"O-kay." She was having a hard time believing this was accomplishing anything. Then again, she had no idea what they were supposed to be doing.
Kara mimicked Hawke's move and was startled when the rock at her sides felt just as warm to her palms as the rock she'd been touching while they talked.
"Keep your eyes closed, Kara, and think about pulling the warmth from the rock into your body."
"How did you know it was warm?"
She heard the low sound of his amusement. "I told you it was warming to you. Now, I'm going to put my hands over yours and call to the goddess."
Her eyes snapped open. "The goddess?" How many more creatures didn't she know about?
Hawke's hands slid lightly over hers. "Easy, Radiant. By the goddess, I only mean Mother Earth. Nature. She's not a living, breathing being, but the world in its purest state. The wind, the sea, the sky. The lifeblood of every living creature. And the power and energy that flows through all. An energy only a few can tap into, and only one directly."
"The Radiant?"
"Yes."
She took a deep breath. Calling to Mother Nature was kind of like calling to God, wasn't it? Oh, man, this is all too weird .
"Close your eyes, Kara."
She nodded and let her lids drift shut.
Hawke's hands covered hers more firmly, and he began to say something under his breath, something she could barely hear, let alone understand. With a start, she realized something was happening. Her palms were beginning to tingle.
Strange sensations rippled under the skin of her hands, climbing into her wrists, crawling like worms beneath the skin of her arms. The worms turned to geysers and shot up her arms, into her chest.
With a startled shriek, Kara jerked her hands back and stared at her normal-looking hands.
Her gaze flew to Hawkers. "What just happened?"
"Did it hurt you?" Hawke asked worriedly.
"No. It just felt bizarre. Like if I didn't quit, it was going to short out my heart." She rubbed her upper arms, trying to dispel the lingering crawling sensation.
"You're strong," Hawke said, a note of admiration in his voice. "Especially considering you came to us only yesterday without an ounce of Therian energy. I hadn't expected the Earth to respond to you for at least another day, yet it leaped, didn't it?"
She nodded slowly. "That was supposed to happen?"
Hawke grinned. "That and more. At this rate, we're going to be able to ascend you early. Ready to try again?"
"No, I" God, she didn't like this. Any of it. She was beginning to suspect the role of the Radiant was little more than electrical plug. Hook her up to the power source and watch her buzz.
Kara rubbed her upper arms, not having to pretend she was chilled. "I'm going to run back to the car and get my jacket, Hawke. Then I'll be ready to try it again." She stood and thrust out her hand, hoping Hawke didn't notice it was trembling. "Can I borrow the keys?"
To her dismay, he shook his head and rose. "Sit, Kara. You look a little pale. I'll get your jacket."
Damn, damn, damn. "No, I feel like moving."
Hawke nodded. "HI go with you, then." Kara saw no hint of suspicion in his eyes. No clue she meant to use this chance to run. The man was simply being annoyingly chivalrous. Or protective.
Getting the car would have been ideal, but the important thing was to be left alone. She sank back down to sit on the rock.
"I think I'll wait for you, after all. That power surge hasn't quite left my body."
Hawke nodded. "I'll be right back."
As Kara watched him climb the rocky path, her pulse began to hammer. This was it. She was finally alone. Away from Feral House. Away from Lyon.
She hated leaving him this way, but she didn't have a choice. He wouldn't let her go, and she had to get out of here. Even the thought of returning to Feral House had the fear leaping all on its own. She wasn't going back there. Even if it meant she would never see Lyon again. The thought rolled through her, harsh and miserable, as her gaze followed Hawke.
The moment he reached the top of the rocks and was out of sight, she took off in the opposite direction of his car and Feral House, climbing along the rocks, staying below the level of the woods so Hawke couldn't look back and accidentally spot her. She felt a pang of guilt for leaving him, knowing Lyon would probably be furious with him.
Hawke was a nice man. But if this worked, she wouldn't see him again. She wouldn't see any of them again. As long as she managed to stay ahead of Lyon and his finder's skills until he finally gave up on her.
