Therian Prize(75)

But it’s what you want. Isn’t it?

Yes.

Then why do you look so sad?

I’m not sad, just confused. Let’s talk about this later.

Rather than reply, he sent a warm stream of affection curling through her mind. It made her tingle and smile but she wasn’t allowed to enjoy the sensation for long.

“I have some sad news,” Jake said.

“We heard about Natasha,” Devon told him. “We figured if you didn’t bring it up, you didn’t want to talk about it.”

“Talking about it won’t change the outcome, but I can’t pretend she’s not dead.”

Devon nodded, her expression cautious. “That’s where mom went, to help Enya with the arrangements. Natasha doesn’t have any family.”

“She had us.” Jake took a quick sip of water as his eyes filled with tears. “Until I got her killed.”

“This wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault.” Even as the words left Devon’s mouth her gaze shot to Heather.

“Heather had nothing to do with it,” Jake snapped. “I think Zophiel is still alive.”

“That’s not possible,” Ian insisted, instantly tense and defiant.

“You thought she was dead once before.” Jake set down the water glass and pushed his plate aside, though he’d barely touched his food. “What if she can’t be killed?”

“Everyone can be killed.”

Jake waved away the comment as he asked, “What is she? And why does she hate Therians? I know she’s been around for hundreds of years just like you and Payne, but what’s her story?”

Payne was a lion-shifter recently arrived in Colorado. He and Ian had been best friends for centuries. Heather had caught bits and pieces of his story but she’d never had reason enough to ask her father to fill in the blanks.

“She’s dead.” Ian ground out the words between clenched teeth. “She has to be dead.”

“Indulge me. If she’s dead the details can’t hurt anyone and if she’s alive, I need to know.”

Ian drained his wineglass as he stared off into space, his agitation obvious. Heather didn’t think he was going to explain and then he said, “We think her father was a fire demon and her mother was Therian.”

“Holy shit. That’s quite a combination,” Heather muttered, feeling intrusive.

Devon poured her mate more wine then picked up her own glass. Like Heather, she seemed content to listen as the men explored the topic.

Ian’s gaze filled with shadows but he reluctantly continued. “It’s Payne’s story to tell. I promised him I’d never speak of it.”

“Keep it generic but tell me what you can.”

Ian shuddered. “Payne was her prisoner for years and she subjected him to tortures that would put an inquisitor to shame. She’s a brand of evil unlike any you’ve ever faced. And if she survived that fire, I don’t know how to kill her.”

Silence descended as the import of Ian’s words sank in. The most powerful Therian in existence couldn’t kill their enemy.

“We’ll figure it out together,” Jake insisted. “You took her on alone. All this means is it will take more than one of us to end her. She took the life of someone I considered family and endangered my mate in the process. That’s all the incentive I need.”

Mate? Had he just referred to her as his mate? She couldn’t catch his gaze, so she wasn’t sure if he’d meant it literally or if it had been a figure of speech. Synchronization lasted three months. Mating bonds lasted forever.

“Is she still working with the backers or has she branched out on her own?” Jake’s question drew her away from the troubling tangent.

“A fire demon is working with the backers?” She tried not to sound as rattled as she felt but this couldn’t be good. The only thing that kept the backers’ threat contained was the fact that they were human. If they had a fire demon on the payroll, this could be disastrous.

“We’re not sure who works for whom. Zophiel took control of one of the backers, like she did with Natasha. His name was Roberto,” Devon told her. “We don’t know if he was the only backer she contacted, but it seems unlikely.”

“What does she want from us? Why does she hate Therians if her mother was one?”

“Nehema, the woman who founded the Abolitionists, was Zophiel’s sister.” Devon suddenly looked as tired as she sounded. “Zophiel kidnapped me, and Nehema was killed during my rescue. Jake wasn’t directly involved in that, but he’s a rebel. The attack on you two could have been retaliation.”