Arg! I am soooo sorry that this took so long! I was away for a week-end and then school started and I had a bit of writers block and… I know, lame excuses. I'll try to update more regularly, depending on my homework (its so annoying…) and stuff. Thank you soooo much to my reader and most especially to my reviewers!!! You guys are great. LionAndTheLambLove7, WinglessAngelsStillFly, ForestReject, TwilifeCrisis, Nobody Special, A Single Broken Frame, and Katzenpfote were all kind enough to review the last chapter. A Single Broken Frame even went so far as to write reviews far all six as she read them! I know! How awesome of her!
I pronounce it 'k-eye' :) Good question.
Heh heh, she used to be a prisoner of some were-cats but she escaped and so that's who are looking for her… Enjoy!
Jake's mother walked into the kitchen that was right off the small hallway that Jake had brought her in through and open a few cupboards, taking out a can of what Kai guessed must be dog food. Jake carried her past the kitchen and a flight of stairs that led up to the second story. He took her down the four steps that were just past the other ones and set her down gently on a large, soft dog bed that smelled like Shadow. He sat down beside her with a sigh, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. Kai shifted as far down into the bed as she could as Jake began to punch in the number that she had given him. He had memorized it. She might have been flattered if it had been a different situation. Far different. Kai listened in as the phone stopped ringing and a man picked up on the other end, giving the name of the company. Jake frowned.
"I'm sorry, I think I have the wrong number. Sorry for the trouble." Jake hung up the phone, checking the number that he had called. "This should be the right number… But I'll go look. Stay here Kai. I'll be right back, good girl." Jake got to his feet and trotted up the stairs. Kai allowed herself to relax and her eyes slid closed as she fell deeply asleep.
* * *
Samuel called in sick again the next morning after waiting in the park all night. He wanted to stay and watch for Kai but he couldn't risk the other man finding her first. His encounter with the Were-cat bothered him. Why was there a bounty on Kai's head? Was the reason that she seemed to know a bit about Weres and yet had never met a werewolf because she 'belonged' to another variety of Weres? He had to find his Kai. He needed information. He pulled his phone out and called Charles.
* * *
Kai woke up slowly that afternoon. She slowly stretched with a small whimper as her abused muscles protested loudly. She opened her eyes. She was lying on a dog bed in what appeared to be someone's basement. There was a couch and two armchairs facing a TV in the corner. A teenage boy was sprawled out across the couch with a textbook and a bunch of papers scattered around. Jake. What was… Her memories came back to her. She was so tired, she usually didn't have such issues when she woke up but she had a lot to worry about. She couldn't stay here. Staying with the werewolves left far less of a chance that someone would get hurt than staying with humans did. She couldn't risk the loss of life on her account. How could she escape? She could shift, but she didn't really care for Jake to see her naked. She could wait until he took her outside and then she could attempt to jump the fence and get away fast enough that he couldn't catch her. But he would have to let her off leash for that, which he might not. Did she have any other options? She couldn't think of any. She got to her feet and Jake looked up.
"Hey Kai. You're probably hungry huh. We tried to get you some food earlier but you fell asleep too soon and we didn't have the heart to wake you. You looked so peaceful." Jake frowned as he got up. "I couldn't reach Kim though. I think she must have given me the wrong number. I tried lots of variations on the number she gave me but none of them were hers. She could have just declined." He grumbled to himself as he walked to the kitchen. Kai padded behind him, the leash that was still attached to her collar dragging behind her. They passed Shadow and Bree in the short hall/entrance way. The two dogs were in kennels and looked up as they walked past. Jake got down a bowl off of the kitchen counter and set it down on the floor. Kai eyed it for a moment then settled down to eat. Jake placed a bowl of water next to her and got out a glass for himself.
"I'll have to make posters or something. Put them up around the neighborhood and stuff. Kim and her aunt must be frantic looking for you."
