Consumed

Chapter 15

Janie turned off the massive television screen, sliding off the plush couch, her gaze on the panther shifter replacing pool sticks in the wall rack. “Thanks for helping me clean up.”

Charlie nodded, stifling a yawn. “Sure. It was cool of the king to let us stay up all night watching movies.”

“Yeah.” The quiet of the early morning surrounded them since the rest of the kids had headed off to bed. Janie slid around the sofa and ran her hand along the wide counter holding bowls now emptied of chips. Skirting the air hockey table, she began rolling billiards into the pockets of the pool table. “Uncle Dage feels bad when we have to go underground, so he tries to find some fun for us.”

“Being underground is, ah, uncomfortable for shifters.” Charlie shoved a hand through his dark brown hair. He’d grown it out to his shoulders when he’d turned sixteen a few months ago, and he looked older, more dangerous, just like Uncle Conn. But he laughed a lot more than Conn, which was one of the reasons Janie liked him.

“Yeah, I noticed you guys seemed irritated during training yesterday morning.” Shifter and vampire trainees had worked out on the mats in the underground gym, throwing each other across the room. Many of the males had discarded their shirts, showcasing new and rather impressive muscles. Janie had watched for fun.

While she’d wanted to join in, considering she’d been training since kindergarten, the shifters couldn’t go all-out with her. Sometimes it sucked to be human. “I thought you and your cousin were going to kill each other. I mean, being underground isn’t all bad.”

Charlie grinned. “I’m part panther, not gopher, Jane. Being underground makes my skin itch.” He shook his head. “All of us are off having to hold in so much energy. Did you see Todd and Suzy going at it over in the love seat?”

Everyone had seen the two shifters kissing off and on through the movies. They’d been dating for almost a month, and Suzy thought she knew all about guys suddenly. Janie grinned. “They were just kissing. Don’t tell me kissing makes you uncomfortable, too.”

“No. But when I kiss a girl, we’re alone. As far as I’m concerned, kissing isn’t a group sport.” He grabbed a couple of darts from the floor to put in the cups lined along the wall.

A warming filtered through Janie’s cheeks. “Who have you kissed?”

He shrugged, his concentration on the darts. “Nobody special. Yet.”

Was there a hint there? Or maybe she was reading too much into the words. Why couldn’t her psychic visions lead to important stuff like first kisses? Janie fought a yawn. Even the idea of kissing Charlie wasn’t going to keep her awake after an all-night popcorn party. “I’m sorry we didn’t make it to the new movie like we’d planned.”

“Well ... we kind of had a date.” Charlie turned toward her, deep brown eyes twinkling.

Good humor lifted Janie’s spirit. “Yeah. If you call watching old horror flicks with a bunch of wolf shifters a date.”

“We could end it like a date.”

Her face heated. She swallowed. “Um, yeah. We could.”

He reached out to cup her chin. His warm palm seemed strong all of a sudden. She had to tilt her head back since he’d sprouted up so much last year. Then he started to lower his face.

Oh God. It was really going to happen. She fluttered her eyes closed. His lips met hers, increasing in pressure until she opened her mouth. He swept his tongue inside.

Tingles wandered through her, along with the thought of how weird it was to have someone else’s tongue in her mouth. He tasted like chocolate and popcorn. Charlie gave a low hiss and turned to press her into the wall. She kissed him back, tentatively at first, following his lead. Man, she hoped she was good at this.

The idea of Zane zinged through her head, and she raised her hands to push Charlie away.

But she didn’t get the chance.

Charlie was ripped away. She opened her eyes in time to see Charlie fly over the pool table, thrown by Garrett.

“Garrett!” Janie grabbed her brother. “What the heck?”

Charlie landed and rolled, shooting to his feet. Fury lined his face. The air shimmered.

Garrett’s eyes went wide. “Don’t shift!” He grabbed Janie by the shoulders, tucking around her and dropping down against the wall.

An explosion of air shattered the room.

