Page 43 of Enter the Lair
“It works so much better when you’re in animal form.”He grabbed the tranquilizer gun from behind the tree.
Devon sprang away, knowing he wasn’t fast enough.
He felt the dart hit him in the side.He only took a few steps before his cat stumbled.He turned and hissed at Razel.
Razel huffed.“You may have your mother’s form, but you’re still mine.”
Devon had it in his mind to lunge.He tried to fight the haze overcoming his thoughts.
He felt his cat’s head slam to the earth.Unable to open his eyes, he sucked in his last conscious breath.
CHAPTER10
Lucy grimaced, rubbing her expanded belly.“They’re kicking.”
Sarah smiled, noticing wood shavings on the ground under the wooden fence.Her face must have given her away.
Lucy motioned to the new pen.“Talen and Galen just put it up.They hate fences, but wanted to discourage any predators from viewing the puppies as an easy meal.”
“It will keep the babies confined too,” Sarah said, thinking the added security was a great idea.
Lucy sighed.“Apparently, only for the first year or so, cat’s climb.”
“I forgot about that.Do they shift right away?”She didn’t want to make Lucy uncomfortable, but her curiosity was getting the better of her.
“Marie said the boys all shifted between four and six months.”She shook her head.“Can you imagine?They shift before they can walk.I guess once they’re old enough to crawl.They’re old enough to stumble on all fours.”
Sarah imagined a young Devon playing with his siblings.“Eager.I guess.”She had never thought about having children.Bringing an innocent anywhere near her family seemed wrong, yet she couldn’t help, but look at Lucy and speculate.“Is it okay if I ask you some questions?”She felt comfortable around Lucy.Sarah rarely took to people right away.Racheal had eroded her walls slowly.She realized now that Gerald had helped isolate her.Help build those walls.She’d been such a fool.
Lucy smiled warmly.“Honey, you can ask me anything.You’re family.”
Lucy’s easy acceptance of her was humbling.It gave Sarah the courage to ask what she wanted.She motioned her hand around the yard.“Do you regret any of this?”
“I won’t lie to you.The transformation was a bitch.I detest pain.I threw a pot at Talen’s head when I found out I couldn’t have an epidural during childbirth.The rest of it’s amazing.I love my life.”
Sarah stopped walking.“Talen wants you to be in pain.”She had never thought about a birth plan before, but she was sure no man, not even Devon would dictate what she would be doing with her body.
“Oh no.He detests it when I’m in pain.His cat goes berserk.Unfortunately, conventional drugs don’t work.”She smiled ruefully.“Shifters heal so fast that the drugs are metabolized before they can offer any effect or relief.”
“I forgot about the healing part.”She felt guilty for thinking the worst about Talen.It was clear he loved his wife.
“I’m not used to it yet either.It still surprises me when I heal instantly.”
Sarah smoothed back her windblown hair.“That happens often?”She tried to sound casual.
Lucy laughed.“Yes.I’m such a klutz these days.I can’t seem to chop vegetables without cutting myself.”
“I’m sure it’ll pass.Get Talen to cut the vegetables.”
Lucy huffed.“He wouldn’t make them.He’s a meat eater.We would eat steak and Twinkies if he was in charge of the meals.”
Sarah laughed.She really liked Lucy.The easy camaraderie was a welcome change, but she didn’t want her background to bubble up later, sabotaging her.Her tone dropped an octave.“You know who my father is right?”Even a new cougar like Lucy would know she was embarrassed.
“Brian Marksman.”Lucy looked away sadly for a moment.When she turned back, her face was serious.“My family has ties to the Spanish mafia and possibly Kevin Kallan.But I won’t let my parentage dictate my future, and neither should you.”
The acceptance on Lucy’s face humbled Sarah.She realized she’d been holding back.“The Kallans have my best friend.They’ve had her for years.”She shouldn’t be burdening Lucy, yet she was unable to contain her stifled pain.That was the moment she realized that some part of her had never trusted Gerry.She’d lived with him, eaten meals with him, and joked with him, but never discussed her guilt.Her feelings.
Lucy put her arm around Sarah.“We’re going to get her back.The boys are working on it right now.Hunter will be reporting back to Talen any moment.”