Visions, Paws, and Claws E-Book

K.C. Wells

• Herausgeber: Dreamspinner Press
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 456

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

The lines between shifters and humans are blurring, and the journey of discovery that began when a lion, a tiger, and a bear found each other—and learned that mates exist—has taken a new direction. More mates are finding each other, and three seems to be the charm. Brick, a powerful polar bear shifter, and his kitty shifter mate Aric are part of a shifter/human team searching for the camp where their third mate, Seth Miles, has been taken. Since Dellan's rescue from his stepbrother's clutches, the team has learned the horrifying truth behind the Geran faction's plan to capture and imprison shifters and ensure bloodline purity. They also have another shifter to rescue from the same camp: Seth's father, Jake Carson. Except Jake is Dellan's father too, captured by the Gerans three decades ago and until recently, believed to be dead. The camp is like a fortress, and the rescue operation is looking like an impossible quest. What no one anticipated was help from an unexpected source.  Dellan is about to learn why the power-hungry Gerans took his father in the first place--and what they want next. In this latest installment of Lions, Tigers & Bears, K.C. Wells doubles down on the intrigue… and the passion.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Blurb

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Keep Reading

About the Author

By K.C. Wells

More from K.C. Wells

Visit Dreamspinner Press

Copyright

Visions, Paws, and Claws

By K.C. Wells

Lions & Tigers & Bears: Book Three

The lines between shifters and humans are blurring, and the journey of discovery that began when a lion, a tiger, and a bear found each other—and learned that mates exist—has taken a new direction. More mates are finding each other, and three seems to be the charm.

Brick, a powerful polar bear shifter, and his kitty shifter mate Aric are part of a shifter/human team searching for the camp where their third mate, Seth Miles, has been taken. Since Dellan’s rescue from his stepbrother’s clutches, the team has learned the horrifying truth behind the Geran faction’s plan to capture and imprison shifters and ensure bloodline purity.

They also have another shifter to rescue from the same camp: Seth’s father, Jake Carson. Except Jake is Dellan’s father too, captured by the Gerans three decades ago and until recently, believed to be dead. The camp is like a fortress, and the rescue operation is looking like an impossible quest.

What no one anticipated was help from an unexpected source. Dellan is about to learn why the power-hungry Gerans took his father in the first place--and what they want next.

In this latest installment of Lions, Tigers & Bears, K.C. Wells doubles down on the intrigue… and the passion.

This book is dedicated to my brother, Parker Williams. Okay, so he’s a brother from another mother, but that doesn’t make him any the less awesome. I couldn’t have written any of the books in this series without him.

Prologue

Six Months Ago

“HE’S COMING, I know he is.”

Aric Townsend loved Seth’s confidence, his unshakable belief, but right then his words didn’t perform their usual feat of magic.

They couldn’t take away the chill that had settled in around Aric’s heart.

“You keep saying that, but if he was coming, he’d have been here by now.” Aric shivered. “Admit it, why don’t you? We’re going to die in here.” And here was such a terrifying place, robbed of all joy, all hope….

And yet I found love in the middle of a nightmare situation.

“No!” Seth glared at him. “We will be getting out of here, I swear it. But you need to have faith.” He lifted the thin sheet. “Come under here. Let me keep you warm.”

Aric slipped into bed and sighed when Seth wrapped a slender arm around him.

“I’m not like you. I don’t have your optimism, your strength. I mean it. I’m afraid we’re gonna die in here,” Aric admitted.

“And I promised you we wouldn’t.” Seth cupped Aric’s chin and gazed into his eyes. “Don’t you trust me?”

Aric let out another deep, shuddering sigh. “Only with everything in me.” He clung to Seth’s promise on an hourly basis, whenever his spirits were at their lowest.

It was all he had left to cling to. His old life had been ripped away from him. He’d been torn from his mother’s arms, forced to go to this godforsaken hellhole along with all the other young shifters who’d been similarly taken. And it had soon become obvious why they were there. To be examined. Experimented on. Sifted. The wheat separated from the chaff.

Aric knew he was chaff right from the start. He’d always been delicate, with no special talents except the gift of curling up in someone’s lap and soothing them with the rumble of his purr. A house kitty was never going to be of use to them, not like the tigers, the lions, the panthers, all those sinewed, lithe, heart-stoppingly fast cats. No, Aric was like the vast majority of shifters in the camp. Not entirely useless, however.

They were cannon fodder.

Target practice.

Expendable.

Disposable.

Aric had resigned himself to an early death, caught up in a battle that wasn’t his in a struggle he didn’t believe in.

Until he met Seth Miles, and it was as if someone had turned the light on, illuminating his dark prison.

For the first time in his life, Aric fell head over heels in love.

What made it perfect?

Seth Miles loved him back.

Their love was the only positive to come out of their capture, but it was a secret. Being physical was out of the question. Staying safe was paramount.

So Aric made do with cuddles hidden by the dead of night, the squeeze of Seth’s hand around his when no one could see.

And then a miracle occurred.

They’d been in the camp a month when a batch of new inmates arrived, and one of them captured Seth’s attention from the moment he walked toward them. Aric could understand Seth’s reaction. Whoever this shifter was, he was Someone.

Not only that, he was Seth’s father, Jake Carson, a man Seth had never met—and they shared a staggering gift, one that caught the attention of the camp authorities.

One individual in particular, a man who made Aric’s blood run cold.

Aric knew about Seth’s gift, and now it seemed to be an inherited trait, one that could be exploited.

Seth stroked Aric’s jaw. “Our mate is coming. He doesn’t know about us yet, but once he does?” He smiled, and the sight eased the terror bubbling up through Aric. “We will be the center of his world.” Then the smile faded, replaced by an expression Aric recognized instantly.

Grim determination.

“Aric, listen to me. We’re getting out of here.”