Janie waited two heartbeats and then shoved Garrett away. He landed on his butt. She stood and surveyed the playroom. The light above the pool table swung drunkenly back and forth. The plasma television hung from one nail, the screen shattered. Shards of colored plastic decorated the carpet from the chip bowls exploding.

And a fully grown, snarling, pissed-off panther crouched ready to attack on the other side of the table. Sable brown fur stood up along his back. His eyes had morphed to a catlike hazel. Fangs dropped low from his mouth.

Garrett jumped up. Green ripped through the gray of his eyes. He growled and leaped for the animal. Janie screamed, grabbing the back of his jeans and trying to yank him down.

He slammed onto the pool table, muscles bunching in his arms. “Lets me go.” He stilled, twisting out of her grasp and standing. “Ows.”

Janie gasped. Blood dripped from his lips. “Oh my God. You’re bleeding.”

His eyes widened, returning to metallic gray. Gingerly, he reached up and touched his teeth. “I gots my fangs.” His delighted smile flashed sharp, bloody teeth.

The air shimmered, and Charlie shifted back to human, smoothly stretching from four legs to two. Janie averted her eyes from the naked teenager. Mostly.

Conn ran into the room. “I heard a scream.” He took in the scene with one hard glance. “What the hell?”

Garrett pivoted. “Uncles Conn, I gots my fangs.” He blanched. “Ows.”

Conn frowned. “That’s early. Good for you. Now shove them back up before you rip off a lip.” He yanked off his T-shirt, quickly tugging the material over Charlie’s head to cover him to the thighs. “Someone explain.”

Garrett wiped blood off his chin. “Mom got up early to work in the lab, and Dad went to train, so I came to find Janie. That cat was mauling her.” His fangs dropped low again. “Ows.”

Charlie snorted. “Nice fangs.”

Janie barely grabbed Garrett in time to stop his next lunge. “Knock it off.” She sighed. “Uncle Conn, I kissed Charlie, and then stupid Garrett threw him over the pool table.”

Garrett gave her a wounded look and then turned a glare on Charlie. A glare very much like the one their father used when angry. His biceps visibly vibrated. “He deserved it.”

Conn scrubbed both hands over his face. “Okay. If I were a shifter and someone threw me over a pool table, I’d probably shift.” He eyed Garrett with a look promising there’d be a later discussion. “Which means Garrett gets to clean up the mess. Charlie, go get some sleep.”

Charlie smiled, tugging the T-shirt down farther. “No worries. And Janie, thanks for covering for me, but I kissed you.”

“A fact I’m sure her father will appreciate knowing,” Conn said with an answering smile.

Charlie choked and lost the grin. “Ah, see you later.” Grabbing his destroyed clothing, he fled the room.

Garrett slammed his hands on his hips. “Uncle Conn, I came in here and that jerk had his tongue halfway down my sister’s throat.”

Conn groaned. “Shut up, Garrett.” He shuffled his feet. “Ah, Janie, well—”

“No.” Her blush actually hurt. With as much dignity as she could fake, she stomped around the pool table toward the door. “We don’t need to talk, Uncle Conn. I know all about sex.”

Her uncle emitted a sound like a cat getting its tail caught in a door. “God.”

Janie fought a grin, leaving the room. She touched her lips. Her first kiss.

The wolf arrived at the crack of dawn. Tall, broad across the shoulders, with eyes the color of dark chocolate, and shoulder-length black hair with interesting mahogany streaks, Terrent Vilks looked like a wolf. His nose had been broken, maybe a couple of times, resulting not in the look of a street brawler, but of a predator who had probably retaliated. He sat in the plush leather chair, hands clasped on the conference table, focus solely on Maggie.

She swallowed. For ten years she’d trained to fight. After one moment with the leader of the Bane’s Council, she knew ten years wasn’t enough. Not even close.

The king sat to her right at the head of the table, and she faced the wolf.

Dage cleared his throat. “While I appreciate the Bane’s Council’s desire to see Maggie taken to your headquarters, we won’t force her to go.”

