Into the Lair (Falcon Mercenary Group #2)(84)

“She’ll have us,” Braden said softly.

Jonah nodded, his expression easing.

“I think everyone is missing a very important question here,” Mad Dog said. “Was Esteban really a natural shifter or was he bat-shit crazy? Is it even possible? Does that change anything for Eli, D, Ian and Braden or is all hope for a cure gone?”

Eli propped his elbows on his knees and scrubbed at his face.

“Eli, don’t,” Tyana pleaded. “You don’t have to do this.”

He grimaced and then reached over to squeeze her hand. “Yeah, sugar, I do.”

He focused his weary gaze on Ian and Braden, regret brimming in his dark eyes.

“I’ve been lying to you guys for a long time.”

Katie glanced anxiously at Ian and Braden as confusion darkened their faces.

“What?” Braden asked.

“The chemical that turned you into cats…it didn’t affect me.”

“Of course it did,” Ian said. “Hell, I’ve seen you shift.”

“I was born a shifter,” Eli said quietly. “It’s a secret I’ve carried since I was ten years old. It just became easier to disguise after what happened in Adharji. I no longer had to hide my ability from you because suddenly I was provided an explanation. Gabe was stable so it didn’t stretch probability that I was too.”

“Holy f**k,” Mad Dog breathed. “Has the entire world gone crazy? That shit just doesn’t happen.”

“So Gabe was the only one who truly turned out the way Esteban envisioned?” Katie asked painfully.

“Apparently so,” Ian muttered.

Braden held up his hand. “Whether or not Esteban was a natural shifter is irrelevant. The f**ker is dead. What we need to be worried about is the fact that the son of a bitch gassed Katie.”

Ian nodded and then he turned to her again. “Does Marcus know?”

She nodded slowly.

“What did he suggest?”

She closed her eyes. “He said all I could do was wait and see. There’s nothing he can do.” Her voice cracked. “No tests he can run. No cure if I’m affected.”

Braden cursed and turned away, his fists rolled into tight balls against the couch.

Tyana stared across at her with a stricken expression. “I’m sorry, Katie.”

“We’re getting ahead of ourselves here,” Jonah said. “We don’t know that Katie will be affected. I say we don’t borrow trouble. Take it one day at a time.”

He glanced sorrowfully at Tyana. “We already knew that finding a cure was a long shot.”

Tyana looked away, tears brimming in her eyes.

“We can’t just give up,” Ian said fiercely. He gripped Katie’s hand and brought it to his lips. “We can beat this, Katie. What happened at the compound with Braden. Explain that. It was a breakthrough. Maybe a step forward.”

“You’re not alone,” Braden added as he took her other hand.

“Aren’t I?” she asked. “Sometimes I feel like I’ve always been alone. Gabe was all I had left, and now he’s gone. I have nothing to go back to.”

Ian and Braden went completely still next to her. She felt the stares of the entire group, and she shifted uncomfortably on the couch under their scrutiny.

“Maybe we should leave you three alone for a while,” Jonah said as he stood.

Eli helped Tyana to her feet. Mad Dog slid off the arm of the chair and ambled to the door. And then she was alone with Ian and Braden.

She leaned forward and buried her face in her hands. She was so tired. Her body still fought the effects of the chemical. Moving hurt, more than she let on. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sleep.

“You’re hurting,” Ian said quietly.

She nodded without opening her eyes.

“Katie, look at me,” Ian prompted.

She opened her eyes and turned her head to stare at him.

“I love you.”

Such powerful words. No one had ever said them to her before. They were staggering. She’d heard them, been flip about them, but hearing them now, directed at her…it shattered her.

“I love you,” Braden whispered next to her ear.

She turned, her breath held in her chest. She stared in wonder at him and then turned back to look at Ian.

“I—”

“Shhh.” Ian placed a finger gently over her lips. “Hear us out.”

Braden scooted up so that he was in her line of vision. Ian reached over and curled his fingers around her palm and stroked lightly with his thumb.

“We want you to go back to Argentina with us. CHR has a house there. A compound, really. Eli doesn’t have a need for it. His life is here with Tyana and Falcon.”

She swung her gaze back to Braden to gauge his reaction. There was calm in his expression. Sincerity.

“We want you with us, Katie.”

“But what if…what if I become—”

“What if you become what?” Ian prompted. “Like us?”

She nodded.

“Whatever happens, we’re going to be with you,” Braden said.

His voice slid over her, a promise she reached for and held tight.

“You won’t be left behind, Katie. Not ever again. Do you understand that? We want you with us. Always.”