Amber Eyes (Amber Eyes #1)(49)

Aliyah sighed, and then her gaze found Duncan’s. Whatever it was he saw in his wife’s eyes, he didn’t like it.

“Oh no, Aliyah. Hell, no. Don’t you dare.”

She ignored him, rising as she started to pull at her clothes. Duncan descended on his wife, hiding her from the others’ view as her clothes fell away.

Kaya watched in fascination as Aliyah dropped to the floor, her body contorting. She couldn’t remember seeing another person shift before, and now she realized how she must look to Hunter and Jericho. No wonder they watched her in such agony.

Duncan whirled around, his gun drawn, his eyes cold as ice. “Make one move toward her and it’ll be your last.”

A cheetah arose where Aliyah had fallen. The cat padded over to Kaya and rubbed against her leg. Her childhood playmate. Kaya dropped to the floor on her knees and threw her arms around the cheetah’s neck. Her purrs filled the room, and she licked Kaya’s cheek.

Kaya buried her face in the cheetah’s fur and held on as tears slid down her cheeks.

The men weren’t unmoved by the sight. Duncan slowly put away his pistol and Jericho and Hunter both moved forward, their faces softening as Kaya wept.

The cheetah waited patiently as Kaya clung to her sleek body. When her sobs quieted to silent hiccups, the cheetah retreated and went back to the shelter of Duncan’s body. Shielding her from the others, Duncan waited as she shifted back to human form, and then he hastily helped her into her clothing.

Aliyah returned to the couch and held out her arms to Kaya. The two women embraced, both crying noisily while the men looked on in discomfort.

“How did she know?”Hunter asked Duncan as they watched over their women.

“She scented Kaya on me and freaked. Demanded I bring her up here immediately.”His expression grew serious. “Her folks are good people, Hunter. They didn’t willingly abandon Kaya. They thought they’d lost one child, and they didn’t want to lose another.”

Hunter just nodded as he and Jericho continued to watch over Kaya.

Aliyah pulled away and smoothed Kaya’s hair from her face. “It’s funny. You’re the older sister, but I’ve always felt as though you were the younger. Even when we were children. I guess I didn’t look out for you well enough, though,”she said sadly. “How did you survive, Kaya? Where did you go?”

“It’s not your fault,”Kaya said in a low voice. “I haven’t lived much in the human world. I spent most of my time in cougar form. Until I met Hunter and Jericho, I rarely shifted to human.”

Aliyah stole a glance at the two men hovering so closely to Kaya. “Are they good to you, Kaya? Did one of them father your child?”

Kaya almost smiled at her sister’s surly tone. “They are very good to me, and they are both the father of my daughter.”

Aliyah gasped softly. “Daughter?”

Kaya nodded. “She will be a great silver wolf.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful,”Aliyah said as her eyes teared up all over again. “Mama and Papa are going to be so happy.”

“How is it that you’re all so different?”Jericho asked in a bewildered tone. “Your mother is an eagle, your father a bear. It doesn’t make sense.”

Duncan grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. “Why don’t we step outside and let the girls do some catching up and I’ll tell you all about the family you’re taking on.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Kaya was still awake as dawn crept over the sky. She sat on the porch steps watching as the earth came to life around her. Birds sang, and the rustling of smaller animals in the undergrowth could be heard as they set about their day.

The air was still chilled enough that she could see her breath escaping in a small cloud, and she wrapped the blanket tighter around her.

A family. She had a family. And they hadn’t abandoned her. It was hard for her to change her way of thinking after believing for so long that they hadn’t wanted her.

She couldn’t remember her mother and father, try as she might. Had she blocked them out on purpose? She could clearly remember Aliyah, but could not conjure images of the people who had given her life.

The door opened behind her, and Jericho stepped outside. He eased awkwardly down onto the steps beside her and handed her a cup of hot chocolate. She smiled as she took it. One of the things she’d developed an intense craving for was sweets, and the hot, sweet drink was one of her favorites.

“You shouldn’t be out here, honey.”

She looked in concern at the lines on his face. “Neither should you.”

“I was worried about you,”he said quietly. “How are you handling everything?”

She sipped the chocolate and stared out over the rugged terrain. “I don’t know,”she said truthfully. “It’s all a little hard to comprehend.”

“We’ll take you to Alaska if that’s what you want.”

She immediately shook her head. “No. I don’t want to leave here.”She turned back to look at him again. “I know it sounds silly, but I feel safe here, and I don’t want to go back to the place I found empty so many years ago. It holds too many unhappy memories.”

Jericho touched her cheek and then leaned in to kiss her forehead. “Then we’ll stay here. Your folks can come visit you whenever they like.”