Terrent lifted one dark eyebrow. “She’s ours. If we say she goes, she goes.” Low, arrogant, his voice nevertheless held a hint of humor. A twinkle glimmered in his eyes, but the set of his jaw promised a stubborn nature.

Dage frowned. “You’ve never forced wolves to live anywhere. Your people are as free as ours.”

“True.” Terrent leaned back and his chair creaked in protest. “Maggie, you’ve lived with lions and vampires for a decade. Your memory hasn’t returned. Maybe being among your own people will help you.” A slow, sexy smile spread across his face. “You must be tired of cats. Really.”

Cats and vampires were the closest beings she had to family. His attempt at charm wasn’t lost on her. She’d have to be blind and probably in a coma not to recognize the charisma held by the wolf leader. She forced an answering smile. “In the last ten years, with all your contacts, you haven’t found a hint of my past, either.”

He lost the grin. “True.”

She bit the inside of her lip to keep from trembling. “Maybe I was alone. No pack, no family.” What else could it be?

“It’s possible,” Dage said quietly. “There haven’t been any missing persons type inquiries from humans, either.”

Sadness and an odd fear wandered down her spine. How bad of a person had she been not to have anybody looking for her? She settled her face into smooth lines.

Terrent leaned forward. “There are several reasons people who care about you might not have gone public.” His dark gaze pierced her eyes as if trying to see into her memories. Into her past.

She started. The big wolf was trying to reassure her? “Right.” The meeting would be a lot more comfortable if she could find either Katie or Jordan. Both shifters had disappeared, which burned curiosity right through Maggie. In fact, even though the wolf seemed intent on either charming or intimidating her, her mind kept going to her friends. Part of her wanted them to have finally gotten together. The other part of her worried about what would happen next considering the moon would soon rise. If Jordan died, how would Katie survive?

Dage cleared his throat. “I’m in the middle of a couple wars and really don’t have time for games. Why is the head of the Bane’s Council here at my headquarters regarding one little wolf shifter after ten years?”

Terrent’s nostrils flared. “There’s a hit out on her.”

Maggie drew back, a buzzing filling her ears. “Excuse me?”

“The Kurjans have wanted her back since they infected her ten years ago,” Dage said calmly. “Your news isn’t ... news.”

Terrent’s bottom lip turned down, and his gaze remained on her. “Not the Kurjans. My sources in the demon nation confirmed yesterday that the demons want her dead.”

Fire heated in Maggie’s lungs. Calm. She needed to stay calm. “I don’t understand.”

“What do the demons want with her?” Dage growled.

Terrent shrugged. “We don’t know. Yet. But she’s safer with her own people considering the entire world knows she’s here with you.”

Dage stiffened, tapping his ear communicator. “When?” He shot to his feet, gaze encompassing them both. “I’ve had an emergency and will be right back.” Two steps and he yanked open the door. “There are guards outside the room.” The door shut behind him.

Terrent steepled his fingers. “Guards, huh? Apparently the king doesn’t trust me to refrain from kidnapping you.”

“I can take care of myself.” A lame line, but the only thing that sprang to her panicking mind. The king had left her alone with a wolf. With the wolf. Little pins pricked the skin on her arms. Her heart began to ache. She swallowed, forcing panic down. No way would she let an anxiety attack take her down in front of Terrent. “I don’t know any demons.” This didn’t make sense.

“The demons sure know you.” Terrent’s voice stayed level, while his eyes darkened in sympathy. “I’m seeking more information, but all I have right now is that they want you dead. Five million dollars’ worth of dead.”

She blinked away haze. Why in the world would demons want her dead? Fear had her digging in. “I’m staying here.”

“Everyone knows you’re here. I can keep you safe—nobody knows our secure locations, even the king is in the dark. Besides, Maggie, you’ve been living with cats. Don’t you want to be among your own people, feel at home, maybe remember what it’s like to be a wolf?” He rubbed his jaw. “Have you ever run with another wolf? With a pack?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered. Her breathing evened out. “If I have, I certainly don’t remember.”

