Chapter 4

Alert was the only way to describe the feelings his cat was conveying right now as he walked along the perimeter of the fence. He didn’t want to stand in the middle of the common area in the center, that was leaving him too vulnerable. Opening the gate and coming in without an invitation better not come back to bite him.

If his anxious cat wasn’t bad enough, his skin prickled when he walked further along the fence and saw what was on the other side of it. Old half torn-down homes and a graveyard, one that was cared for regularly. That was something you didn’t see with shifters.

Turning away from the sad sight, he studied the largest building in the middle of four smaller homes and headed for it with quick steps. Hopefully, this would be resolved by simply knocking on the door and having someone answer it.

When he was ten feet from it a woman came around the corner. She had what appeared to be an old tablecloth slung over her shoulder and was wearing it like a toga wrap. Had she been one of the cats he’d seen? She was lovely, despite her manner of dress, dark hair, deep brown eyes, and flawless sun-darkened skin—and to his delight was nowhere close to being geriatric.

His cat was suddenly still. “Hi, I’m…” he trailed off when she raised a large, handcrafted spear and pointed it at him.

The dark-colored cat he’d seen in the bush stepped around her and stood to her side, crouched, ears back and teeth bared. “Uh—my name is Jesse.” He tried to keep his voice steady, calm, “I’m, um, with the Shifter Alliance.”

She lowered the spear to point more at the ground than him. “You came.”

She said it so softly that he barely heard it. He glanced to the cat still waiting to pounce and decided standing here would be close enough. He inhaled subtly, trying to scent the cat.

“Nana Pearl said you would.” Her voice was shaking.

Jesse straightened as the smell processed in his brain. The cat daring him to make one wrong move was not a shifter, but a very real, very wild kind of cat. “Is ah,” he glanced at the house, “she here?”

The woman nodded her head briefly, then pointed.

Jesse followed the direction she pointed. It was the graveyard. “I’m so sorry.” He turned back to her. “Are you alone here?”

She shook her head, “no—we, I…” She continued to stand there looking at the ground like she was trying to figure out what to say. She closed her eyes and gave her head a slight shake, “I’m sorry,” she offered what may have been a smile, then glanced over his shoulder.

Jesse jolted and turned to look behind him. No one was there. He checked the rest of the yard to be sure. Looking back at her, he was surprised the spear was leaning against the wall as she pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail, all while giving him a very thorough appraisal. The cat, the real one was now sitting beside her looking all chill. What the hell? His animal was calmer, watchful. What the hell was happening?

“So, you’re from the Alliance?”

Gone was her soft tone, he had no problem hearing her now. “Yes. I was sent to check on your clan because there has been no contact for,” he shrugged a shoulder, “some time.”

She chortled. “Good reason for that,” she pointed to the wires hanging from a pole that was tilted at a sixty-five-degree angle. “Phones haven’t worked in years.” She put her hand down to rest on the cat’s head, “we haven’t had power for over a year now.”

“We?” He glanced around quickly but saw no movement anywhere.

“Leah, Thera, Minn, and I.”

She’d looked at the cat when she’d said Thera. “Thera is…”

“The real cat, yes she is.” She squatted down and rubbed her hand along the cat’s shoulder and neck. “Leah had to rescue her. She was underfed, her pen was small and filthy…”

They’d stolen a real leopard from some wildlife facility. “I’ve never seen her species before.” His guts were in a knot, and he didn’t know why. There was something off about this situation. Not dangerous or his cat would sound the alarm, but something wasn’t quite right here.

“You wouldn’t,” she stood up, “she’s from Africa or,” she motioned in the air, “somewhere near there.” She looked down at the cloth covering her and jerked it around as if she was annoyed with it. “Are you here to check up on us or to move us? Why are you here now?” She held his look without hesitation.

“That’s up to you, if you want to leave, I can take you somewhere with more of our kind.”

She inhaled slowly, then smirked, “I wasn’t sure if you were the same as us or not. I knew you weren’t a normal man, but I haven’t had—what’s your name?”

Jesse quirked an eyebrow at her, but kept his thoughts to himself, “Jesse…”

“I’m going to get dressed, Jesse, feel free to hang out with Thera until I come back out.” She went up the stairs and, in the door, before he could comment.

