Unsure how she would ever trust anyone with ties to Osric, she let her mind digress. “Other than Osric, I thought Carissa was my only living relative. This is really strange.”
“She’s all who’s left on your mother’s side of the family tree, but the Parlain side still has lots of branches.”
“That’s right. You said you have a sister.” Ava still felt stunned. The information was so unexpected that she wasn’t sure how to process it.
“I have three sisters,” he corrected. “Enya’s the oldest. Well, I’m the oldest child, Enya’s the oldest daughter.”
“Is your entire family part of the rebellion? Are your parents still alive?”
He turned down an alley and backed into a parking place near the back door of what she presumed was his bar. The building was tall and narrow, the walls muffling the music until all that remained was the distinct bass beat.
“See if you can rouse him.” He pushed open the driver’s door and swung his long legs to the ground.
She unfastened her seat belt and turned around, kneeling on the seat so she could reach Kyle. Her hand trembled as she reached for his triangular head. Please God, let him still be alive. His fur was soft and warm, and he turned into her touch, slowly opening his eyes.
Jake lowered the window then dropped the tailgate. “Can you move?” Kyle made a low rumbling sound and Jake looked up and down the alley. “It’s clear.” He turned and pulled open the door to the bar then swept his arm toward the opening. “Go for it.” Had Jake actually understood that sound or were Therians telepathic? Kyle paused to nudge her hand then turned in a tight, rather awkward half-circle and leapt out the back of the SUV. “Want me to grab your stuff?”
It took her a second to realize Jake had been talking to her. “I can get it, but thanks.” Jake closed up the back as she gathered the backpack and Kyle’s jacket. “Oh my God. I forgot his pants.”
“Ron and Steve will go through the Jeep before they abandon it. They’re very thorough. They’ll find anything you left behind.”
“How are they going to return if they abandon the Jeep and why did Kyle refer to them as your men?”
“They’ll call for a ride and I’m the highest-placed tiger among the rebel clan.” The SUV chirped as he locked the doors then motioned her inside. “You still have a lot to learn about your new world, but let’s make sure Kyle is recovering before we figure out our next move.”
She hadn’t forgotten about Kyle. She was just trying not to imagine how Enya would facilitate the energy transfer.
I need to be inside you to fully access your Therian energy. Kyle’s words had haunted her ever since she realized another woman would be feeding him.
Jake led her up a steep, narrow staircase to the top floor of the three-level building. “Do you live up here?”
“Enya does. My house is a few miles outside town.”
He led her to a bedroom halfway down the hall. A tall brunette in a black miniskirt and stiletto boots knelt next to Kyle, who was lying on his side again. “What the hell happened to him?” Her smoky-green gaze shot from Jake to Ava and back. “It’s like he’s been sucked dry.”
“I’ll explain later. Can you feed him or not?”
“Is she the one everyone’s been searching for?”
Ava didn’t understand the bitterness in the other woman’s tone, but her resentful scowl was pretty hard to misinterpret.
“Enya, focus,” Jake snapped. “Kyle needs you now. The details can wait.”
“Then take her downstairs. I won’t work with an audience.”
At Jake’s urging, Ava left the backpack and Kyle’s coat on the floor and followed him down a different flight of stairs. The music grew progressively louder with each step they descended. “How did she know we were coming? Are all Therians telepathic?”
His only reply was a secretive smile.
Ava had expected a claustrophobic dance club with gyrating bodies and flashy décor. Instead the ground floor spread out to either side of the main building, creating an open, casual atmosphere. A spacious dance floor took up most of the center section. Pool tables were off to the right and a restaurant was situated on the left.
“You own three connecting units in downtown Aspen? Were your ancestors Tabors or something?” Only a silver baron could afford this sort of real estate in a resort town.
He flashed another mysterious smile. “My family settled in the area long before the rich and famous came here to ski.” Motioning toward the restaurant, he asked, “Are you hungry?” He slipped out of his black leather jacket and handed it to a passing waitress. “Throw that in my office for me.”