Rare Find E-Book

Mayer Dale

• Herausgeber: Valley Publishing Ltd.
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

This is the 6th Psychic Visions Novel from USA Today Bestselling author Dale Mayer.

Injured people in need of aid call out to friends and family or even strangers for help. Who can animals turn to who would not only hear them but understand their cry for help? Such a creature would truly be a rare find.

Determined to bury her aching heart in service of her animals at Exotic Landscape, Tabitha is caught unaware when she's yanked out of her cozy little retreat by the appeal of someone needing rescue. Responding to that call gets her more trouble than she bargained for.

Understanding secrets isn't difficult for someone with quite a few of his own, but Detective Ronin Chandler learns that the mysteries of the universe can take on a whole new level of meaning. With the woman he loves in jeopardy, Ronin struggles to comprehend what's happening, what Tabitha needs, and how to even help her…before he loses her, maybe forever.

Danger escalates at every turn. Determining who to trust – and who not to – becomes as much of a challenge as figuring out who wants them dead.

The Psychic Vision Series

1.Tuesday’s Child
2.Hide’n Go Seek
3.Maddy’s Floor
4.Garden of Sorrow
5.Knock, Knock…
6.Rare Find
7.Eyes to the Soul
8.Now You See Her…
9.Shattered
10.Into the Abyss…
11.Seeds of Malice
12.Eye of the Falcon
13.Itsy Bitsy Spider
14.Unmasked
15.Deep Beneath
16.From the Ashes

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

About This Book

Complimentary Download

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Epilogue

About Eyes to the Soul

Sneak Peek from Eyes to the Soul

About Simon Says…

Author’s Note

Complimentary Download

About the Author

Copyright Page

About This Book

Injured people in need of aid call out to friends and family or even strangers for help. Who can animals turn to who would not only hear them but understand their cry for help? Such a creature would truly be a rare find.

Determined to bury her aching heart in service of her animals at Exotic Landscape, Tabitha is caught unaware when she’s yanked out of her cozy little retreat by the appeal of someone needing rescue. Responding to that call gets her more trouble than she bargained for.

Understanding secrets isn’t difficult for someone with quite a few of his own, but Detective Ronin Chandler learns that the mysteries of the universe can take on a whole new level of meaning. With the woman he loves in jeopardy, Ronin struggles to comprehend what’s happening, what Tabitha needs, and how to even help her…before he loses her, maybe forever.

Danger escalates at every turn. Determining who to trust – and who not to – becomes as much of a challenge as figuring out who wants them dead.

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Part of an elite SEAL team, Mason takes on the dangerous jobs no one else wants to do – or can do. When he’s on a mission, he’s focused and dedicated. When he’s not, he plays as hard as he fights.

Until he meets a woman he can’t have but can’t forget. Software developer, Tesla lost her brother in combat and has no intention of getting close to someone else in the military. Determined to save other US soldiers from a similar fate, she’s created a program that could save lives. But other countries know about the program, and they won’t stop until they get it – and get her.

Time is running out … For her … For him … For them …

DOWNLOADfree military romance? Just tell me where to send it!

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my four children who always believed in me and my storytelling abilities.

Thank you!

Acknowledgments

Rare Find wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my friends and family. Many hands helped with proofreading, editing, and beta reading to make this book come together.

I thank you all.

Chapter 1

Saturday early afternoon

“Ihate to leave you right now,” Ronin murmured against her hair. “You shouldn’t be alone today, of all days.”

Tabitha Stoddard tilted her head and sniffled back the tears. She managed a watery smile. “There’s no quick fix for this. I just need time. I’ll reminisce about my grandfather today and that will help. Go to the station and speak with your detectives. You need to deal with the phone call.” She took a deep bracing breath and added, “I’m fine.”

And she would be fine. It just might take awhile.

He looked at her, doubt forcing his gaze to narrow and his lips to twist. She reached up and kissed him lightly. “Go.”

“I’ll check in with you when I’m done.”

She nodded and watched as he walked back to his truck and drove out of Exotic Landscape’s parking lot. She was grateful he’d been there for her grandfather’s funeral that morning. His presence had made everything so much easier.

Smiling, she turned and walked into the center. Her three-legged bull mastiff greeted her joyously. Even missing his back lower leg, he was one heck of a watch dog.

Just like Ronin who was a protector, a cop, a strong man with strong morals and ethics. A good man. A man’s man. And one she’d fallen in love with.

Not that he knew it. They hadn’t gotten to that stage yet. She’d planned to stay over at his place this weekend, but her grandfather’s death had changed all that.