He said nothing. He’d heard the words before.

“Aric, we don’t have much time. You’ve heard the rumors going around, haven’t you? They’re going to take us to a new camp.”

“Then let’s hope it’s better than this one.”

Seth frowned. “You don’t understand. I… I don’t think they’re going to take all of us.”

Panic flooded through him in an icy wave. “You mean they might―”

Seth stopped his words with a kiss. “You’ve already helped me try to reach him. Well… I’m going to need you to help him find me. Because they’re not about to leave me here.”

Aric’s throat seized, and for a moment he struggled to breathe.

“They’re going to split us up. Either you’ll be taken someplace different or I will. Right now I can’t see which way it will go.”

“What about Jake?”

Seth bit his lip. “I think they’ll keep us together, at least until they work out how they can use us.” He stroked Aric’s cheek. “Listen, baby. You and me, we have a connection. And there is nothing that can break that, you hear?”

Except if they kill you. Or me.

No way would Aric say those words aloud.

“And that connection is what will help bring our mate to me. To us.” Seth locked gazes with him. “So you have to make me a promise too.”

“Anything.” Aric gulped.

“You have to stay alive, even if you need to kill to do that.” Seth gripped his chin. “Can you do that?”

Aric swallowed. “It doesn’t seem as if I have a choice, does it?”

“You have to live. Our mate will come here—that much I can see—and when he does, you have to tell him about me. About us. Because then the two of you can rescue me.”

“So you already know you’ll need rescuing?” Aric fixed him with a hard stare. “There’s stuff you haven’t told me, isn’t there?”

Seth kissed his forehead. “Only because I don’t want you to worry.”

Aric wanted to be angry—to protest that he could cope—but he couldn’t, not when Seth held him so close, sharing his warmth.

“Want to try again before we get some sleep?”

Aric nodded. He closed his eyes and opened his mind. He could already sense Seth there, waiting for him. He had no clue how Seth was able to project his thoughts, but then again, he had a feeling most of Seth’s psychic abilities lay untapped.

Together they sent out their distress call for a man neither of them had ever seen but believed would come for them—if he only knew they existed.

Save us.

Save us.

Save us.

Chapter One

HORVAN KOJIK was going to kill Brick.

Then he reasoned he wouldn’t need to. Brick was probably going to end up dead very soon if he kept taking chances the way he’d been doing lately.

And then what will his mates do?

Horvan didn’t want to contemplate how it would feel to lose a mate. What that loss would do to him. Or them, if the worst happened.

The raid had been textbook. Two teams had shown up at almost midnight on a moonless night—his own and one led by one of Aelryn’s commanders—and as one they’d surged forward into yet another camp, meeting enemy fire with their own. Horvan had admired Aelryn from the moment they met, not to mention the awe he felt every time he was in Aelryn’s presence. Aelryn was a Fridan blue blood, a direct descendant of one of the brothers who’d been the cause of the rift between shifters back when the earth was cooling.

Okay, maybe not that long—Vic Ryder would probably know exactly how long ago that was—but there was no denying Aelryn was Someone. His forces were easily the equal of Horvan’s, and it was refreshing to work side by side with military people who didn’t curl up their lip at the mere thought of collaborating with humans. The raids were well planned and precise but were always bloody: Ansger’s spear was still wielded with abandon by his descendants. Those enemy fighters who didn’t flee were taken into custody by Aelryn’s people, and Horvan knew they’d be treated with more consideration than the Gerans had shown toward their prisoners.

This last raid had gone like clockwork—until Brick happened.

He can’t go on like this.

Brick out of combat was bad enough. He had a wicked temper, and it was all his mate Aric could do to keep that rage below the boiling point. But on the battlefield?

Gloves came off, he shifted, and then teeth and claws got bloody.

Way too bloody, too often.

Horvan knew he should make Brick sit these missions out. His friend was becoming more and more erratic, refusing to obey orders, violently taking down anyone who dared to challenge him. But damn it, they needed him. They’d only located and raided two camps in the two months since they’d liberated the one in Bozeman, and also closed down another shifter school, this time in Croatia, and yet it still felt as though the bad guys were creeping across the globe like kudzu, swallowing up shifters left and right. Making any real headway was harder than hell.

It would be even more difficult without Brick. A Brick who had crawled back to their own camp and stumbled into the main tent, his maw and claws bloodied.

What worried Horvan was the sight of blood from Brick’s wounds, marring his pristine white fur. He’d collapsed on the ground, his chest heaving, in the worst state Horvan had ever seen him.

One day Brick might not be able to tell the difference between allies and enemies.

Aric was there in a heartbeat, kneeling beside him on the hard ground. He stroked a hand over Brick, heedless of the blood matting his fur.

“Brick, shift for me so we can tend to your wounds.”

The bustle and noise of fighters returning from the routed enemy camp—dirty, bruised, yet with their backs straight and their heads held high, clearly content to have been part of the mission—continued around them.

Horvan could sense no such emotion emanating from Brick. Under Aric’s careful hands, the polar bear let out an anguished roar, and Horvan knew what lay at the heart of his distress.

There’d been no sign of their mate, Seth. Or Jake Carson, Dellan’s and Seth’s father. Or Dellan’s half brother, Jamie Matheson.

“Please?” Aric crooned softly. “For me?”

Horvan could understand Brick’s anguish. He’d followed Seth’s and Aric’s voices, which had called to him over miles and miles, only to find one of them had been taken before Brick had had the chance to lay eyes on him. And each raid brought with it the prospect of another chance to find Seth and the others.

Praying they were okay.

Such mental pain would fray anyone’s mind.

Aric was suffering too. Being parted from Seth had left him forlorn and withdrawn; he seemed to curl in on himself. The only time he emerged from his protective cocoon was when Brick was around.

God knows what he went through in that camp.

