Therian Promise

Chapter One



Ava Seymour sprang up in bed, heart slamming against her ribs as anxiety jolted her awake. She carefully scanned each corner of the shadowy bedroom, visually searching the dimness, and listening for sounds that didn’t belong. A branch scraped against a window and the furnace cycled on, but nothing was out of place in the calm spring night. So why was she shaking?

Carissa. Ava sensed her sister’s presence as if Carissa had just walked into the room. Closing her eyes, Ava allowed the vision to unfold within her mind. When visions first assailed her months before, she’d been frightened by the disorienting pull. But her efforts to resist the spinning only intensified the vertigo, so she no longer fought their power or doubted their accuracy.

A cheerfully decorated room came into view, like a classroom meant for children. Carissa sat on the edge of a large table, legs enveloped by the full skirt of her dress. A dark-haired man knelt in front of her, more or less between her legs. He spoke in a deep, calming tone, but Ava couldn’t make out his words. Despite the intimate position, they were both fully dressed.

Ava could sense the trust and affection flowing between Carissa and the dark-haired man. This was Carissa’s lover, which made no sense. Her sister didn’t have a lover or she hadn’t six days ago, which was the last time Ava had seen her.

In the distance, a lion’s roar was echoed by other feline growls. Carissa raised her head and smiled, obviously reacting to the unusual sounds. Where the hell was she? There were no lions in Colorado! Unless she was at a zoo or some sort of exhibition hall. The vision offered no other clues to Carissa’s location, so Ava refocused on the images available to her.

This wasn’t the first time Ava had inadvertently spied on her sister’s life, but this vision felt different. The immediacy she’d experienced in other episodes was lacking now. This was an echo, a memory. Had Carissa been with this man the entire time Ava had been running for her life? She ignored the pang of annoyance and concentrated on the image. Who was the man and how had he come in contact with Carissa?

“She’s ready, boys,” a female announced from somewhere beyond the vision’s perspective.

Ready for what? And “boys” indicated more than one male was about to participate in whatever this was. Then Ava felt them, sensed other powerful beings standing slightly back, waiting, ready for their turn…at Carissa? Why wasn’t Carissa frightened? She just sat there, staring at the dark-haired man as if she wanted to devour him.

“Get moving,” the unseen woman advised. “She won’t be manageable for long.”

Manageable? What an odd description. Carissa could be spirited and stubborn. Ava always paused to consider ramifications and judge risk factors while Carissa dove headlong into any adventure. Even so, neither of them were ever unmanageable.

A tall blond man approached, his angular features intense and serious. Bending to one knee beside Carissa, he said, “I willingly offer my life. We have waited so long for your return. I am honored to be part of your definition.”

Definition? What the hell did that mean?

He pushed to his feet and offered Carissa his wrist.

Anxiety twisted through Ava, but she was lost in the vision’s hold, unable to change the events unfolding before her. What was he doing? He sounded so serious, so…

Carissa grabbed his arm with both hands and lowered her mouth toward his wrist. No freaking way! She wasn’t going to… Carissa bit down hard, blood streaming out from under her lips. Hunger, savage and demanding, burned through Ava. Carissa wanted this, needed it with an elemental longing that transcended rational thought or quantification. Ava felt herself being drawn deeper into the vision as desire spread through her soul. She was meant for this. They were born for this. How had they lived without it for so long?

No. This was a vision, which meant the images had been sent for a reason. Shuddering, Ava struggled to distance herself from the images and ignore the lingering ache. Were they vampires? Had Carissa fallen in with a coven of—

Ava shook away the fanciful thought. Vampires didn’t exist, but witches did! Was this some sort of blood magic or… She couldn’t even finish the thought, had no idea what they were doing. Carissa appeared to be participating willingly, but why would she do something so disgusting?

Before Ava could unravel fact from impression, the scene faded, releasing her from its thrall. She felt queasy and shaken, but worse was the realization that what she’d just seen had actually happened. Sometime in the past six days her sister had bit into a man’s arm and drank his blood.

Ava didn’t understand the ritual’s purpose, but it didn’t matter anyway. Trepidation urged her onward and she intended to obey. She tossed back the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The last time she’d shrugged off one of these feelings two of her father’s thugs had abducted her right out of the safety of her own house. She’d managed to escape them by playing the terrified victim, but now they knew she wasn’t helpless. So they’d be even harder to elude.