Puma Pride, page 22
“They started with her brother, an uncle, and then a first cousin,” Bryan’s tone communicated his distaste for what they did.
“Can you force a mating,” Jolyn asked.
“There are ways with chemicals,” Mia admitted. “But she overheard them talking about their plan so she ran.”
“She shifted into her raccoon and hid out in our compound,” Bryan said.
“Her condition was horrible,” Mia said. “Our garden people realized she was a shifter but couldn’t coax her out. We sent a group to capture her because we were concerned about her health. Joel was among them. He realized she was his mate and went crazy when people tried to touch her. He’s a forceful guy but she was so afraid it drove her into hiding. He did not take the rejection well. He knew she was hiding in this shed so he spent a week providing her with food and making her a more comfortable bed.”
“None of us know what actually happened in there,” Bryan said. “But after about twelve days, he got her to shift and come inside. Verity got her healthy but it took time.”
“While she recognized him as her mate, she wouldn’t join with him,” Mia said. “I talked with her and she was afraid because all she knew was… well her sisters were raped. They tried to rape her. She knew violence and pain.”
“When he gets riled up, she shuts down and won’t respond to him,” Jolyn said. “She’s so calm and quiet.”
“But not meek,” Brady said. “He earned her but she won’t allow him to dominate her.”
“She was told she had to mate a raccoon or she’d never have kids and a variety of other lies to control her.” Mia wrinkled her nose as she shook her head. “Those who are evil will twist anything to manipulate and control others. We don’t make her do anything. She chooses and she never leaves the compound. She and Joel mated three years ago and, in that time, she’s finished her degrees in education. She’s quite intelligent and is passionate about making sure our little ones have factual knowledge.”
“I was impressed with her,” Jolyn said. “Are we going to lunch?”
“No, I’ve asked Starry to send a cart,” Bryan said. “What will you tell Selene?”
“We need time to review the documents,” Jolyn said. “Should we make it late afternoon?”
“Four,” Mia said. “We can spend an hour and then you two can go away for the night.”
“Let’s get started on the documents,” Bryan said. “We’ll review and determine if we want Marcel to review or how we want to handle this.”
An hour later Starry brought a cart of food and handed out plates making them put their work down. Spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread and a salad. The smell invaded and made Jolyn’s stomach growl. When Starry heard it, she added another piece of garlic bread to her plate.
They stopped examining the files while they ate but returned to reading, sorting, and deciding on what would be shared.
“I don’t think I can read another word,” Brady growled. “There’s a lot of data there.”
“Jolyn,” Bryan asked, “How did your mother approach a new shifter group?”
“I don’t really remember when I was younger but in the later years, she always went on her own the first few times,” Jolyn said. “Then it was usually her and I. Sometimes Selene came with but not usually. She was pregnant and had little ones to care for.”
“This document has a list of tests, no names but identification codes,” Bryan said.
“Oh, I found a document which lists the identification codes,” Brady read out the name of the file. Mia noted it on the spreadsheet they were building.
“It looks like whatever she was testing for went up after some point in her visits,” Bryan said. “She talks about the catalyst but doesn’t go into detail.”
“Sounds like the start of them trying to identify what or who the catalyst was,” Mia suggested.
“The columns are marked pre and post with little other information,” Bryan said. “This is the first document I’ve read which seems incomplete.”
“What’s the date on it,” Jolyn asked.
“It was a couple years before they died,” Bryan checked the date. “But either they simply stopped the experiment or they stopped recording the data for the experiment. Is it possible they decided to stop their study of this?”
“Maybe. Some groups asked her to stop coming,” Jolyn said.
“Do you know why,” Bryan asked.
“She was seeing a rat colony,” Jolyn said. “It was the fourth or fifth time I was along with her when they asked her to stop coming. They seemed really stressed. But I remember they were vague on the reason.”
“We need to finish up,” Brady glanced at the clock.
“Did we get through all of them,” Mia asked.
“All the folders, not all the files,” Bryan said. “They were prolific writers.”
“I’ve got it mostly outlined in the spreadsheet. If we have time in the morning, we might be able to finish the rest of the documents.” Mia suggested.
Jolyn rubbed the back of her neck. Brady shifted from where he sat to stand behind her and gently massaged her tight muscles. “Thank you.”
“We’ll pick a new password and lock up the files,” Bryan suggested.
When they had it all sorted, Brady started a conversation anyone could walk in on. “I want to go to the Pride members and see who would like to join a security team.”
“We’ve always just used the enforcer role,” Bryan shook his head. “You want to rethink this.”
“I agree,” Mia said. “What were you thinking?”
“We need to do regular patrols, train so we work well together, and critically look at the house. There’s a lot of entrances which offer access we can’t always protect against entry,” Brady listed off a few things he’d noticed.
“Like the request for the locking door on the stairs,” Bryan pointed up to the second floor.
“It’s a start,” Brady said.
“Do you want to do all this yourself or bring in outsiders,” Mia asked.
“Risks to both,” Brady said.