Horvan crouched beside Brick and glared at him. “Come on, Brick. Don’t be such a stubborn fucker. Shift, for God’s sake.”

Brick’s body shimmered, becoming smaller but still huge by human standards. When he did, Horvan gasped. Brick was riddled with wounds, mostly from bullets, he guessed.

Horvan clicked his mic. “A medic to the main tent, ASAP. And that means now.” He leaned in close, noting the number and severity of the wounds. It was a good thing Brick’s bear was so big, because that had likely saved his life.

There was another possibility. Maybe Brick refused to be extinguished until his mate was back where he belonged.

“You’d better not die,” Horvan grumbled as a medic hurried over to them and began tending Brick’s wounds.

“You’re only… saying that because… you wanna do the job yourself,” Brick wheezed.

“You got that right.” He started to rise, but Brick grabbed his arm. Even as hurt as he was, Brick was stronger than Horvan.

“I’m here,” Horvan said in a softer voice.

Tortured brown eyes met his.

“I need him, H. I can hear him in my head, pleading with me to find him. To save him. We’ve never met, but I’m in love with him already. You gotta understand.”

Horvan understood all right.

This was a fight they couldn’t afford to lose.

“You still having dreams about Seth?”

Brick managed a nod. “He’s screaming, H. They’re torturing him. And you wanna know the worst part?” He shuddered. “I can hear those screams even when I’m awake.”

Horvan wanted to tell him it wasn’t real, but Aric had told him and Brick that Seth was psychic, able to project his thoughts to them. Aric had also confided that when he and Seth connected, what made his heart sink was the fear that laced those thoughts. Fear of being alone. Of being unable to find his way home. Horvan knew what that meant.

Home was Aric and Brick.

Aric stared at Brick with undisguised dismay. “You never told me that. How come I didn’t know?”

“Because I locked you out.” Brick’s eyes glistened. “I didn’t want you to be upset.”

Aric’s eyes bulged. “Upset? You hide something like that from me again, and you’ll soon learn what upset looks like.” He glared. “I’ll shift and let my kitty shit in your boots.”

There was silence for a moment before Brick laughed, even though it obviously hurt him to do so. Aric stared at him, and then he too was laughing.

Horvan snickered as he stood. “I’ve got this sudden urge to go hide all my footwear.” He gazed down at Brick. “When they’ve finished patching you up? My tent. We need to talk.”

Horvan’s plate was overflowing right then, bringing the fight to the Gerans, who believed shifters should rule the world. They seemed to be hiding in every corner, under every rock, behind every tree—under every bed.

But if he could stop Brick from doing what amounted to self-harm, he’d consider that a win.

WHEN HORVAN’S done with him, it’s my turn.

Aric had done his best to remain calm while the medics patched Brick up, but the effort had taken a lot out of him. He’d watched as Brick made his way slowly to Horvan’s tent, the flap closing after him. Aric had no idea what Horvan had said to Brick, but whatever it was, the conversation had lasted only minutes before Saul Emory arrived and the team leaders were called into Horvan’s tent to be debriefed by the two men. Aric had lingered outside, listening to the deep rumble of Saul’s voice. He didn’t shout as much as Horvan. But then again, he didn’t need to. One hard stare from Saul was enough to have most people quaking.

A man who’d endured what he had at the hands of the enemy was owed respect.

There was another side to Saul, a rarely seen side that Aric had encountered the first time he’d shifted in Saul’s presence.

The man loved kitties.

Aric couldn’t be scared of a guy who stroked him the way Saul did.

One by one, the team leaders began to file out of Horvan’s tent, and when Aric couldn’t wait a second longer, he went against the tide of bodies and hurried inside.

Only three men remained in the tent. Brick was in a chair next to Horvan’s bed, his head in his hands, dressings everywhere. Saul and Horvan were deep in conversation, and from the look of it, whatever was being discussed was a bone of contention.

Aric coughed.

“Horvan? Saul? Can I be alone with Brick for a few minutes?”

Horvan blinked. “Sure. We’ll get out of your hair.”

Saul raised his eyebrows but said nothing as he followed Horvan through the tent flap. Aric waited until he knew they were far enough away, then whirled around to face Brick, his hands clenched at his sides.

Don’t lose your cool. Stay focused.

Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.

He glared at Brick. “You don’t give a damn about me, do you?”

Brick widened his eyes. “What? Where did that come from?”

“Another raid and here you are again. In as big a mess as you were after the last one.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Brick lurched to his feet, wincing as he did do. “I’m doing this for you.”

“No, you aren’t. You’re doing it for you. I don’t know if it’s some misplaced sense of guilt that you weren’t there to protect us—which you couldn’t have been, by the way, since you didn’t even know we existed—but whatever the reason, I am sick to death of seeing you come crawling back on the verge of death.”

“It’s not as bad as—”

Aric narrowed his eyes. “Don’t lie to me, Brick. When I’m near you, I can feel your pain. Do you think I don’t share it? He’s my mate too, damn you. You’ve been cutting me out, running off and doing stupid things like this and—”

Brick grabbed him, and Aric felt his flash of pain. “You don’t yell at me,” Brick growled. “You never yell at me.”

“Well, someone has to,” he cried out. “You need to stop being so… so selfish.”

Brick froze. “Define selfish. ’Cause I’m in the dark here.”

Aric forced himself to take deep breaths. “I’ve already lost Seth. So right now you’re the only thing holding me together. If I lost you, I would die. And that’s not me exaggerating, okay?” He gazed up into Brick’s eyes. “I can’t live without my mate. If you get your stupid ass killed, my mind, my heart, and my body will all simply shut down, and I’ll die.”

“Aric, you—”

“Die, Brick. I’m telling you, I will. A heartbroken cat can lose its will to live. And right now the only thing keeping me going is you.” He nudged Brick’s chin with his head. “Please, you have to stay safe—for both of us.” Tremors rippled through Brick’s massive frame, but Aric didn’t move.

