Page 12

CHAPTER 11

“D amn it.” Kat tripped on his fifteenth tree root in the past hour. He suspected the trees were taunting him since Rance didn’t trip on a single one.

Rance giggled as he loped alongside him, his gangly limbs surprisingly graceful.

“Laugh it up, bark boy. Have you found a space yet?”

“Not yet. None of these are big enough, even if I’m not there.” He finished with a sad tone.

Kat couldn’t imagine how much it hurt to know you were unwanted in your own family because that’s what the Grove was to Rance, or at least what it was supposed to be.

“Hmm.” He peered between trees. They had yet to find anything close to the amount of space needed.

Kat caught sight of an enormous pinecone dangling from one branch and lost his footing again. As he slammed into the pine-needle-covered earth, a chunk of the tree exploded.

“Get down!” Kat shouted.

Rance crouched beside him. “Did you hurt yourself?”

“Someone is shooting at us,” Kat hissed. He didn’t dare raise his head high enough to see the shooter. If he got out of this, Xavier wouldn’t let him live this down after his big talk of being able to take care of himself.

“Where?”

Kat glanced up at the bullet hole. “Over there,” he waved toward the right. “Follow me and stay down.”

Kat transformed into his mountain lion form without giving Rance a chance to respond. Time wasn’t on their side. There was no guarantee that there was only one shooter, and he couldn’t chance tripping like a bimbette in a horror film.

“Come out, come out.”

Kat didn’t recognize the voice. It was male, high-pitched, and taunting.

“Not fucking likely,” Rance whispered.

Kat would scold him for his language later, maybe. Keeping his body low, he slunk around the base of the large pine he’d admired earlier. The enormous tree sheltered them from sight. Another bullet grazed the raspberry bushes to their right. Kat would commend Rance later for not screaming when the bullet passed so closely.

If Kat were in human form, he wasn’t confident he’d be as calm.

“Now, don’t be like that. It’s only a job. Don’t take it personally. I promise to make it quick.”

Kat didn’t dare attack. He might be fast, but he couldn’t outrun a bullet, and if he were shot, he couldn’t help his young friend. Fear for Rance had him wrapping himself around the dryad as he tried to figure out what to do next.

Was this what it was like to be a parent? To be more concerned with another person than yourself? Xavier was the only other person that Kat would ever worry so much about.

“Here, dryad, dryad, dryad,” their stalker called out.

Kat’s teeth ached to dig them into the shooter. Rance crouched down beside him.

The teen put his palms to the earth, but Kat nudged his hands away. He didn’t want to bring attention to their location or have Rance too focused on his magic to move when needed.

Another gunshot ricocheted on a tree a few feet away. Kat blocked Rance with his body. What were they going to do? If the shooter got close enough to claw, he could take care of him.

“I’d put down that gun if I were you.” A new person had entered the forest.

How had Kat not heard him?

“Who the fuck are you?”

“I’m the brother-in-law.”

A high-pitched scream was cut off abruptly. “Come out, kitty cat. I doubt he was the only one, and my brother would never forgive me if his mate were killed.”

Kat peeked around the tree to spot a slim man with sharp features. He sniffed, but his senses weren’t good enough to scent intentions.

“Who are you?” Rance foolishly stepped around Kat.

Kat batted at his leg before transforming back into a human. “Why would you come out?”

“He got rid of the shooter,” Rance pointed out.

“That doesn’t make him the good guy,” Kat hissed.

“Enemy of my enemy and all that,” the stranger said, waving a hand.

“Are you Jared?”

The stranger beamed. “Did Xavier mention me?”

“He mentioned that you were the Chimera.”

Rance squeaked. “He’s the Chimera? Even dryads know about him.”

Jared preened. “It’s nice to have a reputation.”

“It’s not a very nice reputation,” Rance argued.

His statement only received a cheeky grin and a shrug. “Are you two ready to come home with me? I’ve had someone watching your house, and he’s already spotted two groups of strangers trying to get past your defenses.”

“I don’t have any defenses other than a deadbolt.”

Jared nodded. “Exactly. It’s been kicked in. We scared them off before they could damage your house, but you’ll need a new door.”

Kat growled. “Why can’t people just leave us alone?”

“Excellent question. Any answers?”

“Someone wants me dead,” Rance offered as if stating a fact and not recently escaped being hunted in the woods.

“I’ll see about the contract being rescinded.” His grim expression told Kat the hit would be canceled or else.

“Why would you do that for me?” Rance asked.

Kat thought it was a valid question.

“My brother is mated to Kat, and Kat is fond of you. I’m trying to get on my brother’s good side. What better way than to ensure his mate and sprout are safe?”

“Why?” Rance asked.

“Because sometimes you need family, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s a powerful Blood Mage, and I’d like him to owe me.”

“Ah. That makes sense but might not be the best way to grow trust,” Kat said.