With tears burning her eyes, Tabitha stared at the picture of her standing beside her grandfather that hung behind his desk. He’d been the mainstay of her life. He’d raised her, shared his passion with her, and although there had been little softness in him, he’d been there for her every step of the way.

Unlike her father who was only there when it was convenient for him.

She snatched up yet another tissue off the desk and blew her nose. How could there still be tears? She’d done nothing but cry bucketfuls for days. Heart hurting, she wandered into his old office. He’d lived sixty-seven years and should have had another twenty to go. The doctors said it was his heart.

She didn’t have a hard time believing that. As much as she loved her grandfather, she had no illusions that others would feel the same way. He’d had little heart for anyone else. He was hard. Cold. Unyielding, and unless you walked on four feet or were his granddaughter, he wouldn’t give you the time of day. And that included his son and his brother, her uncle who had died when she was just a kid.

But, despite his faults, she’d loved her grandfather.

And the hole in her heart seemed too vast to ever heal.

Tripod nudged her hip with his muzzle. She reached down and laid a comforting hand on his head. He’d been by her side since she’d found him in a back alley on one of her and her grandfather’s rare trips into Seattle. Her grandfather had abhorred the city and the minions that scurried around in it. She, on the other hand, had craved it while she was a teen, but after spending time at a girlfriend’s place, dead center in the chaos, she’d been only too grateful to return to her wooded acres…and her animals.

She had lots of friends – of the female kind. And although she’d given it a good try, until Ronin she’d found little to commend two-legged males and risking deeper human relationships.

She admired women like her friend, Shay Lassiter. Shay combined her daily work, a partner and her psychic abilities into something that worked for her.

In Tabitha’s case, she could do the work, no problem. The partner issue had so far escaped her best attempts, although she had high hopes with Ronin. That detective made her want all sorts of things in life that had eluded her. Like marriage. A family. It was fresh right now. Special. Just the thought of him made her toes wiggle and her heart sigh with happiness – and they hadn’t even made it to bed yet.

Her grandfather’s old desk caught her gaze – scarred, with broken drawers and bolts for handles, it was decrepit. As she stared she realized that somewhere along the way the desk had lost its leg and he’d propped it up with whatever was handy – in this case, several bricks. Typical. He’d insisted on keeping it, saying that as long as he could keep using it, it wasn’t really broken – was it?

Unfortunately, the rest of his office was full of the same and most of it would need to go to the dump after she’d gone through it.

She randomly opened drawers, wondering at the collection of aged papers inside. Dennis – her mostly absent father – had already gone through the desk looking for documents he’d need to settle her grandfather’s estate. He even took her grandfather’s old ornate box – the one she’d seen many times over the years, but had never looked inside.

Grandfather had told her it contained private papers, hence her father taking it. He’d likely hand it over to Eric, his assistant, or his partner Germaine, instead of dealing with it himself. Tabitha was fine with that. Easier on her.

She cast a final glance around the messy room.

Her grandfather’s true legacy lay outside the main buildings in the acres long ago turned into an animal reserve. And though it was expensive to run, her grandfather never shortchanged the animals’ needs. He’d go without a meal rather than see his beloved pets do the same.

She’d learned that lesson well. As she stared down at the ripped jeans she’d changed into after the funeral, she realized she might have learned it a little too well. There was money, but only enough to cover the necessities. There were always more animals in need than resources at hand.

In spite of the poor relationship her grandfather had with his son, Exotic Landscape wouldn’t have achieved this size or capacity without her father’s donations. Guilt money. Then Shay’s Foundation money had taken the place to the next level.

Sniffling, she wiped her eyes and turned too fast. Her head pounded and the room swayed around her.

Damn. When would the hurting stop?

She lost time as she sat in the office and let the pain roll.

Her phone rang. She sniffled, until call display showed it was Ronin. Her flagging energy lifted. He always did that to her.

“Hey.” She walked over to the window to stare out into the late afternoon sun as she spoke into the phone. “How did it go? Are you done?”

“Yeah, it was probably a waste of time,” he said humorlessly. “But I had to check it out. Sorry about having to leave.”

“Not an issue,” she said tiredly. “It’s the job.”

“It is,” he agreed, “but it’s still difficult when being a cop interferes with my personal life. Especially at times like this.”

Traffic noises from his phone blocked out everything else for a few seconds. Abruptly, he added, “I’ll still be a few hours. Do you want me to stop by afterwards?”

Her heart screamed yes, but…she could also use some time alone. She hated feeling so raw. Vulnerable. But grief did that to her. “I’ll be fine.” She rubbed her eyes again. “The next couple of days will be tough, but I will get through them.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to get through them alone. And those headaches are nothing to ignore,” he said brusquely. “I’ll stop by when I’m done here. Gotta go.”