Finally, Brick sighed, stirring Aric’s hair.

“I’ll try, but you have to understand. Seth is in my head, begging me to help him. When I hear his voice, I lose all sense of control. All I know is that somewhere out there, my other mate is suffering.”

“Then why can’t I hear him?” Aric whined. Damn it, I saw him first. Doesn’t that count for something?

Then he realized how dumb that sounded, and he was thankful he’d kept it to himself.

Brick’s hand was gentle on Aric’s head. “Maybe he’s protecting you? He knows you better than me. Would he want you to know he’s in pain?”

Aric wanted to say Seth wouldn’t care, but that wasn’t true. “He would do everything in his power to keep me safe.” His sigh was the equal of Brick’s. “Like he always does. If I’m honest, I think he’s waiting for you so he can stop worrying so much about me. Once I’m your problem, he’ll be a lot happier.”

Brick wrapped his hand around the back of Aric’s neck and pulled him in. “That’s bullshit, and you know it.” His gruff voice sent a delicious shiver through Aric, but he pushed down hard on the thoughts that followed it.

Down boy. Uh-uh.

“You said he loves you,” Brick continued, “so no way will he dump you on me. He’s going to be with us for a very long time.”

“Not if you don’t stop doing stupid shit.” Brick’s embrace had had one positive effect; calm had finally returned. He stood on his toes and kissed Brick’s cheek. “Look at it this way. If you die, he does too, because no one will find him. So by being this stubborn ass, you could be killing all three of us.” He gave Brick a hopeful glance. “I’m not saying don’t go out searching for him, okay? But please be smart about it. For all our sakes.”

Strong arms enfolded him, and Aric breathed him in. There was the coppery odor of blood, the medicinal tinge of the dressings, but under it all was Brick’s scent, warm and earthy and—

Dammit, Aric wanted to be naked so badly right then. With Seth and Brick. Learning to pleasure them, cataloging what drove each of them wild. He desperately wanted the chance to be with his mates.

And soon.

“I’ll be smart,” Brick promised. “Well, as smart as I can be, which probably isn’t saying a lot.” He kissed Aric’s hair. “Now go pack our stuff. We’re leaving in about fifteen minutes.”

“And you were going to share this information when?” Aric scuttled out of the tent.

Another raid over, and hopefully, a lesson learned.

He wasn’t thinking about the Gerans.

BRICK ACHED like a son of a bitch. Everywhere hurt.

And for what?

Sure, they’d freed countless shifters and annihilated countless bad guys, but for fuck’s sake, how many more of these camps could there be?

He tried to get comfortable, except he knew that was a nonstarter. Transport planes weren’t put together for comfort. He glanced at the faces of those around him, seeing his own emotions reflected there.

There aren’t enough of us to even make a dent in the enemy’s forces.

Maybe someone needed to say that out loud, especially when H and Saul were in earshot.

Someone like Brick, who was long past giving a shit.

“Hey, H?”

Across from him, Horvan raised his head. “You’re awake. How’s the pain level?”

“Bearable.” He managed a smile. “See what I did there?”

Horvan didn’t need to see how bad Brick was really feeling. No one got to see that, not even Aric.

Horvan groaned. “That was bad, even for you.”

“When is Duke gonna find us more men?”

An eerie silence fell as heads turned in their direction.

Apparently Brick wasn’t the only one who wanted to know.

Saul glanced at Horvan, who nodded. “We’ve already started recruiting more bodies,” Saul told him.

“More mercs? Vets?” Horvan’s business partner, Duke, seemed to have a never-ending supply of those.

“Not exactly.” Saul cleared his throat. “We’re getting a lot of interest from an unexpected source.”

When nothing else was forthcoming, Brick glared at him. “Well, don’t stop there, Mr. Joint Team Leader. Spit it out.”

“When we closed down the school in Massachusetts, I think it shook up a lot of shifters. The fact that the Gerans up and abandoned more than nine hundred kids without hesitation…. Word got around. That was maybe a step too far for some folks. And when the same thing happened in Croatia, it created even more waves.”

Brick did the math. “Are you saying we’ve got people wanting to join us who were on the other side? Seriously?”

Saul nodded. “We’re gonna vet them all rigorously.”

Brick blinked. “Oh, I’m so happy to hear that. I thought you were all set to give ’em the keys to the armory.”

Horvan snickered. “Get you with the sarcasm.”

“I’ll be helping with the interviews,” Hashtag piped up.

Brick snorted. “Great. Now I’m really worried.”

Hashtag gave him the finger.

Next to Saul, Crank narrowed his gaze. “You’re not dissing my mate’s leadership abilities, are you, Brick?”

Roadkill cackled. “Now there are words I never thought I’d hear.”

“All you need to know is that we’re intending to double our numbers,” Saul concluded. He aimed a sideways glance at Crank. “That was sweet, by the way. Not to mention hot.”

A chorus of groans filled the air.

“Get a room.”

“Anyone got noise-canceling headphones with them?”

“H, can’t you put something in their coffee to cool their jets?”

Horvan laughed. “Hey, if you wanna try that, go for it. Personally, I think Saul and Crank would make mincemeat of you. And God help you if Vic found out, but you’re welcome to try.”

“Something else we need to discuss.” Brick was on a roll. “We have to discover where their main camp is.”

Especially if that was where they were holding Seth, Jake, and Jamie. Brick still got the guilts every time he recalled his part in Jamie’s disappearance, not to mention Saul’s capture.

Thank God Crank and Vic didn’t bear him a grudge.

“You got any suggestions as to where we should be searching?” Saul asked. “We’re always open to suggestions.”

“Yeah, I heard that about you and your mates,” Roadkill quipped.

The main camp was never far from Brick’s mind. “It has to be somewhere inhospitable. Somewhere it’s nearly impossible to get out of.”