“Maybe not, but I’d rather he owes me than vice versa.” Jared’s smile involved way too many sharp teeth.

It was one thing to claim he was doing this out of the goodness of his heart. It was more believable that he had an ulterior motive.

“Follow me.”

After exchanging a look, the pair followed Jared. They hadn’t gone far before Rance stopped. Three yards in front of them was a beautiful clearing beside a stream. Older trees created a protective ring around the lush grass, and wildflowers popped in between the blades like a fairy carpet. The teenager took off his shoes and wiggled his toes in the soil. Little roots shot out from the sides of his feet and slipped through the grass. After a silent minute, Rance beamed. “This is it.”

“Are you sure?” Kat asked once he got past the amazing transformation. He badly wanted to see Rance’s tree.

Rance nodded. “This is a good spot to put down roots.”

“Got the coordinates,” Jared crowed, waving his phone.

“Great, one thing down.” Kat’s relief of having one less item on his checklist was immeasurable.

“I parked beside you. Follow me home, and I’ll call Xavier and let him know I have you.”

Kat bit his lip as he considered their options. “Do you promise you aren’t going to hurt us?”

“I promise,” Jared said solemnly.

Kat heard nothing but sincerity in his words, but that didn’t take away Jared being a crime lord. “All right. We’ll follow.”

Maybe he should make a run for it.

As if reading his mind, Jared walked around the cars to join them. “I think we’ll have to make certain.”

Before Kat could unravel Jared’s words, his arm transformed into a snake and bit him.

Everything went dark.

“Wakey, wakey, kitty cat,” a man’s voice sang.

“Ugh.” His mouth tasted like cottony swamp water. Don’t ask him how he knew this. It brought back too much childhood trauma. He blinked several times before Jared came into focus above him.

The Chimera’s charming smile did nothing to ease Kat’s anxiety.

“Everything is fine, kitty cat. I just borrowed you and the sapling for a little while.”

“Where’s Rance?” His voice came out as a whisper, and his throat ached from the effort. He sat up, searching for his missing dryad.

“I’m over here,” Rance called out. His focus was on the television and the controller in his hand.

Some of the tension eased out of Kat, but not entirely. They were still at the mercy of someone he’d just met. He might be Xavier’s brother, but Kat didn’t trust his intentions. “Why did you kidnap us?”

“Because you were going to be foolish. If you’d gone back home, one or both of you would be dead. My brother would be fucking depressed, and I wouldn’t get my gems. So, I kidnapped you. Have some water.” He pointed to one of two cups on a round glass coffee table. A glance from beneath his lashes revealed a modern living room with a lot of glass and shiny chrome. The television on which Rance was playing a driving game dominated one wall.

“That’s a damn big tv,” Kat muttered.

“Thank you. It’s the biggest one I could find. All that experimentation fucked up my vision.”

Kat thought over the animals that make up a chimera. “How is your night vision?”

“Pretty good. It’s the rest of the time I have problems. My bodyguards and magic help, but I’ll never have it as good as I did originally.”

Kat picked up the glass of water and pretended to drink before setting it back down.

His captor gave a frustrated huff. “I’m not going to poison you.”

“Is that where you draw the line? Because it clearly isn’t at kidnapping.” Kat wished he could revoke the words as soon as they were spoken. He was halfway prepared to be hit.

A loud laugh pulled him from his wayward thoughts.

“You’re a feisty one. My brother must have his hands full.”

“They’re disgustingly in love,” Rance called out.

“Hush you.” Kat tried to make it sound teasing, but he didn’t want to give Jared any information he didn’t already have.

“I’m glad Xavier found someone, even if they’re a handful.”

Kat sniffed. “Do you usually kidnap your family?”

“Some members deserve worse than a kidnapping.” His smile took a sharper edge. “Some deserve annihilation.”

“Is Xavier one of them?” Rance asked.

“Nah, I just need Xavier to do me a favor. I figure the best way to get him to agree is to keep you and the little tree safe. That way, I look altruistic.”

“Don’t you mean opportunistic?”

Jared shrugged. “Different sides of the same coin.”

“What are you going to do with us?”

“You’re my failsafe.” His smug smile dared Kat to punch him.

“Ouch.” Jared stepped back, clutching his nose. “That was uncalled for.”

“You kidnapped me and Rance, and you’re purposely upsetting my mate. You’re lucky I didn’t use claws.”

“Keep in mind, kitty cat, that I have claws too.”

“What are you?” Rance asked.

He abandoned his controller on the couch and came to join them after Kat punched Jared. His bristling, protective stance made Kat want to coo at the sweet teen.

“The name Chimera didn’t tip you off?”

“I thought it was a nickname.” Rance folded his arms and gave him the full benefit of his teenage scorn.