Jesse tucked his hands in his pockets and looked at the leopard in front of him, “Thera, huh?” She continued to look at him without blinking. That couldn’t be good. “So is Leah around?” Not wanting to startle the animal with any movement, he looked, with just his eyes to see if he could see anyone else. “Or,” what was the other name? “Minn, are they around?” The cat didn’t move or look around. Jesse wanted to pet her but thought maybe he should wait until the woman came back out. He liked his hands—and all the other parts of his body still on his body. “Okay,” he nodded to the cat, then motioned to the step, “is it okay if I sit down?” Her ears went back. “Or I could stand, that’s works too.”

When the animal turned to look at the door the woman had gone in, its whole demeanor changed. She was alert, crouched down again instead of sitting, her ears lay back flat, and then she turned those yellow eyes back to him.

Jesse’s cat was tense again, ready to spring. The door of the building opened, Jesse turned to ask the woman her name, but it didn’t seem to be her. It looked like her, but the movement was completely different. Why had his cat switched gears again? He had to wonder if Leah and the other one were twins, maybe? “Hi,” he offered his best smile.

“Thera, be nice.” She said softly and the cat immediately lay down. “I’m sorry about that, she doesn’t know what to do with strangers.” She smiled at him, still a little timid and frightened, but not like before.

His cat went crazy inside him. Not a bad crazy, just strange like he’d never known him to be, kind of weird. If he could see him, he was pretty sure he’d be rolling around like some kind of kitten.

“I’m Leah.” She glanced around, “I’m not sure what to do.” She clasped her hands in front of her body, “we’ve never had company.” She cleared her throat softly, “I-I could make tea?”

She looked over her shoulder to the inside, he figured she was looking at someone, but he heard no movement. “Tea would be great.” He smiled when she turned to look at him.

A look of relief appeared on her face. “Okay,” she nodded, a breathtaking smile on her face now, “I will make us tea and we can,” she glanced at Thera, “talk?”

Jesse nodded, worried if he said the wrong thing that one of two things would happen, Thera might take offense or Leah would revert to the woman that he’d first seen and stab him. He didn’t know why it bothered him this much that she’d been afraid, close to terrified of him when she stood there shaking and pointing a spear at him, but he didn’t want her to feel that way.

Stepping back, she opened the door wider. “Do we sit inside? Or-or out here on the deck?”

“Inside is fine.” He grinned and tilted his head to the side, “the walk up here was,” he glanced behind him, still feeling like someone might walk up behind him, “a long one.”

Her smile widened, “okay, then yes, please come in and sit down.”

As he moved by her, he noted the hesitant look in her eyes, she was inviting him in, but still wasn’t sure if she should be. Hopefully, the other woman inside would put her at ease, Jesse had a soft spot for timid women. Calum told him it was a weakness, but Jesse had noticed over the past few years that Cal exactly immune to helping them either. Jesse found strong women appealing too, not Aunt Mari kind of strong, but those that had strength they didn’t know they had. That made him think Cal was wrong and it was all women and not just vulnerable that were his weakness.

Jesse’s cat was alert, but calm, which was weirding him out even more sitting inside the house. It was nicer than he’d thought it would be. At some point, this clan had regular contact with the outside world if the ornaments and décor were any indications.

Twice he’d watched Leah go over and crank a handle on the other side of the room. It took a few moments of contemplation to realize it was a power source of some kind. Which made sense when he realized the lights got a little brighter each time she did it.

Leah brought over a teapot, complete with one of those knitted things over it, and set it on the table. “I don’t have milk.” She said fearfully.

“That’s fine. I drink it black.” He assured her. A complete lie, but he didn’t like the way she was shaking. It was fear causing it and he didn’t know why. She was a shifter; she could just use her sense of smell and know he was no threat to her.

With a look of relief, she went over and took two cups out of the cupboard, pausing, she spun back and opened another door, and pulled out two small saucers.

He didn’t know anyone that used saucers and china teacups, not since his grandmother had passed away. Jesse tried to give off vibes of being relaxed, even if he wasn’t completely. He glanced at the closed door down the short hall and wondered if the other woman was in there.

Setting the cups down with a clattered, she clasped her hand in front of her. “I have biscuits.”

He wasn’t sure if it was a question or not. “That would be great.” He smiled at her and was rewarded with a smile that made his cat rub against him. Clearing his throat, he pulled one of the cups closer. “That’s quite the garden out there.”

“Oh,” she came over and set a basket on the table, “I love working in the garden.” She pushed her thick dark auburn hair back from her face, “it’s so satisfying and peaceful.”