That might account for the absence of escapees.

“Like Chicago?” Crank asked. When the rest of the team fired bemused glances at him, he snorted. “What? Ever tried to drive there? It’s the very definition of impossible.”

“Let’s talk about this when we get back to Homer Glen,” Horvan suggested.

One of the team cackled. “Yeah, it’s times like these I’m really glad to be living in the new barracks. I’d hate to be in the same house as you guys.”

“You wanna know what’s a really great invention?” Hashtag grinned. “Earplugs.”

Brick was more than happy to change the subject now that he’d brought it out into the open. Beside him, Aric stirred from his sleep, and Brick chuckled.

“I can’t get over what a deep sleeper you are. Must be a cat thing.” He put his arm around Aric and pulled him close, breathing in the scent that went straight to his dick, the way it did every single fucking time. Brick leaned in and brushed his lips over Aric’s ear.

Aric shivered. “Please, don’t do that.”

Brick froze. “Why not?”

Aric glared at him. “Because it turns me on,” he said in an urgent whisper.

He grinned. “Nothing wrong with that.”

“But we can’t do anything, remember? We’ve talked about this.”

It had been one of their first conversations, and Brick could recite it word for word.

“We… we can’t have sex. I mean, not with each other,” Aric blurted.

“Why not?” Brick stroked Aric’s chest, heading lower. “Your equipment works, doesn’t it? I mean, you don’t have a kitty-sized dick. And while I haven’t ever been with a guy, I’m a fast learner.”

All his senses were telling him it wasn’t going to be a problem.

“Seth said we need our third—you—to be complete.”

“So you and he never—”

“We cuddled, but without you, neither of us could get hard.” Aric bit his lip. “Well, we could, but it never stayed around long enough to do much with it.”

Was it wrong that the statement made Brick feel ten feet tall? Probably.

It didn’t stop his chest from swelling, though.

He cupped Aric’s cheek. “We’ll find Seth, I swear to you. If I have to raid every fucking camp, I will.” Brick kissed Aric’s forehead. “So what’s Seth like?”

“He’s a sweet, gentle soul, a pacifist. He’d be a vegan except he needs meat to keep his cat healthy.” Aric sighed. “He saw you in his visions. He told me you would protect us. You would be the glue that held us together.” He looked Brick in the eye. “Without you, there is no us.”

Without you, there is no us. Brick could wait.

Besides, he couldn’t help but get excited at the thought of the three of them finally meeting—all of them new to each other, two of them virgins, one of them experienced but a total newbie when it came to gay sex.

Then a rush of cold flooded through him.

How can you even think about sex? When Seth is God knows where, having God knows what done to him?

Yeah, Brick didn’t like himself very much right then.

Chapter Two

SETH MILES knew exactly where to find his father. The same place he was every day, making the most of the fresh air before he was taken to the breeding block or the pair of them were dragged to the science building.

Except he thought of it more in terms of the experimentation block.

Jake Carson stood in the center of the exercise yard beneath the camouflage nets, his face upturned to catch the sun as it filtered through, dappling his skin and the ground under his feet. His eyes were closed. None of the other inmates talked to him.

No one talked much at all in the compound, especially if they knew they were being observed. It was as if an invisible layer weighed them down, depressing every positive emotion, suppressing every urge to communicate.

Extinguishing all hope.

Seth walked toward him, taking his time, trying his best to avoid purpose in his stride. This was their only opportunity to meet; the guards kept them in separate blocks at night, and it wasn’t possible to talk while they were strapped into chairs, electrodes stuck to their temples, monitors recording their heartbeats, breathing, brain activity….

Times when Seth did his damnedest not to cooperate, even though that meant far worse pain. But in the end they always wore him down.

Wore him out.

Jake turned his head as Seth approached. “You seem tired. Bad night?”

“No such thing as a good night in this place.” He studied Jake, noting the dark circles under his eyes. He swore there were more lines in that kind face than there had been when he and Jake had met in the previous camp.

How long ago was that?

Seth had lost all track of time. There were no clocks in the compound, but he’d managed a peek at one of the monitors in the experimentation block. The tiniest peek, but it had been enough to inform him they were now in July.

As to where we are?

That was a mystery. They’d been transported from the last compound in trucks with no windows. All he knew was that there was nothing to see for miles but scrubs and trees.

Pretty much the same view as the previous prison, but with warmer weather.

Hey, look for the positive, right?

There were few positives to be found. The taciturn guards strolled constantly, guns slung over their shoulders, and getting even one of them to show a spark of humanity was a huge task.

Except they’re not human, are they?

That made it worse. That shifters could treat their own kind in so… emotionless a manner.

Jake lowered his voice. “How did you do?”

Seth sighed. “I’m not sure. If Aric is with our mate, that might help amplify the signal, for want of a better word.” He’d waited until the block had emptied before sitting on his bed, closing his eyes, and opening his mind, striving to reach Aric. “I think he’s simply too far away.” The fact Seth had located their mate at all was a miracle.

Aric is with him now.

Seth didn’t know if that was knowledge provided by his gift or more like wishful thinking. Gods, he missed Aric. Seth brought the sleeve of Aric’s tee, which he wore over his shoulders, to his nose, breathing in his scent. Okay, so it had lost Aric’s scent long ago, but Seth could imagine, right? He knew it was wishful thinking that it still smelled of his mate, but he clung to it anyway.

He was never going to wash it. Not till he was able to give it back in person. And right then it had a job to do—to keep Aric alive in Seth’s mind, to help him remember the nights when Aric had crawled into Seth’s bed and they’d held each other until dawn, when they had to be in their own bed before the guards checked on them.

Jake’s face tightened, and he suddenly appeared every one of his sixty-two years. “They’ll be coming for us soon. I know I shouldn’t think about it. I should focus on something else, but….”