Tabitha stared down at her phone. That was the story of her life. The men all had to go – one way or the other. And yet Ronin kept coming back.

As if in response to her mood, her headache started dancing a rumba on her brain. It had to be stress as well as grief. Yeah, that was so possible. She didn’t have to look far to find places where her world was off-kilter.

Besides her grandfather’s death, there had been a rash of destructive incidents at Exotic Landscape. They had been irritating, costly and left her feeling as if she was under attack. She had no idea by whom. Or why. Or if any of the events were even related. They were mostly little things, like bags of dog food missing and some of the grain walking off. Break-ins at the clinic side of the main offices. Rocks through the window. Her grandfather had ignored a lot of it, but then he’d been in a whole different space this last year.

She had nothing anyone could want, and not enough of what the animals needed. She didn’t need to be throwing money away fixing doors and windows and replacing stolen property.

Plus her budget had been shot with the new staff she’d been forced to hire. Not that the break-ins were the impetus behind those new hires; the real reason had been her long slow recovery in hospital after a psychic attack over a month ago. Her friend Shay had been the target. Tabitha was just a casualty. But that episode had changed her life. These incidents at the center had just helped to cement the decision to bring on more staff to ease her load.

On top of that, keeping her off balance, was the fact that nothing had been quite right since she’d been a victim of a psychic attack. She felt as if people looked at her differently. She could certainly not explain to her employees what had happened to her. She had a few friends that understood, but as for everyone else, she could hardly tell them she left her body and hid in the ethers to save herself from the attack, now could she?

Without warning, familiar pain slammed into her head, followed by a ripping sensation crawling through her brain. She bent over, grabbing the edge of the desk for support.

Several painful gasps later, she managed to take an easier breath. Christ. The attacks were getting worse. Another long moment later she managed a tiny step. When that worked, she took a second. As a test, she straightened, and when that was fine, she tossed her long braid back. Good, her head no longer felt like it was splitting in half. Whatever had been there – it was gone.

A ripple of relief slid down her spine.

Stefan Kronos, her scarily skilled psychic friend and mentor, spoke to her telepathically. The headaches are troubling.

And yet what am I to do, she answered just as softly, her heart warming at Stefan’s caring voice inside her head. His visits were always a surprise, and always welcome. They also came from his heart. He cared and that was special. I can hardly ask a doctor.

He changed topic. How are the nightmares?

Better. Still the same nameless faceless boogie man, but the nightmares come less often. I sleep deeply once I get there, but I wake up troubled.

Hmmm. With that, he left her mind without warning. He was good at that.

Out of habit, she sent out a wide sweeping wave of healing energy throughout the building as she turned to leave. Instantly a sense of loss, of grief, bounced back at her along with a sense of finality. Energies from the staff, the animals, maybe even the building itself seemed to be adjusting to the loss of her grandfather.

It would take a long time before the energy changed to a loving reminiscence without the pain of loss.

She was reaching for her purse and keys she’d dropped on her grandfather’s desk when something brutal stabbed into her head again. Her knees buckled and a scream ripped through her mind. The sound carried so much rage …and fear…and pain…

It wasn’t her pain or fear.

But it felt like it was hers.

She groaned, trying not to collapse under the encroaching blanket of emotional darkness. She bent over and gasped for air.

Another bolt of pain ripped through her, forcing her to the floor. She cried out and arched her back as the next slicing pain whipped along her spine.

Then it was gone.

As in completely gone. Just like that.

She slowly sat back on her heels and clasped her arms around her ribs, gasping for air. She didn’t know what the hell was happening, but Christ…it was bad.

And this had to stop. She couldn’t deal with it. The pain was too much.

Tripod whined at her side. He dropped his massive head on her shoulders, his hot breath washing across her cheek.

“I’m okay, boy.”

A slight film coated her skin and she shivered more from shock that anything else. Her t-shirt stuck to her and a chill walked over her back, raising the hairs on her arm. Standing was not an option. She was scared another bolt of pain would drop her. After a long moment, she slowly struggled to her feet, steadying herself against Tripod’s huge body. A clammy chill and an overriding fatigue rushed though her.

She wanted a hot shower and a hot drink. The place was empty at this hour. She had night staff and security guards, but they wouldn’t likely see her right now. She was so grateful that she didn’t have far to walk, that her house was only five minutes through the trees.

