Page 22

D evon shifted while running back to the cell. He knew he didn’t have a lot of time if he wanted to save Aiden. The two coyote men and Sarah followed him. Hunter joined them after grabbing a first aid kit, and clothes for the men.

Devon glanced at the men as Sarah dressed. Both men kept their eyes averted, focusing on cleaning Aiden’s wounds with the antiseptic pads Hunter had in the kit. Devon put on a pair of jeans once Sarah returned to Aiden’s side.

“Is he healing?” Sarah asked.

Devon shook his head. “No. It’s similar to what happened to Cyril, but Aiden doesn’t seem to be rotting. He said he can’t feel his animal at all. That he can’t shift.”

“Some sort of suppressant?”

“Maybe. All I know is that, for now, he is mostly human and will probably heal like one if we can get him cleaned up, dress his wounds and get him home.”

Aiden opened his eyes, gasping as Devon pressed a deep wound together to allow Hunter to stitch it. He grabbed Devon’s arm before passing out once more.

Hunter tied off the thread. “We need to get him out of here,” he said. “Can we move him yet?”

Hunter took a cursory look at Aiden’s body. “I can’t see any evidence of internal bleeding, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. This is the best we can do for him here. We need a vehicle.”

Devon turned to the coyotes. “You’re Buck and Ryan, right?” The men nodded. “Aiden asked that you be spared to join a healthy pack. Tell us where we can get a vehicle and you’re free to go.”

Ryan shook his head. “We won’t leave him. Besides no pack would take us in after they learn the truth about what happened here. We can’t lie to our own.”

Devon couldn’t argue with Ryan’s logic. He didn’t know what kind of future these men would have. He only knew he wanted them to have the choice. “Can you get us an SUV?”

Buck stood up. “We have a garage a half mile away. You get him ready. I’ll be right back.” He left quickly.

Devon turned back to Ryan. “Is there a stretcher?”

“No. We never needed one. We healed,” he said.

Devon threw on a shirt as the vehicle pulled up beside the building. “Let’s get him in the truck.” Hunter and Devon positioned themselves on either side of Aiden, lifting him from the floor. Ryan held his head which left his arms and legs dangling below his body.

Buck grabbed Aiden’s legs. They maneuvered Aiden into the back seat of the SUV. Devon turned to Hunter. “I’ll take Ryan with us. Have Buck take you to the other vehicles and meet us back at the house.”

Ryan got in the back with Aiden. Devon and Sarah got in front. They were on the road in seconds, avoiding the roughest terrain of the old road. Aiden groaned when Devon hit an unavoidable pothole, forcing him to slow his speed.

Hunter and Buck caught up to them at the house. They moved Aiden to the downstairs bedroom.

Over the next few hours, they removed Aiden’s clothes, cleaned every wound, and redressed them. Aiden was sleeping under the handmade quilt his mother had given him for his birthday when Devon finally turned to Ryan. “Do you know what he was injected with?”

“No, and it wasn’t just injections. Sometimes Razel would take spinal fluid from him. I have no idea why.”

Devon swore under his breath. “I have a pretty good idea where those samples went.”

Sarah rubbed her eyes. She had worked beside him tirelessly. “We need to find Racheal.” She had put Devon’s need to save Aiden above her own need to save Racheal. Now that Aiden was safe, her patience was running thin.

“Yes. She’s probably the only one who can save Aiden. He isn’t healing as he should and if he can’t shift well...”

Devon understood Ryan’s guilt and despair. He sat beside the worried man, watching Aiden take a ragged breath. “How much did Razel know about other shifter species?”

Ryan sat back in his chair. “We’ve had limited contact with other shifters since the wars.

We know that all shifters have healing abilities and that cougars have longer lifespans, that the wolves have psychic abilities, and that the bears have superior strength.

I doubt he knew more than that. He told someone about the emotional bonds we have with our families and our mates, didn’t he? ”

“I’m sure he did,” Devon thought about Ryan’s words. “Your emotional bond is with all animals. I mean you sense everyone in your pack’s emotions, don’t you?”

“No. We sense the emotions of those with blood ties and our mate if we are lucky enough to have one. I was told it’s similar to the wolves and their psychic connection, but I have never talked to a wolf shifter myself.

” Ryan scratched his neck. “Razel said he could feel an animals’ pain, but we have no proof if it was true. ”

Perhaps Razel’s gift was an aberration as well.

