Page 4

Another moan slipped from her as a vivid mental image was triggered by his words. She saw herself kneeling on a bed. Jon stood behind her grasping her hips. He drove his cock into her fast and hard while Isaac fucked her mouth.

Panting harshly, she hopped down from the table and frantically dressed.

Isaac tried to help her, but she slapped his hands away.

“There won’t be a next time,” she insisted as she zipped up her pants.

“I don’t like bossy males, and you two are the worst I’ve ever met.

” She snatched her coat off the table, grabbed her boots off the floor, then threw open the door. “You are not my mates.”

Their laughter followed her down the stairs as Tara sprinted from the lodge.

“I love it here,” Akari said softly as she stared out over the rippling blue-green water.

A river spilled over the edge of the jagged cliff ninety feet above and poured into the small pool.

From there the water flowed through the middle of the feline village, ensuring that the hybrids would never be cut off from the life-giving water.

The village had been built in a semicircle around the waterfall, utilizing the high cliff walls as part of the protective perimeter.

Tara took in the tranquil scene and the troubled young woman at her side.

Thanks to a combination of medical technology and paranormal healing, Akari had recovered physically from the ordeal, but her emotional state was fragile at best. This was their sixth session and Tara felt as if Akari was starting to trust her.

Hopefully, the order Tara had been given that morning would not obliterate that trust.

“Is it just the scenery that you enjoy or is there something else about the setting that appeals to you?” Tara was careful to keep her tone light and conversational.

As soon as Akari felt defensive, she shut down.

She’d hardly spoken at all the first two meetings.

But Tara was patient and stubborn, and she genuinely cared about her new friend.

Akari strolled along the grassy shore. Motion seemed to soothe her. Their first session had been in a traditional office setting and Akari had paced like a caged animal. “I like that the sound of the waterfall blocks out other noises. It makes me feel like I’m alone in the world.”

Many victims isolated themselves, even from the people they loved. That was what Tara’s sister had done. She’d been surrounded by a loving family, yet she wanted to be alone. “What else do you like?”

“The cliffs are high and steep.” She motioned to the rugged stone walls curving around the back of the pool. “It makes me feel safe.”

And safe was something Akari hadn’t felt since the wolves abducted her. “Feeling safe is important. Is there anything or anyone else who makes you feel safe?”

“Can we just talk?” Akari challenged with a frustrated sigh. “I need a friend, Tara, not a therapist.”

Tara was relieved by the reaction. She wasn’t a psychiatrist, didn’t pretend to be.

She was a good communicator, she was compassionate, and the tragedy surrounding Tara’s sister gave her a common ground with Akari.

“All right. Let’s talk. Your mates are terrified that you’ll hurt yourself and frankly I am too.

My sister escaped her pain the only way she knew how.

I would be heartbroken if you made the same choice. ”

Akari stopped walking and pivoted to face Tara. “Your sister was… something happened to her too?”

“Her name was Jessica, and she survived a vicious attack, but couldn’t cope with the memories or the shame.

” Tara gave that a moment to sink in before she stressed, “She had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, but too many people blamed her for the evil that had been done to her . The first question out of my father’s mouth was ‘why were you at that party?’”

Akari shook her head, obviously disgusted by the reaction. “How did it happen with her?”

Tara hesitated. Would hearing about Jessica trigger Akari or would it help her feel less alone? Tara hadn’t intended on getting into the details, but Akari asked so she was obviously interested. “We were born fourteen months apart and I graduated early, so we went off to college together.”

A faint smile curved Akari’s lips and she started walking again. “Your parents must have loved that.”

“They’d gotten married young and had kids right away, so they were looking forward to the empty nest. They hadn’t expected it to happen all at once, but they took it all in stride.”

“Did you go to the same university?”

“We did.” Tara matched Akari’s strides, letting her set the pace. “Jess was going to be an engineer, and I was going to be a lawyer.”

Akari looked at her, clearly confused by the statement. “Then how did you end up at Nuevo?”

“That’s another long story. You asked about Jessica.”

“Sorry. Go on.”

Tara nodded. “We shared an apartment just off campus. Neither of us were big into parties, so sorority life wasn’t for us.”

“Yet you said she was at a party when she was attacked.”

“We were juniors, and the year was just ending. Jess let her best friend talk her into going to a fraternity bash. They were there for a couple of hours when her friend hooked up with someone, leaving Jessica alone and uncomfortable. She called me, but I was fighting a migraine, so I’d turned off my phone and gone to bed.

” Tara’s voice broke as a familiar flash of guilt stabbed through her being.

“The night was warm and Jessica desperately wanted to go home, so she left the party on foot.”