He watched her look down at the empty chair across from him, a look of indecision appearing on her face. He tried to think of something else to say to keep her at ease. “So, you rescued Thera?”

She gracefully dropped into the chair, her eyes were wide. “Yes. I had to.” She said quickly as if she was defending her actions. “The cage they had her in was too small, she was so unhappy.” She bit her lip, “we hid in the forest beside that zoo until everyone was gone.” Clasping her hands in her lap, she sat forward further, not taking her eyes off him. “I don’t understand why they’d have her and yet make it so she can’t have babies. Why else would they want her?” Her brow furrowed. “Getting in was hard, but once we were in, we talked to her and got her out.” Her mouth quirked into a small smirk, “Minn had to catch her and persuade her to follow us and not run off or she would end up right back there.” Her shoulders dropped and she sat back, “Aunt Tillie screeched when we brought her back, but I like to think she grew to love her as much as I do before she passed.”

Jesse wanted to ask about Minn but was afraid to confirm his suspicions. He couldn’t be sure, but his gut told him that Minn was her cat. If not hers then another shifter could be stuck in that form. It was rare but did happen. He’d never given his cat a name because, well, he was his cat,and his cat him.

Leah poured the tea and set the pot back down quickly.

Jesse picked up the cup and took a sip. It wasn’t the tea he’d expected, and he’d been too distracted to smell the bitter herbs that made up the hot liquid. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what he’d call tea. Shae would probably love it, was his next thought. Setting the cup down he watched her, she was holding the cup and staring off, like when you’re in deep thought. His cat let him know it wasn’t just her staring off into space. Rubbing inside him, his animal half was anxious and seemed to be pacing. “Are you all right?” He asked softly.

Setting the cup down, she rubbed the center of her forehead, then blinked slowly, “sorry, I’m just struggling right now.” She offered him a quick smile, “I do want to stay but sometimes…” She closed her eyes and blew out a slow breath.

Jesse’s cat went still. He leaned forward, not sure if he should get up and offer help or…

Leah opened her eyes, “I’m sorry about that.” She grinned, “having a visitor is a bit much to cope with.” Pulling her hair back, she secured it quickly with the thin cord that had been in her pocket.

Quirking one eyebrow up, he tried a shrug and probably failed. “That’s fine.” Her voice was different, not whispers, but calm and confident.

Looking down at the cup, she made a face and pushed it away. “I think I’ll make a coffee.” She got up, “Papa Low stocked us with enough beans that we won’t run out for ten years.” She chuckled.

Leaning back in the chair, feeling like he’d missed something major, he watched her in the kitchen area. There was no cautious movement, no second-guessing at all. She walked over to the crank on the generator and gave it several abrupt turns, not slow and steady like before, but with more power.

“Do you want to drink that?” She looked amused as she motioned to the cup in front of him on her way by. “We’re low on sugar, but if you’d prefer a strong coffee, I’ll make enough for two.”

“Sure.” Jesse felt like someone had smacked him, his head was churning out possibilities of what had happened in the last few moments. He sat silently as she ground the beans in a hand grinder and measured them out into an old metal percolator. Clearing his throat, he crossed his arms over his chest and tried to look more relaxed than he was feeling. His cat was driving him crazy shifting gears constantly. The woman in front of him changed almost as frequently. “When I found the fence on my way up, I saw two cats out for a run,” she didn’t pause as she checked the kettle for water and set it on the small wood stove in the corner. “One was obviously Thera…”

“Thera and Minn.” She shrugged, “she’s not out as much as she’d like to be, but Leah gives into her still all the time.” She leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. “If I’m closer I can control Minn more.”

Jesse nodded his head slowly, that’s what he thought. The cat was Minn. Out? Out from where? His mind churned, now he only had to figure out what she was talking about. Closer?

She looked at the table, then spun back to open one of the cupboards, pulling out a jar, she shrugged and then grabbed a knife from the container on the counter and turned. Moving with long strides, she was at the table and set the jar and knife down. “The biscuits are dry without it.”

Jesse looked at the jar and surmised it was some sort of jam.

She rolled her eyes and looked up at the ceiling for a second then held out her hand, “I just realized I didn’t introduce myself.” She offered him a quick grin, “I’m Evanna.”

Getting up, he took her hand, gave it a quick squeeze, then released it. He wasn’t sure who was more shocked right now, his mind or his cat.