Walking as gently as if she were recovering from a back injury, she made it down the short path without incident. After unlocking her front door, she entered her sanctuary. Tango’s voice rumbled at her from the back. Her baby tiger was no longer a baby anything. In fact, he was an old man. But he was still her baby – or maybe it was the other way around as he’d adopted her decades ago. He hated it whenever she left. But it was hard to run a business with a tiger interrupting your world. She also didn’t want the public in on Tango’s rather dominant presence in her life. It was better to work from home much of the time.

Being scolded by a tiger was wearying but she’d miss it when his time came. He’d been depressed since her grandfather’s passing. She hoped Tango stayed around for months so that she could grieve for one of the dearest males in her life, her grandfather, before having to grieve for another.

Tripod walked over to sit at the entrance to the kitchen. Almost as big as Tango physically, she’d never seen any dog, especially a three-legged one, eat like he did.

She could almost hear his voice saying, Wouldn’t have to scarf my food if you fed me more.

She’d had Tripod since he was a pup, falling in love with him before she’d realized he’d grow bigger and heavier than her. Of course his size was a definite plus when he played with Tango. And the two old friends were inseparable.

Good thing Tango couldn’t speak human. However she understood dog somewhat – so his message didn’t go unnoticed.

Dropping her purse on the kitchen table, she smiled down at Tripod. She’d learned to communicate directly with some animals over the years because Tripod and Tango had insisted she learn. Not with words like people. And communication was different with each of them. With Tango, she often saw his emotions in colors while Tripod seemed more human than canine. He sent her both images and emotions although they could be hard to decipher. What wasn’t hard to understand was when he told her off for being late.

Or when he was hungry.

Or when he was lonely.

She stopped and bent to hug him. He whined and then almost growled. She stared down at him. “What’s the matter, boy?”

He nudged her waist. She bent and hugged him again. Waves of worry emanated from him. He missed her grandfather. She studied his energy waves. They rippled. Some higher, some tighter and still others were lackluster and almost flat. There was a buzz or a hum to them.

She’d spent years trying to decipher those waves, but she hadn’t been able to figure all of them out. The buzz happened when they were communicating and she was not listening. With so many animals on the reserve talking to her, she’d been forced to learn to turn it on and off at will.

While most of the time it was a pleasant, almost comforting background hum, sometimes it hit an irritating crescendo and she was forced to shut it off.

Tripod nudged her again with a whimper deep in his throat. Something was wrong but Tabitha didn’t know what. She did know Tripod was worried about her.

Then she felt a stab of hunger emanate from him and realized he’d switched from worry about her to worry about his food.

She smiled. Now that was normal.

“Come on, boy. Let’s feed you.”

By the time she was done feeding the animals in the house and herself, Tabitha was running on empty for energy. She needed a shower and a nap. Since her grandfather’s death, her emotions had worn her down. She would love twelve hours of sleep and would be lucky to get four and she had no idea why sleep seemed so elusive these days. She’d tried everything but drugs. Drugs and psychic abilities were so not good together. They left her groggy and disoriented. Herbs were fine and natural and didn’t mess up her system. Only she was now out of those and had to go shopping to get more.

There was so much they didn’t know about energy work and the world was in desperate need of energy workers. Dr. Maddy was the best she knew, but there were others like Tabitha who had similar abilities. Tabitha’s abilities and connections worked best on animals.

Some of the people she knew were seriously talented. They could all communicate telepathically with their partners, and often with other people. Unlike her. Most seemed to have mastered something she could only dream about.

Liar. Stefan Kronos’s warm teasing voice rolled through her mind.

She snickered. Except with you, and no one has said you’re human.

If not human, what am I?

His dry voice was so deadpan she had to giggle. A god, according to most women.

Oh, please don’t get started. My feet are made of clay and I am as far away as possible from being anything heaven sent.

She gave a small tired laugh at that. Okay, how about you’re just a good friend?

I can work with that.

Did you have a reason for being here? she asked as she headed to her bedroom. She changed out of her clothes and into a housecoat. Sometimes, it took several showers to wash away the animal odors. Tripod sat at her doorway watching intently. He always got an intense look on his face when she communicated with Stefan and this time was no exception.

He’s probably listening in.

She grinned. Thank heavens for Stefan and that relationship of acceptance and understanding. So few people would be able to understand this conversation.

More than you think. And many more becoming aware that ‘this’ exists.

True. She stepped into the bathroom and groaned at her appearance. Crap. Stefan, I look like I’ve been hit by a truck. You should see the circles under my eyes.

Lack of sleep? Overwork? Stress?

All of the above, I suppose.

You’ve just lost your grandfather. And what else…? That knowing voice was calm and understanding. But…

She stilled. And asked cautiously, What do you mean: What else?