When the rock face curved around a mansion built on the edge of the cliffs, she used the house to shield her and raced into the thick woods on the other side. Not too far was the road they'd traversed to get here, a busy two-lane that ran parallel to the river. With Lyon's ability to track her, her only hope of escape was to get to the road and try to flag down a ride. Preferably a ride heading out of state. Way out of state. Maybe halfway around the world.
A soft, illogical part of her hoped Lyon would eventually find her anyway. That he wouldn't give up on her.
How had the man become so important to her in such a short space of time? Too important, she admitted. Was it the man, or merely the circumstances? Would she have felt this same intense need to be in his arms if she'd met him casually at a wedding or at a church social? She tried to imagine him taking her to Bill Barton's Steakhouse, chatting with her neighbors in Spearsville, and utterly failed. There was something too wild about him, too untamed. She almost found it easier to imagine him shifting into an honest-to-God African lion.
Yes, she thought. She would feel this same need to be in his arms no matter how she'd met him. Even when she'd thought he was there to hurt her, he'd stirred her senses. But it was his combination of strength and gentleness that had her aching at the thought of never seeing him again.
She ran through woods dotted with houses as sound carried to her from every direction. The rumble of the falls behind her, the wind in the trees, and the dull roar of traffic ahead. Far behind her, she thought she heard her name. Her breath caught, and she quickened her pace. Hawke knew she was missing. He'd be after her, now. And though she was pretty sure he didn't have Lyon's finder's senses, it wouldn't take much for him to see her if he headed in this direction. And, really, where else could she have gone?
A bead of sweat ran between her breasts. Branches scraped her hands and cheeks and tangled in her hair, but she pressed on, desperation lending her speed she didn't usually have. Getting caught meant going back to that house of nightmares. And she wasn't doing that.
The sound of cars grew louder, nearly drowning out the thudding of her pulse. In the distance, a flash of light caught her eye, and another, the sun glinting off cars as they passed on the road. She was almost there. Just a little farther.
She felt something. A trembling beneath her feet. A light, pounding rhythm vibrating in her ears.
The sound of pursuit. Her pulse leaped.
I will not go back.
The chase excited Lyon's beast. Hawke had called to say he'd lost Kara, wanting to know which direction she'd gone, but Lyon told him to go back to the house. It was his fault she'd run. His mistake in thinking her attempt to leave last night was merely a result of a nightmare.
More importantly, no one was chasing Kara down but him. Because he knew what happened when predators gave chase. The blood pounded hot and wild through his veins as her scent coated his skin, a heady mixture of sweat and fear and woman.
As Lyon leaped over a fallen log, he caught sight of her through the trees, her green sweater catching the light, her blond ponytail swinging. His beast gave chase, tearing free of his control as he closed in on her, the wildness overtaking him.
Lyon sprang, tackling her to the ground in a tumbling roll, even as he locked her within the protective cage of his arms.
Mine , his beast roared as he claimed her mouth, his senses exploding. Her hair sprang free in a tumbled array as she struggled beneath him. Just as quickly, she began to kiss him back as she seemed to recognize who held her. Desperate fingers dug into his hair, her body straining against his as she met his passion with a fierceness that rivaled his own.
His beast gentled, his kiss turning hot and needy, recognizing the creature beneath him as his mate, not prey.
Her scent sank into his pores, the feel of her soft body beneath his, rocking with need sent him spinning out of control.
His tongue swept inside her mouth, drinking her sweetness, stroking her teeth, her tongue, the insides of her cheeks. He had to taste her everywhere. He was insane with wanting her.
Her pulse pounded, and his mouth followed the sound, raining kisses along her jaw until he found the pulse and licked the throbbing spot beneath her ear until she cried with pleasure, her hips rocking hard against him, her fingers digging desperately into his hair, making him growl with feral satisfaction.
Passion swirled around them like a sharp, wild mist, clouding his mind to all thoughts but one. Mine . He had to have her. Lost to the passion, to the demands of his beast, Lyon filled his hand with Kara's soft breast, kneading the perfect mound, then pinched the hard tip through her sweater and bra, making her moan with pleasure and arch into his touch.
It wasn't enough. He yanked up her sweater and pulled the sweet fleshy mound from the casing of the bra and took it into his mouth, pulling and suckling the silken skin, twirling his tongue around her taut nipple, over and over until she was crying out from her release.
