Into the Mist (Falcon Mercenary Group #1)(45)

Braden looked up, his expression brooding. “Give yourself a break, man. Nothing happened.”

“I saw you, Ian,” Eli said quietly. “You were protecting him. From me. From Tyana. We wouldn’t have been able to get close to him. Whether or not you retain any of yourself when you become the jaguar, your instincts obviously remain intact. You never made a move to hurt him.”

Hope and relief flared in Ian’s eyes and then he glanced sideways at Braden. “I’d thought I’d gotten better at controlling it and only letting go when I knew it was safe. Last night, though, it just came out of nowhere. I felt threatened. I remember feeling like Braden was threatened.”

Eli rubbed his chin then dragged a hand through his hair. “My fault, I think. This shit with Tyana, drawing her here. You were probably reacting to the potential threat. It was a mistake,” he admitted. “I didn’t stop to think about what it would do to you two.”

“So is she?” Braden broke in. “A threat?”

Eli shook his head. “We’ll hash it out over breakfast. I’m asking you to trust me in this.”

Ian nodded his acceptance as did Braden.

They were interrupted when Gabe ambled in, barefooted as usual, wearing a dingy T-shirt with a smartass saying on it and tattered jeans.

“You guys okay?” he asked. “I couldn’t help but overhear that something went down last night.”

“Yeah, we’re good,” Braden said.

Gabe looked uncomfortable and regret pooled in his eyes. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here. I should have been. I was pissed at Eli and took off. It won’t happen again.”

“You’re not our babysitter,” Ian said sourly. “You can’t be around us all the time. This is something we have to figure out and deal with on our own.”

Gabe shrugged. “Yeah, I know. I hear you. But if something had happened…look, we’ve been together a long time. I owe you more than you got from me yesterday.”

Eli held his hands up. “Let it go, man. We’ve got a situation to deal with here.”

They all looked up when Tyana walked hesitantly into the kitchen. While her expression clearly said don’t f**k with me, her demeanor was less certain.

Gabe folded his arms over his chest and watched her intently as she skated closer to Eli. Then her gaze went to Ian and Braden.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

They looked surprised by her question, but they both nodded.

She pulled out a small aerosol canister from her pocket, the same one she’d used on Eli in Singapore. She fiddled with it a little nervously then looked back up at the brothers.

“This might help. At first. It didn’t work on Eli, and I assumed that you guys would all be stable like him.”

Eli frowned. “What exactly is it?”

“It’s an inhibitor created by the doctor we brought in for Damiano. At first it prevented his shifts when he felt them coming on. We also inject a stronger dosage when necessary.”

“At first?” Ian asked with a frown.

Tyana gave him an unhappy look. “Over time he’s built a resistance to it, so we’re exploring other options.”

“Try it out on me,” Gabe volunteered.

Eli shot him a sharp glance.

Gabe shrugged. “I can control when I shift. It didn’t work on you, but who’s to say it won’t work on me?”

“You’re not going to be a f**king guinea pig for us,” Braden growled. “How the hell do we know what’s really in that thing?”

“You have no reason to trust me any more than I trust you,” Tyana said simply. “I offered it because I’ve seen Damiano in the same place I saw you and Ian in last night. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

Gabe spread his hands. “Eli says you’re not a threat. So let’s have it.”

Shit. This wasn’t something he wanted to happen. But Eli couldn’t say a whole lot or he risked exposing his own secrets. He could only pray that it wouldn’t work on Gabe either.

Gabe moved to stand in front of Tyana. He took in a deep breath. “You’ll have to be quick. Once I start to shift, I’m pretty much gone. Now you see me, now you don’t.”

His body rippled once and then he started to fade from view. Tyana raised the canister and glanced at Eli, uncertainty flashing in her eyes. Then she sprayed it in Gabe’s direction.

The result was instantaneous. He jerked back to form, swayed then looked at Tyana in astonishment. He closed his eyes in heavy concentration as he obviously tried to establish his invisibility. Nothing happened.

“Holy f**k,” he whispered. “It worked. I can’t shift.”

Tyana’s brow crinkled in consternation, and she looked at Eli. Everyone was looking at Eli.

“Why didn’t it work on you, then?” she asked. “I don’t understand.”

“I don’t know,” he lied. “Why are Gabe and I stable and not the others? This shit doesn’t seem to have a rhyme or reason.”

Tyana turned her attention back to Gabe. “You can conjure clothing like Eli and yet Ian and Braden don’t have that ability.”

Gabe shook his head. “Not exactly.”

“What do you mean not exactly?”