Do you think I don’t hear you every time you cry out in pain?

She winced. Oh, that.

He waited, stoic and steadfast but unyielding.

It’s not more blackouts, she rushed to reassure him.

Good.

I don’t know what they are, she answered honestly. Stabs of black pain. As if something was ripping into my skull. Then it stops. Comes on suddenly and stops suddenly. I can’t figure out the triggers…

He was silent for a long moment.

Psychic attacks? he asked cautiously.

I don’t think so, but I don’t know for sure. I can tell you that I’ve never felt anything like this before. She didn’t add that she hoped to never experience it again. He’d know that.

Are the headaches getting worse?

The last few have been. And there have been a few more than usual. Weird ones. They come on suddenly and then just disappear. Like the pain. Then today, there’s been a bizarre sense of waiting for something to happen. Then the sensation eases off again and I can almost forget about it.

When did they start?

She sighed. A couple of weeks ago, maybe longer. But today was bad.

Silence.

As in they happened before you spent a week in hospital and disappeared into the ethers – or after?

Tabitha hated to be reminded of that week.

And is that also when you started having trouble sleeping?

Yes, but honestly I think it’s just a residual problem from being in the hospital. You know how hard it is to come back to physical reality after a long stay out of body.

Hmmm.

She winced, not sure she liked that thoughtful pause.

What are the chances that someone is trying to contact you and you aren’t hearing them? Someone might have caught your signature while you were in the ethers and think you are still there.

Her gaze widened in surprise. She hadn’t considered that. Like who? And why wouldn’t they be able to communicate with me? When I’m working with the animals, I’m always open.

Again that irritating pause.

Curious, she asked, What are you thinking?

Just considering the information.

I’m sure I’ll be fine, she said. A good night’s sleep and I’ll be much better. At least she wanted that to solve everything.

I hope so. I’ll say good-bye then. But let me know if anything changes.

Stefan drifted out of her mind. Sometimes he snapped out and other times it was similar to a good-bye hug. She loved the latter.

She stepped under the hot spray of the shower and scrubbed the smell of animals off her skin. The heat washed over her in comforting waves. She bowed her head and let the day and fatigue drain away.

Then it started again.

Pain ripped through her head.

She cried out and clutched the glass doors of the shower. Agony screamed through her nerves and her knees threatened to buckle.

What was going on?

Images slammed through her, but they were woven with emotions that twisted the pictures into sensations. Pain.

Rage.

Panic.

Fear.

The rage was bad, but the fear was crippling.

Tabitha sank to her knees in the shower and could do nothing but ride out the storm. So far the attacks had never lasted long. Water sluiced down her back. The waves of agony wouldn’t stop. She had no anchor to hold her safe. She had no protection from this. Her shields were up, but it didn’t matter. This energy had stormed right through them and grabbed on tight.

While her mind raced to understand, she felt something so horrific she couldn’t understand what was happening. It was as if someone had reached into her head and grabbed her energetic body from inside her skull…as if they were trying to rip her soul from her body.

Noooo! She screamed and tried to fight whatever demonic energy had so much power that made such a thing possible. She was caught in a struggle to stay grounded. To stay attached to her body.

She curled into a ball and tried to focus. Tried to center herself. She mentally kept her silver cord tucked up inside, but it was hard.

The pain was so strong. The sense of being yanked out of her body…intense. She felt stretched so finite she cried out in terror.

And each wave of pain and violation was stronger than the last.

There was a sense of desperation to this energy. She could feel the need of this thing pulling at her. Its panic. Its terror along with her own.

Somehow it had hooked onto her and she knew it needed her – or something she had.

She struggled to hold on, struggled to find the strength to be stronger than it was.

This…thing was desperate.

But then so was she.

Stefan! Help!

The next wave could be the big one. When it came, the pull was shockingly aggressive and too powerful to stand against. Her grasp slipped.

Once that bit of weakening started, she lost the advantage of being the one in possession of her body. An advantage she desperately needed.

And she started to slide.

One more tug and half of her was lifted upwards. She stared down at her bent-over body, as if she were twins joined at the hip. Her physical twin was bent over her legs, her etheric twin was sitting up. She screamed in panic and tried to lean over, tried to return to her body.

But this entity had a formidable hold. A panicked hold. And its panic had become hers.

His rage streamed through her blood.

His fear turned her emotions to icy panic.

Suddenly she was no longer alone. Stefan’s powerful energy wrapped around her, supporting her, strengthening her. Keeping her safe.

Remember to love. Fear is the tool of failure. Love is the tool of success.