While his mouth worshipped her breast, his hand found her hip, stroking her with ferocious need, his fingers digging into her soft buttocks. Her moan inflamed his need, hot flames devoured his patience. Now . He had to be inside her, now .
It was the sound of the. zipper that startled the beast long enough for the man to regain control.
Lyon came back to himself in a rush of self-loathing.
With Herculean effort, he flung himself off Kara, away from the raw, brutal temptation of her. Lying on his back, his gaze to the tree canopy above, he struggled to regain his breath and his balance. The beast might be under control, but the beast was only half the problem. The man wanted her every bit as much.
To his surprise, Kara adjusted her clothes, then followed him, scooting against his side and laying her head on his shoulder. He fought an inner war, knowing he should push her away, yet he was desperate to pull her on top of him where he could thrust his tongue back in her mouth and press her hard against his thick arousal. Her emotion washed over him, her own desire crushed beneath the sheer weight of misery. And he could do neither.
Instead, he lifted his hand to her hair and stroked, recognizing her desperate need for comfort. "I'm sorry, little one. You ran and the animal within me rose to the chase. I lost control."
She only shuddered and pressed herself closer to his side.
"I would never hurt you," he murmured, painfully aware of the tangled emotions of the woman beside him.
"I know. I'm not afraid of you."
"Why did you run? Is it still the nightmares?"
"They're more than nightmares, Lyon. It's the house. Something in the house."
"There's nothing there that can hurt you, Kara. You just need to get used to it, and you'll be fine."
He'd meant the words to calm her, but he could feel her flare of temper and watched as she pushed herself up on her elbow to look down at him. Her lips were swollen from his rough kisses, leaves tangled in her hair, and he thought she'd never looked more beautiful. The shudder of longing that went through him was almost more than he could contain, followed quickly on its heels by one of harsh self-recrimination. How could he keep Vhyper away from her when he had no control over himself?
Goddess, but he wanted her.
"I don't want to get used to it. I hate it here. Hate it." She pushed away from him and stood up.
He rose to his feet and turned to look elsewhere, anywhere but at the woman who called to his basest instincts. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her finger-comb her hair, dislodging the leaves clinging to the silken strands.
She met his gaze, her eyes desolate. "There's something wrong, Lyon. When I'm in that house, I'm constantly afraid, and I don't know why."
"But not out here. Not as bad."
"No."
"Maybe it's gone," he said hopefully.
Her lips made a rueful twist. "And what if it's not?" He felt her emotions burst with panic. "I don't want to go back there."
She worried him.
"Kara" He took her arm, and she tried to jerk away from his grip.
"No. I'm not going back." She struggled against his hold, her emotions spiking with desperation. " I'm not going back ."
His patience snapped, and he grabbed her roughly by the shoulders. "We must have an ascended Radiant, Kara, and we won't get another until you die. You cannot escape your fate."
"And what is my fate? Something in that house wants to hurt me. I can feel it ."
"Kara." He sighed, releasing her. "Nothing's going to hurt you. There's nothing wrong that won't be fixed by your Ascension."
She stared at him. "You think this is all in my imagination."
He opened his mouth to deny it, but saw the knowledge in her eyes and couldn't force the lie. "I don't know what else it could be."
"And no matter what I say, you're not going to let me go."
"No. I'm sorry, Kara, but no. You have no choice."
He watched the fight drain out of her, her eyes filling with hopelessness, and he hated the fates for what they'd done to her. For what they were doing to them both. With a flinch of her eyes, she stepped forward and began walking, accompanying him without further resistance. But on the drive back to the house, her tension began to fill the air until his knuckles were clenched and white on the steering wheel.
Was she suffering from some kind of paranoia? Was that it? Had her human upbringing damaged her mind? Or was this his doing? A result of ripping her from her world with too much violence and too little care.
Hell if he knew. And hell if he knew what he was going to do about it. Keeping her here was only half the battle. Ascending a Radiant required the full cooperation of the woman, both during the preparation and during the ritual itself. An unwilling Radiant would never ascend.
