Chapter Seven
“Shh, Lyra,” Aleksy said as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. “I’ve got you.”
He held her tightly, hating the panicked sounds she made. He’d never fathomed his bite would heal her hearing. He knew his genetic makeup was different even from other shifters thanks to whatever the hunters had done to him as a newborn before discarding him with the trash—thanks to them and the man who’d saved his life. Aleksy knew he needed to reach out to that man for the answers he and Lyra needed.
He picked his phone up and thumbed up Sandman.
“Can’t discuss this over the phone,” Tony said when he answered. “Get your ass down here so I can go over what I’ve found. Or should I say who.”
Aleksy figured he was speaking of Blane and his men. As much as Aleksy wanted to get his hands on Blane, it would have to wait. “I need you up here. There’s been a…development. We’ll have to put in a call.”
“Ephraim?” Tony asked.
“Yes,” Aleksy agreed.
“Making the call as I head up,” Tony vowed.
“Bring some earplugs,” Aleksy ordered. “And be quick.”
He hung up before Tony could question then focused on Lyra once more.
“Focus on my voice, love. Only me. Let everything else fall away. Just you and me. We’re an island.”
He had no idea how overwhelming it must be to go from a lifetime of silence to suddenly hearing. He could only imagine. He wasn’t even sure if it was what she heard that had her panicked or the realization that she could hear. Even worse, he wasn’t sure how to fix it for her. If her animal senses were kicking in, earplugs would only block so much. Had his antibodies been the culprit? Or had his beast awakened hers? Was that it? Her animal had finally arisen within her and was healing her. They’d find out soon. He figured it was just a matter of time before Lyra shifted into her beast. He couldn’t wait to see the animal she held inside.
I hear your heartbeat.
Lyra’s voice filled his head, and he glanced down to see she’d removed her hands from her ears. Her eyes were closed, her lashes a dark brush against the cream of her skin.
I feel it. I’ve always been able to pick up the vibrations of sound through touch. Know the words spoken by reading lips. But I hear it now. A strong, steady thumping I find calming.
“Then listen, love. Use any part of me you need to. I’m yours.”
She clung to him, her ear flat against his chest. Two of her fingers tapped against him, mimicking the rhythm of his heart, and slowly, he felt her tension fade.
There was a brief knock at the door then Tony opened it and stepped inside.
“Whoa, kids, let’s get some clothes on or cover up or something.” He flipped around so he faced the wall. “I didn’t see anything, Costas. I’d like to keep my insides on the inside, thank you very much.”
Aleksy shook his head and pulled the sheet up over them, tucking it under Lyra’s arms so it would stay put. He watched as she blinked her eyes open and glanced toward Tony.
“Lyra, this is Tony Sandoval.”
She nodded her head. Is he your friend?
“Yes,” Aleksy answered.
Tony lifted a brow. “Are you two communicating in your head? Because that’s really rude when there’s someone else in the room.”
Aleksy felt Lyra smile against him.
I like him.
“Don’t let him fool you,” Aleksy warned. “He’s a pain in the ass ninety-nine percent of the time.”
“I know you’re not talking about me,” Tony said, walking over to them and sitting on the other side of the bed. He moved so he leaned back against the headboard, crossing his ankles and lifting his hands to cup the back of his head. “I’ve saved his ass more times than I can count. He loves me, Ms. Esponetti, but don’t be jealous. I’m pretty sure I’m not his type.”
Lyra laughed, and the sound warmed Aleksy’s soul.
“So, what have you told her about everything?” Tony asked then glanced over at them and cleared his throat. “Never mind. I’m guessing words weren’t the top priority once you woke up. Which, by the way, you look amazing. Seems the big guy’s little antibodies healed you up. Side’s good? Bones all healed?”
Lyra nodded.
“She’s healed,” Aleksy answered.
“I…can…hear…” Lyra’s words were slow as if she were uncertain of the sounds she made.
Tony reached into his pocket and held up a packet containing earplugs. “Guessing that’s why I was ordered to bring these up” He held them out to her, and she gingerly reached forward to take them. Tony captured her fingers, giving them a squeeze. “I’m your friend, too. You can trust me.”
“I can vouch for him,” Aleksy agreed. “He’s also someone who can help us figure out your question.”
“What question’s that?” Tony asked.
“Lyra’s never heard speech before.”
Tony nodded and lifted his hands out to the sides. “That would make sense since she’s been deaf.”
“No.” Aleksy shook his head. “She’s never heard anyone speak, but she can understand every word we’re saying.”
Tony glanced at Lyra, and she nodded.
“Hmm, I have my suspicions, and we’ll discuss those in more depth once you’re up and around. For now, just understand there’s something inside you that’s helping you understand. At least, that’s my guess.” Tony’s face softened. “You look tired.”
Taking a beating will do that to you.
Aleksy heard the humor in Lyra’s voice, but he didn’t feel it. He felt rage. His gaze met Tony’s, and Aleksy could tell his friend sensed his thoughts because Tony’s gaze turned lethal.
“We will hunt down and kill every one of the men who hurt you. I swear it to you. Blood for blood. Bone for bone. They will suffer.”
“You…sound…like…him…” Lyra said, patting Aleksy’s chest.
Tony shrugged. “We’ve been accused of sharing a brain once or twice, but nothing you can prove.” His gaze flicked between Aleksy and Lyra before settling on her once more. “Now, what can I tell you? Hit me with all the questions, and I’ll answer them to the best of my ability.”
“Did you reach Ephraim?” Aleksy asked.
“Wily bastard is already close. Said he sensed you’d need him, followed your spirit trail or some shit like that. I’ve been around you guys for a long time, but that man scares me. You don’t leave a trail of any kind. I still think he has a tracker on you somewhere.”
