| |
North Saanich, British Columbia~ The Present
Kamili Okonkwo’s constant tossing roused Chisulo Nkosi in the small hours that morning. Not that he’d slept worth a damn since they’d settled down hours earlier. He wagered Kam had only slept soundly for a few hours before the tossing began.
Who could blame her? She had killed five men less than 48 hours ago. Chisulo knew all too well what that did to the soul.
Kam shifted again. In doing so, she stirred the linens covering her otherwise nude body. Another reason for Chisulo’s early rising. Much of his night had been spent in a state of persistent arousal. All he wanted was to take her and keep taking her until the only thing on their minds was what sizzled to life between them on that erotic level where they never failed to find solace.
Sadly, Chisulo doubted even that would be enough to douse the ugly memories that now plagued them both.
His mouth twisted into a derisive smile. He had made a promise to give her space. He had no idea how much of it she even remembered. Her detached manner following the deep doze she’d drifted into after the...attacks had made him believe she was simply trying to process- to make sense of the senseless. Now, Chisulo wondered if it was confusion over the sudden change in their travel plans that accounted for the...bewilderment she seemed to be exuding.
Again, who could blame her? Kamili Okonkwo thought the ability to trade human form into tiger was an ability that had been gifted to everyone in her family except to her and her brother Rashid. In a very short span of time, she discovered that Rashid was not only capable of the phenomenon but that he was desperate to be rid of it.
The Okonkwo had been capable of the feat for centuries. All of them now, except for Kam who had never displayed a trace of the shifter ability. Then, two nights ago, she’d literally torn five men limb from limb. Was her ability manifesting? If so, it was a peculiar manifestation and one Chisulo couldn’t recall ever hearing of in any clan including his own.
The Nkosi were from a centuries-old lineage of lion shifters. They, along with The Okonkwo, had reigned supreme over the vast culture of shifter clans that included Panther, Cheetah, Leopard, Cougar, Jaguar, and others. It was a contentious relationship with subordinate clans often putting in bids for control. Those bids were usually half-hearted at best. Uprisings were usually quelled within a week or two of their onset. Usually. The latest unrest and by far most intense, had gotten underway when word began to circulate of a discovery in the Okonkwo camp. It was believed that the clan had created-or was on the verge of creating-a serum that could either spark or suppress the shifting ability.
Spark-regardless of an individual's genetic makeup. In other words, one did not have to be born of a shifter clan to obtain the unheard of. Such a product would make the Okonkwo clan the undoubted ruler of all shifter tribes. More powerful even, than the Nkosi.
Suppressing one's shifter nature had long been an unrealized hope among many shifters. Not everyone welcomed such power. A staggering payday could await anyone that delivered on a promise to rid them of it.
Still yet, there was another concern-one that far outweighed the monetary benefits. Possessing such a serum- one capable of turning ordinary humans into one of the big cat species- could allow one to create an army. Bids for control of the shifter tribes could take on a whole new meaning.
This was something not even the Nkosi could allow and was the reason Chisulo Nkosi had come into Kamili Okonkwo’s unsuspecting world. The reason he had come into her world-far removed from what made him stay.
It didn’t matter that Kam had no idea that her family wasn’t the only shifter clan or that she knew nothing about what they currently had in development. Okonkwo enemies already had it on good authority that the clan’s only non-shifter was the key to completing the serum. Kam’s life was endangered almost from the moment the serum’s concept was conceived. Any of the Nkosi’s nefarious plans, however, dissolved once Chisulo met Kam.
He could have taken the high road and said it was her sweetness and compassion that disintegrated any notion of doing her harm. Bullshit...he’d taken one look at her and wanted her in his bed for however long she’d let him keep her there.
She was tall, with the perfect blend of athletic grace and mouthwatering curves. A dark, heart-stopping face was framed by a wavy mane that cascaded past her shoulders. Her demeanor was as lovely as she was. Chisulo’s family knew they’d have him to deal with if any harm came to her by their hand. Most honored that. Others like his brother Haddad and a host of the man’s associates, hadn’t been so noble. Now, it was all-out war with the woman Chisulo had come to love, at the center of it.
More tossing from the bed and Chisulo thought he heard Kam murmur something. He pushed from the deep, walnut brown chair he’d taken refuge in and approached.
“Shh...it’s alright love,” he soothed, drawing the covers over her bared limbs.
“Chisel...”
He smiled, once hating the nickname she’d taken a liking to. Now, he adored the sound of it on her lips.
“It’s alright, back to sleep now,” he urged softly once more.
“Where are we?”
“Shh...”
“How did we...why...”
“Enough honey, you need your rest.”
“Stay with me,” she added action to her request and tugged at the hand he used to tuck her into the covers.
“Stay,” she took his hand, pulling it along with his forearm into the cocoon she’d curled into.
“Don’t do this to me, Kam,” he pleaded unashamedly. If he climbed back into bed with her, there would be no stopping him from doing what he’d left the bed to take his mind off of.
Thankfully, he wasn’t alone in the house with the woman he was powerless against. That fact came to mind in vivid fashion when the mobile vibrated in a side pocket on the navy Cargo pants he sported. Bach. He spotted the text from his older brother.
Determined, Chisulo gently pried his arm and hand free of Kam’s grasp. “I’ll be back, Sweet,” he promised and fled the room while he still could.
––––––––
The house in North Saanich was an unquestionably jaw-dropping locale. The three-story, seven-bedroom construction of gray brick and stone was set among eclipsing redwoods and vast acreage. It boasted a gorgeous mountain view across from the Saanich Inlet which fed from the Goldstream River.