The thought chilled him. As Chief of the Ferals, the responsibility for ensuring they had an ascended Radiant lay squarely on his shoulders.
Though it had never happened before, he knew that if the day ever came that he couldn't ascend the Radiant chosen for them, he would be forced to clear the way for another.
Even the thought of it made his beast roar with anguish and bile rise in his throat. He couldn't do it. Goddess, help him, he couldn't take her life.
He must see her through this, which meant finding a way to calm her fears. A tall order considering the current state of her emotions. She'd nearly escaped him twice. Three times, if he counted the way she'd wrecked his car, then run back to her mother when he tried to take her the first time. The woman was strong. Determined. Stubborn.
All traits that would make her a good Radiant if he could just get her through this anxiety of hers. And if he couldn't?
He would have to destroy her.
No . The denial rushed up from his chest, filling his throat until it was all he could do not to yell the word into the car.
If it was the last thing he did, he would get this woman ascended even if he had to lead her through every step of the preparation himself.
With a groan, he realized that was exactly what he was going to have to do. He was the only Feral she couldn't escape.
CHAPTER 10
As Lyon drove into the long, circular drive of Feral House, Kara felt her heart picking up speed as if preparing for takeoff. Her stomach clenched, her hands turned damp, her mouth went dry.
Why?
Yes, she didn't like Feral House, hated that they were trying to force her to marry a man she didn't know and didn't like. But Lyon was sitting in the seat beside her. Lyon who was the biggest, most powerful male she'd ever known. The leader of nine such men, all determined to protect her.
Apprehension she could understand, but not this rising panic. It made no sense.
Lyon parked Tighe's car in the drive and got out. As Kara opened her own door, a full-fledged rush of terror ripped through her body, nearly driving her back in her seat. She gasped at the onslaught. This wasn't right. It wasn't natural.
Was she somehow doing this to herself?
As she pushed herself out of the car, Lyon took her hand. Almost as soon as his warm fingers curled around hers, the fear started to ebb.
His free hand slid beneath her ponytail, his palm clasping the back of her neck in a sensual, proprietary grip. She closed her eyes and leaned into his calming touch, relishing the feel of him, the strength, as he waged a battle against the emotions that kept rushing back.
As she leaned back against the car, his thumb slid up her neck, sending sweet chills racing over her skin, then retraced the path, sending a flutter of heat through her veins. What was it about this man? All he had to do was touch her, and she turned to putty in his hands. All he had to do was kiss her and she mmm. Her body tightened down low in hot, welcome memory.
Her eyes fluttered open and she found him watching her, his own eyes filled with a heat to match her own as if he knew exactly what she'd been thinking.
"Your touch is magic," she murmured.
"No one reacts to it like you do." His voice was low, private, and intensely sexy, sending a rush of dampness to the juncture of her thighs.
Why couldn't he have been the one the Pairing chose for her?
She looked away as bitter unhappiness welled inside her, wrapping around a longing so deep she could hardly fathom it. She'd known him little more than a day, yet more than anything in the world, she wanted to wrap her arms around him and never let him go.
Her gaze returned to his. "I wish you'd been the one chosen for me," she said softly.
For a second she thought she saw an unhappiness in his eyes almost as deep as her own, but then it was gone. He looked away.
"We need to go inside." Though his tone was brusque, his hand remained on the back of her neck as he led her up the brick walk to the front steps and opened the front door for her. "Let's get you some lunch. You'll feel better."
She wasn't at all sure about that, but she was hungry and didn't object when Lyon steered her down the hall toward the dining room and the voices raised in lively discussion. At the doorway, he released her and ushered her into the room.
To Kara's dismay, Zaphene was there again, though Vhyper, thankfully, was not.
The volume of the voices dropped slowly away as Lyon steered her to a single empty seat between Paenther and Jag. He held the chair out for her and she sat, wondering why he'd chosen not to sit beside her.
"Bring her to my office when she's finished eating."
Kara whirled in her seat, fighting down the need to beg him not to leave her, only to watch his long strides take him quickly from the room. Emotions pummeled her as she slowly turned around to face the table and the six men and one woman sitting there. Fear. Discomfort. And flat-out embarrassment as she eyed the beautifully groomed Zaphene, knowing she herself probably still had leaves sticking out of her hair.