Seth grimaced. “Easy to say, damn near impossible to carry out.”

How long do we have? Minutes? Longer?

Time ceased to have all meaning, measured only in terms go here, go there, do this, do that, eat, sleep….

Suffer.

“Tell me about Dellan,” Seth asked suddenly. Jake hadn’t talked much about his son, but Seth knew he had to be on Jake’s mind.

He thinks Dellan could be in danger.

If he was anything like his father, Dellan would undoubtedly be of interest to the Gerans. Unless….

No. The likelihood of Dellan being on the enemy’s side was remote. Jake was a noble shifter with a strong sense of right and wrong, and Seth believed such traits to be inheritable.

Jake expelled a long breath. “I can’t. My memories are all of a little seven-year-old boy. I was taken from him more than thirty years ago.” He smiled, but it was tinged with sorrow. “I wonder if he looks like me. What he’s doing right now. Does he have a family? For all I know, I could be a grandfather.”

Except Seth knew Jake wasn’t thinking about Dellan’s possible children—he was thinking of his own offspring. After all these years, there was no telling how many shifters Jake had sired.

“Does it bother you? Knowing you have children out there that you’ve never met?”

Jake scowled. “Of course it does. I don’t care how they came to be—they’re still part of me.” He gave Seth a sympathetic glance. “I’m sorry, but I have no idea who your mother was. You know how it goes here. We’re never allowed to make our own decisions or choices. They’ll put us with someone, and we’ll never see them again. I do worry about what happened to some of them.” His face tightened. “They were so scared, so desperate to get out. I’ve never seen it, but I’ve heard the bastards dangle their freedom in front of them like a carrot, but once it’s done, they’re gone. I sincerely doubt they simply let them leave.”

Seth knew all right.

He knew that if Jake refused to cooperate—which he did, frequently—then a shift was forced on him, using that fucking drug. That was an infinitely worse situation. The aftereffects left Jake feeling ill for at least a day. His mom had had no idea who Seth’s father was, not that they’d shared cozy chats about Seth’s parentage. He still found it hard to believe his mother fell in line with all this shifter superiority crap.

That didn’t mean he hadn’t hurt the day they’d appeared on his doorstep to take him to the compound. Seth had cried out for her to keep him.

What had hurt worse than the blows he’d received from his captors was the fact that she’d let them take him without so much as a blink.

“Hey, where are you?” Jake squeezed his shoulder.

Seth shoved the memories from his mind. “Sorry. I am listening.”

“I was saying, it’s crazy the number of shifters they forced me to mate with.” He tilted his head to one side. “Did your mother know about your gift?”

Seth shook his head. “I didn’t tell her. I didn’t tell anyone except you and Aric.” Once he’d learned where her allegiance lay, he’d decided to keep his talents a secret.

There was no way Seth would have given the enemy more ammunition.

“Then how did these bastards find out?”

Seth stared morosely at the ground. “Testing. You should’ve seen them when they realized I had psychic abilities. At least here I’m not the only one.”

Jake sighed. “We’re still only two. Which means we’re rare enough for them to want to… study us.” He shuddered.

“What if we’re not the only ones?”

Jake stared at him. “What do you know?”

Seth shrugged. “Just a feeling I get sometimes. It might be nothing.” Except he hoped it was more than that. Maybe there were several of them, all as worn down and depressed as he was. “How long have you known about your gift?”

Jake smiled. “A long time. Like you I kept quiet about it. My mom knew, though. Too much stuff happened that I couldn’t hide. And when I went to college, I told someone there. He was a professor, a really cool guy. Bear shifter. But yes, I’ve always known I could do things few others could. I must say it’s given me a few surprises over the years. A few shocks too.”

“What kind of shocks?” Seth glanced toward the experimentation block. So far no guards were heading their way.

It was too much to hope they’d be left alone for once.

“When I was younger, I had two best friends.” Jake’s face glowed. “I married one of them. Her name was Miranda, one of the swiftest, most beautiful tigers I’d ever seen.”

“And the other?”

“His name was Nicholas Tranter, and he was a couple of years younger than me. A medical student and also a shifter.” Jake chuckled. “I’ll never forget the first time he shifted in front of me. I almost fainted.”

“Why?”

“One minute he was a slim guy, the next he was an African elephant.”

Seth wished he could have seen that. “Was that the shock you mentioned?”

Jake shook his head. “The three of us were close. One time we went on vacation together, to Kansas, and it was there that I saw something I don’t think Nicholas meant for me to see.”

Seth’s breathing hitched. “What?”

Jake fell silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on the horizon. “I think he was in love with me.”

“Oh wow. Did he ever tell you how he felt?”

“Not a word. Then again, I wouldn’t have expected him to. Nicholas was an honorable man, with integrity, and he knew how I felt about Miranda. What he didn’t know—because I never told him—was that I was bisexual. Not something I shared with anyone except Miranda. And I didn’t really tell her.” Jake smiled. “I didn’t have to. Nothing seemed to escape her keen eyes. Oh, she was subtle about it—at first, at any rate. She’d often mention that I should invite Nicholas over. That I should ensure our friendship didn’t lapse.”

“And when she wasn’t being subtle?”

He smiled again. “When I wouldn’t rise to the bait, she told me I should try sleeping with my friend to see if it was something I was missing out on.”

Seth chuckled. “Yeah, not so subtle after all.”

“Maybe I should have, but it wouldn’t have been something I needed to ‘find out.’ Miranda said she would be willing to share if I wanted a third in our relationship, but—” Jake sighed. “—I only wanted her. But in my dreams? The three of us might have been together. Of course, that was before I found out about true mates.”

“Wait a minute. You said Nicholas was in love with you.” Seth stared at him. “But you loved him too, didn’t you?”

The skin around Jake’s eyes crinkled. “Nothing gets past you either, does it?”

