His teammates didn’t look pleased, but they didn’t argue. They dragged the cart out of its hiding place and Jon lowered Babcock onto the conveyance. Kyle quickly shed his clothes, ignoring the cold as he tossed the garments to Isaac. They tucked Kyle’s clothes around Babcock and then fastened the straps to ensure their captive stayed where they put him.
Kyle positioned himself at the mouth of the cave and then released his lion. Energy surged, stinging and burning for just a moment before the agonizing heat swept over him from head to foot. He let out a mighty roar as his body finished transforming. Then he bounded down the hill, drawing the attention of the search party.
The wolves called out and fired their rifles, but Kyle was out of range. He ran off through the trees, drawing the wolves away from the path Isaac and Jon needed to take. Kyle darted through the trees, turning sharply and circling around.
A mournful howl told him that at least one of the wolves had shifted, hoping to catch his scent. It didn’t matter. He could run much faster than they could, especially in the snow. The sounds of their pursuit grew distant and then faded entirely, and Kyle was alone with the snow.
It had been weeks since he’d shifted for pleasure, so he allowed himself a few minutes to play before he turned on the speed and headed for home.
Kyle caught up to Jon and Isaac as the feline village came into view.
“Any trouble?” Isaac asked.
Kyle shook his head, snow flying off his thick tawny mane.
Babcock moaned and stirred restlessly, so Isaac quickly administered another puff of sedative mist.
“Contact Diego and find out how the other team did,” Jon suggested.
Isaac nodded and his features went lax. He continued walking, but he was obviously distracted. A few minutes later he shook away the psychic haze and said, “Team Three took out the tattooed man, but they were unable to locate Juan.”
“Damn it,” Jon muttered. “I really wanted to question that prick.”
We’ve still got Elias, Kyle reminded.He doubtlessly knows more than his beta.
“But alphas are always harder to break.” Jon heaved a sigh of frustration. “I’ll focus on that piece of shit.” He nodded toward Babcock. “You guys can play with the wolf.”
“Works for me,” Isaac responded as they tromped on through the trees.
Me too, Kyle added, secretly enjoying the snow.
The next two weeks were a bittersweet combination of hope and disappointment. Tara had explored using a transfer link for five days when she decided she wanted an empathic link with her mates. If she was going to spend the rest of her life with this coalition, she wanted to know everything about them. The link would allow them to know everything about her too, but that was a risk she was willing to take.
The expanded connection opened an entirely new level of intimacy between Tara and her mates. They explored each other physically, but it went deeper now. Their emotions were honest and raw. The psychic link prevented them from deceiving each other or hiding anything from each other. Tara found the openness intimidating at first, but the longer they shared thoughts and feelings, the more comfort and security she found in the exchange.
“My sister’s death wasn’t the only reason I joined Nuevo Biotech,” she admitted softly one night. She was lying on Isaac’s bed in a tangle of strong bodies and naked limbs. All three of her mates had been hungry for pleasure, so their lovemaking had gone on for hours. Her body was tired and well satisfied, but her mind was still restless.
Isaac wrapped his arm around her and pulled her snugly against his side. “I’ve seen a man’s face in your memories, but you never speak his name.”
“I’ve spent the last five years trying not to think about him,” she explained. “He’s a waste of energy.”
“What happened?” Kyle asked, his warm hand lightly stroking her hip and thigh. “You brought it up, so you must need to talk about it.”
“You guys have access to my mind now. I thought it best if you had the context for some of my feelings.”
“I’ve started to ask you about him more than once.” Isaac smiled and brushed her hair back from her face. “I figured you would tell us about him when you were ready.”
“His name was Ethan, and we met at a grief support group. He claimed that his best friend died in his arms a few years before and he was still dealing with the loss.”
“Heclaimedthat his friend died?” Jon challenged. “Was his story bullshit?”
Tara nodded as unwanted memories threatened to overwhelm her. Maybe talking about this wasn’t such a good idea. “I didn’t find out until much later, but almost everything he said was bullshit.”
Isaac pulled her onto his chest and pressed his hand against the side of her face. “The past can’t hurt you now. You’re safe here with us.”
She tried to smile, but the memories were still too painful.
“Tell us what happened,” Kyle coaxed. “And then we’ll help you let go.”