Across the table, Tighe glanced up at her, and she mustered a smile for him. But no answering smile came her way. His green eyes, man eyes, were filled with disappointment as his gaze returned to his plate.
Her stomach clutched at the obvious cut, wondering why he was mad at her. The last time she'd seen him, right after the Pairing last night, he'd tried to come to her aid.
She forced herself to look at the others. The only one who met her gaze was Wulfe. And in his eyes she saw rank disapproval. Her stomach clenched, her scalp tingling as she wondered if her fear had a basis after all. Were they planning to turn on her, now?
At the other end of the table, she saw Hawke and. felt a kick of guilt for running from him... And suddenly she understood what was going on. They knew she'd tried to run away. And they were angry.
"Next time you want to escape, sugar," Jag drawled, confirming her suspicions, "come find me. I'll take you places you never dreamed of."
"Shut up, Jag," Tighe said.
Paenther reached for an empty plate and handed it to her without meeting her gaze.
"Thank you," she murmured, but got no reply. She forced herself to take a slice of ham from the platter in front of her with hands that were once more shaking. The men's silent disapproval wore on her until she could barely force a bite in her mouth, let alone swallow. They clearly blamed her for trying to leave them, as if she were some kind of spoiled brat.
She wasn't. She was just scared. Constantly. Exhaustingly. Inexplicably.
Maybe she was going insane.
A far door swung open to a flash of pink feathers. Kara tensed as Pink entered the dining room, carrying another platter of food.
She tried not to stare at the strange bird-woman, but couldn't keep from watching surreptitiously as the woman crossed the room in her odd, bird-like gait, Kara owed the woman an apology. There wasn't anything she could do to ease the men's anger at her, but this she might be able to fix. The bird-woman set the platter on the table and turned away, without ever glancing in Kara's direction. As she headed back to the kitchen, Kara tried to rise to follow. Paenther grabbed her wrist.
Kara met his fierce, black gaze. "I I need to apologize to her."
He stared at her, the feral claw marks raking across one hard eye. A chill skittered along her flesh.
Finally, his fingers loosened, and he released her arm. "Don't try to leave. You won't get far."
Kara's breath left her on a trembling sigh. "Believe me, I know how short my leash is."
As she stood, so did Paenther and every man at the table. At first, she thought Paenther had changed his mind. They were all going to stop her. But they didn't move toward her, merely stood.
Manners.
From wild animals. Who would have thought ?
"Sit. Please. I'll be right back." She hurried toward the kitchen before she lost her nerve. Just seeing the flamingo gave her goose bumps. How much harder would it be to try to talk to her?
As Kara pushed through the swinging kitchen door, Pink looked up from filling a water pitcher, then turned back to her task, ignoring her.
Kara swallowed. "Pink?"
"Yes, Radiant?" The bird-woman's voice sounded high-pitched, though basically human. She set down the water pitcher and turned to face Kara. Her eyes.
Kara's scalp crawled. Pink's eyes were round and wide. Not human. She forced herself to meet that unblinking gaze. "I'm sorry for the way I acted yesterday, when I first saw you. I wasn't prepared. Lyon forgot to tell me there was such a thing as shape-shifters."
If there was any warmth in Pink's gaze, Kara couldn't see it. She wasn't entirely sure the bird-woman even heard her.
Kara shrugged self-consciously. "I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry. If there's ever anything I can do to help you, I'd be happy to." She gave the woman a wry smile. "I'm not a bad cook."
Pink said nothing, in no way acknowledging her words. Self-pity tightened Kara's throat. All her life, she'd been surrounded by people who knew her. Who liked her. She might not have been the class president or the track star or the town brain, but she'd always been well thought of. Everyone in Spearsville loved Miss MacAllister.
Even at Feral House, the men had been friendly to her. Most of them, at least. But now she'd lost even that. She had no friends here except Lyon, and though she was certain he desired her, she wasn't entirely sure even he liked her.
Blinking back her misery, Kara turned to go.
"Radiant."
Kara pressed her finger and thumb to her closed eyes, then turned back to meet Pink's unnerving gaze.