She struggled with his words. Struggled to grasp his meaning. And she struggled to find her center. That part of her that knew all energy was good. It was the emotions people poured into the energy that made it other than good. Her attacker was afraid. And angry. If she could help it by easing his pain…

Yes. Do it.

Her attacker gave one more tug. But Tabitha’s energy had warmed and thinned, heating up more as she tried to send out the right thoughts to help her attacker. Thoughts to calm herself.

With a roar of rage and pain and loss, the link snapped.

Tabitha recoiled from the force with a final cry before she blacked out. Her last vision was that of her empty-shell of a body folded in half in the shower, the hot steamy water slowly cooling as it beat down on her back.

Then she knew no more.

Chapter 2

Saturday, mid-afternoon

Stefan Kronos bolted upright in his bed. His heart screamed at him to run. His body refused to move. His bedroom had disappeared into the foggy dreamscape of a different reality. Waves of energy wrapped around a tornado of emotion. A cry ripped through the air.

Stefan!

Someone was in trouble. Only it was more than trouble. A scream echoed loud enough that he clapped his hands over his ears and tried to block it – but there was no way he could. Finally the volume ebbed enough and he recognized the voice. Tabitha.

He’d just been talking to her. Even as he emptied his mind and called for her, he double checked the energy signature, hoping he was wrong.

Of course it was her. She’d been on his warning system for weeks now. Ever since her hospital stay. He called out to her again.

No response.

He closed his eyes and sent his consciousness to her house. Not knowing what he’d find, he didn’t want to leave his body. He’d met too many strange individuals who would attempt a takeover in a heartbeat if he gave them an opening. That was the problem with being a strong psychic – he knew what existed in the shadow world.

Remembering Tabitha’s earlier words about headaches and blackouts, he slipped over to her bedroom and found a pile of clothes on the floor. There was no sign of her. A weird faint roaring sound filled the air waves. From Tabitha or the house or something else?

Tripod howled at the edge of the bathroom, a loud physical mourning that poured ice into Stefan’s non-existent veins. What the hell had happened here? In the background, that roaring sound grew louder and louder. If he’d had a body, the sounds and vibrations would have overwhelmed him, sending him to the floor. In this energetic form, he did the best he could and pushed clouds of energy between him and it, trying desperately to distance himself so he could think.

As the roar faded slightly, he sensed a cadence to it. It was animal. Shit. That had to be Tango. The tiger’s voice was deep and raspy, as if he’d been screaming.

Stefan shuddered. Something bad had happened. He moved into the bathroom but could barely see for the steam and condensation. The shower door was closed. The rest of the bathroom empty.

Dreading what he’d find, Stefan shifted to the other side of the shower wall.

Shit.

What the hell was happening to her? He hovered over her. Her cord lay hidden protectively in the circle of her body. He could see the rise and fall of her chest as air slipped out of her body with each breath.

This was bad. Like seriously bad.

He backed up slightly and searched her etheric energy, looking for other entities in the small room, trying to get a read on what had happened. The kicked-up emotional cloud of fear and panic said she’d feared for her life. Fought for her life. His only conclusion was that she’d been attacked but won…this time.

But the cost of winning had been devastating to her.

There was no sign of an attacker. No foreign energy that he could see. Unfortunately, her aura was swollen with so much else. Grief for her grandfather, anger that he had left her, a sense of loss as she looked to her future – and then there were the animal energies. So many. Each and every one of them lived in her heart.

Her capacity for caring was huge.

And left it difficult for him to make sense of what should be there and what shouldn’t. Adding to the effect, and in response to Tabitha’s state, the animals had all responded with their own pain and rage.

What a mess.

And for all he knew, she was still in trouble psychically as well as physically.

Swooping lower, he could see the blue cast over her skin. If she caught hypothermia, that alone would kill her. Her body functioned at the absolute edge of survival level. Her biological system was on rapid shutdown.

Holy hell.

She was under siege from the inside.

And she needed help. Now.

*

Ronin had spent all afternoon working and gotten nowhere. Chasing down leads on a trafficking case that had led to zero progress. Carmichael, another detective in the office, had stopped by to discuss a different case and now Ronin was way behind.

His damn desk was overloaded with his active cases and what had appeared to be a quick stop into the police station had turned out to be anything but. He stared at the stack of files in front of him. Too many files. Again. Always.

He glanced at his watch. He should be able to head out in a few minutes. For Tabitha’s sake, he didn’t dare stay too late. She needed him.

Now getting her to see that was a different issue altogether.