“What happened to Miranda? Do you know?”

Jake said nothing for several long seconds, and Seth could feel the waves of sadness and fury rolling off him. “The last time I saw her was at an airport. She was saying goodbye to me before I left to fly to Italy. I hated leaving her and Dellan, but….” He huffed. “There are some requests you can’t refuse, and that was one of them.”

“You didn’t go home?”

“I never got the chance. I was taken before I’d even packed my bags for the return flight.” He glanced at his surroundings. “How was I to know that trip was to be my last taste of freedom?” He sighed. “I’ve spent half my life incarcerated, kept away from the outside world, cut off from any news of what is going on out there. I have no idea where she is, or if she’s still alive. I can’t bear to think of how my disappearance would have changed her life. How long after it did she finally give up all hope of ever seeing me again?” He raised his chin. “Let’s change the subject.”

Seth nuzzled Aric’s tee. You know you’re going to see him again, don’t you?

He believed that with every fiber of his being. It was all he clung to in order to keep himself from going under, from sinking beneath the waves of despair that continually battered him.

“So have you heard anything else that might tell us where we are?” He and Jake listened as the guards talked, hoping for any clues as to their location.

Jake nodded toward the north of the compound. “Apparently, Canada is thataway.”

Seth smothered a snort. “Wow. Now there’s breaking news.”

“No, I mean it seems we’re real close to the Canadian border.”

“Which means we could be in any one of numerous states.” Seth glanced toward the gate of the exercise yard. “Don’t look now but we’re gonna have company.”

Three soldiers approached the gate, followed by five individuals who blinked in the sunlight, their faces haggard.

“They’ve been kept in the reeducation center for two months,” Jake murmured. “I remember when they arrived.” Another scowl distorted his handsome face. “Reeducation, my ass. I wonder what they did to end up in there.” All five shifters were painfully thin. He glanced at Seth. “Did you hide some bread this morning like you usually do?”

Seth caught on fast. “It’s in my pocket, wrapped in a piece of tissue.” Hunger had become a part of their daily lives, but the sorry state of the newly released shifters touched him.

Their need is greater.

He watched as they stood in a clump, clearly assessing their surroundings.

Not a lot to see here, guys. And no way to escape.

The guards around the perimeter and in the towers saw to that. True, helicopters and military planes made regular landings at the airfield Seth had spied to the northeast of the compound, but as for getting through the wire and stealing one?

Yeah. Seth wouldn’t get more than five feet before he’d be shot.

He could see that knowledge sinking in as the new inmates took stock of the compound. Then he froze. “Jake, one of the newbies is heading straight for us.”

Jake didn’t turn his head. “What can you tell me about him?”

They were careful not to overshare with others; who knew if one of their fellow inmates could be a plant?

“You need to see this guy,” Seth whispered. The newbie was young, in his midtwenties, maybe a little older than Seth.

Jake frowned. “Why?”

“Because he’s staring at you.”

“Describe him.”

Seth spoke quickly. “Tall, dark brown hair, nothing that really makes him stand out.” Then the guy got closer and Seth scrutinized his face.

Oh my God.

“Jake? I think we have another one.”

“Another what?”

Seth gripped his arm. “Jake, he looks like you.”

Jake turned slowly. They stood rigid, waiting for the young man to reach them, and Seth knew by the catch in Jake’s breath that he’d seen it too.

He had to be another of Jake’s children.

The guy stopped in front of Jake, locking gazes with him, and Seth knew what was coming. He’d heard it on numerous occasions since he and Jake had been brought to the compound.

I think we’re related.

Are you my dad?

The guy stared at Jake. “You… you’re Jake Carson.” His voice cracked.

Seth blinked. Okay, that wasn’t part of the usual script.

“How do you know my name?” Jake demanded.

“I saw a photo of you, about two months ago.”

“Where?”

“In Illinois. Where I met your son, Dellan.”

Jake gasped, and as Seth watched, he crumpled. Seth caught him. “Hold on,” Seth whispered. “Don’t let them see. Please, Jake.”

Jake wiped his eyes and straightened. “You saw Dellan. You’re sure it was Dellan?”

The young man nodded. “He was with his mates.”

Seth gaped. “Mates?”

Another nod. “He was with a bear and a lion.”

“But they said they were mates?” Seth pressed.

He nodded. “Meeting them changed everything.”

Jake finally found his voice. “Who are you?”

“My name is Jamie Matheson, and two months ago I learned you were my father and Dellan my half brother.” He swallowed. “I also learned my whole life was a lie.”

Jake pulled Jamie into his arms and hugged him, and tears pricked Seth’s eyes.

When Jake released him, he pushed the hair back from Jamie’s forehead. “I have so many questions. How old are you?”

“Twenty-seven. And until a few months ago, I believed shifters were at the top of the evolutionary ladder. We were the dominant species.”

Seth stilled. “You’re a Geran?”

Jamie smiled. “Correction—I was. Meeting Dellan and the others changed all that.” He cocked his head. “You… you’re a tiger too.” His eyes widened. “How the fuck do I know that about you?” Before Seth could get a word out, Jamie stared at him. “Stupid question. I already know the answer to that. Something else I learned when I met Dellan and the others.”

Jake leaned in close. “This is another half brother, Seth Miles.” Jake gave Jamie a watery smile. “I can see we have a lot of catching up to do.”

Seth tugged on his arm. “Not now. We’re attracting attention. This family reunion will have to wait.” Then he glanced over Jake’s shoulder. “Besides, we’ve run out of time. Those are the guards from the breeding block, and they’re heading this way.”

Jake squared his thin shoulders. “Here we go again.” He glanced at Jamie. “We’ll talk more later, okay?” He scowled. “Once I’ve recovered.”