"I forgive you for startling at the sight of me. Most do. I do not forgive you for betraying those who depend on you for life."
Kara met the woman's, hard gaze, opening her mouth to deny she'd done anything of the sort, then closed it slowly and sighed.
"Thank you, Pink."
Kara turned to retrace her steps, Pink's words ringing in her ears those who depend on you for life . Was it true? For life ? Lyon said they needed her ascended to be able to shift again, but they didn't really have to shift, did they? She'd never stopped to think what would happen to them if they couldn't. If she got away.
As she pushed back through the swinging door, the men rose, their manners so ingrained as to be automatic. But while the others remained with their chairs, Wulfe stepped forward, lunging toward her, his scarred face cold, his brown eyes slowly turning golden green as the irises grew to those of a feral wolf.
"You faithless little bitch!" he snarled, fangs slowly elongating top and bottom.
Kara reared back.
"Wulfe!" Tighe barked, but the warrior continued to stalk her.
"You'd leave us like this? Without our ability to shift? Don't you care that your people will weaken and die without the life-giving energy you provide? That once the Ferals are gone, there will be no one left to keep the Daemons from rising again? And that once they're freed, the world you think to run back to will crumble beneath the chaos and terror they bring?"
Kara stood rooted, shaking.
Claws snapped out from his fingers. A snarl vibrated in the bones of his face. " You're unworthy of your calling ."
She was frozen as much by his words as from the menace in his eyes. Her mind screamed run ! but she remembered what had happened when she'd run from Lyon. This man would tear her to shreds.
Both Paenther and Hawke leaped on Wulfe from behind, but the huge man didn't go down until Foxx swept his feet out from under him, sending the lot of them crashing to the floor.
Tighe grabbed her and pushed her behind him, his claws unsheathing as if he intended to protect her.
Lyon stormed into the dining room. " What's going on ?"
Kara peered around Tighe's solid form to get a glimpse of the fury on Lyon's face. His gaze landed on her, and some of the tension seemed to leave him.
"The dog lost it," Jag muttered. "He was getting ready to shred our pretty little Radiant."
Lyon crossed to where the four men were struggling, Paenther and Hawke looked like they were trying to end the fighting, but Foxx looked nearly as out of control as Wulfe.
"Enough!" Lyon shouted, but nothing changed. Foxx and Wulfe were fighting and clawing one another as if they wanted to kill. "Jag, give me a hand."
Lyon and Jag wrenched Foxx free and held him back while Paenther and Hawke finally pinned a thrashing Wulfe to the ground.
"Get back in your skins! Both of you," Lyon snarled. "You must be able to regain control."
Kara eased farther to the side, where she could get a better view. Paenther and Hawke were already back to looking fully human. As she watched, Foxx's features slowly returned to normal. But Wulfe continued to thrash and fight.
"Jag's right," Tighe said. "He's lost it."
Lyon's brows narrowed. "We can't leave him like this. We'll have to open the prison until he's back in control."
Paenther nodded. "We're going to need some help getting him down there. Not Foxx."
Tighe and Jag stepped in, and the four men struggled to pull their feral companion from the room. When they were gone, Lyon turned to Kara.
"Are you all right?"
She nodded. Her heart was still thudding, but that was nothing new. "He didn't touch me."
"We've got to get you ascended," he said. His hand slid behind her neck, the fear instantly beginning to drain. "I need to get some lunch first."
He turned her toward the table, where Foxx was sitting beside the auburn-haired woman. "It's not safe for you here, Zaphene. I suggest you stay at one of the enclaves until things settle down."
Foxx scowled. "I can protect her."
"Can you?" Lyon asked pointedly. "You didn't look like you had it entirely under control yourself."
"I'm fine. Zaphene's fine. Aren't you, Zaph?"
The auburn-haired woman smiled. "I rather enjoy the sight of blood. It's so wild."
Lyon steered Kara back to the table, where he moved her plate to one of the two empty places at the end.
"Are you staying?" she asked hopefully, looking up into his strong face.
His amber gaze met hers. "I'm staying." He grabbed a plate from the stack in the middle and began filling both his and hers from the nearby platters.