Kai ate faster. He couldn't take pictures of her. If he put up posters with her on them him and his whole family would probably die, perhaps her along with them if the hunter out in the fields was anything to go by. She finished her food and Jake picked up the leash, leading her outside to relive herself. He kept her on leash the whole time and, even if he hadn't, Kai knew that there was no way that she would have been able to clear their fence in the condition that she was in. He took her back inside and down to the basement. She lay down on Shadow's bed again and Jake sat beside her. There was no one else in the house, though there were at least four people that lived here, including Jake, and many more that visited regularly. Far, far too many people to risk over her own worthless hide. She shifted. Jakes eyes widened as suddenly, instead of a coyote, there was a naked girl sitting on the dog bed next to him.
"Kim?" He asked with shock, the scent of his fear obvious. Kai nodded and covered herself as best she could with her hands. His eyes dropped to follow her movements and she drew her knees up to her chest.
"Hey Jake…" She said, trying to sound as not-awkward as was possible in a situation like that. "Sorry to… uh, startle you like that…"
He opened his mouth but had to try a few times before he could get his question out. "Are- are you a Were?"
Kai shook her head. "No. I'm not a Were. I'm much more harmless than any Were."
Jake looked slightly disturbed still. Dubious.
"I am. Just trust me. I'm really; really sorry about giving you the wrong number Jake. I didn't want to but I didn't really have a choice."
Jake blushed. "Sorry I-"
"It's okay Jake. You didn't know who I was."
Jake nodded. "So… are you Kim or Kai?"
Kai hesitated. It would be easier for Jake if he called her Kai, that way there would be less chance that he would slip up and have the urge to try to explain her to someone else. But on the other hand, there was significantly less danger to her if he called her Kim.
She sighed. "Kai. I had to give you a different name that way I could safely make tags."
Jake nodded in understanding. "So is your aunt fictional too?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
Jake blushed again and got to his feet, grabbing a blanket off of the far chair. He tossed it to Kai and sat down again on the edge of the couch.
Kai flushed too and wrapped the blanket around herself. "Thanks." She said quietly, looking down.
"No problem." Jake said, looking acutely uncomfortable. "I figured that you might be more comfortable…"
Kai nodded. "I won't stay here long, in fact, I plan to leave before nightfall."
Jake blinked. "But… you can stay if you want to. Wait, whose address did you put on your tags?"
Kai kept her gaze down, hiding the turbulent emotions that she knew would show in her eyes.
"A friend."
Jake cocked his head to one side. "Why didn't you go there?"
Kai shifted uncomfortably. "I… I was there. There was an… incident and I had to leave."
Jake's eyes sharpened. "Did someone hurt you?" He asked quietly.
Kai looked up and met his eyes for a brief moment. "No… I just had to leave."
Jake frowned at her. "Have you spoken to the Alpha? He might be able to help you with whatever it is that you're running from."
She tensed and looked up at him sharply and Jake sighed.
"Look Kai, it's really not that hard to figure out. If you need a safe place to stay then you're welcome here for as long as you'd like. And I really think that it would be good to talk to the Alpha."
"The Alpha can't help me." And even if there were a chance that they could I wouldn't risk… I'm done being a prisoner. Kai added silently.
An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Jake licked his lips.
"Uh, so are you hungry? I can get you some real food if you want."
"No, it's alright. Dog food really isn't as bad as you might think."
Jake smiled. "Yeah? Maybe I'll try it sometime. Do you want a shower?" Suddenly his face turned crimson. "I didn't mean anything earlier by… I thought you were a dog… If I'd known I wouldn't have…"
The boy seemed to be having trouble talking. Kai took a guess at what he was talking about. "You mean the bath?"
Jake nodded, not looking at her. She smirked at his expression.
"It's alright. It's different when I'm in the other form and you didn't know. I would love a shower, thanks."
Jake ducked his head a bit and glanced at her. "Okay. I'll go get you a fresh towel." Jake got to his feet and bounded up the stairs to the main level then up to the second floor. Kai listened as he went into the first door on the left and opened a few cupboards, rummaging around a bit. She got up and stretched, allowing the blanket to fall to the floor. She quickly retrieved as Jake came back downstairs, wrapping it around herself hurriedly.