“Don’t make them use the drug, okay?” Seth pleaded. “You’re always so ill afterward. I know you want to resist, but—” He gestured to Jamie. “—we need you to be alert.”

Jamie nodded. “I have so much to tell you, and something to give to you.”

Jake managed a tired smile. “And what’s that? The key to the compound? You’ve got a helicopter hidden away somewhere?”

Jamie took his hand and squeezed it. “I bring you hope.”

Chapter Three

HORVAN AND Saul stood in front of the world map on the wide screen.

“This is good,” Horvan admitted. “Depressing but good.” The blue dots were the two camps they’d raided and shut down, one in Montana, the other in Texas.

Only two. And no idea how many more there were.

The twenty-three red dots were the shifter schools still to be closed down. The two black dots were the ones they’d already raided, in Boston and Croatia.

A row of green pins stood in a clump at the corner of the board, waiting to be placed on the map.

Waiting to show the locations of the camps.

Saul snorted. “Depressing is right. What’s the good in knowing where all these schools are if we’re not in a position to do anything about them? We’re not recruiting enough men.”

“Patience. We’ve got a whole new load of wannabes coming for assessment and interviews on Friday.”

Saul scowled. “At this rate, if they have a pulse, they’re in.”

Horvan knew better. Saul was ex-Delta Force, and he wouldn’t accept anyone who couldn’t live up to his own high standards.

He’s the best man to vet the potential recruits.

Even though sharing command had been Horvan’s idea, it had taken a while to get used to the reality. He and Saul would bust heads now and then, but they’d compromise in the end. And Saul was still one of the finest humans Horvan had had the privilege of knowing.

He was on a very short list.

Vic Ryder came into the office. “Aelryn wants a meeting. He’s on Zoom.”

Horvan grunted. “Well, God forbid we keep him waiting.” He went over to his desk and stabbed the keyboard. He didn’t really mind Aelryn’s manner, but he had a feeling he knew what was coming.

He thinks we’re losing this battle too.

Except it wasn’t a battle—it was a war of epic, horrendous proportions.

Aelryn’s long dark hair fell past his shoulders, and his glittering eyes focused on the three of them as Vic and Saul stood behind Horvan.

“Gentlemen, we need an army, and we need to be recruiting heavily now.”

Horvan nodded. “We’re on it.”

Aelryn’s brow furrowed. “But you’re one team. We all need to be on board with this, and unfortunately there are those who don’t believe that the situation is as grave as we’re making it out to be.”

“So not all the Fridans are singing from the same hymn sheet,” Saul observed.

Aelryn’s lips twitched. “Aptly put, Mr. Emory. But I do have an idea how we can… change their minds.” He paused. “We need someone to go to the team leaders directly. Someone who’s seen what the enemy is capable of.” Another pause. “Someone they already know and respect, whose word they would believe.”

Horvan smiled. “I agree. And that means there’s one obvious candidate.” He swiveled in his chair to stare at Vic. “Isn’t there?”

“No.” Saul moved to stand behind Vic, his hands on Vic’s shoulders.

“You know it makes sense,” Horvan reiterated.

“No.”

“I agree with Horvan.” Aelryn smiled. “And I think this is where I withdraw gracefully to let the three of you sort this out. Let me know of your decision.” The screen closed.

“Not gonna change my mind, Horvan.” Saul gripped Vic’s muscular shoulders, and Vic grimaced.

“Hey, easy there, okay?”

“This isn’t Saul the ex-Delta talking,” Horvan remarked. “This is the Saul who doesn’t want either of his mates out of his sight.”

Saul released Vic and folded his arms. “Fine. You’re right. Happy now? And it’s still no.”

“It’s also not your place to make decisions for me,” Vic said in a quiet voice. “So here’s my opinion, even if you don’t want to hear it. I agree with Aelryn and Horvan. It’s the best option. I’ve worked and fought with most of the teams, so it makes perfect sense to send me. Not to put down Aelryn, but he’s—”

“Royalty,” Horvan interjected. “And some people don’t like taking orders from a superior, even if he is shifter royalty, whereas if an oral historian known the world over shows up, one who’s also a fighter, they’d be more inclined to take notice.” Saul snorted, and Horvan rolled his eyes. “This is because I said ‘oral,’ isn’t it? You’re as bad as your mate.”

“I hope you’re not referring to me.” Vic walked over to the map and stared at it. “They’re everywhere, aren’t they? They spread like a fucking cancer.”

Horvan joined him. “Even more reason why we need to spread as fast as they do. They’re the cancer. We’re the cure.”

“But we still don’t know enough about the camps,” Saul said as he stood at Vic’s side. “How many there are, their locations…. God help us if there are as many camps as there are schools.”

“I don’t think so,” Vic murmured. “At least I hope not. It doesn’t help that we have absolutely no intel about them.”

“Hey, we found two, didn’t we?” Saul remonstrated.

“Sure, but that was because we got lucky,” Vic fired back. “Yes, Hashtag located them by hacking into a US spy satellite, but he had an idea where to search both times. Since then, there’s been nothing. And to find all the camps, we don’t need luck—we need a miracle.”

VIC STOOD at the kitchen countertop, vaguely pondering what he wanted for a snack.

Except I’m not really hungry.

He stared through the window toward the lake, where stacks of building materials had begun to congregate. Dellan had moved swiftly, and the plans for Vic, Saul, and Crank’s home had been drawn up within a week of getting back to Homer Glen from Montana.

Our own place.

Not that Vic wasn’t comfortable in Dellan’s home—it was an amazing space—but privacy was a rare commodity, and having two alpha mates who were both incredibly loud when it came to sex had made them the butt of Roadkill’s and Hashtag’s jokes, which showed no signs of petering out.

Two strong arms enfolded him from behind, and Vic gave himself up to Saul’s embrace, leaning against Saul’s hard body.

Saul’s lips brushed his ear. “You know we’re gonna miss you.”