The scenery could be enjoyed from almost anywhere inside the house. Windows were abundant and gave one the impression of sleeping under starry nighttime skies. Lush foliage seemed to accentuate the richness of the cherrywood and maple in the rooms with their varied shades of oak-paneled walls.
During the winter months, that effect was no less stunning. Hearths were as abundant as the windows and glowing embers drew the eye to the brick and woodwork as potently as it did during the warmer months.
Chisulo took a curving staircase at the rear of the corridor in the wing he’d selected for himself and Kam. The rest of Bach’s text said to come to the wine cellar. He didn’t worry about not hearing Kam if she stirred. There was no house staff at the Saanich property, but motion sensors could be activated at the touch of a button. One look at his phone screen and he would know if she opened a window or ventured outside their suite.
The two men waiting for him in the cellar turned at the sound of his arrival. Mustafa and Mbaku ‘Bach’ Nkosi. Each had more than four years on their little brother. Still, the three were often mistaken for triplets given how similar they were in looks, height, and build. Chisulo’s and Mustafa’s complexions appeared further darkened by the light smattering of sleek whiskers covering the lower halves of their faces. Mbaku’s to-die-for caramel-toned face was clean-shaved.
“Have you called them?” Chisulo asked in greeting to his brothers.
“We thought it’d be better to keep the circle small,” Bach said. “I called Saiida yesterday afternoon. She should be here by dawn,” he added quickly when Chisulo opened his mouth to disagree.
“Her brothers won’t be happy about being kept out of the loop,” Chisulo noted.
“Exactly why I’ll be leaving soon to talk to Ali in person. The plan is to bring him back with me,” Mustafa shared.
Approving, Chisulo nodded and then looked to Bach. “Did you tell Saiida what we’re dealing with?”
“I didn’t get into specifics,” Bach said. “Only that Kam was exhibiting some concerning behavior.”
Chisulo barked an ill-humored laugh. “Concerning,” exasperated, he drew all ten fingers through the mass of onyx waves covering his head. “Concerning,” he settled back heavily against a wall that carried a built-in wine rack.
Again, Mustafa and Bach traded looks. At Bach’s shrug, Mustafa grimaced as if to acknowledge that, as eldest, the job of reassuring their baby brother fell to him.
“Listen to me, C,” Mustafa went to Chisulo, took his face in his hands. “She’s going to be alright.”
“Can you promise me that?”
“I believe there’s an explanation for it. Saiida Okonkwo is a brilliant woman who loves her cousin. I believe she can help us figure out what’s happening to Kam.”
Chisulo’s smile was grim. “Did you just intentionally not answer my question, Mus?”
“C...”
“Look fellas, I appreciate what you’re trying to do but figuring this out is a far cry from Kam being alright.”
“Saiida’s a genius, man,” Bach chimed in.
“And her cousin massacred five men,” Chisulo threw back. “I don’t use that word lightly, B. It was a massacre plain and simple. Worse than that, I don’t think she remembers it.”
Mustafa and Bach traded a third set of looks.
“You’re sure?” Mustafa pressed.
“I don’t know,” Chisulo left the wall. “If she does, what’s the knowledge gonna do to her?” The cavernous chord of his voice held a bewildered edge. “If she doesn’t...I’ll have to tell her. How do I devastate her like that?”
“Look man,” again Mustafa came close, that time laying his hands on Chisulo’s shoulders. “It’s too soon to worry about that. Focus on the battles already before us.”
“Okay,” Chisulo regarded his brothers thoughtfully. “There was a lion’s paw in all those torn limbs. Anything on who it belonged to?” He smiled as the men displayed twin expressions of irritation. It was the reaction he’d expected.
“Investigation’s barely underway, C,” Bach said.
“Maybe. But given what we already know, I’d say we have a damn fine lead on who the owner of that paw worked for.”
Mustafa leveled a stony gaze at his brother. “What are you asking, C?”
“I’m asking you to bring Haddad in.”
“We have no reason to-”
“You have all the reason you need,” Chisulo cut into Bach’s rebuttal. “Bring him in,” he bit out.
“And then what, C? Question him?” Mustafa countered. “Answer me, C? You want us to interrogate our own brother?”
Chisulo let his silence speak.
Mustafa turned on his heel, digging his fingers into his nape as he paced. “I won’t sanction you going after him, C.”
“I don’t need you to sanction it,” Chisulo mimicked the dangerous, unyielding tone Mustafa had used. “He went after her, not once, but twice. He won’t get a third try.”
“C?” Incredulity gripped Bach’s simple query. “Are you talking about killing him?”
Again, Chisulo let his silence speak.
“Fuck, C!” Bach spat, “You hearing yourself, man? That’s fucking-”
“Alright, enough both of you,” Mustafa demanded, his expression fierce. “Give us more time here, C. You know full well there are a number of lion shifters who don’t only work for lions. Deal?” He waited until Chisulo gave a stiff nod of agreement.
“Alright,” Mustafa grimaced, pulling a mobile from his trouser pocket and checking the screen. “Well, the jet’s waiting. I’ll check in with an update on my meet with Ali Okonkwo.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Bach said, falling in step with Mustafa as they headed from the wine cellar.
“Hey!” Chisulo called, leaning back on the wall when Mustafa and Bach turned his way. “You got two weeks for this investigation to yield something. Then, I go find Haddad myself. Heaven help him if he runs from me.”