Karri

She came to slowly, in fits and spurts, until finally she was awake enough to make sense of what she was seeing, her brain finally becoming receptive to what her eyes were showing it. A moment later the connection with her mind followed, and she remembered everything that had led up to that point. The intruder, the fight through her house, and being hit in the back with a table leg. Even now her back still ached, fighting with her head to see which hurt worse.

Bringing her hand up to her face, she felt along her forehead. “Ow,” she winced, finding a bump over her right eye. “That’s gonna leave a mark.”

Wait. I can use my hands. That means I’m not restrained. Karri tested her legs, finding that they moved freely as well. She sat up, looking around her cell.

“It’s a bedroom.”

Her eyes narrowed in suspicious confusion. It was a nice bedroom at that. White linens on the bed where she’d lain, curtains fluttering in the breeze from a large open window. Thick, plush beige carpet underneath tickled at her toes as she stood up, sinking into the rich material just enough to make her feel comfortable.

Built-in bookshelves lined the walls, filled with knickknacks and tchotchkes and the like. The whitewashed shelves contained no books. The door to the room was open, so she moved out into the hallway, exploring her surroundings.

“This is weird. Why kidnap me just to let me roam around freely?”

Karri poked her head into all the other rooms, looking out through one window and realizing that she was on the second floor. Turning a corner, she saw one last room and the stairs. Finishing her search, she confirmed that there was no one on the upper floor with her.

“Well, I guess I may as well go downstairs.”

Now I’m talking to myself.

With a shrug she descended the steps slowly, keeping her ears open for the sounds of anyone else in the house. But all that greeted her was silence. She explored the downstairs, noticing the opulent furniture and decorations, the expensive appliances in the kitchen. Wherever she was, it was really, really nice. There weren’t all that many places like this in Cloud Lake; it was much more of a working person’s town.

Outside the sun dipped low enough that it began to beam directly through the front of the house, spilling light onto the floor. Curiously she pulled open the fridge. It was stocked full with fruit, vegetables, drinks, and anything else she could conceivably need.

“This is getting weird.”

“There’s nothing to be weirded out over,” a voice assured her.

Karri spun to see the shifter who had invaded her house coming through the front door. He’d entered so silently she’d never heard the door open.

“Yeah, sorry, not buying into that. You came, kidnapped me, and are keeping me here. Why should I not be weirded out over the fact that you’re giving me an entire house as a prison cell?”

“It’s really quite simple, you know. We want to make your stay as comfortable as possible. We’re not out to hurt you. We don’t give a shit about you, to be completely honest. You’re simply a means to an end.” He shrugged, moving into the house fully, closing and locking the door behind him.

Karri noticed the long red line on his right palm as he took off his jacket, smiling to herself in satisfaction at his injury. That had to have hurt.

“Why do you have me?” she asked, fishing for information, even though Andrew had already explained to her the likely reason behind their interest in her.

“You know why. We need him to resign and nominate Al as his successor. He wasn’t going to do that willingly, so we simply acquired the necessary…leverage, I suppose you might say, to ensure that he does.”

“That doesn’t make sense though. You sent him out here to get rid of him. This position was basically seen as exile, no? Why the sudden change of heart?”

There had to be a reason behind their desire for Andrew’s position. Whatever it was, he hadn’t really known why, but maybe she could get this guy to spill some beans. It sure beat sitting around helplessly, that was for sure.

“We all make mistakes,” he said conversationally. “That was one of ours. We underestimated how lucrative the position could be given the right person at the helm. It was an error, but one that shall soon be corrected.”

Karri laughed, drawing a look from her captor. “Sometimes we’re not so different, you and I,” she said. “Greed infects us all. Neither human nor shifter is immune to it apparently.”

“Is it greed if we’re collecting our just dues?” he asked calmly.

“Oh boy. Greed and delusion. Now we’re getting somewhere!” she barked.

The man’s expression darkened, but he didn’t reply to her taunt.

“So, are you one of the big wusses that wouldn’t fight in the war?” she asked. “You must be. One of those that Andrew made look really bad by coming to do the right thing even though your leaders backed out like a bunch of wimps? I hadn’t realized there were so many cowards among you.”

The shifter looked like he was about ready to kill her, but his phone began to buzz inside his jacket pocket. Karri looked at him for a long moment, feeling confident that they weren’t going to harm her in the end. “You going to answer that?” she asked, rolling her eyes and lifting a hand to point at his breast pocket.

Without taking his eyes off of her he stuck a hand into his jacket, pulled the phone out, and answered it. After listening for a moment the phone was shoved over to her.

“Don’t say anything stupid,” he threatened.

Karri took the phone.

“Hello? Karri? Are you there?” It was Andrew’s voice! Her heart soared as she realized he was looking for her.

“Andrew? Andrew is that you?” she asked, seeking confirmation that she wasn’t dreaming.