“Then you should give it a try.” Warm, even gentle, his tone wrapped around her.

The guy should bottle the charm and sell it. “You kill werewolves.” She said the words to remind herself as much as him.

“Yes.” No apology, no hint of doubt. “I kill werewolves. Every chance I get.”

She blinked. “You’d kill me if I turned into a werewolf.” Every month of every year, she feared the second the moon rose high, she’d finally lose to the virus and turn into a hairy beast with no conscience.

“In a heartbeat.”

That should scare the hell out of her. Yet something in his conviction provided an odd reassurance she quickly squashed. “I may have no memories of my past, but I know my rights. I don’t have to go anywhere.”

He cocked his head to the side. A smile flirted with his masculine mouth. “What rights?”

For a second, she went blank. “You know, rights.” Everyone had them.

“We’re not humans, little wolf,” he drawled.

A southern drawl and masculine lips made for a dangerous and intriguing combination. She needed to get a grip. “I’m aware of that, big bad wolf.”

Devastating was the only term to describe his sudden full-on smile. “For ten years, we’ve allowed you to stay where you’re comfortable, where the Realm scientists can study the virus and hopefully cure you. Unless there’s some sort of breakthrough soon, the patience of the Bane’s Council is at an end.”

“I’ve heard you’re the Bane’s Council.”

He lifted a shoulder. “I lead the council. You’re a wolf, darlin’. As such, you’re subject to our laws. Perhaps we’ve been remiss in explaining that fact to you—especially since you’re now in more danger than we’d expected.”

“If I belong to an outside clan, I don’t follow your laws.” She’d studied the hierarchy of the canine world during the last decade ... just in case.

“Everyone follows our laws.”

This was getting nowhere. A roaring began to fill her ears. She blinked several times to keep calm. “I’m staying here.” Though the temptation to go with him, to meet other wolves, had doubt clouding her brain.

“I hope you’ll give me the chance to change your mind.” His tone stayed level, but an undercurrent hinted she’d be changing her mind one way or another. “I’m here until the full moon.”

At his timeline, the breath rushed out of her throat. “Oh God. You’re here to kill Jordan.” That was the other reason Terrent had arrived personally. She would not let that happen. No matter what.

Terrent’s face hardened to stone. “My business is none of your concern.”

“Bullshit.” She leaped to her feet. Jordan had saved her from the Kurjans and offered her a home. Protection. Family. “You’ll have to go through me.”

Faster than sound, Terrent reached across the table, manacling his hands around her arms. Lifting her over the table and pivoting, he had her against the wall before she could blink. “I don’t think that will be much of a problem.”

The air swooshed out of her lungs. Shock kept her still. The wolf easily held her off the ground and pressed against the wall. Up close, he was bigger than she’d thought. Probably as big as Dage, and even broader across the chest. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

He leaned in close, the scent of wild oak swimming around him. “I’m neither a cat nor a vamp, sugar. You challenge me, and you won’t like what you get.”

His gaze lacked anger or other hint of emotion. Pure fact, even and reasonable, echoed in his tone. As if they were discussing the weather and he hadn’t put his hands on her. Physically and way too easily overpowering her.

Fury zinged through her so fast her ears burned. Instinct had her going limp in surrender.

Satisfaction lit his gaze. His hold relaxed.

With the slightest twist of her hips, she shot her leg up, nailing him right in the balls. Shock covered his face, his mouth opening silently. He released her, leaning over and dropping to one knee. He dented the rock floor.

Panic threatened to blind her. She shoved both hands into his massive shoulders, sending him into the edge of the table. “I guess I’m more of a problem than you thought.” Quick steps had her in the hallway. Waiting until she was out of sight of the two guards, she launched into a run. A very fast run so she could get to safety and lock the door. Her breath began to pant out. She might be feisty, but no way was she stupid.

Terrent Vilks would be coming for her.