Kyanite didn’t have to be told twice. He was gone in an instant, shifting on the run, his clothing tucked into the pack at his neck the way he’d been taught by Donovan in the rainforests of Borneo. He was incredibly fast and very skilled. One of the best the Amurovs had. They worked on their fighting skills every day. All of them worked with Donovan to improve shifting times as well.
Meiling trailed after Kyanite to protect him. He wouldn’t see her, that slight shadow in the darkness. Bahadur might sense her eventually, but Gorya doubted it. She was elite and working with Gedeon; her skills had become even better than they had been when he’d first met her.
Gorya dragged Maya into his arms, sitting on the ground with her in his lap. She was trembling. The moment he had her close, she burrowed into his chest, taking in deep breaths of air. One hand caught at his so she could rub the backs of his fingers where the tattoo of his Amur leopard was spread across his hand. He had thought she would hate that tattoo, but it gave her comfort in a crisis.
I’m Maya. What is your name? Maya paused, waited a moment, and then pulled into him even more, as if seeking shelter.Do you remember me?
Maya?There were tears in the voice. In the mind.I don’t think I can stand up much longer. This is too much of a shock. You were the baby. Our little baby. I was four when they came for us. Mama let me hold you sometimes when you were first born. You were so beautiful. I tried to protect you, but they dragged me away by my hair. Do you remember me at all? I am called Tanja.
At once Gorya saw the childhood memories surfacing between the two women. The laughter as Tanja, her long golden curls falling all over Maya’s head, planted kisses over Maya’s upturned face. The two girls had looked remarkably alike as toddlers. It was easy to see why the older sister had been named for a fairy princess. She looked like one as she danced and twirled for the little girl watching her so adoringly. They both had the same large blue eyes and strangely pale skin. Already one could see the cat features in the eyes.
There is a man coming to aid you. He will ensure you don’t fall, Tanja. Kyanite is one of our sweetest and best. He is part of our security force. His leopard is Bahadur, or Warrior, as we often call him. He’ll protect you.
Release my leopard. I cannot function properly without her. I’ll make my way down to you and we can meet properly and talk.
You tried to take my fiancé’s leopard from him. Wraith, my leopard, is in the midst of her first heat. She went a little crazy, and I’ve had to calm her. She’s extremely close to emerging. She’ll fight to the death, Tanja, and she’s very skilled in combat. Now, knowing you’re my sister, more than ever I don’t want that to happen.
I call my leopard Savior. She saved me when I had no chance. None. I still wouldn’t without her. We function well together.There was a small gasp.He’s here. He’s speaking to me. His leopard is close, I can feel him as well.
Gorya and Maya could feel Savior responding to Bahadur’s nearness. The leopardess wanted to rise to inspect him, to see if he was worthy of her. She didn’t like Tanja being unable to protect herself.
If I return your leopard, can you control her? We are on a very close timetable this night and I want to speak with you, but we can’t have our leopards fighting.
Yes. Savior will do as I order her.
Maya didn’t pull completely away, monitoring the events taking place on the cliffs using the leopard’s vison, since she didn’t have access to her sister’s.
The leopard stared at Kyanite through Tanja’s eyes, assessing the man. Kyanite had managed to pull on a pair of soft trousers, the kind they used for fast shifting. He was barefoot and shirtless, his powerful chest and arms betraying the fact that he was a man housing a leopard of equal strength.
“I’m Kyanite Boston. I’ve come to escort you down the mountain.”
“Tanja Averina. I’m Maya’s older sister. I recognize the name Boston. Are you related to Damir Boston? Or Melor Boston?”
Kyanite didn’t change expression. “They’re related tome. Cousins. Younger. I’ve never really met them other than briefly. I was raised in this territory when it was run by Patva Amurov. It was worse than you can possibly imagine. Worse than Krylov has managed to make it, and the truth is, we’re here to take his ass down.” He studied her and the leopard as he gave her complete honesty. “The two you just mentioned were just babies.”
Maya let out her breath. “He just confirmed what Tanja already knows. She’s relaxing a little bit.”
“I’m ready to go down to meet with Maya and the others.”
“We have something to do before we go meet with the others.” Kyanite was firm. Resolved. Utterly implacable.
She backed up a step. “I don’t think you really looked at me. You don’t just get the leopard if your leopard claims mine, you take on the human. You aren’t getting a bargain.”
“I looked at you and I see more than you think I do. I also had Bahadur speak to Savior. She tells him you are the one responsible for fucking up Krylov’s lair, keeping him off balance. He also tells me you’ve risked your life over and over, freeing his trafficking victims and secreting them away, training them to fight back when the time comes. You’ve been acquiring supplies, medical equipment, weapons and food. I think that says more about who you are than anything else. On top of that, you’re one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. Tiny, like that little spitfire Maya, but stunning.”
“My sister is a spitfire?”
“She’s a little hellion. In a fight, I’ve never seen anything like her. Lightning fast. She can take down a man three times her size, leopard or not. If you’re anything like her, I’ll tell you up front, I don’t have the special gifts Gedeon and Gorya have, but I’m loyal and I’ve looked all over the world for you. For me, not just for Bahadur. Let her choose, Tanja. See if she’s interested. If she’s not, youdon’t have to worry, I won’t force the issue no matter how attracted I am to you. I’m not that kind of man.”
Gorya was proud of Kyanite. He’d stated his case as well as a man could have in the limited time that he had.
“I have issues. Terrible issues.” She took another step back. “You don’t understand. I can’t see at all. Without Savior, I’m totally blind. Not just that, I have trouble walking. She keeps me walking steady. I have to work at it all the time in order to...” She broke off, shaking her head. “I refuse to be a burden to anyone.”
“Are you a burden to these people you house and feed? You rescue. You’re a leader. You’re the brains behind the rebellion going on here. You’re taking back this lair a piece at a time. You’re recovering victims.”
“Not enough.”
“Without you, the ones you saved would have been sold or dead. And you have recruits. Allies in the lair. That’s why you mentioned my cousins. They’re part of that network.”