“Karri, listen to me very carefully,” he said. “Are you hurt? Have they harmed you?”

“No, not really,” she said. “Bit of a lump on my forehead, but that’s all. Andrew…I’m scared.” It was the truth. She was feeling confident that they weren’t going to kill her, but she was trapped alone in the house with a powerful shifter. If she hadn’t been afraid she would have questioned her sanity.

“It’ll be okay,” he promised her. “They can’t harm you if they expect me to do what they want.” He hesitated over his next words. “Karri, I need to know where you are.”

She thought rapidly on how to respond. What details could she give him to help him track her down? Her eyes roamed the house for a moment, and then she got it.

“I’m in a big house, really nice!” she shouted. “The sun is setting out the front door! Andrew I—”

The shifter’s hand came up and hit her in the head, spilling her to the floor. Somehow at the same time she managed to hold onto the phone. Through the ringing in her skull she heard him speaking. Karri thought she heard him say Andrew’s name, but the rest was hard to make out.

“Get up,” he ordered, reaching down and hauling her to her feet when she didn’t immediately do as commanded.

“Fuck you,” she spat, shaking off his arm and ignoring the pounding in her head where he’d hit her. “I’m never going to let him resign. You won’t get what you want.”

The shifter rolled his eyes. “You seriously think he’ll defy us while we have his mate? Are you stupid?”

Karri narrowed her eyes, looking at him. “His what?”

The shifter furrowed his eyebrows. Then they shot upward. “Oh. Oh he hasn’t told you? Ha! Hahaha. That is just too rich.” His booming laughter filled the house, assaulting her ears.

“What the hell are you talking about?” she snapped, trying not to let her temper get the best of her.

“You are his mate. His life partner. The person he will spend the rest of his life with. You do not know this?”

Karri breathed in and out deeply, trying to keep calm. “Obviously not, or I wouldn’t be asking you about it,” she said.

“You know…I am not an overtly cruel person by nature. Let me think on whether I wish to tell you this, or if I should just let you stew over it for a while, wondering what it means, and more importantly, why he hasn’t told you?” The shifter moved off into the house, still chuckling to himself.

“So what happens when he resigns?” she asked, changing subjects once more. “Do you kill me then?”

His head popped back around the corner down the hallway he’d taken. “What? No no. Don’t be absurd. Always about the killing and the death with you humans. Why would we do that?”

She snorted. “Because your type of shifters kill a lot?”

He paused to reflect. “True. But not in this case. Killing humans is just not a smart idea from our viewpoint. Anyway, there is food in the fridge, and drink as well. If you wish to order something, like pizza say, simply let me know and I’ll arrange it.”

“So gracious,” she muttered, looking around the huge estate once more.

Emerging from the kitchen he smiled, the look giving her shivers. “Otherwise, enjoy your stay.” Tossing an apple up and down in one hand he moved past her and then exited the house, locking the door behind him. Karri wasn’t sure why, since she could open it from the inside, but it mattered not.

Something weird was going on, but she couldn’t figure out just what it was. She was missing something, something big. This was the worst kidnapping job she’d ever read about. Who the hell gave someone the run of a house like this? That was just asking for them to escape. Andrew would come for her, she was positive. He’d be able to track her down and then he’d save her.

Because I’m his mate.

She thought about the word some more, spinning it around in her brain over and over again, unsure what to make of it. Why had her captor called her that? He’d said she was Andrew’s mate. Since they were obviously not referring to the first mate on a ship, it seemed likely they meant as a partner of the emotional and physical variety.

It was true, she’d had sex with him. They’d spent a lot of time together. But Karri wasn’t even willing to call him her boyfriend, let alone her mate. Was she?

Finding a couch she sat down in it, trying to puzzle out just who and what Andrew was to her. Only a naïve person would believe that there wasn’t something different about their relationship. It had formed quickly and smoothly, easily progressing from running partners to bed partners. There had been little to no hiccups along the way either. It felt good to be around him. She blushed, remembering their night together. It felt good to be with him too.

The concept of a mate was a shifter thing. Karri didn’t know a whole lot more than that, other than that it was supposedly something more than just a term. There was an actual...thing, to it. She didn’t know how to describe it.

But if Andrew knew, why didn’t he tell me? Why keep it from me?

Karri was big on trust and openness. Honesty was huge to her, and if it were true, she didn’t like the fact that he’d kept it from her, hiding the true nature of their relationship. What was the point behind that?

She lay back on the couch, resting her aching head on the back, looking up at the ceiling. Thinking on that subject more would have to wait until later, once her headache subsided. As she examined the roof, something in the corner caught her eye.

It was a video camera. Frowning, she sat up, examining the place once more. The cameras were everywhere. Nowhere was uncovered she realized after exploring the ground floor once more. An urge struck her, and as she made her way toward a particular room, she gave the cameras the finger.

They’d better not have one in the bathroom.