“If you brought in outsiders to go over your setup,” Jolyn considered the question. “You could change things once they had been through but there’s always the possibility someone would buy them off.”
“Like the group after Mia,” Bryan pointed out.
“We need to have a better understanding of what the best reactions are,” Brady hated admitting he saw a weakness in their security.
“Ask Captain Okwaho,” Jolyn suggested.
“There’s an idea,” Bryan said.
“Are we interrupting,” Selene walked in and stopped suddenly when they stopped talking.
“No, just reviewing a few general items,” Mia rose to greet her.
Jolyn moved closer to Brady who put his arm around her. Willie and Selene watched her reaction to them. Selene glanced at Willie who nodded. “I’m sure you’ve had a busy day.” Selene sat in the nearest chair and Willie stood behind her.
“You said you thought you knew the logon and password,” Jolyn prompted.
Selene closed her eyes, “I… I lied. I know you don’t want to see me. I can guess why.”
“What makes you say that,” Brady felt Jolyn tremble.
“Because at the end, Alice, Bernie and I had a falling out,” Selene said. “I think whatever you found on the microdot warned you not to trust me. But I hope you’ll hear me out, your parents didn’t know the whole story.”
10
“Did you help Brent Ladika kill my parents,” Jolyn blurted out the question.
“No. I actively tried to stop the kill order on your parents,” Selene swallowed. “I was given the order by our handler.”
“Brent Ladika,” Brady asked.
“Yes. He ordered me to see to it they died,” Selene confessed. “The order came to me four months before their death.”
“You stalled for four months,” Jolyn snorted her anger. “Were you part of this too?” The last she directed to Willie.
“She’s my mate,” Willie stood behind Selene with his hands on her shoulders.
“How could you,” Jolyn demanded.
“We did the best we could,” Selene stared at Jolyn begging her to understand.
“All the times we went to your house, the two of you reported my parents’ activities back to the man responsible for their death,” Jolyn said. “How cold do you have to be to pretend a friendship all while you spy on our family.”
“I didn’t… I did but not how you think,” Selene leaned forward to implore Jolyn to understand. “Bernie was my brother. We weren’t raised together. I was raised in isolation. No children to play with. No parents to protect me. No one but scientists who tested one thing after another. School, spy lessons, and loyalty hammered into me daily.”
“Do you want pity,” Jolyn asked.
“No. I don’t need pity.” Selene sat back. Her face turned a calm mask.
“How did you find out Bernie was your brother?” Brady kept his arm around Jolyn.
“They wanted to show me what DNA could reveal,” Selene said. “I gave them some and they came back with…a shock. I was sent out to make friends with a woman. Whatever she showed an interest in, I was supposed to show an interest in. We trudged around contacting others. I never knew until they did the DNA test.”
“When they came to me, I knew she was my mate. We…” Willie stopped talking.
“I rejected him multiple times,” Selene admitted. “I wanted him. I loved him but I didn’t want him messed up in my double life.”
“She came to me and confessed it all. She planned to run and didn’t feel she would survive so she wanted to let me know,” Willie started at the beginning. “I made her my mate that night. We devised a plan to feed Brent Ladika false information.”
“Did my parents know you worked for him,” Jolyn demanded.
“Not at first,” Selene confessed. “I didn’t know how to tell them. He would punish me if I didn’t give him enough information.”
“It’s part of why I kept her pregnant,” Willie said.
“No. I wanted to be pregnant,” Selene said. “I wanted the family I never had.”
“But it stopped him from beating you,” Willie growled.
“Instead, they did tests,” Selene revealed. “Everyone wanted a piece of me. Your parents, Ladika… I let them have it so long as I could go home to Willie.”
“You went home to Willie and my parents died,” Jolyn rose. “I spent three years running. I spent three fucking years being alone and frightened and sad. But you got to go home to Willie. I can’t… I just can’t.”
Jolyn stormed by Willie. He grabbed her around the waist. Brady growled a warning. “She sacrificed a lot,” he murmured.
“I don’t care,” Jolyn said. “When did you plan to stop lying to me? When did you plan to tell me I was a catalyst? Or did you plan to just keep shuffling me around the city?”
“It’s not what you think,” Willie growled.
“No, I’m sure it isn’t,” Jolyn said. “Truth appears to be a rarer commodity than I believed.” She pulled out of his arms and left the room. Willie turned to follow her but Brady’s growl warned him not to.
“She’s so hurt,” Selene buried her face in Willie’s chest.
“Do you blame her,” Mia said. “Why didn’t you sit her down and tell her this when they died?”
“We were afraid she’d run and her life would be gone like theirs,” Willie said.
“There were other factions who wanted her, who attempted to take her for their own uses,” Selene said.
“Some were shifter groups,” Willie said. “We didn’t know who we could trust.”
“Will you… no, I know you won’t tell her we never meant to hurt her. You’re her mate and you’ll back her a hundred percent,” Selene said. “Will you tell her I’m sorry and if she ever wants to know the full story – at least from my perspective – I’ll tell her it.” Selene turned to leave.
“Why move her around so much,” Bryan asked.