"The bathroom is the first door on the left side of the hallway. I put a clean towel and washrag on the counter for you. I'll get-" He faltered as the blanket slipped and looked away, blushing. "you some clothes to wear." He finished, his eyes going back to her as Kai jerked the blanket back up. His eyes darted across her frame with hidden hunger and he turned away. Kai silently followed him up the stairs, turning into the bathroom as he continued down the hall.
Kai closed the door gently behind her, not locking it in case she had to make a quick escape for some reason. She looked around the bathroom. It had a nice feel to it, the walls were a nice off-white color and the tiled floor was warm underneath her cold feet. There was a clean, white towel and washcloth on the granite countertop between the two sinks. She turned the water on to warm up as she dragged her fingers through her tangled hair. There was already shampoo and conditioner in the shower as well as a bar of soap. She dropped the blanket to the floor and tossed the towel across the top of the shower curtain. She took off her collar, setting it on the counter and slipped into the shower, wincing as the water hit her leg. Jake and his mother had done a pretty good job of washing her earlier but it would still feel really good to be clean. Really clean. If she never spent another night in the mud she would be happy. She winced as soap ran into her wound.
The door opened and she tensed. Jake quietly set something down on the counter and closed the door again. She peaked out to see what it was that he'd left. He'd brought her some clothes, bless him.
She rinsed her hair, holding her breath and gritting her teeth at the pain in her thigh.
After she was clean she turned the water off, shivering in the sudden cold. She dried herself off and stepped out of the shower, the vent in the ceiling humming away busily. She slipped into the sweatpants and tee shirt that Jake had left her, regretting the lack of underthings but it couldn't be helped. She wrapped her hair up in the towel, forming a sort of turban on top of her head. She rinsed the remaining mud off of her collar in the sink before drying it off and buckling it on again. She shook her hair down and decided that she didn't really need to find a brush. Her hair looked pretty good and she had combed her fingers through it when she was washing it. She cleaned up the shower and gathered her towel and washrag, opening the door. She stepped into the hall, hearing the ominous silence as she left behind the gently white noise that had been created by the water and fan. She silently set the towel down where she was and slunk down the stairs, scenting the air for anything out of place, her nose hampered by the unfamiliar scent of the shampoo. She glanced down to the TV room but there was no one there so she turned to the kitchen next. She crept through the doorway glancing around. Suddenly she felt strong arms clamp around her for behind and pull her against a rock hard chest. The man inclined his head and sniffed at her neck.
"Well hello there, pretty. We meet at last."
Kai struggled futilely in his iron grasp.
"Let go of me." She demanded. The man chuckled.
"Now why would I do that? If I let go of you then you'd just run off and I'd have to catch you all over again. No, I think not."
Kai kicked the man's shin but he only laughed softly in her ear. She tried to get her elbow into a position that she could hurt him but found it to be impossible. He held her still and she tried desperately to think of something that she could do. Suddenly the man released her but before she could react he had her shirt off and his arm locked around her shoulders again. Damn it, she should be faster then that. His other arm and hand slid down the soft, exposed skin of her belly and continued down, slipping the sweatpants off to pool around her ankles. She shuddered. What was he going to do to her? She shivered again with fear and cold.
"Shift." The man commanded, his voice dark. Her mind screamed to obey him, his request wasn't unreasonable and it would get her out of this position but her body wasn't listening.
"Shift or I'll do something to you that you won't like." His arm around her hips tightened slightly to re-enforce his threat. She shifted into coyote form and the man readjusted his grip before she could squirm away. He transferred her to the floor, pinning her there between his legs with one hand on the back of her neck. She heard a click as he attached a leash to her collar. His hand left her collar but she continued to lay still. Maybe if she didn't make him mad he wouldn't hurt her. He wasn't familiar to her but he was still a lot stronger then she was and he had proven himself fast. Her ears pricked as he pulled something off the counter. It jingled a bit. He moved off her and she scrambled to her feet, turning to face him. There was a sharp tug on the leash and she froze where she was. The man chuckled.