“What happened?” Akari persisted when Tara said nothing for a long time.

“Three drunken assholes followed her from the party. They dragged her into their skimmer and took turns hurting her.”

Akari’s jaw clenched and for a moment she just stared out over the water. Then she took a deep breath and looked at Tara. “Please tell me the assholes are rotting in prison.”

The vehemence in Akari’s tone made Tara wonder if Jon was right. Maybe Akari would be more willing to go after her attackers than Tara thought. “She reported what happened to campus security because it happened in the shuttle lot behind the football stadium.”

Akari shook her head, anger sparking in her eyes. “They were football players?”

“No, but they were well known on campus. I’m sure you know the type.”

“Then they were never charged?” Akari sounded horrified and her eyes were saucer round.

Tara shook her head and released a sigh, glad that the story was nearly through.

“The assholes claimed that Jessica wasn’t just willing, but that she pursued them.

Campus security said it was her word against theirs, so the police were never called.

I tried to convince Jessica to go to the police directly, but she refused. ”

“It’s easy to see where this is leading,” Akari blinked back tears, but she sounded angry. “Everyone called your sister a whore and the assholes went on to abuse the next girl.”

“I don’t honestly know,” Tara admitted. “Five months later Jess was dead, and I dropped out of school.”

Akari gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. “She took her own life?”

Tara nodded, barely able to speak past the lump in her throat. “We did everything we could to support her, but she shut us out.”

“Being at the mercy of others makes you feel abandoned and alone. Even the ones that love you can’t truly understand.” Akari’s voice was a tremulous whisper, and tears escaped the corners of her eyes.

Tara reached over and placed her hand on the center of Akari’s back. Akari didn’t twist away, so she said, “The ones who love you will do anything to support you. All you need to do is let them try. Shutting yourself away amplifies the pain and gives the memories more power.”

Akari impatiently brushed away her tears and inhaled shakily. “This is why you went to work at the crisis center?”

Tara nodded again and lowered her arm, more than ready to move on.

The tragedy happened seven years ago, but the memories were still painful.

“My sister and I had always been inseparable, so I took her death really hard. After the fiasco at the university, my parents were determined to find me the best therapist money could buy. Her name was Dr. Korstan and she was wonderful. She supervised the crisis center. That’s how I found out about it. ”

“If you enjoyed working there, why did you apply to Nuevo?”

There was no accusation in her tone, but Tara didn’t want to move from one painful memory to another. “Let’s leave that story for another day. I have a question I need to ask you.”

“How does hearing about Jessica make me feel?” Akari mocked. “Or would you rather hear about my childhood?”

“Do you want them punished?”

Akari didn’t ask Tara to clarify. They both knew who she meant. “Not enough to relive it all. I can barely stay ahead of the memories as it is.”

“If there was a way to access the information without dragging you back through the memories, would you allow it?”

“Allow what?” Akari wanted to know. “What are you talking about?”

“The Shadows can access your mind while you’re sleeping, but they will not do so unless you give them permission.”

Akari looked at Tara, a combination of confusion and concern tightening her features. “I wouldn’t remember their visit in the morning?”

Tara shook her head, surprised that Akari was even considering it. “Jon said you would feel nothing.”

“Do you believe him?”

Tara thought about it for a moment then nodded.

“I do. He has no reason to lie about this.” She hesitated to make the next point, wasn’t sure if it would help or terrify.

“They could have just done it and not told you a thing, but they wanted your permission. That indicates a sort of code that I think we can trust.”

“And what will be done to the wolves?”

“I don’t know. Zion said it’s against the law to hurt any female. I guess they would?—”

“This isn’t about the law,” Akari cut in. “It’s about the war. Zion wants a reason to kill wolves.” She was walking so fast now that Tara had to jog to keep up with her. “We’ll kill a bunch of them, and they’ll kill a bunch of us. Nothing ever changes.”

Tara didn’t respond. She happened to agree with Akari, but Akari needed to make this decision on her own.

“However.” Akari heaved a loud sigh. “If the wolves get away with what they did to me, it will embolden Elias.”

Tara knew enough about the wolf leader to agree with Akari. By all accounts, Elias was an evil bastard.

“Can I think about it for a day or two?”

Zion had said time was of the essence, but Tara didn’t care. She would not pressure Akari into doing anything she didn’t want to do. “Of course you can. Take all the time you need.”

“Why do I get the feeling that’s your offer, not Zion’s?”

Tara smiled. “Because you’ve met the pride leader.”

Akari returned Tara’s smile, and for the first time since Tara met her, the warmth went all the way to her eyes.