open the app and you’ll see the balance and how to access it. It’s pretty easy. I just pay for stuff with my phone.”
Sissy scooted around until she could get her hand into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out her phone. Mac helped her find the app. She snorted when he pointed out the paw print.
“Duh. Never even checked to see what that one was.” She clicked on the app to open it. Quietly stared at her phone before she raised her head, looking a bit stunned. Showing the screen to Mac, she said, “This can’t be right.”
Shaking his head, he shrugged. “Looks about right to me. You’ve been an official member of the pack since the Winter Solstice. That was seven months ago. The pack is, well, I guess you’d call us financially solvent? Our businesses are all successful, Dad and Stefan run a tight ship and all the upper management positions are held by pack members with a stake in the profits. Our human employees are paid well with excellent benefits, which means turnover is just about non-existent. It’s a good business plan, and all members of the pack are stakeholders.”
Sissy stared at him for a long, rather uncomfortable moment. “I can’t believe we’ve never talked about your work. What exactly do you do?”
He laughed, relieved she wasn’t wondering about something awful. He loved what he did, even though most of his friends thought his job must be beyond boring. “I handle corporate analysis for all our businesses. I keep each company's mission and vision statements up to date, since those things can change depending on markets, keep track of the market value of each operation, make sure they’re meeting their goals, that those goals are within the values that the governing board insists on. Essentially, I’m a watchdog. The board is ultimately in control. Mom and Dad and Stef and Xandi are executive directors while Ulrich and Millie Mason, Adam and Liana Wolf, and Tinker and Lisa McClintock are the current members at large. They kind of switch in and out with other members of the pack when they’ve got other things going on. We’re pretty relaxed about it, considering the size of the operation, but when you’re packmates, there’s a lot of trust involved. We know that no one is out to screw the pack. It’s a unique situation in the business world.
“Wow.” Shaking her head, Sissy looked a bit overwhelmed. “I had no idea. All I’ve been worried about is refreshing my teaching credential so that I can teach kids in the pack. And here you’re all into big business.”
Jack shook his head. “Not all of us, Sissy. I’m a teacher. You know that, and my job is just as important as Mac’s. In fact, Mac’s brother Gabe is in marketing and advertising, but he takes time off every once in a while to teach. He works mostly with the cubs. His mate Emeline spends time here when Gabe is teaching, and she teaches the kids languages. She’s fluent in just about everything. Jace Wolf is a teacher, too, and both of us are also healers. A lot of us have chosen to help raise intelligent, well informed young. It’s a big responsibility. I’ve been hoping you’d decide to join us. We’re always going to need teachers, especially with this generation starting to think more actively about parenthood.”
“And now we have all these new members coming in.” Mary glanced at Jack. “I’m thinking of getting involved in helping them adjust to life within the pack. There’s so much they’ll need to learn. Reko’s background was unique—his mother made sure that he and Ari could read, which is really amazing. She didn’t live long enough to ever shift, but she was one smart wolf. I mean, we’re going to have people who aren’t all that far removed from their animals, suddenly faced with life as humans. It’s totally different from the experience you guys who were born to this life have had. I never actually experienced a normal human life, and Sissy had hers stolen from her, but Reko is having to adjust really fast to what is a totally alien life for a Berserker. I think those of us new to shifting are in a better position to walk them through the changes.” She laughed, grinning at Sissy. “And lordy, are there ever changes!”
Sissy just rolled her eyes. “You’re not kidding. What was the biggest thing for you?”
Mary glanced at Jack and blushed. “The libido. Definitely the libido.” She took hold of Jack’s hand. “I was a virgin when I was captured. They sold me off to the highest bidder, and a whole bunch of strange men watched it happen. It was awful. My entire time in captivity was hell. Then I shifted and that’s all I could think about, but I still had this fundamentalist voice in my head telling me that sex without marriage was a sin. It took Jack...” This time she smiled softly at Reko. “And this big guy to show me just how much my world had changed.”
“I get it.” Sissy glanced at Mac. “For me it was not being afraid anymore. They’d had me for so long I felt broken. I think of what happened the day we were rescued, when I shifted and took out Russo. I didn’t kill him, but I stopped him.” She glanced away. “I guess I’m not quite bloodthirsty enough, but that was the most empowering moment in my life.”
Mac had heard the story about the day the girls got free of Russo Allende and his gang of thugs. Emeline Cheval had caught Sissy’s telepathic plea for help one night in San Francisco. Gabe had been called in to help free her, and they’d ended up rescuing six captive women, four of whom turned out to be Chanku. They’d been held as sex slaves for, in some cases, years. Sissy had been taking the nutrients before she was kidnapped and only needed them for a couple of days until she could shift. The day that Gabe and Em and Alex and Annie arrived and talked their way into the apartment, Sissy shifted and went for the throat of the guy who’d been pimping her out for over five years.