She was smart and sassy and distrustful of men…

Figures. He sure could pick them. Not that he’d had much choice. Attraction had smacked him up side the head when he’d first met her. Green-eyed leggy brunettes had never been his type. But this one… He’d had to move slowly given her trust issues. He’d made huge steps before her grandfather had passed away. He’d been there for her every day since.

If only he understood what this was.

He hated the pain she was in, wanted to help her, but wasn’t sure how. Still he’d keep trying. He wanted what his brother Roman had. His brother was unbelievably happy. Grounded. Whatever the hell that meant. He was half of a whole, with Shay, his girlfriend, being the other half.

Ronin had heard about such relationships but hadn’t really believed in the possibility. Figured they all turned sour, eventually. Ronin’s marriage had as had several long-term relationships. He’d blamed his job. So had they. In truth, the job was an excuse and an escape from whatever bad relationships they had at the time.

What the hell Tabitha was to him, he didn’t know.

And the relationship was so new and green it felt fresh. But was he walking down this garden path alone?

Because that would suck.

A young cop walked toward him. Geoff Tollman. After a quick glance around, he pulled a picture out of a large envelope and dropped them both on Ronin’s desk.

Frowning, Ronin raised his gaze to Geoff’s. “Why did you come to me?”

The young man swallowed and lowered his voice. “I didn’t know who else to take it to.”

That the two of them had a history played a big part in Geoff bringing the pictures to him. Ronin was pretty sure of that. The kid was his neighbor’s son, and he’d helped him get into the force and through the tough years following. He’d been a troubled teen a long time ago, but he’d straightened out and become a hell of detective. They worked in the same department now. Part of the same team and that felt good.

Ronin stared down at the odd photo in front of him. “Where did you get this?”

“It was in the mail.”

“Your personal mail?”

“No. Here in the office, along with the other stuff. I saw it on the pile, opened it and brought it here.”

Ronin pulled out the rest of the pictures. His old buddy and co-worker, Detective Jacob Harkman, stared back at him. In the background, highlighted by gloomy lights, was an open back end of a truck. Full of cages. Nothing suspicious in itself, but…he glanced up at Geoff. “The pictures don’t show anything illegal.”

“I know.” Geoff shrugged his shoulder. “But why send them?”

“Good question.” Ronin stuffed the pictures back into the envelope and spun it in his hand. No postage. No return address. Just Geoff’s first name. Spelled correctly. There wasn’t anyone else in this office with that same spelling. He dropped the envelope on the side of his desk. “I’ll look into it. If you get anything else, bring it to me.”

“Sounds good.” As Geoff sauntered toward his own desk, he called back, “It’s probably nothing.”

Ronin hoped Geoff was right. He’d known Jacob a long time. Being a detective took them to all kinds of places, at all kinds of hours. He studied the photos again. What the hell was Jacob up to and why had the photo been sent?

Before he had time to consider the options, his phone rang. Damn.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he clicked his cell phone and growled, “What?”

Static whispered through his phone, but something about it was straight-out creepy.

He straightened. “Hello? Who’s there?”

Help! Taaaa…!

“Hello. Who is this?”

No answer.

He snatched up a pen and jotted the number down. Then stopped. It was his number. His phone was calling his phone.

Goosebumps broke out over his skin.

Shit. He enjoyed a good horror movie the same as any other guy, but this was stepping over the creepy line. But then so had a lot of things in his life this last year – ever since he’d stepped in to help Shay after her fiancé tried to kill her.

The phone was dead in his hand. He swallowed hard and dropped it down on the desk to stare at it, his eyes narrowing at the thought. It wasn’t even Halloween. So who the hell was this prankster and how did he do this?

The phone rang again.

He stared at it, loath to answer.

It rang again. He picked it up and checked the number. This call was from Stefan. But that last one…

“Hello?”

“Is this easier for you?”

He frowned. God, this man was cryptic. “What?”

“Never mind. I don’t have time. I need you to send an ambulance to Tabitha’s house on the Exotic Landscape property. You might need Shay’s help. Tabitha is in a bad way.”

“Wha—?”

Stefan rolled right over him. “Get Dr. Marsden in. He’s a specialist for this kind of thing. Although this time there may not be anything he can do.”

“Wait, what are you talking about?”

“Tabitha has been attacked.”

And Stefan was gone.

*

“There is a lot of money riding on this deal,” the boss growled. “Fuck up and you’re done.”

Fez, and Roberts, his partner, nodded in unison.

This was a huge payday for them. Fez knew he had an awesome gig here. So far the work had been easy and lucrative. So good, he’d postponed his plans to move back East and start a new life. In the last five months he’d made a lot of serious money. And had spent even more.