Aleksy shook his head. “There’s no tracker. He’s a unique man. If he says he followed some trail to me, then he did.”
“Who?” Lyra asked.
“Orsai Ephraim,” Aleksy told her. “He…saved my life. Put me back together and healed me. He’s…” He paused not sure how to describe Orsai to her.
“He’s family,” Tony finished.
“You’re my family,” Aleksy argued.
“And don’t you forget it,” Tony agreed. “But Ephraim’s blood. Literally. Our boy here was left for dead when he was born. Ephraim found him.”
What happened to you? Lyra’s head tilted toward him, her gaze filled with concern.
“I was born in a hunter’s lab,” Aleksy told her then snorted. “Though born isn’t really the word I’d use to describe my arrival. My mother was captured when she tried to rescue my father from a group of hunters—men who wanted to kill him,” he explained at the look in her eyes.
Like the ones who wanted to kill me?
“Yes,” Aleksy confirmed. “They killed him and took her with them. I’m told that because she was pregnant, they wanted to study her. She was tortured and killed. They took me from her while her body was still warm, made an incision to check out and tinker with my insides then discarded me with the day’s garbage.”
“Thankfully, there was a watcher inside. She managed to get Aleksy to Ephraim.”
“Watcher?” Lyra asked.
“That’s me and mine,” Tony answered. “We’ve been around as long as your kind have been. Shifters and watchers go hand-in-hand. We…watch for lack of a better word. At some point, we stopped passively observing and took a bigger role. We began infiltrating different groups of hunters. Stepping in when we could to protect shifters, and keeping records of everything along the way.”
She shook her head. “Not…my kind.”
Tony glanced at Aleksy. He knew Tony had suspected Lyra didn’t know or the other man would have told her he thought her animal was the reason she could understand the words she heard.
“We haven’t covered that topic yet.” He’d mentioned a few things, but then they’d been making love, and it had all fallen away as he’d lost himself inside her.
Tony cleared his throat and lifted his brows as if to point out the obvious in the room. Aleksy and Lyra were both naked under the sheet, and the smell of sex permeated the air. Tony didn’t need to be a shifter to understand what they’d been doing rather than talking.
“I see,” Tony said. “Let me give you a little background, Lyra. Legend tells of a time when a tribe of nomadic people lived on the African plains. They were strong and fierce warriors, taking only what they needed from nature and always giving back. The Great Creator smiled down on the people and decided to give them a gift to show his pride in them.
“Each member of the tribe would be blessed with a spirit guide who would share their form and allow them to shift at will from animal to man. They became the paka watu or cat people. The tribe leader accepted the spirit of the lion and lay the foundation for his pride. They kept it quiet, understanding the need for secrecy about what they had become, but it didn’t matter. Betrayal came from within the pride. Hunters came and wiped out many of them, including the leader. There’s more to the story. Two sons, one the hero and one the villain. Two wives, both loved, and a third woman, scorned. Always gotta watch out for those. They’ll screw you every time. Anyway, legend says they scattered under the order of the youngest son, a man named Tau. Their animal sides were repressed and often lost through generations. Shifters lived normal lives, never knowing the secret that lay within them. Such as you, Lyra.”
She tensed against Aleksy, and he wrapped his arms tighter around her.
“I bet you’ve spent your whole life feeling different, and I’m not speaking of your previous lack of hearing. I’m talking about that sense of other deep inside you. One I’m willing to bet you were warned to ignore.”
Lyra gasped and pushed slightly away from Aleksy.
“How?” she asked, eyes wide.
“Because I’ve seen it a lot,” Tony answered. “We both have.”
Aleksy nodded when she looked at him. “Too many of our kind have been taught to repress what they are, to ignore the call of their beast. Too many have no clue who and what they are. It makes them easy for the hunters to pick off. We try to find them first. To help them. Protect them.”
“Me?”
“Yes, we were sent to find you. Tony got word there was a shifter in Chicago that one of the hunters we’ve been after had taken an interest in. Marcus Blane.”
She shuddered, and Aleksy pulled her close again.
“He’s been under the radar for too long,” Tony added. “We went on alert when he resurfaced.”
“We came for you as soon as we had an idea of where to look,” Aleksy vowed.
She put her fingers against his lips.
I know you did. I ran. You were there to save me, and I chose to run. That’s on me. You’re not responsible for what happened to me.
“I will make sure Marcus Blane and those with him pay for it though,” Aleksy promised.
“We will,” Tony agreed. “But we’ve got another situation to handle first.”
“What?” Aleksy growled.
“Remember when I encouraged you to go to Oklahoma, meet the members of the new pride that’s forming?”
Aleksy nodded.
“No need to go to Oklahoma. Seems we’ve got a group of them on their way here.” Tony’s gaze dropped to Lyra. “The leader says your mate sent out an SOS.”
“Lyra?” Aleksy questioned.
How would I have sent out a cry for help?
“I heard you,” Aleksy told her. “I heard you in my head, asking me to come to you and save you. I saw where you were as clear as if I were seeing it through my own eyes. It’s how we knew exactly where to find you.”
Tony nodded in agreement, though he only heard Aleksy’s side of the conversation.
I pictured you and the man I saw in the club. When I was… When they were… I pictured the two of you when I was hoping someone would save me.
“I heard you, so chances are he did, too,” Aleksy commented.
“Speaking of hearing you, I really want to know more about how you were able to connect with Aleksy before the two of you were officially mated. How could you connect with Utah Pearce, the leader of one hell of a pride, while he was in Oklahoma and you were here? I’ve never heard of that happening with another shifter. I have so many questions for you, but first you need to get prepared.”
Prepared?
“Prepared for what?” Aleksy questioned, echoing her thought.
“One of the shifters heading this way is Reno Esponetti,” Tony stated, gaze on Lyra. “Your brother.”