Mac could only imagine the satisfaction that had given her. “You’re one of the strongest women I know,” Mac said, shaking his head. “And in a pack of Chanku where the women run the show, that’s pretty damned strong.”
Sissy raised her head and stared at him, and Mac couldn’t break her steady gaze even if he’d wanted to. All this time they’d been together and he’d been so aware of her, so impressed by her, but he’d never thought of her as a potential mate. Sissy was laughter and life and starlight, a beacon that called to him when he realized it was time to get out of the gray that colored his world. He’d loved her for all the qualities she had that he never would. She was much too special, too effervescent to tie herself to a guy like him. He’d never really thought of her as his. He didn’t have that right, or at least that’s what he’d thought
But looking into that steady gaze, caught in her intense regard, she captured him. Drew him into an entire world of possibilities he’d never considered, at least not for himself. How did Sissy Long see him? As the boring, standoffish son of the pack’s alpha, the opposite of his outgoing twin, or did she see him as a man she might be interested in? He’d never know if he didn’t ask, right?
But how did one go about asking a woman like Sissy to give him a chance? Gabe would know, but Gabe was also the last person Mac could go to about women. He’d never hear the end of it.
Mary yawned, leaned against Jack, and smiled at Reko. “I’m beat, gentlemen. Take me to bed. Now.”
Reko was the first to stand. “I thought you’d never ask. We have to be up early tomorrow.” He reached for Jack, took his hand, and pulled him out of the chair. Mary hugged Sissy. “See you two in the morning.”
Sissy smiled at Mac. “I’m tired, too. C’mon, Mac.” She held out her hand. He took it and stood, but then he turned her loose and grabbed his wallet, pulled out a few bills and threw a tip on the table. With his hand at Sissy’s back, he gently guided her out of the restaurant. They followed the other three across the road to the hotel.
The tastefully designed sign carved in wood in front of the lobby showed three running wolves with evergreen trees behind them. Sissy stopped in front of it and glanced at Mac. “How did I not know this? It’s a bit obvious.”
“You probably had a lot on your mind.”
“You’re just being polite.” Giggling, she slapped her hand over her mouth. “You’d think by now I’d be a bit more observant.”
“Possibly.” He took Sissy’s hand and hauled her after him, said in an offhand manner, “You staying with me tonight, or do you want your own room? Whichever you prefer.”
She glanced up at him as Mac stood back to give her the lead entering the hotel. “Whatever you want. I’ll leave it up to you.”
He paused in the lobby. There was no one around. The night clerk was checking her phone, and a few soft voices could be heard over in the bar. Taking Sissy’s hands, he held them and focused on her beautiful face, already looking so much younger, so relaxed and happy that it was difficult to imagine the nightmare she’d lived for so many years. Right now, he really wished he could be more like Gabe. So quick to say the right thing, to easily bare his soul when the moment mattered.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly exhaled and realized he was smiling. It wasn’t all that hard when he merely wanted to speak truth. “I want you with me, Sissy. Not just tonight. I want you for as long as you’ll have me.”
“Mac?” Her dark amber eyes grew large. She cupped the side of his face in her palm and stared at him, her lips parted, her eyes sparkling. He wished he knew what she was thinking, but her thoughts were locked down tight.
He turned his head and kissed her palm. “I don’t have Gabe’s way with words, but you’ve fascinated me since the first time I met you. I wasn’t sure what to say or how to say it, but...”
“I think you’re doing just fine. And I would love to share a room with you.”
He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Good,” he said, taking her hand and tugging her toward the elevator. “That’s really good.”
NOTICE: This novel is protected under Copyright Registration with the
United States of America. No part or portion of this work may be used
for re-sell or re-print either digitally or in print format by ANY entity other
than the legal publisher of this work listed above. Re- sell or re-print of
this work may not be used without the written permission of the author
AND the publisher or without full monetary compensation of the work
to both the author and legal publisher. Any infringement upon this
copyright will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. If you have
purchased this novel in a `re-sell packet', please inform the author and/or
publisher.
United States of America. No part or portion of this work may be used
for re-sell or re-print either digitally or in print format by ANY entity other
than the legal publisher of this work listed above. Re- sell or re-print of
this work may not be used without the written permission of the author
AND the publisher or without full monetary compensation of the work
to both the author and legal publisher. Any infringement upon this
copyright will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. If you have
purchased this novel in a `re-sell packet', please inform the author and/or
publisher.