Stray Cats [High-Country Shifters 2] (2 page)

Lara chuckled. “Go try on some of these clothes.”

For the next half hour, Sella pulled on one outfit after another. “I can’t imagine wearing so many layers at once.” She was already sweating from putting them on and taking them off. Good thing they were more or less the same size, except she was three inches taller than Lara. The only issue came when she put on the pants.

“Remember, it’s cold. Your blood is probably thin from living in this temperate climate.”

“I’ve been up in the mountains, so I understand cold.”

“Good.” Once she removed the outer gear, Lara brought in a trash bag. “I hope you can carry all of this.”

“I’m thinking I’ll hide the bag in the woods and change right before I cross over.” She carried the bag down the hallway.

Lara went back to the kitchen and poured another glass of water. “You want something to drink?”

“No. Do you think my brothers know that Malik and Cavon go to Spirit on a regular basis?” She prayed their devil-may-care attitudes wouldn’t be the death of them.

She laughed. “Taryn and Kellum are head of security. They better know everything that is going on in this world.” She held up a finger. “If you do manage to make it to Spirit, you’ll need some money.”

Lara disappeared again but returned quickly. “Here’s my credit card, along with a number for a padlock that houses more money and clothes. Oh, yeah.” She dug in her pocket again. “Here’s my driver’s license. We kind of look alike, but you’ll have to say you highlight your hair now.”

Three inches wasn’t exactly the same height, and she had dark-blonde hair compared to Lara’s brown locks. This was getting more complicated every second, but she was determined to give it a try. She hugged Lara. “Thank you.” She wasn’t sure what else to say.

Am I really going to do this?

She so wanted to go.

“You’ll need a place to stay. I’ll write you a note for Amy Thornton. She’s the manager at the High-Country Inn. She’ll fix you up. If you want to experience human living, perhaps you could get a job at a shoe store.”

All Sella sold at her store were sandals and an occasional hiking boot. It might be a disaster if she had to talk about the differences in the hiking boots. “I used to bartend. That might be a better job.” She didn’t know if the drinks were the same, but perhaps she could carry the drinks from the bar to the tables instead of mixing them.

Lara grinned. “That’s perfect.”

With her housing issue most likely solved, this adventure was taking shape nicely.

“Not that I don’t love having you visit, but I’m anticipating your brothers returning any moment. If you want to go undetected, you might want to leave now.”

Sella hugged her good-bye. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”

“Just stay safe.”

Sella picked up the bag of clothes and headed to the front door. Once she opened it, she looked around the forest. She didn’t sense the men were anywhere near, so she stepped onto the elevator platform and went down to ground level.

Knowing exactly where she was going to stash her goods, she headed off to the site. There was a small cave on the edge of lion territory that she bet no one would find. She rarely wandered this far without a male escort, but desperate times called for desperate measures. When she reached the cave without incident, her blood pressure lowered. She hadn’t realized how tense she’d been. To make sure she was alone, she’d constantly scanned the area for wolves but detected none. After she put the bag in the cave, she placed some downed branches over the top to better hide it. If it came time to cross through the point and her clothes were gone, she would freeze to death.

Not wanting to stay here any longer than necessary, she eased out of the cave, checking once more for unwanted creatures. She had a phobia about snakes, but those creatures could be anywhere. Real wolves didn’t bother her half as much as the stupid shifter wolves, as they were downright mean. She was still in lion territory, so the wolves better leave her alone.

She hadn’t gone more than a hundred feet when the hair on the back of her neck prickled.

Shit. They’re near
.

Running would only encourage real wolves, but from the way her stomach was churning, these were those damned shifters. As she continued toward her home, her sixth sense picked up more intense vibrations. These were definitely shifter wolves, and they were getting close. She spun around and tried to spot them. Nothing moved, not even the leaves on the trees.

Growing up she’d been taught one thing. Wolves couldn’t climb trees, but she sure could. If they wanted to get her, they’d have to shift. At least then she might be able to reason with them. Her rueful chuckle came out too loud. Who was she kidding? Wolves never listened to reason.

Many of the trees were pines, which wouldn’t hold her weight, but the oaks were made for climbing. She spotted the perfect tree fifty feet away. Keeping an even stride, she made it to the tree just as she heard the growls.
Crap
. Her heart skipped a beat despite knowing that if they smelled fear, they’d attack faster.

Inhale then exhale. Stay calm.

The lowest branch was above her head. She crouched then jumped up and grabbed the limb. The best she could do was swing her legs up and thread them between her arms. While the wolves might not be able to reach her hanging upside down, this wasn’t a position she wanted to find herself in. Why did she have to stash her gear this close to wolf territory?
Dumb, dumb, dumb.

She bet she could have left her stuff with Malik and Cavon, but she hadn’t thought of that. Until Lara arrived in Anterra, her wanderlust hadn’t been overly strong. It was too late now for a do-over. She was up a tree with nowhere to go.

After inching her way toward the trunk, she strained her stomach muscles to help pull her upper body to a point where she could grab the next branch.
Got it
. Out of breath, she waited until her legs were steady enough, and willing enough, to stand up on the branch so she could climb higher.

Growls resonated all around her.
Skelak.
The wolves had arrived. She glanced down through the leaves at their upturned faces. Their brown eyes confirmed they were shifters. Regular wolves didn’t scare her, but if any of these really wanted her, all he had to do was shift into a man and climb after her.

“Go away.” She had a few more choice words she wanted to toss at them, but she kept those to herself. No need to incite any of them further.