He wanted to ask more about the emotional bond, but knew he couldn’t without revealing his own ability.

He wasn’t ready for this coyote to know that yet.

“So Razel knew the basics about the shifters in the Cascade region. What about the species in other countries?”

“When we were kids, we were told there were other shifters in Africa. Lions, tigers a few others. I can’t say for sure, none of us ever met any. We only stopped fighting in the wars a hundred years ago.”

“I was a boy when they ended. Two of my uncles were killed. Only my father and my uncle survived from our original pack.”

“My father was also killed. When Aiden’s father, Darnel, took over the pack and ended the war he said that the Cougars were to be left alone. We didn’t know about Razel’s jealousy until he took you.”

“His jealousy?”

“He wanted what Galen had. A lair with eight children. Aiden told him that Galen had eight children because Mother nature was replenishing her ranks. Our pack was small, but it hadn’t been decimated like yours.”

Devon’s uncles had died prior to his birth. Galen started this lair for his sons to have a community. One he and his remaining brother lost. Their lair was small, but thrived, growing with new life about to replenish it.

Galen had done everything he had set out to do and Kevin Kallan wanted to tear it down. A new war had started. He looked at his worried mate. He didn’t need to feel her emotions to know what she was thinking. If they didn’t get Racheal, Aiden was going to die.

* * *

Sarah felt Devon’s anxiety. He was worried about Aiden. She wished she could tell him it would be all right, but she couldn’t lie to her mate. She would get Racheal back and Racheal would help the ailing coyote if she could.

“Should we call Talen and see if he has any new info,” she said.

Hunter got up from his chair. “I’ll go check in with him.”

“What’s our next move...” She stopped as her cat surged to the surface. She felt fur ripple along her skin before receding.

Devon had his arm around her. She hadn’t even seen him move. “Sarah, what’s wrong? Is your cat upset? I sense confusion...”

He looked into her eyes trying to sort out her emotions. She didn’t understand what was happening so she couldn’t enlighten him.

“I feel strange.”

“Strange how? Do you feel threatened?” His concern was in every word.

“No. I don’t think so. I feel warm. Tingly. Like when you go from cold to hot water too fast... I know it doesn’t make sense.”

“Connect with your cat. What is she telling you?”

Sarah scratched her arm. Devon stopped her when a red line formed on her skin. “I don’t get it. She wants…” A picture of Devon flashed in her mind. Then again of him in his cat form. Devon dominated her in both images. “Oh.”

“What is it?” He said.

Her vision banded as her amber eyes bored into her mate. Devon sucked in a breath and grabbed her arm, leading her from the room.

He picked her up and bounded up the stairs to his bedroom. Sarah kept her head buried in his chest trying to breathe away the mounting feeling. “I’m sorry. This is awful timing.”

“Don’t you dare apologize for my mistake,” he snapped.

“You didn’t do anything. I don’t know why she is feeling so.

.. amorous right now, but you have done nothing except try to help Aiden and the very coyotes that took you.

You’re such a good person,” she said the last in a rush.

She realized that this wasn’t just her cat.

She had watched him tirelessly, doing everything in his power to save a man that by all rights he should hate.

She had thought that he was the kind of man she would want children with. No this wasn’t just her cat.

“Our animals had only one brief evening together. They needed more. We need more.” He stood her in front of him, unbuttoning her shirt as he spoke.

“Your cat was very patient, waiting for me to get Aiden the help he needed, but she is done waiting and so am I.” He pushed her pants down her hips before unzipping his own and stepped out of them.

He moved her to the bed and lay down beside her. She had expected him to dominate her, but he surprised her, caressing her skin slowly, fueling the burn.

She let her fingers play over his skin, working her way down to the large, thick part of him. She touched him, feathering over the heavily bulging veins that adorned his shaft. Evidence of his pulsing need for her. She felt powerful.

She gripped him, holding her lips a mere inch from his, pulling back when he leaned forward. This was her time. When she released his cock to stroke his thigh, she felt his muscles ripple in response. She reveled in it.

She bent her head to nip his neck before licking the salty taste of his flesh.

She liked the resulting groan that her bite had caused.

Maybe it was a growl, either way, her mate liked her taking liberties with his body.

She tracked down his defined pectoral muscles, licking his flesh, taking tiny bites only to soothe the resulting sting with her tongue.

His erection jutted between them, begging for attention.

She stroked it absently, continuing her focus on the dark trail of hair leading from his navel to the hairs around his straining cock.