"Good girl." He murmured. She trembled as he untangled a familiar jumble of black leather and steel. He put the harness on her deftly and she shrank down, tucking her tail. There was no escaping now. He moved the leash to the clip on the harness instead and stood up. She followed meekly as he walked through the house. She locked eyes with Jake as they walked past the chair that he had been tied to. He made a small, frustrated sound that the man thankfully ignored. Kai wagged her tail ever so slightly to let him know that she didn't blame him. He was no match for a were. The man led her to the front door and opened it, motioning her out first. She followed him to his black Audi and slunk into the backseat after he opened the door for her. He closed it behind her and she felt a strange sense of finality. She wondered vaguely who he was working for. Were-cats like him made good assassins and mercenaries. He got in and started the car, pulling out onto the street. She lay down on the floor and closed her eyes, ready for the inevitable. It had been stupid to think that she could escape. They would never let her go.
* * *
Jake watched helplessly as the stranger led Kai out the front door. He had put her in a harness and he suspected that she couldn't shift in it. He had to find a way to help her. After he had gotten her the clothes someone had knocked on the door. He had answered it and the man had been inside faster then he cared to think about. He had tied Jake to the chair and put a piece of duct tape over his mouth and poked around the house a little, not touching anything.
If he could get to the phone he could call someone for help. But whom would he call? The man hadn't tied him up very tightly, just enough to keep him from making noise or moving around. He worked his wrists free and ripped the duct tape off, wincing. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, searching through his address book. He selected the number that he wanted and waited while it rang.
"Hello?"
"Jesse. It's Jake, from school." There was a moment of silence.
"Hey Jake. What's up?"
"I need help. I found a dog this morning on the riverbank only she was really a walker see? And now some guy came and took her and I'm tied up. She didn't want to call your dad, I don't know why. If he finds her will he hurt her? Would he help find her?"
The voice that answered him was definitely not Jesse.
"How long ago? Did you see the car?"
Jake hesitated. "Maybe five minutes ago? It was a black Audi, sir."
Adam sighed, "Is she all right?"
Jake wondered how much he should tell the werewolf. "Why didn't she want to call you? Is the man that came a werewolf?"
Adam didn't answer immediately. "I startled her last night. Where do you live?"
"Will you hurt her?"
"No. I don't hurt women."
Jake sighed and gave Adam directions to his house. He hoped that all this was over before his parents got home. He wasn't sure that he'd be able to explain what had happened very well. He bid farewell to the Alpha and hung up the phone.
* * *
Samuel picked up his phone, glancing at the caller ID before he picked it up. Why was Adam calling?
"Yeah?"
"I've got news on where Kai was. She circled back last night and a kid from the school found her near his house and took her in. A man showed up about ten minutes ago and took her. I'm on my way to his house now."
"Where?"
Adam told Samuel the directions that Jake had given him.
"I'll meet you there."
"Samuel do you know who the man was?"
Samuel hesitated, already starting his car. "I hope not."
Adam hung up after a moment of silence. Samuel sighed softly, pulling onto the road. Charles had called him back with his findings on known were-felines. There weren't many, but one that was known was a bounty hunter and gun for hire. Samuel hated to admit it but out of the other options the bounty hunter was the most likely. Cadfael.
* * *
Jake was watching out the window when he saw a silver Mercedes pull up outside the house. A man got out and walked purposefully toward the door. The man was fairly tall and had dusty-brown hair and a plain face but he was built like a Chippendales dancer. The man earlier had been too but he'd had dirty-blond hair and a handsome face. The man knocked and Jake walked over to the door.
"Who are you?" He said without opening it. Like that would stop a were, he thought with wry humor.
"Samuel. I'm looking for Kai. The Alpha gave me the address." Another car stopped outside the house and a car door closed. Jake peaked out the window next to the door and saw Adam Hauptman and Mercedes Thompson coming up to the door. They greeted Samuel with nods so Jake figure he must have been telling the truth. He unlocked and opened the door.
Please