They probably recognized she was Taryn and Kellum’s sister. Capturing her would bring her siblings into their den, which would signal their death. She couldn’t let these wolves get her for more than one reason. A wave of despair filled her veins, and panic froze her limbs.

Move. No matter what, don’t let them capture you.

With trembling legs and slippery palms, she climbed up onto the next higher branch, closed her eyes, and tried to focus on sending a message of help. While the women of Anterra didn’t possess the ability to speak telepathically like the men, their psychic abilities often enabled them to send signals. She prayed Malik and Cavon were on perimeter duty. The wolves wouldn’t be interested in them. It was too good to hope that a bear shifter would be nearby, but because there were so few of them left, it was unlikely. The wolves would run for sure if that giant arrived.

“Well, well, who do we have here?”

Her heart dropped to her stomach as she looked down at someone she guessed had been a wolf. She refused to answer. Blood pounded in her brain, and an intense ache stabbed her eye. She swallowed hard to keep the air flowing into her lungs.

The evil-looking man stepped back as if to get a better view. “Boys, I think we hit the jackpot. Now come down, young lady, and don’t make me climb up there after you.”

She weighed her limited options. If all five of the wolves shifted, they could easily capture her. If she climbed higher, she chanced stepping on a branch that wouldn’t hold her and possibly would result in her breaking a lot of body parts. Either way, she might die.

Being a hundred pounds less than the shifter helped. If she climbed out onto a thin limb, he couldn’t follow. However, the branch might break. That option almost seemed preferable to being taken captive. She’d heard horror stories about what vicious wolves did to unsuspecting women.

Where are you?
She sent out another silent signal. At least the wolves couldn’t understand the lion telepathy—or so she hoped.

The bastard at the bottom grabbed the bottom limb and pulled himself up. “I’m coming after you.”

Stars formed on the inside of her lids, and her vision blurred. Her arms wobbled on the limbs. The wolves growled, and the man stilled. He’d placed one foot on the first limb when he looked behind him and dropped to the ground.

She froze.
What just happened?
Her vision was blocked by the branches, but the flash of light confirmed the man had shifted back into a wolf. That meant only one thing. Someone had heard her plea.

Yes!

Leaves and twigs crunched as a few lions let out loud roars. She pumped a fist.
Please don’t let it be Taryn and Kellum.
Though at this point, she was happy anyone came to save her.

Two lions sped underneath her. Given her restricted view, she couldn’t tell who they were, but from their scent it wasn’t her brothers. She could taste her relief. Instead of the fight she’d feared, the wolves raced off. They probably decided it wasn’t worth it for some, if not all, to die today. Taryn, she knew, could take down three or four wolves by himself.

Her heart slammed against her chest until she was convinced the evil animals had gone. Since the men couldn’t communicate with her in their lion form, they shifted into men and gazed up through the branches. Her legs weakened from relief, and she sat on the branch.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Malik scowled at her.

She inhaled, knowing she needed their help if she wanted to cross into Spirit. “Let me get down, and I’ll tell you.” Thank goodness it was her two best friends. They’d understand her need to explore.

She made it to the first branch but couldn’t quite figure out how to get the seven feet to the ground.

Malik held out his arms. “I’ll catch you.”

She knew he couldn’t stay mad for long. If she hadn’t grown up with these two and thought of them as brothers, she’d have been thrilled that two such handsome men had saved her. “You sure?”

Cavon joined him. “If he misses, I’ve got you for sure.”

That made her laugh. She sat on the branch and pushed off. Sure enough they easily caught her. “I’ll tell you everything on the way back.”

Both men shook their heads as if they couldn’t believe she’d been so reckless, but at least they didn’t deliver a lecture. She’d given herself a stern one during those minutes in the tree.

After they got close to one of the underground rail doorways, they stopped. “Spill.” Malik placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I was hiding some clothes in the cave.”

He cocked a brow. “Why?”

She looked at the ground for a second. “I heard you two talking about going over to Spirit. I want to come.”

“No.” There was no hesitation in his voice.

She was afraid they wouldn’t agree. She’d be reliant on them for finding the alignment point to come back, too, which would add extra time to their stay. Knowing them, they wouldn’t want the responsibility, but since they were such good friends, she might be able to convince them. She was well aware that they lived their lives from day to day and from adventure to adventure. At least Malik did. Cavon was a lot more responsible than his older brother.

“I only need you to help me get to the other side. I can take it from there.” She pulled the credit card and note from her pocket. “Look at this. It will buy us whatever we want.”

The two examined the card. “You got money?”

“Yes, and an introduction to Amy, a friend of Lara’s. She might give me a place to stay.” She couldn’t help but smile. “So will you help me?”

Malik rubbed his chin in an exaggerated fashion as if he were trying to find a way to stop her. “What will your parents say?”

She’d figured that out on her way to the cave. “I’m going to tell them that Madra and I are going to spend a week or two in the mountains. I’ve been there before on vacation, so they should buy that. I’m thirty years old. They can’t really say no.”

“And your store?”

They weren’t going to make it easy, but she appreciated they were looking out for her. “I’ll ask Rein to cover for me. She works there part time and can handle the work for a couple of days.” Cavon and Malik hadn’t said they’d help her. “You willing to take me?”

Malik looked over at Cavon. “You think you can swing a second room at the hotel for us?”

Her pulse soared. “That’s what credit cards are for, right?” She prayed Lara wouldn’t mind.

They laughed. “Okay, but you know when we want to return we’ll have to come out every day until the alignment point is where you can access it.” If they could stay in lion form, they could climb a tree and leap through. She couldn’t do that.