“It was my idea,” Willie said. “She’s a catalyst, I thought it would help all the shifters. But I also hoped she’d find her mate among the shifters.”
“Did you plan to ever tell her what happened,” Brady asked.
“When we could ensure her safety,” Willie said. “We were talking about it more as she stayed with this job and apartment the longest. She seemed content if not happy. We planned to break it to her gently in small pieces.”
“Clearly that didn’t work,” Mia said. “Leave it for now. She’s had a lot of shocks and isn’t thinking clearly.”
Selene gripped Brady’s arm. “Take care of her,” she begged. “I never wanted her alone I hoped we’d find a solution to rid our lives of Brent Ladika but…”
Willie put his arm around Selene and guided her out of the house leaving Bryan, Brady, and Mia to deal with the fallout from their revelations.
“I need to…” Brady said.
“Go,” Mia said. “We meant it about you being off.”
Brady raced through the house. His heart bounded along with his feet as he ran to be by her side. At their door, he stopped and took a deep breath before entering. He needed to be strong for her in this moment.
She stood by the French doors staring out. He walked up behind her, brushed his hands down her hair. Gently, he caressed his hands down her arms until their hands met. She gripped his like her life depended on it.
“Jo,” he murmured.
She turned into him, wrapped her arms around him and wept.
“You’re pampering me,” she murmured hours later after she cried herself out. He carried her to bed and stayed with her while she slept away the shock and pain. When she woke, they made love, slowly and gently. Brady wanted her to know she was loved. He told her over and over how important she was to him.
“What if I am,” Brady murmured as he poured water over her head. To rinse away the shampoo he’d massaged into her scalp.
“I appreciate it,” she wiped the water and shampoo off her face.
“Do you want to talk about it,” he asked.
“Not yet,” she leaned back against him. “I feel like I should do something but I don’t know what.”
“You should make love with me again,” Brady teased.
“That goes without saying,” she smiled. “Am I being too hard on them?”
“I don’t know,” he responded honestly. “On one hand, they are your only connection to the past and your parents. She’s your aunt making him your uncle. But on the other hand, they’ve lied a lot to you. Will you trust what they tell you?”
“Can I? I don’t know,” Jolyn sighed. “I remember the pool parties and the long conversations. The trips to the shifters and the laughter. My whole life they focused on me and giving me a good childhood.”
“And,” he prompted when she was quiet for a long time.
“It feels like a lie,” she sighed. “I don’t know if I can walk away without knowing all of it. If I know all of it, will I want to walk away? Can I trust them? I have so many questions.”
“We’ll get them answered,” Brady said.
“In my head I want them answered but ultimately, it won’t change anything because in the end, my parents are still dead and my life has been… the only good thing in the last three years is you.”
He wiped away the tears. Her pain broke his heart. His cat purred loudly to sooth her even while he wanted to hunt those who hurt her. “From this moment forward, you’ll have a better life.”
She kissed him, softly, sweetly until the heat flared between them. She needed a connection and the love he offered her.
Jolyn curled up with a book on the end of a sofa in the library. She chose the sofa because otherwise Brady would pick her up and sit in a chair with her. She leaned on him. He’d taken good care of her through the night. She felt rung out. She wasn’t sure her emotions could take another hit but she sat here pretending to read while they waited.
“Do you want anything,” Mia asked.
“For him to be a speed reader,” Jolyn sighed and tossed the book on the coffee table.
“How long has he been in there,” Bryan asked as he stretched.
“Three hours, twelve minutes,” Brady pushed Jolyn’s hair aside and kissed her neck. She leaned into his caresses. “He needs to be thorough.”
“He can’t…” Jolyn shook her head. “Sorry. Apparently, I’m having trust issues.”
“Who wouldn’t,” Brady hugged her. He couldn’t keep his hands off her. He wanted nothing more than to take her back to their room and spoil her more.
“We did ask him to help,” Bryan reminded them.
“I know,” Jolyn leaned closer to Brady. “Can we check on him? Maybe ask how far he’s gotten or something?”
“I’ll go,” Mia said. “I’m as anxious as you and it doesn’t affect me.”
As she started to stand, a tall thin man knocked on the door. “Hey. I’ve done a first perusal of material. Do you want to go over it here or in the office,” Marcel asked.
“Office,” Bryan rose to join Mia. Jolyn and Brady rose slower. She clung to his arm.
“I’m going on the assumption you have a basic knowledge of genetics; however, feel free to stop me and ask questions.” Marcel leaned against the desk as the others sat in the chairs and sofas around him.
“We will,” Mia said.
“Jolyn, this is your heritage…genetics, we’re talking about. Some of this is not easy to hear so if you need a break say so.” Marcel said. “Most of this comes from your documents but some comes from historical things we’ve learned about these experiments. Part of what took so long is I looked up some of the experiments the human government sanctioned and skimmed through them as well.”
“Were there a lot,” Jolyn asked.
“More than the public knows,” Marcel acknowledged. “About seventy five years ago, I know before your grandmothers but bear with me, the human government caught and identified a shifter. It was a wolf shifter.”