“Nope. I wish it were.” His cheerful tone remained, but his smile faded. “I wasn’t as lucky as my brother. He may have been disowned, but he received proper training for his craft. I was experimented on and then handed over to a predator. When I killed him, I was expelled from my magical association and left alone once again. I was thirteen, younger than you, and no one cared to save me. I had to save myself. Now I can reunite with Xavier and get to know his mate.”

“He’s not going to be happy with you,” Kat warned.

“He will eventually. Bad people are looking for both of you. The shooter was the first of many. Someone put out a hit. I’ve canceled it, but the news might not get out to everyone before someone tries again.”

Kat slumped onto the couch. “Are you going to tell Xavier where we are?”

“I sent him a text.”

“How did he respond?” Rance asked, sitting up.

“It’s not language suitable for teenagers or most adults.”

Rance and Kat laughed. They couldn’t help it. The entire situation was ridiculous.

Rance asked the question Kat had been too worried to pose. “How long are you going to keep us here?”

“Until the new Grove is ready to be made. The magic should start sparking at the old Grove soon. I have someone there watching for signs. After that, everything should go back to normal.”

“Could you please let me call Xavier? He’s bound to be worried about me.”

“I’ll tell Xavier you’re fine when we meet.”

“And when is that going to be?”

Chimera’s phone rang. A wide smile crossed his lips. “That’s him.”

“I hope he drains your blood,” Kat hissed. He turned to leave the room.

“Where are you going?”

Kat didn’t bother to turn around. “I’m going to use your kitchen. I need to do some stress baking unless you plan on letting me talk to him.”

“Enjoy your baking.”

“That’s what I thought.” The Chimera’s laughter followed him out of the room.

Rance joined him soon after.

“What’s the plan?” The teen took a seat on the stool across the island.

Whatever terrible things he could say about his future brother-in-law, his kitchen was terrific. Some chefs would weep for the chance to cook there. The appliances were clean and modern, and the counters were made of practical butcher’s block. Kat could move in there. He hoped Xavier wouldn’t mind.

Kat took stock of the pantry ingredients. “I’m thinking chocolate chip if he has enough butter.”

“No, I mean about escaping,” Rance whispered.

Kat shook his head. “We aren’t escaping. For now, we’re safer here. Xavier will talk to his brother and get the details straightened out. Consider this protective custody.”

“But he could kill us.” Rance’s voice cracked.

Kat patted Rance’s clenched right hand. “If he were prone to violence, he would’ve done something when I punched him.”

“Oh, yeah. Good hit, by the way.”

“Thank you,” Kat preened.

An hour later, Kat pulled cookies out of the oven.

“Smells great.”

He smiled at Rance, who sat at the counter, watching his every move. “They should taste great. My grandmother had recipes for all kinds of things.”

He slid them onto the waiting platter to cool. Rance snatched one off the plate and bit down. “Hot,” Rance whimpered before taking another bite.

“I did just take them out of the oven.”

Jared waltzed into the kitchen and grabbed a cookie. Before Kat could warn him, he took a big bite. “Ouch, hot.”

Kat rolled his eyes. He poured them glasses of milk, which they greedily guzzled down.

“These are really good.” Rance grabbed another even as he held a half-eaten one in his other hand.

Jared took another big bite. After swallowing, he lifted his cookie and said, “Thank you, Grandma.”

Kat laughed. “I’m sure she appreciates the thought.” His grandmother had been strict, but Kat never questioned her love for him. “What did Xavier say?”

Jared laughed. “He threatened bodily harm if anything happened to either of you.”

“Good.” Kat grinned.

“Good that he threatened me?” Jared asked, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “And I thought we were getting along so well.”

“You bit me.”

“You’re fine.” Jared rolled his eyes.

“It hurt.” He held up his wrist, showing off the two puncture holes.

“You’ll heal. Besides, the kid was bragging about your scar cream earlier.”

Kat gave a dramatic sniff. “That’s true.”

It didn’t even really hurt anymore. He just wanted to give Jared a hard time. He deserved it for frightening him and Rance.

“Do you have a container I can put the cookies in?”

“You aren’t leaving them all for me?” Jared pulled out the biggest puppy eyes, which shouldn’t have been possible for a Chimera.

“I’ll leave you half,” he bargained.

“Deal. A box of plastic zipper bags is in the drawer behind you.”

“Great. Once they cool, I’ll pack them up. I want to see my mate.”

Jared waved his hand, the world spun, and everything settled again. “They should be cool now, but you aren’t going to see your mate. I’ll happily give the cookies to Xavier if you’d like. You, however, need to stay here and safe.”

Kat poked a cookie with his finger. It was cool. “How did you do that?”

Jared smirked. “Family magic.”

“Can Xavier do that?”

“No, he has different family magic.”

There was no mistaking his sour tone. Jared’s lack of details did nothing to sate Kat’s kitten curiosity.

He silently vowed to get more information from his mate. He hated being in the dark.