She drifted through his mind like smog, dense and cloying. Suffocating. Images flashed and flickered as she accessed memories and knowledge. She was searching for something. He could feel her ambition, her determination, yet her purpose remained unclear.
Blinding lust seared away all other emotions. With a surge of unexplained strength, he rolled her beneath him and thrust into her with animalistic need. She met each of his forceful drives with a frantic lift of her pelvis as her hands clasped his ass and urged him on.
Then she pushed deeper into his mind and a sharp sting made him cry out. He wasn’t sure what she’d done, but he could feel her flowing through the very center of his being. She gathered energy like a bee flitting from one flower to the next before she pulled back across their mental tether, taking his energy with her. He groaned as the steady withdrawal sapped the strength from his limbs, but somehow his hips kept up their determined thrusting.
“That should be enough for now,” she whispered into his ear, and his body responded with an instantaneous climax. He drove into her and shuddered as he came. The last of his strength bled from his body and he collapsed on top of her. She easily flipped him over and resumed her pose straddling his hips. “You did well for a first time. My blood will give you more endurance from now on.”
“What the hell are you?”
She grinned. “You’re in the right general area.” Golden light had completely taken over her eyes and her features seemed to blur and undulate. He blinked, trying to bring her face back into focus, but his lids drooped and his body gradually numbed. “Don’t panic. It only slows the process and makes the transformation more painful.” She separated their bodies and crawled off the bed. “I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
For one blissful moment he felt nothing and then pain exploded in every cell of his body. He tried to move, to jerk away from the torturous sensations shooting up his arms and down his legs. His body wouldn’t move, not even his vocal cords responded to his need to cry out. He lay perfectly still—though his body felt as if it was tearing itself apart—and his mind echoed with silent screams.
Chapter Five
Erin angled the manuscript to better catch the light as she read the passage for the third time. Energy hummed around her and flowed through her, silent yet tangible. The vault was her refuge from the world, an oasis where she relaxed and unraveled conflicting thoughts and feelings. The small armored room was part of the underground warren that branched out from beneath the big cat sanctuary. The sanctuary itself was part research facility, part disguise designed to conceal the Therian rebels’ base of operations.
Artifacts and treasures carefully collected down through the centuries lined the floor-to-ceiling shelves. It was the residual energy pulsing from the artifacts that soothed Erin and allowed her to concentrate. As Historian, it was Erin’s responsibility to record current events without allowing her personal feelings to taint the information. But recent developments had tested her objectivity and forced her to step back and examine her choices. The Historian was to observe and record, never interfere, yet she had become a driving force behind the rebellion. It was damn hard to remain neutral and objective when one’s children were directly involved.
A soft knock drew Erin’s attention to the open doorway and she found Ava standing there. The lovely blonde smiled though she seemed hesitant to enter Erin’s private domain. “Kyle said you’d be down here. Do you mind if I intrude?”
Pivoting on her stool, Erin motioned Ava closer. “You could never be intrusive. You’re much too polite.”
Ava’s smile finally reached her eyes, making the blue sparkle. “Tell that to your son. Kyle considers me many things, but never ‘too polite’.”
“Kyle loves every aspect of your personality. He would never be content with a passive female.” She pulled out the stool beside her and waited until Ava sat. “It’s dreadfully late. Why aren’t you in bed?”
“Kyle’s still working with Eli to figure out where Ian took Devon. They’re both too stubborn to admit defeat.”
Eli was a brilliant programmer and the rebel compound’s head of security. He would easily find an electronic trail if Ian was foolish enough to leave one. Unfortunately for Eli, Ian would never be so careless. The wily raptor knew what it took to disappear.
“I know where they are.” Erin waved away the concern. “That’s not the problem.”
Ava’s brow furrowed and she glanced toward the door. “Are you sure? Have you told Kyle?”