Roberts had brought him in. He had the skills, the know how. Fez was the muscle.

And the boss? He was scary but damn powerful and a hell of businessman. He didn’t take shit from anyone.

Make for a lot of fast, good deals for all of them.

Still it never did to get too comfortable. When the boss locked that gaze on him, Fez kept nodding. Obedience was paramount. He tugged at the neck of his old sweatshirt, which was stupid because the damn thing gaped halfway down his chest. Old habits died hard, especially when he was stressed.

“Are you even listening to me?”

Fez rushed to say, “Sure, boss. We’ll go down to the docks now. The package has already been cleared so it should be loaded and on the road in no time.”

The black, icy glare narrowed at him. Roberts stood up and headed for the door. Fez swallowed hard, stood up and muttered, “We’ll take care of it now.”

“You do that. And make sure that cargo is safe. It was too damn long in transit as it is. Haven’t I paid enough to make this go smoothly?”

“Absolutely. No problem.” Fez walked to the door. “I’ll call you when the truck is loaded.”

“You’ll call me when you get there. Make sure you get it on the road fast. I want the truck unloaded in the warehouse tonight. Got it?”

The warning in his voice made Fez’s stomach clamp down tight. He pulled out a roll of antacids from his pocket as soon as the door shut behind him. He popped two into his mouth.

Roberts snorted when he saw what he was doing. “Those damn things will kill you one of these days.”

“They help. Can hardly keep any food down these days,” Fez muttered, walking down the stairs beside his partner. He should go see a doc, but what the hell was he going to tell him that Fez didn’t already know? And if it was bad news like cancer or something, he would just as soon not know.

He’d take keeling over on the streets to a slow painful end any day.

“Time to quit if the job is doing that to you.”

“It’s a good job,” Fez said. “Hell, you’re the one that brought me in.”

“Yeah, well, you never know. I just might be the one that leaves if you don’t.”

Fez turned in shock. There was just something a little too serious in Roberts’s tone of voice. “You wouldn’t do that. Look at the money we’ve made.”

Roberts nodded but stuffed his fists in his pockets. “And when is enough enough? I’ve got a bad feeling about this job.” He shook his head. “A real bad feeling.

“Don’t do this man. We’re a team.”

“Maybe not for much longer.”

After that he fell silent, leaving Fez to worry in silence.

Chapter 3

Saturday, afternoon

Tabitha wandered through the gentle clouds, comforted by the familiarity of her surroundings. She didn’t know why she was in the ethers again. But it was such a nice place to be. There were no worries here. No stresses. No money shortfalls to make up or difficult people to answer to. She could still mentally reach out and check on her animals – offer a hug, a stroke, or just a loving pat.

She was happy.

Like she’d been before.

That made her pause, made her consciousness kick in.

She wasn’t supposed to be back here.

She’d liked it here a little too well last time. It had been hard to leave.

So why was she here now?

For…safety.

Memories flooded over her. She’d been attacked. In fact, her energy had been damn near ripped out of her body.

She shuddered and sank deeper into the protection of the shadows.

*

Ronin pulled his truck to a ripping stop outside of Tabitha’s mausoleum of a house. Surrounded by large trees with little natural light filtering through, the place had a gothic haunted-mansion vibe going on.

There was also a weird deafening silence.

He’d been this far before, but had never been invited in. Her grandfather had been the original reason; apparently she hadn’t wanted to introduce the two of them, given her grandfather’s health and his disposition. She’d always met Ronin outside the house or at the office.

She ran a reserve where big cats were a major part of the population…and if there was one thing he had a love-hate relationship with…it was cats. He was so not good with cats – not allergic, although that would have given him an excuse for his over-the-top reactions like a nauseous stomach, a closed up throat and headaches with shortness of breath.

And no, he hadn’t gone to see a specialist. He never would.

But Tabitha didn’t need to know that. At least not yet.

Now Tabitha’s grandfather was gone. Would that make it easier for Tabitha to let a male into her inner world? She’d once been engaged for six months so he knew she’d opened that door once before. What would it take for her to open it again, for him?

Just how controlling had her grandfather been? Did he have something to do with her broken relationship? Had he understood she had psychic abilities? Not that she’d mentioned them to him, but he’d overheard Shay and his brother talking one night about how Tabitha was better with the animals than Shay was. He could have gotten the impression that she had abilities beyond the ordinary.

Maybe she’d gotten those abilities from her grandfather.

Ronin exited the truck and approached the front door. A large, imposing front facade with no welcoming porch or deck, just a single stair up to a double door. His first impression? Dark. Formidable. Dilapidated.